Spotlight- Lisa Margreet

Lisa Margreet

lisamargreet.etsy.com

folksy.com/shops/lisamargreet

Lisa Margreet draws you into a fascinating world of vintage glamour and retro chic. Her talents run from knitting to crochet, taking in aromatherapy and fashion design along the way. Her designs are spellbinding and leave you with a longing for a piece of her burlesque beauty.

“I sold my first fascinator off of my head in a toilet queue at a club in Brighton on New Years Eve! I sold it to the ex-wife of a famous musician who wore it to a gallery opening a few weeks later.”

Unsurprisingly, since then, Lisa Margreet has sold many, many more fascinators. There are many different fascinators in the Lisa Margreet range, burlesque red, simple black, pink ostrich feather, and wedding white. There is even a crochet version waiting to be added.

Lisa Margreet’s fascinators are just the beginning. If you really want that old fashioned glamour then you also need the vintage curls and the perfect 1950s porcelain skin. Lisa Margreet has it covered. You can also buy a rag rolling kit for your hair to create those elusive burlesque curls; and a rose and frankincense facial oil for your face.

Waiting for We Make:

We Make Christmas is perfectly timed for all of your Christmas party needs so you need no further excuse to allow yourself a little piece of Lisa Margreet vintage glamour.

Can’t wait for We Make:

If you don’t want to wait for a special occasion for your Lisa Margreet original design, you don’t have to. Take a hop, click, and a jump (in your 1950s stocking clad feet) across to Lisa Margreet’s FOLKSY shop to peruse. The We Make team have spotted this wonderful red fascinator that is sure to spice up your wardrobe whether you want a wedding outfit, Halloween party glamour, or a bedroom accessory.

Spotlight- Pink Pink

Silvia of Pink Pink is a London living, crochet hook wielding, Portuguese mum of a five year old Princess. Working full time in the media industry, looking after her daughter, and creating a huge range of wonderful things, Silvia’s life is a whirl of activity.

“Generally, I am in constant change. One day I am making vintage baby hats, the other I am creating a completely new hat style. I am always busy, otherwise I get bored!”

Who could get bored in the the world of Pink Pink? Silvia’s creations are bright, bold, and exciting. Her girly style and love of colour is evident throughout her designs, sparking with her vibrancy and creativity.

In the Pink Pink repertoire there is something for everyone. Cushions, toys, clothes, dolls, brooches, blankets, home wares, scarves, wonderful things for all the family.

Waiting for We Make:

You will be spoilt for choice! As well as her huge range of loveliness, Silvia will have brand new stock. Currently, she is working on a range of paper mache sculptures that will make wonderful unique gifts for those people who have everything else.

Can’t Wait for We Make:

If you are settling down for those cosy winter evenings, you’ll want to visit Pink Pink’s FOLKSY store for some of her gorgeous crocheted blankets and cushions.

Spotlight- What Katie Does

C is For.......... Camera

http://whatkatiedoes.etsy.com

Katie has a passion for cameras, whether it’s collecting them, drawing them, or using them. They are a big part of Katie’s work. By day Katie uses her Interactive Media education in her Web Design job. Balancing this with her passion for drawing is exactly What Katie Does.

‘My illustrations are a blend of good old fashioned sketching and a bit of digital wizardry. Everything starts as a rough pencil sketch which I then go over with ink. That's then scanned and re-traced in Illustrator, then I add colour and texture in Photoshop.’

Katie's camera pieces are her best sellers; they have also been featured on many blogs. 'My Cameras' is definitely my most popular drawing. I suppose everyone loves the lure of a novelty camera'

Katie’s favourite piece is her letter C. It allowed her to use new techniques combined with her much loved drawing techniques.

Waiting For We Make Christmas:

Katie is currently getting into the Christmas spirit and designing a new range of Christmas and thank you cards.

Can’t Wait For We Make Xmas:

Katie is working her way through the alphabet. With a unique style and illustration for each letter they are both artistic and fun. They would make a perfect gift for someone special.

Katie loves using patterns especially from Japanese Origami papers and collage effects. Her alphabet series draws on both of these inspirations.

What Katie Does can be found through her online shop at http://whatkatiedoes.etsy.com and her website www.whatkatiedoes.net

Spotlight- Ei! Kumpel

http://eikumpel.etsy.com

By day Margarida is a biologist, currently working on Environmental Toxicology. Yes a scientist! A far cry from the world of felt crafting!

Margarida says:

“I love to craft because I like to create things without rules and limits. It’s amazing when I imagine something in my mind and then I’m able to create it.

It also transports me to wonderful and quiet places! It’s like a spa…”

Margarida loves to travel, exploring new places and cultures.

All her designs are unique and original, so it is no surprise that much of the inspiration for her felt creations come from microscopic organisms.

Margarida makes very few pieces of each design, which attracts young trendy customers that like originality in their style. These delightful felt creations are vibrant, funky and nearly always multi-coloured.

Mr Comma is a particular favourite (pictured above) He was the first plush that Margarida designed so it has great sentimental value. He is super fun, bright, colourful and very cute indeed! He will make you smile and will make the perfect stocking filler this Christmas!

Waiting for We Make Christmas?

A selection of these fabulous items will be available at We Make Christmas, and in addition, Margarida will be making some christmas decorations specially for the occasion, which are not to be missed. There will also be some exclusive products made for the event, so watch this creative space for some really special Christmas items. Oh joy!

Can’t wait for We Make Christmas?

Margarida is currently busy designing a new A/W brooch collection. The colours are somewhat unusual for the season, and will feature dark red, mustard, purple, a lot of grey and dark blue, mostly.

Ei! Kumpel is available online through her etsy shop and more information on a lovely little blog here: http://blog.eikumpel.com

These unique pieces are bundles of soft fun and endlessly cheerful. They really are handmade funky felt treats, making them ideal gifts for the season to be jolly!

Spotlight- My Aphrodite

….Silver Smithing by the Seat of Her Pants!

My Aphrodite is a mystical world of silver, semi precious gemstones, and pre Raphaelite inspired beauty.

“My technique is what I’d call ‘flying by the seat of my pants’. My original training in metal work was very brief, so I’m largely self taught. I probably don’t do things quite the way I’m supposed to, but they seem to turn out alright in the end!”

As if to illustrate this point, My Aphrodite is full of unique, magical, jewellery designs, each easily identifiable as a My Aphrodite designer piece. The design below is called ‘The potential for Flight’ and is a clear bestseller.

My Aphrodite is a lover of using bird imagery; her daughter is even named after a bird. As well as symbolic imagery, My Aphrodite designs are inspired by mythology and art, especially that of the Pre Raphaelite movement. You will recognise many of her design names from literature and paintings.

Available at We Make Christmas

My Aphrodite is bringing a huge selection of her iconic silver and gemstone artwork with her to We Make Christmas. Be sure to take a look through her etsy store and get a feel for the names and stories behind each piece before you come to look at them in person.

Don’t wait till We Make Christmas!

Although many of My Aphrodite’s beautiful jewellery designs can be reproduced, there are some stunning one off’s that you won’t want lose, like her Queen Mab necklace (see below)

This design tells a thousand stories, from the icy effect of the moonstones, through to the spiky imagery of the silverwork, and the tiny beads hanging like snow drops.

Spotlight- Debsmuddle

http://debsmuddle.etsy.com

Debra Sargeant lives in a lovely Essex village with her motorcycle mad husband, son, and two cats. Her pets, as well as other people’s pets, have had a huge impact on her crafting.

“My most popular items seem to be my doggy badges and I have also done a few pet portrait badges where I recreate peoples pet into a felt badge. The doggy brooches were originally inspired by a keyring I found and then I started looking at dog breeds to see which ones were suitable”

Debra’s doggy pins are really individual and a huge amount of time and stitches goes into each one. They are a perfect present for dog lovers, especially as the individual breeds that Debra recreates are easily recognisable to dog enthusiasts.

If you are more of a cat person yourself, never fear, for Debsmuddle also designs Kitty brooches, based on different breeds of cat. Each full of the intricate detailing that makes Debra’s dog brooches such a favourite.

Waiting for We Make Christmas

You can be sure that Debra will have been working overtime to bring you a huge array of her fabulous felt pets. However, that’s not all you will find on the Debsmuddle stall. Debra also creates stylish button and ribbon corsage style pins, and funky fabric headbands.

Don’t wait for We Make Christmas

If you have a pooch or a purr-er that you want Debra to lovingly recreate as a pin for you, don’t wait for We Make, contact her via her etsy now as you can be guaranteed that she will be inundated with requests after the fair.