Cariad Cake Stands Designer Feature:

About Cariad Cake Stands:

Cariad Cake Stands are unique tiered stands made from a handpicked combination of vintage china and old wine and sherry glasses. Cariad (Welsh for “love”) started with some mismatch vintage china spotted in Paris and took off from there. Bringing a bit of glamour to afternoon tea or as a beautiful centerpiece to wedding tables, the stands are now sold at local markets in and around North London. I collect the china on my travels, from trips around London markets on Pierre (my beloved old French racing bike) or the flea markets in Paris.

Inspirations:

I’ve always been a big fan of cakes, baking and afternoon tea so Cariad combines this with my love of vintage china. I love the thought of them finding happy homes and providing someone with an excuse to bake some cakes. I began selling them as a way to put myself through university, which I start in September, but going to the independent craft markets and sourcing the materials has now become a huge part of my life which is a good creative outlet outside of my job and studies.

Best Sellers:



Every piece I make is individual, and depends on which plates and glasses find themselves in the big pile ready to be made into a pretty cake stand. However the stands that elicit the most attention are any of those with a gold or blue theme. See image below, which is a selection of some stands that all sold immediately.



We Make Summer Fair:

I have a trip to Paris scheduled for a month before the Summer Fair to ensure I can get the prettiest plates and will be selling a number of cake stands, from single tiered stands to the traditional three tiered . I will focus on the floral themed stands, as these always do well in the summer months. There will be free delivery for customers within zones 1 and 2.

Website:

http://cariadcakestands.wordpress.com or contact me via email on cariadcakestands@live.co.uk

Rosie Stallard Designer Feature:

About Rosie Stallard:

I graduated from London College of Fashion in 2007 with a degree in footwear. Having always had an interest in leather craft I then turned my attentions to accessories.
Everything is handmade in my studio in East London.
Inspired by love worn leather vintage bags and structured styles which are now rarely produced. I wanted to create accessories that are both durable and will age well. I also wanted them to have a low impact on the environment so I use vegetable tanned Italian Leather and line each bag with a vintage scarf. This also means each one is different.

Inspirations:

My Main inspiration comes from traditional structured bags like postman’s satchels and binocular cases from the 1940s. I think it is important to keep traditional crafts alive and enjoy the work of small designers creating unique pieces.

Best Seller:




My best seller is the ‘Barrel Bag’, inspired by the shape of a binocular case it is a medium sized over the shoulder bag lined with a vintage scarf.





We Make Summer Fair:

At the summer fair I will be showing my full range of handbags and belts.

Website:

Covet, Arlington Way, Islington, EC1
Find me every week at Sunday Upmarket on Brick Lane.
Facebook Group “Rosie Stallard Accessories’

TobyBoo Designer Feature

About TobyBoo:

In a nutshell: Central St Martins graduate then television researcher then handbag designer then mother. After a combination of being disabled and having a tiny baby somehow I needed to keep sane. Starting with presents for baby friends and word of mouth Tobyboo was born. Tobyboo is just me Tina. Named after my two and a half year old boo, I create embroidered decorative items for special occasions. Framed textile art, baby blankets, vintage style dolls, wedding keepsake art along with the exciting, challenging commissions put my way!

Inspirations:

I'm inspired by almost anything I see. Not meaning to sound like Paul Smith but it's true - if you don't find inspiration in everything look again! Can't really put it better than that.

Best Sellers:

My current best sellers are my baby blankets which are cosy soft Minkee backed and on the front - well that's what ever you could dream up! Custom made commissions have included nursery rhymes, wood land, flags with a Tobyboo twist and my favourite a pair of London blankets.

We Make Summer:

For We Make Summer I plan to have some fresh new work including gorgeous new dolls, cushions and some examples of some marvellous work that I could custom make for you.

Website:

Find more Boo at www.tobyboo.com or www.tobyboo.etsy.com

Folksy Angels- Join in the competition!

Have yourself a happy handmade Christmas!
Become a Folksy Angel!

We Make Christmas have teamed up with Folksy to bring you ‘Folksy Angels’, a fabulous competition available to everyone with a little time and a lot of creativity.

The Brief:
You have three weeks (until November 30th) to make a seasonal (Christmas, Hanukah, Yule, whatever you celebrate!) decoration for the home. Easy you say? Well, with changing climates and crunching credits, who would we be to encourage you to spend a lot of money to enter our competition?

To enter Folksy Angels, you must not buy anything new to make your decoration and the bulk of the materials used must be recycled / upcycled from things that you would usually have thrown away.

How to Enter:
Anyone and everyone are eligible to enter. All you need to do is make your decoration to the above specification and post a photograph (or two) of it to the brand new Folksy Angels Flickr Group by the 30th November.

How to Win:
The winner will be judged by you. A blog post will be available on the Folksy Blog showcasing all of the lovely entries. The voting post will go live on the 1st December and close on the 3rd December so you’ll need to be quick to vote for your favourite. Votes will be cast as comments; the decoration that receives the most votes will win.

Hints and Tips:
Use your decoration to showcase your unique style.
Be inventive.
Think about making something that you can and would want to decorate your house with this year.
Your photograph is as important as the decoration itself as this is what you will be judged on.
If you don’t win, why not sell your decoration in your Folksy store?

The Prize:
Become a Folksy Angel!
What does that mean? Well, it means free listings and no commission from sales on Folksy for A WHOLE YEAR starting 1st January 2009 and ending 31st December 2009.
In addition to this the winning entry will become part of the special Promotional Goodie bag given away as a prize at the We Make Christmas raffle.
The most popular photographs will also be made into Greetings Cards which will be available for sale via Folksy and at We Make Christmas.

The small print:
The winning entry will become part of a special raffle prize Promotional goodie bag at We Make Christmas on the 6th December so you must be prepared to post your decoration to the We Make team if you win.

By entering you also agree to your image being used to promote the Folksy Angels competition and also for use on Folksy Angels Christmas Cards. If you do not want your image to be used please email wemakelondon@googlemail.com to let us know.

Your entry must be made from recycled items and be clearly a Seasonal decoration. It must not be offensive to any individuals or groups.

Images for the Christmas Cards will be selected from Monday 23rd October onwards so upload your image as soon as you are able!

Folksy and We Make Christmas reserve the right to remove any entries that do not fulfil the brief.
Your entry must not use any trademarked or copyrighted material that you do not have the license to distribute.

The Folksy Angels, We Make Christmas, and Folksy logos are copyright protected. You may use them for your competition entry but you may not sell any decorations made with these logos or use them for your own promotion.

Happy Crafting!

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.