Got Craft

I also had a great time on Sunday at Got Craft in Tooting, run by Lotus Events. I heard the goody bags were amazing!

A few parcels wrapped by visitors to my stall; the love tag used alphabet index tags, gingham tape, red and white baker's twine, Santa tape, and the heart hole punch. The bottom two used tartan masking tape, striped masking tape, spotted tape, Christmas knit tape, holly tape, mistletoe stamps and pine cone stamps! I had a lot of kids participate in my workshop, too, as the washi tape is easy for little fingers to tear without scissors.

My friend took a little video while I wasn't really looking, but I've put it up anyway so you can get an idea of the fair. It's in a great venue, which is a converted tram shed. I must do something with my hair, but never mind. You also get a glimpse of the Crafty Pint bow-tie making workshop, which was very popular. They run monthly craft workshops - their December one looks fun!

I'm sure you can tell I spent hours working on my signs.

A thank you to me from one of the younger crafters {very sweet}, and a few lovely items from the other stallholders I liked; Anna Wiscombe and Robin and Mould {my favourite item of the show was this cushion.}

Thanks to Andrea and Rob for organising, and good luck with your Vancouver fair this weekend!

Merry Magpie Boutique

Some bad photos but good ideas {if I say so myself} from my stall at the Merry Magpie Boutique on Saturday. A luggage label made with my heart hole punch and pink washi tape; red and white striped bags and alphabet index tags, alphabet bunting, mini bunting made with striped string and green tape, and a tartan bow... For the bow, I found it much easier to assemble on a cutting mat first, using a craft knife, and then transfer it to the brown paper afterwards.

From around the fair; I need this bag from Gypsy Gold; Marga from Chocolate Creative; bird tray, and these shoes belong to fair visitor Kerry from the Seventy Tree. Her shoes were just what I'd expect her to wear. {Kerry is incredibly talented, have a look at her blog and shop if you haven't seen them before.} It was lovely to meet her whole family too!


I loved this toy typewriter from Little Toucan; upcycled ceramics from Melody Rose, bird bottle stopper, and a stallholder swap between Melody Rose and Chocolate Creative.

Thanks to Caroline and YES London for organising!

Tea of the week: 100 teacups

Artist Joel Penkman is working on a project to paint 100 teacups! Aren't these lovely - and if you have a teacup you would like to see painted, you can email a photo to be considered.

Sunday: Got Craft

On Sunday, I'm running another gift wrapping stall where you can wrap your own purchases, this time at Got Craft, at the Tooting Tram and Social, which is a fabulous venue in an old tramshed. There will be a charge of £1 for materials. Got Craft is being organised by Lotus events, who made the fabulous Blognic cookies! You can see the list of stallholders here. Hopefully see you there!

Saturday: The Merry Magpie Christmas Boutique

This Saturday, I'm running a gift-wrapping stall/workshop at the Merry Magpie Boutique, which is being held at The Book Club near Old Street. The fair has been organised by Patchwork Harmony and Y.E.S London, a charity which helps women looking for work. I will have wrapped some parcels to give you some ideas, but for a small donation to the charity, you can have a go at your own creative wrapping, using materials which I'll bring along {think brown paper, striped paper bags, masking tape + Christmas stamps.} Please note my stall will only be at the fair from 2pm - 4pm. Other stallholders include Chocolate Creative {Marga is just the friendliest blogger}, and Little Toucan {I love this toy typewriter!}

I'm doing another similar stall on Sunday - details to follow tomorrow.

A masking tape project

So project might be a slight exaggeration as it was a two minute job, but on Saturday I awoke with the urge to make something beautiful, which not surprisingly for me coincided with having a long to-do list of mundane tasks. Oh, how I procrastinate.

As a quick fix, I treated myself to a small bunch of ranunculus and decorated this white beaker {this one is from Muji} with gold and silver masking tape. It works perfectly on any smooth surface. I've been eating expensive yogurt from my local lunch deli, just so I can collect a supply of small ceramic and glass small yogurt pots. My colleagues can't understand why I would buy yogurt just for the pot. I'm hoping you do...

News stash

The perfect place to stash your morning paper! I'm always re-telling fascinating stories that I think make me sound interesting and intellectual.... then I remember I saw it in the Metro, and everyone else has read it too. Does that happen to anyone else? Newspaper clasp from Luv Handles.

Striped stories

I love the look of these striped stories from Hand and Eye Editions, a collaboration between letterpress printers Hand and Eye Letterpress and designers Webb & Webb.

Pic 'n' mix

Small treats, all £10 and under: 1. Knitting bag {£5.50}, 2. Moustache rubber {£2.50}, 3. Jonah tea towel {£9.95}, 4. Craft, Inc. {£9.33}, 5. Lemon and ginger curd {£5.99}, 6. Apple tidy {£10}, 7. Gold skinny belt {£10}, 8. Tokyo Milk bee soap {£10}.

Happy weekend + links

*A pink phone box

*Cross-stitch i-phone covers

*Love this terrarium

*Yum, pizza {also, a friend made me these Waitrose pork ribs, and I've been drooling ever since.}

*This exhibition sounds right up my street.

*Oh, how I loved this: you must listen if you can.

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

{Photo: Tip Toes, scanned from The Book of Hardy Flowers, 1915.}

Neon washi tape

My new favourite thing is neon masking tape, especially when used subtly, in contrast with an industrial background, such as concrete, stainless steel or grey walls.

Doesn't this look amazing? I love the light, too.

{Photos: Meg Moa}

{Vtwonen}

This is giving me an idea for Christmas. This tape really is very low-tack, and I've never had it take paint off the walls. Papermash stocks neon masking tape in yellow, coral and pink {both the same as those above.}

{Photo: I think this is from Anna G, please let know if you think otherwise.}

Tea of the week: tree tea towels

Love these tree tea towels from Our Workshop, one for each season: cherry blossom, orange tree, oak {my favourite} and fir, all £12.50 each.

Happy weekend + links

Some Friday links:

*Playing with scale

*I'd love to go to a party with a living herb bar

*Monochrome inspiration

*Love this scissor lamp

*More deer...

Have a lovely weekend! Photo from The French House on Lamb's Conduit Street, which has a fantastic mural on one wall {and sells traditional French crockery, lighting and bedding.}

Custhom Design

I'm a fan of empty frames, so love how Custhom Design have styled some of their wallpapers, below. Custhom Design are a London-based design collective, Nathan and Jemma, who graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2007. Isn't the butterfly paper pretty? But I also like their geometric designs.



PS, great tape, too.

Brother G's wedding

I'm off for a few days for my brother G's wedding, and typically enough, I am the only person to not yet have bought a wedding gift. They threw a spanner in the works by saying they would like something handmade {Hey Homewrecker has apparently painted a beautiful picture.} Since I haven't got many artistic skills, I've been looking at commissioning an artwork for them. Here's some I found, and liked:

Rifle Paper Co. personalised print {$275}, personalised papercut {$90} by Julene {she cuts the initials into the tree.}

Wedding Coordinates print {£37} by Bear Graphics.

Tying the Knot {$80} by Freya Art.

To be honest, I'm not much of a fan of this type of thing {a little twee for my taste} and also I think art is a very personal taste, and best not chosen for someone else. Who has an idea for a brilliant, and unusual wedding gift? And congratulations G & Lisa!

Conker necklace

I love all their jewellery {and most of everything else, too} but I'm particularly fond of this conker necklace from NW3.