LS6 Fair Success

Nicolar Bell — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 17:23:36 +0000

Had a successful day at the LS6 Christmas Craft fair yesterday in the amazing setting of The Leftbank on Cardigan road. Although it was pretty chilly and I was a bit under the weather I managed to sell a load of stuff (I’m going to have to make more cats) and got some really nice comments, so am hoping this fair gets put on again. Never underestimate the power of cake – I made too loaves of bannana bread with peacans, honey and raisins to raise cash for table insurance and it all went within about an hour… I didnt get to eat any

Next week is my last stall at the Hope House Christmas Market, hosted by MAP – a children’s arts and music charity. This event is going on from 3.00 in the afternoon til 9.00 AT NIGHT which is very important as it means I (and everyone else) GET A LIE IN and I can drink mulled wine throughout without feeling slightly guilty about it.

MAP
Hope House
65 Mabgate
Leeds
LS9 7DR

Here’s a map

I’ll try and see if I can work out some good travel info this week but it’s pretty straight forward to walk to.

Hopefully see you there!

DECEMB’!!!

Nicolar Bell — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:45:40 +0000

What the WHAT? It’s nearly the end of 2011 already. Which means I need to get Christmas presents sort out pretty sharpish. I’m hoping to pick up a few at the LS6 Craft Fair I have a stall at this Saturday taking place at The Left Bank in Hyde Park (Just down the road from the Co Op on Cardigan Rd) if you’re thinking of coming along, it’d FREE ENTRY! Woop

I would recommend combing this with a visit to the ReMade Christmas clothes swap which is on 12noon- 4pm, at 25 Back Kensington Terrace – I’m gutted I can’t go due to manning my stall at The Leftbank!

Despite being ill in bed today with a horrible cold I am pretty elated due to having started a new job this week with the Permaculture Association – YAY! There are millions of reasons why I’m so excited about this, plenty of which are just down to the ace people I’m going to be working with, but I also feel like my interests in design for sustainability and textiles, growing carrots in hoovers and This Guy all seem to be so massively relevant.

I have also just turned 26 and I spent my birthday watching Frozen Planet and an amazing film from the fifties called THE KILLER SHREWS on a projector while eating curry. I would recommend THE KILLER SHREWS because it hilariously involves terrible puppetry twinned with whippets dressed in giant shrew costumes.

… speaking of giant rodents, I haven’t listened to the Archers for a while, but I seem to be doing so today….

It seems to have developed in a similar way to the simpsons. Why is there a capybara in it, that every one thinks is a Chinese dwarf hamster? Called Tess? That Stephen Fry is apparently tweeting about? And the BNP want to pay to see? That they think is going to grow to nine billion tonnes? In fact am I actually still listening to the Archers or have I OD’d on Lemsip and suffering from insane auditory hallucinations?

“We’ve got the hamster that lays the golden eggs”

This is absolutely ridiculous.

EDIT – I later found out that this was actually the afternoon play. I am glad.

Otley Courthouse Christmas Fair

Nicolar Bell — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 14:55:17 +0000

The Christmas Fair in Otley yesterday was pretty busy! I managed to sell all my snowflakes pretty quickly so I am going to have to make some more.

I got chatting with some of the girls on other stalls and was given a zine they had produced as a group called “Craft Soup” – over a hundred designer makers from Yorkshire have banded together on facebook and twitter to let each other know the dates of craft fairs, which ones are the most successful and to generally support and promote each other and give advice. I have been relying on word of mouth and research on craft forums until now, which can be fairly sporadic and time consuming, but this seems to be a very active and fun group who are local to me so I’m very glad to have met them!

I have been advised by just about every one there that the CND fair in Victoria Hall, Saltaire next weekend is an busy and successful one, so I am hoping to go and explore it on Saturday and find out what it’s all about!

This morning I had an interview for a really excellent national charity and research association and I think I blew it! Doh.

Better get started on the snowflakes

Snowflakes and Stripes

Nicolar Bell — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:42:58 +0000

Greetings! Whilst I am confined to the house, eating porridge and tea, wondering if my business cards will ever be delivered by parcel force, I can show you what I’ve been up to this week in preparation for this weekend’s Christmas craft market.

This snowflake was created with different threads than it’s predecessors simply because I ran out but I quite like it – it has a softer feel to it. I also ran out of blue ribbon but the gold seems to match as well

I’ve been making up some necklaces of my sister’s design which you can buy from Button Jewellery.co.uk. I was also running out of neck foxes so had an experiment using stripy fabric to see if I can create them from recycled fabrics. I remembered that a good few years ago, when I’d made some neck fox patterns for a plush toy making workshop at The Artmarket in Leeds, my friend Sarah made a really great one in stripy fabric and I have ever since been wanting to make a similar one!

I want to eventually make all my products from completely upcycled and recycled materials.

I also had a go at making a sausage dog in the same fabric with pink fleece ears and tail. I think I actually prefer the sausage dogs in patterned fabric so if they sell well I’ll make more of the same!

Check back soon to see if my adventures at the Christmas craft market were a success (and if I ever received my business cards….)

Chapel Allerton Giant Puppet Parade Video!

Nicolar Bell — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 14:49:19 +0000

Two years ago I was involved with community puppet building workshops in Chapel Allerton and helped build a giant clam puppet. The film of Chapel Allerton Parade (which I didnt know was even being made!) is here:

ACHTUNG! SPECIAL MINCE PIE ACQUISITION INFORMATION!

Nicolar Bell — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:47:05 +0000

Hi, here’s some dates to put in your diary if you fancy buying craft for Christmas, while eating some nice stuff.

Coming up this weekend is Otley Courthouse Designer Craft Fair on sunday 13th. It runs from 10 – 4 and features some sewing classes from “Sewyou” – I believe this involves creating festive bunting, like THIS:

The LS6 Christmas Craft Fair is taking place at The Leftbank on Saturday, December 3 · 11:00am – 6:00pm. Expect items such as unique jewellery, prints, clothing, ceramics, handmade cards, soaps etc. Here’s the facebook page, please give it a ‘like’ so word can be spread. If you’re not interested in Christmas but have never been to the Leftbank before, you should come along anyway because it’s a pretty brilliant building slap bang in the middle of Hyde Park and its uprising how many people have never been inside.

On 10th December MAP, an amazing music and arts charity for young children, are hosting a craft fair at Hope House Gallery, Mabgate, Leeds. I’m going to be making a cake for the occasion. I’ll post more info nearer the time.

I am sure you will be in the position to acquire great armfuls of mince pies (or mice pies as I keep misspelling them) if you attend all or any of these events, so…I thought you ought to know. Plus I have stalls at them.

Nautical netsuke?

Nicolar Bell — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:03:21 +0000

I was just having a look at some netsuke (Items which were designed as toggles on the robes of japanese monks, often carvings of animals or people) on google images earlier today and I noticed this great octopus carving – I don’t think I’ve ever come across sea creature carvings before. So I’ve been having a search to find more!

I first came across Netsuke when I was looking round the Victorian and Albert Museum as part of a school GCSE art trip and instantly fell in love with them. I would quite like to own some one day but they can be fairly pricey items so that wont be very soon unfortunately… usually they’re carved in ivory or bone, but sometimes wood and amber are used.

This amazing cuttlefish was actually made this year by Russian artist Sergey Osipov – I really like his work as it’s so detailed and he uses metal and amber inserts for detail

This one is pretty strange - it has been described on the website I found it on as:

“A stag antler netsuke of two mythical sea creatures and an octopus
19th Century
the creatures of human form, one creature held aloft in the octopus tentacles, incised signature — 1½in. (3.9cm.) high, (one foot with losses to toes).”

I think this may be a representation of Ningyo, – 人魚, or “human fish” which I mentioned a few posts ago when writing about japanese Yokai. I think they were traditionally quite ugly-looking, and I remember Ningyo being described as something along the lines of ‘cross between a carp and a monkey’ which is certainly what this looks like. I wish I had £600 to spend on netsuke… this is what this is estimated to sell for.

I like this one but I cant find much info on it apart from that it’s currently in Kyoto

This piece features rather an angry upside down sea beam in the backpack of an old fisherman.

The last couple of images I’m posting are those I’ve found on the International Netuske Socie ty website just because I think they’re great and hopefully will give you some idea why I like netsuke so much!

Really nice Kirin to finish!

New Favourite Book!

Nicolar Bell — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:51:26 +0000

A couple of posts ago I wrote briefly about some japanese embroidery techniques which I found quite interesting – when I was in Otley this Saturday snooping around the eight million or so charity shops it seems to be endowed with I came across this book on Chinese folk embroidery and had to get it

It’s full of excellent photographs of examples and has a section at the back explaining the techniques

These animal designs are applique panels designed to decorate skirts

This guy looks a little like AN EXPERT!!!!

I love how naughty this last lion looks

I’m going to read up on some of the history of these pieces as I’m quite inspired by some of the designs, and am getting increasingly interested in embroidery from around the world now. When travelling in Asia I took hundreds of photographs of embroidered traditional Vietnamese clothing which I need to dig out, and I think I also took some in a museum in Borneo which would be equally cool to look back at now.

I have definitely always been interested in the use of animal forms in traditional art. I really want to get some books about North American mythology/art because its SO interesting, especially Inuit art – I’m not quite sure why I’m drawn to it so much but stuff like this is amazing

My other good book purchase that day was The invisible Man by H.G Wells for only 50p! My less successful purchase was that of some aquarium plants which unfortunately blew away in the wind. I was quite upset.

(In another way, the image of some one in Otley browsing the windows of a cup cake shop suddenly being engulfed in Amazon Sword made me quite happy.)

Woop!

Nicolar Bell — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 14:42:44 +0000

Web making was a success yesterday! Every one managed to make webs, especially impressed this brown blue and white one that a lady called Cissy made. The giant ball of white wool did get thrown across a table and almost broke a vase at one point, which made me wonder if I should be organising a P.E lesson for these ladies rather than a sedate crafting hour, but if been asked to come back next month anyhow. I’ve had requests for something paint orientated so maybe we could paint Christmas cards or something. Hmm.

On Thursdays for the last couple of weeks I’ve been attending a furniture course in the evenings but it’s half term this week so it’s not on tonight. We’ve been making different joints so far – the dovetail joints are my favourites!

This is my fairly abysmal first attempt at a dovetail and I haven’t really whacked it into place properly yet but I am hoping to improve during the course! I need to think of a piece of furniture I’d quite like to try to make during the end of the course. A friend of mine sent me a good example of some fun furniture that she saw on www.presentandcorrect.com -

HOUSE DESK! This is made by Ninetonine

Wool web workshop planning and more

Nicolar Bell — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:19:26 +0000

Hi! Good news; the decorations I’ve been making are now available to buy from Unexpected Boutique

This week I’ve been making changes to some felt bracelets I made a while ago by embroidering ribs on to them. I think it makes them look a bit more exciting. I might try to adjust the design so it has a metal mount and clasp but I havent quite worked out how to do that yet.

I’m also going over to Normanton in West Yorkshire tomorrow to do a craft hour in a care home. I’ve sort of come up with a Halloween theme – hopefully we will be making wool webs like this one below

They are made quite simply by winding different coloured wool round paper craft straws which I have already attached together.

I’m slightly worried that some of the residents I might be working with might have dexterity issues (I havent met them yet) but we’ll see how it goes.

Good things people have shown me this week:

I Heart Guts – ever wanted a cuddly spleen? Look no further.

Children’s Own Studio – This reminds me of Korean photographer Yeondoo Jung’s project Wonderland