Top Drawer, Pom-Poms and Decoupage

Wow, can not believe it's been so long since my last post! My course starts back next Monday so in the meantime I will fill you in on some creative projects that I've been up to.....

A friend showed me how to make tissue paper pom-poms. I made loads for my daughters 1950's themed birthday party. I have had quite a few compliments and they look so nice I might keep them up a while longer.

Tissue Paper Pom-Pom

1. Stack ten standard size sheets of tissue paper. Make 1 1/2-inch wide accordion folds, creasing with each fold on the short side.
2. Fold the paper in half to mark the halfway point and secure with a piece of floral wire or a bag tie. Unfold and tie either a piece of ribbon or thread (I used invisible thread) to the wire, this will be used to hang the pom-pom. I personally like them hanging at various heights so did mine with different lengths of thread.
3. With scissors, trim ends of tissue into rounded or pointy shapes.
4. Once secured, slightly fan out the paper and then carefully separate the layers, pulling away from centre one at a time. Don't worry if it tears you wont notice once its all done. As you carry on you should see a sphere shape forming, tweak the paper until you are happy then hang :)

Christmas Baubles

I covered some old tired baubles with some leftover decoupage papers and glue, they turned out brilliantly and cost me nothing! I bought my son a stags head can't wait to see how that turns out.
If anyone is interested in having a go at decoupaging, SewSister stock everything you need to get started :)

 

For the last couple of days I have been helping exhibit with SewSister at Top Drawer, Earls Court. We met lots of interesting people and have subsequently got some rather exciting leads to follow up. I am particularly proud of the finished stand which I helped design...giant bobbins!!!
The credit for all the other lovely things has to sit with Sue :)

 

Anyway TTFN from Vinnie & Bea

Top Drawer,Woop Studios and Arthouse Meath

As mentioned in my last post I joined What Katie did Next and Sewsister to Top Drawer, a trade fair for businesses to find new products and suppliers. As both of them are showing in the next Top Drawer event in January 2013 they thought it would be a good idea to see what to do and not to do to promote their products..I went along to be nosey and thank goodness it was a strictly wholesale event, I saw so many things that I wanted to bring home!

Aswell as the big brands there were lots of smaller businesses trying to promote themselves and I came home with a bag full of brochures and postcards, some of which I absolutely love and will be blogging about so I dont forget :)

Woopstudios was created by 4 people consisting of graphic designers and photographers. Their tag line collective nouns in pictures sums up perfectly what they are all about, these are a couple of their lovely limited prints but you really should take a look at the website to get the full feeling of what they do.

I think the whole concept is simple yet brilliant, one of those things I wish I could have thought of..whats even nicer is that they welcome the idea of their work being used for education, quote from the website:


we hope that the site will become a valuable homework reference site-incorporating fun as well as education.

they also partner with educational and charitable organisations to help raise funds

http://www.woopstudios.com/

This brings me on nicely to the next supplier I love...

Arthouse Meath, a local charity for adults with severe epilepsy and learning difficulties...now when we first looked at their stall I had no idea they were products designed for a charity, let alone designed by those they are trying to help.

 

Arthouse, notebook



Arthouse,china mugs



I thought the notepads and mugs were great and apparently you can purchase items via the website or from the Arthouse shop in High Street, Godalming...The shop looks really nice and more things like this would probably help lift the stereotype :)

http://www.arthousemeath.com/

Mollie Makes & Fi Douglas

I can not wait to start my course, only a week to go before I can start putting my ideas into action!
I already have a heap of interior magazines but treated myself to the lovely Mollie Makes...lots of people have been telling me how nice it is and although its more of a craft magazine..there's not a stereotypical granny insight! and it was full of lots of ideas I could steal... although I dont think I will be adorning myself with a toast scarf anytime soon

Brill piece on Japan, I love the colours and quirkiness, Japanese Fabrics are some of the nicest about and I would love to go to Tokyo ...maybe SewSister, will ask me to go to find next seasons fabrics ;)

There was a rather lovely idea for a Family Tree quilt, the idea is that the pieces are all donated from family members....obviously there might have to be a certain amount of creative editing...my kids would have zebra print and tigers on one side and brown draylon on the other! never know it could work ?!

I have also learnt a new word today ........PAINTERLY

characterized by qualities of color, stroke, or texture perceived as distinctive to the art of painting, especially the rendering of forms and images in terms of color or tonal relations rather than of contour or line

I came across a textile designer named Fi Douglas whose work is very painterly and very gorgeous, her cushions would look right at home in my bedroom

http://www.bluebellgray.com/

What with magazines and the internet, there is a world of possibilities and ideas out there ....you just need to keep your eyes open ...always look up and not down!

Can I say a quick thankyou to What Katie Did Next for writing such a nice blog about me, shame the picture is so hidious but I'll let her off because the words are so lovely :)

http://www.whatkatiedidnext.co.uk/blog/

Top Drawer tomorrow....inspiration overload I'm sure..can't wait xx