Tutorial - Using heart tins as corner shelves!

Here's an easy peasy and quick tutorial. It all started when I spotted a bare corner in my studio at Local Creation, whilst also pondering what to do with three unused but lovely heart tins. Whilst playing around with them, I wondered what they would look like on the wall as they had holey, lacy edges (ready-made heart shaped nail holes!). I found that they looked better upside down as this disguised the fixings. 
1.) Basically, take a heart shaped tin with a holey/lacy edge. If your tin doesn't have ready made holes it would be simple enough to carefully 3x drill holes at each side where the tin touches the wall and one near the point where the corner of the wall will be.
2.)Using a pencil, hold your tin against the wall and mark where the holes are. Hammer in the nail part of the way to start off the hole. When you are happy that the tin shelf is straight and in the right place, hammer in the nail leaving 2cm protuding (this will help to secure the shelf). If you want your shelf to hold heavier objects then you will need to use screws/wall plugs and a screwdriver or drill to fix to the wall. I was happy for my shelf to be securely fixed using nails, as I knew that I would place only small light objects on top.
3.) Find appropriate trinkets, place on top and admire! I have used 3D paper houses, a jar of buttons & plastic flowers, a heart shaped doily, an origami flower (left over from my wedding), and one of my ice cream van brooches to decorate the shelves.

The Lonely Ice Cream Van

This is the lonely ice cream van that inspired me to make a range of fun, summery brooches.

We saw it whilst visiting Robin Hood's Bay beach on a grey and blustery morning. Robin Hood’s Bay is a stunning fishing village on the North Yorkshire coast. The village has an abundance of idyllic cottages packed into rabbit warren style streets that wind their way down to the beach. As it was low tide, the van was parked on the beach with an occasional holiday maker walking by. It looked so out of place on such a grey day. I was amused and impressed by the ice cream man’s determination to sell frosty delights in all weathers!
Once I returned home I decided to create a cheerier version of the ice cream van taking inspiration from older, vintage models. I've always loved ice cream vans as they are such an iconic symbol of British summer time and they bring back childhood memories of happy days spent on the beach.

An ice cream van adorned with pattern and colour could cheer up any dull day!

If you have a moment, you might like to take a peek at my Etsy and Folksy shops where you can find three different colourways of the brooch for sale.

My 9 year old self enjoying the British seaside!

Goodbye Baby Chip

A personal account of a miscarriage that I have written to help me come to terms with my loss and also to act as a record of a fleeting life.
On Friday 26^th April, we discovered that I was five weeks pregnant. We were overjoyed and a little awed at the prospect of welcoming a new member into our little family. All the signs over the next few weeks were of a normal healthy pregnancy and it was becoming increasingly tricky to disguise my growing bump. Little did we know that seven weeks later I would start to miscarry when a scan revealed that the baby did not have a heartbeat. I always knew that a miscarriage was a terrible experience but I had no idea that it would be so painful, prolonged and frightening or end in emergency surgery after two failed attempts at medical management.

Whilst recovering back at home, I struggled to come to terms with the loss. Not only was I in physical pain but I also felt bereft and heartbroken. As the time passed I knew that I needed something tangible to mark the event and acknowledge a life that was never meant to last for long. I began to think about western ways of dealing with death but none of them seemed to be appropriate. Then I remembered the ceremonies that I have witnessed in Japan and Hong Kong. I have always felt an affinity with Buddhist teachings and found their religious ceremonies and temples to be calming.  I realise that religion is not to be dipped in and out of but I really needed a way of acknowledging the fact that I would never get to hold or meet my lost baby.

These thoughts led me to think about the use of paper votives, street shrines (which I have posted about before) and Jizo statues. I first came across Jizo statues in temples and at roadsides when I lived in Japan. I was intrigued to know why certain small statues were adorned with hats and bibs. I later learnt from my Japanese friends that they were used to represent the souls of dead children.

Jizo Statues photo by Al McDermid

Jizo is a Bodhisattva who looks after women, children (including the souls of unborn children) and travellers. Jizo statues are a physical marker of a loss of a child and a protector. They are used in Mizuko Kuyo, which is a Japanese ceremony held in Buddhist temples for those who have had a miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Mizuko beautifully translates as "water child” which for me seems a really fitting description of a lost baby. 

After thinking about these traditions, I decided that I wanted to create a paper offering that could be released as a simple farewell. I settled on the idea of an origami boat which would be set free by the action of it floating down a gentle stream at Dunham Massey, one of our favourite places. I printed off my favourite wedding photo (that has myself, my husband and son on it) and wrote a letter to baby Chip from all of us before folding it up into a paper boat. I later added 4x sails to symbolise each one of us, with the largest sail representing baby Chip. We floated the boat away the other evening and as time is passing I feel physically better and now hope that the act of saying goodbye will help my emotional healing.

Goodbye baby Chip. 

Fabric Book Workshop with Becky Adams at Unit Twelve

Unit Twelve is home to a contemporary craft gallery and artist workshops.

It can be found on Tixhall Heath Farm in Staffordshire and is best described as a hidden gem! Jennifer Collier runs the space and it has her signature attention to detail everywhere. A bright exhibition space full of exquisite textiles work greets you as you enter the converted farm building. Just beyond the gallery is the workshop area and studios belonging to Jennifer Collier, Emily Notman, Louise Dawn Wilson, Julia Jowett and Brady & Proud.

I left home on a sunny Saturday morning in April and drove down to Unit Twelve for a Fabric Keepsake Book workshop with the lovely Becky Adams. Becky is a quietly spoken and witty lady – I could happily listen to her stories for hours! Her art work has a nostalgic feel and at the heart of everything she makes is a snippet of a story or saying. Her ideas and observations are translated into stitch and applique.

Becky had brought along selected sketchbooks and one of her fabric books that focused upon her love of walks along her local pier. She was very generous with her ideas and had a genuine interest in all the stories behind each workshop participant’s creations. The premise of the workshop was to make a fabric book that remembered a personal memory or family saying. We had been encouraged to bring along our own memories such as a photograph, souvenir and trinkets.

I had every intention of making a fabric book and decided that my book would be based around my gardening grandad. I had brought along some of his letters to work with. Just to note, he has written to me every week since university (that is a lot of ink and stamps)! I have kept all his letters and I really treasure them as a record of how both our lives have changed over the years. I started off by making a miniature envelope out of an old gardening book as I was going to incorporate an envelope into one of my fabric book pages. However, I enjoyed the process and outcome so much that I decided to make another one and another one. In the end, I had a pile of small paper envelopes that I decorated with text and fabrics before stitching together to make a book. I used Becky’s stamps to print ‘Dear Clare, love and best wishes grandad’ on to the paper as these words are a feature of all his correspondence to me.

The day was a great success and everyone left with a book to treasure. The beautiful fabric books that other workshop participants made can be seen below.

Many thanks to Becky for being such a good teacher. Thanks also to Jennifer for organising the day and thanks to Julia for being a superb hostess (ie plentiful tea, cake and biscuits!).

 



Curious Clare’s Studio

I have decided to write a post on my studio today as it has been featured by the lovely Katy Cowan on Creative Boom this week. If you’ve read some of my previous blog posts you will know that my studio can be found at Local Creation in Altrincham.

I fit in studio visits around being an Art teacher and Community Co-ordinator (and writing this blog!). The studio has to given me space to focus upon my own work. I have spent time decorating it as I wanted to create a haven that I would want to take myself off to.





Alice Melvin's Cut Out and Make Menagerie can be found here
 

 

I aim to use the studio two days a week. One evening a week, I meet up with friends for an informal art club where we chat and ‘art’ (although this involves much more chatting & chocolate eating than doing!).

 

As was mentioned on Creative Boom my own art work is quite varied as I love trying out new things and like to use materials to suit my ideas. I work with Ceramics, Textiles and digital media such as Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator.

Since acquiring the studio I’ve designed flyer a for Vintage Afternoon Teas , designed a postcard for French Knots Craft Studio and I am about to create their new logo.  I am currently making laser cut Perspex trophies for The Joshua Tree’s Fun Run and I have been approached by a magazine to produce some illustrations for them (fingers crossed).

My Upcycled Jam Jar Tutorial can be found here

I am also working on a new personal project called ‘Paper Conversations’ that is a mix of illustrations and three-dimensional objects. Last but not least, I’m playing around with a series of quirky badges that I hope to start selling soon.

 

Feathered Friends: Eden Project's Rainforest Robin

It is no secret that I love birds and in particular robins. I like hearing their bird song early in the morning on the way to work and unexpected encounters with them whilst out and about. They lift my spirits on the dreariest of days. Initially, I hesitated to include birds in my work as there are lots of artists who use their imagery. However, I think that you have to be true to what inspires you and initial sketches can lead to all sorts of different outcomes as you can see here.

Meet the Eden Project’s Rainforest Biome Robin.

I first came across this friendly little robin in late August 2011 in one of the hottest parts of the Rainforest Biome on a beautiful sunny day (remember those?). I was really surprised to see him hopping around in there as we all associate robins with cold winter days. Maybe this one had come to its senses and realised that the sunny, hot climes were much more appealing? When I visited a year later he was still there and must have found that the biome suited him very nicely!

The images above represent how much this one robin inspired my work and has formed an important part of my Curious Clare image (see above banner!). The painted robin study in my sketchbook has led to digital illustration, relief ceramic tiles and laser cut details on my wedding stationery and bunting. It also highlights the importance I place on drawing when embarking upon new projects!

‘One’ - Local Creation

‘One’ took place at Local Creation on Thursday 28^th March 2013. The event celebrated Local Creation’s first birthday with an enjoyable array of activities ranging from drop-in clay workshops and a graffiti demonstration to live music and open studios. Oh and not forgetting John’s barbecue in defiance of the bitter and unseasonal weather!

Local Creation is an Arts facility situated on Central Way right at the heart of Altrincham (behind the Bricklayers Arms). Director, John Wonnacott set up the space in 2012 with the intention of developing a creative hub in the area. John firmly believes that creativity and culture have a role to play in the regeneration of the high street. 

Jo Cushing works alongside John as Director of Local Creation Altrincham, the charitable part of the company. Both John and Jo work hard to maintain, promote and develop the gallery and studio spaces whilst building up an ever expanding range of workshops for the local community. 

The past year has seen the building transformed from a run down unit to a busy arts space hosting a range of eclectic events such as Burlesque Life Drawing and Glazed Expressions, an exhibition of ceramic sculptures by local pupils as part of the Crafts Council’s Firing Up programme. Since taking on a studio there in December, I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get stuck into my own creative practice and meet like-minded people. 

If you’re out and about in Altrincham, pop in and see what Local Creation can offer you!