Upcycled Bottle Top Necklaces

Recently, I have been having lots of fun making and developing new items of ceramic jewellery. As a lover of fine ales, I have long thought that the humble bottle top is a rather beautiful item and reminds me of a pendant setting. 

Developing a new product range

As I have been collecting them for a while (much to my family's amusement!), I decided it was time to use them. Playing around with off cuts of clay and coloured slip resulted in small circular discs which fit neatly inside the bottle tops. Once bisque fired, I glazed the discs and then fired them for a third time with a ceramic decal. After a bit of fiddly and frustrating drilling (the drill bit kept slipping off the curved surface of the metal. Grrr!) and the addition of an ‘O’ ring, I found that I had created a rather lovely upcycled bottle top and ceramic pendant necklace. They’re still at the prototype stage but I hope to stock them in my online shops from January 2014.





Crafty Magazine (Issue 7): Curiouser and Curiouser

I am excited to report that I am featured in the latest edition of the fabulous Crafty Magazine! Crafty Magazine is still in its infancy and was launched earlier this year in March 2013. It is aimed at the modern maker and has a lovely blend of lifestyle articles plus crafty projects to get stuck into. It is a visually appealing magazine that certainly gives other magazines in this genre a run for their money. 

What a cute little felt owl!

My behind-the-scenes article on pages 84 – 86 is entitled ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ and focuses upon my studio space at Local Creation. Hugh Metcalf and Suzy Wimbourne visited me there at the end of August. Whilst Suzy snapped away, I chatted to Hugh about what I get up to in my studio space. If I’m honest it was a surreal experience and I wasn’t sure if I was worthy enough to be featured at all. However, both Suzy and Hugh were easy to talk to and I am really delighted with the way that the article has been put together.

How did Crafty Magazine know that red spotty washi tape is my favourite?!

If you would like to see this article for yourself, you can subscribe online or buy the magazine in WHSmiths or larger supermarkets (such as Tescos).

A great shot of Local Creation's entrance on Central Way, Altrincham

Thank you Hugh, Suzy and Crafty Magazine!

Great links to my blog too. Thank you Crafty Magazine!

Ted & the no.17 bus

Meet Ted, he is the driver of the no. 17 bus. He's a quiet yet friendly chap. He dreams of retiring and working on his allotment all day. He reads seed catalogues in his break and makes plans for entering his peas into the regional vegetable competition.

Size - 20cm height, width 15cm, depth 11cm

Ted is a papier mâché bird character. His clothes and accessories are made from found materials such as vintage silk handkerchiefs, scraps of tweed, leather, old buttons & even an abandoned sock. Can you work out what his beak and claws are made from?* 

Ted's leather bag contains miniature vintage style seed packets

The surface of his head and hands is decorated with extracts of a letter sent to me by my grandad that I have then printed onto tissue paper. I chose to do this as ‘Ted’ is loosely based on my grandad in terms of his dress sense and keen gardening interests. I have mentioned in a previous post that he has written to me every week since I went to university and I have decided to begin to capture our personal history in my art work. 

Grandad tends to his garden almost every day

*If you haven’t guessed yet, Ted’s beak and claws are made from acrylic nails that I have cut and shaped!

Ted's cap is made from scraps of tweed and linen. I loved making it!

Washi tape came in very handy when making the paper pattern for his shirt 

 

Here's 'Ted' in his posh greenhouse Unit Twelve. He's being very well looked after in the Contemporary Craft Open. If you'd like to meet Ted, the exhibition runs from 5th Dec 2013 to 1st March 2014. It is well worth a visit as it showcases the best in contemporary craft, both amateur and professional. Work has been selected by Little Northern Contemporary Craft Fairs, Yellowstone Art Boutique and Print Garage.

Off to Market

On Sunday 15th September I hired my first ever stall at Altrincham Vintage, Handmade & Producers' Market. It was a cold, wet and blustery day although the heavy rain held off until the afternoon.

In all honesty, having a market stall was completely out of my comfort zone. The thought of it made me feel exposed and vulnerable (whereas 30 hormonal teenagers in a classroom doesn’t – strange!). However, I knew that it was important to reach a wider audience and so with trepidation I set off with my creations packed into my little car.

My work can also be found on Etsy, Folksy & What I Always Wanted

Once I was at the market and had my stall set up, I started to relax and found that I was actually enjoying myself. It was really good fun and I had a great time. I loved the friendliness of the other stall holders and appreciated their advice. I also enjoyed chatting with people visiting the market and talking about my work.

1. Ox Eye Daisy 2. Lanna Yo 3. Goodnight Boutique 4. Flour Water Salt 5. Beagle N Thread      6. For England & St George 7 Philippa Lightburn 8. Parrot in the Pantry

Things I learnt:

1. I am not a good business woman as I spent all my takings on other stalls. Although, this is a good thing for the local economy! There is a lot of fantastic talent out there in my local community.

2. I need more height in future stall displays so that the eye is led across the various items, plus objects at different heights make the stall look more attractive.

3. Upcycled items are very popular, as are small items. People seem to enjoy rummaging through boxes and baskets for treasure.

4. People were browsing for Christmas and lots of business cards were taken with this in mind.

5. In future, I would like to have a greater variety of products on sale that show a wider range of my skills. I did not have any ceramic items or illustrations on sale. However, I can’t be too hard on myself as there’s only so much time to produce art when I have a full time job!

All in all, it was great fun and I thoroughly recommend selling at a market or fair.

Curious Clare's Handmade Wedding - Part One

Bird bunting can be ordered here

Our wedding reception at a local village hall was the perfect venue for this handmade vertical bird bunting. It added a splash of colour to an otherwise tall and dark ceiling. The bunting decorations hung beautifully with tissue paper pompoms and lanterns. 

The bird motif used in the laser cutting is taken from the robin on my Curious Clare logo (see above!). 

I had great fun making this bunting and it looked so pretty hanging above the trestle tables at our wedding reception.

Craft Makes (Issue 47): Meet Curious Clare

This week I am delighted to report that I have a 'Behind the Scenes' interview in Craft Makes (Issue 47), called 'Meet Curious Clare'. Craft Makes is a weekly digital magazine that comes out every Friday. It aims to 'provide weekly inspiration, share news and meets up with Artists & Crafters from around the world.' 

Screen shot of the double page article

The magazine aims to help readers 'develop their knowledge and skills in a wide range of crafts, tools and techniques'. There is something for everyone and projects vary in difficulty. In Issue 47, I am particularly fond of the project that upcycles an old stripy jumper into a Mr Mouse hand puppet. Cute!

Meet Curious Clare - page 28

It is lovely to be featured in Craft Makes and I am looking forward to seeing what new projects they have to offer in their next issue! Have you spotted my cheeky cat, Oaky, who has sneaked her way on to the cover!

Meet Curious Clare - page 29

Myself and Oaky, my cheeky cat, on the front cover!

Cleveland Way - Coastal Walk from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay

Whitby is a picturesque and atmospheric fishing town steeped in maritime history on the North Yorkshire coast. It is packed full of cobbled streets, alleyways and old fisherman’s cottages that all appear to be piled up on top of one another. I’ve been visiting Whitby for nearly two decades now and it is a firm family favourite.

In all that time I have never walked along Cleveland Way from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay, as visits are usually in the depths of winter. So this time, I was determined to take advantage of the glorious sunny weather and complete the eight mile coastal walk.

 

We set off from our cottage at the end of Henrietta Street walking past the wonderful smoky smells emanating from Fortunes Kippers (a renowned smokehouse and shop selling fabulous smoked kippers) and along to the bottom of the 199 steps. Upon reaching the top of the steps, you enter the sacred ground of St. Mary’s church (the graveyard is used as a setting in Bram Stoker’s novel, Dracula) and immediately pass the intricately carved Caedmon Cross. This twenty foot high monument commemorates Caedmon, a farm worker who went on to become the creator of English sacred song and England’s first poet. 

It is well worth the effort of climbing up the 199 steps to St Mary’s churchyard as you are rewarded with stunning views of Whitby harbour and beyond to the coastal village of Sandsend. The atmospheric ruins of Whitby Abbey dominate this part of the headland and always provide a great photo opportunity! 

Photo on the top left shows Saltwick Nab where Rohilla ran aground in 1914

Cleveland Way is a well signed trail and we were able to easily pick out the route by the Abbey that hugs the edge of the cliff tops. The walk has gentle terrain with occasional steep inclines. Sights along the way include rugged cliffs, idyllic farmland and lighthouses. Dotted along the trail are points of historical interest such as Saltwick Nab where the hospital ship Rohilla ran aground in 1914 and you can also see hints of a coastal coalmine.

 

After a couple of hours we were eventually greeted with the stunning sight of Robin Hood’s Bay. Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village where row upon row of tiny cottages hug the two steep cliffs. It has one small road down to the bay and access is mainly on foot along a rabbit warren of narrow cobbled streets. The Bay’s lifeblood used to come from fishing and smuggling. Today it thrives on tourism and it was lovely to see dogs and children alike running in and out of the sea at low tide.

I’d like to add that we did our bit for the local economy and had an ale in two of the three pubs there after we had wolved down a portion of delicious fish and chips from Mariondale Fisheries. All in all it was a totally enjoyable walk with great views of the dramatic coastline. I thoroughly recommend giving it a go!