Pleased to meet you. Interview #6 Kettle of Fish

1. Please tell us your name, business name & where are you based.

I'm Karen from Kettle of Fish and I'm based in the lovely riverside town of Yarm. 

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style? 

I design and make decorative, functional objects and jewellery and I'd say my style is rustic/vintage and distinctive.

3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations? I've always enjoyed making things and being creative and have always had something as an outlet for that creativity. I did a degree in Fine Art and have amended techniques I used in my sculpture and drawings at college to develop some of the ranges for Kettle of Fish. I certainly don't make a living but since giving up the day job, that's supposed to be the goal!

4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you’ve worked on?
I particularly enjoy projects where I see potential in something and give it a new lease of life. I made a one-of-a-kind paperweight from a rather ugly old lead crystal weight that I stripped down, cleaned and remade using an image of the man in the moon. The image really worked with the multifaceted glass and it became a very beautiful object. Sometimes when you put things together they really 'sing' and this was one of those times!



5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?
Right now, the idea of being successful enough to make a living seems pretty fantastical! Towards that end, I'd love to have great success with my range of bespoke jewellery, accessories and decorations for vintage weddings with a difference.

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?
Have faith in yourself and be true to your own style. Work hard to promote yourself but expect it to be slow progress. Lucky breaks and big orders aren't that common so make sure you enjoy the journey!

 

Quick fire round. Just for fun please pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don’t fancy either just choose the one you most prefer:

1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash

2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia
Chronicles of Narnia

3. For meat eaters - Lasagne or Moussaka
Moussaka

4. Knit or sew
Knit

5. Pen or pencil
Pen

6. Cut or paste
Paste

7. Mug or Cup
Mug

8. Half full or half empty
Half empty. I'm a hardened pessimist!

9. Mac or PC
Mac

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston
Cath Kidston

For more info about Karen & Kettle of Fish take a look at her blog kettleoffishdesigns.blogspot.co.uk.  You can see all her products on offer at either Folksy or Etsy.
Kettle of Fish can also be found on Facebook. So what you waiting for check it ooot!

Lots of thanks to the lovely Karen for taking part. I hope you all enjoyed the interview :)

Folksy Friday - Got the blues (in a good way)

I’ve chosen a simple theme today for my FF post which is based around my favourite shade of blue.
Its that certain type of blue that gets me every time. Those sort of aqua come turquoise, come sky blue shades that make me want to dive in and when i see them I can almost feel my eyes dilate. This is going to sound really weird, but sometimes looking at this colour actually makes my mouth water slightly - yes odd i know :/
Ooooooo bluuuuuuuue........ *sigh*

Gorgeous, i just can't get enough of this colour. Happy Friday folks and lets hope the sky looks as blue as this over the weekend.
Byeeee!

Pleased to meet you. Interview #5 Kate Popovski

1. Please tell us your name, business name & where are you based.
My name is Kate but my business name is LiliPopo (a corruption of my middle name and my surname thought up by my daughter). I'm lucky enough to live in Penzance, Cornwall.

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style?
My work is a mix of things based on my drawings of girls and gardens and my love of stitching. Sometimes I create drawings, sometimes I add stitches to my drawings and sometimes they become embroidery patterns or embroidered linen items. My style is quite whimsical, I tend to like things a little wonky and not too perfect so I like my paper a little bumpy and my linen a little slubby. I also love adding prints to my embroideries, especially the feed sack prints with their tiny flower patterns.

3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations?

I remember learning to knit when I was a child and we were always drawing but I hated sewing thanks to school sewing teachers! It took a long time before I started sewing again as an adult. I'd done quite a lot of knitting for my two boys but once I had my daughter I began sewing and drawing again. I couldn't find the patterns I wanted so I started drawing them myself. What began as a hobby is slowly creeping into being a business. Because we home educate working from home is perfect for me but home educating also means that my Lilipopo time is limited so it's not paying a full time wage! So far this has been a nice way to earn a little bit of money while doing the things I love doing but this year I have a little more time and I want to take it all more seriously. It's taken time but I have a much clearer idea of what I'm doing now.

4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you have worked on?
I think my daisy girl and balloon pattern because I never get bored stitching her, particularly a black and white version I've done that's still waiting to be framed. I just love the moment near the beginning of a project when I have all the colours in front of me whether they are fabrics, threads or paints and I just get to play around with them. I do feel very lucky to be able to do this kind of work every day.

5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?
Paper dolls! It doesn't seem like a huge ambition but I need to get my head around the whole huge idea of printing! I'm not the most techy person so layouts and things are slightly terrifying to me. But I do intend to give it a go this year. Other than that I would like a studio so that I could leave the house for 'work' in the morning and the children would believe that what I do is actually work!

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?

I have gone about my business in a very casual 'see how it goes' sort of way so my advice is just try it out. Set a bit of time aside in the evenings to do what you love doing and give it a go. Online selling marketplaces are great if, like me, you're a little nervous of being out there in the real world. Folksy in particular is great if you're selling from England, you just pay your 24p listing fee and then a small commission if you sell so no real risks.
The other thing is pricing! It's so difficult to price your work but it's really worth getting it right at the beginning, I think most people under value initially and it's difficult to suddenly raise your prices when you realise you're working for almost nothing! There's quite a lot of good advice out there on pricing and it's worth really thinking about.

Quick fire round. Just for fun please pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don’t fancy either just choose the one you most prefer:

1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash

2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia
Chronicles of Narnia

3. For veggies - Quorn or Tofu
Tofu

4. Knit or sew
Oddly knit (it relaxes me)

5. Pen or pencil
Pen

6. Cut or paste
Cut ( I hate the mess of glue)

7. Mug or Cup
Mug for hot chocolate, Cup for tea

8. Half full or half empty
Half full

9. Mac or PC
PC

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston

Cath Kidston

Kate's enchanting handiwork can be seen on Folksy and Etsy, she also has a very lovely blog that you can follow here to keep up to date with her latest adventures in beautiful Cornwall.
You can also check out Lilipopo on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks Kate for taking part in the interview and for choosing between Johnny and Bob.
Keep up the lovely work and good luck with the paper dolls

Newbies on the block

Morning All. The sun is shining here in Newcastle at flipping last. I just hope it hangs around for the weekend and then maybe we can go to the coast. Feel like i've been coming down with a case of the old getting cabin fever as i've not really got out much these last couple of weekends, mainly because i've been working on new images. Still its been worth it.

The Folksy Friday post has had to be nudged out of the way today 'cause i want to show you a couple of new illustrations i'm doing for the project i mentioned a couple of weeks ago, which is coming on quite nicely.
Promise i'll reveal all soonish but as previously said i don't want to jinx it ;)

I hope these make you smile:





































I'm also super excited to say that i was commissioned by Digital Artist Magazine for their May issue. It would be a bit unfair of me to publish it on the blog considering its not come out yet but i can't resist giving to a teeny weeny peek at the commissioned illustration. So heres a sneaky glimpse:




















Thanks for looking and i hope to be back with a Folksy Friday for you next week.

Pleased to meet you. Interview #4 Debbie Greenaway

1. Please tell us your name, business name & where are you based?
Hello. My name is Deb and my business name is ‘From The Imagination Of Ladysnail’. I have recently moved from my hometown of Huddersfield to Coventry and i've previously lived in Manchester and Preston.

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style?

My work starts out in my sketchbook. It can be a random and repetitive drawing that leads to certain doodles standing out which I then screen-print on to paper/fabric or anything else printable. There is a style there but it is hard for me describe it without rambling on. I would say it is quite a laid back, fun and simplistic narrative style.

3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations?
My Grandma used to sit and make things with me but my recent making came about as a result of experimenting throughout college and university, especially with printmaking. Unfortunately, I do not make a living out of my work, it ticks over enough for me to be able to pay for materials, any running costs and do the tax return. It would be fantastic if I could earn/take a wage from it to live on. Since moving and having a bit of time off to settle in, I am now looking for full or part time work in order to help pay the rent and bills.

4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you have worked on?
Its very difficult to pick one, but off the top of my head I like the swimming fish. They are an on-going small project that I paint from time to time and each little fish is one of a kind so each painting is also one of a kind. They started out in 2007 for a university project to illustrate a book cover for Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea and I started to wonder what a robot fish would look like. My friend Tom was telling me about people he worked with and I drew these fish talking to each other with regular blue fish throughout my sketchbook instead of working on the book cover. Sherbet lemon and little purple fishes, swimming or talking to each other soon joined the robot and blue fish. I am in the middle of trying to design a new fish to join the clan.

5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?
Oh – it is hard to think. Overall, it would be incredible if someone could give/buy me a shop with a screen-printing room/teaching space and big walls for little exhibitions. It would be nice to share the shop and its space with other creative people.

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?
I am not sure what to advise but whilst at university, I started with a blog that showed people what I was working on. I would also suggest joining twitter, Flickr, Etsy or Folksy. Also have your own website and make sure everything can be linked together. The internet is growing all the time but you do have to be careful.

HMRC run free workshops for the self-employed about keeping accounts, filing a tax return etc and you can find help through Business Link or the Prince’s Trust. There are many handmade markets which you can find out about through sites and forums. Visit them first if you can & they’re regular events. Cut stall costs by sharing with a friend or having a smaller table/half a stall to start with to see how it goes. Theres a wealth of information out there - helpful organisations, forums, books and what not. It is just a case of starting, being prepared for ups and downs, taking chances, taking advice on board and doing what you think is best.

Quick fire round. Just for fun please pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don’t fancy either just choose the one you most prefer:

1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash
Johny Cash. I’ve a bit of Johnny Cash on my music list and Ring of Fire was one of my Grandad’s songs he liked to play on the jukebox.

2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia
Harry Potter. Easy answer there.

3. For meat eaters - Lasagna or Moussaka
Both! **Thats cheating Deb ;-)**

4. Knit or sew
Sew.

5. Pen or pencil
Pencil.

6. Cut or paste
Cut and paste.

7. Mug or Cup
Mug. A mug of tea with hobnobs.

8. Half full or half empty

Half empty as then I can have a full ‘un!

9. Mac or PC
PC. I can manage my friend’s iPad but I would struggle with a Mac as I was taught how to use a PC.

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston
If I could, a bit of both but I like to rummage for old/vintage fabric at jumbles sales or in charity shops and do swaps with friends.

To find out more about this lovely, crazy doodle girl & her fab work visit her site:
www.debbiegreenaway.com and/or the imagination of ladysnail blog.
You can purchase her makes on Etsy or Folksy and catch up with the latest news from the Ladysnail camp on Twitter and Flickr:

Thanks Deb for taking part and good luck in your work!

Folksy Friday - Flower Power

Weird weather week or what?! Well it certainly has been in my neck of the woods, Newcastle anyway. With glorious sunshine on Sunday and heavy snow on Tuesday, then sunny again on Wednesday - nuts!!

Anyway despite the oddness spring is officially here (believe it or not) and to mark that i’m having a floral themed Folksy Friday today. So even if its not sunny where you are at the moment after looking at these lovely flowery, colourful picks it will feel like the sun has got it’s little hat on.

Vibrant notelets from Hanmade & a beautiful poppy tea cosy by Elaine Briars.

Pretty bunting necklace by Catkin Boutique and ribbon flowers by Helen Smith.

Gorgeous postcard by Little Green Shed & striking illustration by Amy Blackwell.

Colourful cushion from Lucy Loo's and a cute egg cosy from Gill Pinkney

Hope you all have a happy, flowery long weekend!!

Pleased to meet you. Interview #3 Lisa Verrall

1. Please tell us your name, business name and where you are based?
My name is Lisa Verrall and I work under the business name of Stupid Potato. I am based in North London.

2. What do you create and how would you describe your style?
I do a few different things with Stupid Potato. My main items are handmade plush creatures that I design and make from fleece and felt. I started it all off by designing my four main characters; Fox, Deer, Rabbit and Bat. Once I'd designed them as plush animals I went on to incorporate illustrations of the characters into other items such as tote bags, tea towels, cards and badges. I would like to think my work is happy and cute but also quite stylish and quirky and so that it appeals to both children and adults.




















3. How did you get into making and do you make a living out of your creations?
I've been making various crafty bits and pieces for years, I've always been very arty growing up and studied graphic design at university. I think I first got into making plush animals about 5 years ago while at uni and since then I've been making the odd one here and there as gifts. When I became jobless last summer I found myself with not a lot to do, so whilst looking for a new job I started up Stupid Potato to try to keep myself busy and make a bit of extra money. I sell my products at various places online and have the occasional market stall. I don't yet sell enough to do it full-time though. I also work freelance as a graphic designer, mostly designing children's books along with various other bits of designing, making and illustration.















4. What is your favourite piece of work or a favourite project you’ve worked on?
I think my favourite of my animals is the plush Deer. I've also made a few one-off animals as special requests. I've had commissions to make a Squirrel and a Badger, those both turned out rather nicely. I always enjoy the process of creating a new character. I've also recently got back into linocut printing, something I'd not done in a while. I made a few greetings cards this way that I was quite pleased with so am planning to do more of those.




















5. If you could achieve any business goal with your work no matter how fantastical what would you most like to do?

I have a few more ambitious things that I plan to do with my work, nothing all that fantastical but a little more involved. I've made a few animated films in the past using my fabric animals and other models that I have made and have liked the effect so I would really like to give this another go - either a short film or music video. I have a couple up on YouTube already, but as my style has developed quite a bit since making these I'd like to try again and see what I can do. I'm also keen to do some larger-scale, more sculptural fabric animal creations.

6. Do you have any tips for others who want to set up a creative crafty business?
Do quite a bit of research, especially before investing money into anything - such as placing orders if you're getting things made or paying for things like market stalls. Get to know what kind of people your products will appeal to and that will help you know where the best places to sell and promote yourself are. Be prepared for things to take quite a while to become established, and don't be disheartened if things don't immediately become a big success, just keep working hard and let things grow steadily. Try to be as original and unique as you can.




















Quick fire round. Just for fun please pick 1 answer from each of the following. If you don't fancy either just choose the option you most prefer:

1. Bob Dylan or Johnny Cash?
Bob Dylan

2. Harry Potter or Chronicles of Narnia?
Harry Potter

3. For veggies/vegans - Tofu or Quorn?
Tofu

4. Knit or sew?
Sew

5. Pen or pencil?

Pencil

6. Cut or paste?

Paste

7. Mug or Cup Mug?
Mug. Full of tea.

8. Half full or half empty?

Half full. Of tea.

9. Mac or PC?

Mac.

10. Amy Butler or Cath Kidston
Cath Kidston

To find out more about this arty lady and her seriously cute makes you can check out her website - http://www.stupidpotato.co.uk/ or her Folsky and Etsy shops.

Lisa is also on Facebook, Twitter and has work on YouTube

A big thanks to Lisa from Stupid Potato for taking part. Until next time - BYEEEE!