2012 Calendar

Yippee!! I've finally finished enough illustrations for my 2012 calendar which i'll soon be putting into production. The 12 images will be a mix of some of my older illustrations and some new ones which i've been creating recently. I'm only going to produce around 10 of these and possibly a few more on request only, so they will be very limited edition.

The format for the calendar will be A4 portrait and i'll be printing this and binding this myself, rather than getting it done at a printers, so it will have a nice handmade feel. It will be some kind of spiral binding as its nice to be able to flip the pages over.
Also i'm not sure about the cost yet as i guess it will depend on what paper is used, but i was thinking about £10. Anyway the most important thing has been decided - that being the images, so here are the 12 images:

January - Home on the ice
















February - Robot Love (valentines)




















March - Whale















April - Love bird















May - Home sweet home




















June - Craft is sweet




















July - Bunny Balloon




















August - The Journey















September - Tree house retreat (autumn)















October - Autumn rain




















November - Resting place




















December - Snow globe
















Looking forward to making them up and i'll put a few online once done. Fingers crossed they'll be ready by mid October. If i get the chance i may even make a couple up for the Make Ends Meet market which i'm attending on Sat 15th Oct. If you're in the area on that day (Newcastle that is) you should drop into Heaton Perk Coffee Shop where i'll be from 4pm - 7pm. Its on Heaton Park Road in yes you guessed it 'Heaton'. Not only will there be some lovely arty folks selling their wares, there will also be free Tunnocks tea cakes and wafers. Get in!!

Folksy Friday - Time flies if you’re having fun or not

What?! Its October tomorrow, already?
It occurs to me that once you reach a certain age, say 18, the concept of time begins to change. When once waiting for the arrival of a holiday, your birthday and Christmas seemed like an eternity, it increasingly starts to feel like Christmas comes a lot more than once a year. Tomorrow is October, yes and I can scarcely believe it. More worrying still is that at the age of 32 and having been told on many occasions that time will only move quicker, I estimate that in about 20 or so years, it will feel to me that an average year will last about 3 months. Well that’s depressing isn’t it (sorry) :-/
On a brighter note lets look at some lovely things I’ve found on Folksy with my chosen theme of time this week:

1. This time next year I’m going to be a millionaire! My first featured is this colourful, framed, collage artwork by 100 percent delicate

2. The workmanship in this beautiful, pine, country house style wall clock, is pretty special. Available from Cheshire Woodware.

3. Could be something to help slow down time - a luscious sounding anti-ageing cream from NOG. I admit I 'm a bit of a lotions and potions addict and this sounds lovely so I may give it a go:

4. I love this sweet little felt brooch made to look like a pocket watch by Kaela Mills. What a lovely little idea.

5. This cute rocket clock from Jigsaw Wooden Products, would make a wonderful addition to a children’s room.

6. I really love this rustic looking, Time Flies metal hanging from Kettle of Fish, who have lots of very lovely things in their shop which you must go see.

7. The Bookity folks have created this super cool wallet, created from the ‘Brief History of Time’ book. What an inspired idea!

8. My final pick for today is this innovative and functional pin master pin cushion, available from the Cajame Creations shop.

Before I say toodle pip, I want to sneak in this extra little item. It has nothing to do with time (except when I was searching for time themed things strangely it came up), but it is so intriguingly geeky and wonderful that I decided just to put it in anyway:

Now I better get back to work, no time to waste!

Welcome in the winter

Sorry for mentioning that word (winter *whispers*) when its only just turned Autumn, but it is round the corner and if you can't beat it, join it.....or something like that.

This is just a mini post to show off 2 new illustrations i've just completed that are very appropriate for the winter season. I've mainly produced them for the December and January images in a 2012 calendar which i'm making and hope to have on sale by mid-late October. However they will also be available as a print and a Christmas card once i've got round to putting them on my Folksy and Etsy shops. Even more exciting, the card will soon be available in the Well Read Bookshop, in Northumbria University Student's Union, as the lovely buyer lady has asked to stock my cards - yippee!!

So here are the illustrations. The first one 'Snow Globe' will be a card:















This next one 'Home On The Ice' will be available as a print:















In the meantime, as we've been told by the weather predicty folks that its supposed to be a heat wave this week (eh?), I hope you enjoy whats left of the sun.

Folksy Friday - Rainbow Bright

I intended to have this theme for my Folksy Friday post last week but didn’t get a chance to post (sorry), but this week it’s getting an airing. I’m going down the rainbow road (a little nod there to Mario Kart fans) simply because my eyes are always attracted to bright, multi-coloured stuff. I've never really been one for pastel shades or muted subtle tones. Although saying that, I do admire artists who can restrain themselves and limit their use of colour, as i find it incredibly difficult to do this in my work.
This theme is more about the use of colour than rainbows themselves. It may be a little out of season now the nights a drawing in and the chill is in the air, but hey I hope it brightens your day.

1. I Love this fun and stylish rainbow cubes t-shirt by illustrator Alicia Yolanda, currently on sale for a bargain price of £7!! She has some brilliant stuff in her shop, go take a peek.



2. There is not much i need to say about this stained glass panel from Dimo Glass except that it is simply stunningly beautiful:



3. Another eye-catcher is this simple and sweet little glass rainbow ornament by Abunda. Very pretty.



4. One of my favourite Folksy shops is the Rainbow Room from Clara Luna and I couldn’t possibly have a rainbow themed FF post without featuring something from this shop. This little beaut is inspired:

5. Look at this piece of awesomeness from Emma Farnworth. I’ve seen some lovely necklaces incorporating stamps, but this really is something else:



6. This luscious and hypnotic art print from Dig the Earth would look great in my work room. Unfortunately there seems to be no stock in their shop today, although when i began writing this post there was, so perhaps check back in the future to see their lovely stuff.



7. I came across this cute tote available at the fabulous bags shop:



8. Check out this amazing collage artwork by Caroline Rose who has some absolutely beautiful work in her shop -

All these colours have inspired me to go forth and create. Bye y’all.

Maker Christmas Trade. NorthEast based makers, artists, crafters

Thank you to all those who have shown an interest in this so far. So here is how it works.

Firstly this is a trade rather than a swap. I know theres not much difference but a swap suggests you're giving away items you no longer want. The trade ethic is rather than using money to purchase something, you use your skills and resulting creations as currency.
PLEASE NOTE: The blog is merely to facilitate the process and enable makers to contact each other in the knowledge that they are potentially interested in trading. It is not moderated & I won't get involved in anyone else's trade.

To take part you must be a maker/artist/photographer/crafter (all disciplines welcome) & have:
1. An online shop on Etsy, Folksy or another online craft retailer. OR
2. Work on Flicker, Photobucket or similar site, which allows others to see photos of your products and more detailed descriptions of product. OR
3. A website, blog, or portfolio of work online, which has images of products & full descriptions.
AND
Have an email address.

~~The Trading Process~~
A categorised list of all those willing to trade will be posted on blog from 30 October to 30 November (by when exchanges should be complete). During trade month the participating crafters & artists can look through the list and if they wish to contact a fellow maker(s) to offer an exchange it is entirely up to them. There is no obligation to trade.

For each trader listed there will the following info which you will need to send me:
a) Their name and business name.
b) Brief description of what they make, i.e. digital artworks, jewellery etc.
c) A *link(s) to the maker's site, online shop or page where people can view images of their products, including full descriptions, item costs, and postage costs.
d) If relevant details of product types that the maker does not wish to include in trade.
e) What items the maker is interested in trading for, e.g. bag, necklace, print etc.
f) The maker's email address for contact from potential trade mate(s)

*If you're linking to Etsy/Folksy shop etc, be aware that if this product sells from that site during trade month, potential trade mate(s) may no longer be able to see that item.

Exchange of traded items can be done in person on a day arranged by those involved, or through the post. If posting please agree a date when item(s) will be sent so you both know when you can expect to get them. All items must be in post by 30th November at latest.

Important note on postage costs:
Depending on the kind of item you're offering the postage cost may be more or less than that of the item you're proposing to trade with. Therefore you'll need to negotiate with your trade mate to work this out. E.g. it may be best to meet up and exchange in person, perhaps offer an additional item to cover postage difference, or even pay cash to cover difference. It is entirely at trader's own discretion & something you should consider when looking for trade(s). We don't want anyone left out of pocket.

~~ Trade tips ~~
1. Please keep it friendly and be considerate. If you get an offer to trade and for whatever reason you don't wish to do so, please be nice and bear in mind this process is not moderated. Remember to think about difference in postage cost so no one is left out of pocket.

2. The process should be negotiable & flexible and please be realistic when offering a trade. Hey if you’re feeling brave you may even want to do a three way trade.

3. The trade contract is based on trust. You must have faith in your trade mate(s) to send their item(s) & vice versa.

4. You & your trade mate may wish to send items recorded delivery to ensure you can claim back cost if lost in post.

To take part email me your details for the list as outlined previously to lucyfarfort@yahoo.com or fill out the form for your trading info here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/V9YXDVS as soon as possible (Further traders info will no longer be added to list after 1st week in Nov).

Trade anyone?

I got talking to a fellow crafter at a market earlier this year and we agreed it would be a good idea to do a craft trade with other makers/artists for Christmas gifts. With the economic downturn many of us are struggling at the moment and Christmas can be an expensive time of the year.

When discussing this idea originally the thought of organising a venue and stall holders, was quite off putting. Then it hit me - we don't need a venue. Most crafters sell online, so they effectively already have a stall, all thats needed is a central point to host it from = the blog, perfect!
Sorry to exclude people, but I'm proposing this be a regional/local trade, for North East crafters. As this would make numbers more manageable (depending on who's interested) and would also allow the possibly, once all the swaps have been agreed, for us to meet for a drink and actually hand over items in person. It goes without saying that makers outside the NE can set up trades on their own individual blogs, for their region.

At the mo this is just an idea & before I go about setting this up your input is needed:

• 1. Firstly is anyone actually interested in taking part? Please can you ask your fellow NE crafters if they'd be interested too. Because there is no point if only a few peeps are interested.
  
  

• 2. How to do it. My plan is to list all the makers/artists taking part on my blog & put links to their items online, prices and what they are wiling to swap and for what kind of items.
  **BUT how can the swapping process work so that its diplomatic, friendly and makers don't end up falling out because someone would rather trade for a diff item etc, etc? I guess the simplest way would be to leave it up to individuals involved to contact their potential trade mates by email, but could this also cause problems if say 'Maker A' isn't interested in any items on offer from 'Maker B'.**
  Does anyone have any suggestions?
  
  

Please post a comment on my blog or face book wall: http://www.facebook.com/LucyFarfortIllustrator if you're interested in taking part &/or have suggestions on how to run it.

Folksy Friday - Harvest Time

This year has gone so incredibly fast, i blinked and missed most of it. Its Autumn already?!
Well this means it will soon be Harvest Festival time. I'm not exactly sure what that means, except for when i was at primary school, all the kids had to bring in tins of food to be put into a giant decorated box destined for a third world country. The box was usually filled with the tins of string beans gathering dust from the back of several mother's kitchen cupboards. Looking at it now it seems pretty harsh that people generally donated their most unwanted tins of food, when it was going to be sent to a starving child. I guess it all counts.

**Actually harvest festival is is an annual celebration which occurs around the time of the main harvest of the region. Harvest is from the Anglo-Saxon word haverfest, "Autumn". It then came to refer to the season for reaping and gathering grain and other grown products.
Harvest festivals are traditionally held on or near the Sunday of the Harvest Moon, the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox.**
I don't really know if this information is accurate, as i'll be honest i got it from Wikipedia and we all know what thats like for reliability

1. An absolutely fab and functional present for someone with an allotment is this set of 5 veg tags. A great little idea from Krafts4Kenya:



2. Perfect for the theme today is this very cute 'Acorn Harvest' illustration, by Lucy Consolo. She has some lovely work in her shop, go see.



3. take a peek at this gorgeous Autumn leaf brooch from the 'By Sally' shop. Love the colours



4. Wow these little fellas are awesome. A needle felted pumpkin bowl with lid, so creative and cute to boot!


5. These veggie moustache greeting cards available from 'Kikichoo' made me laugh. Anything with a moustache is okay by me ^__^



6. I found this really beautiful poppy bangle at the Cassiopi shop. I choose it because of the lovely autumnal colours:



7. The detail in this teeny weeny vegetable basket is incredible. Grandma's Miniature Market is really a feast for the eyes. Makes me want to start growing my own veg, although i don't think my 8ftx 8ft back yard would agree.



8. The final pic of today is this lovely autumn art print from LauriePunzzle Land. Love her style and the pattern element in her art work:



I just wish we could trade in some winter months for some more Autumn months so i can enjoy those beautiful warm colours for a bit longer.
Byeeeee!!