thank you

i think this will be my last post for 2011 – so i just want to wish all my lovely customers, stockists, exhibitors, suppliers, friends & my wonderful family a very merry christmas & a happy new year.

& thank you for all the support & encouragement you continue to give me at &made.

just as an after thought… i really think i should try harder with the &made blog – perhaps a new year revolution?

best new maker award

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair 2011

i had a fab time & a wonderful compliment at GNCCF in october this year when &made was awarded the ‘best new maker award – presented to me by angela mann, one of the fairs originators & organisers. this is genuinely one of my proudest, personal, moments as my endeavours in the past have always been joint ones & always part of a much bigger concern. ofcourse i couldn’t do any of this without all the support & efforts of francis too – he designed, transported, assembled & built the stand with the help of our son, danny. i did my impression of someone in a panic…

…i’m getting to be quite good at that too!

this is a recent freelance job – costumier to two chips… 

work in progress

 …& an onion ring!

the brief was to supply one deep fried onion ring & wearing a chef’s toque, one sweet potato fry with butchers apron & one traditional chip wearing full chef’s whites.

everything went well until i tried to dress chef chip – he soon developed curvature of the spine & lost the will to live! i have to admit i did think food ads were fake but, believe me, this is real food wearing real costumes & i think the smallest scale work i’ve done so far.

& the finished ads - 

yes chef!

thanks must go to stevie dee @barrow model makers for offering me the work - i had such a lovely day with geoff, kate & vicki – i hope we get to repeat it sometime soon...

home sweet home

&made has a new addition to the on line shop this week –

this des.res has been designed &made from wood & spray painted white -

perfect for a small diy project, or some customised art work !

i was really happy when &made was invited to take part in the spring exhibition at arteria in lancaster but even happier to arrive at the gallery and see the lovely window display featuring so many of the &made products.

thank you jane !  

sunshine & strawberries

 strawberries & sunshine make a welcome return to &made. 

it really is a beautiful morning & the sunshine is a perfect accompaniment to these little handmade strawberry  pins - the felted leaf  & stem is like a jaunty cap - an elegant finishing touch !  

sugar rush

what better way to spend a wet wednesday than revisiting the whitworth art gallery?

we had a lovely morning ‘baking’ this batch of cupcakes with a group of ladies on their first visit to the whitworth. i was really impressed with the inventive decorations & colour combinations ! i really enjoy these workshops – it fulfills my childhood ambition; succeeding Valerie Singleton on Blue Peter !

thank you to ed watts for his invitation to cupcake heaven…

 

 

doorstop cacti

manchester craft & design centre launch a new ’product of the month’ feature in march.

&made have been chosen to kick start spring with these tactile & colourful hand felted, knitted & recycled doorstop cacti available in a wide variety of terracotta pots.

& we always have a supply of our signature product – cacti pin cushions - in stock.

bunny ears

new year – new baby – new shoes !

available now in three chalky colours & chalk –

too cute for words – so I won’t waste any more !

uten silo

 

my fab uten.silo wall storage attracts a lot of attention & i promised to post some information for all my interested customers. 

first launched in 1969 under the name of  ‘wall all’  it was designed by dorothee becker, who was married to lighting designer ingo maurer. becker was a self taught designer & developed the uten.silo whilst working in maurer’s studio. it was designed at the time when plastic was becoming a popular material in the manufacture of household items, although production  was halted in 1974 due to the oil crisis. subsequently  becker has granted permission to the vitra design museum to re-issue the uten.silo. the various sized pockets, hooks & clips make it an adaptable addition to home & office & my studio!

i suppose i should tell you where to buy one…   the conran shop, Salts Mill in Saltaire & one or two other discerning outlets.

& i recently spotted it on www.nest.co.uk !