New Flowers

I love playing about with materials or bits and bobs. Recently I have developed some new flower shapes. I am so in love with blackboard paint or black card and chalk at present. Combining all these things I am coming up with some new cute designs.

Also using up the scrap laser cut paper from getting my circles cut, that has become very useful for some notebook and framed picture designs.

I have fallen in love with black and lime green buttons, will have to keep shopping for those, even when my button collection is everywhere around my studio.

BCTF 2011

Just back today from another great trip to BCTF at Harrogate. Everything is unpacked and put away, to be organised is such a calming thing for me amid the madness. Oh what a boat trip back, my face will be green for a week. I looked out the window at one point and it was the real case of sea, land, sea, crazy!

The show was lovely and I was really pleased with how my stand worked out, I got some new framed pieces designed and notebooks too. Out of developing these products a new flower design has emerged, which I love. More work on them to be done.

Now I am back its all go again, I am studying for a teaching qualification and my last module is due in May, so fingers crossed I will get my draft done by the weekend and then hoping that I won't have to change too much when I get it back.

So tomorrow is essay day and then Saturday will be photography day, yeah, looking forward to that. All my nice new things will be photographed and I will be able to get them onto the website. I am so last minute when designing, all my ideas coming flooding into my head about two days before I have to go to trade shows or craft fairs. There is then a big job of getting them catalogued on the website when I get back.

Off to bed with my green coloured face and spinning head. Full steam ahead tomorrow, no rest for the busy.

Downtime

At the moment I trying to have some downtime, this is so hard for me, I am such a workaholic and don't spend enough time making or doing things for me. I am now trying to spend sometime each week doing small projects or starting more long term ones. Last summer I spent alot of it revamping furniture and other little things, which really hit me with the bug for making and doing more things for me.

All the revamping last summer started off with my late grandma's knitting holder. I was just going to give it into the charity shop and suddenly thought what am I doing! Having lots of her knitting needles and loads of wool I had been collecting needing a home, I got my white egg shell paint out and searched ebay for some bargain dandelion clock fabric. Pictures to follow, I thought I had some of the finished thing, but not.

I have so many projects planned now for the start of Easter and this summer. I am starting early though and here's a wee list of what I am planning:

• add a backing to my white bookcase I painted last year, a whole year that poor bookcase has been waiting for a back
• an old chair to revamp
• a rocking chair made by my dad needs new strapping and a good clean, its been in the garage for years, which is such a waste
• a lovely tall boy that was my late granny's (her first piece of furniture) that I want to sand and stain to store my bed linen
• make some quilts for my bed during the winter from all my scrap fabrics
• make some skirts and get stuck into using my knitting machine
• continue with crocheting a blanket for my sofa, 9 squares down, a lot lot more to go

I am sure you are thinking, Heather this is not what I would call downtime, but for those of you that know me I always need to be making or doing and I would like to at least be doing something to improve my environment. Along with all this madness, I have been doing so much more walking and swimming, which is so nice and relaxing.

I don't like to waste a minute eh.

So the picture above is the backing for my white bookcase, it took so long to find some wall paper that I liked for it and this was some scrap wallpaper I picked up at Top Drawer when I was there. It was on the entrance to the vip area and was just ripped off at the end. I don't even know who the designer is, which is such a pitty, as it is amazing and would love more. Some pva glue and half and hour its all ready to be nailed to the bookcase this weekend. My tool box gets another outing.

Penny

Oh its been weeks again since I was here last and lots of things have happened, good, bad and one very sad moment. My family and I lost our beloved dog Penny to a massive stroke a few weeks back, so that is very raw in mind.

She was such a lovely dog, who had a very horrible start in life before we were blessed in having her and to have been able to give her a home. Living to about 14 years of age (we think, she was with us for just over ten) she lived a full and happy life here in our mad house. Never a dull moment with her around and she was never sick, old age stuck her fast and hard. Will miss her so much, she made such an impact on us all.

As hard as it is, life must go on and this I have to keep telling myself, along with holding back the tears sometimes, like today when the vets phoned to say her ashes were ready for collection and now as I type this. She will never be forgotten, Penny you were so fab, gentle and innocent.

Now things are busy again with BCTF coming up in less than 3 weeks and my last teaching module due when I get back, there's not a moment for anything but work.

So work work work it is for the next couple of weeks and who knows I might be able to have a wee holiday this Easter, since its so late.

About Time

About time I returned to this space, it really is, I am not good at keeping up with this blogging lark.

So much has been happening here at Rag Button. Since before Christmas it was all go for Top Drawer and now its planning time for BCTF in April.

Looking back at Top Drawer, it was a fabulous show and I was so grateful to have been given funding from Craft NI to go and even had some super people to go with as well, Jenna Kirkwood from The Paper Patterned Company, Aine Clarke from Hansel and Gretel Knits and Lisa Chan from Lisabella Jewellery. So thankful and Sharon Hay from Innocent Chaos was also there. The show was amazing, full of such lovely things and we had a huge red London Bus behind our stand. At least I was able to find my way back to the stand each time I wandered off.

We had to start setting our stand up at 8am, I am so not a lark. This was the mess before it all started to take shape.

After a few hours later and some teas/coffees.

After 3 days, we had a wonderful show and now I am busy working away on orders. Next stop, Valentines day and lots of new card designs to photograph tomorrow.

Online shop at Rag Button

So exciting and after weeks of working, typing and photographing, I have finally got an online shop on the website. I hope you all will love it and get some pressies in before Christmas.

There is now a special area for wholesale customers and I have emailed out a password, if you have missed out on that, drop me an email.

Lots of things will be happening over the next number of weeks in the run up to the first trade show of the New Year. As next year, I will be attending Top Drawer in London for the 1st time and I have so many new designs and other products to develop for this special event.

Designing

I got some new supplies to play with, washi masking tape from Japan, Orla Kiely car fabric and little black board pieces I painted up. After a week or so of sticking tape down, ripping it off again, black board paint (black speckles all over my work benches, must use a sponge) and cutting up fabric, I have made some new designs.

The new designs will be on the website soon and even better, they will be for sale on my website. I have also spent the last few weeks building a shop on the site. It will soon be split into a retail and wholesale site. Exciting stuff.

Here is a wee look at the developments.



Some things need finished off, but I am getting there.

Christmas Trees

Oh my goodness I have been making Christmas decorations. I can't believe its round to that time of year again. Sitting thinking of decorating a Christmas, it really can't be. Running round the house at 6 o'clock closing curtains really does make it seem like winter time. Its now all about keeping the cold out, lighting the fire again and buying some new thermal pj's.

Some photos of the Christmas decorations. They will have cinnamon in them too, making your tree smell all lovely.

Yellow wool brooches are back.

Finally after looking in every hole in the hedge fabric shop wise, my local fabric shop has a yellow/lime coloured wool coat fabric back in. Yeah!!!

Now I can get some of my lovely brooches made again.

Ideas

Some pictures of a sweet pin cushion I am have designed recently. There will also be a needle case in this design. I now need to shop for a darning foot, so I can do free machining on my sewing machine properly. Doing free machining without a darning foot is not a good idea.

Time

Where has the last couple of months gone. Time seems to be a blur to me these days. In my life at the moment there is no start time, finish time, lunch time, holiday time and rest time. Everything seems to be all the time or anytime. I long to have a routine, a start time, a lunch time which can vary I would allow that, finish time and a bed time.

Things have been very busy to the least round here and that's probably mostly my own fault. I have been on a mission to do as many jobs around the house to make things look pretty. Making cushions, painting, starting a quilt for my bed and having a clear out.

Also I been working so hard to build up stock and sort the studio out and I am pleased that I have managed to make great head way in this area yeah!!!

The above picture is from Craft Fest which I attended last weekend. It was the most amazing weekend weather wise.

Off to get a cuppa and some maltesers yum.

A summer of planning

Life is all go and I am now thinking about the end of summer, when its only just begun. Phone calls, forms and emails appear to amount to a busy autumn ahead. With that in mind, I have started to get the house in order and lots of little jobs done that have not seen the light of day.

While my dad and brother have been on their little holiday, I took advantage of a man free house (they always seem to get in the way). I started the stairs to our basement, I want to put a stair runner on and I am so excited. Just getting started with undercoating and then some white gloss, when I manage to find some amongst my dads collection of paint tins.

With the stairs undercoated, the next job on the list was my filing cabinet. My dad brought me home is beauty a few years and I even got the paint around that time too for it. Its one of those things with me, it has sat there for so long and I never seemed to get the time to paint it. Now I really need it so I can sort my paper work out and have a more organized business.

This summer I am so driven to get all these sorts of things done so I can sit at night and rest for a wee change. The first coat of paint goes on the cabinet tomorrow, so excited to see how it will look when its all finished.

Mary Queen of Shops

Last night I was watching Mary Queen of Shops and I just loved it. I never watched the last series but I am so hooked on it now. It has me thinking of what things can I be doing to expand rag button. Although I am not technically a retail shop I think alot of her points can be used across the board when thinking about selling. Now in a world where we spend so much time in supermarkets and buying cheap things, which I must admit I do buy sometimes, it is refreshing that the public are interested in sourcing good quality products.

After watching the programme I was pleased to read an article by the British Crafts Council on the growth of the craft sector during the recession. All this is very good and I hope it continues. There is nothing better than buying and owning hand crafts items.

Buy hand made and local everyone, not just crafts but your veggies too, if your not growing them already.

London Trip

Yesterday I spent a day in London. I just love going off on these wee day trips to London. This time I went to see an exhibition at the V&A Musuem, Quilts 1700-2010.
The exhibition was amazing and I just wanted to sit down with a sewing machine and start making a quilt in the middle of the exhibition. There was such a great display of very old quilts mixed with modern day creations. One aspect which I found very interesting was a commissioned quilt by prisoners. The detail and skills they have learned and demonstrated though the quilt they created for this exhibition are amazing and I hope this would help them to better their lives.

This exhibition is one to visit and you can also buy vintage fabric designs, which have been created for the exhibition. Of course I had to buy some fabrics and below is a little pic of what I bought and I just had to have the patchwork covered pencil.



A little shopping was done too. Nothing for me really, it was all bits and pieces for rag button. I ran of time in the end and had to run for the bus to get to the airport. I am just so glad I booked the bus this time as the amount of people looking to get on the one I booked, could have filled two buses. Another day trip to London will have to be planned soon, so I can go round the clothes shops and Liberty's, I missed out on getting to look there this time round.

Off to get more work done, I have been so busy its been crazy. I am finally seeing the light at the end of tunnel and would have been kinda at the end of it if I didn't run out of brown embroidery thread, oops. On to other things until I get some more thread.

BCTF 2010

Above my lovely stand at BCTF 2010 if I do say so myself he he he. Its nice to look at it all after the drama of putting it up. Over the last number of years the card stands have been such an issue. I was so determined to have them nice and simple this year to construct. I had such fun shopping for weeks to put together the bookshelf display. I got those lovely letter press letters from notonthehighstreet.com.

It has been a very busy few weeks leading up to this fair and now a busy couple of days chatting to people and meeting new buyers.

I have been a busy bee getting together new card designs and making some framed pieces which have been going well.

I am so tried now and going to make a cuppa. At the show they have free internet, yeah. More blogging tomorrow.

Excitement

I am so excited to report that my wee brooch made it into the exhibition. Will keep you posted on the exhibition opening etc. I can't wait!!!

I am off to rest now.

The last few days have been madness and I have worked myself to bone. Not long resting though, will be back in the studio tomorrow at some point no doubt.

Something different

I have been experimenting with making a brooch out of wood for submission to an exhibition. Will have to wait a few weeks though to see if it gets selected. Fingers crossed. Below are a few pictures of the brooch I submitted.

For the exhibition you had to visit the new refurbished Ulster Museum and be inspired by something in the museum's collection. I was inspired by a Katy Hackney brooch (different from this image) which was on display. The use of wood was appealing and it was a real experiment for me using the wood and textiles.

I think I will be making a few more of these and maybe pop them into frames as well. Hopefully my brother will oblige with cutting the wood. I am very good with the electric belt sander. It was very scary to use the first time and I found it was better not to hit the centre of the spinning circle sander.

Love

Love is just around the corner and what a perfect way to express it, by sending that special someone a valentine card. I have been working away on creating some sweet cards to send to that special person in your life.

Where have I been

A busy Christmas and New Year. Gosh I can't believe the things I managed to do over the holiday period. On boxing day I was laying a wooden floor and yes little old me was cutting wood and slotting it together. Its a bit rough round the edges but I was pretty pleased and it brightens up my wee hallway in the basement outside my studio door. I then got my dad to put up a shelf unit on the wall for over stock, which I need to paint and I also need to paint a filing cabinet, its going to be red.

So I have kept myself pretty busy, cleaning, sorting stuff and writing a very long essay. I am doing a teaching course and its such hard work, but I am learning so many useful things.

Also over Christmas my work was on display in SPACE Craft, Belfast. Below are some pictures of my Christmas decorations and my framed piece, which I am pleased to say is no longer there and is now adorning a nice wall in someones home.

Now that Christmas has passed and the New Year is fading, Valentines is not far away, I am planning and making new things. I will get blogging some more, as my new designs develop.

Whats happening so far

What has been happening over the last months, well where do I start. A few months have passed since my wee photo shot of my new products. At that time I started a teaching course for higher education and its been all go doing essays, teaching and doing presentations. I am really enjoying the course and can't wait now till tomorrow is over, then I will have done my presentation.

During all the madness I have been preparing for Christmas craft fairs, and setting up an exhibition piece for an exhibition with a group called Emission Arts (you can see the exhibition in Cregagh Library in Belfast till the end of the month, pics to follow). Below are a few pics of the latest craft fair in the Guild Hall in Derry. I had an amazing time and stayed in this super B+B Rose Park House

I was very chuffed with my wee stand I have to say and most of the ideas were from friends. Those wee chats make all the difference.

Now after all the crazy weeks of Christmas craft fairs, long hours driving to them, the packing and unpacking, I can relax for a few weeks till the next one. In between then there are still orders to be done, ideas to realize and a shop to build online for all the Christmas goodies I think you should be packing your stockings with.

Off to finish my presentation.