Thoughts from the Bus Stop

Bear brooch by Gabi Reith for Small Stories

This is my beautiful new brooch, handmade by Gabi Reith of Small Stories. I've been ogling her work for a while now, especially her limited edition, handpainted wooden brooches, which are inspired by fairy tales and nursery rhymes.

I promised myself that if I got some birthday money I would buy one! I did, so this 'The Bear Went Over The Mountain' brooch is all mine. It's gone on my new winter coat and it makes me happy every time I look at it.

You can buy Gabi's work on Etsy and Folksy.

* SONG OF THE DAY: The Shamen - Move Any Mountain *

A Close-Knit Couple

Look at who's come to live with me - aren't they cute? They are Russian originally, but came to me from California, via Etsy seller Glamourama. They make me smile.
 

Regretsy

 

I've just discovered 'bad craft' site Regretsy, and I haven't laughed so much in ages! Regretsy (tagline 'Handmade? It looks like you made it with your feet.') trawls Etsy for examples of truly excruciating handiwork and takes the p*** mercilessly.

They're currently mining a particularly rich seam of Twilight fan art. Other enticing categories include Dead Things, Pet Humiliation and Spelling Issues.  It's a guilty pleasure, in the same vein as red carpet fashion site Go Fug Yourself. For more bad craft, there's also Craftastrophe and Glitter Gone Bad.

* SONG OF THE DAY: McAlmont and Butler - What's The Excuse This Time? *

The Original Bus Stop Girl

I found this little lass in MomsStash on Etsy. She's made of plastic, which has yellowed with age, and has a 'Made In Hong Kong' but no date. She's flown in from California to be at the head of a bus queue in my bathroom!

* SONG OF THE DAY: 911 - Don't Make Me Wait *

Cup & Saucer Posy mosaic by Anna Tilson

I have totally fallen in love with this beautiful (or beaut-tea-ful?) mosaic by Anna Tilson, spotted in her Etsy shop. It's made with fragments of rose-printed crockery and is just... LOVELY (sigh).

It's £120 so a bit out of my reach, but maybe if manage to save, or get a surprise commission, I'll be able to make it mine! Or I could treat myself to a mosaiced letter 'K', like this £45 letter 'E'.

I went to a mosaic workshop at Hove Museum run by Anna a few years ago, and she helped us all make something we were proud of - but I still really really want a Tilson original!

Also: MADE: Maker of the Week - Anna Tilson

Both images (c) Anna Tilson

Tudor queen in the pink

Liz Print in Pink (c) Alisha Gould 2007

This has to be one of my all-time favourite Etsy purchases - a  hand-drawn, hand-pulled silkscreen of Queen Elizabeth the First in my favourite shade of shocking pink, by Alisha Gould from Maine, USA. It has pride of place in my living room. It's fab to see someone using bold colour on a historical subject!

Alisha's Etsy shop stocks her designs as prints, notecards and T-shirts - there's even a Mary, Queen of Scots doll! Alisha's also a sculptor - check out her portfolio on her website.

* SONG OF THE DAY: Queen - Killer Queen *

New brooches on Folksy!

    
Heart-shaped brooches (c) Kristen Bailey 2009

Finally I have something in my Etsy shop my Folksy shop! It takes such a long time to make just a few things, then take good pics of them and get the listings done, it does feel like an achievement!

Here are some large, sparkly Valentine brooches. I'm single and I always send Valentines to my single friends, and these brooches were made with them in mind. Hope you like them!

* SONG OF THE DAY: Feargal Sharkey - A Good Heart *

Summersville

Just before Christmas I came across a wonderful Etsy shop called Summersville, full of handprinted fabrics by Suffolk-based Lucie Summers. My favourite of her prints is called Avenue* - line drawings of houses and trees, available in three of my favourite colours - hot pink, teal and turquoise! So I ordered a piece in turquoise, and some Christmas tree stars she'd made from her Weave and Totem prints.

And what a beautiful parcel Lucie sent! I almost didn't want to unwrap it... but I'm glad I did:

Gorgeous, eh? Lucie also has an Etsy shop for her mixed media work - LuSummers, and you can read all about how her work is developed (and which bit of delicious vintage crockery she has found this week in the charity shop!) on her lovely blog.

* A name I also love cos it reminds me of how Margot in my fave 'The Good Life' says, "Not on The Avenue!" aghast, whenever Tom and Barbara get more livestock!

Reason no: 643 why I love Peter Blake

 

"He travels from Chiswick to the studio every day on the bus, dressed, whatever the weather, in a waistcoat and a shirt with cufflinks made from the 'P' and the 'B' of an old typewriter..."
Natalie Rudd, Peter Blake, 2003.

See Etsy for typewriter key cufflinks!

Etsy Love: Some Days Are Rainy

Vintage umbrella	'Some Days...' badge	Happy Raindrop pendant
Holly Hobbie fabric	Vintage raincoat	Umbrella earrings
Rainy Day print	Knitted hat	Man In The Rain photo

Tree brooch for Tree

Tree brooch (c) Kristen Bailey, 2009

This is a birthday present for my friend Tree (Katrina). I wanted to make a tree brooch, and I found some green felt leftovers from the bag I made Rachel from her ruined jumper, which was perfect for foliage!

I'm quite pleased with it - might try and make another to sell. Had a quick look on Etsy under 'felt tree brooch' and there are some gorgeous examples, but there isn't one quite like mine already. I love it when an idea and a fabric come together!

Vinyl Junkie

Sunglasses case (c) Sugar Lust | Pouch by Miss Alison

I am in the grip of a fresh infatuation... vinyl. No, not records... upholstery vinyl made into cool things like bags and purses. It's shiny, wipe-clean, hardwearing, doesn't fray and comes in loads of bright colours - even glittery colours - what's not to love?

Of course I haven't yet tried working with it myself. That's on the 'to do' list. But I've already bought three gorgeous things via Etsy... and have my eye on more.

My first purchase was a fab robot motif sunglasses case from Sugar Lust (above) - perfect for me and my robot love.

Then I came across Miss Alison's Etsy shop, and her great 'bent stripe' pouches. Would she make me a bespoke in my favourite colours? Of course! So I'm the proud owner of a turquoise pouch with hot pink stripes (above). I've also got my eye on this Seagull Pouch from her website.

The starry pink beauty below is winging its way to me as I type. It's by Julie at Majesty Inc, and I love it. Great colour combination - and I love five-pointed stars as a motif.

Camouflage at the Imperial War Museum

On at the Imperial War Museum, London from 23 Mar 2007 to 18 Nov 2007, Camouflage examines the impact of camouflage on modern warfare and its adoption into popular culture:

"Find out how and why a revolution in camouflage occurred during the First World War; how teams of artists and designers were employed to conceal and distort everything from soldiers to battleships and how camouflage concepts and designs have influenced contemporary art and fashion from street-style to couture."

This has sent me off Googling to find the snazziest camouflage items I could find. So far I've found loads of Camouflage stuff on Etsy.com, camouflage duvet covers (sand, blue or pink), camouflage undies, a toilet seat, baby clothes, some bitchin' shoes and knee boots and this rather tasteful party frock. Classy.

See also:
Wikipedia: Camouflage
TATE etc: Art, Culture and Camouflage
Color Crush: Color Study - History of Camouflage

Clayton Bailey's Robot Sculptures

Robots by Clayton Bailey via The Tech

I really need to start making robots. I sewed one in felt ages ago, but I want to make robots out of junk. Maybe not to the scale of California-based Clayton Bailey's work - this guy uses everything from coffee pots to fridges.

I came across him on The Tech's Robotics site (check out the 360 degree panoramas of his studio and his yard - now there's a garden I could go for!). PS: Great moustache, sir!

These are great too: Bennett Robot Works

My latest Etsy order has just arrived - this tiny chap made from electrolytic capacitors by oBVIoUS FRoNT...
	...and I've got my eye on a Mini Robo from The Blockheads.

Robot Love on Etsy

Prints © Cricket Press | Necklace © Atomic Glassworks | Corkbot © Moonshine Bluebirds

I am of course buying far more on Etsy than I'm selling, and my current 'thing' is robots. There's the gorgeous turquoise glass robot necklace made for me to order by Atomic Glassworks, a stunning set of robot letterpress prints by Cricket Press and my new desk buddy, Corkbot, courtesy of Moonshine Bluebirds. I think I'm in love...

Lego Flowers

Yellow Bloomin’ Bowl by Marie Worre Hastrup Holm, 2006. Photo: Ester Segarra

I love this glass bowl because it's been covered in LEGO flowers. Brilliant. Part of this weekend's International Festival of Glass in Stourbridge, incorporating the British Glass Biennale.

And as a result of Googling 'lego flowers', I've just bought a Lego Flowers Necklace by Swank, off Etsy.