To DIY for...!

Morning!

I'm having a nice (kind of) productive couple of weeks away from working at Rapture and Wright as they're insulating the barn we print in. With the heaters on to dry the ink and in this heat (sometimes) we all forget how cold it gets out there so hopefully it'll be lovely come the winter!

I know it's a little late now as kids will be going back to uni/ college/ actual kids go back to school but I thought I'd share with you some online DIY project gems I've been meaning to do myself. There's some incredible design blogs out there. I save all of my inspiration in a folder, which I'll get round to exploring one day...some day! Perhaps there'll be time for one this bank holiday...?

Images TOP Honestly..WTF, BOTTOM Free People
 

Design*Sponge DIY projects

Free People
Honestly...WTF

I think these are all American sites...perhaps you've got some UK home grown favourites you'd like to share!

The Painswick exhibition came down on Monday and seemed to be a roaring success, I was very pleased with my little bundle of receipts and plan to take the winnings down to Cornwall for a week of roughing it in a tent. Bliss, so looking forwards to getting away!
Also made these to take down to Wales: White choc & raspberry blondies, blooming LUSH.

For the recipe click here.

On a business note, you can catch me at Beyond France's Vintage Textile Tea Party on the 9th &10th September. There'll be an open house full of fabric for crafts, vintage linen for upholstery, cushions and housewares, vintage tea party courtesy of Lavinia's Tea Party and several other makers including me! It also supports Women for Women charity, and will be a wonderful couple of days- pop in for a chat and a cuppa! X

Polka dots & circus rings

Thought I'd update you whilst some Guinea Fowl Aprons are drying! I'm half way though the Painswick exhibition now; things are going down well over there and if you still havn't been, there's still time- it runs until 21st August 2011. There's lots of things still running around my head after the Prince's Trust Business course I went on a couple of weeks ago, and I've been allocated a mentor I can use for the next couple of years...these people must have oodles of patience! 

 

For those of you who are local, do go and see this year's Giffords Circus. We saw it on Minchinhampton Common between the cows and golfers on Saturday evening; words cannot describe how much I love their work! Pure magic... (I'm sure I'll have to see them again before their stint ends in September!) We even bumped into the fella's boss coming out of the show, Pete Lord of Aardman animation- a man of good taste!

Today I'm almost finished on my run of Hungarian linen Polka dots for Beyond France- they're looking fabulous in a spectrum of vintage-looking pinks and greens. They will be available to buy as cushions at Maud's Vintage tea party & open house textile sale 9th-10th September in Cirencester, along with plenty of other lovely bits.

 Have a great week! X

Happenings...

Hello all! 
Things have been a little frantic of late, and ultra sticky in this hot spell of weather that's been cast upon us! Phew! My three week exhibition with the Gloucestershire Guild of Craftsmen went up on Friday in Painswick, near Stroud and we had a lovely opening with wood-crafting legend John Makepeace, friends and family. It's definitely worth a little trip to; there's plenty of amazing and beautifully crafted ceramics, textile work, wood work and jewellery. Here's a peak at opening night:

The following day I held a stall over in Chalford, Stroud-way in a lovely old mill surrounded by crafts people and a few Alpacas for good measure. It was a nice, relaxed day followed by a nap (I never sleep in the day but feel absolutely frazzled in this weather / after exhibition-related decision making / open night wine drinking) and then caught the last Harry Potter film! Lovely weekend...

   

This week is mostly filled with a Prince's Trust business course I had enrolled onto at the beginning of the year, in the hope it would turn me into business woman-supreme! It's an amazing charity, with experts and advice I couldn't dream of affording. Luckily, my lovely friend Lavinia is also doing the week stint with me, fuelled with plenty of tea and biscuits- our creative minds have a tendency of wandering after 20 minutes of figures... It's fair to say you won't be seeing us on Dragons Den any time soon folks!

My problem is I want to do everything! X

Catch me here for the next three weeks...

New Folksy shop!

Morning! Aside from enjoying this lovely spell of warm weather, I've been working on lots of little exciting projects and commissions, (which I'll get to in a bit!) and have opened a Folksy shop- just another way of letting people find me. However, there's more available in my Etsy shop in the way of one-off tweed cushions and art pieces so keep having a peek!

I've been cutting out polka dots this morning for an exciting hand-printed collaboration with Maud Lomberg of Beyond France. I will be exposing these dots to a screen and printing them onto her beautiful vintage Hungarian linen, which will be made into gorgeous cushions in time for her fantastic 'open house' tea party which takes place on the 9th & 10th September- pop it in your diary! I'll be selling my bits and bobs there too alongside a few other makers.

The linen flax was all grown and then woven in a 'cottage industry' style from people's homes- so the pressure's on! We've had many a discussion on polka dot forms over the past few weeks- 'diamond' or 'square' repeats and such...and settled on a nice 'niave' looking square layout (more colour, less polka)  which has been inspired from Maud's traditional Hungarian indigo dyed polka dot linens. Beautiful

I've also been doing some branding for a fledgling free range British Salami company based in the Cotswolds (I've asked to be paid in salami-yuuuummmm!!) I love working on different projects with people from time to time, it ups the challenge- and with the Cotswold Sheep Society under my belt too, I'm earning quite an unusual CV! I'll show you what I've come up with soon enough...Have a great week everyone x

Cushion sales...

Cushions bought on-line now come with a nice feather pad included for your convenience! I initially sent just the cover to cut down on postage costs, but decided it's far more exciting for a ready-to-go cushion to arrive on the doorstep. Pop it in your armchair- done! (psst! I've also reduced some bits in my shop and have had a good website sort-out) x

Cotswold Show & few fresh cuts!

I'm doing the last few bits and pieces in ready for the Cotswold Show in Cirencester park this weekend, 2nd & 3rd July...think I'm (almost) there! My last minute flap was finding tables for the occasion; luckily some lovely friends of ours got hold of a key for the church in the village and we snook in after dark and borrowed three! Phew! If you're around, do come and say hello, I love meeting everyone for a good natter at these events- I'll be in the rural craft tent...

I forgot to tell you about my smart new canvas aprons with everyone's favourite little fella hand printed onto, and made in the UK! Get them here in my Etsy store- they make great foodie presents, don't you think?

 www.stephaniecole.co.uk

I also couldn't wait to show you these, I LOVE them! Last weekend I finally got my brushes out and got a little obsessed with painting ships in different glass bottles on lovely tiny 5" canvases...most of my work looks at the seemingly mundane, everyday and (admittedly) a little naff, but still, a little piece of 'Britishness' and totally re-freshed! Hope you like them, I'm planning on getting some archive prints done of these a little bigger ready to pop into some frames. I'll keep you posted, email me if you'd like more details, for now here's a picture!

© Stephanie Cole 2011

I'd also like to leave you with this, found in the countryside lanes on the way back from a Lavinia's tea party-do, it just made us chuckle, what a strange entourage...! Happy weekend! x