Promos - Final call for Cambridge

With Cambridge now less than a fortnight away I thought that a little reminder was in order. Deepa and I will be making our way to Katies this weekend to stamp and fill all of the goody bags that will be given away at the Cambridge fair... so if you do want to send us anything (freebies, promos, business cards) to pop inside them then you need to get them in the post as soon as you can!

More details can be found here. Check out this little lot of goodies that we've already got piled up and waiting to be bagged!

You can also send us things to give to the Blue Cross raffle... remember to include a business card so that those that don't win your item can look you up once they get home!

Meet the Maker: MagpieNest

In the very first of the 2009 series of Meet the Maker features we look to MagpieNest and her stunning jewellery - modern, stylish and gorgeous!

Why MagpieNest?

Actually, it was my friend’s idea – she thought it would be a good name for a jewellery shop because surely a magpie keeps shiny things in its nest! It’s fun and it’s a bit different :-) Sally has her own business selling designer tea towels made by exciting British artists – you can see them at www.todryfor.com. I love the name of the site. I think she just has a talent for a good name!!

Why make stuff?

I can’t really imagine not making stuff – I grew up in a very creative family. My mom is an artist (www.mariekedewaard.co.uk) and so my sister and I always had access to paint, paper, glue, crayons…basically any art supply you can think of! One project I remember really well was when my sister and I were in our phase of being fascinated by dinosaurs – my mom helped us fashion a big dinosaur out of chicken wire and then we covered it with white plaster so we had our very own dinosaur – what a brilliant project! I wish I had a photo of it, but sadly I don’t! So my mom paints, my sister is knitting fiend extraordinaire, my dad is very into photography, my grandmother sews tapestries, my aunt is a tailor, my other aunt is an excellent interior designer, etc…so it runs in the family!

What’s your favourite piece of your jewellery?

I love making things with really clean lines – I like the sculptures of Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth and I like to think I get a bit of those bold, strong, clean lines into my designs. My favourite items to make are rings and my current favourite is the one above, made with silver and an 18k gold ball, which I’ve been perfecting for about a year.

What handmade stuff do you have your eyes on?

Lots of things, but let me limit myself to two who are also based in Reading, Berks...I really like the elegant, modern look of ceramics by Lauren – in particular this vase, and I've already got some fabulous gloves from knithappens over on Etsy.

Facebook

Handm@de have gone all internet savvy with a facebook page... so, help us to spread the word and join us there!

Click on the links on the righthand side of the Handm@de Craft Fairs page, and you'll see this years 3 events listed - Cambridge, Winchester & Oxford...