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.

Meet the Makers - Nic Dyche of TwigArt

TwigArt represents all the crafts that I enjoy and practice.

I first started in crafts through painting (mainly Oil and Acrylic) and got hooked! Most of the work I do now concentrates on small inks drawings, stained glass, silversmithing and photography although I'm still partial to flicking a bit of the oil paint around when the inspiration takes me.

Recently the greater emphasise has been on the stained glass, designing panels to create individual pieces. I especially love glass because each piece is so different in quality and character to the next and I love seeing how these come together.

I often try to mix media to bring in unexpected elements, playing on texture and quality as much as expectation. Some of the glass pieces will reflect this to greater and lesser degrees but it is something that I employ more regularly on my paintings.

Photography is a renewed interest (having studied it many years ago) and supports my love of travel. Many of the images come from day trips out in the UK or longer trips to Europe and America.

Although I largely create pieces through the images and colours found on my travels I am happy to undertake commissioned pieces.

Meet the Makers - Victoria of PinkFlapJacks...

Latest in our line up of Meet the Maker pieces is Victoria of PinkFlapJacks. Victoria sees the beauty in items others have discarded, often reusing materials in her pieces... or perhaps just using up the bits and bobs left over from her husband’s furniture projects.

So, here is a little information from Victoria about herself, her craft and how she got here...

I live here in central Oxford, but am originally from little old Wales, in the middle of the mountains where the entertainment and shopping facilities are in short supply so as children we were constantly making things out of things!

My mum's chant was: "only boring people are bored; go and make something!"

In all the different places I've lived, I've always been making something. When I lived in Ireland I was an arts and crafts teacher so that was lots of paint and general papery messes...I did the same in Scotland, leaving a trail of glitter in the school corridors. In my family home there's always been a sewing machine on the go and a workshop or a workroom set up somewhere for experiments! I've often made my own jewellery and clothes and am always on the lookout for unusual funky things to wear...I also lived in Bolivia for awhile and there were lots of people there on hippy trails who showed me new ways of making necklaces and things...also it was an excellent place for picking up cheap fabric and supplies...

As the world in general has become more focused on recycling and ethically made products so have I...I usually go to charity shops or junk sales and buy old clothes and bags, and sometimes jewellery; to cut up and refurbish into something I can sell or give away to friends as a gift...
I find it really difficult to compete with the large and far cheaper shops but am ever trying to find new ways to sell my handmade things...

When I'm making something with my sewing machine or some new jewellery experiment I can completely zone out and lose track of time altogether...which is what the Dalai Lama recommends!!

Anyway now I'm in Oxford with my lovely ginger husband who works as an antique furniture restorer stroke skateboarder stroke great pasta sauce creator!

Other stuff I love doing involves lots of activeness like snowboarding or swimming in the river or dancing madly...

I love reading too and wish I had more time to write about something interesting! Such as why pink is such a nice colour full of variety and how delicious different types of flapjacks can be...

I also have an ever growing button collection which I keep in a groovy glass jar - I think it’s meant for spaghetti...red cross bargain...

Butterflies and fresh flowers are lovely...xx

Meet the Makers - Kerry Wilkinson of PennyDog Accessories

Today's Maker in the spotlight is Kerry Wilkinson, a resin artist, whose delightful pieces are rapidly causing her to stand out. She donates a portion of all her sales to the Retired Greyhound Trust, so not only are you supporting local, handmade work but also lovely retired dogs. You can visit her site at http://www.penny-dog.co.uk

I'm Kerry, I'm 22 and originally from Hull, though I now live and work in Leicestershire with my partner Alex and our dog Penny. I am constantly making new resin pieces and a few plastic, with a view to expanding to felt, acrylic and aluminium mediums when time allows!

I know there are several resin artists out there, so my main aim is to be different an stand out, creating wearable pieces to suit a wide range of people, even pieces that wouldn't look out of place worn in an office. I also create my own moulds, so I can offer people band rings and make
interesting shapes for pendants, earrings, etc, making it a bit more original!

I have decided recently to write a techniques book with tutorials and top tips that I have learned through experience that no other book currently offers. My proposal is currently under construction, but will keep you posted if you want to know more!

All my pieces are made supporting the Retired Greyhound Trust, which is a charity that has helped my dog when we adopted her. Penny was ten when we decided to give her a home, and as a retired greyhound, she qualified for veterinary treatment through the charity, including dental work, antibiotics and even a spot of cosmetic surgery! We couldn't have afforded the bills on our own, so this is my way of repaying them! I am also featured on their website, which I am very grateful for.

Meet the Makers - Steph Jones of Handmade Heaven

As soon as I saw Steph's fabulous pieces I knew that having my husband with me at the craft fair was either going to be a good thing or a bad thing, perhaps both. Someone to restrain me or someone to fund my lack of restraint... Either way I have to say that there are a few pieces of hers that I am already drooling over and think would make great gifts for my in-laws.

So I shall just step back and continue work on my mental shopping list and let Steph take over...

     

My name's Steph and I'm a glass addict!! I'm a contemporary kiln-fused glass artist living and working in Cheltenham on the edge of the Cotswolds. Working under the name Handmade Heaven, I hand craft affordable 'artworks' for everyday use, showcase artwork for wall-mounting and display, gifts and 'wearable' art in the form of jewellery for men and women, with this range ever-expanding as I try new ideas and techniques.

Over my time working with glass, I've become something of a 'coaster-queen', producing unique, fun and funky designs in bold and bright colours. My work has been described as "sweets for the eyes", real eye-candy stuff, and it's funny how many people have a strange urge to eat my glassy products! They do have that quality of boiled sweets about them but I wouldn't recommend them for consumption! 

I'm really looking forward to being part of the Handm@de event, nestling in amongst other home-grown talent for today.

Meet the Makers - Becci Keith of Moments By Martha

Today to kick off our Meet the Makers posts we hear from Becci Keith of Moments By Martha; a very talented Jewellery Designer who is the driving force behind the Handm@de fair.

Over to you Martha...

Having participated in just 1 craft fair before, you may ask why I decided to pull together a team to create Handm@de. I love the way that the crafting community help each other out - offer advice and support when individuals are felling the strain or seeking new challenges. This was my inspiration for Handm@de. I wanted us to be able to offer and event that is in a central location, in a beautiful setting - and one that does not cost the earth for our sellers to exhibit at.

Buying handmade is an ethos that I support as often as I can. Owning unique pieces, and being able to give gifts and cards that I come across everyday in the handmade world will have been made with love and the creator will have enjoyed making them.

I think my love of crafting and creating has been inherited from generations past - I remember making woolly bobbles in front of the fire at my Granparents' house, ready to turn into toys to taunt the cat with. Making skirts and paper quills, cross stitch and glass painting are all things I remember doing with Mum, both as a child and later as a teenager. I will forever be grateful to them for instilling in me a love of making and doing and creating things both useful and decorative.

Nowadays my hand is turned to jewellery... often chunky - sometimes delicate. Most of my pieces are one of a kind, altho some may be similar to each other. They tend to be created as and when inspiration hits... Which can be sporadic! I tend to buy beads without a real idea of what I'll do with them, just knowing that how they look or feel will inspire me to make something lovely - a necklace, a pair of earrings or a bangle! Currently my favourite items are probably the 2 SQUARE earrings, which are gorgeous tiger ebony wood squares which a cube of sponge coral suspended in the middle... quite chunky and funky, but still feminine!

Etsy Buy Handmade momentsbymartha

There are some great sellers around. My Favourite UK sellers include Tina Mammoser whose paintings for the English coast are stunning - I'm really looking forward to seeing these upclose and person personal at Handm@de.

Amanda Sainsbury makes some amazing machine knitted trims, buttons and beads... I've yet to buy from her, but will do as soon as the right project comes around!


On the subject of buttons, I’m in love with Nikki Raimes shop (aka CreamRose) who sells such cute little fabric covered buttons – turned into bobby pins, hair bands and rings… of course you can buy the buttons too!

Outside of the UK there are some real stunners about – from Brooklyn, ReSurface’s lamps are stunning, Alisa Burke in San Diego makes some truly unique canvas bags and purses, Frances Pamela Angus makes some delicious looking stained glass items that would look amazing in any window.

Etsy Buy Handmade thehappycrafter

I’m so excited about the Handm@de fair – so many new artists to discover, and just in time for Christmas too! If you do come along be sure to introduce yourself, I’m Becci aka MomentsByMartha. Nice to meet you.