Only 7 tables left...

With a little over 7 months to go untill the fair, we now only have 7 tables left.

We're full for Jewellery and Textiles - unless your product is totally unique and unlike anything already offered of course!

We would love to have a baker, or a confectioner, maybe a couple more card makers, a potter or two would be good... get in touch - handmadeoxford@gmail.com

Meet the Maker - Beads By Sam

Your work has beading, crochet, and delicate detail. How long have you been making jewelry and crafting?
The first time I did anything crafty was when I made 150 wedding gifts for my wedding 4 years ago. I was not a crafty person but I did love craft products. Then I have started to make bead jewellery since January 2008.

What made you open your etsy shop?
I started to make bead jewellery after being introduced to it by my friend Jenny who makes gorgeous necklaces and rings. I have since found making bead jewellery a great therapy for stress relief and a great way to spend my free time. I feel good when I wear my own necklaces and even better when people comment on how nice they look! Friends and family suggested that I start selling the jewellery once they found out that I made them myself. That’s how it all started.

How did you come up with your Etsy shop name?
I wanted a simple shop name that was easy to remember. I used my nickname along with what the shop was about and so ‘Beads By Sam’ was born.

Your jewelry is quite unique. I love how your creations seem organic- the beads do not seem so far removed from their natural state. Is nature an influence on your work? What are your inspirations?
Yes, nature definitely influences my work. I personally love the look and feel of natural materials. Last year I went to an amazing resort in Thailand where everything was made from natural materials. It was a great inspiration. I have also tried to find a way to keep myself busy in my free time and be happy in what I am doing. I have found happiness in making bead jewellery.
What would you like to tell people about your shop?
I hope you will enjoy my jewellery as much as I enjoy making them.

Handm@de Cambridge

Saturday saw Handm@de Cambridge set up in the Guildhall. Some 43 stalls, with a lovely mix of items up for sale - including ceramics by Lauren Denny, wooden bowls and pens by Turned & Twisted, not to mention some stunning art, lovely jewellery and fabulous fabric goodies!

The word had gotten around, with a bit of a queue of people waiting at 11 when the doors opened. No doubt they were after one of the fab goody bags that we had put together. Over the course of the day we had just over 600 visitors, a wonderful turnout especially in the current economic climate. One of our visitors was Etsy's International Development person, Liz. A lovely lady! Another visitor of note (we think... no-one is absolutely sure!) was Rory McGrath... I didn't notice, but then I have the observational skills of a blind, deaf non-observational thing! There were great comments from stallholders and visitors alike, with many commenting on how much they liked that we had made a decision not to accept resellers.

I had a great day, and am now looking forward to Winchester on July 5th.

Bag Packing, Promos and Cambridge

I spent Sunday at Katies house along with Deepa (the lovely lady in charge of the Cambridge Handm@de) and helped along by Alan, Katies new 8 week old kitten.
We opened a few packages that had arrived in the last few days, stamped and filled over 200 goody bags ready to hand out on Saturday.
Below are a few examples of the absolutely fabulous samples that are in the bags - from (left to right, top to bottom) Dan Jackson, Lazy Giraffe, Raspberry, Zoe Sharp, Jennys Textiles, Chalk Hill Studio, Fabric Nation, the Chown Jewels and Coco Crafts.

Haven't sent anything in yet? Don't worry - you can still send things in for the Winchester and Oxford fairs. You can also now be added to a mailing list for info on upcoming fairs.

Handm@de Cambridge, the first Handm@de fair of the year, will be on Saturday April 4th (yes, thats this weekend).
The doors will be open from 11 until 5, with a huge variety of stalls, from jewellery to textiles, from art to ceramics, from paper goods to turned wood - check out the list of exhibitors over on the blog.

Hope to see you all there.

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...