Do it Yourself Presents

So along with shopping independent for 2014 Christmas, I also made a few bits myself.  As you can't always find what you're after within your budget!  And the homemade touch is always appreciated.

Homemade tags :)

For my sister, I created her own illustrated range.  I chose a tartan, which I painted out in watercolours before scanning in and applying to a phone case for her iPhone 5.  I then used the original illustration to back a clock, and make tags for the rest of my presents.

My Sister's 'Tartan' range

For my Dad, I also made him a phone case for his iPhone 5.  He's a big fan of my Amsterdam print, so I created a bespoke pattern of the buildings in rows of streets.  I had originally tested out these cases in the summer when I created a custom one for myself.  Top tip - white picks up colour from clothes!  So I made sure there wasn't too much white around the edges here.  I also got him a discount card with Time  Out, and was looking at just giving a piece of paper on Christmas Day - not my idea of a present!  So I painted him a watercolour stand-in card and put the piece of paper in a box - much nicer.

For the bike mad boyfriend, I illustrated his motorbike on to a clock - it's always time for a bike ride then!

Bike Clock for the Boy!

For some Secret Santa presents, I made the cocktails and kittys bunting from Mollie Makes, and made the most of my own Christmas present making some madeline cakes.  I also made some cute photo frames for polaroid photos by following Claireabellemakes' tutorial here.

It turned out great!

Phone cases were printed with Awesome Merchandise for an average of £13.

Label cutter I've had for a few years, but picked it up in Hobby Craft originally.

Clocks I picked up from IKEA, a bargain at about £3 each I think.

Shopping Independent for Christmas 2014

As a small, independent illustrator/printmaker, I'm increasingly aware of where I am spending my hard earned money, and thinking where it will be appreciated.

It means so much to me every time someone buys something from my little shops.  Whether it's a complete bargain for a couple of pounds in the sale, or it's a commissioned, one of a kind piece which is worth a fair amount.  Every little bit counts!  So, if thats you, then thank you.  You give me the means to keep going (money) and the feedback I need to know I'm doing the right thing (spending your money on my illustrations).

In 2014, I tried to get most of my Christmas shopping done at Renegade Craft Fair London in November.  With so many makers, crafters, illustrators and printmakers, I had so much to choose from - I was spoilt for choice!

Promises Promises
- I sat opposite these guys for two whole days!  With a table full of lovely jewellery and sweet little taxidermy mice…I would of regretted not making a purchase. (Will update with a link soon!)

Hello Harriet
- I've followed (/known?) Harriet for a couple of years and love her work - as does my sister!  We'd be cooing over her gorgeous new dresses, but with a somewhat sensible budget for presents, I couldn't quite stretch but took a look anyway.  And I lucked out.  Harriet had also been a busy bee and done some adorable scarves which I knew my sister would adore.  Another tick on the present list.

Colette Moscrop Shop
- Also opposite me (at a diagonal) at Renegade, lovely printed materials - I could spy pouches from my view point.  Getting closer and I picked up a sweet little pin cushion, but with an added extra - you could also buy the material + filling to make your own!  What a lovely idea!  However, I am no expert at the sewing machine so i opted for this little nugget ready made.  Colette uses crushed nut shells to fill her pin cushions as they help keep pins sharp (and shiny too).

Sean Mort Print Shop
- I absolutely love Sean's work.  He seems to always have the right piece for a tricky-to-buy-for man in my life.  This year it was my Dad.  For the man that has everything and doesn't really have anything he wants….I got this great print for a man in a crafty house!  To put things in perspective, when I moved out, my Mum made my room into a 'sewing room'.

Mollie Makes
- Perfect for my Mum.  I know it's a bit of a bigger company, but they do well at advertising smaller independents.  My Mum is always asking for my copies when I have them , so a little 3 month trial subscription of her own was a great idea.

Dear Colleen
- I've bought tea towels from these guys in the past, but just couldn't resist this one for my little sister who has just gone off to University.  Bought a smile to her face when she opened it too!

Lucky Dip (Cat) Club
- Not at Renegade actually, but should of been!  This is one of the most fantastic ideas I've seen come out of 2014.  On a monthly basis, you can buy a single (or sign up for a 3/6 monthly subscription) 'Lucky Dip Box'.  Each month has a different theme and all boxes come with a personalised item.  Following on Instagram and it all looks amazing…I don't think I dropped enough hints though as Father Christmas didn't bring one.  I was at least, fast enough for the Cat Club box, which I gifted to my sister, as it was a collaboration between Lucky Dip Club and Hello Harriet!

(Photo to come soon!)

Old Letterpress Type Drawers as Shelves.
- Found at Portobello Road Market, they have a fantastic stand of letterpress bits and have a great selection of trays made into shelves.  This I thought would be great for my Mum to display all her sewing threads in.  They can all be on display and then she knows exactly what she has amiable to use.

Leelu

- I found this Little Bag of Happiness when searching for stocking fillers on Not on the High Street, and it was just the sweetest thing!  I got one for my sister, as she's away at University in Leeds now, she's not able to be home every time she wants to be so hopefully this will cheer her up when she needs it!  You can get your own little bag of happiness here.

Do you opt to shop in independent shops when you can?  Share your favourites below!

Homemade Christmas Presents

I love giving gifts, creating gifts, and of course receiving gifts!

Christmas is for me a lot about family.  I care about getting the right presents for them.  I don't buy something for the sake of giving a present!  In fact, people I love will often get a present from me when it's not Christmas, their birthday, or some other present giving occasion, just because I have seen something perfect for them, or that perhaps made me think of them.

This year I have tried to buy handmade, or make my own.  Twitter, Facebook, various Blogs, craft fairs and Etsy have over the year given me endless inspiration.  I use the 'Add to favourite items' on Etsy to remind myself of gifts for people, and the 'Add shop to favourites' to bookmark shops by friends, inspirational shops and suppliers.  All this has helped me track down the perfect gifts for my friends and family!

1. Lolly print by Sean Mort via HelloDODO

My sister spyed this gorgeous print at The Renegade Craft Fair earlier in the year and fell in love with it.  But with a small budget and small flat she couldn't justify buying it.  She's now moved to a slightly bigger flat, so what a perfect present!  HelloDODO had written up a blog post here about the fair and I was able to buy the print via Sean's website. Perfect.

 

2. Jewellery by Wear Me Out @ The Handmade Makers Market in Oxford

The Handmade Makers Market was in fact my first 'real' craft fair - HURRAH! You can read about the day here.  Myself and Chloe seemed to have a mutual love of each others crafts.  My sister declared she loved everything, so I selected a matching necklace and set of earrings for her main Christmas present.  'Wear me Out' jewellery is made to be worn everyday - none of that keeping it for best malarky!  With that in mind I chose something I knew would go with everything and was suitable for work too - she's got no excuse!

3. Tote bags inspired by a conversation with Anna Jane Searle on Twitter

I've followed Anna for quite a while now on Twitter and love her jewellery in her Etsy shop.  She also has a gorgeous illustration style that is clearly well liked as she's had issues recently with people stealing her designs for t-shirts!  We were having a chat about this and the outcome was that I should try out some designs of mine on tote bags :-) and I am so glad I did!  I did 4 tote bags for some of the ladies in my life (Mum, sisters, friends) instead of gift bags - they pretty much cost the same!  As well as this I put some of my Untapped Cities building illustrations onto some for the craft fairs I did and had a great reaction, which was ace.  So Anna, thank you so much for the inspiration!

4. Handmade soap.  Kit bought from Soap Basics

I can't quite remember how I came up with this idea...but it went down really well.  I got a mix of clear and opaque, green and purple, pumice powder and poppy seeds, grapefruit scent and see breeze scent.  Wrapped each in waxed paper and hand wrote a nice label for each :-) I only got a standard rectangle shaped soap mould, but there was a little gem mould in it too!  So cute!  So I was able to do a bag of mini soaps for a friend of mine who is 8, she loved them.



5. Felt iPhone case with felt sourced from Piglet's Pincushion

I had intended on buying one of these from a shop on Etsy but after postage and tax were added, it was just a bit much for a present I wasn't sure would be used or not.  I then came across a tutorial (here!) and decided it must be fate as I had some felt already from a previous project, and got to work!  It was loved, and I think he does actually use it :-)

 

6. Knitting wool bowl by Little Wren Pottery

Browsing Etsy I came across Victoria Baker's lovely shop and thought that these bowls were such a great idea, I knew my Mum would love it too!  I didn't think that my Mum would particularly like the snail design but liked the garden theme so I got in touch with Victoria to make me one with a leaf design instead and the text 'Just keep knitting' round the side.  She was very easy to talk to and happy to do a leaf design for me.  I ended up getting two, one for my Mum and one for a friend :-) Gorgeous bowls, so lovely, and my Mum was amazed.

7. Cross stitch iPhone case by Miso Funky @ Renegade Craft Fair

Another one for my Mum.  She really is into her knitting and cross stitch!  I thought this was a great present, and will certainly get people's attention when she finishes it!  Looking on their website there are more designs and objects to cross-stitch too :-)

8. T-shirt by Tim Easley

I've followed Tim on Twitter for ages and love his selling blurb!  Makes me laugh out loud the things he comes up with to give you a reason to buy a magnet/tote bag/t-shirt/print - it's great!  When I saw this design, I knew my boyfriend would love it - he's a huge fan of The Big Bang Theory series.  The t-shirt came with other goodies too (which I kept for myself :-p ) and is a lovely quality.

9. Ship in a bottle screen print by HelloDODO

Two friends of mine love boats, sailing, and travelling in general and this print just seemed perfect for them.  Such lovely colours, the yellow I think is a great contrast with the blue.  It's going to look fab in their new house too.


So.  Did you go handmade this year too?  What did you make/buy?

The Old Fire Staition

The first weekend in December marked my first ever craft market.  I packed up my car and drove with my sister to Oxford and set up shop with The Hand Made Makers Market in The Old Fire Station.  I'm not going to lie, I was really nervous!  I've set up my table for Artists Book Fairs so many times I could perhaps do it in my sleep.  This time however, I left all of my books at home, replacing them with framed prints, newly printed and made cushions, Christmas cards and prints.

The lovely Michelle of Hand Made Makers got in touch with me to participate with this market and that was all I needed.  I was able to share tips of things to do and see in Amsterdam and felt like I already knew her by the time I got to Oxford!

The market was spread over 3 rooms, I was in the largest, almost central, room which was laid out in a circular way with the tables.  So many lovely stalls!  You can see the list of participants here.  I was really happy to be impressed with the standard of work for sale.  Everyones tables looked gorgeous and I got a fair bit of Sinterklaas/ Christmas shopping done as well.

The market itself was a bit quiet.  We're at a loss as to why and how this happened - any ideas?  Perhaps the location, perhaps there was another market on, perhaps we didn't hit the target audience with the advertising.  Whatever it was, it's not stopping me from returning to Oxford for future fairs!  I met some great people, both stall holders and customers and am very glad that I took the plunge and did this craft fair.

  

If you saw me at the fair and are interested in me doing a commission for you (or indeed if you didn't see me but still are!) then please do say hello or send an email to charlotte_vallance (at) hotmail.com and we can discuss what you had in mind.


A few lovely ladies who really stood out for me, thank you for your kind words and inspirational work!

Claire Munday - Beetle Cherry - www.beetlecherry.etsy.com - @BeetleCherry

Chloe - Wear Me Out - www.wearmeout.co.uk - @wmojewellery

Claire Gaudion - Textile Design & Guernsey Basketry - www.clairegaudion.etsy.com - @clairegaudion

Anashrita Henckel - Flair Creations - www.flair-creations.co.uk

  

Coffee morning at April House

On an almost last minute whim, I got a table at April House for the coffee morning supporting Macmillan and Renaissance that Sejal Sachdev puts on every year.  This year, she's in a lovely new house - that I actually saw being built!  But this meant much more space, great big rooms to fill with tables full of goodies for people to buy from local businesses.  All in all there were about 12 different tables/stalls ranging from me with illustration work, to jewellery and homewares, dolls, Christmas decorations and blankets to flowers, jams & chutneys and cake & biscuits.  Phewf!  Loads to look at basically!

For my table, I hiked up to the end of the garden and pulled out our tressle tables, which gave me a great big surface to work with.  Unlike at Book fairs where I would stand behind my table, this one was to be designed so people could walk all the way around.  I pulled out my mini and small frames with original illustrations and drypoint prints in them to be scattered around and built up the middle centre piece with my London Map prints, stands of cards and boxes full of lucky dip bags and pocket mirrors.

I was quite pleased with the outcome and overall look of my table, but this is definitely something I may need to invest a bit more time into organising in future!  I absolutely love my cards stands as they're cardboard and flat-pack, so are easy to carry around to fairs and markets here, there and everywhere.

Here is a list of all the contributors, and even a few photos I managed to take before everything came down.

'Becci-Bocci'

Rebecca White of Becci-Bocco dolls ~ beautiful, bespoke dolls handmade with time and love, the perfect gift for any occasion. All commissions welcome.. www.becci-bocco.co.uk

'Sally Gibbs'

Sally Gibbs- The handmade Tale, Sally is a local artist. Original Paintings for sale and by commission and a selection of original craftwork. www.sallygibbs.com

Sam Moore & Dee Sanders- Baobab candles- as seen in Harrods. Welsh slate, amazing Anjou ice buckets  half  price & other stunning gift ideas.

Sally MacDougall- Sally MacDougall Offers beautiful flowers for all events including weddings, parties & corporate events. We also hold workshops throughout the year. www.sallymacflowers.co.uk 

Lisa Thomas- Fine food for all occasions, Homemade Christmas Cakes to sample and order, chocolate truffles & cupcakes

Pami Ratnavel- Inara Jewellery is a unique collection of beautiful handmade pieces that balance contemporary chic with understated elegance. Pami, local mum, designs and makes each piece at home.  

Alison Pao- owns Rowan garden centre.  Gifts for garden & home. Xmas decorations.

Dipti Daryanani- who has a Diploma in Vegetarian Cookery from the Vegetarian Society, runs ‘the little aubergine" which caters for functions and busy parents. Dipti also makes scrumptious cakes, biscuits, jams & chutneys. 

Nita Nathwani- makes ceramic objects and paper clay formations inspired by sea life, sculpted textiles and the built environment.  www.nitanathwani.com

Jodie Aziz- scarves in sumptuous silks are affordable luxurious accessories that are both unique and stylish and have the ability to transform any outfit. You may have seen Jodie at the Spirit Fairs at Olympia. www.jodieaziz.com

Charlotte Vallance -local illustrator and printmaker focusing on working in watercolours and screen printing, producing original illustrations and screen print editions of places she has travelled to and been inspired by. charlottevallance.blogspot.co.uk

Natural quilts- Jyoti lives in Chesham Bois and designs quilts and has them made ethically in India. Cuddly and soft 100% cotton hand block printed quilts and quillows (quilts that fold up to become cushions) in different sizes and colours. www.naturalquilts.com

'Judy's Jams'

Judy’s jams- Judy lives in Chesham Bois. Home made jams , chutneys and cordial made from locally picked and sourced produce

Massive thank you to my Mum, who was kind enough to step in for me while I had to go to work in the middle of it all!  I had wanted to get a photo of us in front of my table but it was coming down by the time I got back and I clean forgot.

Ship Shape Studio

Craft Club and Tote Bag Printing


One of my favourite places to go recently has been Ship Shape Studio.  From around October last year up until May they held a craft club every other Thursday evening.  I started out with a Christmas project, which I admit didn't actually get finished until after Christmas - naughty Charlotte!  

 

This event has come to an end until further notice/after the summer, and I'm sad to see it go!  Emily & Adam have put together the nicest space to relax with a hot drink, a piece of cake and your latest crafty project whilst being surrounded by inspiring products and illustrative works. Perfect.

Last month I got organised and booked a Tote Printing Workshop at Ship Shape Studio for myself and a couple of friends.  Nancy Straughan was our lovely teacher and she made us feel nice and relaxed through the class.  For me, workshops like these help me find other ways at approaching my own illustration and designs.  For my friends, it's a chance to give themselves time to be creative!

Hard at work concentrating on our designs :-)

Do you have a place like this that you can go to and be creative?