(Re) - Learning to knit, like a granny

Around the age of 10, when I was in fourth class (I've no idea what grade this is in America...) our teacher Mrs Butterly undertook the ambitious task of teaching about 20 of us the art of knitting. I mastered the plain stitch in no time but as much as I tried I could not master pearl and as a result (I, and many others) could not undertake the even bigger task of knitting a jumper. Seriously, what was our teacher thinking, even now as a qualified teacher myself I'm not sure I could oversee the knitting of 20 odd jumpers and keep the class in control. 

Anyways, I decided I'd just crack on with the plain stitch and perhaps make a scarf with my pink wool, but eh....I didn't get very far with it either. Fast forward 20 years on and I can still remember how to knit the plain stitch, so well done Mrs Butterly, you obviously taught me well and wouldn't ya know, Santa brought some knitting needles, beginners books and lots of colourful wool and guess what people, I can now do the pearl stitch. I'm was bloody alarmed to find out that its crazy easy, it's just the plain stitch backwards! - Maybe I missed school the day Mrs Butterly was teaching the pearl stitch, but I felt like I achieved a  mini childhood goal of being able to knit plain and pearl. Take that swotty girls who ended up mastering both techniques and eventually making an entire jumper, thus putting me to beginners knitting shame.

On Christmas day (before I achieved the dizzying heights of all things pearl related), I dived in and declared "I'm knitting a stripey scarf!".

I'm still knitting that scarf, dropping stitches like it's no ones business but I don't care, it's my scarf and as raggy as it will probably end up looking, I'll know, I made it, all by.my.wee.self. Hurragh for little challenges and goals. You never know I might even get to jumper stage!

Valentines Day

Are you loved up, eyeing some one up and perhaps looking for that perfect card which says "I think you're alright!"....just kidding people! Yup, mushy day aka Valentines Day is just around the corner and I've put the head down and dug into all things pink and red, especially for you guys and gotten together some new Valentines cards for that special someone in your life.

Don't worry, I've stayed well away from images of bears holding hearts and love birds exchanging sweet nothings for something a little more grown up, but that's just my personal taste creeping into my work. In line with re-opening my Etsy shop on January 20th, all of these cards will be available to purchase from then. BUT if you just can't wait and perhaps need extra shipping time, you can contact me through blogger or via luckyrainbowdesigns@gmail.com and cupid here will sort you out. The good stuff - if you're based in Ireland, shipping is free!

Happy 2013, a positive quote and some crafty goals!

I cannot quite believe it's the year 2013! It feels like only yesterday when I was dressed as a fairy and rang in  the year 2000 with friends in the middle of a street while knocking back champagne that a friendly neighbour shared with us all! I'm starting to feel old people!

Like the above positive quote, "It's kind of fun to do the impossible" and when I took on the challenge of undertaking part time study with full time employment back in 2010, graduation in November 2012 seemed like a life time away and an impossible task, but guess what guys, I survived! Lots of other great things and achievements happened in 2012 but rather than list them all here, I'm focusing on 2013. I'm making it the year of all things LuckyRainbow and the following are my crafty goals....like always, I've listed a trillion of them.

• Reopen the LuckyRainbowDesigns Etsy shop. This is a biggie for me. I miss listing items, I miss getting sales and miss the whole Etsy interaction side of things. The reopening date is set for January 20th. You're all invited and they may even be cake.
• Expand the range of stock of LuckyRainbowDesigns - I have more paper related ideas up my sleeve than you can shake a tail at and I literally cannot wait to get cracking. I'm not sure if they'll be available in the shop on January 20th as I need to do some research into tools and supplies, but new items that expand beyond cards / invitations are on the horizon.
• Recreate the LuckyRainbowDesigns wedding invite portfolio - A long time back I created a range of wedding invitations for those interested in my designs. I received some work but didn't take the time to document the range properly nor did I do much about promoting my ickle wedding range. This is also a biggie goal that needs to get crossed off the list.
• LuckyRainbow blog redesign - Like I mentioned before, I'm crazy fickle, changing my mind from one day to the next and easily getting bored and wanting to spruce things up. All this applies to my blog. I just do not possess the skills necessary to give it the look and feel that I want and need and as much as I have tried, I have failed. At the moment I'm looking into designers who can do this for me.
• Sales, Sales and more sales - Yes I'm a teeny tiny business so it would be great, wonderful, amazing...all of the above to increase sales and to add to this I need to track the financial side of things  too and keep an eye on the 'debits and credits'
• Be more organised - like really organised. Have mothers day cards made and listed weeks in advance, actually make Halloween stock this year and get cracking on Christmas stock in June.This year I will be more organised. I will!
• Online presence - Work harder and better in all aspects of social media. Blog better with great quality content, post regularly on Facebook and Twitter and generally build up a bigger and stronger craft orientated audience.

A few personal goals

• Run a half marathon - I've signed up, paid my registration fee and training commences this evening. There is no going back people.
• Save money - a heap of money. No further explanation needed
• Squeeze in some travel. I have NYC in my mind for April
• A few gigs perhaps - tickets purchased for a few already
• Be happy, smile more, appreciate the little things and generally be thankful

A quick side note to say thank you for all your support, comments and following in 2012 and previous years and I wish each and every one of you a great, happy and positive 2013!!

Crafting makes me happy!

 via here

 

The absence of late has been down to the above - I've been happily crafting (and still working the day job) so that I can steadily supply the Limerick Craft & Design shop in town, which by the way is going wonderful! Not only do I enjoy working there...(I use the term 'working' very lightly), I enjoy spending time there, chatting to the lovely customers who are happy to see a new shop open which supports the local, arranging displays, ensuring everyones items are looking their best...who knew dusting could be so fun and of course selling and knowing that 100% of the sale goes to the artist / designer who created it in the first instance. That my friends, is an oh so warm and fuzzy feeling.

 

I particulary love when I sell an item that I know someone has worked hard on, or when an item(s) sells which belongs to an artist who works at their chosen disicpline / craft as a full time occupation. For me, this further cements their position as an artist, their work is valued, appreciated and will be admired by others in the future. I like the idea that someone has purchased my items with someone special in mind, a friend, a family member or a loved one. It's even nicer when I explain how the shop and the concept of a co-operative works. This intrigues customers even more, their eyes light up at the thought that people are working voluntarily in order to open, run and close the shop. It is also a very much, welcomed idea. Welcomed by the fact, that people are happy to see (and support) those trying to do something for the good of the city, community and for themselves.

 

With all sales, you can see people taking the time to select something special that only they will know will be appreciated by those receiving it or indeed, by themselves. The high standard and variety of stock in the shop attracts a range of customers. Young children are attracted to the funky jewellery made by Nice Day Designs, those with an eye for detail, drool over the handmade clocks made by Betty Octopus and those with a keen eye for fashion spend an age trying on the handmade colourful knits by Aine. Its interesting to watch how people shop in this creative space and also nice to see how amazed they are at the talent on display. I love turning up for my shift on a Saturday and seeing new stock in the shop and you can imagine, I've already bought at least five items in my head. Some of which will be sitting under the Christmas tree this year for others to enjoy in 2013.

 

I have nothing but good vibes for this shop. After the hard work, hours of time and negotiations and delibrations put in by the founding committee members, it deserves to be nothing short of a success and a new vibrant space where snippets of completed creativity can flourish, be displayed, enjoyed and of course, sold!

 

If you find yourself in Limerick, this Saturday, December 15th (and sure why wouldn't ya, Limerick is only fabulous!) - pop on down to Sarsfield Street for the Christmas Fair. There will be mulled cider and minced pies!! Who can say no to that!

 

Some snippets below: (taken on my iPhone)

 

 

 

 

 

Limerick Craft & Design Shop

So last Saturday saw me spend my very first day working at the Limerick Craft and Design Shop and guess what...I loved it! I loved working with Erica from Oh Sew Pretty, the support and good luck wishes from the general public and selling beautiful, handmade items for many of the artists who have their work for sale there.You cannot but, get a warm fuzzy feeling when you sell something handmade and more importantly from a local Limerick based artist, its a 100% addictive feeling!

The standard of items for sale is very high and the committee team of six members have done an amazing job over the last ten months negotiating with all the decision makers in the city to get the very best out of the space. So many hard working people have donated many, many unpaid hours and their determination shows in the standard of the work for sale, the beautiful visual display and the overall feel of the shop in general. Such is the standard, I've already purchased what feels like a million things in my head. I want everything and I want it now!

LuckyRainbowDesigns gets it's own stand!

I'm also pleased to say that LuckyRainbowDesigns has a small corner of the shop and I'm so grateful to the team for sourcing a lovely card stand for my items and assisting in selling them too. Its a great feeling to know that someone likes your pieces of work enough to spend a few euros on them and if anything it has spurred me on over the weekend to make even more stock!

I've set myself a huge challenge of making a rather large range of Christmas stock and packs of Christmas card sets. They are of course more pricey than your average set of cards but as always with anything handmade, consider the time and effort put into each item and you'll soon see that they are worth it. I would actually suggest that you adopt this attitude when you're browsing in the shop, however as always, I have found that many artists have under priced some of their items. They are super talented and skilled and the efforts should be priced accordingly, however many can be reluctant to do so in the event it turns away a potential buyer. Handmade means your getting a quality piece of work that someone has lovingly created. Its an investment for you or someone special who appreciates original or unique pieces of work, so lets embrace it!

If you find yourself in lovely Limerick, pop on down to Sarsfield Street just off O'Connell Street and say hello. The bunch of friendly volunteers would love to see you. The shop is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

*Great News*

I really am well and truely back into the craft-o-sphere once more as I'm delighted, excited and pleased to announce that I'll be one of many artists showing and selling their wares at the new Limerick Craft & Design shop which is scheduled to open in the coming weeks on Sarsfield Street in Limerick City.

Limerick Craft & Design is a new pop up shop and will showcase a wide range of craft and design all of which is made locally by up and coming established artists who live and work in Limerick. The venture is being supported by Limerick City Council in an effort to drive more business and traffic into the city itself. Like many towns and cities accross the country, Limerick has been badly affected by the recession and Limerick also has the worst known case of donut development, meaning that during the celtic tiger years, a huge amount of development took place outside and around the city centre, forcing people to spend their money outside of the city centre. As a result, trade and the overall ambience of Limerick city took a nose dive, reducing the area to a shadow of its former self. It is hoped that creative programs like these will attract more customers back to area and bring the city back to life once more! It's a slow process, but I've no doubt it will happen.

I'm looking forward to volunteering my time once the shop itself opens and have no doubt that I'll enjoy the experience just like I did with the Etsy Ireland pop up shop last summer. There are over 35 artists, crafters and designers showcasing their work and the shop itself is a real opportunity to get your work out there and of course to meet customers too! Opportunities like these are fantastic for a small business to get a small step on the creative and business ladder and allows those participating to get a real and positive insight into the running and 'goings on' behind setting up and operating a real shop. In reality, it's experience that no money or degree can buy! Although my time with the Etsy Ireland pop-up shop was short last summer, I learned and gained valuable information and experience....like security and protecting your products! No one could have prepared any of us for the fact that someone may come in and decide to pinch a few things.

When that happened, "playing shop" just got real and all of us who volunteered our time had to watch all customers (big and small) with dedicated eyes. Afterall, everyone who sent work for sale had spent money, time and effort to create their prodcuts, if something got stolen, it was stolen direct from their pocket.

Other insightful knowledge gained included Health & Safety, customer service and getting that elusive sale for you or another Etsy member and of course marketing....getting people into the shop. (It's amazing the power chalk can have on an outside wall to make a temporary sign!). The above are only a teeny tiny amout of skills / knowledge that can be gained, but if anything its an opportunity to be jumped at!

With Ruth Crean of Nice Day Designs at the helm along with other core committee members, I've no doubt you'll be hearing alot more about the shop in the weeks and months to come! Stay tuned!

Day 3 - Christmas Card-athon Series 2011

Today's card introduces you to the wonderful world of embossing. I have in my craft room all the tools necessary for embossing but rarely use them, however they do add a really cool dimension to cards so I should probably dig them out more often!.

To start, I have used a plain, cream blank card from a pack of 50. As mentioned before these can be purchased in any good craft shop. I'm sticking with the Christmas colours of red and green and using a few 'unusual' materials to spice it up.

With this card, I have decided to cover the front side of the card in bright green card stock and cut the stock to fit the front of the card and then simply glued it down with glue. I then used a ruler to create "not so straight" lines with a white gel pen along the edge of the card.

I then selected a cream piece of paper with a snowflake design and cut it about 2cm smaller than the actual size of the card. I used 3D glue dots on the back of the cream card to adhere the piece to the front of the card, giving it a 3D feel. I love 3D glue dots and always ensure I'm never without them!

Place the card to one side for now and select some paper which you would like to use for embossing for sentiment. In this instance I have used a clear paper which is almost like grease-proof paper. I had it lying around the craft room and find it really interesting to use. In order to explain embossing, I've created a simple video below which should be of use to you.

Embossing made simple:
1 - Select your paper for Embossing
2 - Select your sentiment and ink (Ensure the ink you use is suitable for Embossing)
3 - Cover your stamp with your chosen ink
4 - Stamp your paper with your sentiment - remembering to apply equal pressure to the entire stamp
5 - Select your Embossing power, and lightly sprinkle over the wet stamp.
6 - Shake off excess Embossing power
7 - Use your heat gun on the stamped area and evenly distribute the heat of the gun across the sentiment.
8 - When you see a shine appear and the stamp "rise up", you're done!

Embossing is a really fun technique, but be careful not to burn your fingers as the heat gun is very hot! At the end of the post, I'll list below all the materials / tools you need if you're interesting in learning the embossing technique and exploring it further.

Once the embossing is complete, you should cut the strip of paper used to the size required and adhere it to the cream paper. To add something extra I have added faux stitches in white gel pen to the sentiment piece. You're now half-way there!

Next, I'm using one of my new favourite materials... doilies!! Yes, they're very "little old lady", but trust me they're the coolest thing and best of all, they're cheap! You can find them in your local euro shop or on Etsy.

For this card, I have cut the doilies to size and placed it half way down the card and just behind the sentiment. Feeling that the card was still a little bare at this stage, I cut a huge amount of red baker twine and carefully wrapped it three times around the card and tied it in a neat bow. Cut off any excess twine with scissors.

To complete, punch some festive snowflakes from some green and red pattern paper and place around the card and you're done!

See you tomorrow for Day 4!

I'll be showing you how to make a Christmas card for someone special!

Embossing Tools
- Heat Gun
- Embossing Power
- Ink suitable for embossing!