Dog Baths and Workshops

WARNING: Image heavy post with lots of dogs!

After ages of meaning to try out the Wash and Wags soap from Just Soaps, we finally got round to it yesterday. Jane from Just Soaps sent me one as a little something for Fletcher after my post about the failed dog show a while back. He thoroughly enjoyed the handmade treat that came with it that is SUPPOSED to be for afterwards (and I think selling them separately somewhere would be brilliant) but with moving house, the soap was put into a box and forgotten about.

Yesterday though we tried it out. Not on Penny though because she requires extra “assistance” at bath time and therefore the squirty bottle stuff must be used. We call her Mrs Pankhurst because of the passive resistance that she has when she realises what is happening. So instead of applying soap whilst OH lathers it up and rinses her, I have to concentrate all of my efforts on keeping her upright (bearing in mind she is making herself as heavy as she possibly can) and not throwing herself sideways or jumping out of the tub… She is very cute in a towel though.

Fletcher is a different kettle of fish. At bathtime he reverts into himself and goes to his happy place, stood as still as a statue. You can try as hard as you like to get his attention but he totally switches off to distance himself from the torture we are inflicting on him. This makes him an ideal candidate for the bars of soap. I was applying it and OH was lathering it and it was creamy and easy, but equally will last us ages. It contains Olive Oil, Eucalyptus and something called Neem- not sure what that is but it seemed very light! He smells good!

After bathtime he goes a bit mental rubbing himself on things, shaking and licking his paws desperately trying to remove the nice smell!

Also yesterday in dog-unrelated news, I was at Jam Jar Beads in Sheffield doing a workshop there. We used my exclusive cupcake acrylic bezels for the very first time and made these pretties… (and I also bought some more beads *ahem*)

Don’t forget to enter your creations over on the Flickr Pool in the Bezel Competition! I can’t believe no one has entered yet- get over there! (Workshop people you can enter too!)

It’s OH’s birthday today so I will be back tomorrow with more dog photos- this time on the birthday cake I made for him!

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Crafting with Kids

I had to show you some of the results from my two day resin workshop at a local middle school, there are some fabulous results, and teachers and students alike were very excited!

Year 7 work…

Year 9 work…

Teacher’s work! (mostly)

199 post giveaway!

I’ve had 199 posts in under a year and to celebrate I’m having a giveaway! Rather than wait until I’ve had 200 posts, I need your help in solving a problem that’s been going around my head this afternoon…

For your chance to win, I need a comment on this post with a suggestion for a name for my craft workshops. These workshops will run in evenings and weekends and teach a variety of crafts and skills by a variety of skilled tutors, from my farmhouse home in rural(ish) Leicestershire. I was thinking Rothley Contemporary Crafts, but ideally I’d like a mix of contemporary and traditional, so that won’t work. I also want a name that says what I do, so calling it “The Craft Atelier” isn’t hugely obvious to Joe Public. So I need your suggestions, from the simple and obvious, to wacky and original! The winner will be judged by myself based on the best name suggested, and who knows, I might just use it!

The prize will be tailored to the winner, based on their favourite colours, hobbies, etc, but you are guaranteed a piece of jewellery, some sweeties and some craft materials (if you craft) inside a lovely PennyDog tote bag! *cue OOOOH from the audience*

The competition is open for a week, so you have until midnight Thursday 4th June (GMT) to get commenting, and a winner will be announced shortly after- good luck!

The start of something wonderful…

I got the keys to this place on Friday! Yes, all of it (except the Lexus 4×4)!

All of the rooms are huge, including the kitchen…

The breakfast room (which will be the pie room as OH is going into business with a local chef)…

The man room (where OH will go to think upon manly things- see deer head for scale!)…

The living room (which was once the full house, back when it was a boarding house for monks back in the 12th Century)…

This is the courtyard area for parking, behind the pig sties (where we are going to keep chickens) is the garden. We even have a well!

And of course the bit you all are waiting to see… here is my workshop/studio room! By the way those chairs are definitely not staying.

Not sure about the carpet- it’s in good nick and sort of the colours I want, do I pull up and replace with lino, or do I cover it with clear plastic (either way it needs to be resinproof)?

This is the sewing machine desk in the corner, though the plug isn’t compatible, so don’t think I’ll be using it. It has been untouched for years, and so I felt bad rifling through the stuff of an old lady who passed away. This includes what I like to call “the embroidery of guilt” which after finding it half finished, I feel I owe it to the lady to finish it. Or maybe I should frame it half done? What do you think? I have lots of questions!

And this is the shop area! The picture is taken from the front door, which will be the “trade entrance”, the room to the left of the grandfather clock is the workroom. The other doors aren’t in use, the closest one is mysteriously locked, and the other one is full of old trinkets and mouse poo (including a hip flask I found that still has alcohol in it)!

I plan on moving this mirror from the bedroom down into the shop too…

Also today I went to Breedon Priory again and came back with all of this stuff!

Make 50: Week 13 – Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeve and Rothley Contemporary Crafts!

Something came to my head whilst walking the dog this morning so I knocked up a quick prototype. I was basically thinking about bracelets with heart on with photos in for a “Wear your heart on your sleeve” range and promotion, and I was thinking about a cufflink range for men with a similar idea. Then I thought I could combine the two by making a shirt cuff for a bracelet and having the heart as a cufflink fastener, so I duly learned to sew buttonholes!

This is the prototype, though I plan to go charity shopping for old “real” shirt fabric, and make these to order with keepsakes/photos/stuff inside the resin piece, as well as some off-the-shelf ones. I used a heart piece I had lying around so I am aware the colours don’t go, but what do you think of the concept- will it work?

The outside fabric is cotton, reinforced with interfacing and backed with felt. The cufflink is entirely detachable (so you can swap and change and design your own style within the range once it gets going).

Also, big news- I’m moving house! We are soon to pay the deposit on a part 13th Century farmhouse with pig sty and “cheese roome”, with some milking sheds too, so I am planning on holding crafting workshops now that I have a designated studio and shop/showroom space as you enter the front door! The plan is for the house entrance to be via the courtyard at the rear and the shop to be through the front entrance. It’s all very exciting! If you would like to teach workshops here (based opposite the old green in the large village of Rothley not too far from Leicester) on evenings and weekends every once in a while- or even a one off- in a contemporary craft for either adults or kids, please contact me with your project ideas, how long it will take and hourly wage. Once this gets underway I am happy to deal with the marketing and promotion of your workshop, and discuss material costs and extra facilities necessary.

The sort of thing that I’m looking for is candle making, soap making, kids jewellery, silversmithing, felt jewellery, textile art, embroidery, plush toy making, eco crafts, simple homewares, bag making, tailoring and basically anything else you think I have missed off- I have resin casting covered though thanks 😉

Now for a name, I’m toying with “Rothley Contemporary Crafts” but not sure if this is too boring, so accepting ideas for this too!

Getting better

The backlog is steadily clearing. I mainly have a shop order (25 items in total) to fulfill and the craft fair to get over at the weekend, so now my mind has wandered over to bigger things…

Someone I work with has told me about a unit to let at a tourist attraction craft centre, with a workshop space at the back… Now I am going to visit it on Saturday and see if it would be appropriate for selling my jewellery as well as teaching in. It’s very early days yet, as I will have to look at the finances and see what it will cost, and possibly find someone to work in the shop 3 days a week for me whilst I’m at work. There’s a lot to think about!

I am taking part in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month), so I will be blogging every day in November. Today is post 25: http://www.nablopomo.com/