Needle Felting

Here are my Needle Felting Guidelines and the photographs of some of the samples of Needle Felting which I have on my Exhibition Stand.

whooooops - they have have something on the blog and I can no longer load the photos from my computer - as an alternative here is the link to the page on my website which has all the information and the photos http://www.theframeworkshop.co.uk/needle-felting-instructions-and-examples.html  By the way if anybody is technical and knows how I do this please let me know!!!

Sandown Park - January

I just cannot believe having just gone into my blog that my last post was October.  What happened to November & December?  Already the shows are back again, in fact the van is now loaded ready to leave for Sandown Park in Esher tomorrow (the show is from Thursday - Sunday).  Rather unusually I seem to have done all my urgent jobs before I leave the shop today and have some spare time to go onto this blog.  At Sandown I am launching my new needlefelting kits so I need to post the photographs of my samples and the instructions.  Just got time to do that now I think.  Keep your fingers crossed we do not get more snow overnight - it would be nice to have a good run in the van tomorrow morning!

Bluewater & Manchester Exhibitions

Back at base again after a very busy 4 days in Exeter and as there is no exhibition this week I have some free time, inbetween getting ready for Alexandra Palace next week, to add more info to my blog.  It is true to say that the 2 exhibitions were very close together which really did not help us.  However it was rather nice to be staying in the centre of Manchester - it really is such a lovely city centre - and I am always amazed at the staircase at the Britannia Hotel.  It is usually possible to get quite a good deal there and the staircase just keeps on going up and up - more so that the picture shows.  Then farther down the road something I had never seen before - a building with scaffolding up, but the scaffolding is covered with a large tarpaulin (well I assume it is a tarpaulin type material) with a picture of the building on the outside.  You really do not notice it at first.

  







The second Manchester exhibition was Event City at Trafford Park so it was time to rent a flat at Media City for a really good price!!  It turned out we were in an apartment block next to the new BBC Buildings.  We have discovered over the years that if I take a small trolley out of the van we can move our food (and wine!) all in one go - I don't think the receptionist had seen anything like it before!!  The only problem was that having loaded the food and drink trolley into the lift, that said lift took off on its own with us chasing close behind in the 2nd lift!!



Salford Quays at night

Part of the redevelopment in Salford - Media City - taken from the apartment

Because we went to Bluewater a day early there was a little time after we had set up the stands to go exploring in the area, so we went to have a look at Rochester.  If you have not been Rochester does have a very old and interesting centre, and we were lucky that the sun was shining.

Well its been there for donkey's years so it must be safe!

 



Enjoying a well earned drink!!!

Quilt 2012

Well, its only September (almost at the end) and Quilt was back in August (16th-19th) but I seem to have an hour spare before  leaving for Exeter to do the report on Quilt.  As usual it was an overwhelming show with loads of visitors, particularly from overseas.  I had 2 Friendly Plastic ambassadors all to myself - Wil and Marjo (from Holland).  They visited the exhibition on each day and wore the most fantastic Friendly Plastic pendants.  Many people stopped them in the aisles to admire their jewellery!!  In actual fact my photos do not really do their work justice but I think you will get the idea.  My thanks to Wil and Marjo for the free advertising!!!

  

 Molten Designs

at Quilt with Friendly Plastic.

I really don't think I can get

more on display!!!

Wil & Marjo at Quilt - my Friendly Plastic Ambassadors!!! (shame I got the corner post in the middle!)



 











Friendly Plastic 'chunky' Pendants by Wil & Marjo

I also spotted Leny on the stand wearing this Friendly Plastic brooch - Again Leny is also from Holland.







I have  left Quilt determined to  make my own version of a Friendly Plastic 'chunky' pendant.





Now a chance to see some of the beautiful work at the Quilt exhibition - the quilts really are quite stunning.

Could not resist this one with the Clarice Cliff influence (could it be something to do with being from Stoke on Trent?)

Well I think that about covers the Quilt 2012 exhibition.  Now its off to Exeter and on my return I'll get some more blog posts done (I hope!)

MOORCROFT CARDS

Now, this has nothing at all to do with Friendly Plastic but on my website I sell a beautiful range of Moorcroft Greeting Cards.  These are well worth a look if you have not seen them before.  I first came across them when I had several different customers bring them into our Framing Shop in Hanley for framing.  At that time I was also selling frames on the exhibitions and I already had a range of Clarice Cliff cards, which I still sell.  The Moorcroft Cards were the perfect addition to that range. All the designs are taken from Moorcroft designs and are reproduced with their permission.  All the cards (exc the Christmas cards) are blank inside so they can cover most occasions - it always useful to have some spare ones and you will never be 'caught out'!  I also now sell the Moorcroft Cards ready mounted so that you can frame them yourself into a standard sized (10x8") frame of your own choice.  This is of course also easier than trying to post a glazed frame successfully.  Each year new releases are issued and I now have the 2012 release into stock.  There are 8 different images in the range and I sell them as a set of 8 and individually:-

Moorcroft set of 8 2012 Release

Moorcroft Christmas Cards

Have a look for yourself at the cards on the website - I am sure you will be impressed.  Unfortunately the photography does not convey the quality of the cards, neither does it show the embossing on the cards.  What I can say however is that customers are always saying to me "I bought some but they are too nice to send"!!!



NEW PRODUCTS

I have some more New Products to bring to you, which I am hoping to add to the stand for the Exhibitions in the Autumn.  The carriers seem to be coming through our doors at lot at the moment with deliveries and I still get excited at opening the boxes to see the new items.  The Kunin felt has been very successful for me so I have added 2 more prints to the range.  Kunin felt is the one that you can use a heat gun to distress it into holes (though I should add it does need a pretty strong heat gun i.e. mine is both 150 and 300w and both heats work for me).  You can of course also use it as an ordinary felt for sewing/glueing.  Kunin Felt is available in a wide range of Rainbow colours, with embossed finishes and with a glitter finish.  There is then the printed Kunin felt shown below.  The 1960's Tie Dye have had for some time (but it has been out of stock until yesterday) and the new ones are the 2 animal prints - Leopard Kunin and Zebra Kunin.



Kunin Felt 1960's Tie Dye



Kunin Felt Leopard

Kunin Felt Zebra



Hand made Indian Wooden Blocks

The other products I have just added to the range are hand made Indian Wooden Blocks.  Traditionally used for fabric printing, particularly silk, they can also be used in Friendly Plastic for texture.  I took them to both Doncaster and the Motorcycle Museum and they were very popular.  Limited at the moment to 8 different designs I am now looking to expand the selection.  As these are all hand made the sizing etc can vary from block to block.

Take a moment out to view the products on our website http://www.theframeworkshop.co.uk/ or follow the link on this page to either our website or facebook pages.

GLITTER FABRICS

 These beautiful A4 sheets of
Glitter Fabric have just arrived into stock.  Available in Gold, Peacock and Fucshia they can be used in Mixed Media, card-making & fashion etc.  The example on the right shows the glitter fabric as the background and then combined with Tyvek, 3D Medium and of course Friendly Plastic.  (Finished with Glossy Accents).
This is not Glitter Paper or Card - the backing is a tightly woven cotton fabric - in fact it is the same one that Gok Wan used in his series to cover shoes.
Priced at £3.99 per A4 Sheet - Glitter Fabric choice of colours

Olympic Torch

I am very grateful to Isabelle for sending me the photo of the Olympic Torch she made for her son in  Gold Sequin Waste.  I think its fabulous as she has even included the logo in Friendly Plastic.

It obviously received a good reception when they took it to the torch relay as she tells me "We took it yesterday as the torch passed through our villlage, and one of the police motorcycle outriders who had stopped by us said it was the best torch he'd seen. We were very proud."

Thanks Isabelle.
(Following another trip to the supplier this week I still have plenty of gold sequin waste in stock - follow this link:
http://www.theframeworkshop.co.uk/gold-circle-sequin-waste-5-metres.html

Summer Crafting Doncaster, 14th & 15th July 2012

I can't believe the Doncaster Show is only next week and that I need to pack my suitcase again!  (I don't think its been entirely emptied since Brighton in May!!!)  As my mother lives in Bridlington (my original home time) I am going to leave on Thursday so that I can visit her first, and then go back down to Doncaster to set up on Friday.  I think I might as well make the most of this opportunity to see her.

I've already started packing the boxes and the stock has been arriving over the last week - all checked in now and partly packed.  I've got a new range to show you at Doncaster:

It a beautiful range of stunning braids and sequin trims
After a few hours (and with the help of my cat last night!) they were transformed from one bag (left) into carded colours individually bagged (on the right)


I have in mind card trimmings and embellishments and for inclusion into mixed media work.  Not sure if I can get them onto the internet site yet as each packet is different.  I had great fun putting the different colours together!!

Hope to see you in Doncaster - if you would like to see more details of the show the link to the organiser is http://www.summercrafting.co.uk/.  This is the exhibition which is organised by Stephanie Weightman, ex of Create and Craft and now with QVC.

OLYMPIC TORCH IN SEQUIN WASTE

This has nothing to do with Friendly Plastic but following on from my earlier blog about sequin waste I thought I had better have a go at making an Olympic Torch myself.  Here you have my interpretations of the Olympic Torch using Gold Sequin Waste.  Which one do you prefer?  I will let you into a little secret here - one was made by me and the other by my husband - depending on which one you prefer this could result in a domestic!!

The Olympic Torch on the left was made using a gold cardboard tube.  Cut a vertical slit at one end (only part way up) so it can be overlapped to form a slight cone.  It was then covered with the sequin waste.  I think you could use any colour tube here - but I would paint a brown one.  I think black could work quite well as it would show up the holes in the sequin waste well.

The Olympic Torch on the right was made using a stiff clear acetate.  Now it is much easier to cover the acetate with the sequin waste before you make the cone - as you are obviously covering a flat surface.  We used sellotape to attach it.  The cone shape was then formed and fixed using sellotape and then the acetate was creased at the top to make it more like the actual Olympic Torch.

In both cases I used pieces of net/chiffon to make the flame for the Olympic Torch (the Torch on the right could do with a little more flame!).  However if necessary Sainsburys carrier bags are the right colour!!

Make your own interpretation of the Olympic Torch using Gold Sequin Waste - click this link to take you directly to my webside:  5 metres Gold Sequin Waste

Don't forget to let me know which Olympic Torch you prefer.