FINISHED. 'Candy Circus Horse'

So I’ve been working on upcycling my mum’s old rocking horse this week and I’ve finally finished the last coat of varnish!
I really wanted it to be something of a candy filled circus theme. Pastel colours, stripes, spots, to make it look like it wouldn’t be out of place in a vintage circus. 

I really enjoyed working on it and it’s definitely sparked off a want to do more upcycling. I’ve got to say that this lovely unexpected sun has definitely helped spur me on to get going with it. I loved shabbying the paint work that I spent two days on. Something really quite satisfying about sanding off all of that hard work! As soon as I upholstered the seat I could really see it all coming together. I’m really happy with the outcome. I hope you love it too.

Sometimes it’s hard to stick to your original plans on a project like this but I’m glad that I haven’t gone off track and can honestly say that I am proud of this Tatty Betty piece.
I’m going to start off by putting it up for sale on Folksy. If it doesn’t sell then I’ll be taking it to my next Fair.

Rocking Horse Renovation

My mum has kindly donated her childhood rocking horse for me to work on. It's been rotting away in the shed for sometime. I was reminded of it when I went to look for some scraps of wood, as soon as I saw it, I had big plans for it!
I won't let you in on all of my ideas as I don't want to spoil the suprise when it's finally finished and up for sale. I just hope and pray that it turns out something remotely like what it looks in my head!
This is my moodboard ...

And this is what I've got to work with ....

I can't wait to show you the finished piece!

Tatty xx

Trip down memory lane ...

Yesterday I spent some time tidying out my craft space and organising bits into boxes. Having been to two Craft Fairs in the last couple of weeks I had been using my car as extra storage space so I eventually took everything out of my car and starting putting it back in the cupboards. While I was there I found a massive pile of my old Art and Textiles sketchbooks from school and college. Some things I looked at/read made me laugh, some brought back great memories, some made me cringe and some made me remember techniques that I had forgotten about. I’m so glad they I kept them all.
Here are some pictures of things I found.

Some bits from my Photography module at college, I forgot how simple it was to make great images using a Photogram method. I really wish that I had taken advantage of facilities such as the developing room and stuff at the time; I was just too busy being a teenage girl!

I found my copy of this book called ‘Romantik’. It’s full of great graphics and illustration style imagery. All using collage methods and put together on a computer, I wish I was clever enough to produce such wonderful images. I love that style of art but my Photoshop skills are very limited!

Here is a REALLY old bit of work from my GCSE art, I think this one was done when I was in year 10 so I would have been 14! My tutor saw my love of colour and fashion and introduced me to Japanese street style magazine Fruits. I then did a project around it and these were some of my pages from it. What interested me was my use of torn book pages and newspaper, something that I thought began in my college days with inspiration from book page artist Su Blackwell. My love for using scraps of text obviously began a lot earlier!

And here are a few pages from some of my fashion modules at college. It seems strange now to think of me producing clothing designs. It wasn’t something that came particularly easy to me.  I loved drawing designs but found the ideas a bit of a struggle! Very hard to come up with completely new ideas in fashion!

Latest lot of Inspiration

I’ve been having a bit of a virtual look around at some inspiring designer/makers and decided to share what I’ve found.
 A couple of these are people I have spoken about before but I love them too much to not include them!
I’m going to start off with a new find thanks to Folksy. Their online Magazine Frankly regularly has ‘Meet the Maker’ articles and yesterday they featured Jenny McCabe of Coo & Co. After looking at her work I can honestly say that it’s made me look at pigeons in a different light! I’m a sucker for a bit of screen print and hers are simply fab! I love the silhouette aspect of her designs and use of monochrome with the odd splash of sophisticated colour.

Go check her out at www.folksy.com/Shops/CooandCo and www.cooandco.co.uk

From a new find to an old favourite, Kirsty Elson Designs. I fell in love with her driftwood pieces a while back and have followed her story on Twitter and Facebook ever since. Her designs are simple yet perfectly executed. She knows that less is often more and my favourite pieces of hers are her driftwood cottages with nails used as chimneys. Solid pieces that are made so delicate. I also love her textile pieces. The hanging jellyfish are so fun and if I had a child they would be the first thing that I would buy for their playroom. With a great eye for colour, once again these are simple, yet so very clever!

Check her stuff out at www.folksy.com/Shops/KirstyElson and www.KirstyElsonDesigns.co.uk

I’m now going to take you onto a Facebook find, Molly and Mum. Molly and Mum consists of Michelle and her 10 (yes, 10!!) year old daughter Molly. What a lovely concept. Mum sews while Molly stuffs and draws! Their toys have faces that have been made with such personality and love. Just look at their ‘Spring Lambs’, how amazing are they?! Such a lovely thing to put in an Easter hamper for a little one. If you’re looking for a soft toy with a bit of character to give as a gift then you really need to check them out ..

www.mollyandmum.co.uk and www.facebook.com/pages/Molly-and-Mum

If you’re after a piece of jewellery that’s a bit out there and a bit wacky then you need to head over to Fanni Loves FuFu, the name says it all! Imagine your craziest dreams and fairytales put into a necklace and that is Fanni Loves FuFu. She doesn’t just stop at jewellery, as her business card reads she is the ‘myriad maker of marvellous magnificence’, making pretty much anything you can think of and making it look fabulous! She does a bit of upcycling, creating and vintage sourcing. My favourite piece is her ‘Day of the Dead’ inspired bib necklace. A wonderful mix of soft and hard textures.

Take a peek at www.facebook.com/fannilovesfufu

What can I get for £4.10?

I had to take a trip to the fabric shop today and after being surrounded by vintage loveliness yesterday I also had a browse in a few charity shops and came out with some great buys that came to a grand total of £4.10!!
I find charity shop and vintage buying very addictive. Once you've got the bug, you've got the bug. What if you walked by and didn't go inside and there was the perfect 'something' in there and you miss out on it? I guess it just makes for another excuse to shop :) .. much to my boyfriends dismay!
I'm going to share my finds with you ...

This top is a bit big for me but I loved it too much to leave there and I can always take it in! I remember seeing it in Topshop a while back. I am itching to wear it with some peach jeans for Spring!

These aren't for me, but at £1.50, what a bargain! A bit worn but nothing a hot wash can't solve!

50p for a new read! This sounds hilarious and it's recommended by Dawn French, whose autobiography I laughed so much at, so fingers crossed it will be a good one!

I also bought this lovely tablecloth as it's in my favourite colour. I don't know whether to use the fabric to make something or keep it as a tablecloth yet as I love the scalloped edge.

So they are my latest finds, what are yours?

A Craft Fair Success Story!

Following my blog post in which I had a bit of a Craft Fair disaster, thankfully, I have a bit of a success story to report!
This weekend I combined forces with my friend who specialises in upcycling furniture and mirrors and making cute rosebud hearts, and we attended a village Handmade and Vintage Fair. I had a much more positive outlook from the off, after the disaster of the previous Fair I kind of had it in my head that it couldn’t be any worse than that!
The other crafters seemed a lot friendlier, a lot more on the same wavelength and they had much more interesting stock! Once we had finally set up I had to keep stopping myself from wandering around to have a nose!

Our Stall!

We mixed our stock up on the stall and it actually looked great together. Our bits both complimented and contrasted each other. The day got off to a good start when I sold the only two book page butterfly garlands I had with me within the first ten minutes! If only I had brought more with me .! Unfortunately we didn’t make a lot but we got a lot of good feedback and customers were so much more positive than before! We head a lot of ‘we must go and get some money out and come back to this stall’, which unfortunately didn’t happen but it was nice to hear!
Throughout the day we became quite inspired by some bits we had seen and came up with some ideas for future products. We also agreed to book a much, much bigger, weekend-long fair which at first we were quite daunted by but having done a couple of small Fair’s we have decided that paying more upfront will pay off in the end and we’re confident that there will be passing custom that will be interested in our stall. We just have to wait for a confirmation email back for this one, FINGERS CROSSED.
Anyway, we sold a few bits, met some nice customers, had a lot of interest, became inspired and had a lovely day. Fingers crossed that the next one will bring in the sales!!
A couple of other stalls whose names I took down were www.fluffington.etsy.com who sold funky retro jewellery and www.vintagefleur.co.uk who sold and hired out vintage crockery.

Fluffington bits

Bunny giveaway WINNER!

So I've collected all of the best suggestions from Facebook and Twitter and written the names out and put them in a pot.

After a good old rummage the winner has been pulled out ... and it is ...

RUBY by Lottee Warner-Lees from her entry on Facebook!

I will be contacting you shortly for your address details and 'Ruby' the bunny will be in the post to you first class on Monday morning :)

Bunny Giveaway!!

The new Tatty Betty Bunny needs a name .. and I'm asking for your suggestions .. send them my way and on Friday I will be doing a draw of the best ones and you could win the bunny!!

She would look great on the side of your childrens chest of drawers or peering through your china on your vintage dresser. She's also a great cook so would love to over see work in the kitchen!

To win her you need to 'like' her on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/TattyBetty#!/photo.php?fbid=361812727182379&set=a.358440137519638.87474.358439880852997&type=1&theater
and either message me/comment on Facebook www.facebook.com/TattyBetty comment on here or tweet me @bettyistatty with your suggestion and I could be in touch on Friday!

Tatty Betty

So here is my website:

www.tattybetty.com

My facebook site:
www.facebook.com/TattyBetty

& my twitter account:
www.twitter.com/bettyistatty

They are finally where I want them to be, and I am happy with my recent crafts available for sale.
I've created this board to show you a range of what I've been up to!

Thank Goodness for Modern Craft!

On Saturday I attended Support British Handmade Craft Fair in Towcester, Northamptonshire. I didn’t make a mint but I learnt a lot....

The atmosphere was dull. You could almost see the cobwebs on the stock of the regular stall holders who sell here on a monthly basis. The foot fall was second-to-none. Stall holders didn’t seem bothered by this. The lady next to me selling jewellery gave up very early on and spent the majority of the day drinking tea in the corner of the hall with several of the other stall holders. This isn’t how it should be. Stall holders should be so proud of their stock and their brand that they dare not leave it all day. They should want to be there to be the face of the brand. Communicating with other crafters and artists is great, not only to build relationships but to learn from one and other, but ultimately the customer comes first, surely?
The stock on show ranged from water colour landscapes to cross stitch cards to knitted baby jumpers. These are all crafts that should be highly praised, hard work had clearly gone into them, but are these really what the modern day shopper want? Surely they want new and fun ideas, to see  items that show you’ve had fun making them? In the current economic climate, I know that I want to see bright, happy crafted pieces, not pieces that look as miserable as the sellers …  all lined up in a row, knitting, stitching away, drinking tea, using the time to moan about anything they can think of. That’s not a nice shopping experience for anyone, it certainly won’t encourage people to buy their dated stock, and it doesn’t help the atmosphere for the rest of the stall holders eager to converse with what little custom is there.
It taught me to research into potential craft fairs beforehand. Make sure that the fair is well advertised, in an area which will generate lots of interest, and research the other stalls selling there.
I must say I couldn’t wait to get home, to get back on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. To be inspired by modern craft. To share things with people who share the same ideas about craft. To get on Folksy, the home of Modern Craft. Thank goodness for social networking and thank goodness for like-minded crafters.