Wednesday 25 August 2010

Meet the stallholders...

Apryl Brincklow from Blue Daisy Glass

Have you always been a 'crafty' person - how did you start making things to sell?
Yes I've always been crafty. I used to love making cereal box doll's rooms as a child and I have fond memories sitting doing crochet with my nan. I have tried many crafts but since buying a huge kiln have narrowed it down to ceramics and now glass. I have now found the right craft for me and the glass has taken over my kiln, my home and my life!
I started selling things when I needed money to buy more glass. I started selling to my family then the PTA persuaded me to try a stall at Christmas in the school. This went well so my New Year's resolution was to start selling online in 2010. I think the only New Year's resolution in my life not broken by February!

Tell us a bit about what you make...
I make jewellery, mostly pendants out of glass. Pieces of glass are handcut and then layered into a sandwich style lump. The layers can include confetti shards, strings and the fabulous dichroic glass, something originally developed by NASA. The pieces are then heated in a kiln until they 'fuse' together into one mass. The glass is very slowly cooled and finally the kiln is opened - the best bit! The edges round and the pendants have become smooth and very tactile.
I also teach 'Beginners fused glass jewellery workshops' in Great Bromley. They cost £25 for a 2 hour class and the participants create 2 pieces of very wearable fused glass jewellery.

Links:

Friday 20 August 2010

Meet the stallholders...

Graham Hunter - StationerHave you always been a 'crafty' person - how did you start making things to sell?
I've always been interested in art - especially painting, but had never really considered making anything myself until fairly recently. I started making cards mainly as a hobby and as a lot of my friends were getting married and having children I gave them cards as gifts - which led to people wanting to buy them for themselves!

Tell us a bit about what you make...
I make various greeting cards and card accessories like gift tags and name cards etc. I also do wedding invites and stationery on a be-spoke basis. Everything I design and make is all done by hand using simple classic materials. I approach my crafting like a bit of a glorified artist really! I'd like to think that the person who receives one of my cards or invites would want to keep it a little longer on their shelf or mantlepiece that a normal store bought card!
Links:

Tuesday 10 August 2010

Meet the stallholders...

Cristy Poole
Have you always been a 'crafty' person, how did you start making things to sell?
I started making my jewellery about 4-5 years ago and I was self taught. I gradually learnt the different designs over this period until I was confident enough to sell them when I thought the quality was up to a professional standard I wanted. It's just a hobby but I need to sell some of my work just to get the money back for the beads and materials I use. I sell my items at very competitive prices, this gives everyone a chance to buy something and I hope remind them of my work.

Tell us a bit about what you make...
I make a wide range of different items from beaded rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces and these are my own designs that are different from the normal jewellery that is sold.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Meet the stallholders...

Glenn Godden from Steampunk Glass

Have you always been a 'crafty' person, how did you start making things to sell?
I've always been a 'crafty' person, I used to do a lot of woodwork and guilding, but it wasn't until I found glass that I really found the medium that was 'the one' for me! It didn't take long before I had more beads and marbles than I could ever need, so I started offering a few to see if other people would be interested, and it snowballed from there!
Tell us a bit about what you make...
I use a process called 'lampworking' (also called flameworking) where I melt glass directly in a flame to shape it. Sometimes, for beads, the molten glass is wound onto a steel rod, but I prefer more free-hand work these days. That way I can make more organic shapes, such as my nebula pendants. I also make a lot of marbles which I love putting designs into. They can take anything from 35 minutes to an hour and half depending on how complex they are, and offers a unique challenge to pack as much detial into such a small area. Also I like the 3D quality, it really is a medium unlike any other that I've ever explored.
Links: