Craftacular fever hits London

I read that Rob Ryan wrapping paper would be on sale at Bust Magazine’s annual Christmas Craftacular in London but I had no idea the man in question, the man…he, the legend, the most incredible paper crafter ever, would be there in person, signing hand screen printed ‘wrapping paper’ that clearly no one will ever use to wrap a gift, but will in fact frame, and admire forever. And here he is….with me!!! I was in so much shock…in fact, I am still in shock. The man is a genius. I am in love with every papercut he has ever done, his desk calendar sits on my table, his teatowels are in my kitchen drawers, his skirt hangs in my wardrobe, his books adorn my shelf, his blog is a must read of mine and his Ryan Town shop is one of my favourite museums… and there I was. In his presence, getting his autograph. I felt soooo honoured.  (All I need now is someone to buy me this rather incredible Tatty Devine necklace, followed by me saving up all my pennies to one day own one of his original pieces of art work….that’s two dreams to be getting on with …)

In the mean time here’s a round up of my trip to this most spectacular of craft fairs. Lots of the regular craftastic stalls were there, the super stylish Janine Basil and her Batastic fascinators, the ever gorgeous Heart Zeena (revealing her new woven shawls), and plenty of other folk I recognised from Renegade a few weeks back and the Thames Festival in the Autumn.

Rob Ryan was selling three colours of ‘wrapping paper’. Miraculously I was the last person in the queue to get my hands on a blue one…and I was suitably chuffed : ) I bought it as a gift and am keeping a red one for myself. It was one hour (spent queuing) well worth it, and I wasn’t the only satisfied customer.

Lauren O’Farrel of Stitch London and Crafty Crafty fame was the one who tipped me off about it!

What an arm!

Unfortunately queuing meant I was unable to get to the Craftivists workshops.

Sarah the heroine behind the Craftivist Collective led one of their popular sessions on making poignant ‘mini protest banners.’

Kits to make your own banners can be bought online at Folksy if you fancy having a go and check out their website for more details about their inspiring work, that quite frankly we should all be a part of.

He's 'X'y

Luckily I still got crafty, thanks to the fine stitchy specimen that is Mr X Stitch. He may be a craft celebrity (look out for him on Kirsty’s Chrismas Special over the festive season)…but does that mean he knows how to teach?

I can reveal that the answer is yes! Having done zero cross stitch since I was seven years old (I have a cushion full of mistakes to show for it), he opened my mind up to a whole new crafty world. Starting with how to sew without knotting your thread…something I never knew, despite my own efforts to be a crafty expert who specialises in textiles.

Fellow crafty Twitterati friends joined me – most of who were more successful that me. I didn’t manage to complete my Christmas sampler, just the letter ‘o’!

But hey ho, it’s a start and I learn't heaps!

'O' dear...

Mr X Stitch was a splendid workshop host; inspiring, motivating and even patted me on the back when I was feeling stressed about the ridiculous mistakes I kept making. If only all teachers were like him. 

Get your sugar hit!

I didn’t get a chance to meet the legendary Jazz Domino Holly who was running the next session, as I had to hotstep it to catch a Bollywood movie across town, but I’m happy to report I did track down a lovely girl with amazing hair, who co-runs a brilliant craftzine called Sugar Paper. 

 It’s the best craftzine I’ve ever seen (even better than my old craftzine Fete!) 

I met her at Craftacular two years ago when I bought an amazing bag she made with the words ‘You make me want to crochet’. It’s one of my fave bags and it was great to see she’s still doing what she loves.

 

Love and passion is pretty much what sums up Craftacular. The stalls are run people who all love making stuff and the shoppers are crazy about what they see. The atmosphere is one of shiny, happy, smiley people and lots of like-minded peeps to make friends with, such as the ever lovely Shoreditch Sister girls. For a run down of the crafty goodies that were on sale, check out the brilliant photo gallery on Crafty Crafty.

I most definitely recommend a trip here next year (there may be a summer Craftacular too?). The only disappointment was the Tatty Devine tombola. It cost £2 to enter and all I got was one chocolate celebration…i.e a Bounty bar that measures 3cm. 

 

The good thing about the stall though was that the lovely lady working there was wearing this most spectacular of lobster necklaces. Another accessory I need to get saving for.

 

In fact that’s one thing this craft fair taught me. There is so much lovely arty/crafty stuff out there I want to own, I just need to pull my stockings up and get more work, to pay for it ; )

 

My So Called Life...episode 1

When I started writing this blog almost two years the plan was to focus on the 'craft loving' side of my life, but over the last 10 months things changed and I turned it into my diary. I write about things I do, people I meet, where I go, my experiences, thoughts and reactions to things, even the random bits of advice that go through my head…all the things that make my life what it is. While I manage to write a couple of posts a week about specific highlights, there are still lots of other things I get up to that I don’t have a chance to mention. So I’ve decided that every few weeks I’m going to stock pile such events and post them under different episodes named after my favourite TV programme; My So Called Life. I’ve been catching up with the box set recently, every bit of it affects me like it did when I watched is back in the mid-90s. It follows the life of a 15-year-old girl called Angela Chase; the alternative girl at an American High School. At the time I was the 15-year-old alternative girl at a UK comprehensive. The show deserves it’s own blog post so the topic is To Be Continued. In the meantime….this has been my so called life of late:

The return of PULP:
The vast % of the population first heard of Pulp when Common People was released in 1995. Yet I first heard of Pulp in the late 1980s and was one of their earliest fans! At one point I was the youngest member of their fanclub, Pulp People, and I used to get really exciting post from a librarian called Alex who ran the club with Mark Webber (who later joined the band as a guitarist.) When I started secondary school in 1992 I had a Pulp schoolbag (homemade) and no one knew what it meant. For three years I was ridiculed by NKOTB and Take That fans, until that fateful day when Common People was released and overnight I became popular.
The day Pulp split I vowed I would be there on their return gig, as I knew they would reform.
When they made their comeback (finally!) this summer, I realised that actually I wasn’t prepared to pay £55 to see them at Hyde Park. Then they announced two special gigs at Brixton Academy and my head and my heart told me I had to be there. So on September 1^st I went to see them. It was overwhelming and emotional, the highlight being when they played an old track called Sheffield Sex City from an early album. It was a track that only a handful of people in the audience could connect with, and it’s a gig moment I will never forget.  

Brighton Beautiful:

Another trip down memory lane was seizing some of the late summer weather and taking a friend of mine who had never been there, to my other home; Brighton. I call it that because I lived there for four years and left a bit of me there, which I don’t think will ever follow me to London. But whenever I do go back I’m instantly at ease because of the familiarity. I went to all my favourite places; the pier for a chocolate and coconut waffle and a go on Dolphin Derby, all my favourite vintage and retro shops in North Laine (where I picked up this lovely flamenco shawl) and of course had a nap on the sunny beach. I don’t think I would live there again but I’m extremely lucky that I had the opportunity to.

Rosie & Harriet of TD

Drink Shop Do:

Back in London town and back on the craft scene I’ve been hanging out at one of the capitals loveliest bar venues; Drink Shop Do - a crafter’s heaven based in Kings Cross. It’s a craft shop, café, bar, afternoon tea venue and has an event calendar filled with free crafty events, workshops and book launches like ‘How to Make Jewellery’ with Tatty Devine. TD are known for designing quirky, kitschy jewellery with character and while I was there I made a rosette from a tape measure; a project in the book. I was aided by one of the friendliest girls I have ever met…I think she was called Emily. She works in the Tatty Devine shop in Brick Lane. Apparently she always gives a cup of tea to whoever pops in, so if you are ever passing by, please say hi to her. 

At the launch I sat opposite Lady Velo, a cycling fashionista who is now one of my Twitter friends.

Rocking at The Royal Albert Hall

Bollywood beats:

Bollywood wise I’ve watched two excellent films recently Bodyguard and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara but one of the highlights of my entire year to date was watching a live performance by India’s biggest musical directors Shankar Ehsaan Loy. They are three gentleman whom despite having written the biggest Bollywood blockbuster songs ever, have never performed in the UK. It was a really special occasion and totally sold out. The set list was incredible. They played so many of their popular songs that I was speechless for most of the night.

Film Fayre:
More recently I went to the launch of the Native Spirit Foundation’s annual film festival which celebrates films about indigenous cultures. The event was held at Rudolf Steiner House and started with a spiritual procession and incense lighting ritual and included a remarkable set by international ethnic folk star Kouame Sereba who played some very unusual instruments.

Dinner with Delwar:

Then last weekend I attended a dinner party to celebrate one of my best friends completing his PhD at Cambridge University. I met Delwar when I was 13, we appeared on a TV show together and since then our paths have continued to cross in the most peculiar of ways. We have a joke between us that we will probably end up living in the same old people’s home. But before that we have other paths to follow. I felt so proud of him, knowing  he’s completed his labour of love. And so I joined him in burning his notes!!!

Something I could NEVER do to my own. I still have my secondary school exercise books even of the subjects I couldn’t stand….I just can’t part with them. And here were pages of recent handwritten research. I guess I should take this as inspiration to de-clutter my belongings?

I could open a shop with this lot!

Finally: work:
I don’t write much about my work….but these last three months have been spent writing my second book….which I can reveal has a working title of ‘101+ Things to do with glitter’. It is due to be published Autumn 2012 by Vivays Publishing. It’s been sooooooooo hard not talking about it because I so want to share the projects I’ve been making but they are under wraps for now! However I can reveal that my entire flat is currently one giant glitter ball. Here on my bed are all the sample glitters I was sent by PRs…over 150 varieties. The book is due for completion very shortly and then I am not sure what adventures I will be embarking on next…