Trip to Kew Ceramic Cafe

If the truth be told despite me having an obsession with craft cafes, ceramic cafes have never appealed. I like the idea of painting plain ceramics but going to a cafe to paint with friends seems a bit odd. I probably never would have tried it had it not been for the fact Matt and I were given a voucher to spend at a ceramic cafe in Kew Gardens. We didn't have a clue what we'd end up painting, we own far too many mugs, don't need any plates or bowls and didn't want any tacky ornaments.

There was racks of  items to choose from, lots of bowls in all shapes and sizes - none of which we needed and there was plenty of tack!

As ceramic cafes go, it was a very small and quiet one but they do have a fantastic room upstairs for private parties for which you can bring along your own food. And it makes a change to go somewhere that feels a little more private than most places on a Saturday afternoon.

 Realising neither of us own a watch or have any clocks in the house we chose the above.

I loved the cafe's attention to detail, everything around us from the plate they serve the biccies on to the  signage was hand painted providing lots of inspiration - and of course we needed a cuppa before we started.

 The obvious choice for the theme was Miss P, our African Pygmy Hedgehog who passed away recently : (

 The paints look a very different colour to when you paint with them and how they come out after firing.

 We took on different roles, I did lots of the painting and double coats.

 

While Matt was responsible for the overall design and details

And here is Miss P surrounded by her favourite things - stinky shoes and socks, yellow chicken biscuits, her wheel and the rock she used to hide in. There is actually a story going on in the picture too, her bum is sticking out and she's grinning, a sign she's about to go and do a number 2 in the bushes - something she loved doing in the park!

We spent 2-3 hours on the design which was a relaxing and welcomed break to reality. It was so satisfying to do something 'complete' and give it all our attention without any distractions. We also felt it helped with our mourning and seeing the clock up in the living rooms makes us happy.

As for ceramic cafes, I was so wrong. They are very fun places, a bit pricey if you are paying but far more pleasant than buying ceramic paints and doing it yourself. It's nice to take a break from home, leave it for a few days then go back to collect it and be suprised by the results. I'm definately going back!

Easy peasy fabric printing

Why can't adults have 1/2 term, holidays? It makes so much sense to stop working every few weeks and rejuvenate. Last week was 1/2 term for many of the UK's school children. I remember my 1/2 term hols very clearly I would be bored for 4 days and then on the 5th day I would think of a huge to do list, most of it crafty and be sad I'd left it so late.

Here's a super easy project I tried out last week at a children's half term workshop, perfect for doing at home on a rainy day (and oh my, how it is raining at the minute!):

You will need:

• Cotton fabric (in this case an apron)
• Funky foam/neoprene
• Card (from a cereal box)
• PVA
• Paper
• Fabric paints

To make:

1. Create a template of the shape you want to print and cut it out of paper.

2. Draw around the paper shape on neoprene, cut out and glue to card.

3. Lay newspaper under your cotton to protect surface. Apply paint all over the neoprene shape careful not to get any on the card. Cover the whole foam otherwise you may get gaps.

4. Press it into position on the fabric, lift up and reveal your first print. Carry on printing until your composition is finished. You will need to apply fresh paint to the foam for each print you do.

5, Follow the instructions on the paint, when dry you normally iron the motifs to fix them so your fabric can be washed.

What a super easy method! Cheap, quick and easy...give it a go! Remember you can mix colours, print on top of shapes and go all out as wild as you wish!