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The Soap Queen (aka Anne-Marie Faiola) has a simple tutorial on her blog for making some soaps – not just any soaps of course – buttons soaps!
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>Winter Days, Sunny Skies & blooming trees…
21 Jan>
It’s a glorious sunny Winters day today with blue skies, but my garden is looking very disheveled – how I would love to have one of these in my garden right now!
>Handmade gifts from the kitchen
16 Jan>
For Christmas this year, my group of close friends decided that we were giving each other small token gifts. I decided to make some handmade gifts from the kitchen after seeing a couple of great ideas in the December issue of the Country Living magazine. One idea was a Gingerbread Cookie Kit in a jar with a wooden spoon & cookie cutter and the other was for Chocolate Stem Ginger Fudge.
This is how they turned out and I was quite pleased with the results! The cookie mix was very easy to do and I attached a small label with the recipe instructions for making & baking. The fudge was equally easy to make, the only fiddly bit, was cutting out individual squares of wax paper to wrap the fudge pieces in. I found some lovely paper giftbags from Paperchase and I was then good to give. In return, I was also given some lovely handmade gifts, but more on that later! Did you make and give handmade this Christmas? I would love to hear what you made!
>Felt Button Slippers Tutorial
11 Jan>
Purl Soho has a great little ‘could not be any easier’ tutorial on their blog, The Purl Bee, on how to make some Felt Button Slippers.
>Knoop Button Bowl
16 Dec>
Iñigo Cañedo is an Industrial Designer from Mexico who specialises in Industrial Design, 3D Modeling and Print.
An entrant in ‘the intelligent hand‘ competition on Design Boom, he designed & created the Knoop Button Bowl, by carefully glueing plastic buttons together over a hemispheric mold to form a bowl. I love how the translucency of the buttons creates light projections over the surface of the bowl and its surrounds.
>Liberty – Best of British Design Open Call 2011
18 Nov>
Calling all designers and creatives – Liberty needs you!
Are you a budding new designer? Would you like to have your products sold at Liberty?
Now in its 3rd year, the Open Call is continuing to recognise and support new and emerging British design talent and Liberty are again calling for all prospective designers and creative talents to come forward with their ideas.
Liberty trawled the world and created an emporium where the finest could meet the rarest. In keeping with this heritage Ed Burstell is keen to champion the best new British design and craft. A panel of experts comprising of Liberty’s Managing Director, Ed Burstell, his esteemed buying team and industry experts including top names from press and fashion retail will pick the best designs to be sold in store. Ed Burstell and his team will offer support and direction needed to get your items selling on Liberty’s world renowned shelves.
From fashion to furniture, hats to handbags, craft to cushions, Liberty is encouraging anyone with a creative passion to bring in their designs for the panel to judge.
Some of their best selling products come from designers discovered at the Open Call, some of which include…
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Amanda Fatherazi |
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Geannine Pollazzon |
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Genuine Article |
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Lost Property |
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Thomas Hopkins Gibson |
On the day…
All products must be of a finished state and be ready to sell in store before coming to the open call.
Designers will not be able to access the panel room via any of Liberty’s public entrances and may only enter via the designated entrance on Little Marlborough Street, located behind the store.
Designers are not permitted to bring large items of furniture or more than 4 garments and should only bring what they are comfortable to carry.
No storage facility will be available and the queue time is unknown. All designs and product will remain on the person(s) until it is time to meet with the panel.
Designers will have 3 minutes to pitch their products to the panel.
Designers will be informed upon meeting the panel as to whether they were successful.
Successful designers will be invited back to the store at a later date for a formal meeting with the buying team to discuss becoming a supplier (This does not guarantee designers will have their items eventually stocked in store).
>Beach Stone Buttons
17 Nov>
How lovely are these natural beach stone buttons? Like playing on the beach without getting sandy!
>Frightfully Flickr Friday
29 Oct>
1. Halloween Block, 2. La muerta, 3. 234/365 Butternut Squash Goblin, 4. The Finished Halloween Button Tree, 5. halloween jack o’ lantern ’09: Coraline button eyes, lit, 6. Itsy Bitsy Spider Vintage Button Necklace, 7. Limited Edition- Custom Cute Halloween Skull Headband Broach, 8. Halloweeny Pin, 9. Calaveras
>Bebe Bradley bloomin’ lovely ‘Bloom’ purse!
22 Oct>
I received the most beautiful little tweed purse in the post this morning by maker Bebe Bradley – & I just love it, it’s bloomin’ lovely
Launched in 2005, Meninafeliz is a collaboration between Scottish & Dutch designer/makers Bebe Bradley & Anne-Marie Vanner.
“Passionate about cloth, colour, print, buttons and beads, we design and lovingly hand make a range of gorgeous accessories. With a love of all things colourful, quirky and original, we each contribute our own unique & individual style. Working in our Dorset studios, we hand make every item in very limited quantities. We believe strongly in the recycling ethic, so use vintage and reclaimed fabrics wherever possible and we take great pleasure and pride in sourcing materials from other small businesses.”
I bought the purse from Makers Online, which is you don’t know them, is an online site selling handmade accessories from independent UK makers. They bring together some of the finest makers in the UK & sell some great accessories and gift ideas such as purses, earrings, necklaces, greetings cards and much more besides. Most accessories they offer are handmade and delivered direct from the maker, and all items have free UK delivery.
>Button Ninja
19 Oct>
I’m sure I am not alone in feeling there are times when I need to be superhuman to achieve everything that needs to be done. So, this week I have mostly decided that I am going to be a Ninja and perform Kuji-Kiri, an esoteric practice which, when performed with an array of hand seals known as Kuji-In, allows Ninja’s to perform superhuman feats!
Do not mess with the Button Ninja! A master of stealth and camouflage. Always watching. Always waiting to pounce! I love this giclee print by Dig the Earth – it’s a clever take on a little fish eye button.
