Sunday 31 March 2013

happy easter



This year it's pink and white bonbon bunny tails at our house.
We're still waiting for the Easter Bunny to arrive.
I hope he hops along soon or we may have a riot on our hands.
Have a wonderful Easter. See you in April.

Wednesday 20 March 2013

crafty fox-timers + crafty fox-vourites

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CRAFTY FOX-TIMERS

top row / left to right   
'Texture necklace 1' in silver and gold by Julia Almeida

middle row / left to right

bottom row / left to right

This weekend Crafty Fox will once again be taking over the Dogstar in Brixton.

Scootching (is that a word . . . it's underlined in red on my screen, so I'm assuming it's probably not) through the list of stalls, I found a rather exciting collection of makers whose work I haven't seen before. Discovering makers for the very first time and finding new products to love is always a delight.

[I do have one tiny weeny confession. I first saw Yas-Ming Ceramics last year at Designers/Makers. But she's never been at Crafty Fox before. Not even once. So she's new here. Am I allowed get away with that? Please say yes?]

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CRAFTY FOX-VOURITES

And I couldn't do a post without mentioning some of my other favourite people who'll be there too.



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>  >  >  > LAST MINUTE UPDATE  >  >  >  >

I can't make it to Crafty Fox. I've been snowed in.

Where has all this crazy weather come from? Last year it was 25 degrees and today my plans have been scuppered by a mile-high (almost) pile of snow. I am pretty devastated not to be going, but there will still be millions (almost) of utterly fantastic stalls there, so I'm sure I won't be missed. I hope you all have a wonderful time and that the snow doesn't make down it to Brixton. Love you Crafty Fox xx

Saturday 16 March 2013

a handmade living

So . . . a few weeks ago I had an exciting phone call from the very extraordinarily nice people at Handmade Living magazine. They were doing a circus issue, they said, and wanted to feature my work, they said. Ooh, that's nice, I said, and imagined a little mention somewhere.

It turned out to be a bit more than that. How my heart raced when my husband returned from town, a copy in hand, and I flicked through not one, not two, but six pages of Butterscotch & Beesting (if you count a mention on the front page - which I definitely am).

I got a whole armful of goosebumps when I read Elaine Pearson's words about the imaginary world I've been building. I felt like she had climbed under the canvas of my mind and explored the circus until she knew every part of it. Seeing the issue for the first time was probably, or almost definitely, one of the best days I've ever had.

From now on, anytime I feel a bit low, overworked or overwhelmed, I've promised my family I will get out my magazine and disappear in its lovely pages and India's beautiful photos.

PS. It's the April issue and it's out now. 



Thursday 7 March 2013

world dressing-up day

Today is World Book Day. Another excuse to dress up my children.
Middle went into school this morning as Pippi Longstocking. Or Pippi Langstrømpe as I knew her when I was growing up. She's one of my all-time heroines. Middle especially loves the edition illustrated by Lauren Child (another of my heroines).
One of the best bits about dressing up as the girl from Villa Villekulla is that it's super easy - - - a bit of orange hair dye, some flower wire, stripy socks and you're there.

Today is also nearly-teen's birthday. As a present, he didn't have to dress up. Happy birthday you beautiful child.



Monday 4 March 2013

studio

I've been working on some porcelain lamp bases with my mum as part of my new collection. Last week while I was at her studio waiting for an electrician I took some photos.

Her studio is an utterly fascinating mix of science and beauty. Delicate, fragile pieces result from a combination of art, chemistry, physics, material, knowledge, skill, creativity and craft. I'm pretty sure that's the exact translation of the Danish word kunsthåndværk.

www.hannewestergaard.co.uk

















Sunday 3 March 2013

Varooooooom

Varoom! Isn't that a glorious name for a magazine? It's produced by the Association of Illustrators and the latest issue is about the Muse – where and how people find their inspiration.

Included is a look at natural history illustration and the work done by illustrators for the Ghosts of Gone Birds project, taking extinct birds as their inspiration while also using their work to raise awareness of the threat facing many species now.


Alongside beautiful examples from the heyday of natural history illustration, there are a few pieces made for the Ghosts exhibition – and among those is my Red Snail-Eating Dodo.

I still have a few prints left from the show which are now available to buy from my shop.
You can also buy them from the Ghosts of Gone Birds shop.
And you can read more about the inspiration for my work here.