During the 1930s, homes were being built at a rate of knots all over the United Kingdom. People were moving in droves out in suburbia and into lovely new semis and detached properties, where the kitchen, as now, was the heart of the home. People wanted to create their own warm and friendly 1930s-inspired country kitchen and dining space, and part of that period look was achieved with willow weaving, a popular craft in this decade.
Craft shows are top event for all arts and crafts lovers. But some craft show booths have an inviting appearance and some not. Have you ever stopped in a front of the show booth and your eyes were all around the place and you wished to buy just about – everything? Things are neatly set up, displays are simple and well organized, and then above all, everything is labeled and priced. Don’t let this happen to your craft show booth. You need to think about the same principles of good marketing when you set up the booth for a craft show.
Whether you are after original period furniture or second-hand bargains to create your vintage look, there is always something out there that’s right for you. Just follow simple rules about planning, searching and selection, and you can find fantastic pieces of furniture for your home. And if they need a bit of TLC, check out some of the techniques for restoring and looking after furniture so it will last and last and give a wonderful vintage look to your home.
James Ward, a.k.a. JimBobArt, is a young UK based freelance illustrator who’s beautifully drawings moves from paper to different objects – plates, cups, walls, even a bath tub! After his holiday in Sweden he was inspired to start to draw on plates, as he found there is a lot of natural history prints on plates and furnishing. He uses a simple plates and he loves the idea of making cheap items such as blank plates into something a little more valuable.
Do leave plenty of time to make decorations for your celebration party. Remember that every last detail, from the venue itself right down to the drinks is a potential styling opportunity. None of it has to be expensive. As with styling your home, you can achieve a wonderful look for your celebration with a combination of second-hand shopping and home crafting.
Whilst training in carpentry Ernst Gamperl turned to the lathe rather by chance, and embarked on his lifelong love affair with wood. Starting out an autodidact with no previous knowledge of the art, Gamperl was unhampered by convention in his approach to turnery. From the outset he devoted his energies to the same artistic issues he was to toil at ever after.
London Glassblowing Studio was set up by Peter Layton as a hot glass studio in 1976, and it remains one of the few places in the UK where hand-blown glass is created. All work is free-blown, ensuring the individuality of each piece. The glass artists that have worked here include Anna Dickinson, Candice-Elena Evans, David Flower, Yoshiko Okada and Siddy Langley – many setting up later their own workshops.
Rescue an unloved lampshade today! Choose your own favourite colour combination, or keep it simple, clean and white. Crochet lampshades are one of the easiest ways to update a room – and there always seems to be one lurking at the back of a charity shop, ready for revamp. With a stash of yarn they’re easy to adapt in a natty, granny-chic way. Choose your colours and let’s start.
Layered corsages are little stacks of different fabric circles, sewn together to form a layered flower. They can be made from tiny scraps of leftover fabric and transformed into lovely gifts with all sorts of uses. Once you start making these flowers, you will not want to stop. As you only need tiny circles of each different fabric it is often worth making several flowers at a time.
Peter Clark uses a comprehensive collection of found papers as his palette which are coloured, patterned or textured by their printed, written or worn surfaces, with this media he ‘paints’ his collages. He shades with density of print and creates substance and movement with lines plucked from old maps or manuscripts. His pieces use mark-making in an innovative and humorous way to create.
