Wayne Hemingway's Festival of Thrift!

Tomorrow morning me and my friend and fellow maker Sam from Hoolala are taking a road trip up North! We're off to showcase are wares at the marvellous Wayne Hemingway's Festival of Thrift in Darlington, UK. 

I am super excited as I have never done an 'over night' fair before. This event promises to be amazing, with celebrity thrifters and workshops going on all weekend from the art of screen printing to Bee keeping. 

It should take us about 2 hours to get there and so its going to be a VERY early start!

I am taking along some lovely new stock too, of which you will hear more about next week! Now if I can remember to pack my camera I shall do a little photo gallery of the event in my next blog post. 

So if you up North or fancy a thrifty weekend filled with fun, pop on over and say hello! http://festivalofthrift.co.uk/

Oooh I have been rather busy

Well its been 6 or so weeks since my last post. i have been super duper busy with the house, Realicoul and family weddings. So here is a few photos of what been happening in the last few weeks...

 Lots of new items are ready for the Christmas rush and the amazing events I have lined up.

 I have been doing a lot more work with Vintage buttons as I am currently doing lots of vintage and retro fairs. 

 I have been busy designing logos for the wonderful gift shop Strawberry Blue in Rawtenstall.

I have been adding more button themed home accessories and decorations to my stock.

I have been spending a lot of time in our local playground with my little boy and our new friends. 

We have been to my sister in laws Military wedding. ( I know this is a super cute photo right?)

We have also been flying kites!

Sooo that was the last 6 weeks, here's what's coming up before Christmas, mark your diary's folks its going to be a Realicoul button crazy few months! 

Terrible twos, Chicken Pox, and Vintage Buttons!

Well last week our little boy turned 2! I cannot believe how fast the last few years have gone. It really does fly by. It's getting a little bit more 'challenging' working from home now with Reuben. I can pretty much only work at night now once he has gone to bed. It's certainly hard work but at least I can give him all the attention he needs by day :)

My little man

Last week was also a rather hectic week filled with Chicken pox and two wholesale orders! Now that was a challenge lmao. I got there in the end though!

This weeks plans include shoe shopping for Reuben, planning my bathroom makeover and getting ready for the début vintage event at the Green Chimney in Colne, Lancashire. It promises to be a corker. It's a great little place with the tastiest food upstairs and a funky craft and vintage event downstairs. What more could you ask for?

I have been super busy making lots of gorgeous new button jewellery from my huge vintage button hoard. Here are a few photos to get your vintage taste bus going..

 I am So tempted to keep this necklace

 Tea for one?

 Beautiful unique jewellery at affordable prices

x 

The prints are ready for sale

So here we are a month later and my 'Great Tit and Button' print is finally ready for purchase! I am really happy with how it has turned out. As you may have read in the previous post this is a hand drawn piece, coloured digitally. I am rather proud of my detailed shading on the little bird. I enjoyed every step of the working process and I hope you all love it as much as I do. And of course there will be more button themed prints coming soon!

A4 giclée print £14. Photographed in an Ikea Ribba frame.

Giclée print on 280g satin matt premium archival quality paper. Printed using exceptional pure ink with a fade resistant guarantee for up to 110 years

 Available in green, blue and purple. 

It's even available as a note/greeting card. Cute eh?

And if that isn't enough cute buttony goodness for you, then here is a sneaky peek at this years Realicoul Christmas card range...

Drawing was always my first love

Drawing was always my first love, ever since I was a small child. I would wish for wet play as it meant I could stay inside the classroom and draw. All the way through my education Art was my main subject. 

Now I love making things as you all know, but recently I have had a yearning to get out my pencils and start sketching again. I decided I wanted to incorporate my drawings into the Realicoul brand. So I am increasing my range of button jewellery & accessories to also include homewear and design. There will however ALWAYS be a button involved :)

The illustrations I am working on currently all consist of British garden birds and buttons. Since moving to our new house last July I have become a keen bird watcher. My garden is full of them! We have so many Blue Tits and Great Tits, its a joy watching them from my breakfast table. So I hope you love them as much as I do as these illustrations will soon be available as prints on my online shops. 

Here is my first finished piece of the Great Tit and Button.

 First it was hand drawn in pen.

Then I coloured it digitally. (Obviously the watermark wont be on the print you buy ;) )

Lots more birdies and buttons to come, and of course I will let you all know once they are available.

More new items to the Realicoul range

YAY NEW ITEMS!

So I have been very busy since I returned from my jollies. I have lots of new stock to show you and first off is my new 'button bracelet kits'. Everything you need in a pretty little tin to make your own unique button bracelet. These make very sweet gifts. I expect they will be very popular for stocking fillers this year!

Pick & Mix hair clips, I know they are adorable right?!

More button pendants, this time its double the trouble with two layered funky buttons! 

The Crafty Vintage fair at Brockholes last weekend was A M A Z I N G! So well organised, loads to see and do and the food was pretty damn good too! I shall be returning to Brockholes in September for the next Crafty Vintage weekender. And I will also be there for the Christmas fair, of which I am VERY excited for and its only JUNE!

I am currently busy working on a S*#t load of new lines! I am super excited to get them going. As soon as they are ready I will of course be popping them on here for you all to see. Lots more button goodies for your home & lifestyle ;)

My next fair will be in 6 days! Its the Nelson Art & Vintage fair in Lancashire, Friday 5th and Saturday 6th July. I hear its going to be EVEN bigger and better than the spring one so I'm really looking forward to it. There is even going to be an outdoor Northern Soul Disco! I best dig out my dancing shoes!

Brockholes Weekender

I am very excited to have a stall at this weekends Crafty Vintage fair at the most amazing venue ever that is Brockholes. With over 70 stalls there will be plenty to look at. There will also be some scrumptious food stalls and LIVE entertainment. What more could you want for wicked weekend? 

 For those of you who don't know about Brockholes it is an amazing place. Its a floating nature reserve in Lancashire, and yes it really does float! Here is a link to the Brockholes wesite.

If you live in the North West please pop along and say hi! Its going to be a fantastic weekend!

Back and fully charged

 So I am now back from my holidays in Portugal. We only went for a week and it was just the relaxing break I needed ( well as relaxing as it can get with a toddler in tow). I have come home with my batteries fully charged and I'm ready to crack on with some work, some new Pinterest projects and possibly some further decorating!

 Reuben in his vintage sailor play suit x

 A wonderful sand artist at Fishermans beach.

 So this was this weeks 1st Pinterest project. Hand painted nature bunting for Reuben's outside space. I am really pleased with it and best of all I totally enjoyed getting my paints out!

We have now started our 2nd Pinterest project of the week. The Teepee! Who needs a Wendy house when you have a teepee?! I am planning on weaving coloured ribbons and string through it. Both Reuben and the dog love it already!

I have vowed to myself to organise my time better and get on with all those projects I want to do for our home and our son. 

See you next week x

New Gold Button Jewellery

I have been planning this new 14k Gold range for a while. I have finally gotten round to making it. I am really pleased of how they have turned out. This range has been made with the weddings in mind. I wanted to make a range that is extra special, feminine but still quirky. These necklaces are currently only available on my folksy shop. Once I make more I will list them over on Etsy too. I'd love to know what you all think.

Lets Get Crafty!

I will be in Whalley village hall this Sunday selling my button jewellery and home textile decorations. This is my first event in Whalley, Lancashire and I am really looking forward to it. So fingers crossed for a busy day and please pop along and say hi if over for a visit. 

A little bit about Whalley

Whalley is sheltered by the wooded hillside of Whalley Nab on the banks of the beautiful River Calder. At the heart of the Ribble Valley, it is one of Britain’s most attractive and fascinating areas, easily accessible by road, rail and bus. 

Immersed in history, Whalley village emerged as early as the 600’s. Highlights include Whalley Abbey, a Medieval church and an array of architectural styles to be found in its buildings. 

Fabulous, award winning shops offer a vast range of goods, all served with that little something extra. There are cycle routes and fantastic walks to suit all ages and abilities along with many other outdoor activities to enjoy.

-Visit Whalley web page

Finally some rain!

I don't usually look forward to rain, but my goodness do we need it at the moment. My garden has been so dusty, and the poor goats next door have hardly any grass to munch! I was very thankful of the lovely bank holiday weather we had though. We started our bank holiday weekend with wonderful family guests Martin, Lill & Sheila. Our first overnighters at our new house! We had a 'jolly' good time, maybe a little bit too much to drink though! Jak and I were quite hungover on the Sunday, and trust me a hangover with a toddler just isn't fun! Then on Monday we had the family over for a BBQ in the afternoon. Fab weekend i say! 

What else have we been up to in this sunny weather?

Reuben wears his sunglasses all day, even at breakfast! he loves them, he's such a little dude! 

We adopted a new rabbit named Peppa. He is teeny, he's a miniature Rex and is fully grown. Super friendly and super duper cute. Reuben loves him so much he tries to kiss him.

We have been spending most our time outside, we built this little den for Reuben. It keeps him entertained whilst I pot up the plants and sow the veg. ( Update on veges soon...still waiting for most of it to germinate!)

Just generally enjoying the great outdoors really, this last photo was taken at Brockholes nature reserve. 

Lets hope its only a couple of days of rain and then hopefully the sunshine will be back to brighten our days!

I finished this lovely lot last night and it has now available to purchase at the fabulous Gift shop 'Strawberry Blue' in Rawtenstall. Check out their facebook page, they have some really beautiful things x

Silver Button Necklaces

Today's post is all about my new stock. These are my new silver plated button necklaces, what do you think? I love them, I have already made one for myself. They catch the light perfectly and look so pretty on. Best of all they are only £8! These necklaces are now on my Folksy and Etsy shops, ready to purchase.

  

 I even have matching earrings to go with them. Pretty sweet right? These ones above are sterling silver 925 hook earrings. I also have them available as button stud/posts, as you can see below they look just fabulous in. Thank you Kayleigh Pearson for being my model :)

See you in a couple of days! I can feel a tutorial coming on :)

Our House Renovation: Kitchen

As promised I am keeping a photo diary of the work we are doing on our house. We got it last July and its been non stop since. There was and still is tons to be done. This week I am showing you our kitchen/dining room. Its a large room at just over 15ft square and it overlooks the garden and the goat field. Its been the biggest job so far, and it is almost complete. Just a few odd jobs to finish really.

So this was our Kitchen/Dining room the day we got the keys to our 1st house last summer. (That's my mum smashing tiles)

Under the carpet we found lino, lino, and yes more lino....but then we found the original floor boards! Cleaning them up was the worst job so far in the house. They were covered in old sticky glue complete with animal hair..yes I know disgusting. But we knew they would be beautiful once finished.

TA DAAA! So this is our kitchen 9 months later. All we need to do really is tile, but I cannot make a decision of what tiles to choose. So for now its had a lick of paint until I make up my mind! We kept the rusty washing machine as it works perfectly, we just gave it a good sand a couple of coats of metal paint. We also kept the integrated doors, drawers and glass cabinet. Again its amazing what you can you achieve with paint! Jak and Tucker did a brilliant job of fitting our wooden tops and reclaimed belfast sink.

This is a window we had no idea was there, it was previously boarded up and covered in wall paper! It wasn't until Jak drilled it that we realised it wasn't solid! I love it, it lets light into the hall and I can see who's coming in from the garden whilst I'm washing the pots!

We bought some lovely reclaimed floorboards and to make a new window sill. And I made this blind from some Orla Kiely fabric I won on Ebay.

Well worth the makeover job, sanding, painting, more sanding, more painting, paper sticking and new handles! Bobs your uncle a funky new cupboard!

Yes, I do love Orla Kiely and retro pottery!

We replaced the awful gas fire with this lovely iron one. The tiles are patterned with flowers and butterfly's.

Ah well we still haven't taken down the pom poms from my grandmas 70th birthday bash. I love them to much ha ha.

 The pink chalkboard door leads down to our rather large cellar dwelling that I am hoping one day we can set up a 'messy studio' down there. I want to start my painting again and hopefully some ceramics and screen printing. The other door will soon be a magnetic door, this one opens up to a super useful cupboard.

Who needs loads of kitchen cupboards cluttering up your walls when you can have ALL your food in one place. Its an old school cupboard and I think its fabulous!

 Not quite the kitchen but this is our hall, outside our kitchen door. We have kept the lovely retro glass doors. the door at the bottom of the stairs actually slides along. Its so handy as Reuben hasn't mastered it yet and it keeps the heat from escaping up!