Design Challenge - Inspiration from a cake!

My sister in law is one of the most creative people I know (and is married to one of the others!)

For her son's recent birthday she made not only this amazing birthday cake but also these absolutely fab cupcakes for everyone to take home at the end of the day.

I know Kim for her attention to detail but there can't honestly be many people who would go to the effort of making unique toppers for each one.  Just love them.

Anyway, it gave me another thought about where you might get some inspiration for your own design in our challenge.  Mine came from her cakes.

I took the basic idea and sketched out my own picture.  I've tried to keep the different parts of the image completely separate by drawing them in different and distinct colours.  This will help when it comes to transferring the image onto the software for embroidering.

You can either draw the different components on separate sheets of paper or do it as one image.

To find out how this turns out pop back later when I'll update the blog with the finished result.  And in the meantime, I hope this has given you food for thought and inspired you to have a go at our design challenge.  To see how to enter click here ....

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Surf's Up - The Sweetest Occasion

Is it possible to fall in love with a website?  I have.  The Sweetest Occasion is great for all of you looking for inspiration with parties, handmade gifts or fashion.

This eyecatching blog is the brainchild of Cyd Converse who founded The Sweetest Occasion in 2008, bringing her lifelong passion for design, entertaining, fashion and photography to life. 

By day, Cyd can be found blogging, day dreaming, keeping company with her lovable old black lab, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and planning weekend trips to the farmer’s market. She holds an undergraduate degree in architecture and a Master of Business Administration from St. Bonaventure University. Cyd resides in Syracuse, New York where she also writes for Babble, a wildly popular parenting and lifestyle website.

I'm not surprised that she has a devoted following of readers who visit her blog  for trendsetting DIY tutorials, party inspiration, fashion finds, entertaining tips and ideas, home decor, design ideas and tasty cocktail recipes. 

You'll need to visit her website for the full DIY-tutorials, but here's a taster of what she offers ....

Valentine Day ideas

 

Easter bunny pouches
  

There are stunning images of themed and other celebratory parties that are sure to inspire ...

  

and she also provides downloads for lovely printables, perfect for Valentines, Xmas, Halloween and other special occasions.

It's no wonder that she's been featured by publications such as Better Homes & Gardens, Every Day with Rachael Ray, The Today Show, People, Country Living, BRIDES, The Huffington Post and DailyCandy, Definitely worth checking out if you're looking for entertaining and design ideas.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Meet the Maker - Jane Means

I love trying to wrap presents beautifully and have even spent December weekends in a shopping mall in Surrey offering Xmas gift wrapping for charity, but realise I am a mere amateur when I look at the amazing work produced by Jane Means.

Jane started out in floristry but set up her company nearly 20 years ago from her kitchen table.

After starting off by making bespoke cards and wedding stationery she realised her true passion was gift wrapping and decided to start her own gift wrapping courses.

Based in London and Lincoln, Jane's hobby quickly became a full time business with clients travelling from the far flung corners of the world to attend the workshops she holds around the UK.  She also offers private courses at home or in the workplace and you may well have seen her work in glossy magazines, on the television or in one of the more glamorous boutiques such as Dior, Ralph Lauren or Selfridges.

I urge you to try one of her workshops, but if you can't, at least check out her blog or that of one of her team of experienced ribbon bloggers who regularly post DIY tutorials and crafting ideas. 

There's even a DVD and plans for a book which I'm sure will inspire.  In the meantime I'm off to raid my ribbon box although I think I may have to indulge in some of her trademark collection soon!

All our products come in tissue or straw filled rustic presentation boxes and although I'm a little nervous to mention it on the same page as Jane, we offer a gift wrap service of our own which you can find out more about here.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

(Not so) Trivial Pursuits ... Photography with Andrea Pittam

I'm always on the look out for a new interest, especially if it can help me with my business.

I used to love taking photographs and have never got over exchanging my K1000 for a digital camera.  I haven't really mastered using my fantastic new whizz bangy camera to its full potential.

So perhaps this might be the course for me and could be of interest to you too.  If you don't live in the Bournemouth area, Google 'photography courses for crafters' - I'm sure you'll find something locally.

      

Here's more about Andrea Pittam of Kiss the Frog x ...

As a photographer, artist and crafter it seemed a good idea to run a course for other artists and crafters who are looking for some direction and help with their product photography.

For small kitchen table businesses and independent artists and crafters, big budget product photography is simply not an option and this course will show you how you can get the best out of the camera you have to showcase your products.

all images (c) Kiss the Frog x

You will receive advice on how to plan and prepare for a photo shoot, using natural light to create beautiful images of your products. There will also be a practical section to the course so you will need to bring your camera and some of your products too.

You can find out more about Andrea's course here ...

Trivial Pursuits - embroidery with Wendy Stephenson

Another find on Facebook.  I wasn't sure whether to put this in the category Meet the Maker or Trivial Pursuits, but since she produces embroidery patterns to complement her adorable watercolours, I thought I'd include it in this section in the hope it may inspire some of you to have a go yourselves.

It was actually the sweet stitched image below that I saw first.  Made by Wendy Stephenson of snap dragon ....

.. a little further investigation unearthed more of her work including these cute little ceramic pots, cushions and other textiles.

I'm not sure if she does illustrations for childrens' books, but judging by these, she certainly could.

And so a little about the artist ...
"I love to take photographs, draw, paint, stitch and watch the clouds. If I can combine all these with a swim, then it's a day well spent. So welcome to my little studio space, and I hope you find something to make you smile!'

All images (c) Wendy Stephenson

Meet the Maker - My Paper Cut Heart

I know very little about the creator of My Paper Cut Heart as she only appears to take commissions via Facebook but I love her work and admire her skill.

The intricacy of her pieces is quite breathtaking and I love that she describes her work as ranging from the sublime to the downright quirky.  She clearly has a penchant for her magical hares.

The piece above was commissioned for a couple who love beach bonfires, guitar playing and fancy dress....spot the bunny ears hiding in the tree!

And there is a nod to her Welsh location in her dragon design.

   

I have seen on her Facebook page that she has also had limited edition prints made.

If you know more about Jen, the woman behind this work, please let us know.

All images (c) My Paper Cut Heart