Help with Photography

Are any of you out there looking to getting some stunning photography for your product shots for etsy? Well we have a solution here at last!! Etsy Ireland seller Janeyclothing has pointed me in the direction of Irish photographer Phillip who is looking to work with more Etsy sellers on their photography. He has proposed the idea of maybe a few of you working with him together on the same day so that you can get a reduced price. Jane herself has used his skills in the past to amazing results, I'm sure you've all seen her beautiful clothes on Etsy's front page on many occasions. He is very flexible and is willing to work out a price that suits everyone. Here are some examples of the work he did with Jane, and if you are interested in contacting him just convo Janeyclothing and she will help you out.

Fab 5 on Friday

This week's Fab 5 in clockwise direction are:
1. PDF Knitting Pattern - Kish by missaine
2. Fridge Magnets - Knife and Fork by bridbird
3. Cookie Monster Crochet Brooch by CuteButGeeky
4. Yummy Bun Giant Pin Cushion by NiceDaySupplies
5. YOU ROCK MY WORLD - an alternative Valentine by TanyaMac

Huggleknits gets some Vodafone exposure!

Congratulations to Mo from Huggleknits ... one of her stripey hats is featured in the current Vodafone knitting ad. How cool!

You can watch the ad on YouTube. Well done Mo!

Full Circle – Irish Traditional Crafts

This is by way of introduction to a series of potted histories of Irish Traditional Crafts and how they relate to some of the work of the amazing crafters in the CraftyIrelandTeam. During the year I will be looking at Wool Spinning, Knitting, Crochet & Lace, Weaving, Felting, Patchwork, Woodwork, Woven rushwork, Bookbinding, Calligraphy, Jewellery and Stained Glass. You will see how the current crafters have brought their own creativity to that of the traditions of the past to ensure that these crafts will continue to grow and develop and not be lost. Each article will be published here on the last Thursday of the month and the final one will gather together all the newer crafts that have found a home here in Ireland as they too will become part of the traditional Irish crafts for the future.

Since time began basic human needs dictated that we had to clothe and feed ourselves and provide shelter. All the skills were passed down from mother to daughter and father to son. Each century brought new and exciting discoveries and inventions and humankind had to learn new skills to live in the world that was opening up before them. Every country has a wealth of exciting craft workers and artists and Ireland is no exception. While fashions change with each generation, basic skills remain the same. With the continued expansion of the world markets it has become cheaper to buy clothes, furniture, rugs etc than to make them. However, I believe that quality will always suffer so I am glad to see in recent years there has been a return to the joy and value of hand made and hand crafted.

My grandparents lived in the west of Ireland on a small holding in Co. Mayo. My grandmother would spin the wool from their own sheep, knit jumpers and socks for the men and send the rest to the local weaver to make blankets. While I have been a knitter / crocheter for many years it is only in the last few years that I learned how to use the hand spindle and last year I became the proud owner of a spinning wheel - affectionately called Jessie ( more of that later, tis a long story)

So this is where our journey starts. Over the year I hope to add to my skill set by learning as many of these crafts that are part of my family's history as I can. I will keep you posted on how I get on. As well as giving you a look at each craft I hope to be able to introduce some of the CraftyIrelandTeam crafters to you all. The next installment will concentrate on Spinning yarn/fibre/wool etc. So can those of you who are spinners or fibre sellers who would like to be be included please convo me through my etsy page http://www.huggleknits.etsy.com/ . If you are involved with a traditional craft that is not listed please get in touch also. Finally, all comments on this article and any part of the series are always welcome.

Cheers for now

Mo

aka - Murraymint

Next article date: 25 February - Spinning........

Eyes Open Ireland

More photos by Etsy Ireland members of their inspirational surroundings! These images were sent by Ken and Claire of Stradbally Jewellery Design.

"We're living in a beautiful village called Stradbally in Co. Waterford.  All around us are landscapes to draw inspiration from. The Cove is minutes from our house and we can hear the sea when it's quiet at night. The rock face down there glows pink in certain lights. 
The rocky beach in the second photo is also just a short stroll away.  This beach provides whole new textures from the sandy cove in the first picture .The rocks have been worn away in a pattern you could only dream of recreating in silver!
The third photo is a wooded area nearby.  The undergrowth gets covered in blue bells in the spring and gives the whole area of trees a purple hue.
These are the things that we can pull on for ideas for colours and textures for our jewellery.  Hope you like them."

http://www.stradballyjewellery.etsy.com
www.stradballyjewellerydesign.com
www.stradballyjewellerydesign.blogspot.com

If you too have images for this feature please send them to me at bridbird78 [!at] hotmail [dot] com. See this blog post for details. Thanks!

I'll Show You Mine with Sorcha Gillett

Bienvenue tout le monde! My name is Sorcha Gillett and I am an Irish textile artist. Welcome to my studio sweet studio! Two weeks after moving into our loft apartment and my little studio is finally up and running. I have been living in the South of France for a year now, in a surfers heaven on the west coast between Bordeaux and San Sebastian. I work as a girl's surfwear graphic designer for Rip Curl here in Hossegor, so leisurely weekends in my studio are greatly anticipated during the busy 9-5 week. Oh how rude of me to keep you talking at the door, won't you please come inside...

Et voila! Meet my new studio! I am head over heels in love with my new desk, the built in lightbox is the best invention IKEA have ever concocted. The lamp is also from IKEA. The chair is from a local vintage market, the inspiration board is down to two hours work of framing foam board with a foam board frame covered in vintage floral fabric. Tuilips are from The Boyfriend :)

I probably spend more time on my inspiration boards than I do on my paintings! I squirrel inspiration from everywhere, romantic magazine advertisements, antique lace, vintage trims, illustrations, pictures from my blog...it all goes up there :)

Something old, something new, something borrowed something blue... well these definitely tick the blue box! It was love at first sight! Although they were a dreary mahogany brown in the market I knew they had oh so much potential, two coats of satin finish powder blue later and nobody need ever know their dirty little secret! These drawers are the sanity behind my studio, all beads, threads, needles, scissors, and general miscellaneous "ugly things" go in there.

When I get tired of gazing at my inspiration board I can swivel around to fling open the balcony doors and let the beach in. I grow lavender and beach daisies here and in summer the smell is amazing. The Boyfriend grows cooking herbs and salads in driftwood boxes on "his side, so depending on where I sit, I'm either daydreaming of fleeting romantic moments...or just plain hungry!

Thank you for visiting everybody, if you would like to see more of my life and design inspiration in France you can visit Dandelion Daydreamer (my blog), and to see my work you can visit my website or my Etsy shop. Have a nice day :)

Love, Love Me Do...You Know I love You

Balanced- Your love in Pink
Lightkeeping- Shinning Love Earrings
EnglishCookies- Je T'aime
Bridget Farmer Books- Book of Love
Tanya Mac- You Rock
Nice Day Designs- Love Me Blue
WeeCute Treasures- Valentines Day Clothes Pin
Sorcha Gillet- Love
Nice Day Designs- Lesbian Pride
Tanya Bond- I'll Mend Your Heart

Just in case you forgot about the team project here is a little reminder. A few people sent me their entries for the valentines project, and a few I found by searching about in the teams listings. If you want to have your valentines items here on the blog, just send me a link to my shop. Closing date for the valentines themed team project is the start of February.

The Art of Flameworking, How to and Introduction to the Real Thing...by ViviBijoux

Flameworking...or Lampworking, same difference! But I just love the word...with a torch in one hand and a vivid colour glass rod in the other, the sky's the limit! Your imagination can go wild once you found your perfect medium, wouldn't you agree? Well, in my case, it starts with jewellery making and lampwork.

This is why I wanted to talk about a couple of things that I am quite passionate about: first the so-called 'handmade' mass produced lampwork beads (:-(, then the artisan beads and last but not least jewellery creations featuring gorgeous beads...

Starting with the often controversial subject of mass producing lampwork beads. Often coming from india, china, turkey etc...cheap (obviously), not always bad looking and...well above all cheap, that's why a lot a designers would use them. Nothing wrong with that. It's great to be able to offer different budget jewellery. My point being : when buying lampwork, be aware of where it's coming from. So many people sell mass produced beads or use them in their designs and then pass them as handmade products or falsely claim that they made the beads themselves in their 'studio'. THAT is not right, especially when under false pretense the beads are not properly kiln-annealed for strength and durability.

On the other hand, I tell you what, there's some very talented lampwork artists out there! and oh so many fabulous beads to choose from...In some lampwork etsy shops I'm like a kid in a sweet shop. Just look at that glass...*sigh* love all the colors!!! Talking about eye candy huh! Wouldn't it be worth it to give an edge to your jewellery meanwhile supporting your fellow etsyans and artisans?! Surely it's worth it :-)

'Amethyst Season' Bracelet by ViviBijoux

Anyhow, a few months ago, I wanted to have a go at lampworking. So I contacted Cadenza beads a lampwork studio in Dublin. Ruzica, the teacher was brilliant! very patient and so passionate about her art. So there she is (down below) and there I am (behind the camera that is) trying to understand how to make my first ever glass bead...

For that, you need:

* a rod of glass, pick your favorite color!
* a mandrel dipped in bead release
* a lampworking torch and oxygen concentrator or hothead
* a kiln or even a fibre blanket will do for now
* protective glasses with didymium lenses
* a bit of water handy would be great in case you need to cool off your glass rod

here's how :

* Get your torch going...
* fibre blanket or vermiculite close on hand
* dipped mandrel in your left hand

* glass rod of your choice in your right hand

* warm up your mandrel in the flame

* introduce your glass rod as well and wait a few seconds to form a mini glass ball
* then simply wrap the glass (direction : away from you) on the dipped bit of the mandrel

* make it as thick or as thin as you want, turn it over and over in the flame to spread evenly the glass and to smooth it out.
* and...that's about it, pop your bead into the kiln/vermiculite/fibre blanket. and there you are, you created your first glass bead! There on the picture you can see the flamboyant bead (very hot) on the mandrel in her left hand.

Of course this is a VERY basic step-by-step. There's a lot of health and safety issues involved that I strongly recomend you look into if you're serious about getting started, as well as how to use the torch and so on. And really tere is nothing like being taught by a pro. However, a great read for beginners and pros is 'Passing the flame' by Corina Tettinger. Brilliant step-by-step and photographs for bead enthusiasts.

All that said, if I were to show you my first beads, you'd laugh...(shall I dare? Naaaa, that could be the object of an other post) But, man I enjoyed my day! I'd love to have my own studio and get going at the flame. (Saving up for that one) but meanwhile, I'm having fun creating unique and colorful jewellery designs...like so:

'Autumn glow' bracelet by ViviBijoux

Here's the thing, I love using artisan lampwork beads. They bear the artisan's mark. They have life and soul! No seriously, I carefully choose my beads from my favorite artists and usually create my designs around them. My jewellery is never complex looking but rather let the beads speak for themselves. I usually set them in sterling and bali silver and swarovski crystals. Nothing less!

'Winter Polar Bear' bracelet by ViviBijoux

For more creations, please visit my boutique http://www.vivibijoux.etsy.com/ or search for the ViviBijoux fan page on Facebook for gallery photos, draws, contests and updates on new jewellery coming up on etsy. Anything new happening with me will be posted there, so keep an eye on that page.

Lots new frosting coming next month by the way. I have even had a custom order ! (*sigh* I'm delighted!) Also I would like to add that I hope you enjoyed reading through this article. It was my first time blogging EVER! Being part of Etsy ireland team is an honor. So please let me know what your thoughts are, I'd LOVE to hear from you... Happy browsing!

- Virginie aka ViviBijoux

Clickety click and 'Share the Love' - Ooakie does it again!

Ooakie and her magic fingers have scored ANOTHER treasury. I'm starting to think she never sleeps and just lurks in the treasury waiting to pounce. Amazing stuff!
This theme is Heart and Soul and there are delicious Valentine-themed goodies. You must click, click and have a peek. Thanks again Ooakie for persistence and your hard work!

Publicity for Etsy team member Placed

Congratulations to Placed who scored a mention and pic on the back page of Ireland's Jan/Feb issue of 'House and Home' magazine in a snippet about etsy.com. Great stuff!
Placed in located in Belfast and has a beautiful range of Homewares and printed products, all created with crisp, minimalist flair. Go and have a peek and yay to Placed!

Clickety click - another treasury for the team!

Ooakie has snagged another treasury - I don't know how she does it! Every time I go near the treasury it's hugely oversubscribed ... so well done for persistence and know-how! If you could spare a few moments to have a peek and click away on the items and increase the views for each it will help promote all the participants and be much appreciated.


The theme is blue and the mix of things look beautifully serene together. Thanks Ooakie!
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=107788

Fab 5 on Friday

Emilia Mixed Fiber Spinning Batt 1.5 ounces by LHogan

I love you lunch cards for kids by Swannansmerlin

Cup cozy, set of 2 by Sweensie

Eco brooch pin by Lilgreenshop

Bubble birds square folded card by Propeller

chosen by Áine from missaine

Trade Secrets...Limerick Suppliers

Hey there this is Ruth from Nice Day Designs and Nice Day Supplies, and I'm gonna show you a couple of my favorite supplies shops in Limerick. I buy an awful lot of my supplies online but nothing beats going to the shop and having a browse around a lovely supplies shop. The fact that I can see and touch things always makes me buy more. I work in quite a few diciplines, from making handmade cards, painting, sewing, and felt crafting. So I'm really glad that I have these two local shops just 5-10 minutes walk from my house.

Firstly there is this darling shop M-Sign that is on Mallow St in Limerick city centre. My first memory of this place is when I first moved to Limerick, and I walked down with my list for college clutched in my hand. They were so helpful and nice, I felt like a kid in a candy store. I love the work that Toni and Mary do, they are both so lovely, it's the kind of service you dream of getting in every shop. Their main focus is supplying materials for the art college students, and also for schools. They have a good range paint, pens, card, brushes and miscellaneous tools. Only the other day I picked up some great small canvases, and great scissors that cuts some funky shapes.

M-sign offer 10% discount to students, their email address is msign@eircom.net, and they open 9-5.30pm Mon-Fri and 11-1pm on Saturdays.

My second port of call is 'Silkes-One Stop Stationary' which is on Catherine St. right in the city centre. It has three main things that it sells: art supplies, teaching aids/crafts/supplies, and office supplies. There range of crafts covers a wide range of paints, canvases, card making supplies, sketchbooks etc. This is a really handy shop to go to if you have lots of different things you need to get. I quite often need to get office supplies for the business and it's great that I don't have to go to another shop to get staplers, envelopes etc. It is a pretty large shop, and it's not unknown for people to spend nearly an hour in there browsing through all of their goodies!

I'm always asking for really awkward things in there, in bulk amounts and the staff are always very helpful. They offer a 10% discount for students and teachers (not including the stationary) and they also sell online,check out there website here, and they are open 6 days a week.

I'll show you mine...

I'm Jessamyn Sommers, the mixed media artist behind Homespun Ireland on Etsy. My work explores themes of Irish traditions and country life, and my studio in Ballinacurra, Co. Cork, is the perfect setting for my pieces, a step back in time.

I share a large studio space in Bennett's Mill, an old disused grain mill built in 1912. The mill comprises several structures and is largely dilapidated, but has one building which has been preserved and houses studios for several local artists. Our space encompasses two large rooms, which still contain many of the original features and machinery of the mill from it's working days.


Although I keep a sewing room at home, I find my space at the studio invaluable for spreading out, and combing over my stash of ephemera and found objects to experiment with composition, but still being able to come back to everything later, without having to tidy everything away, or find it...'collaborated upon' by my two-year-old!



Sharing a space also means that I am likely to run into one of the other resident artists, for a chat and a cup of tea, which can break up a long day. Mostly, though, it's a quiet place to get away from my busy life with my business and family, and lose myself in my work.


It's a luxury to have a dedicated studio space, but by sharing with other artists and reclaiming disused buildings, it can be made affordable. If you're in Cork and interested in sharing studio space, or would like to visit our studio, you can contact me at homespunireland at eircom dot net.

2010 Irish Blog Awards

Have you heard of the Irish Blog Awards? The nominations for the 2010 awards are now open. To vote for your favorite Irish blog go here and fill in the nomination form, there are a number of catagories from best food/drink, fashion, music, sports and group blog, and many more. I figured that lots of you are bloggers yourself, or regualr readers, so go show your appreciation and love by nominating your favorite blogs....I just did!!

Get on board the Crafty Ireland Etsy train!

** UPDATE **
Sue at Amazing Beads is now the contact for new member enquiries ... send her a convo and she can fill you in on the inside info.
************************

January 2010
Thanks to the hard work of Tanya and Sarah our Crafty Ireland team has now over 100 members ... woo hoo! But there is always room for more, so if you are an Irish Etsy seller or know someone who is selling on Etsy, get in touch.

Convo Alex [propeller] to find out more and be part of the team. It's amazing to see the breadth and variety of wonderful talents in the team so I'm looking forward to seeing even more in 2010!

How-to Tuesday - Pompero Striped Hat

Okay, so this hat is a little late for the cold-snap, but you should still get some good use out of it during the year, considering Ireland's generally cold-ish weather. It can be worn as a really slouchy hat, or you can fold up the brim to pull it down tighter on your head. The length means you can pull it down over your ears to keep yourself really warm!

(Apologies for the crappy self-taken photos. And the clock in the back is not part of the pattern, or attached to my head!)
To fit an average sized adult head

Materials: Approx 150g Patons Pompero yarn (or a similar weight yarn of your choice)
4.5mm circular needles or 5 dpns (double pointed needles)
Stitch marker or scrape piece of yarn to mark the rounds
Darning needle

Glossary: k - knit; p - purl; m1 - make 1, increase by picking up the bar that lies before the next
stitch and knitting into it; k2tog - decrease by knitting the next two stitches together
at the same time; sts - stitches.

How-to:
Cast on 72 sts. Join to knit in the round, or divide between 4 dpns.
Mark the end of the round with a stitch marker or a scrap piece of yarn
Work in (K2, P2) rib until the piece measures 3 inches.
Next row: (K4, M1) to end - 90 sts.
K 6 rows.
** P 2 rows.
K 4 rows. **
Repeat the previous 6 rows until you have 9 ridges of purl in total.

Shape top of head:
Row 1: (K3, K2tog) to end - 72 sts.
Row 2: K
Row 3: (K2, K2tog) - to end - 54 sts.
Row 4: (K1, K2tog) to end - 36 sts.
Row 5: (K2tog) to end - 18 sts.

Break off a long length of yarn, thread through the remaining sts, pull up tightly and fasten off.
Weave in any ends.
A very big thanks to Ruth for inviting me to guest on the blog, and I'll be posting on Friday also for the Fab5 Picks on Friday (can't wait for that, some of you Etsy Irelanders have some gorgeous stuff that I really want!).

My little shop is missaine where I mostly sell knitting patterns for toys, and sometimes a few other little handmade things. Unfortuneatly I missed any of the meet-ups for Crafty Ireland last year as I was getting married and my head was mush! But hopefully I'll get meet you guys this year at some stage.

Thanks for the reading, and if you've any problems with the pattern send me a message or email.

Aine