Handmade As Gaeilge Christmas Tags

My blog is starting to get that sparse look as I frantically try to make Christmas stock. Don't worry I haven't forgotten you, I'm neglecting everything in my life at the moment, except my sewing room, that's getting lot's of 'me time'.

I've been making tonnes of felt Christmas decorations, I hope to post some hastily taken snaps of them later in the week. Today's post is about a project I started a year ago, last Christmas, and abandoned as I was really short for time. I ordered a bunch of blank wooden tags like these ones from MissDiycrafts, except mine had a kind of burnt effect around the edge. I remember thinking they were really good value until I calculated what I would be able to charge for them, so hence the abandoned project. Stupidly this calculation only occurred after I ordered them! 

I stumbled across a bag of half finished paper covered tags the other day and remembered that we'd had a request for handmade tags in the shop. So I decided I wouldn't waste good supplies and finish the batch. I covered the rest of them in paper, varnished them, and painted the backs of them gold. After that I printed out a bunch of  'Nollaig Shona Duit' text boxes in different colours and fonts. I then realised I needed a 'To/From' label for the back which I aged with some brown ink. I had gotten a box of Christmas embellishments from the Art and Hobby Shop the other day, filled with little Santa's, trees and snowmen, it was great to have enough that they all matched(although now I have to go buy more card making embellishments!). After that is was a case of picking out ribbon, and attaching a label for price and barcode. 

I did everything in batches so it really helped with production time, if I was to sit down and compose each one individually it would have taken me a week to make them. Luckily I had loads of the materials already, I have tonnes of ribbon, paper, stickers sheets, and adhesive dots already. I'm scarred to think of the price of making them from scratch if you had to buy all the materials, you'd need to charge a fortune for them. Having said all that my initial instincts were right; they are really time and material consuming and I'm not sure if people will see the work, at the end of the day it's just a gift tag. Because of this I'm keeping the price as low a possible in the hopes that I'll sell all 50 of them, they are €2.50 each. I can't see myself making them again next year even though I think they are really pretty(although if they sell like hot cakes then I might be swayed!). 

I only realised after finishing them they then turn into keepsake Christmas tree decorations when the presents have been opened. For example a husband buys his wife something special for Christmas, and buys one of these posh tags for it, then every year when she puts this on the tree she remembers the lovely gift she got. My mother has a story behind each of her decorations, of holidays taken, presents from family, or special craft shops she visited(always in Sligo or Kilkenny strangley!). It makes our family tree totally personal to us, when the grandkids call over she tells them the story behind each one, it's really lovely actually.

Feedback on the price would be really appreciated, for once I'm quite confused!

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Bazaar Tales Website

This year has been a financial struggle for lots of people, so instead of floundering in debt and the scary world of selling crafts I set up a second hand book stall at the Milk Market. Initially it was meant as a bit of a stop gap measure to get me through the quieter months at the start of the year, but as work increased on Limerick Craft and Design I took it on as a more permanent thing. It's been kind of sad not selling my crafts regularly at the stall, but it's been nice to have something a bit more secure. Now that the craft shop is open I can enjoy the thrill of making more of my work, but not have the financial risk involved with having to cover market rents. Fingers crossed it works out.

I figured that since Bazaar Tales has become a little more established I would set up a blog for it, I love reading and I have been feeling the urge to write more book reviews. Over the past year or so I've written a few here, but now I think it's time that I allocated a proper space for it. So now I introduce you to Bazaar Tales, a place where I'll post about yummy book shelves, funny literature quotes, write book reviews, design quotation printables (like this one), have unusual word of the day, and also publish John's infamously difficult crosswords. 

Currently I don't really have any readership, and no followers, which is quite a change from this blog. If you are into books and like reading blogs then please follow/comment/share, and all those other things that lovely online people do.

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Limerick Craft and Design

I know it's really crazy that it's taken me over a week to post about the opening of Limerick Craft and Design but to be honest I only feel like I'm catching my breath now. Regular readers will know that this project has been in the pipeline for over 10 months, there have been lots of meetings, a tonne of emails, phonecalls, and set backs, and countless voluntary hours put into it, but we got there eventually. For those of you not in the know this new shop is a co-op of Limerick based artists and crafters, a group that I got together at the request of The Limerick City Council. After forming a committee of equally dedicated/crazy volunteers we set about getting the ball rolling and to bring other artists involved. It surpassed all my expectations, it was a harder road, and also a more amazing result. If someone told me this time last year how difficult it would be I would still do it, because I'm a sucker for punishment, but I really had no idea what it would take this long to get to this stage.

Moaning aside it's been an amazing experience, and it's only just starting! I've met some fantastic people, and made great friends through the struggle to get here.People have been so generous with their time, and it's shows in how well it's all turned out.

The response from Limerick people has been amazing, there has been a cloud around the city for quite a while, with shops closing left right and centre;  people have really grasped how important it is to have something positive happen. There wasn't really anywhere that you could go to get locally made handcrafts(apart from the market), and over the past few years I've struggled to go gift shopping in the City Centre, we are hoping to fill that gap. There is an amazing amount of local talent, ranging lots of different disciplines, it so fulfilling to be able to showcase it all in one place.

Limerick Craft and Design is open Tues-Saturday 10AM-6PM, go to our website or Facebook page for more updates and information.

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Fashion Illustration Calender

Original outfit image here.

Ideas for new products come from lots of different places, sometimes it's seeing a tutorial, sometimes discovering a new material, and others it's chatting with friends. I was at my stall the other day and talking with fellow trader Mairead who sells beautiful home and gift ware called The Gift Store (great for house warming presents!). She sells a range of cards, prints and calenders, and we were talking about different illustrators, their styles and their range of products. Having seen my illustrated cards she encouraged me to do a calender, knowing that it would be very different to what she stocks at her stall. It was something that I've had in the back of my head for ages, but never got around to doing. 

Original outfit post here.

So I went home on Sunday and did a few sketches, I liked the idea of doing a fashion illustration one, with the clothes changing to match the Seasons. I did two pieces that evening. I wasn't really sure what style I would work in, but I just followed where the drawing brought me and stumbled upon using a monochrome palette with one popping colour. The idea is that each month will have it's own colour, with the most eye catching piece of clothing in the picture. I trawled through Pinterest and online for distinctive fashion photos to base the illustrations on, I've been looking at magazines, blog posts, street style; anything that pops out. I'm looking forward to doing more pieces, but I'd say it will take me a while to do all 12, lets just hope I have it finished on time for Christmas.

Mairead's stall The Gift Store

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Burlesque and Toy Soldier Costumes

I know it's a little late to be posting Halloween photos, but it's been a crazy week. This year I said I would make a lot less effort with my costume, and I did, but I didn't exactly do something simple either! I wanted to go for a burlesque steampunk look, but I wasn't dressing up as anyone in particular. A lot of people on the night were asking 'Who/what are you?' and my answer was 'Fabulous!', a bit cocky, but hey it's Halloween! 

Unlike last year I don't have any photos of the making process, sorry! I bought the hat in the joke shop on Catherine Street for about €7.50, thankfully I have a huge box of lace and ribbon, so I glued and tied on lots of frilly goodies. I also made two slits in the side and added a bow so the hat could be tied on(at Halloween there are a load of idiots who think it's funny to rip off people wigs/hats/costume-not fun!). I loosely followed this tutorial for making the bustle skirt, you can't really see in the photos but it is really full and it's much longer at the back. I also added a black tulle skirt that I owned already underneath to add even more volume. I really love the skirt and I can see myself wearing it again on a normal night out. The top was really simple, I just sewed some lace onto a waistcoat that I own, and changed the plastic buttons to lovely textured metal ones. The cuffs were an odd mish mash of off cuts from my scraps box, they are the sleeves from a jacket, with ends off pop fastener leggings with a few layers of trimming and lace. They were quite time consuming to hand stitch, but I like the end result, and the kept my arms warm too! The coat was a last minute addition as the temperatures had really dropped and I was losing a battle against a nasty cold. I had been eyeing it up at the Friday Flea Market for a few weeks, but I'm trying to be good and not buy things, so I resisted. But it seemed like a perfect match for my costume, really practical , I would wear it again, and at €15 it was a bargain.

Anyone who know me will tell you I'm a bit crap at girly girl things, I love skirts, pretty stuff and being silly, but when it comes to make-up, heels, and beauty products I'm totally clueless. I found this costume quite a challenge as it involved fake nails, hair extensions, and false lashes, and about an hour doing my make-up! I picked up the hair extensions in Pennies for €2 per set of two, it took me a half an hour and some eventual help from Youtube before I figured them out. I then backcombed the hell out of them and blended them with my hair-I love the effect, it felt very Cyndi Lauper. Hats off to women who do this on a regular basis, either they are certifiable or they are superheroes, I can't decide. 

 After seeing this picture on Pinterest John decided he was going to be a toy soldier, and my God it was a huge undertaking. He spent about a week shopping around town looking for the right guns, holster, helmet, and clothes. But John is quite obsessive about the finer details so most of these had to be altered so the seemed more authentic, he lengthened the gun, reshaped the helmet, and stitched his holster. Then he gloss and spray painted the lot of it, including half of our house(our light switch still has paint on it! Next came the ultimate sacrifice, the beard! He has been growing this ginger beauty for ages, go see it here, but the costume wouldn't have been right with a beard, so it had to go(sniff sniff!)

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