Wow Thank You: New website promoting UK handmade crafts launches

WowThankYou.co.uk, a new website celebrating handmade crafts and promoting the talents of artisans across the UK, launched this weekend.

With over 1,000 products currently on offer, many of which are one-off items, WowThankYou has been set up to encourage you to look beyond the high street and buy unique, home-grown, gifts instead.

Promoting the work of 230 small, often home-based, businesses and artisans – including Fi & Me - WowThankYou is providing an online outlet for artists and crafters who usually only sell through regional craft fairs.

WowThankYou has been set up by friends Tracey Kifford and Georgena Bowdidge who conceived the business concept after failing to find ‘different’ quality gifts online.

“Why import mass-produced goods when we have UK-based talent who put love and care into every item they make?,” say Tracey and Georgena.

Many items on the website utilise vintage materials and upcycling is actively encouraged and promoted – everything from reclaimed wood and recycled silver to designer keepsakes from cherished fabrics.

For more information see: http://www.wowthankyou.co.uk/ or follow them on Twitter @wowthankyou or Facebook.

Craft & Vintage Sunday

Myself and my lovely sister Fiona will be selling vintage inspired jewellery, crafts and beautifully illustrated cards and stationery at the Craft & Vintage Sunday on 28 February at Broadstone Mill in Reddish, Stockport.

These events will be happening on the last Sunday of every month and they seem to be growing in popularity with each one. It's really good to see something creative and entrepreneurial happening in our home town and we're very honoured to have been invited along!

There will be lots of unique handmade gifts to choose from and, what's more, you can talk to the people who made what you're buying - now, you don't get that on the high street, do you? Plus, you can get your hands on some one-off vintage bargains.

Doors open at 11am through until 4pm and admission is FREE!

Sponsor Me To Shine

I've never really been one for new year's resolutions; they're usually the same perrenial, unrealistic expectations that inevitably lie in tatters come February.

But, this year, I thought I'd resolve to do something positive and that wasn't purely for my own benefit.

So, I'm taking part in Shine Manchester on Saturday, 17 April 2010 by doing a half marathon night-time walk around the streets of Manchester to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

I'd really appreciate any donations (no matter how small) to help me reach my £150 fundraising target. Whatever you can give would be greatly appreciated and go towards the excellent work that Cancer Research UK does.

You can find out more about the event and the route here: http://shine.cancerresearchuk.org or click on the button below to donate.

P.S. Remember to GiftAid it, ta.

Happy (Belated) New Year

Ok, so I'm 23 days late... but already 2010 is shaping up to be a good year*:

Reason #1 - Thanks to the lovely Bethan, my jewellery is now on sale until 31 March at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Maidenhead.

I have never been to Maidenhead, but my jewellery has. And people seem to like it, so hurrah for that! (This means that my Folksy shop is down whilst I work out how much stock I actually have, but it will be back soon).

Reason #2 - I have lots of fun things lined up like sewing classes at the Minstry of Craft, another craft fair in April, mushroom foraging in Scotland in the autumn, and The Big Knit at the Nexus Art Cafe tomorrow.

Reason #3 - I'm moving (again!) No more mouldy, damp (possibly haunted) house and shuddering windows at 5am as the train goes by.

* Touch wood and hope that the laws of sod and tempting fate don't seek me out and strike me down.

Last fair of the year...

Where's Christmas come from all of a sudden? It's all been going so fast that I wasn't really sure whether I'd get the time to do anymore craft fairs this year. But it turns out that I do, and I am...
Plus, it's the first one I'm going to be doing ON MY OWN! I'll be selling a selection of my jewellery at the Stockport Market Christmas Art & Craft Fair tomorrow (Saturday, 19 December). We're going to be outside the main indoor market, along with all the usual street stalls. Apparently we'll have pop-up marquees, which I can't wait to see. I'm just praying that it doesn't snow!

If you're in the area, please come along and say hello.

2009 (or the last three months of it anyway) has turned out to be really exciting in terms of making things, meeting other makers and getting some really positive feedback on my work. There should be lots of exciting things coming up in 2010 including more fairs, an exhibition, a new website and perhaps even a few events. So keep watching this space!

Sew Sew

I've been so busy making stock for craft fairs that I haven't had the chance to put anything online recently! So here's a little bit of what I've been stitching...

Contemporary Christmas Craft Fair

Our first craft fair went so splendidly well last week, that Fi & Me have decided to do another one... this weekend!!

We're going to be at Fuse Crafter's Contemporary Christmas Craft Fair this Sunday, 8 November at Bolton Market Place Shopping Centre from 11am-3pm, selling our wares.

Pictures of both events will hopefully be coming soon. And more fairs in the near future, hoorah! It feels like things are really starting to take off for us, which is exciting and a tiny bit scary. Watch this space...