When I was studying fine art, I had a teacher who used to drive me insane by scrawling all over my lovingly executed drawings. Now I have to fight the urge not to become that very same tutor! When I was pregnant, this was not in the the vision I had of the future. In those naive daydreams I was always serenely creating (in a sunlit studio of course) with my child prodigy next to me banging out his latest masterpiece! 

So the temptation to stick my oar in and make my son's entire costume myself for World Book Day is overwhelming. Now, I don't want to come over as the pushy mum but there is a prize to be had here! 

We really do tread a very fine line with our costume making. I will never forget the cautionary tale of when my nephew had to dress as a chicken for the school play. There they were, all lined up on the stage. There stood Jacob in his homemade, yellow, cardboard beak and feet and his Granny's old fur coat. The other parents had obviously all nipped down to a branch of 'Costumes are Us' and fought grimly over the best feathered outfits for their little darlings.
When I asked my Sister In Law what he looked like she replied; 'He looked like the kid who's parents had forgotten about him until five to nine on a Monday morning'. 

Anyway, I think we have come to a happy compromise this year. My son has decided that he would like to go as 'The Slightly Annoying Elephant' by David Walliams. I have made the headdress. Well, I had to, I couldn't possibly endanger my son by letting him use the sewing machine, could I? He will be making the adoption certificate featured in the book. It will look brilliant because it will be done on the computer so the text will be as beautiful as a monk's  manuscript!

Pictures next week!

For as long as I can remember, making and creating has been my passion. Mum always used to say to people that I was never without a pencil in my hand. My sister was fourteen years older than me and she became a huge influence on my creativity. I was extremely lucky! I have a vivid memory from when I was just three years old of her leading me out of the world of stick men and showing me how to draw real people with bodies and legs. I can still remember the little picture she drew with a Biro of a girl in a calf length coat and lace up boots! Isn't it funny how these things stick with you?

My sister soon moved away with her new husband to do teacher training. I regularly spent some of the School hols with them in Northamptonshire. This is where we started what would become a tradition for years - our summer sewing project. My first makes all came from the 'Golden Hands Book of 80 Toys to make for Children'. I made a simple doll with a ping pong head and plaited arms and legs. Next came little snakes made out of pipe cleaners, felt and sequins. You could make a whole Noah's Ark but I never got past the snakes! For months my family were inundated with little reptilian gifts. Three of them sat proudly in my Nana's glass cabinet in her dining room amidst the Royal Doulton.

In 2005 my sister and her husband were living in County Durham and I was settled in Brighton. We were at opposite ends of the country but we were in regular contact discussing, amongst other things, our latest makes. When my husband and I finally tied the knot (after an eighteen year engagement) she made us a beautiful quilt embroidered with our names and the date of our wedding. It still graces our bed to this day. 

Unfortunately, due to illness, my sister had to take early retirement. She made the most of her time though and when I had my son at the end of 2006, we received a stream of beautifully handcrafted gifts. Every so often we met up in London for a meal and a trip to an art gallery or the theatre. We began to discuss setting up a website and selling our makes together. We even talked about calling ourselves 'The Scissor Sisters' but thought we might get sued for copyright! Sadly it was never to be. My sister eventually lost her seven year battle with cancer. 

When I inherited my sister's sewing paraphernalia, I knew that I had to do something with it. It spurred me on to sew more regularly I had in the years previous with a renewed sense of urgency. There were other factors that also made me take the plunge into self employment, but the fact remains that, without her, I would not be doing what I do today. I do wish that she could be here to see what I am up to and that we could chat about our sewing. But I am lucky enough to have so many memories attached to all the beautiful things she made. She was, still is and always will be my greatest inspiration.  Cheers Caroline! 

Bottom wedding photograph by James Pike Photography

It all started on Monday. I casually went to, one of my regular networking pages, The Selling Cafe. To my surprise I discovered that my rosy posy brooch had been entered into their competition for best photo. How nice, I thought and promptly put a little post up on my Facebook page asking for support. Votes started to trickle in and I found myself climbing to second place. Very quickly, it became a bit of a two horse race. This was largely due to the competitive spirit that had rapidly taken over the two front runners - the lovely Crafted by Sez with her unique knitted wine bottles and myself. 

Carried away
Pretty soon, we were both posting up regular pleas for support on Facebook. By day two, Crafted by Sez raised the bar by putting up a laugh-out-loud bitstrip of herself, hypnotising her likers to vote. In reply, I lost all my dignity and posted a shameless photo of myself mid star jump stating 'If you vote for me, i'll be this happy!'. The race was on! Over the next couple of days, our posts became more ridiculous and outlandish in an attempt to secure votes. To gain attention, I found myself using photos as diverse as stills from Chariots of Fire to of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer sporting handbags!

It's Catching!
Soon, fellow business pages were getting carried away in the excitement! The fantastic Handmade by Purple Poppy, Glasspirations and many more put Facebook statuses up to drum up votes. Marie from Simply the Best for Health and Beauty went twitter crazy! I would love to name all of you but can't fit you all in but thank you all so, so much! 

The highlight of the week for me came on Wednesday morning. On my wall I found another bitstrip from Crafted by Sez, in reverse Santa style, supposedly stealing my laptop and leaving cookies instead! 

The Big Prize
But what prize could be so amazing that it would make grown adults resort to such desperate measures? A huge cash prize? A years supply of cupcakes? An evening with Johnny Depp? No! It was a chance to be the next featured business on The Selling Cafe blog. The Selling Cafe is a relatively new website but it is quickly gaining popularity. It is basically a virtual craft fair with makers being added on a daily basis to both the website and facebook page. Although it has been, at times, exhausting, I have had such great fun with all the friendly banter and huge support. I'm so happy with my prize because a little publicity can go a long way! 

The small shopkeeper rises again
In the days of the small shopkeeper (not so long ago), expert advice was a given. The seller knew their stock and probably their customers too. Information on their product was part and parcel of the selling process. 

As more independent traders turn their attention to internet selling, this is a vital tradition that is being revived. Buying online has huge plus points, such as not having to battle your way through the crowds at Christmas! However, one of the down sides is that you don't see the item 'in the flesh' before you buy. Some interaction is essential if you are looking for the right thing. Besides, a bit of human contact is always welcome in what is generally a solo pursuit.

Buyers inspire
Many online craft sellers offer a bespoke design service so customer relations are a top priority! One of my reasons for starting Crafty Jo Designs was because of a general frustration with the standard fare on the High St. Personally, I welcome input from my customers as it often gives me inspiration. I am regularly asked for different colour ways in my felt flower jewellery range. These have led to all sorts of lovely combinations I may never have thought of. Recently a customer asked me to make a kindle cover with a teapot design on it. This got me thinking about my pincushions and how a teapot style range would be lovely (watch this space).

I was having a little sort out of my stock photos earlier this week and this one did make me titter. The day I took this is so indelibly etched in my mind. 
When you look at this picture you probably imagine a gloriously, festive scene. Bing Crosby is singing White Christmas on the radio, the smell of mulled wine and mince pies is wafting from the kitchen and neatly packaged gifts nestle under the tree.  
However, I have to admit dear reader, that I have been more than a little deceitful! 'Whaaaaat?' I hear you gasp in horror!
It was the 22nd July, officially the hottest day of 2013, when I ran this shoot. The day was so screamingly bright I had to have every curtain closed so that I could get even a glimmer of fairy lights showing through the backdrop. My Husband looked slightly disturbed when he arrived home to see me with a face like a tomato, clicking away in the semi darkened sweat box. I also had to explain to my disappointed six year old that 'no, we were not going to buy a Christmas tree just yet!'. Next year, I think I will just wait for a dull and rainy evening! Seasons Greetings everyone and, yes, I am actually writing this in December!   

How it began
I had been in the same job for 14 years but, since I had my son, I was struggling with less hours and no flexibility. It all began as an extra income project, making up bits and bobs in the evening and whenever I had any other precious spare time. Luckily for me, it seemed that people really wanted what I was offering. The orders started to trickle in and I thought if I could concentrate on this project fully I could really make a go of it. By June, I was ready to take the plunge!

It was a bit scary, leaping into the unknown but at the same time, a complete thrill. I knew I wasn't going to be earning millions but, on the other hand, we wouldn't starve! The last six months, the hours have been gruelling. I have been fitting in work around the school day and then beavering away until midnight every evening. But it has been so satisfying! 

Finding a niche
It was when I came up with the idea of my 'hat' pincushions that the ball really got rolling. I was amazed that, among the many pincushion styles, there really weren't that many hat shaped ones around! I had stumbled upon a little niche. My style had come together and I could now stamp the 'Crafty Jo' look onto any idea I came up with.

Are you ready?
If you are thinking about doing it for yourself, I thoroughly recommend it. There are a few, what I think are, golden rules. 

• You have to be willing to put in the time and lots of it!
  
• I think it is also essential that you make quality products that you are passionate about, not something that you think will make a fast buck. The public are discerning and will see through tat. 
  
• Countless hours will be spent social networking. Luckily for me, I rather enjoy this part. In this day and age it is completely necessary. There is no point having a beautiful website and gorgeous creations if nobody sees them! 
  

If none of the above fazes you too much, then you are ready to go it alone. Without wanting to sound like a trashy, self help book, if you believe in yourself and go for it wholeheartedly some success will follow. Here's to the next year! 

On arrival, I was informed that there was a problem with the gazebo I was supposed to be borrowing to protect my wares from the elements. There were three gazebos in all but one had most of it's parts missing and was now being used as spares to build the other two gazebos that were also bereft of vital structural elements. Hence, no gazebo for me.

 After a bit of a panic, Mike, a friend of ours, said that he would bring his tent down. I asked if it would be big enough to fit a table and me in the front of it without me having to kneel for the duration of the day. 'Oh yes, no problem, it's quite big' he replied noncholantly. He wasn't kidding! Spread out on the ground it must have been getting on for 30ft wide. Mike, very kindly helped me build the enormous structure, after seeing me look girlishly helpless at the mountain of mind boggling tent poles. As the two central poles went into place I realised the full enormity of this camper's palace. I really wanted to say 'please can we just forget about it' but 30 minutes and a whole lot of swearing in, I thought it would seem a bit churlish! As the tent rose like a blue millennium dome it dwarfed the lucky people's gazebo (which I had so coveted an hour earlier) to the right of me by about 5ft. 'My table was going to look utterly ridiculous' I gasped at Mike. 'It's ok' came his reply 'the origami bloke can use the other side'. Thank goodness for the origami bloke! Five kids chairs and a pile of A4 paper was going to make a world of difference. I even saw a woman walk up to the horse rescue tombola stall next to me and mouth to them (whilst pointing in horror) 'what's that doing there?'. Oh the shame! 

Anyway, two hours later and with 20 minutes until the gates opened I could at last set my stall up. Despite our best efforts at protecting my little table, the wind blew mercilessly, for the remainder of the day. Half of my items had to be left in my bag because they kept falling over. The remaining items had to be regularly chased after and retrieved after each prevailing gust. I would like to say that, after all the effort, I made a killing. However, the only thing that came close to being killed was me after a small child tripped over a guy rope and brought the whole porch compartment crashing down on my head. Oh well, at least I had a good view of the bands! Ta ta for now.

First steps
I think the main thing when starting out is to be prepared. I have done a lot of ground work over the past year. I have built up my stock to a reasonable level, although I have loads more makes on the go and not enough hours in the day! A major task was building my website. Again, it is getting there but it is something that will evolve as the business (hopefully) grows. More stock needs to go on, more blog posts and other features that have yet to be explored. I have my Facebook page, which is steadily building. I also have Twitter and Pinterest pages. I have officially registered to be self employed. That was a very big step. Once I had done this it felt like there was no going back. 
The next move
Although social networking is a big part of most successful businesses these days, I still believe you can't beat face to face interaction. My next move will be craft fairs. For my first dip into the outside world, I will be going back to where I was born and brought up. On Saturday 24th August 2013 I will be peddling my wares at The Handmade and Vintage Fair in Skegness, Lincolnshire. If you are in the area, please do drop by and say hello. If not, please keep popping back to see my latest additions. So, it's onwards and upwards as they say. Ta ta for now!  

This was my twentieth! I celebrated the event by making myself a brand new frock for the occasion. I found this fabulous bird design fabric in Fabric Land in Brighton. 
I also made a ton of bunting to take with me as little gifts for our gang and our group of tents were suitably festooned to mark the anniversary! Friends and family took their bunting home as a keepsake and are now brightening homes in Manchester, Leeds and Letchworth.
Festival highlight? A bit of a wierd one! After nipping back to the tent one evening to collect supplies, my friend and I were wandering along one of the top roads high up on the site. Suddenly a land rover came at us at speed from a side road. I pulled my friend back and stared with startled expression, through the car window, only to see, festival organiser, Michael Eavis, grinning and waving cheerfully at us. Our shocked expressions soon changed to glee as we waved back excitedly! That's one to tell the Grandkids! 
The colourful sites of the festival have inspired me and this week it has been back to the sewing. I've come up with a new range of mandala brooches. The first few are in the ever popular peacock colours but more will be coming in different shades. So do keep a look out. Ta ta for now xx

Well, I may seem very relaxed in this picture but looks can be deceiving! The past few weeks have been madly busy. In between altering wedding dresses, finishing commissions, working a job and looking after my son, I have been putting together my website! I hope you like the look of it as this is just for starters. Soon my pages will be even more stuffed to the gills with gorgeous handmade accessories, gifts and home ware. 

Small and perfectly formed
If you want something a little bit different to your average high street fayre, you have come to the right place. I believe that unique, handmade designs can not be beaten by mass produced goods. Handcrafted items shine with the care and attention they have been given. Each one is a small personal statement from the designer. I will be keeping in touch with regular updates on this little blogspot. Do feel free to comment and if you have any enquiries, please do get in touch via the contact page. Ta ta for now my discerning readers and customers.