Botanical Illustration at Moonko Sheffield

Botanical Illustration at Moonko Sheffield

Tuesday, 2 October 2018

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On a rainy Thursday evening a few weeks ago, myself and a group of lovely ladies headed to the beautiful Moonko, based on Division Street in Sheffield for a Botanical Illustration Class.  Hosted by the incredible force of a woman and owner, Deborah Moon.

After all running in from the storm we all got settled with Debbie's welcoming hospitality, a variety of snacks and drinks, and the warm atmosphere in Moonko. 

To settle our nerves and get the creative juices flowing Debbie introduced a number of timed, fun and stress free challenges! I won't go into detail as you need to experience it for yourself but it was such a fun way to work into a workshop, especially if you are like me and have no confidence in your abilities whatsoever. 

Then to get more comfortable with the room we were tasked with blind drawing those sat next to us, and if that doesn't get you over those awkward hellos then I don't know what will! I am not going to share my attempts here but I can honestly say I have no perception of placement but some of the pieces that came out of this exercise were stunning. 

After this warm up we began to take full advantage of the botanical haven that is Moonko and took to the shop to begin practicing our new found creative freedom. What I really enjoyed about this class was the lack of pressure and focusing on relaxing within the drawing process. Not only was Moonko snug and safe but with supportive women, beautiful music and inspiring surroundings everyone fed off each other to create natural and alluring pieces. 

I found myself focusing on single leaves and intricate plants and it was so interesting to look up and see how differently we all interpreted the room, going from entire styled shots to focusing on colour and light. 

As we all took to the paper in front of us time seemed to pass in an instant and although I left saying this was something I wanted to devote my time to, like most things in life I just haven't got round to it yet. So I cannot wait to get myself back into that space again, and for £5 it is an absolute bargain. 

The array of organic material in such a stunning setting is the perfect place for a botanical illustration class, I cannot wait to go to Moonko again. 

Fancy having a go yourself? Join us for the October class! Get your tickets here. 

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Pin Collection Part Four

Pin Collection Part Four

Sunday, 8 July 2018

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For the fourth instalment of my pin collection I'm focusing on gifted pins from pals!

First up is this amazing David Attenborough pin from Wren & Wilson that was a gift from the amazing Dulcimer Draws for the In Colourful Company secret santa! So now I get share my love for the big D with everyone! Pick it up here for just £7.

 

Then this beautiful little aloe is from my incredible friend Nat from sunning herself in Barcelona! I've had some incredible support the past few months and cannot thank Nat enough for being a great listener for all the bat shit stuff I say. And now I get to think of the fantastic plant mum every time I look at my lapel! 

Another absolute star (i've got some great pals and this post isn't going to cover them all) has been my friend Jess throughout this all, and even more so with this lil Dwight pin! A few years ago Jess got me a pin that resembled my dog and I was devastated when I lost it, so now I have this little guy to replace him. 

Jess also picked me up a pin of my one true love whilst she was in NY. 

And finally, this amazing glittery pin is from Bloody Nora Pam and was a gift from another amazing friend, Gemma, another babe I could never live without.  I've mentioned this pin before but couldn't resit sharing it again. 

Bloody Norma Pam are spreading positive messages through merch...

"We have finally created BLOODY NORA PAM to enable people to spread bold positive and empowering messages that we completely believe in. To spread love and light whilst raising awareness and donating 10% of all of our profits to the UK Sepsis Trust in honour of Josh."

Find out more about Bloody Norma Pam here.

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Pin Collection Part Three

Pin Collection Part Three

Sunday, 20 May 2018

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For the third instalment of my pin collection I thought I would focus on bookish pins. I feel like I buy more bookish pins for others than I do for myself so this is a smaller selection than usual. 

The first pin is from the amazing Nutmeg and Arlo whose instagram I constantly lust over. I could easily buy all of their pins but there are not enough lapels in my wardrobe. This pin has a quote from the amazing 'The Perks Of Being A Wallflower' by Stephen Chboksy and is available to buy here. 

If you are unfamiliar with the book and love a coming of age story I recommend you check it out here . 

The final two pins are from the incredible Literary Emporium who will always keep my home and wardrobe full of literary touches. The above pin is from their stunning Dystopian Collection but of course I had to have the 'The Handmaids Tale' pin.

There is a pretty old blog post about the book here too if you fancy a wee read. 

This last pin is actually the first bookish pin I ever bought hence why it is so lovingly battered from living on so many jackets. I couldn't resist the Penguin resemblance or the beautiful library card backing it came on. 

Fend off interrupters for life with the book lovers pin here.

Got any bookish pin recommendations? Give me a shout! 

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Pin Collection Part Two

Pin Collection Part Two

Tuesday, 3 April 2018

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For the second part of my pin collection I thought I would share some of the pins I have picked up at craft fairs.

I thought we'd start off with the pins I got Northern Craft held at the Northern Monk Refectory.

Driving the craft revolution with the 'Make Craft Great Again' pin designed by Sean Mort (one of the co-founders of Northern Craft).

In 2017 they commissioned 25 enamel pins to be designed by some of their favourite crafters inspired by the north and creative process. The pins were exhibited in the Northern Monk Refectory and were available to buy throughout the fair.

Check out the Pin Drop designs here or get your own 'Make Craft Great Again' pin here. 

Clearly, I struggled to just pick one and also ended up picking up 'It'll be Reet' pin by Finest Imaginary, as long with a few other things!

This pin was limited edition for the 'Pin Drop' but a stunning copper coloured one (which I desperately need) is available to buy here.

[Mark Newton Beer Yorkshire Exhibition at Northern Monk]

Their next fair is on May 12th in Leeds and I can 100% guarantee you will love it. RSVP here. 

Next up is a pin I got when we went to The Hepworth Wakefield's Christmas Market and spent ALL my money. People are so talented!

This beautiful pin is from the creative babes Sarah and Monty behind Geo Heaven. They create incredible 3D printed jewellery from beautiful geometric structures.

I treated myself to this pin because I can never ever choose from their stunning selection, although I think my heart is setting on their conjoined cosmic ball with stunning rose gold chain (here).

Grab yourself a mint icosahedron here.

[Christmas Window of Handmade Nottingham]

The final two pins I picked up at Handmade Nottingham Christmas Fair at Malt Cross after lusting at them online for so long.

The pair are from the amazing Thread Famous and as you can imagine, I wanted to buy everything! I finally decided on going with the Sylvia Plath pin (here), the Plath bookmark (here) and the very me - Existential Crisis pin (here)

Also I highly recommend following them on Instagram here for beautiful pictures and book recommendations.

Their next fair is on May 13th in Nottingham, you can RSVP here.

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Pin Collection Part One

Pin Collection Part One

Sunday, 18 March 2018

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I've finally got my shit together and started putting together this pin post, but what I didn't think about was how many I actually have. So i've split them up, enjoy post one of many of my pin collection...

First up combines my love of gin and pins from the incredible Jo at Hello Sunshine (website here). 

A few weeks ago I thought i'd lost this amazing pin after a few too many gins but it miraculously appeared in a tote bag and my lapels were saved! 

Treat yourself to one here. 

My pin collection isn't just enamel pins, a friend bought me this beautiful illustrated wooden Book Worm from Kate Rowland after I was lusting after it at Renegade Craft fair a few years ago. 

This is no longer available on Kate's site but I highly recommend her beautiful work, check it out here.

Then there is this beaut 'Drink Tea and Read Books' from Fable and Black that I picked up, alongside a number of their pins, mirrors and coasters for Christmas gifts from Handmade Nottingham.  

A haven for bookish lovers, spend all your money here. 

This amazing glittery pin is from Bloody Nora Pam, and this beautiful pair are spreading empowering messages via merch and clothing.  This pin was an amazing gift from a friend and it's been on my jacket ever since. 

Get yours here.

The final pin i'm sharing in this post is The Dillinger Escape Plan pin I got during their final tour in the UK.  I couldn't find this anywhere online to buy now so if you see one around give me a shout. 

What pins do you want to know more about next? 

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Curiosity: February's Creative Mornings Sheffield

Curiosity: February's Creative Mornings Sheffield

Sunday, 25 February 2018

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Want to get up early on a Friday morning for a creative kick in the arse? Of course you do. 

Creative Mornings describe themselves as 'a breakfast lecture series for the creative community' with the incredible manifesto 'everyone is creative... everyone is welcome'. 

February’s global theme was Curiosity, a word that can mean many things but what was great was that it was curiosity in Creative Mornings that brought me there. 

Held on the second floor of the beautiful Sheffield Institute of Arts, Frankly Green + Webb's Lindsey Green led the talk on Curiosity and I left brimming with ideas. 

Frankly Green + Webb are an independent consultancy who work with cultural organisations all over the world to help them achieve their strategic objectives through digital products and services, and that I feel is putting it simply.  Lindsey's talk encouraged us and also our customers, users, audience (whichever applicable) to ask why, and to feel safe and confident enough to do so. 

This confidence in the curious can lead to learning, inspiration and opportunities and the idea that it is okay not to know. This perfectly entwining with why we were all there. If we had explored all our creativity and knowledge already then we would not be curious. Lindsey telling us to 'embrace the fear and feel it'. 

I feel like my creativity has being stagnant recently so to meet such talented people achieving so many incredible things was a refreshing start to my work day. Linsey Green was captivating, enthralling and witty and from the anecdotes of Frankly Webb + Green it sounds like they are an incredible company who have achieved amazing things and will continue to do so.

So thanks for the inspiration Creative Mornings Sheffield & Frankly Green + Webb, see you next time.

Find out more at creativemornings.com and Frankly Green + Webb here. 

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Making Macrame Plant Hanger with Craft Lab at La Biblioteka

Making Macrame Plant Hanger with Craft Lab at La Biblioteka

Thursday, 30 November 2017

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So a while back after a few baileys I randomly booked myself and my boss onto one of Craftlab's sessions at La Biblioteka for a wee cheer up. 

We got our spaces on the Macrame Plant Hanger session for £30 each including materials, tutorial, plant, prosecco and snacks all booked via the Craft Lab website. 

We were welcomed on a cold Tuesday evening into the cosey workspace on the second floor of La Biblioteka to welcoming faces and a glass of prosecco. 

Julie who hosted the class made us feel right at home and we started learning how to do the two knots we'd be using that evening. We then picked our cord colours for the plant hangers and cut them to the right length.

After getting the hang of the knots (won't say i've quite mastered it yet) we started work on our plant hangers using beautiful hoops and a gathering bond to work down from.



From this Julie guided us through creating the shape of the plant hanger using a twisted bar knot. As a beginner it was fantastic having Julie to hand, she's fantastic teacher and made everything so clear to follow. It was such a relaxing process I could make knots all night with Julie's assistance!

At the beginning it was hard to see how these cords were going support a plant pot but as we finished each set of knots it began to shape and to say I got a little excited is an understatement. 

The finished product looks amazing in my wee house and was so simple to do with Julie's help! I even had a little time to pick up a few goodies from La Biblioteka after.

[Caboodle, Lionheart and Sister Magazine]

Find out about Craft Lab's upcoming workshops here or follow them on instagram for beautiful updates.

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