Fabrication Magazine SS15

 back in November I decided it would be really great to have an instore magazine, so here it is Fabrication magazine SS15

Spotlight On the Seller...Rachel Byass

I am based in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, where I have a Ceramic “Paint your own Pottery” studio that seats 28 people. My Love for Ceramics, Pottery and Art started at school where I did pottery and art as much as I could. I went on to study Horticulture, where my love for flower painting on any surface began as we had to draw/paint flowers in our coursework.

 I started doing my pottery as a hobby from a loft conversion where I made lots of styles of pottery for fun both on my own and with my son and other children, as then I was a child minder, and we all had fun. A friend of mine asked me what I did with all the pottery and she offered to hold a pottery party, getting my first shop order and some customers wanting to collect my pots and have a party in their own home and I have never looked back.

 I started my pottery business full time 30 years ago doing party planning and having a rep selling into shops. I loved it so much, mainly the surface designs and painting flowers and designs in underglazes, that I had others wanting to do it for fun. I decided to teach it and completed 8 certifications worldwide in Ceramics, pottery and decorative art, which then enabled me to teach others. I started evening classes and within weeks it went mad. I decided to get a 3000 sq feet warehouse and classroom area and ran night and day classes and manufactured pottery shapes, supplying other pottery’s with shapes to paint and teaching the Duncan certification for Duncan based in USA, After a few years I decided to run a high st shop “Posh pots”, in Pontefract, which I had for 4 years selling my pottery and running craft and pottery classes.

 I liked teaching the best so I eventually closed my high st shop and went on the road, travelling throughout the USA and Europe teaching all my techniques and writing books and articles on pottery. I did this for 8 years and became well known for teaching different techniques and working for a lot of the main pottery suppliers, developing tools and products for the industry.

After a few years I decided to stay home and go back to teaching from my old mill next to the house and go back into shops so I could get back to painting finished pottery. We decided to extend the studio which now has a lovely upstairs with a lot of glass which is great for the classes we do. 

  

One of the most rewarding things is passing on the skills I have to all ages as well as special needs, and seeing people self esteem grow. I go into schools, colleges and nursing homes teaching pottery, art and ceramics and its amazing to see what people can do. The studio has lots of fun events doing children's birthday parties, hen night's and ladies nights and they all go down well. There is an online shop as well as a gift shop in the studio where I sell my paintings, finished gift-ware pottery and paint your own pottery kits to take home.

Last year I did a lot of decorative art classes and had my own brush line made which has been an ambition of mine for a long time and they have gone down well. I hope to do classes in the fabrications at some point and also the baby prints.

I feel really lucky that I have a job that I love and still get exited every time I open the kiln.

Spotlight on the Seller.... Stag and Wolfe

We develop and make quality handmade organic and natural cosmetics that are luxurious and beneficial for the skin..  All our products are Cruelty-free, Parabens –free and do not contain preservatives or emulsifiers.   We don’t use fossil fuel derived ( Petrochemical) ingredients. 

Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

Coconut oil really is mother nature's anywhere everywhere universal one pot does everything wonder stuff.  Our hand whipped coconut oil is a soft mousse butter with an amazing natural coconutty aroma. Suitable for all skin types and for use on face and body.  Use as an everyday moisturizer or more intensely to treat dry or rough skin. Coconut oil has some natural SPF sun protection properties* and is naturally anti -microbial.  Use is in the bath as a bath soak or a handful dissolved in a bowl of warm water as an amazing cleansing moisturising and soothing foot soak. (works wonders on cracked heels !) Lovely used as a hair/ scalp product.

Lip Balms

Our lip balms are 100% natural and organic.  Handmade with organic virgin coconut oil, natural beeswax and natural flavours and mineral pigments.  Naturally moisturising nourishing and protecting with an inbuilt natural SPF protection*.  Choose from six yummy flavours: Peach, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Coconut,Honey, Vanilla,  and six beautiful shades: Petticoat Pink, Coral, Peony, Bordeaux, Dusky Rose, Bronze.

Bronzer

Based on the amazing organic virgin coconut oil, we have added some pearlescent mica pigment to create a stunning face and body bronzer.  This is a wonderfully moisturising, nourishing and protecting bronzer for your skin with a fresh coconutty aroma.  Handmade with 100% organic virgin coconut oil and natural light reflecting pigments.  Absorbs beautifully into the skin without streaking leaving a lovely sun-kissed shimmer and naturalSPF protection.*  A little goes a long way, apply as required to face or body with fingers or brush.  You'll look and smell like you've just stepped off the Copacabana beach!

Lip, Eye Colours and Maquillage

The Masquerade range is a stunning collection of 18 Vibrant Outlandish and long lasting colour for eyes, lips and visage.  Handmade with natural sweet almond oil, beeswax, castor oil and mineral mica colours.  Moisturising and protecting and available in either convenient lip tubes or cute little glass jars. 

*SPF- Coconut oil contains natural low SPF (4-5) Do not use in place of your normal sun protection product.

Spotlight on The Seller....Twice Fired

Twice Fired is an exquisite range of handmade pieces made by a local glass artist, Kate Park. The inspiration for Kate’s work come from naturally occurring art forms. Nature has a wealth of beauty, from the tiniest, delicate seed pod to the iridescent gloss of a beetle and the elegant formations of birds.

These subtle tones and shapes are captured in her work through the seductive medium of glass. Shades of colour change in different conditions and hidden gems reveal themselves as the light changes.

I work from a studio in my garden in Farsley, it is a dream come true. I studied fine art at Leeds uni and later fell in love with glass. I have three children, two cats and three chickens who all join me throughout the day in the studio. 

I also run workshops and  private parties for adults and children in fused glass. My web site www.twicefired.co.uk

It has been a fantastic opportunity selling my glass in Fabrication and would encourage any makers out there to take the leap and start doing what you enjoy everyday.