Seller on the Spotlight... My Doodles

MyDoodles Custom Crayons came about from my love for creating things.  I have always loved to draw, and have encouraged my children to do the same.  When the opportunity arose to start making fun crayon shapes got little hands, I grabbed it.  

I love nothing more than putting colours and shapes together, to make the best match.  Creating crayon shapes for little people makes me happy, knowing that a child somewhere is getting enjoyment from something I've made. 

I really enjoy custom work, making that special personalised gift for someone, or making shapes to match a party theme. 

All my crayons are completely non toxic and safe for anyone over 3 years old.

Spotlight on the Seller....Guitar Geekery

Becky Moore: Guitar Geekery

 

My Guitar Geekery range started out as a little sideline to keep my happy while I was recovering from an injury.  Said injury was preventing me playing my guitar, and I was getting somewhat wistful about it.  Drawings happened.  And then started to take over.   I’m still known better for my textile work (www.beckymoorehandbags.co.uk), but the guitars do seem to be rather a prominent feature now!

Like many designer-makers I didn’t start out in the artsy-craftsy world at all.  I’ve been a play-worker, and a youth worker and an events manager and a writer and a trainer and lecturer, and a pizza chef, and a secretary, and an education officer and a community worker, and now, finally, a designer !  No formal training, but a lifetime of making and sewing has led me to this very happy place, at a workbench, researching, drawing, designing, sewing, running a business.

So back to the guitars…I begun playing as a child, and then kind of abandoned it as many do.  But eventually, after many years of good intentions I started playing again a few years ago.   I’m not an expert or anything, but I’m getting better (or so my teacher says)  I’ve got a really eclectic taste in music, and I’m trying to reflect that in my designs.  Lots of people say, Oh I’ve never heard of that guitarist, why are they featured?  And I say because they have made a huge contribution to music. Go check them out.  Maybe you’ll like them, maybe you won’t, but you’ll not know what you’re missing til you’ve heard them.   

This year I’m aiming to expand the range with more guitarists, more products .  I’m also being slowly persuaded to branch out into other members of the band, so watch out for brass players, drummers…..   but the guitar will always be my first love.

Spotlight on the Seller.....Louisa Kemp Arts

 

Louisa & Wendy Kemp work together in partnership ( mother & daughter) producing a collection of mixed media artwork inspired by architecture & skylines. 

As well as slab built ceramics. Some of their ranges include the popular people collection, hearts & stars & circles. All work ios handmade & personally designed, each piece is unique.

They have worked together for more than 18 years and share a workshop in south yorkshire. 

Wendy inspired her daughter to persue the job she loves and Louisa encouraged her mum to find her passion for art once again.

Spotlight on the Seller.... Bazar Mehdi

“Bazar Mehdi” is a small business that specialises in vintage and handmade tribal Moroccan rugs. The business was named after Hilana’s late grandfather, Mehdi. Thanks to family expertise that spans over a century, Moroccan-born Hilana was able to take this family tradition to Yorkshire where she lives with her British husband. As of October, Bazar Mehdi started displaying and selling its rugs in Fabrication.

The idea behind this business venture was to bridge the gap between Bazar Mehdi and all Morocco and rug lovers across the world. The rugs are all handmade, vintage, strictly tribal and one-off pieces. Sourced from remote tribal areas of Morocco, each Bazar Mehdi rug is made by a single Berber (native Moroccan ethnicity) woman, who after marriage and childbirth, starts extensive work on a precious family heirloom. The rugs are imbued with passion and history which makes them very special. Another quality that Berber rugs possess that makes them stand out is their vitality and free spiritedness that is lacking in urban rugs. They can be an eclectic mix of vibrant colours, or a monochromatic work of art, loaded with symbols and meaning.

Always the history enthusiast, Hilana is a proud Moroccan Berber who tries to shine a light on authentic Moroccan heritage and will always seek to honour it in some way, from the ethical sourcing to the quality. Recently, Bazar Mehdi has teamed up with a feminine cooperative in Morocco, and are selling one of their lovely creations in Fabrication. All proceeds will be going to the cooperative to help cover their work costs.

Spotlight on the Seller... Dizzy Ducks

A Londoner residing in Yorkshire for the past 20 years with my family, I am surrounded by beautiful landscapes, historic towns, wonderful architecture and so much more just calling out to be photographed. I come from a family of photographers so it made sense that at some point in my life I would take up the camera to earn a living. I also chose photography as my minor alongside my degree in English Literature when I studied at Bretton Hall College (part of Leeds University)

 

I am passionate about trees and can often be seen photographing them in all their glory through all four seasons and I am currently putting together an arboreal series with the intention of it being exhibited as a whole.

Although many of my photographs are places in Yorkshire I also take photographs wherever my travels take me.

I have been a darkroom and black & white film photographer for many years so moving into the digital age has been quite an adventure. I use several different cameras, truth be told I always have at least one camera with me at all times. I prefer not to manipulate my photographs digitally so do a minimum of work on them before deciding which images to publish for sale; indeed many of them have only been cropped before being published. I use a Canon ChromaLife100+ ink system when printing my photographs on a variety of high quality photographic paper; wherever possible I mount and frame my own work.

When not behind the camera my other passion is working with textiles sewing, knitting, crocheting, needle felting, spinning on a drop spindle and quilting. One day I hope to learn to spin on a spinning wheel.

Seller in the Spotlight...Butterfly Tree