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Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair

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It’s October, which means only one thing in Manchester – the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair is coming! During 22-24 October, a wide range of British designer-makers will descend on Manchester’s Spinningfields to showcase their talents to an incredibly captive audience, me included of course. I’m so pleased that my city is playing host to such a great event, as it really emphasises the growing handmade community outside of London.

The inaugural GNCCF was held at Manchester Grammar School in 2008 and relocated to Spinningfields for the 2009 event. Organisers Ann-Marie Franey and Angela Mann came up with the idea for the event during their visits to London’s annual Chelsea Craft Fair (now Origin). They felt that there should be an event of similar standard in the North, and just a short while later, when their children were older, the idea of GNCCF came into fruition. Ann-Marie and Angela spent more than a year carrying out market research with potential exhibitors and visitors before deciding to go ahead.

Manchester was chosen as the fair’s venue due to its ease of access to visitors from Cheshire, Yorkshire, Merseyside, Derbyshire and Lancashire. Hosting the GNCCF in the city centre also helps to boost the local economy, and moving the fair to Spinningfields proved to be an excellent business decision as it doubled the audience to over 6500 in 2009. 8000 visitors are expected to attend this October.

Applications to exhibit at the fair are invited from designer-makers of ceramics, glass, textiles, furniture, wood, metal, jewellery etc. and exhibitors are chosen by a panel of industry experts. GNCCF has already built up an excellent reputation in the UK and this year’s show was vastly oversubscribed, with 160 exhibitors making the final cut.

Ann-Marie and Angela undertake most aspects of the organising themselves, and with five children between them it’s no mean feat! However, the long hours spent working on the event paid off in 2009 when they saw the queues of visitors excited to get in and received excellent feedback from exhibitors and visitors alike. The ultimate payback for the pair is that they get to share their passion for contemporary craft and hopefully engage new audiences.

I’m certainly looking forward to this year’s fair, as it will be bigger than ever before with two show pavillions. One area will be entirely dedicated to Great Northern Graduates, a showcase of the best graduate students from the region’s craft and design courses. There will also be a jewelry making workshop – I’m off to check that out!

What do you think makes a great craft fair? I’d love to hear about your experiences – post here or send me your tips for making the best of an event via Twitter to @elliethouret. I’ll include the best tips in an upcoming post!

Winter Delights

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It’s winter here in the UK. The car was frozen over last week, temperatures have plummeted to zero (celsius) and I’ve broken out the scarf, hat and gloves more than once this week. Unlike most of my friends and family, I love winter. Even though in Manchester, where I live, the weather is less like on the stereotypical snowy Christmas card and more like constant rain. Even though I may not see a sunny day for weeks at a time, I love winter.

The reasons why I love winter are plentiful. For one thing, I am an avid knitter, and there’s no better excuse to cast on than freezing cold days! For me, knitting is also the perfect pastime to while away the gloomy evenings while snuggling up on the sofa with my husband. At the moment I’m knitting Christmas gifts – I won’t tell you what they are or I’ll spoil the surprise, but I hope the recipients will love them!

Not only do I love knitting woolly accessories, I adore wearing them too. That’s why I’ve been enjoying the chilly days this week – it’s given me a great excuse to layer up an array of vintage hats, crocheted scarves and toasty mittens. What better way to show off gorgeous handknits and raise the profile of the handmade movement?

I also love winter because that wonderful holiday Christmas falls smack bang in the middle of it! From the end of the summer, I look forward to Christmas because it means ten days’ holiday, spending time with my family and friends, and excellent food, courtesy of my dad. This year, I’m also trying to buy mostly handmade gifts and I’ve already got some amazing presents for my family!

When I was about 10 years old, it actually snowed on Christmas Day – really snowed, enough for sledding. My parents live right next to the beach, and we had so much fun sledding down the sand dunes! It doesn’t really snow very often here in the UK but every day during winter I wake up hoping that there will be a beautiful white blanket outside when I open the curtains (although I hate scraping ice off the car!).

So, I’m really excited that winter has arrived, even if it’s a little bit early this year. Although I expect that in February, I’ll be waiting most impatiently for spring to arrive!

Image credits, top to bottom:
HidenSeek
Dollyknits
Zukas
Ialbert
AnnasEmporium
WallEnvyArt

There Be Pirates!

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I was thrilled to read recently that parts of the next Pirates of the Caribbean film are being shot in Cornwall, a very beautiful county on the southwest coast of the UK. I adore the franchise and although I’m nervous about the sequel effect, I can’t wait to see the next film. Inspired by everyone’s favourite pirates coming to these shores, I’ve put together this week’s product focus, with nautical-themed jewelry and gorgeous piratical artwork!

The inspiration for finestimaginery’s adorable cutout pirate necklace came from the idea of zombies, ninjas, cowboys and pirates being the top four character trends. The design is based on a captain hook style character, with a typical pirate moustache and hat. And, according to Kim, he wouldn’t be a pirate without a patch!

I love this octopus necklace from yellowsquirrel, who is based in Manchester like me. Nicole took her inspiration from the fact that it’s a popular image and combined this with her love of vintage. Nicole says, “Raw brass and antique gold chains, they just look ‘right’ together!” – she’s certainly hit the nail on the head with this piece!

Simple but pretty, louloudo’s ‘rope’ necklace was inspired by the very charm that makes it work. Louise thought that the silver charms were so sweet that they didn’t really need anything more then a nice, lightweight candy striped string. She also thinks that they look “sort of lucky, dangling there on their string!”

Andreakett’s amazingly detailed pirate artwork (top) just had to be included! I’m always green with envy over people who can draw as I have zero talent in that area. Andrea started working on this piece just because she loves pirates, which is the best reason for creating something that I can think of! Andrea says that she tends to have characters in her head when working on a drawing and with this one, she was channeling Poison Ivy from the Cramps and Tura Satana from Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, and the character Aunt Sally from Worzel Gummidge all together!

Are you a pirate lover? To share your favorite handmade pirate-themed pieces, or to just drool over Captain Jack Sparrow, post here or send me a message on @elliethouret!

I’m Electric You’re Electric

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This week Manchester Craft and Design Centre opened a new exhibition of neon light installations by artist Richard William Wheater. The Craft and Design Centre is a fantastic local venue for artists to showcase their work, and this latest exhibition is sure to bring new customers to the centre.

Richard works in print, performance and installation and has been creating since backpacking in Europe as a teenager, where he was inspired by the sights. Now, Richard gets inspiration from speaking to people and looking out for interesting sights on his commute to and from work.

Gaining enjoyment from sharing his work with others and hoping it will provide them with pleasure, the only thing he dislikes it that he can no longer see his pieces once they’re sold! Richard is lucky enough to have his ideal workspace – a bit, minimal white space just outside Wakefield in Yorkshire, UK, and works mostly to commission – though his artist books are available through Amazon.

“Not many artists work in neon, even less are developing it in a hands-on sense,” says Richard. “I benefit from being one of only a few artists that develop and make neon. Often it’s the idea that I promote, usually through a media story or in on-line forums and what’s on guides.”

“My concern [with the UK art scene] lies with the lack of funding for material-based arts courses in UK colleges and universities. It’s here where we should be inviting students to explore the creative possibilities of such materials, though apart from Neon Workshops, there is nowhere in Britain where one can even learn about or play with neon.”

“It’s crucial to have the support of exhibiting in spaces that not only have resources to help promote ones work but the ability to financially support an exhibitor to make and install new work. Without this support, less new inspired work is made, and therefore less chance for general public to become inspired by what they might see.”

I’m Electric You’re Electric runs at the Manchester Craft and Design Centre from February 12 to April 30. Visit www.craftanddesign.com for full details.

Designers Eclectic

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In this post I am going to profile Designers Eclectic (DE), a Manchester, UK based collective of jewelry designer-makers. DE is based in the Manchester Craft and Design Centre – see my previous profile of the Centre.

DE was launched in October 2009 by Jane Dziesiwski, Stephanie Brown, Sue Barry, Helen Pickering Pick, Michelle Appleton and Carly Townsend. The founding designers met while completing a Foundation Degree in Jewellery and Applied Arts in Manchester. The course was a turning point in the designers’ lives and some were turning their backs on successful careers to study. What the designers had in common was passion for their work and the drive to succeed in a new field making unique jewelry and accessories. DE was borne out of this passion and upon graduating the students decided to form the collective to support each other moving forward.

DE’s aim is to design and produce unique handmade jewellery and accessories. The six DE designers produce very varied work, even when working to identical briefs, which means that the collective offers a wide range of work catering for a variety of tastes and budgets. The collective was extremely brave in deciding to launch a new business during one of the worst recessions in history! In order to keep overheads low, DE looked to MCAD for studio space. As the Centre offers affordable rents and great support services, it was an obvious choice. In addition, DE was able to secure both studio and retail space, meaning that the designers can make the jewelry on-site, often while customers watch.

“Being part of the community within Manchester Craft & Design Centre has been a fantastic experience. The other tenants have been really welcoming, and now I actually look forward to going to work”, says Stephanie Brown.

“We get lots of support from the office too”, adds Jane Dziesiwski. “The industry is surprisingly small and Kate Day, MCAD Director, always makes sure that we know about up-and-coming opportunities and events”

DE finds that working in a collective offers a number of benefits, including reduced overheads and getting inspiration from each other. The responsibility of staffing the studio is also shared, meaning that messy processes such as etching and using resin can be done off the premises and the more customer-friendly silversmithing and textiles work can be carried out within MCAD.

The only downside to the business is lack of time, a sentiment I am sure many other designer-makers would echo. The designers are all extremely busy individuals and are each heavily active in regional groups and networks, including MCAD, Manchester Jewellers’ Network and the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair. However, the collective has found rewarding careers turning a passion into a profitable business and I for one am envious.

If you like what you see, please visit DE’s Facebook Page and Twitter stream.