Buying Handmade and Being Unique

 Going off the High Street

I don't know how it is with you but I find shopping on the High Street rather boring. It's always the same chain shops, no matter whether you are in Glasgow, Liverpool, Hamburg, Zurich, Lyon or Moscow. Most of the products are made in big factories somewhere in a country with low salaries; much is produced in a sloppy way, even when famous labels are attached to them.

That's the reason why I love to look for the little hidden quarters in the big cities or venture out into the country side to find workshops and boutiques in smaller towns and villages. Places, where you get to know the people who produce what they sell or who at least know the artist, crafter or designer.

Christmas on Arran is a good time to observe shopping behaviour. There are many who make a hasty dash to the big shopping malls. Thank God, we still got a decent amount of people who love to buy unique pieces, who like to buy something that has been made with inspiration and love. Those are the ones who come into our galleries and workshops. And I am grateful for every single one of them.

Selling Online to Keep Local Crafts People in Business

Many crafters, particularly in rural Scotland have taken to selling their products not only in local shops and markets but also on etsy (or from their own websites). One of the reasons for this is the fact, that many of us are living in areas which are strongly dependent on tourists.  Sales often happen between Mai and October; the rest of the year is too quiet to make a living. No wonder, many of us have more than one job.  Further, we all know, in times of austerity, tourism figures tend to go down. 2012 wasn't a particularly good year for some Scottish regions. Therefore, the sales on the internet are becoming more important for many a crafter.

Etsy is a sales portal for crafters world wide. It has also regional and local "sub-market-places". Scottish artists and designers e.g.  meet on mcetsy. So, whether you live somewhere in Scotland and would love to buy locally, or you live abroad and just love all things Scottish, type "mcetsy" into the search line on etsy and you will find what you look for.

This morning, I found this lovely bird brooch by Louise Baird on mc etsy. I love Louise's

 Jewellery. She comes up with some really fabulous ideas, like this little pearl pendant:

 

It's worthwhile having a look at her shop on etsy.

January Give-Away Draw

All new followers and commenting readers in January will be ending up in my monthly Give-away draw. The lucky winner will get this lovely sea glass necklace. It's made with three sea glass pebbles from Blackwaterfoot Beach on the Isle of Arran and four 4 mm Swarovski crystals.

Winter Princess - Sea Glass and Swarovski Crystals

More sea glass jewellery can be found in my shop on etsy.

A Hub of Creativity

Nici, Carol (Kez) and I are really inspiring each other. Experimenting, doodling and creating - that's definitely us! Particularly, since Carol got her kiln and Nigel made me a proper jeweller's bench.

My friend Kez the Ceramic Artist

 I love the organic forms of Kez' ceramics and her sheer endless imagination. There is hardly a week in which she doesn't create a marvellous new piece.

Bowl

 This bowl is one of her latest creations. I find the combination of smooth glaze and seemingly rough and "broken" edges very intriguing. The addition of glass on the bottom of the bowl is just one of the many lovely touches Kez comes up with.

Vessels

 Majestic Vessels is the name of these pots with their lids influenced by Pictish designs. They come in beautiful dark and rich colours like this mix of dark grey and teal.

Fused Glass Rings

 Kez' glass work is always bright and full of light. I would wear every single one of these rings!

If you're interested to learn more, send a message to Carol Faichney Mchale on Facebook.









I love to come back into the shop after a few days off. The aromatic smell of leather permeates the air and is omnipresent (wow, what a word!). Leather is such a sensual material. My friend Nici has a lovely stash of soft leathers in all colours.

Nici

Nici works with small swatches of leather which means that every bag will be an unique piece. 

Baby Bliss Bag

 These little bags are called Baby Bliss. They are the softest leather you can imagine and have contrasting leather lining in an exciting colour.

Serendipity Bag

 I have my eye on the second from the left. But it's amazing in what colours and prints cow hide comes.

Adelina

 This little quirky bag is mine. I use it when I go for a meal down the road and don't need much more than my purse and my lipstick. I had hard time to decide which one of the Adelinas was going home with me since they all came in gorgeous leathers, patterns and colours.

Body Bag

 Another one which is now mine. It has become the mule among my handbags since it is big enough to hold my notebook something to read and write and all the other things I tend to cart around with me.

Cushions

 I'm definitely saving up for a pair of Nici's cushions. I have my eye on a pair in soft greys, red, orange and lilac.

There are many more pictures on Nici's facebook page Pooch by Nici Boni .

True Arran Gems

It seems that all beaches seem to have their own gems. When I was little we used to spend our holidays either at the North Sea or at the Baltic Sea. From Holland, Belgium or France I would always come home with a beautiful collection of shells and pebbles. Spending time on the shores of the Baltic Sea meant hunting for Amber. On an early morning after a storm you could find some lovely pieces which looked like golden honey.  The beautiful Isle of Iona conjures greenish Serpentine and black and white patterned pebbles among others.

And Arran has started my love for sea glass. They come in a beautiful range of turquoise, white and green. Brown and blue are already pretty rare colours, and I definitely jump with joy when I discover a red, orange or purple piece of glass among the pebbles. Arran sea glass doesn't come as smooth pebbles like the sea glass in Seaham, California or Hawaii. Most pieces tend to be rather flat and angular. But they are nevertheless lovely. For years I have simply collected them. They were gathering dust on the mantelpiece and about four times a year they were introduced to a soapy shower. A few years ago I started wire wrapping them into pendants which I sold at craft markets.

 

 

 

The first wire wrapped sea glass and beach ceramic pieces in 2009.

At the end of 2011 I learned how to drill sea glass without breaking the drill bits or the glass. And that was the beginning of unlimited possibilities. It came with the introduction of ear plugs and safety goggles. And restricted drilling times to keep my company sane.

Sea Glass and Driftwood Necklace

Sea Glass Pebbles

Aphrodite's Key

No! I'm not going to...

... apologize or promise that this year I will finally get the hang of writing at least three times a week; I'm rather going to work at it.

We did open the shop last year on the 29th of March with Champagne and balloons and lots of lovely people having a look around. And after being 41 weeks in business, I still love the looks of the shop and even more the workshop space and the inspiring company. If there ever was anyone who doubted that three women can work together without killing each other eventually, well, they got it wrong! For the three of us, last year has been incredibly inspiring. It's unbelievable how good it feels that there is always someone around who will encourage you when you've got a creativity block or who has a good laugh when you came up with something ridiculous!

Tommy the Mad Hatter entertaining with music in front of our "Roman wall"

My cosy workspace

 

A mood board with some ideas

   Yes, we are ready to tackle the world!

Can't wait!

Three days of waiting! All walls are painted in our new work shop. The floor paint seems to take ages to dry. Therefore, we're waiting. And waiting. And surfing. Nici has found some amazing leather for her handbags. I'm hunting for complementing ingredients for my necklaces and bracelets. And I have a good time sketching the new pieces for this summer. There are so many wonderful lampwork beads, gemstones and crystals!


Here some of my favourites:




Most definitely, I can hardly wait to start working again!

Day 1 - The Metamorphosis Begins...

Looking down into the actual Boutique section of our new home, it looks as if we never will be able to find our way through all the stuff we've got. But it's not that bad, since the other side, which will house our workshop looks actually quite empty:

And that's were we started today: Ripping out the last bits of carpet, getting rid of cobwebs and dust and finally, starting to paint the walls and the floor. Okay, that was the plan. So far, by this evening, we had half of the workshop's walls painted.

And then Nici and I were crouching on the floor, trying to get rid of the sticky (industrial) carpet tape on the floor. Attacking it with a heat gun left us with no tape but a very sticky surface, a hand sanding machine didn't work, and we finally ended up, scratching and peeling with decorator's scrapers. Looks as if we will be at it for a while...

I'm going to attack that tape with Sticky Stuff Remover; we shall succeed!

New Spring - New Life - New Shop

After a winter without work shop and boutique (apart from the virtual etsy shop, of course), things start moving again.

We found a new place to move in. For those who know the Isle of Arran: We're now just at the feet of Brodick Castle in Claddach. Pooch Boutique will house Pooch by Nici Boni (the most gorgeous handbags you can dream of!), Carol Faichney Mchale (exciting ceramics and most intriguing glass art) and arran gems by Assja B. (my jewellery and accessories).

My new logo

Wednesday is the great day: We're going to move most of our belongings into the new place and start painting, hammering, nailing and whatever it needs to bring the place up to date!!! Simply can't wait to get my tools out of its boxes and start working again.

arran gems business cards

Just discovered the first daffodils flowering in my garden. And a camelia and loads of croci! And the hills show a tinge of fresh green. Life is back to Arran. Spring is definitely in the air! What could be better than starting out new again!