I have been nicely productive with this and plan to ease myself back into updating She’s Crafty in the New Year so 2010 will without a doubt be my craftiest year yet. If you don’t believe me (I’d understand given my track record) then check out this selection of items from the fair:

Aaaaaaaand, with the items I had left over I’ve started a little shop on Folksy until I get one set up over at A Home For All Seasons. You can check it out here:  http://www.folksy.com/shops/ahomeforallseasons 

So, I’ll speak to you all again in January and, until then, I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, a wonderful New Year and that we all have a better year in 2010!!

The chest pains/issues from the beginning of the year have yet to leave (and are getting worse) and I when I’m not here wheezing on my couch, I’m out at the new house or making things for it.

I can hardly remember what free time is or indeed what being well/healthy is like either so I am going to at least try and rest and, unfortunately, that means leaving things a little quiet (or should that be quieter?) around here.

Thanks for the memories my crafty peeps.

Miss Crafty xx

Yes, Miss Crafty is alive and so is She’s Crafty (even it does seem to be ignoring the seasons and slipping into a summery hibernation). It’s embarrassingly been about 5 weeks since my last update but I have been suitably crafty and busy in that time.

As expected, the bulk of my free time/money/effort and creative juices have gone into the new house. You can go here for more details on the house woes: http://www.ahomeforallseasons.co.uk/?p=194

I have been determined to ‘keep my hand in’ craft-wise so in the past few weeks have completed a gardening swap and, more recently, a pin cushion one. I love swaps!

I have also had a couple of loverly ladies contact me through the site and I’ve had a great time keeping in touch with them and seeing their own brand of craftiness.

Normal service should hopefully resume soon!

Hugs,

Miss Crafty

I’m currently on the scrounge for felts (ideally autumnal colours but any would do – especially thick felts) and embroidery supplies – hoops and fabric in particular, but really I’m open to all offers.

In return I have a brand new copy of Doodle Stitching by Aimee Ray.

If you’re interested just drop me an email, comment or contact me on twitter and I’ll let you know by the end of the week. If the book isn’t of interest then look back later in the week when I’ll have more fabric and things up for swaps.

Spring Fling 2009, Dumfries & Galloway’s Open Studios event, takes place from 23 – 25 May, with studios open between 10.30am and 5.30pm. In addition, some studios will stay open until 7pm on Saturday 23 May, as indicated by a late night opening icon alongside their entry in the brochure. Please note that most studios do not take credit card payments, so please remember to bring cash or a chequebook with you!

Many participants will also be giving demonstrations and offering activities throughout the weekend. These are detailed within the brochure.

For visitors who would like to enjoy a sneak preview of Spring Fling – or to plot out a personal Spring Fling route in advance of the event – taster exhibitions will be running at Gracefield Arts Centre (28 Edinburgh Road, Dumfries, DG1 1JQ; 01387 262084) from 21 March to 18 April 2009 (open Tuesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 5pm) and at Stranraer Museum (The Old Town Hall, George Street, Stranraer, DG9 7JP; 01776 705088) from 25 April – 16 May 2009 (open weekdays 10am to 5pm and Saturdays 10am to 1pm & 2pm to 5pm).

More information available at: http://www.spring-fling.co.uk/

Highland Open Studios 2009 takes place from 30 May to 7 June 2009, when artists and galleries open their doors to visitors for a special open studio week.

One of the largest organisations of its kind in Scotland there is a wide range of arts and crafts to enjoy, from the traditional to the contemporary, including textiles, jewellery, metal, wood, glass and ceramics.

There are many hidden gems to be discovered in this region of Scotland, and impressive and inspirational scenery to be enjoyed.

Check their website for more details about artists, venue directions and opening times at www.highlandsopenstudios.co.uk

0546 – For some strange reason I feel wide awake but have no clue what time it is (the perils of not getting round to getting a battery for my watch) so haul myself out to the living room to locate my phone and then curse myself for being up so early. Crawl back to bed.

0800 – Lie in bed chatting with Him Indoors trying to work out a plan for the day and both agree it’s too cold/wet for tackling the garden invader/weed of doom. (Our new place is being overtaken with the highly poisonous/dangerous Hogweed – click on link for tales of scars that last for years and possible blindness!!)

0830 – Get up, shower and grab some tea and toast before gathering together all we need for taking out to the ’shire.

0900 – HI remembers he has a couple of job applications he wants me to look over so do that and then have a fit as I manage to snap a knitting needle when packing my knitting into my bag.

1050 – Cannot believe where the time has gone but only just arriving at the house and as we have agreed to go to the in-laws for lunch at 12pm decide just to drop our stuff off and head up the road via all the charity shops on the way. Saw a couple of tables and a rocking chair that were tempting but got freaked out by a rather weird shop assistant badgering us so left it. We did however bag a tea towel with ‘Authentic Canadian Beaver’ on it and a print of Glasgow Cross.

1230 – Enjoy many a cup of tea but no lunch at the in-laws as they are all running round doing other things – including washing the uber annoying dog.

1330 – Escape back out into the rain to buy planters to sow some peas and lettuce and also grab a bacon roll to keep us going.

1400 – HI gets stuck in with the wallpaper stripping while I do what seems like 50 sink loads of dishes, scrub the kitchen and plant the seeds.

1825 – Hungry and tired we both decide to call it a day and I get on the train home while HI stays out to go round a mate’s.

1930 – Having had a baked potato, a large mug of tea and a lightening quick tidy of the flat I take a well-deserved flop on the couch and do a spot of knitting to The Darjeeling Limited DVD.

2145- Surprise arrival of HI as I expected him to stay out until the last train home. Grab the duvet and snuggle up on the couch while flicking between ‘US Party Bangers’ and ‘Ultimate U2 Top 40′ and discussing what we’ll do with our day off on Sunday.

DEADLINE – 9th October 2009

The Scottish Arts Council serves the people of Scotland by fostering arts of excellence through investment, development, research and advocacy. Our corporate aims are: to support artists to fulfil their creative and business potential; to increase participation in the arts; and to place the arts, culture and creativity at the heart of learning.

Who can apply
• individuals working at a professional level in the arts
• groups of individuals working collaboratively, for example bands/groups/ensembles; partnerships where two or more people always work together on projects as one collaborative unit.
• individuals who are based in Scotland (unless otherwise indicated in the detail of the specific fund to which you are applying).
• organisations may apply for professional development funds on behalf of an individual, using the application form for individuals

Our criteria for assessment and decision-making
The criteria that we use to assess whether your proposal meets our priorities are:
• artistic quality – evidenced by your track record and quality of your work as well as that of others involved in the project
• benefit and demand – evidenced by the relevance of the proposal to your professional or creative development and the likely benefits to you/your sector
• how the project will be managed and delivered
• financial strength and value for money
• any other criteria specific to the fund that you are applying to

Fund Description
Bursaries of £1,500, £3,000 and £5,000 are available to artists to help with costs accociated with their creative and professional development, for example materials, research, production of new work, a residency, costs relating to an exhibition or publication etc.

This fund is also for curators to apply for creative and professional development costs. The maximum funding curators can apply for is £3,000.

Level of Grants: Fixed level bursaries of £1,500, £3,000, £5,000

Download:
Individuals Application Guidelines
Individuals Application Form
Supplementary Information Form for Visual Arts Creative & Professional Development
Creative and Professional Development Additional Guidance Notes

Full details available at the website: scottisharts.org.uk/funding

Help Desk can advise you further if required:
Phone: 0845 603 6000 (local rate)
Typetalk: 18001 0845 603 6000
Fax: 0131 225 9833
E-mail: help.desk@scottisharts.org.uk

Scottish Arts Council
Grants Department
12 Manor Place
Edinburgh
EH3 7DD

Due to a high level of exhibitor interest, exhibition space has been increased. Consequently the stand booking application deadline has been moved to 30th June.

Fibrefest is an extravaganza of textiles and fibre organised by the Blackdown Hill Natural Fibre Group. It will be a festival of desirable textiles; gorgeous yarn to knit and weave with; fleece and fibre to spin and felt and animals to admire. There will also be a range of inspirational workshops and seminars for you to learn new skills or polish forgotten ones.

The event is to be held in the grounds of Coldharbour Mill, Working Wool Museum, Uffculme Devon. The Mill, is a unique 200 year old processing and worsted mill and is utilising its recently restored water wheel to once again process and spin yarn for fibre producing farms.

Fibrefest will have an exciting variety of stalls selling textiles, fibre, yarn and fibre-related products and we would like to hear from anyone interested in having a stall at Fibrefest on the 22nd and 23rd of August 2009.

Fibrefest 2009 downloads: [pdf format]

Exhibitors Booking Form

Risk Assessment Form

Terms & Conditions

Shell Scheme Stand Detail

Website: fibrefest.co.uk

FIBREFEST 2009
Coldharbour Mill
Uffculme, Nr Cullompton
Devon EX15 3EE
Email: info@fibrefest.co.uk
Tel: 01598 752490