Something Old, Something New

We are never satisfied with what we've got, we are always on the look out for something new.  I do not know how many different moulds we have for jugs & mugs. Many of them I go off after a while & so they are left on the highest shelve till we have a sort out & we wonder why we never use them.

 Every time we go to a mould maker in Stoke we always say "Have you got any new shapes" & more often than not the reply is "No". The mould makers tend to look after the bigger businesses who pay them a lot of money to make their own exclusive designs which no one else can buy, so we are stuck with the same moulds that have been around since the 1970's. That is the main reason that over the years Adrian has taught himself how to make moulds.

Adrian is getting better all the time & now I think he has surpassed himself. I love this jug he has made. I may not have contemporary designs but it is nice to paint a modern shape for a change. I tend to search junk shops for easy shapes for him to make moulds from. This jug was originally taken from a plain tall vase. Adrian cut a spout out of the mould & the handle was added afterwards. (The handle was from one of those old moulds we had put on a high shelve & forgotton about).

The only problem with creating something new is finding a name for yet another jug. Some moulds already have names from the potteries so they are not a problem. This jug was easy to name as it was made from one of our Tube Vases so of course we had to call it Tube Jug! Easy!

Shabby Chic

I had never heard of Shabby Chic until a couple of years ago when I spent that long on Ebay I came across it. Now I am a big fan, I love the rustic, old look I just never had a name for it. So I am so glad I can now join in with it all. We are now doing ceramic tiles in shabby chic frames & I love them. I did start off puting my tiles onto Canvas but they never quite worked but now at last I think I've got there, it always takes me a while.
The only problem with the framed tiles is they cost me a fortune in spray paint (for the background to mount the tile on). I think I've got spray paint all over the attic floor & almost passed out when I forgot to open a window before I started spraying but it is worth it, well it will be if they sell well!

Ken & Deidres Kitchen

This is a mock up of Ken & Deidres kitchen at the Ideal Home Show. If you look near the window you can spy the Fork & Spoon I painted. (see earlier Coronation Street blog).

This is not my only claim to fame regarding Coronation Steet. Years ago when I worked for Umbro I did a range of designs for tracksuits. I was sat watching telly one night & I spyed a very young Nick Tisley wearing a tracksuit top with my design on the back, thats the most excitement I've ever had while watching corrie.

Decisions Decisions

I don't know if it is the same with all ceative people but I can never make a decision. Years ago when I was still working as a designer I got called to the office & my boss told me off for giving the customer too much choice, I am still doing the same now because I can never decide which designs I like the best. Sometimes I meet my match with customer's who stand at my stall for half an hour because they cannot decide what to buy, then they ask me which one I like the best?
Anyway today I had to make a decision. I had a letter in my hand with a stamp on I was standing next to the post box & I just could not decide wether to post it? It was an application for a craft stall at Hyde End (somewhere near London) this Easter, but it is a long way to travel, quite expensive for the stall & I always worry about having enough stock if I do sell well. So there I was stood at the post box with this letter in my hand when my eight year old daughter grabbed it off me & posted it! Well decision made then, Hyde End here we come.

I need a new Wardrobe!

Over the years we have had a number of different stalls, none of them were ever prefect & they never quite had the right look. But this time we had a professional in, our next door neighbour Mel. He's a builder & odd job man & likes nothing better than a challenge to get his teeth into. So we asked him to make us a new stall which looks like a dresser but folds down to carry about & he's just about managed it. I've seen half of the stall today & I'm really pleased with it. I can't wait to get it painted  & full of pots for Harrogate Flower Show. We did have to make a small sacrifice however, our wardrobe. The doors were perfect or the sides of the dressers & the drawers have been used at the bottom of the shelves & they pull out to use in the display. So I guess I will have to get on Ebay & start looking for a new wardrobe!

Coronation Street

I recently sent a email about my ceramics off to a few different magazines. A few days later I got a phone call from someone who wanted me to do a special order for the Ideal Home Exhibition. So I just assumed it was the magazine who had called me, so of course I'd agree to anything. In actual fact it was nothing to do with any magazine it was a product buyer who wanted a copy of a spoon & fork from a Coronation Street set from years ago. She had been looking all over & had come across my website. I agreed to make the ceramics for her, we already have a spoon rest we could use so we had to make a spoon then cut it up to look like a fork. Because it was such a rush we had the fork & spoon drying by the fire last weekend. I finally got to paint them which I was dreading as I had to copy the original designs which are nothing like my work, but I managed it  & got them sent of on time. So if you are going to the Ideal Home Exhibiton this March see if you can spy my Spoon & Fork on the Coronation Street set.