Textiles Collection

Let's start with a confession. I HATED textiles at school. I just didn't get it. It was very dry, lots of pattern cutting, no creativity. I get that it's best to learn the basics of something before you go advanced, but honestly, I don't work that way. My working tends to be more like this:

1. Buy lots of craft stuff
2. Throw out instructions / rule book
3. Attempt craft
4. Swear
5. Attempt crafting again
6. Throw it at the cat
7. Cup of tea and a cake
8. Pick up instructions, read around stain from discarded tea bag
9. Realise the 36 mistakes I was making
10. Take a deep breath & try again....

So really, maybe its more a fault of my brain than my textiles teacher, but still! These days I love textiles, and have started to incorporate them into my work. I did a needle felting course a while ago at The Bead Shop, Nottingham, which was lots of fun, allowing me lots of creative freedom while providing lots of information & inspiration. Lately I've taken to experimenting with incorporating needlefelt into jewellery and I've come up with these pendants:

I also did a course in Freehand Machine Embroidery with the amazingly talented Emily Smalley, who is based at Long Eaton Art Rooms. This is a fantastic technique, and very addictive, but I've not really had chance to explore it thoroughly as yet. 

It did get me thinking of different hoop art designs though, I think this is my favourite so far:

I also got a commission for some 'toy tidy' bags in a similar style, which I'm pretty pleased with. Apologies for the poor photo though!

I've had loads of fun developing this textiles range, I hope you like them! I've also started some Christmassy textiles too, with glitter & jingle bells! Any orders or commission requests please drop me an email: laura@eriminidesigns.co.uk 

Rainbow Party Preparations

Later this month is my second child's 3rd birthday. We're having a party at home with a rainbow theme, and I've been pinning like mad! (See my Pinterest board here)

The party bags were inspired by this pin, using small strips of tissue paper, about 3cm in width and 20cm in length. They're laid along a strip of tape, overlapped. I then snipped the ends to make the paper move better. The tape is attached to the back of the 'cloud', cut from white card, which I then stuck onto the bag using sticky fixers to give a slight '3D' effect.

The paper bags were purchased from Ebay and will be filled with tubs of playdough in rainbow colours (the tubs I also bought from Ebay here) so the guests can make their own rainbows when they get home!

I also made these coordinating decorations, one for the door & the number '3' for inside. I'm also hoping to do something like this paper chain rainbow for our archway, and the remainder of the tissue will be made into these tissue pom poms (I won't do a tutorial for these, Martha's done one, I can't beat that!)

I'll add some pictures of everything up and in place after the big day!

Nursing Necklaces

These necklaces were designed on the basis of my own experiences, nursing my three children. Once they reach a few months old, it can be difficult to get babies to focus, and not pull on your clothes, hair and so on.

These necklaces feature a large, smooth gemstone, which is very tactile and perfectly rounded for little fingers. The leather cord is adjustable using sliding knots so the pendant can be lowered for nursing or raised to suit your neckline or while babywearing.

I've also been lucky enough to make this bespoke nursing necklace using a handmade wood bead the customer was given at her Blessingway. Combined with a smooth Rose Quartz donut that echoes the bead's shape this was finished off with coordinating beads.

My ready-to-post items are available here, but if you'd like to discuss a custom order please feel free to contact me.

Wedding Collections

Although the wedding jewellery I make tends to be bespoke, it generally fits into three ranges so I thought I'd take some time to introduce them all.

Pearl & Lace, the classic combination for a vintage, elegant look. I use Swarovski crystal pearls for a touch of quality and they also allow me a high degree of creative freedom because they come in such a variety of colours.

English Garden contains, amongst others, my Rose and Butterfly Collections. These nature inspired designs add a pop of colour to a wedding and are all available in any colour you can imagine, making them perfect to match in with your scheme. 

If you like a bit more of a sparkle, or maybe you're planning a Hollywood glamour or 1920's inspired wedding, then maybe the Crystal Shine range would be more your thing. Using the finest Swarovski crystals and genuine gemstones I have created eye catching designs, traditional in nature but with a modern edge.

If you are planning your wedding and looking for jewellery that is truly unique, without the designer price tag, then please contact me to have a chat about your requirements.

Where to Find Me 2014

I've been busy busy booking in lots of events to take me into the Festive period. Below are the details of the fairs and markets I'll be at, hopefully see you there!

Saturday 27th SEPTEMBER: "We Make It" Artisan Fair, De Bradelei Mills, Belper, DE56 1AR 9.30am-5pm

Saturday 18th OCTOBER: Cathedral Quarter Arts & Craft Fair, Derby Guildhall (off Market Place) 10am-4pm

Friday 24th & Saturday 25th OCTOBER: "We Make It" Artisan Fair, De Bradelei Mills, Belper, DE56 1AR 9.30am-5pm

Saturday 1st NOVEMBER: Attenborough Autumn Craft Fair, in aid of Christian Aid, Attenborough Village Hall, Attenborough Lane NG9 5HZ 10am-12 noon

Saturday 15th NOVEMBER: Craft & Gift Fair in aid of MS Society, Spondon Village Hall, Spondon, DE21 7FG 9.30am-1.30pm

Sunday 16th NOVEMBER: Mansfield Lights Switch On, Westgate, Mansfield 10am-6pm

Saturday 29th - Sunday 30th NOVEMBER: Festive Craft Fair as part of Open Studios, Long Eaton Art Rooms, Lime Grove, Long Eaton NG10 4LD 10am-4pm

Love is like a butterfly...

Recently I've been working on jewellery made from these little hand drawn butterflies. I use markers on shrink plastic and I just love their uniqueness. Generally I use shapes and patterns from nature, but experiment with colours and shading so that each one is different.

These are made into pendants, charm bracelets, earrings and even stretchy children's bracelets so that my little magpies could have one each! What I particularly like is that they are very light pieces, making them perfect for those who don't like chunky jewellery but still want a piece that makes an impact. Even better they can be made in absolutely any colour combination.

I'd love to know what you think!

Roses Roses Everywhere...

One of the things I find interesting is repurposing, whether that be items, or in this case skills. A while ago I attended a cupcake decorating course with a friend of mine. One of the techniques we learnt was how to make beautiful roses from fondant icing by creating individual petals and layering them together. This looked very effective, but I'll be honest, my children demolish all cakes icing first within seconds. Such time and effort for me seemed wasted on something that's beauty is so shortlived.

So when I started experimenting with polymer clay I attempted to transfer the technique over and I found it worked quite well. What started as roses for pendants soon escalated and I now I offer various jewellery items with roses, including cufflinks and hair grips. They make beautiful sets for wedding jewellery as I'm able to make them in absolutely any colour scheme, and offer something for all of the bridal party.

Most recently I've been making some teeny tiny roses for these pretty personalised bracelets, fiddly but very worth it! I think they'd be just perfect for flower girls!

The items start from just £6.50 for stud earrings or a pair of hair grips and are available to suit every colour requirement!