Ta Da! Some Waffle & a Customised Bobby Horse

Things have been a little slow on the production front recently. Don't get me wrong, I feel like I've been as busy as ever but when I looked around there doesn't seem to be much that I've actually finished.

What have I been up to??! Well, I had my last craft fairs & markets this month before I packed up for 'maternity leave'. My website is now down too while I have a complete revamp. I got some of the initial photos back from the photographer and they look amazing! I'm really excited and can't wait to relaunch the online shop soon.

I've also been busy with my day job - three teaching days and private views of the Royal Academy Summer Show and the brilliant National Saturday Art Club Summer Show. I enjoyed working with the Coleg Sir Gar club from Wales so much and am looking forward to next years masterclass already. (I'll be writing more about these classes in next weeks post.)

And then there was BritMums Live! I attended this huge blogging conference this weekend for the second year running. With 700 bloggers, guest speakers, informative sessions on all things to do with blogging, top brands wanting to connect and an awards ceremony it's a busy two days. But good fun too! Last year I was a bit overwhelmed and felt like the new kid at big school. It was exciting but hard to take everything in. This year I knew a bit more about what to expect, and I was braver with talking to people. It was really lovely to meet people I know online in real life, and to find new friends too. I've come away with tons of ideas and things to put into action (that To Do list just keeps on growing!)

But what about the 'Ta Da!' moment this month? There is something I have finished, I promise! A lovely customer placed an order for a Bobby Horse to match the felt crown she bought. I am more than happy to customise my products in particular colours and this lady chose everything herself, right down to the green gingham ribbon. Doesn't it look great?

Handmade Diamond Jubilee Limited Editions!

As promised, I am back with some very exciting This is Wiss news! (In fact, there was so much news that I'm splitting it into two posts so you don't get overwhelmed!)

Jubilee Fever has struck! Regardless of your royalist beliefs, it's hard not to get carried away by these kind of events when you have children; it's a great opportunity to have fun (and of course, dress up!).

I wanted to make something to give a nod to the occasion so I was honored when I was approached by The Noverre Gallery & Shop who were interested in my Bobby Horses. They are running an exhibition called 'Queen & Country' which invites artists to interpret the title in their own quirky way. I decided to make a strictly limited edition series of 'All the Queen's Horses'.

The Queen's Horses are made from red, navy and grey wool blend felt, with reinforced vintage button eyes and bamboo blended wool for manes. So far, they are not all that different to the standard Bobby Horse but there are a couple of special touches:

Diamond Jubilee 2012 has been lasered onto the handle, along with the edition number for the strict limited run of only twelve horses made. And of course, there are the usual ribbons and bells.

You can't really think about 'Queen and Country' without thinking about a crown either, so I've also made some very simple but cute felt crowns. These are lasered from yellow wool-blend felt before being sewn together with round felt 'jewels'. They are adjustable with either Velcro or elastic to fit all kids' head sizes. Unfortunately, Wiss wasn't a very willing model so I had to enlist the help of someone more compliant!

'Queen and Country' runs at the Noverre Gallery in Norwich from 1 June - 27 August so pop along if you are in the area, it looks like it will be a really interesting exhibition. If you  aren't local to Norwich but would like to purchase either a Queen's Horse or a Crown then please contact me directly on mail@thisiswiss.co.uk

As Jubilee fever increases I have one more surprise planned - a 5 day blog event leading up to the long weekend! It will run from Monday 29 May - Friday 1 June, with craft ideas, recipes, activities for kids and some wonderful guest bloggers. Please stop by next week for some inspiration and if you're making any Jubilee-related items then I'd love to know about them...

I will be posting again very soon with more news about improvements to existing best-sellers, and an exciting new venue for Sell it Mama this Saturday!

South London, Handmade Toys and Childrens Clothes

Wowee! Where does the time go? So much has happened since my last post I don't know where to start.. So let's begin with some very exciting news!

You can now purchase This is Wiss Bobby Horses from a fantastic new shop in Crystal Palace. Juliette's Handmade Gifts (3 Belvedere Road, SE19) sells gorgeous handknitted clothes for babies and children as well as carefully sourced handmade toys. If you're looking for a wonderful and original gift for a special little person it's a great place to go. (Plus Juliette has a super cute house rabbit called Oscar who is sometimes in the shop!) The shop is open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

After the last Sell it Mama event I decided to take a few weeks off 'business making' to get busy making some clothes for Wiss. I was so chuffed with the results that this 'break' has snowballed into a long list of things I want to sew and a big pile of fabrics waiting for their relevant project. I don't imagine I'm alone in this obsession though? It's summer, it's the start of the birthday season for us, and there are lots of parties to go to. So this means I plan to make: some seersucker shorts and trousers, a little summer dress for a 3 year old, some PJs for a birthday boy, a waterproof overall, one mini Elvis outfit, and some tailored shorts for a 28 year old man! I'll post later with photos as and when they're all finished.

But with This is Wiss firmly in mind I was able to go fabric shopping this weekend. The Bobby Horses have been such a huge success, and especially the bright yellow ones, that I am going to be expanding the range to include more colourways. Just look at how gorgeous these felts are:

So as well as well as the grey, yellow and brown horses, there will soon be pink, green, turquoise and red ones too! All will have contrasting wool manes and vintage button eyes.

As you can see, I've got my work cut out this summer. And I've not even mentioned the allotment or the marathon training. But they will have to wait....I've run out of time!