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| Plaque by Amanda McCrann |
Yesterday I had a lovely, crafty day with a new friend whom I met through the Be Creative group. Liz had tickets for the Home Is – In The North Show which was being held in Halle St. Peters in Ancoats, Manchester, and she invited me to go with her. OK, I may have twisted her arm, just a tad!
I had a tiny problem when I arrived, in that I had forgotten to take my purse! I couldn’t even pay for my parking but, luckily, the organisers waived the fee for me. Phew!
After a delicious cup of tea, which Liz treated me to – thank you, Liz – we began looking at the stalls. Oh, what delights were in store for us. There were so many lovely and unusual items on sale that I shall simply run through them all, with a photo or two and a link to the Artist/Maker so that you can take a leisurely look for yourself.
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| Amanda McCrann – Mosaicist |
Amanda is a self-confessed proud Mancunian who makes lovely mosaic plaques in varying fonts. See her work at http://www.amandamccrann.co.uk/website/ .
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| Sarah Evelyn Marsh – Evelynarts |
Sarah produces quirky fabric pictures many, if not all, of which include a pair of upside-down legs. She likes to tell a story in her collection of pictures. Her website is here: http://www.evelynarts.co.uk .
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| Kate Bufton – Book Artist |
Kate uses old or preloved books to produce artworks. These range from trees made from folded books, to notebooks, to pictures using old music scores. I was pleased to see that she doesn’t make words or hearts from folded books (that is just my opinion) but you can see what she does make, here: http://www.katebufton.co.uk .
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| Some of Kate’s trees |
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| Double Thumbs Up |
Barry Yearsley and Kirsty Haikney make unusual wooden Christmas bunting, merry-go-round lamps and papercuts. Some of the wood has been lightly coloured, some scorched [sorry, I can’t remember the word for when pyrography has been done on something… has it been “pyrographed”?]. It would be easier if you went to look at what they do: http://www.doublethumbsup.co.uk/index.html .
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| Trove Foods, Leveshulme |
I learned something at the show: Levenshulme in Manchester is on the “up”. It has had something of a poor reputation but things are happening there, including a good Saturday market which includes craft/artisan stalls, and a cafe called ‘Trove’. Trove sounds like a place that I need to go – lovely food and beautiful items for sale. You can find out more here: http://www.trovefoods.co.uk .
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| Ministry of Craft, Manchester |
Ministry of Craft were running a lampshade making workshop at the show. You can find details of other craft courses and workshops that they offer at http://www.ministryofcraft.co.uk .
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| Claire Murray Designs |
Claire Murray designs beautiful fabrics and wallpapers for the home which she prints herself. She then uses some of her fabric to make gorgeous cushions and lampshades. To see more of her work, visit her website: http://clairemurraydesigns.co.uk .
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| More Claire Murray Designs |
Little By Little By Bossymamma 
A great show with lots of original items, sounds as though you had an enjoyable day!
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We did, Irene, and it was lovely to spend time chatting with and getting to know Liz.
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That's a great show, something different. I really like Sarah's fabric pictures. Thank you for taking us on a tour with you, Dina!
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You're very welcome, Larisa. The makers were such friendly and inspiring people. It's a pleasure to share their creations on here.
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