Shopping in London: Urban Craft Stars

As regular Wee Birdy readers will know, I’m a big supporter of local independent designers and the urban craft movement, so I was excited to hear about Urban Craft Stars and their pop-up shop which opens tomorrow for a limited time in Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street.

This London-based design/craft collective, who all met via Etsy, will be selling a range of hand-crafted and vintage items including recycled furniture, organic printed kids’ t-shirts, stationery, leather purses and hand-knitted scarves.

Here are my picks from some of their Etsy shops:

Silver leather zip pouch with bow, US$32, from Peppermint Design’s Etsy shop.

Vintage atlas envelopes, US$12, from Bombus’ Etsy shop.

Vintage fabric cushion cover in blue and white French ticking, US$25, from Little Chook’s Etsy shop.

Other sellers include Urban Knit, My mum's a hippie, and photography by Ryokan Art.

Urban Craft Stars
1.4 Kingly Court
London W1
www.carnaby.co.uk

Nearest tube: Oxford Street

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Open from Saturday 16 August - Sunday 31 August only
Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday 11am – 7pm

For more shops in W1, click here.

Top Bird loves: Blythe fashion on Etsy

Dress, US$15, from Le Petit Boutique's Etsy shop.

My current obsession on Etsy? Ridiculously cute hand-made clothes for Blythe.

Haven’t heard of Blythe? She’s the ‘70s fashion doll with big eyes that changed colour when you pulled a string in her back. Nifty! I was the proud owner of Blythe when I was five and thought she was the bee’s knees. Unfortunately, not many other kids shared this view. Apparently they were freaked by her other-worldly appearance, and she was subsequently pulled from production after just 12 months.

Clothes from Le Petit Boutique's Etsy shop.

Fast forward to 1993 when New York photographer Gina Garan rediscovered Blythe, dressed her up in cool clothes, and shot her in locations all over the world. The resulting highly-stylised and colour-saturated images were compiled for a book, This is Blythe, which was released in 2000. Since then, Blythe has gained a cult following, and vintage Blythes sell for over $1000 on Ebay (and I’m still kicking myself for letting my doll go to charity shop heaven).

A year later, the first of the neo-Blythes were produced and the anniversary of the launch was celebrated with an exhibition in New York, featuring photos by Gina Garan and dolls styled by artists and designers including Issey Miyake, Chisato Tsumori and Hysteric Glamour.

As the Blythe fanclub continues to grow, Etsy has spawned a number of crafters making mini clothes for the doll with the multi-coloured peepers. My favourite Etsy shop is Le Petit Boutique, which specialises in using vintage fabric and kawaii Japanese prints for custom-made Blythe creations. Prices start at US$10 for a dress. I dig the super-sweet details like grosgrain ribbon, decorative trims and buttons:







Other good Etsy sellers worth checking out include Millie Made, Dollypops, Fern's Closet and Godesia.

For more information on Blythe, check out This is Blythe.

The sweetest wee birdies

I've been meaning to post about Ann Wood's glorious handmade birds for a while now. Ann's birds are so highly sought after that her stock sells out within minutes.


Not surprising, really, given the exquisite detail of these handcrafted birds, which are usually one-of-a-kind. Ann, a Brooklyn-based artist, uses vintage fabrics for her birds and pieces from Victorian and Edwardian wedding gowns for her wedding caketoppers.



Her online shop of birds was just re-stocked today and has already sold out, but I DO know that she will be re-stocking her Etsy shop on Friday, 29th February at 2pm EST. Hop to it if you're interested, they'll be literally flying off the shelves within seconds.

www.annwoodhandmade.com
Check out her Flickr for more wee birdies.

Top Bird loves ... Fake food

I can’t stop staring at these fake food items on Etsy. I don’t know if it’s the kawaii, clever, crafty or kitsch factor that’s grabbed me ... perhaps a bit of all? Or maybe it's the fact that I would have snaffled the whole lot for my Barbie and Sindy dolls when I was a seven. (And *gasp* maybe Barbie would have put on some weight!)

Feast your eyes on this lovely line-up, including felt eggs, crocheted cakes, knitted peas and polymer clay dessert jewellery (surely a tween delight). Fascinating, no?

A Half Dozen felt Eggs with Egg Carton, US$15, from Go Buggy’s Etsy shop.

Handmade felt lemon, US$14 from Go Buggy’s Etsy shop.

Grilled Tofu Dinner D, US$32, from Go Buggy’s Etsy shop.

Three peas in a pod pin, US$9, from KnitKnit’s Etsy shop.

Itty Bitty Cupcake collector set, US$18, from Pukashell’s Etsy shop.

Mocha cappuccino cake, US$18, from Pukashell’s Etsy shop.

Five Scoop Hot Fudge Sundae ring, US$18, from Robin’s Jewelry Box Etsy shop.

Sliced Valentine’s Cake pendent, US$18, from Robin’s Jewelry Box’s Etsy shop.

Cookies and Milk ring, US$14 from Robin's Jewelry Box's Etsy shop.

Oh, stop it!

*Remember that most pieces on Etsy are one-offs and sell quickly, but make sure you check the seller's shop as many items are relisted.

Because everyone needs a Christmas pickle...

"The Christmas Pickle" felt ornament, US$10, from Peachpop's Etsy store.

A very Etsy Christmas

You know it's almost Christmas in England when Marks & Spencer start running their annual Christmas food porn adverts on TV (cue: stripper music, oozing baked Camembert undressing itself, steamy molten chocolate pudding dripping in luscious whipped cream, and food just about falling off the plate it's so sexy). It gets so hot and bothered it's enough to make a girl grab the nearest glass of mulled wine to steady herself.

Or, you could do what I do and start thinking about your Christmas card list. Ah, there's a bucket-load of icy cold water if ever there was one. But for a stationery-obsessive like me, shopping for this year's cards is actually a wee bit exciting, especially with the tasty morsels from super-duper website Etsy. Check out my top picks of the bunch and see if you're seduced.*

* We regret to advise that the whipped cream gift with purchase is no longer available.

Haute Couture snowflake Christmas greeting cards, US$6 for a set of four, from EnfinLaVoila’s Etsy shop

Jingle All The Way Christmas Cards (Bella Figura), US$20 for a set of nine, from PepperinaPress’ Etsy shop.

Bah humbug! gift tags, US$4 for a set of 10, from Corrabelle’s Etsy shop.

Happy Holiday note cards, US$15 for a set of six, from Thebeautifulproject’s Etsy shop.

Holiday Clara card, US$5, from CupcakesForClara’s Etsy shop.

Joyeaux Noel ice skates holiday note card, US$3, from Thebeautifulproject’s Etsy shop.

Holiday cards, US$12 for a set of 10, from Ohmycavalier’s Etsy shop.

Blueberry Bandit Christmas card, US$15, for a set of eight, from BlueberryBandit’s Etsy shop.

Holiday tree with snowflakes gift tags, US$3 for a set of five, from PinkBathTub’s Etsy shop.

Animal parade cards, US$16 for a set of six, from Paperedtogether's Etsy shop.

London shopping: Fabrications

Carrying on from my raving craft post is this charming little shop in the heart of ever-hip Broadway Market in London’s East End, which if anything, supports my new motto, “Craft is Cool, OK”? (Maybe I should run up some screen-printed t-shirts in bold black type, Katharine Hamnett-style…)


Fabrications is alternately an artist-run gallery, shop and studio for in-house designer Barley Massey. It stocks an excellent range of unique, eco-friendly products and homewares that are hand-crafted by local artists and designers.

One wall of the shop features displays of quirky greeting cards, stationery and badges made by Hackney locals, accompanied by a profile on each artist. Keep an eye out for Lucy Jane Batchelor’s sweet retro-style range including tooth fairy envelope cards for children and her clever Missing Button badges.


The nice thing about Fabrications is that stock is constantly updated, so you’re likely to find new quirky gems all the time. I like the fabric pouffes bound by knotted rope using traditional sea-faring techniques (£150) and The Old Broad Bean (the Queen) Cockney jewellery, featuring faces of the royal family (and er, Dodi) on dried beans. Prices range from £3 for a badge to £30 for a necklace or cufflinks.


The other highlight of the shop is the wall of rainbow-coloured yarns (wools for winter and cottons for summer) and a small range of vintage yarn and hand-spun yarn with lanolin. There is also a wide variety of knitting and sewing supplies, including super-sized knitting needles.



Beginners can get fully kitted out here, with knitting packs complete with instructions and a pack of wool, as well as customised sewing kits for £2.50 with basic embroidery stitches. Or you could join one of the regular knitting classes.

When I visited, I found vintage knitting patterns for babywear and some gorgeous ‘80s pattern books including designs by Jean Paul Gaultier and Alaia. I also like the cute knitted goodies, from traditional Bakewell tarts and “I heart Hackney” purses (British souvenir alert!) to potted cactuses (bonus: not prickly at all!).

Don’t leave Fabrications without checking out in-house textile designer Barley Massey’s ingenious range of eco-friendly homewares. Barley recycles materials and waste such as bicycle inner tubes and vintage shirt ties to create beautiful and long-lasting cushions, pouffes, rugs, mats and runners. Amongst many of her commissions was the infamous Lost Vagueness tent at Glastonbury in 2003. Just imagine: your own piece of fabulous festival fun at home (minus the mud).




Fabrications
7 Broadway Market
London E8 FPH
Tel. 0207 275 8043

Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening hours:
Tuesday-Saturday 12noon-5pm
Or call for appointment.

Nearest tube: Bethnal Green Station
Nearest train: London Fields BR

For more shops on Broadway Market, click here.
For more shops in East London, click here.

Crafty birdies

Have you noticed there’s a craft revolution happening right now? OK, yes - women have been crafting for centuries - but surely you’ve become aware of the increasing number of cool kids yearning to make stuff, as well as new stitch-and-bitch groups, a growing amount of gorgeous craft blogs, websites like Etsy and hipster craft shops like Melbourne’s Meet Me at Mikes popping up all the time?

What was once assigned by the patriarchal order as definitively belonging to the “women’s realm” (apologies for coming over all Women’s Studies 101 on you), has now been appropriated and reinvented by the coolest girls around. Today, women are taking back and CHOOSING to do craft themselves, and this time it’s on their terms. (Oh, and it’s not just girls, either, guys are getting in on the act as well.)

Not so long ago, craft stirred up memories of toilet roll dollies and those nasty padded photo frames we went nuts for in the ‘80s. Thankfully, that’s been relegated to the “craft gone bad” bin, and it’s been replaced by cute tampon purses, hand-knitted vegie rattles and Sew-Your-Own-Miss-Buttons.

And the popularity for crafty stuff right now has probably got something to do with the folk vibe and arts-and-crafts trend we’ve seen recently in fashion. Not to mention the anti-consumerist and eco-friendly element to crafting, in terms of turning your back on mass-produced items and sweat-shop labour.

Dolce & Gabbana gets crafty on yesterday's catwalk in Milan

There’s also something deliciously subversive in the name “stitch and bitch” – on one hand it sounds dreadfully un-sisterly, and not too far removed from what those Jane Austen birds were doing all day in their drawing rooms. But as one of my friends (who co-founded Melbourne’s stitch and bitch group, Kaotic Kraft Kuties) said, women’s craft groups are more about “women re-connecting, women celebrating and re-claiming women’s crafts.” Which isn’t too bad for the sisterhood, eh?

And according to the Kaotic Kraft Kuties' manifesto:

"* We believe in the modern folk revolution
* Scissors and champagne can mix
* Colours can never clash
* Tea cosies are not square
* Freeform craft is all about spirit not technique
* Chain stitch can be avant garde
* Little Edie is a style icon!"

I’m loving the whole crafty world at the moment, even if I haven’t fully embraced the practical side of it myself. There’s nothing better than spending a lazy 15 minutes trawling through other clever birdies’ craft blogs, where I’m constantly amazed and impressed by their cool creations and imaginative efforts.

For me, crafting reminds me of cosy afternoons watching TV with my grandmother while she bent quietly over her “fancy work”, having fun and relaxing, as well as a return to childhood and my favourite time at school when we got to unleash our creativity on paddle pop sticks and the like.

Sew Your Own Miss Buttons ... D&G's muse of the moment?

p.s. Big props to the world’s biggest stitch and bitch, the magnificent Bayeaux tapestry. Debate still rages over who made it (the old French vs. English argument) but I bet whoever it was, they had a bit of a bitch while they stitched.

Updated: Shelf

I've just updated my post about Shelf, the fabulous shop in Cheshire Street in East London, to show you some of the amazing Russian Doll designs from Melbourne stitch-n-bitch collective, Kreative Kraft Kuties. Aren't they clever birds? You can buy the unpainted raw wood dolls from Shelf.