Bee Honey Designs

Raindrops on Roses...

2011-12-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

Or so sang Julie Andrews when she was making a list of her favourite things. Why am I thinking about my favourite things? A good question I hear you say. I was reading Hilary's post on Craft Blog UK http://www.ukcraftblog.com/2011/12/christmas-link-party.html She was asking for "the most conversational piece of craft you have created to date, the piece you would bring up when you met someone new at a party and they asked "So, what do you do?". The piece you are most proud of or that means the most to you" and it got me thinking...what fits into that category for me?

There are many things that I have made that I like...some are from long before I started Bee Honey Designs (so excuse the quality of the photos! lol)

I bought a copy of this book as I loved the look of some of the embroideries and had never tried stumpwork before. A friend of mine attends a Renaissance festival in full Elizabethan dress and so I made her an Elizabethan hussif, which is pictured on the front of the book.

This is my version of it. I was really proud of it as I'd never tried anything like it before.

There are other things I am proud of though. Another friend is mad about vampires and she had a poor naked vampire doll that needed dressing so I volunteered to dress her. It's not so much the dressing of the doll that I was proud of though...it was the coffin I made for her to lie in. It was a real Blue Peter moment consisting of mountboard, parcel tape, fabric, glue and a real sense of achievement when I finished it :-)

Then there are the bears that I make under my other shop, Bee Bears. I think they have bags of personality...my two favourites are Eric...

and Oswald...

As I said there are many things that I am proud of, that are my favourite things but I think that if I had to choose just one it would be this cushion, it's 18 inches square and it took a long time to embroider.

Plaiting Raffia...or the hardest thing I've ever done! lol

2011-03-02T06:06:00.000-08:00

The lovely Julie from Raffique http://www.folksy.com/shops/raffique makes wonderous things out of raffia. One of which is this beautiful hat.

She also sells this kit http://www.folksy.com/items/1336073-Raffia-Bag-Making-Kit?shop=yes

to make this bag

Please pay close attention to the lovely straight sides and straight top;-)

I had a kit to have a go at and it took me weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks ...and then some more weeks! By the way I must stress that this is not a reflection on the kit...the kit is fantastic, it has clear directions and sample pieces of plaited raffia so there is no guesswork as to how tight the plait needs to be. It had plenty of raffia and all the pins and sewing raffia that you could want. There's also a block of polystyrene to make it around ...I guess to get those straight sides, 2 handles and a raffia flower to sew on the side.

No, the reason it took me weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks is that I appear to be useless at plaiting raffia and then sewing it together! ;-) It's the second craft that I appear to have zero skills in...the first was making things with fimo, I did have a go but all that resulted from my efforts was a purpley brown lump that resembled the pasticine we all played with at school after we'd been there about 6 weeks and all the colours had been blended together!

I fitted the plaiting into my spare time, gave up several times then took it out again and put it away again and then finally had my long piece of raffia. Following the well written and detailed instructions I started to sew it. Sewing is my thing...according to my mum I learned to sew when I was about 5 or 6..so sewing raffia around a polystyrene block won't be hard will it??? Wrong! I couldn't seem to manage to pull it tight enough for those lovely straight sides you see above on Julie's picture nor could I sew it while still on the block. At one point I did think about stopping when I'd gone about 2 rows up the side as it would have passed for a bread basket to serve bread in at the table! I left it for a while and went back to it...my respect for makers of raffia things growing all the while lol.

I had decide to give it to my 8 year old niece as part of her birthday present last month as she loves bags so I persevered and finally finished it. Sewed the handles on, lined it with fabric to match one of the skirts I'd made her for her birthday and sewed a bow on the side from the same fabric.

So there you have it...doesn't look much like the one Julie made but I am proud of it anyway...it took me forever, it was a real challenge, I may never try plaiting raffia again but if I was I would definitely buy a kit from Raffique as the instructions were excellent. Oh and my niece loved it :-)

Life is for crafting but then who does the housework?!

2011-01-27T08:39:00.000-08:00

My Mum would be the first one to tell you that housework isn't my forte, when I was a teenager she'd often come in to my bedroom and write 'dusty' in the dust on the bookcase and then I'd leave it to get filled in with more dust! It wasn't that I liked living in a dusty bedroom it's just there were so many better things to do with my time like reading and making stuff. I left home at 18 and lived in a variety of places, sharing homes with families or other singles some of which required helping with the housework but other places not. I didn't live in a house by myself until about 11 years ago and my housework was definitely of the 'panic-someone's-coming-round-I'd-better-vaccumn' variety!

When I took redundency from work 2 years ago I figured (that is if I even thought about it) that there'd be plenty of time to tidy up...I mean I wasn't spending all that time out of the house was I? Oh how wrong you can be! If anything it was worse, living and working in the same space seemed to magnify my untidyness to a point where I couldn't see the point of it anymore. My space was definitely not working for me and it became depressing just to live in the house.

Fast forward to the 6 January this year and I was lying in bed talking to God about my inability to organise my stuff especially my work room which had reached uintidyness on a level that was bad even for me. By the way...I should clarify for those wondering...the house was clean, kitchen, bathroom etc...it was just majorly untidy, cluttered and messy and I will admit to piling dishes on the bench to wash 'later'. Anyway...I logged onto the Folksy forum and Zoe from Top Floor Treasures http://www.folksy.com/shops/TopFloorTreasures had started a thread about The Fly Lady. Who is the Fly Lady? I hear you ask. Here is her website http://www.flylady.net/ she talks about living in CHAOS, that's Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome and developing good habits.

So along with some of the other talented people on Folksy I signed up to get the emails and started on January's task which is to shine your sink every day. It sounds a bit twee sometimes but I'm finding it a really helpful way to organise and do the jobs I need to do. One of the things that hit me when reading one of the emails from the Fly Lady was it is possible to do just one thing...as I said January's task is to shine your sink every day. I decided that doing that one thing could be put into practice in every room of the house so I try to do 'one thing' in every room whether that's leave the living room with a cup to go in the kitchen or take that piece of fabric upstairs or clean the sink in the bathroom before leaving it. Before I knew it the kitchen and the bathroom were clean, there was no craft stuff in my bedroom which was wonderful as I had started moving more bits and pieces in there from the work room. I've discovered that in the time it takes to boil a kettle I can have the laundry in the washing machine and the dishes washed and put on the draining board. I even found that 2 lots of boiling the kettle allowed for me to clean the top of the cooker.

To those people who have great housework routines and who are probably scratching their heads saying, 'what's so special about that...everyone can do that surely?' I'd just like to say that not all of us are as organised as we could be or even as we would like to be but the Fly Lady's principles help to develop the good habits that other people seem to magically posess and which leave some of us feeling inadequate! :-D

The other thing that I've found helpful are the daily Fly Lady threads on the Folksy forum. One or other of us starts the thread and we encourage each other in doing our jobs.

'What about your work room?' I hear you ask well here is the proof...before and after photos.

And here are the after photos...

So as you can see the Fly Lady works for me, my work room is tidy and I'm off to shine my sink!

Kanzashi necklace.

2010-11-27T08:40:00.000-08:00

I've woefully neglected my blog of late. I've been busy making the most awesome Teddy Bear that I unfortunately can't show anyone as the person I made it for bought the teddy and the rights to the pattern. It is the cutest bear I have ever made so it's a shame I can't share it.

So what else have I been doing? Well, one of the things is a Kanzashi style flower necklace that my Mum ordered for a family party that she's going to. It was quite tricky to make as there are five flowers one that is 1 1/2 inches across, 2 that are 1 1/4 inches and two that are 1 inch across. The largest one is double layers of black and red taffeta. All of them were fiddly to make for different reasons and it took me several attempts to get them right. All in all though I was pleased with the finished necklace. More importantly so was Mum :-)

Handmade musings.

2010-09-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

I was lying in bed this morning musing about handmade and what it means. The Oxford English Dictionary states that handmade is 'made by hand, not by machine, and typically therefore of superior quality' but is it?

We've all seen some of the horrors on Regretsy, a site that advertises itself as 'Where DIY meets WTF' where someone has taken the time and the effort to trawl through Etsy looking for the very worst (in their opinion) that's on sale there. The 'demon posessed' porcelain dolls, earrings made from paper clips, a mixed media piece entitled the Hare and the Tortoise which uses an actual dead hare and bits of tortoise shell :-/ and my personal favourite (!) a Chicken poncho or knitted wrist cuff...which is seen modelled by a bantam chicken...no really! Don't believe me? Here it is...courtesy of Regretsy...

Yet there have been some gems found on Regretsy...NiftyKnits http://www.folksy.com/shops/NiftyKnits who makes and sells meerkats dressed in a variety of outfits was featured on Regretsy and I think her stuff is great.

Where does handmade start? I remember when I stayed with my aunt when I was 18. She was sorting through some drawers in the bedroom I was sleeping in and one of the things she pulled out was a clothes peg doll that I had made for her when I was younger. I must have been about 7 when I took one of my Nana's wooden clothes pegs, made the obligatory pipe cleaner arms and wrapped a skirt of yellow toilet paper around it (DON'T LAUGH!!). I assume I was proud of it, I must have been to have given it to her. I was amazed that she still had it...I should ask her if she still does.

There's a big difference between the peg doll I made back then and the things I make now (thankfully lol) but is the sentiment different or the same? Obviously children who love making things and who stick with it improve with time but what of the adults who make things that others gasp in horror at? Where can the line be drawn between awful handmade and really cool, one of a kind handmade that's quirky and different? I guess that's up to the individual...one man's chicken poncho is another man's meerkat!

There's a lot of stuff out there that people need to look through. It's the internet equivalent of poking round an old bookstore or brick-a-brack shop. You never know what you'll find. It is out there though...the individual pieces that make you want to cry they are so beautiful. It's worth the effort...it really is.

And Finally.....Beautiful handmade things I found on Folksy that I would love to own...

by Handmade by Louisa
http://www.folksy.com/shops/HandmadebyLouisa

by Buttercup Boutique
http://www.folksy.com/shops/buttercupboutique

by Ali Bali Jewellery
http://www.folksy.com/shops/alibalijewellery?page=2

by Raffique
http://www.folksy.com/shops/raffique

Becky's blog

2010-09-01T15:07:00.000-07:00

I was mentioned again in Becky Hunter's blog. This week she talks about Folksy and UK Handmade, check it out...

http://www.beckyhunter.co.uk/

Tomorrow I think is going to be a housework day...too many crafty things have been escaping to parts of the house they shouldn't be in. I'm not saying my house looks like one of the ones on TV when the council has to go in with a skip and shovel it out but my living room is resembling something from a Kim and Aggie programme!

Although having said that...my newest bear is crying to be finished and...NO...stay strong. Tomorrow is housework day!

It's all about the bears...

2010-08-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

I forgot to blog about my bear shop! Bee Bears is now open for business on Folksy http://www.folksy.com/shops/BeeBears there are nine bears in there at the moment and I'm working on a new pattern for a bear to dress. I've bought some beautiful sparse mohair and a lovely pink champagne fluffy mohair. I'm printing some Christmas themed calicos so it's beary busy around here ;-)

I should also mention that I was interviewed for a podcast on a blog...if anyone would like to listen to it then here is the link.
http://www.beckyhunter.co.uk/2010/08/musehunter-podcast-2-interview-with-deborah-sokell-bee-honey-designs/#comments


Marie Bear


Scruff is sooo ...erm...scruffy ;-)

Just hanging out

Question...

2010-08-14T11:05:00.000-07:00

Why won't the Teddy Bear I see in my head let itself be drawn on paper? A puzzlement indeed...back to the drawing board.

Tealights

2010-08-06T04:25:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid I have neglected my blog a bit over the last couple of weeks as I was planning on making another Kanzashi and posting the step by step photos but got sidetracked making my Teddy Bears as I want to open my Bee Bears shop this weekend. So where's all this rambling going? I hear you ask...well I decided to do a very quick blog entry about the tealights I've just bought from Gelert Design on Folksy

www.folksy.com/shops/GelertDesign

They are awesome, there's no other word for them. I stole Dave's picture from Folksy so you could see what they are like.

As I was his 50th customer I got some free magnets too which are also very lovely. He did offer me his nipple magnets but I declined in favour of the celtic ones :-)

If you want to check out the other magnets have a look at his shop and now I must go back to my Teddy Bears...I can hear them calling to me...

Kanzashi

2010-07-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows me well knows how much I LOVE Japanese things, fabric, food, crafty stuff, kimonos. I came across someone on Etsy selling the most amazing hair ornaments called Kanzashi so I Googled it and fell in love :-)

What are Kanzashi? I hear you ask. Kanzashi are hair ornaments used in traditional Japanese hairstyles, think of Geishas and the beautiful decorations they wear. There are different types of Kanzashi, the ones I like the best are the Tsunami Kanzashi which are made from folded squares of fabric (usually silk) which are then glued on a base using rice starch. It's considered disrespectful to sell an item labelled as Tsunami Kanzashi unless you have studied with someone considered a master in Japan and only then if you have their permission to do so. I'm hoping that calling it Kanzashi style will not be considered disrespectful.

Having spent a couple of days looking at YouTube videos and pictures online I decided to buy a copy of Kanzashi in Bloom by Diane Gilleland so I could learn how to make them. I took photos while making my first one to share on my blog...no matter how it was to turn out I was determined to photograph it and post pictures of the result ...even if it was a disaster.

What follows is not so much a 'How To' but rather a 'How I did it'

Making my first Kanzashi style flower.

1. Firstly collect together everything you need, instruction book (very important!) fabric, rotary cutter (my choice) cutting mat, ruler, glue gun, scissors, embellishment glue,

2. Cut out squares of fabric the size you want. I cut out 3 inch squares.

3. Fold in half diagonally, then fold right hand point to bottom point and left hand point to bottom point.

4. Pick up your folded square and turn it so the folds are facing away from you. Fold the left point to the middle.

5. Fold the right point to the middle.

6. Fold the edges together.

7. Turn fabric 180 degrees and put a pin through the bottom to hold it together.

8. Press your thumb in the top of the petal to open it out then make more petals.

9. Cut the bottom off each petal to make it flat.

10. Take a needle and thread and push it into a petal.

11. Continue with the rest of the petals.

12. Tie the ends of the thread together.

13. Make sure the back of the flower looks like this and that all folds are folded in.

14. Cut a circle of fabric and glue it over the back of the petals using a glue gun.

15. Turn flower over and glue a button or bead in the centre to cover the edges of the petals with embellishment glue.

Finished Kanzashi style flower

16. They are addictive....

Velvet Bags.

2010-06-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

I should post pictures of the velvet bags that I finished for a custom order recently.

They are made from blue and black velvet, lined with polycotton. There is a machine appliqued shape on each bag and hand embroidery and beading. The circular and heart shaped fimo buttons were made by http://www.folksy.com/shops/Jaykay

Bye, bye Small Bear...

2010-06-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

So, Small Bear went winging his way to America and that gave me time to finish and package up Foxy. Foxy is a mink faux fur bear and I'm really pleased with how his face turned out as I drew the pattern and cut it out without checking to see if it would work :-)

Once he was finished I got to try out my packaging and even though I say so myself it's cool. I'd love to receive a bear wrapped up like this one. The cellophane has small bees stamped all over it.

N. B. - No Bears were harmed in the taking of this picture ;-)

What else have I been doing??

2010-06-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been making collectors teddy bears for adults...here's one that I've sold already. His name is Small Bear and he's 3 1/2 inches tall. The pattern was drawn by me and he's made from miniature bear sparse mohair. He has thread joints and a static head. He's heading for a new home in America...Bon Voyage Small Bear :-)

2010-06-12T05:30:00.000-07:00

So, what am I doing next week? Well. I made a bag for the Valentine's swap on Folksy in February and now I've had an order for three more...yay! They won't be exactly the same but similar. I'm looking forward to starting on them.

Blog header....

2010-06-10T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'd like to thank the lovely Bonnita from http://www.bonnitagraphics.folksy.com/ for her help with getting the blog banner right :-)

Blogging...

2010-06-10T15:24:00.001-07:00

To blog or not to blog...that is the question. I don't really need more excuses to be on the computer but blogging seems to be the way forward when you make crafts for a living!