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This week we are meeting Stacey from Fable & Black who creates literary gifts for book lovers and bibliophiles. Stacey is a busy lady but also finds time to do a lot for Handmade Nottingham including designing our logo, illustrating the shop windows, writing signs, designing posters and more! She's a super woman!  How would you describe your style? Bright, colourful and literary inspired. Where do you work and does your location influence your work? I work from my little flat in Beeston, where I've turned half the living room into my studio. I'm surrounded by my books so I'm never short on inspiration for new designs. One day I would love to have my own studio.  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I've been drawing for as long as I can remember, but strangely didn't study anything creative at university. It wasn't until a few years after I graduated I decided to try and earn a living from my creations, and discovered Etsy! It's been a steep learning curve but I wouldn't change a thing! Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? I don't really have a process, I draw a lot - and occasionally a drawing will be developed into different products such as mugs, notebooks, bags and jewellery. That's the great thing about illustration - you can literally put your designs on anything! I also spend a lot of time reading, collecting quotes I love in a little notebook - ready to turn into typographic designs later.  What is inspiring you or your work just now? Right now I'm taking a step away from typographic work, and developing more illustrations based on books I love - with a style inspired by traditional tattoo's. I'm also loving laser cut acrylic jewellery at the moment, and I'll have some bookish designs ready in time for Christmas! Other than that, whatever I'm reading at the time usually tends to inspire me, from my instagram feed you'll notice I'm currently re-reading Harry Potter!  Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? Here's a quick preview of one of the new acrylic necklaces that will be available in time for Christmas...  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? How green it is - there are so many trees in Nottingham! The Bookshops, the History, and ofcourse - Robin Hood! The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Have patience and work hard, people are rarely overnight successes - put all your effort and passion in and your hard work will pay off!  Find Fable & Black available in store!
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This week we are meeting Sofie from Buckle & Cog who uses unusual fabrics to create one-of-a-kind watches  How would you describe your style? Colourful, Unusual, Boho watches… Where do you work and does your location influence your work? I work in a Summer House Studio at the bottom of my garden. I’ve always wanted my own studio; it is so inspiring to go in and find everything as I left it. I can continue with my last project and it doesn’t matter how messy it gets!  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I studied for a Btech in Art and Design, followed by a Foundation in Fashion and a degree in Fashion Marketing. This gave me the skills I needed to start my own business. Coming up with the idea was the fun bit! I experimented with lots of bits and bobs, until I found something I was proud of. Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? A new collection of watches begins 6 months in advance. I do trend research, to discover which prints will be in fashion. I scribble in sketchbooks and come up with 15 final print ideas. Many of the prints are designed by me and printed using a website called Spoonflower. Sometimes I’ll use Liberty of London Prints; occasionally I’ll spot some fabric when I’m out-and-about, that I simply can’t leave behind. My main tool is my sewing machine, hardly a day goes by without the sound of sewing coming from the bottom of our garden.  What is inspiring you or your work just now? I’m currently working on the Autumn/Winter collection. The concept I’m working on is: ‘Brighten up the Dark Days’. The idea behind it is: just because it’s cold and dark outside, doesn’t mean you have to dress the same way. It’s inspired my 90’s video games and pixels. So they’ll be lots of simple repeat patterns and primary colours. Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? Here is a very sneak peak of a few watch straps from the Autumn/Winter Collection…  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? It’s vibrancy, and mix of people. I love that both universities bring people into the city; they end up staying, and creating such a varied melting pot of talent and skills. It’s so inspiring to walk through the centre and see so many independent shops and restaurants. I think its small size helps its creative community to feel as if anything’s possible. Other creatives are close at hand to share ideas and give encouragement. It’s a wonderful place that I’m proud to call home. The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Go for it! Just make something and see where it takes you. Don’t be afraid that things might go wrong or not work out as you expected. Sometimes the best ideas come from mistakes, that inspire you to look at something a little differently. Etsy is such a great platform for creatives; you can make something, pop it on there for very little money, and see how it goes! Enjoy it! Sometimes working from home can be a lonely place to be. Take a few minutes every day to appreciate how lucky you are, to be able to spend your life creating beautiful things, whenever and wherever you want! Find Buckle & Cog available in store!
This week we are meeting the lovely and bubbly Charlie from CMarshallArts who creates stunning watercolours inspired by nature.  How would you describe your style? Colourful, fun and quirky! Where do you work and does your location influence your work? At the moment, I work in my little sun-filled flat in the middle of Nottingham city centre. My windows are quite low to the floor, and I like to sit and gaze out of them whilst I paint. The natural light really helps lift the colours of the paints. I’m currently in the middle of a move to the outskirts of Cambridge, where I’m looking forward to having my own art room to create lots of new designs!  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I’ve been painting since I can remember, but after I finished my art A-level in 2008, I only ever painted as a hobby. When I got together with my boyfriend Carl in 2014 and showed him some of my work, he really encouraged me to start selling my designs and getting the professionally printed – I thought he was crazy! After having a chat with my good friend Becky Queen of Frocks who I knew from my day job as a PhD student in Astrochemistry, I decided to have a go and set up an etsy shop of my own. The rest is history! Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? My ideas start as scribbles in my sketchbook, which I develop further by trying out different patterns, colours and textures with various materials. Once I’m happy with a design, I’ll scan it in to my computer and clean it up in Photoshop (as I have a habit of flicking paint in places I don’t want it to end up!). I then send it over to the lovely Cycle Printworks, who I’ve known for years and who print my designs on thick watercolour paper using archival inks, to make every piece a long lasting piece of artwork, regardless of whether it is a greetings card or a print.  What is inspiring you or your work just now? I’m such an animal lover, and I get inspiration from every animal I see! I used to live in Wollaton, and on my daily commute through Wollaton Park I would gaze at the gorgeous red deer and being dying to paint them in my sketchbook. My Sherwood the Stag painting was the result, which is probably still my favourite. I’ve recently returned from a two-week trip to Brazil, and met some beautiful sea turtles at a nationwide project to help protect them. They were the inspiration for Terence the Turtle, who is now in the Handmade Nottingham shop. I also get so much inspiration from Sir David Attenborough nature programmes, and am currently working on a large sea theme based on animals from his Great Barrier Reef series which aired a few months ago.  Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? Sure! Here’s a first glimpse of some of the animals from my sea theme  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? Other than the Handmade Nottingham Shop you mean? ;) I love the creative scene in Nottingham so much, and I’m going to miss it when I move. I love the different food outlets here too – living right in the city centre, I often give in to temptation! The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Just be yourself. I think authenticity is so important, so believe in everything that you do, and that you are happy with the decisions you take. Don’t be afraid to take risks in your creative processes – I’ve made some of my best work by taking risks! It’s hard work starting a creative business, especially if you have another job running alongside, so reward yourself, even if it’s something small.  Find CMarshallArts available in store!
This week we are catching up with Annabel Perrin who creates colourful and geometric products for the home.  How would you describe your style? Mid-century modern, colourful, geometric, bold and full of life! My interiors products are ideal for making a statement in your home!
Where do you work and does your location influence your work? I work from my home studio in Nottinghamshire. I moved back here (after several years in Manchester) last November and I'm temporarily working in the spare room, while I convert a dilapidated, garden outhouse into my new workspace! My patterns and products are influenced by architecture and cityscapes, so I'm enjoying rediscovering Nottingham for more inspiration!  How did you get started as an artist/designer? I've been creative for as long as I can remember and always excelled at anything arty at school. I trained as a textile designer at Manchester School of Art. After several enjoyable design internships and working as an Operations Manager for an independent online retail company, I was eager to combine all skills to set up my own creative business. So, in 2011 I went back to University to complete a Masters in Design. During this time I developed my business plan and created my first collection of surface pattern designs for furnishing fabrics, cushions and tea towels. It was a proud and nervous moment when I launched my first product range in February 2013. Since then I have branched into ceramics, wallpaper and stationery too.  Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? When creating a new range I start with a brainstorming session. I'll think about what I would like to achieve from the new collection, particularly in terms of the look and feel of the range, and also what new products I’d like to introduce. I’ll then decide on my colour scheme and start drawing and designing patterns based on this. I’m a perfectionist and I experiment with colour, composition and scale several times over before finalising a design! Then it’s time to create my product. My fabrics are digitally printed in the Manchester and then handmade into cushions, lampshades and tea towels (etc) by either myself or local family run businesses. 
What is inspiring you or your work just now? I'm currently putting the finishing touches to a new home textiles collection, which will launch next spring. It's inspired by California, where I spent my honeymoon last summer. Think sunset hues and bold textured motifs!  What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? Having recently moved back here, from Manchester where the arts scene is booming, it's great to see the same thing is happening here! I love exploring the independent galleries and shops within the city and also the surrounding countryside in Nottinghamshire. My family have always lived round here and my Grandma once ran her own interiors shop in Southwell, selling fabric and wallpaper by prestigious brands. It feels like things I'm carrying on her legacy now.  The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? I've been given lots of advice of the years but here are the snippets that have stuck with me… Make sure you have great lifestyle imagery of your products, so people can imagine what it will be like to have them in their home/ to wear them/ to use them. This will make them more likely to want to buy them! Give yourself a break - take time out when things aren't working and go back to it with a fresh head later. Go out and meet other designers where possible. I love doing shows and markets, as they're a great way to meet like-minded people, especially if you work on your own a lot of the time, like I do!  Find Annabel Perrin available in store!
Welcome to our new feature Meet the Maker! Every week we will be shinning a spotlight on one of our amazing makers. First up is Jo Want from Hello Sunshine   How would you describe your style? Bold, bright, cheerful and fun… oh and mostly yellow!  Where do you work and does your location influence your work? I am lucky enough to have a whole room to myself at our little house in Cambridge, it’s big, airy and bright and also full of all the things I love, random craft supplies, half drunk cups of tea and the odd cat! It’s definitely my happy place and everything from the prints on the walls to the books on the shelves are carefully chosen to reflect me and what makes me happy, which in turn keeps me inspired and helps fuel ideas for my work.
How did you get started as an artist/designer? I have always been creative and naturally chose to study art throughout school, college and uni but I always wanted to travel too. So I finished my Decorative Arts degree in 2006 and went off to explore as much of the world as I could afford to at the time. When I came back I got an office job (to pay my travelling debts) at Boots HQ. I always kept pushing to find the most creative roles within the company but ultimately knew I wanted to make and sell my own work for a living. Whilst at Boots I learnt a lot about brand and business, I also started playing with jewellery making ideas and drawing again in my spare time. I met other creatives in Nottingham through local craft fairs and from there was inspired to start my own business, Hello Sunshine, in 2012. I worked full time at Boots from 2008 - 2014 when I went part time and then finally made the leap to full time Sunshine in April last year! It was a long, and sometimes incredibly difficult journey but worth every up, down, in and out and I’m so happy to be here now, doing my ideal job for a living. Can you give us an idea of some of your creative processes? All of my jewellery designs start as scribbles and endless lists in multiple sketchbooks and notepads. Once I’m happy with an idea I start neatening up designs and tinkering with them on the computer to try and build up all the shapes I’ll need to laser cut to create finished pieces. I then work with lovely Laura at Bespoke Laser UK who turns my ideas into all the acrylic and wooden shapes I need. After sourcing findings and packaging materials as locally as possible I then make up each piece of jewellery by hand at Sunshine Towers ready for lovely stockists and customers to give it all a new home!  What is inspiring you or your work just now? At the moment I’m revisiting some old work (doodles in particular) and my long time love of Campervans for a new project. The whole project is inspired by my Nanna & Grandad’s beautiful old VW Campervan they had when I was very little. I have fond memories of taking trips to Attenborough Nature Reserve in it with them and I used to LOVE hearing stories about the trips and holidays they had in it. The family history and a deep rooted love of Campervans is totally inspiring me right now and I’m very excited about ‘Project Van’ and the new designs and products I hope will come out of all the daydreaming and planning I’ve been doing over the Summer!  Do you have any new designs you can give us a sneak preview of? I have a couple of peeks at some scribbles, drawings and laser cut samples I’m more than happy to share with you…
What is your favourite thing about Nottingham? Besides having lots of my friends and my family living in Nottingham I LOVE the growing creative community. There’s always been an underlying creative market in Nottingham but over the past 5 years or so it’s really exploded with new independant shops, the Nottingham Etsy Team and plenty more events and socials. I’m sad to have moved away just as I feel things were getting even better but I love coming back and will always try to take part in as much as I can. Also, coming back to Nottingham regularly means I get to try all the new food spots that keep popping up too! The best piece of makers advice you have been given or can give to others? Best pieces of advice I think I could pass on are:
 Find Hello Sunshine available in store!
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