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Country Living Pop-Up Christmas Market 2020

country living christmas market 2020

The Country Living Christmas Market is a virtual event that’s taking place from the 6th to the 8th November 2020. The lovely CL organisers will be bringing you a host of inspiring, festive and hands-on activities you can soak up from the comfort of your own home. Look forward to gift-wrapping tips and tricks as well as learning how to make your own Christmas wreath.

Celebrate Christmas at home – shop small and make a big difference

Sign up to Country Living’s Artisan Pop-Up Market, taking place from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 November. The event offers you the unique opportunity to shop at home and support hundreds of artisan British exhibitors. Plus, there will be over 60 hours of exclusive event only discounts.

★ Find hundreds of unique gifts, decorations and hand-crafted style ideas

★ Shop from a great choice of independent businesses in one place

★ Support British artisan makers

visit the country living website
wooden spinning tops
Personalised wooden spinning tops make a great plastic free stocking filler.

How to take part

The Country Living Christmas Market ‘s going to be the perfect way to start your festive shopping. The CL team have lined up hundreds of talented artisans and small businesses to be part of their Christmas market which will be heaving with fantastic ideas for gifts, decorations, hand-made crafts, yummy food and drink and gorgeous outfits for the big day. And much more! You can register to shop now – just click the link below!

SIGN UP to take part

country living artisans socials

Don’t miss out! Like and follow the Country Living’s Market Facebook page and their CLArtisan Instagram feed.

Join in on Facebook
Join in on Instagram

Use

@CLArtisans (Instagram only)

@CountryLivingUK (Instagram, Facebook and Twitter only)

#athomewithcountryliving

#CLArtisans

to discover beautiful, handmade craft.

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Woodturning Demo & Talk for Men’s Shed Cymru

men's shed cymru logo

woodturning demonstration video, workshop tour and a brief history of me

Watch this video on YouTube.
Talk and turning demonstration given for members of Men’s Sheds Cymru on 7th August 2020 via Zoom.

This is a recording of the Zoom talk and demonstration I gave in August for Men’s Shed Cymru. It’s the first talk and demonstration I’ve ever done so I was quite nervous. However, once I got going I really enjoyed it, especially the discussion at end.

I talk for about 50 minutes about how I got into turning, give a tour of my workshop, which is very fittingly an actual shed, and then demonstrate how I turn a spinning top. Then we have a bit of a discussion and question time.

The technology used was just my phone. I had researched using my ipad as a second camera and planned to use a headset with attached microphone to improve sound quality but there were teething issues (aren’t there always?) so I hope to use these the next time.

I was really pleased to be able to support Men’s Shed in this way. As you can see from the info below they offer a very valuable service and are really helping to break the still (!) somewhat taboo subject of talking about mental health.

If you belong to a group who’d like a virtual talk and demo please get in touch. I’d be happy to tailor it to your interests.

contact me

What is the Men’s Shed Cymru’s Zoom Room – Virtual Shed

Things were going so well tackling social isolation and loneliness in Wales, one shed at a time, and then there was COVID 19, and then there was social distancing. How on earth do you tackle social isolation during a time of social distancing? It has been a challenge even for those of us with strong family and friend connections, but for some shed members lock-down is a frightening return to loneliness; perhaps even intensified by the loss of recently discovered camaraderie.

Zoom Room Virtual Shed The Men’s Shed Cymru Zoom Room is a virtual Men’s Shed. Where we invite skilled crafters and tradespeople to come and discuss their talents. Hosted live on Zoom, there is a great opportunity to meet men from across Wales and the world. Find out more https://www.mensshedscymru.co.uk/zoom…

Who are Men’s Sheds Cymru

Men’s Sheds Cymru are the organisation supporting the development of Men’s Sheds projects in Wales. We are a Hafan Cymru project funded by The National Lottery and have been operating in Wales for almost 6 years, during which time we have moved from no sheds to around 65. The project has been a great success and we have a range of sheds engaging in such activities as woodworking, gardening, photography, music making and even lunch making. Two things that sheds in Wales, in fact sheds across the world, have in common are the kettle and conversation. For some men their shed session is a genuine life line, and the social interaction they get at the shed has made immeasurable improvements to their lives.

Want to share your craft or skill?

Are you skilled, crafty or knowledgeable in a fascinating subject? Happy to share the above in a fun, informal way with ‘shedders’? Do you know what a men’s shed is? Curious to know more and take part in The Zoom Room Virtual Shed? We can setup a mini conference using Zoom and invite Men’s Sheds members from Wales and beyond to attend. If you have something contact Chris.Southern@HafanCymru.co.uk

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Digital Craft Festival 2020 – for a Creative, Handmade Christmas

digital craft festival
digital craft festival portrait of Liz Pearson
Love HeartWood is one of a hand picked selection of 120 of the best British makers and craftspeople.

The digital craft festival is a really exciting Christmas craft event crammed full of brilliant makers and my main Christmas event for 2020. I was very pleased to be selected so I’m making some limited edition tree ornaments specially. These will only be available exclusively during the festival.

acorn tree ornaments
Personalised acorn baubles available exclusively at #digitalcraftfestival.

Join us for a celebration of makers and making. Meet and buy from 120 selected makers, listen to talks, watch films, book workshops for all ages, enjoy yoga and watch live demonstrations. Visit the website to meet the makers and so much more.

The event is running over 3 days, 27th-29th November. Each day there will be lots going on. I’m taking part in lots of the festival’s events as well as running my own events each day. These’ll include chatting live with other makers, a turning demonstration and picking my favourite makers from the festival.

Visit the digital craft festival website

How will it work?

It’s all happening online. The festival’s website will act as a hub from which you can access lots of amazing things. There will be live interviews on Instagram, recorded interviews for our Show & Tell series, live and recorded demonstrations, Master Maker Q&A, children’s activities and storytelling, live yoga, qigong, breathework, Kitchen Disco and more.

crafty socials

Like and follow the festival on Facebook and Instagram in order to access lots of the live content that’ll be happening over the weekend.

Join in on Facebook
Join in on Instagram

Use #digitalcraftfestival to discover beautiful, handmade craft.

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The Creative Collaboration Market

the creative collaboration market

As part of Global Collaboration Week, a selection of fantastic ‘in-person’ markets are coming together for ‘The Creative Collaboration Market.’ The market’s being organised by Pedddle. A whole host of local markets are taking part, including myself and other local sellers from Reading Indie Market. We are uniting with 15 other markets from England, Scotland and Switzerland. The 16 events will be held on Saturday 26th September from 10am.

It’ll be an exciting day of independent shopping. So visit the Pedddle website on the day and use the map to find sellers local to you or select a market to find out more about it.

Creative Collaboration Market Facebook Event
Pedddle on Instagram
the creative collaboration market

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plastic free picnicware

woodware picnic spread

Summer evenings are perfect for picnics. If you’re looking to ditch the plastic and replace it with more sustainable picnicware then 3 Bears Woodware’s the answer.

3 Bears Woodware is eco friendly tableware that can grow with your family. It’s a great alternative to plastic whether you’re eating indoors or out. So join the Schuller family for a picnic in the park.

family wearing ethical cotton clothes

goodbye single use

The 3 sizes of lidded bowls mean you can say goodbye to tupperware, single use cling film or foil. If food needs to be sealed why not use wax wraps?

plastic free picnic ideas
The boys enjoyed lifting the lids to see what the bowls had inside.

eco friendly alternatives

wooden picnic cup
Wooden cups are a great alternative to plastic ones. These ones have weighted bases to prevent spills and accidents. To avoid plastic straws try natural wheat straws.

functional & multi purpose

plastic free picnicware
Once the lids are off they can become plates and cup rests, very useful for preventing spills on the uneven ground. Different sized bowls and plates means there’s one that’s “just right” for everyone.

stackable

stacking wooden bowls with lids
Once the picnic’s done tidying away’s simple. Keep the mess contained by popping the lids back on. Easy to store too as they’re stackable.

healthy picnicware for people & the planet

where does it come from ethically made cotton kids shirts

Massive Thanks to

Models – The Schuller Family

Picnicware – 3 Bears Woodware

Ethical Fashion – Where Does It Come From?

Photography – Sarah from Rainbright Photography

Natural Wheat Straws – Eco Alyn

Vegan Wax Wraps – Bee Zero Waste

Location: Prospect Park, Reading RG30 2ND

find out more about 3 bears woodware

the inspiration behind 3 bears woodware

the benefits of wooden dishes

one ash project

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One Ash Part 2 – Creating the 3 Bears Woodware Collection

one ash project wooden bowls on the lathe with a gouge

This journal entry continues on from One Ash – Part 1 which was about Andover Trees United and the aims and structure of the project. In this entry I’ll share with you what I created from my One Ash wood.

There are 3 parts to the One Ash Project: Meeting the tree, Felling the tree and then Following the tree as it’s processed into timber and used by craftspeople, furniture makers and artists. I’m involved in the third part. The idea is that the school children will be able to learn how wood is processed and made into a range of useful things. To enable this I’m recording my process photographically and with videos. These’ll be shared here and through Andover Trees United’s One Ash Journal page. I’m also recording all of the ‘waste’ wood and shavings generated. However, I’m planning to minimise my waste as far as possible by using off cuts from the large pieces to make smaller items.

sustainable woodware

I’m using the Ash to create my first collection of wooden dishes and cups. I’ve already written about the inspiration behind the woodware collection. 3 Bears woodware is sustainable, healthy tableware. It’s a great alternative to plastic tableware for picnics, BBQ’s and families with small children.

Wood’s ideal for use as dishware as it’s durable, tough and ages well, unlike plastic. It’s also naturally antibacterial. To find out more about the benefits of eating from wooden dishes click here.

initial experiments

One ash project round and oval handmade wooden bowls.

An oval bowl (left) produced using the timber across the grain next to a roundish bowl (right) produced by turning the timber end grain.

one ash project wooden cup

A cup containing water produced with minimal wastage from branch wood. The branch was originally only a slightly larger diameter. The wood is waterproofed using locally produced, food grade, organic hemp seed oil.

making a cross grain wooden bowl

Watch this video on YouTube.
Splitting a log in half means 2 cross grain bowls can be made from one section of log. Due to the way that the wood changes shape as it dries these bowls final shape is oval.

3 bears woodware

Read all about the collection in the 3 bears photoshoot journal entry.

48 pieces of woodware have been created so far (last updated 12/10/20)

19 Bowls

15 Plates

14 Cups

limited edition

As I have a finite amount of timber I’m limited in the number of pieces I can make. Every piece is engraved with my maker’s mark, the project’s name and a unique number.

One Ash Project limited editions

waste generated

8 bags of wood shavings have been generated. It’s been donated to a local school for use in their food waste composter.

find out more

one ash project

– part 1

how did a pile of plastic inspire the 3 bears wooden dinner set ?

the benefits of wooden dishes

To follow the project on social media please search #OneAshTree