ferox et ferus

October 22, 2019October 2, 2019Leave a comment

Lucy is bringing ferox et ferus back to Design@HEART. Her colourful clothing and accessories for children were very popular last year.

I started making things for my children when I struggled to find clothing that they liked on the highstreet. They wanted bright, fun clothes in colours other than just blue and pink, so I found some fabric online and taught myself to sew. What started as a hobby then became business once my children started pre-school, leaving me with a few spare hours a week.

I only pick bright and colourful fabrics – things you wouldn’t often see on the highstreet. I also only buy fabrics which are made with organic cotton (produced without the use of harmful pesticides/chemicals and produces up to 94% less CO2 than conventional cotton growing) and all the packaging I use is either recycled or recyclable to reduce my environmental impact. I have also started making zero waste products using the offcuts from making clothes, so I now also make reusable cotton face rounds and baby wipes.

Silver and Sparkle

October 21, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

Diana Lambert has been a stalwart of Design@HEART for many years and we’re thrilled she’ll be joining us again next month, on 9th November.

I set up Silver and Sparkle in 2006. I work from my small studio in West Yorkshire, designing and making my own range of jewellery and other objects primarily, but not exclusively, in silver.

Whilst I am primarily self-taught, I undertook an initial course at the Yorkshire Craft Centre and each year I attend a week-long in-depth Silversmithing Courses at West Dean College in Sussex to refresh and hone my skills.

I particularly specialise in making hand-forged geometric-shaped links for pendants, necklaces, earrings and bracelets.

To compliment the silver I also use semi precious stones, freshwater pearls and Swarovski crystals.

I do find it difficult to pin down where the inspiration for my designs comes from, but the many hours spent walking in the Yorkshire Dales and our local woodlands have a significant influence on my work.

I have exhibited several times at the annual British Craft Trade Fair and a number of exhibitions within Yorkshire. I currently sell my work at various Country Shows and Art, Craft & Design events, as well as through a number of galleries throughout the UK.

AJC Paper Art

October 19, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

Anna Cook is another newcomer to Design@HEART. She makes intricate, multilayered papercuts depicting birds and animals in their natural habitat.

I am a self taught paper cutter with a background in Design and Printmaking. When creating a new design I seek inspiration from contemporary surface and pattern design and combines this with a fascination for the detail in old botanical illustrations.
The depth in my 3 dimensional work is created by layering intricately cut sheets of paper, and depict woodland animals and birds in their natural habitat. I then emboss and curl the feathers to give the subject more body.
I am currently experimenting with LEDs to light some of my larger pieces, which adds an element of design to my work.

Silver Moon Glass

October 17, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

A new artist for Design@HEART, Lucinda Dransfield works in fused and stained glass:

I am a Leeds based designer maker working in fused, leaded and copper foiled stained glass from my local studio. My background in 3D Design (BA Hons) and Fine Jewellery (City & Guilds) compliments my studies and work in the various glass techniques I use. Much of my work is influenced by a lifelong passion for wildlife and nature, inspiration comes from observing colour, light, form, pattern and texture. As a keen photographer, I often reference my own images of seascapes, landscapes and wildlife, before translating the subject into glass. Powders, frits, stained glass and traditional stained-glass painting are used, each texture and colour carefully chosen to compliment the subject and create a well-balanced finished piece.

Rogers Ink

October 14, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

Carolyn Hird-Rogers, the artist and designer behind Rogers Ink is inspired by the dramatic landscape of the Yorkshire countryside and a love of mid 20th century Scandinavian surface pattern design. The moods of the Dales and Moors are expressed in the mono-print technique used to create hand inked papers. These unique papers are cut and collaged to build large landscape images and smaller greeting cards. The windswept and hill top stands of trees, cow parsley and dandelions are stylised, digitally drawn, printed, hand cut and added to the landscapes. These digital drawings then find there way into strong coloured landscapes on small notecards, beautifully presented in boxed sets of eight.

Badgers Garden

October 12, 2019July 30, 2019Leave a comment

Shoppers at Design@HEART have been enjoying Badgers Garden pickles and chutneys for the last few years, and we’re happy to tell you they’re back again this year. But did you know how they got their name? Here’s Jo to explain:

We used to have a naughty dog called Badger and if ever he didn’t come when called, we knew he would be eating the best raspberries from the canes. We started to make jam from those raspberries to gift to friends and family. As time past we grew more fruit and vegetables and that’s how we started.

Badger is no longer with us but we still grow produce in his garden that we use to turn into jams and chutneys. We have a wide selection of flavours to suit most tastes and we love to experiment with new ingredients.
Our spoon full of wonder is from garden to jar.

Amy Jade Prints

October 10, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

Amy Jade Prints is Amy Thompson. She’s a first-timer at Design@HEART and we’re really looking forward to welcoming her and her lovely prints.

I use traditional printing methods to create fine art prints and products. These are often inspired by folklore, mythology and natural history.

After graduating with a degree in Illustration and Animation from Loughborough University I moved back to Yorkshire where I continued to experiment with technique, materials and design.

My process starts with a pencil drawing, which is then transferred onto lino before carving and printing. This hands on process means every piece is unique.

Saltaire Soap

October 8, 2019October 2, 2019Leave a comment

It’s a while since we’ve had a soap making at Design@HEART and so we’re really pleased to be welcoming Fiona Smith of Saltaire Soap and her environmentally friendly, skin friendly products.

I began making soap more than ten years ago, because skin problems since childhood made it hard for me to use commercially-produced scented soap and I wanted to design products that would be suitable for me. After experimenting on myself, friends and family for eight years, Saltaire Soap was born.

My soap is skin-friendly, made of high-quality natural ingredients, and scented with my own lovely blends of essential oils. It is made completely from scratch, the traditional cold-process way, without a pre-made base. All the recipes are my own. The ingredients I use are picked for their skincare and soap-making properties and include goats’ milk, orange juice, ground oatmeal, coffee, kelp, cinnamon and sea salt, raw tussah silk, powdered clay. I also use locally-brewed beer, which would otherwise go to waste, and local honey.

My processes are as low-waste as I can manage, and my packaging is eco-friendly.

Sarah Dunton

October 7, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

If you’ve been to Design@HEART for the last couple of years you’ll have met Sarah Dunton. Her ceramics and prints have prooved very popular. She’s back again on 9th November, so here she is talking about her work:

I am a potter, printmaker, painter, illustrator and gardener. I originally trained as a fine artist at Leeds University, and since then I have continually worked as a painter and maker. I gain my inspiration from the natural world – plants and birds – and I also love to make images of people at peace and enjoying their gardens. This inspiration is a thread running through all the media in which I work. I learned to make pots at the Swarthmore Centre and now make these at home in my studio, hand-building my pots, so no two are the same. They tend to be decorated with birds and leaves. I have made many pieces to commission, including illustrations for the health service. pots for wedding presents, and paintings as gifts.

THE Creative S P A C E

October 5, 2019July 31, 2019Leave a comment

The Creative SPACE is the creative business of Laurie Bower. She’s bringing her beautiful handmade books to Design@HEART for the first time on 9th November.

I create individual handmade books, blank ones with beautiful covers and creative ones with my poems or quotes in. Books are touchable art, and I enjoy making stand-alone pieces, which are functional as beautiful notebooks, sketchbooks or journals. I embellish covers with machine and hand embroidery.

I use recycled paper and reuse packaging and my aim is to recycle completely once my current materials are used up, making my own ribbon and reusing paper from junk mail for the covers. Each book is hand sewn and finished.

A lifetime’s love of words, books, paper and making is now converted into a business. I also sell cards of my own designs. As an art student I was told I couldn’t draw, so I made instead (sewing, dressmaking, embroidery, jewellery, anything craft-based) and I bring these skills to my books.

I teach mindfulness and creativity workshops and incorporate a loving and attentive approach to everything I create.

Design At HEART

Art and Craft Fairs at Headingley heart