Irish Arts Blog

Hobby Horse Toys

by Paul O Mahony

One of the pioneers in artisan blogging in Ireland have been Rebecca and Dan Hillman. They both run Irish Sally Gardens which is a fascinating view of a families attempt to live a sustainable lifestyle in rural Ireland. Dan Hillman is also a maker of sculpted wooden toys such as the ones you see above. Now when I first saw his blog, I was asking myself, is there really a demand for such toys nowadays and how is a blog about making wooden toys going to help them sell them. I didn't really think that actually, but I can just imagine a lot of people thinking this way.
Well it appears that they had so many orders in December for their pieces, that they had to close the order book.  Dan even had to miss out on Christmas Fairs to keep up with the online demand. Now Rebecca goes on to point out in the next post that Dan doesn't want to turn the business into a production line and likes to keep it small and manageable. Nevertheless it goes to show what an effect a well written blog with some well chosen photographs can do for a craft business.
Although Dan also has a website, I'm pretty sure blogging had a part to play in his success.

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A Splash of colour for January

by  Sandra of Feltpix. January has been windy,wet,snowy,cold,mild,and the sky blue but mostly grey - typical January weather. I decided to bring some colour to my work room with the Smiling Bee above and the Princess Castle below. I pretended that it was Spring and my garden was full of colour and the bee's were busy, hopefully the reality of that will be happening soon. Then I became a princess for a day or two and this is where I lived,I'm unsure about the reality of this though! I wonder where my next adventure will take me..

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Feltpix-Sandra Richardson, Christmas favourites

The magic and madness of Christmas is upon us and it's great. I really enjoy this time of year, it's a nice kind of hectic.

The last few months have been spent getting stock ready for the various Craft Fairs and the new Gallery in Dun Laoghaire that Karen Harper is opening. I put down the scissors, needle and thread and put on my selling hat.

It's wonderful when someone buys one of my pictures, but I really wish I could go with them to see where they hang it, how they look at my work and the fun stories the kids and adults make up about them.

The pictures shown here are done with felt and silk wool, they are 'Night Owl' and 'Best Friends' - the dark at this time of year and being surrounded by friends helps to sum up Christmas.

I always have a few favourites that I don't want to part with, but I assure myself that there will be new favourites the next month and month after and so on. It is the silly season after all! 

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Feltpix: Sandra Richardson Crafts

Whales & Dolphins

I created this picture as it reminded me of a time when I experienced seeing a pod of  whales of the San Juan Islands in British Columbia and I often see Dolphins off the Wexford Coast. They are both truly magnificent creatures.

Some days I create lots of new designs, I'm busy drawing and getting the ideas out of head and down onto paper. Yet, other days I'm surrounded by different by lots of different scissors and piles of coloured felt and other fabrics and I sit and cut out my designs.

Ultimately, I love sewing. It is so rewarding to sit and sew!  I will sew for hours - selecting all the different coloured embroidery threads and hand stitch my wall art, adding beads or whatever else is to hand on the day.

The images I create are soft, warm and colourful.

 
Smiling Lion

Much of my inspiration is taken from my 3 children.  Mother Nature also plays a big part in my work. I look out onto my garden when I work and this inspires me endlessly, as do my own memories of when I was a kid.

Although the Lions image is sometimes fierce, my smiling lion is warm and welcoming and a favourite of mine.

Love Tree

What can I say about this picture - I love it!

The Big Wave

One of the favourite parts of my work is making a picture for a friend as a gift. The Big Wave was made for 2 friends as a gift for their new baby.  They were moving from living by the sea into the midlands. A new journey was beginning for them. I wanted to remind them of the sea that they so loved and respected and moving on to the next chapter in their lives.

by Sandra Richardson