April Event New Maker: Charming illustration work by Ed Boxall

We all need a little bit of magic in our lives, and we have a new maker for April who specialises in just that; meet Ed Boxall...

'Ed Boxall is an artist, writer and printmaker.  In Ed’s work, warm, earthy images of family life mix with magic and myth.

Many of his handmade prints capture moments from life: children’s encounters with animals, walking on the beach, eating porridge and peas. Other images have a more ambiguous poetry: people light fires in sea shells and drift on empty seas'

 

'His ‘Pearbox Books’ explore this world including ‘The Rooftop Garden’, and his popular ‘Storm Tree Stories’.

“The Books have... an almost spiritual sense of connection between people and places and the natural world” (Katriona Chapman)

Ed performs his stories with his own ‘magic lantern’ style projections and giant pop-up paper   cut out silhouettes, illuminated with fairy lights.

“Beautifully, wonderfully, inspiringly tingle-making” (feedback from a story telling session)

Ed graduated from St Martin’s College in 1999. He had several books published by Walker books before independently establishing his practice.'

Find out more at: www.edboxall.co.uk

 

Reetsweet's Christmas Wonders from Dec 1st...

Hey campers!

Are you feeling christmassy yet? Here at reetsweet we certainly are after last saturday, there were so many talented makers and so many lovely things! Here's a few photos of our very favourites, plus you can check out the whole fair's gallery here.

We have a nice long christmas break now, so get your biscuits out, your big socks on, and have a wonderful, handmade christmas! We will see you again in February (meanwhile click on the pics to buy from the maker!).

Love

Rebecca @ reetsweet
x

Dec Maker Spotlight: Bec Gilray from 'Do you punctuate?'

Bec Gilray has taken part in reetsweet a few times now, and she holds a particular warm spot in my heart.  She is absolutely lovely, and also utterly nuts about printing.

She began her studio 'Do you punctuate?' after completing her MA and making this personal statement to start off her blog:

April 6th 2009
'We use it everyday, for all manner of purposes. It helps define the written language, possession, voice, emotion, emphasis, illustration. It is given an immense task in a world that is weighed down by its demand for more information. The collection of punctuation marks that litter the English language, to some have become redundant and to others, are precious gems that define English, giving meaning and purpose to ambiguity and chaos.

 I have wanted to explore the uses of punctuation for many reasons. The first came about when text messaging became popular and a new language developed. I briefly touched upon the text language for my degree and it hasn’t left me since. With the MA, I wanted to understand how a ‘tool of typography’ could possibly survive in such a small place, with fewer than 160 characters for each SMS message. This interest however, has moved into how other electronic devices are changing the way we communicate through the written.'

She then went on to become a collector of printing tools, an avid pupil of the differing styles and techniques and bringing us a wonderful collection of cards, gift ware and printed ephemera all year round.

I for one will be purchasing only 100% handmade cards this year!

...We did in fact interview Bec way back at easter time so you can watch our little video and meet her here.

Dec fair preview: The Leeds Soap Co Return!

We have hosted them before, and are delighted to welcome back for the Dec fair the lovely folk at the Leeds Soap Co., purveyors of vegan, handmade, yummy smelly products - perfect for gifting!

'The Leeds Soap Co. was started because we were tired of using products that contained a worrying number of artificial chemicals, and we were struggling to find available alternatives. We also wanted products that were kind and gentle to skin, nourishing rather than drying.

So we set about learning how to make soap using the old fashioned method (Cold Process), which is a long slow process but well worth the wait. Each bar of soap cures for at least 4 weeks before its ready to be used.

We only put ingredients in our product that need to be there. So there are no unnecessary chemicals included such as  Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLS/SLES), our soap lathers really well without it! We have avoided artificial fragrances and use only essential oils. We don't use any artificial colours, instead we infuse oils with herbs and introduce natural clays, and there are no artificial preservatives used (parabens). 

We also don't use palm oil, which is in virtually everything these days, and doesn't need to be but it does make for a softer bar, so we recommend using a soap dish that drains well.

And a note for vegans out there, we don't use any dairy products in our soap either!'

Catch them at our fair on Dec 1st at Leeds Corn Exchange from 10am - free entry to over 30 stalls of handmade goodness!

See you in December!...love reetsweet x

So we are back Dec 1st at Leeds Corn Exchange, we had a great fair Oct 1st...here is a rundown of the best picks of the day!...

 try on a moustache with ladybirdlikes...

 ...there was amazing tiffin by that old chesnut

 more goodies by www.finestimaginary.com...

we all fell in love with gallons of ink...

 stunning printwork by bec gilray!

 ...the ever popular crochet-dermy by foxbunting!

 newcomer jamie mills wow-ed us all...

...and these tremendous pieces by Victoria Woodward SOLD OUT!

All the photos have been released on our gallery at www.reetsweet.com/gallery, please contact us if you need to be put in touch with any maker to buy direct and we will be back dec 1st at the corn exchange!

reetsweet's summer fair: preview of 'hey sosi'

 

  

'hey sosi' is the home of sofia schiza, who hails from the sunny island of Cyprus. 

She graduated in 2004 in fine art, and has a home studio where she makes all her handmade goodies, including handmade paper stationery, greeting cards, limited edition run screen prints, screen printed cushions, hand-painted brooches and necklaces.

 

You can read her excellent and very handsome blog over here.  Sofia will be headlining the june reetsweet fair which has just been announced here.

LIVE BLOGGING: Today's Fair at Leeds Corn Exchange Continued...

(katie kitzpatrick's lasercuts)

One hour to go, catch us until 5pm at leeds corn exchange, then we return on sat 7th april...

(Kristyna Baczynski)

(fenton)

(alexia claire)

reetsweet valentine's fair: gingerbread cupcake

Well all love a bit of homemade shabby chic, and new to reetsweet Kate Baker aka Gingerbread Cupcake is going to be at the Valentine's fair on feb 11th 10am to 5pm with her loveable bags and accesories...




'I make Gingerbread Cupcake in my studio at home in Leeds. I have a love for all things artistic and have painted since I was a child. After leaving my job when I had my children, I found the time to explore my creative side. I took a fashion and interiors course where I began to sew.




I discovered my passion for textiles and found that I can use my sewing machine as my paintbrush. I use appliqué and freehand machine embroidery to create my designs, using gorgeous vintage and new fabrics, buttons, beads and ribbons. Each piece is unique and most of my products can be personalised. With my fun and functional personal and interior accessories, I hope to make someone smile.'

They make the perfect gift for that special lady in your life for valentine's day!

something for nothing! (and awesome too!)

We at reetsweet like to give our fans a little thank you whenever we can! If you bob along to leeds university union on tuesday you will find us in the riley smith hall and we have these very fine little badges to give away on the welcome desk, designed by the very awesome matt saunders aka rabbit portal...reet sweet!

hello leeds...

reetsweet welcomes nellie and clara to yorkshire this october!

On Oct 1st and 2nd we take over the Leeds Corn Exchange once again, for a two day extravanganza of cool craft...nellie and clara will be appearing for the first time and we wanted to introduce you...

nellie and clara were the childhood pet names of two sisters - and everything sold by nellie and clara handmade by just one person - Helen, the eponymous nellie. Helen is fresh from 'escaping' her after ten years in London for a new life in rural West Yorkshire - so this isn't just her first reetsweet but also nellie and clara's first Yorkshire venture!

''My mum made most of our clothes when we were small and I learnt sewing from her at a really young age. I’ve always loved it and bought a sewing machine of my own as soon as I moved away from home (it’s still going strong more than ten years later!). I’ve also never been able to walk past a charity shop without popping in and have spent many, many happy hours rummaging round vintage fairs and car boot sales.

“nellie & clara combines my love of making with passion for sourcing vintage and pre-loved pieces – from the quirky china plates I make into cake stands, to the beautiful vintage Laura Ashley fabrics that are dotted round my patchwork quilts.

“What nellie & clara is best known for though is beautiful handmade, personalised bunting. This came about when most of my friends got pregnant within a year of each other – there were a lot of babies to find presents for! I sourced some gorgeous, durable cotton fabrics and created bunting with the baby’s name appliquéd on.

“I was absolutely floored by my friends’ reaction – I’ve always been ludicrously meticulous and get a lot of pleasure from ensuring everything I make is perfect, and it turned out that I’d inadvertently created something far better quality than that available in the shops. Friends of friends started putting in orders and the bunting is now a staple of nellie & clara! Visitors to reetsweet Leeds will be able to see some samples for themselves and choose from 24 fantastic fabrics for their very own personalised bunting.”

October Fair Preview: Leeds Corn Exchange Oct 1st & 2nd...

Hello again! So, it's a little over a month until our next event - at the Leeds Corn Exchange on Oct 1st and 2nd - free entry as always!

We are very pleased to announce some new crafters for you, firstly we have....'KitschenSink'...

'The KitschenSink idea was born in 2004. After a brief stint in teacher training, Rowan found herself unemployed and in need of a new challenge. Window shopping in the boutiques of Lincoln, she was astounded by the prices of simply designed and badly made jewellery. Coupled with spending a lot of time selling old possessions on eBay in order to survive, she saw an opportunity. She made a bracelet from Lego she swiped whilst babysitting and listed it for 99p. The auction ended at £15. But it's only since 2007 that KitschenSink has taken things full throttle. After selling out at a craft fair, Rowan thought it was about time she sold online as well, and formalised things a little more…

…And here we are today. KitschenSink jewellery and accessories are the result of quality time with Grandma, a fascination of colourful branded toys, and a desire to re-purpose mass-produced materials into handmade, wearable fashion treats....'

Meet KitschenSink's Rowan at the next fair - her very first reetsweet!

Exciting times @ reetsweet!!

We love it when we have good news about our fantastic stallholders!! Lianne Mellor aka Mellorware, creates stunning chinaware with intricate and delicate animal illustrations, hares at tea, hedgehogs eating cake...pretty amazing! And obviously other people think so too! The one and only Liberty of London are now selling Lianne's range at their stunning London store...



We spoke to Lianne about her success! "Having the opportunity to work with an incredible store like Liberty is really wonderful. To have them match my own faith in my products and see it go on sale within their prestigious London store is really special! Its a dream come true and I can't wait to work on new products for them in the future"



We wish Lianne every success for the future and we are so proud of her achievement!!

sugar and spice and all things nice @ reetsweet tomorrow!

I think one of the best handmade purchases you can ever make is something to keep like a handmade toy or ornament - there's something very comforting and lovely about that handmade toy you got as a child, or the piece of one-off pottery you bought as a treat to yourself one memorable day...



Sian Wheatcroft will be at reetsweet tomorrow exhibiting her fabulous bears - she has a new collection! Her works always sell well so get down early to see her collection of modern, loveable, collectable bears! For more pictures go to www.strawberrrykitten.com



11am onwards tomorrow at the corn exchange x

a lazy saturday in leeds...

There's so many nice shops in Leeds, but how many of the independents are actually left now in the city centre? Mm, not many. Rather than continue to give money to big companies like topshop, or american apparel etc, why not try some handmade instead? At reetsweet's next fair in the lovely nation of shopkeepers, we will be offering you an afternoon of delights - cakes, food, some value for money craft stalls - and hopefully some sunshine! But whatever the weather - we will be giving away some reetsweet goodies and starting your May bank holiday with a bang - a crafty bang! More details here.

May 28th from 12pm to 5pm, free entry x