Meet the Maker - Elsker

My name is Sian and I am Elsker Creations. Elsker Creations was created from my desire to transform what was my hobby and love (elsker) of traditional crafts into my full time job. This journey began almost two years ago when I started taking this passion for traditional crafts such as; gilding, calligraphy, letterpress printing and bookbinding and applying a contemporary twist through my handmade products and designs. I now also run gilding workshops for adults and a programme of arts and crafts workshops for babies, toddlers and children.

My favourite products are my glass gilded pressed flower frames. I love the process of glass gilding and these works have evolved the most. I feel like I am capturing a season or a moment in time. These works are one of a kind. I love the way I manage to capture the vibrancy of the flowers.

My allotment is my number one place to find inspiration. I love doing things with my hands, I find it very therapeutic and that extends to gardening. The wildness of my allotment is a great inspiration, I feel I am out of London and can think clearly. I have also developed a wild flower meadow and use many of the flowers in my works. 

Queen's Park based Sian will bring her Elsker creations to Homeworks on 8th December. 

Meet the Maker - Cardabelle Design

My name is Kate Guy and my design practice is called Cardabelle Design. I have a studio at the Kingsgate Workshops in Kilburn:

I specialise in linocut prints and designs, both original artwork and also screen-printed onto kitchen products, organic cotton textiles and hand made tiles:

I trained at Wimbledon and Norwich Schools of Art, graduating with a BaHons in Graphic Design and Animation. I worked in an animation studio in Camden and then went to lead their tracing department in Budapest.

After having children I worked as a freelance designer for a few years before training as a teacher. I worked in a large secondary school in North West London running the Art and Design department for 12 years. I left last year to develop my own company Cardabelle Design:

I started Cardabelle Design because I wanted to combine my graphic design background with my love of traditional printmaking techniques in order to produce unique, quality homeware:

My influences come from my home in North West London and the Languedoc region of South West France where I have family and friends. A Cardabelle is a thistle from this area which locals pin to their doors to keep out evil influences.

I have always loved printmaking, in particular the strong graphic qualities of lino-cut and screen printing. I use these techniques to make one-off, hand-made prints, and then using these original prints I have developed collections of quality items for the kitchen and home:

I take my principle inspiration from food and the kitchen; I feel that the kitchen is the true heart of the home and the smells and tastes that can be found in this social hub are prominent in my work, in particular natural, simple cooking with wild organic ingredients.

Kate will be at Homeworks this Sunday 11 December.

Meet the Maker - Rebecca Denton

My name is Rebecca Denton and I’m an illustrator, painter and printmaker based in North London. I translate my love of storytelling and comedy into the medium of printmaking.

By combining ancient techniques such as etching with fresh ideas, I try to produce work which is both contemporary and unique:

I create handmade fine art prints (etchings, linocuts, monoprints) in my home studio. I also do watercolours and chalk illustrations sold as limited edition prints and cards. Subjects include eccentric animals in unexpected situations and magical dream-like settings:

I have a background in performing arts and have worked as a photographic stills producer, greeting card designer and conceptual illustrator for Getty.

My work can be viewed permanently at the Southbank Printmakers Gallery which holds six exhibitions a year.

Rebecca will be showing her latest work at Homeworks on Sunday 11 December.

Meet the Maker - Home-Grown

We are Helen Lancaster & Nicky Hessenberg. We started Home-Grown 10 years ago, but before that Helen had a small company making clothes for children and Nicky has a constructed textile course at the London College of Furniture. We used also to organize and run a small annual arts and crafts exhibition in our local area which had quite a local following.

Helen has family living in Mumbai and whenever she came back wearing something beautiful and sometimes exotic, friends and strangers would ask "where did you get it?". We decided to start a small company to supply this demand and Home-Grown was born.

We have a range of clothes made for us in Mumbai, designed by us based on traditional Indian designs. Each garment is then individually made by tailors, in good and safe working conditions, adapted for UK sizes and styles. We put the colours and prints together making a completely original and unique collection.

We do not have a shop and sell a few of our styles to a shop in East Dulwich - otherwise our clothes are available from us selling only through charity fairs and sales, by personal request by telephone, email or by visiting our stockroom. We are based in Bayswater, London.

Come and meet Helen & Nicky on 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Scamp

As well as running Scamp with sister Stacey, Jennifer is a key member of the Homeworks team and organises our Christmas Bazaars. She recently gave us some time out of her (very busy) schedule to tell us a bit about her creative life:

Stacey (left) and Jennifer (right).

Tell us about who you are:
It’s a family affair at Scamp with myself and my sister Stacey establishing and running the business. We’re both mums, both into design, and both creative souls, who design everything in our range.

When did you start your business?
We began in 2010 making personalised pictures for baby gifts. We’ve grown a lot since then to include printed babywear, nursery accessories and bespoke gifts for little ones (and some for big ones too!). The world of the laser cutter has meant we’ve been able to create a lovely range of wooden kids room accessories and decorations and most recently customised printing has expanded our baby wear range to include pyjamas and blankets as well, all printed in the UK:

What’s your inspiration?
Having our own children very much defines what we want our product ranges to be like - lots of vibrant, colourful and funky babywear, bold and simple graphics on bedroom accessories (we love Scandinavian styles) and personalised products created with stylish parents in mind:

We design all our products ourselves and spend a great deal of design time thinking about how our designs fit in with modern family life - both ours and yours!

Come and meet Jennifer & Stacey at Homeworks on 4 & 11 December:

Meet the Maker - soapNskin

We are Rabia Khan & Samar Fazil and we were introduced to each other as babies - our parents were (and still are!) best friends. Like all girls, while growing up, we were captivated by our mothers’ vast collection of exotic beauty products, it was an eclectic mix; store bought makeup to artisan creams and toners inspired by our heritage from, what seemed like then, faraway lands.

We would whisk away into forbidden cupboards, trying on creams, concealers, mascaras or whatever else we could sneak passed their watchful eyes. We made a lot of mess in the process although, admittedly, not nearly as much as we do now!

Fast forward a few years (ok maybe a decade or two) and we began to realise why our darling mothers had always relied on natural remedies to maintain their youthful glow. Numerous skin problems, from eczema and photosensitivity to acne and everything in between left us exasperated. Over the counter, heavily marketed beauty products, as well as potent prescriptions from doctors promised the world, but delivered so little.

Stuck in a bit of a skin rut – and sick of expensive beauty products – we harnessed our creative energies to create natural products for our own personal use.

Submerged in research, botanical extracts, natural bases, butters and essential oils, we learned that nature, when harnessed correctly, offered effective alternatives. Abandoning chemical laden, mass produced toiletries and cosmetics, years were spent making and perfecting recipes. SoapNSkin was born out of this experimentation and we launched in 2014.

Our products are created by hand in micro batches in our very own kitchens. We use nature as our base, and build on that. Blending essential oils and botanical extracts to create fragrantly scented products that showcase Mother Nature in her glory, and which really benefit the skin. Of course some of our products have to contain preservatives to increase longevity, but these are all carefully selected and are derived from natural means.

For us it’s about sharing what we love, and what has made a positive change in our lives with others.
It’s about natural products, crafted and bottled by hand with love and an attention to detail. Products that are available to anyone who wants to make a positive change to what they put on their skin, and banish the use unnecessary harsh chemicals.

SoapNSkin will be at Homeworks on 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Studio Rajka

My name is Rajka, my company name is Studio Rajka and I live, design, create and make my knitwear in my studio in Brentford, West London.
I studied chemistry at University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. I have never studied design, but I started to knit when I was a child and sold my knitwear at university to supplement my tiny student budget.

I have been creative all my professional life, and after many years in the fashion industry I started my knitwear company two years ago, turning my passion into my profession.
I’m inspired by everyday life and my aim is to create luxurious but affordable knitwear, both traditional and contemporary, using naturally sourced sustainable and renewable materials:

I use Scottish and Italian spun lambswool, cashmere and blended yarn.

My products are unique, I rarely made more than two same. I am always happy to do custom orders.

Studio Rajka will be at Homeworks on Sunday 4 December.

Meet the Maker - Sally Hampson

Sally Hampson is joining us at Homeworks for the first time this Christmas. She recently told us a bit about her design life and what inspires her:

My name is Sally Hampson, I’m a weaver and produce blankets, shawls and scarves. I mostly use 100% Pure British wool, from Shetland, the Welsh Black Mountains and from Jacob fleece. I am based in London where I have my studio, but I am also currently running workshops in Stroud where I have set up The Weaving Shed Project.

I studied at the Royal College of Art and graduated with an M.A in Constructed Textiles. Shortly after, I moved to Paris and set up a design studio working closely with the stylist bureaus - this was a real apprenticeship into design. I came back to London and set up my studio and began designing and making woven rugs, collaborating with interior designers and architects.Through my knowledge and experience in textiles I have been invited to Egypt, Ethiopia and Kenya to work on projects along side and support other makers, ceramicists, weavers, basket makers and embroiderers. This in turn has been an inspiration for my own practice as a maker and also as a tutor.

My earliest memories were always of the feel, texture and colour of fabrics. It just seemed inevitable that I would become a weaver. I grew up with a travel rug that my parents bought over from Ireland, when they first came to London. It was a very special possession in our family and has inspired me to produce limited edition woven blankets to be treasured and kept forever.

Sally will be at Homeworks on 4 & 11 December.

Sunday 6 December - Homeworks Christmas Bazaar Sale Preview

It’s less than a week to go until our first Homeworks Christmas Bazaar of 2015! Here is our first preview, showcasing all the designers and makers who will be with us at The Salusbury Rooms next Sunday 6 December:

Angela Cork returns for another year with her elegant silver jewellery, all made by hand in her workshop nearby:

BG Design create fabric jewellery creatures as well as illustrations printed on to different materials:

Gilly B is back with stylish and cosy hand knits:

Homeworks regular Christa Davis will be bringing her beautiful reconditioned cashmere and womenswear made from vintage fabrics as well as unusual accessories for children:

We are Scamp will be showcasing their screen printed baby wear, laser cut room accessories and personalised gifts for girls and boys:

Celia Worster will be selling her exquisite aromatherapy oils and creams:

and Clara Francis is back with more beautiful and delicately beaded pieces:

Sirplus are a perfect one stop shop for all the men in your life. Kit them out for Christmas in a range of nehru waistcoats and jackets, boxers and knitwear, all designed and made from surplus fabrics:

Jacqui Ramrayka returns with her beautiful hand built and thrown ceramics vessels:

and Dorothy Stiven will be selling gorgeous antique china and crystal for your Christmas table:

Helene Turbe returns with her delicate jewellery, each piece telling a story:

There will be cool costumes for kids from iwishiwasa:

and smart occasion wear for girls from Le Mu:

Tinker are at Homeworks for the first time this Sunday with Scandinavian inspired homewares, jewellery and stationery:

Steve Buck creates original and timeless Christmas tree ornaments using porcelain and precious metal lustres:

and Homeworks regular Moomu are back for another year:

Sahel return with luxury accessories hand crafted in West Africa:

There will be beautifully crafted jewellery from Sasha Kamen:

Sonia Shakerley:

and Cinderela B:

Muir and Osborne will be at Homeworks for the first time with luxury cashmere clothing and cashmere toys:

ClutterClutch are back with their trademark super soft and handy leather purses and bags:

and Home Address are at Homeworks again with their eclectic mix of distinctive and unusual home accessories:

New interiors and lifestyle webshop KeepshopKensal will also be selling their fantastic products.

See you on Sunday, doors open at 10am!