Swishing you a merry Christmas...

This December we'll be joining forces with SannaPanda & Friends in order to bring you a very special Christmas Swishing event.

We all have loads of garments we either no longer wear, fallen out of love with but can't part with or as I am ready to shamefully admit have never worn and probably never will because I bought it on a whim! We all have moments of madness!

So if you think there's no alternative other then sticking them in the recycling bag then think again...

Swishing is a great way to revive, refresh and boost your wardrobe and it won't cost you the earth! Literally it's a fantastic way to recycle so you are saving the planet!!!

At £1 an item you can drop off your unwanted clobber. We'll be receiving clothing from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm. 

You'll then have half an hour to browse and try other people's cast off and then when we blow the whistle at 8 pm..."SWISH"... that's when you can grab your new fashion bounty.

It's that easy!

We accept:

Dresses (Vintage, home made and High Street)

Separates (tops/blouses/shirts/vests etc. - trousers/skirts/shorts/leggins etc.)

Jumpers and knitwear

Shoes/Boots

Hand bags, Belts, Hats and accessories including jewellery.

We do ask that everything you bring to be in a good wearable condition and clean.

*Sorry no underwear or socks!

When? 6th of December from 6.30 pm to 9 pm

Where? At the formidable Oak Studio in Hampstead Heath

Also you can grab a free cocktail (swishers only), buy some cake at "Cakes by Kath" baked goods stall and do some late shopping in the studio...there are so many gorgeous things in there!!!

Make Christmas a hand made fest...

Every time I see "those" Christmas  adverts on the telly...you know the ones...flashing lights, intoxicating music, fit inducing colour schematics screaming "HURRY CHRISTMAS IS ONLY X AMOUNT OF DAYS AWAY" I literally fight the vomit back in...
Ew, OK not a pretty image but imagine it with glitter and wool and all things that make the insides of a true crafter!!!
So Here are my tips for getting through the mayhem of Chrimble prep...
First, breath. Then...breath some more. We as a race never breath enough hence why we panic so much. We crafters are a sensitive bunch and think of this post as a gigantic "craft inhaler" and it's here to help you breath some creativity into your Christmas!
So lets start by making your life easier by choosing a few stress free, easy but effective projects which will both supply a bit of "make therapy" and provide you with something which has a use in the holiday season. Here are three that I'm currently working on...



*Try printing your own Christmas wrapping paper. It doesn't need to be expensive or complicated. Potato stamping is a cheaper alternative to stamp/lino carving so don't think straight off the mark that it's going to look like primary school art class fodder. Use brown parcel paper, make nice paper tags and even paper bows plus butchers string can make it extra pretty especially if you use the red & white stuff!

courtesy of "Ella's inspiration"

*Make your own table favours/decorations.  A lovely little gift idea and decoration which you can use as part of your table theme or use as an alternative advent calender. Plus you can use them for pretty packaging for smaller gifts too like earrings, brooches, cufflinks etc.

Click here for tutorial

*Make your own perfume...
You know it's one of those gifts that you either love or hate! Personally I love getting perfume as a gift but it's very rare that I get one which I absolutely adore. The few times I have received those little bottles of magic "Eau de Moi" have been mainly because the gift giver knows me well and knows what scents I like! Basically they have gotten me down to a T which isn't easy.
So if you know someone who loves receiving perfume imagine how special they'll feel knowing  someone else gets them too and has gone to the trouble of creating a bespoke scent in their very own ready to wear eau de perfume!
Perfect for a truly special mate or to get your other half smelling just like you like...er, cinnamon rolls, single malt whiskey and sweet tobacco?! Oh well that's how I'd like my man to whiff!

Small Measures perfume tutorial

So crafty bambinos and bambinas we hope you find some sort of inspiration and if nothing else at least you've spent a few minutes thinking what you'd like to make for Christmas instead of focusing on your panicked breathing!!!

Hello East Sussex...

We're so proud of our sister armies and after announcing that Brighton Craft Guerrilla was ceasing to opperate we can now introduce you the new Brighton team!

We're stoked to have Sam on board with her magical crafty know how, enthusiasm and all round super duper creativity! It's a hard act to follow but we believe in Sam and know she'll do a fab job taking over where the last Brighton Craft Guerrilla left off. We love them too and after a few years of doing such a fantastic job we'll miss them dearly. Thank you Emma and gang for doing such great work and spreading the CG message. We salute you and wish you luck with everything you do in the future!

I'm excited beyond belief after hearing what Sam and Co. have in store for us...on line tutorials, craft swaps, craft meetings, classes, workshops...phew, these gals will have us packing our bags and moving down to Brighton soon if they keep up all this fabulous crafting!

So check them out,stop by their blog to say "hi", tell your friends, join them in Brighton if you can and show them your crafty appreciation!
http://brightoncraftguerrilla-craft-by-sea.blogspot.co.uk/

I'm so happy that we are able to share the Craft Guerrilla ethos beyond London so if you're interested in opening up* your own CG platoon drop us a line: craftguerrilla@yahoo.com

*please note that their is a criteria and a philosophy to follow so requests will be received and considered according to suitability!

This Christmas make it HAND MADE!

This Christmas make a conscientious effort to either make or buy hand made items! As a firm advocate for all things hand made I truly believe in the worth of buying more locally made/sourced items but also by doing this you are helping out the planet.
By thinking about where products come from and how they were produced you are making a positive, informed choice and it doesn't mean that cheap mass production will cease (though it would be nice!) I hope it will show the "big boys" on the High Street that we want change. The consumer's voice has never been so powerful so show them if you believe and want a change to a fairer and more environmentally friendly production process!
Not just a good move as you're helping your local economy but also it's a lovely way to show your family and friends that you care about them and the world we live in!!!
I'm not going to bore you with the intricate reasons why it's better to buy hand made...besides  I'm sure you know all about it anyway! Here are a few choice items that I love and a selection of projects I will be getting stuck into making for my loved ones...

Material World by Perri Lewis

the aviary

http://jillybird.co.uk/

Paper decoration tutorial

make your own cupcake to gift to your friends!

Make a circle scarf or leg warmers from an old jumper!

Feeling Inspired? Check out We Make London's new book!

New handmade design guide puts readers directly in touch with makers...

Readers of a new book, Inspired: London, A guide to handmade in London, will get an exclusive insight into over 150 handpicked designers, such as an embroidery designer who helped create Kate Middleton’s wedding dress, to a designer who created bespoke and exclusive cushions for Harrods and Selfridges.

Packed full of inspiring designs from clothing to art, and detailed information about their creators, this guide literally puts the reader in touch with the people that hand make products in London. The book closes the gap between the producer and the buyer, as the book contains contact details for every designer, so the reader can chat, make a commission or even meet up with the designer in their studio.

The guide was created by Mary McDermott, owner of We Make London, a series of regular craft events across the city, after she spotted a rise in the interest in handmade products in the UK.

Mary said: “While the enthusiasm for handmade products has increased in the past few years, I also noticed that customers actually wanted to know more about the designers than you can with online shopping. They wanted to have a personal experience and to know that the products they buy have been lovingly made locally. So we decided to put together a book that would allow customers to actually meet up with the designer.”

With products to suit every budget, this must-have guide for Londoners and visitors aims to support local businesses, which is now more important than ever in the current economy. As well as dedicating an entire page to the work of each designer, the book also has a directory of nearly 100 interesting organisations, suppliers, independent shops and designer-maker markets.

Inspired:London – A guide to Handmade in London will be launched on 10 and 11 November at Spitalfields market and is available to buy online for £12.99 via the We Make London Website http://wemakelondon.bigcartel.com/ and in selected bookshops.

BUT if you can't quite wait for the 10th of November pop down to Chelsea Old Town Hall on Sunday 4th November for the We Make Christmas Fair and meet the designers...
 

Browse and buy for the whole family from over 80 hand-picked exhibitors, selling a wide range of wares from Eco-friendly hand-crafted gifts ideas to jewellery, fashion, graphic / fine art, bath and body, toys and children's clothing. Shoppers will be able to relax in the cosy cafe with a selection of delicious homemade delights. 

Opening times are 11am-5pm. Entry is £2 and free for children
 

 

"Lençinhos dos namorados"...a stitched call out for exhibitors!

"Lençinhos dos namorados" is a very old Portuguese tradition which began by semi illiterate women embroidering hankies for their lovers some of which were fisherman.
These little tokens also served as good luck charms and as a constant reminder that their lady's love would be waiting for them upon their return while they worked on the stormy and harsh seas.
Filled with pretty, colourful images and designs they also featured spelling mistakes and grammatical errors which personally I think makes them utterly charming! These little pieces of linen are a true and pure account of someone's love for another and also served as a "sampler" to teach girls the basics of embroidery.

"our love will end when this dove takes flight" Please note that if it were translated with typos it might be something like this: "Our love wood end wen this dove takes flite"

And so here's what we propose...
As part of our next E17 Art Trail exhibition we'd like to invite embroiderers from all corners of the globe to send in their hankies for an exhibition which will take place in September 2013.
Please add a message on a hankie in your own language though we'll need a translation in English on a piece of paper so we can tell people what it says when we show it!

Criteria:
It needs to be a message of love though it doesn't need to have typos or spelling mistakes...we're just taking inspiration from these beautiful works of art! Make it as intricate or as simple as you like...
As long as it's passionate we welcome it.... plus we can dry our tears when we're overcome with emotion!!!
It can be a love letter to an unrequited love, a partner, a lost love, a family member, a pet or something more abstract like a city, a cocktail, a band or a anything which gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that you'd like to convey to the world. 
P.S. Free hand machine embroidery is also accepted!
If you'd like to read more (though you'll have to copy and paste the text to google translate...) visit:
http://www.aliancartesanal.pt/site/home.asp?pagina=scd

Deadline:
The deadline is Friday May the 31st 2013 so we can organize and get the show promoted.

We also hope to tour this exhibition so you'll need to give us permission to show your work under our banner but we'll send a release form to all contributors.
If you'd like to know more please email us for details...

Autumn Zine...

Here's a taster of what's to come! Because we LOVE Autumn and all things woody we're celebrating the new season in style with lots of forest inspired projects, illustration, recipes, cocktails and even a play list!

PLUS it's super green as it's only sold as a PDF so no trees have been harmed in the production of this issue so for a teeny tiny £1.50 you'll be able to feel like you've saved the planet just that little bit more then you usually do.
It will be available to purchase on our web site very soon...


If you'd like to pre order your ZINE please email us: craftguerrilla@yahoo.com
Here's  one of our top Autumn tunes from our play list...Enjoy!