A first glance at the fabulous (often frosted) felt offerings of British Cream Tea and my crafty sweet tooth was crying out for more.  Biscuits and lollies, pasties and puddings…all quintessential treats from the land that takes its tea seriously.  The offerings are like a hall of fame of tea time treasures, and it isn’t hard to imagine sitting down to a cuppa and tucking into one of BCT’s tasty tarts.  It is, however, hard to conceive that these treats aren’t the real thing but replicas.

The attention to detail is painstakingly clear.  Drips of frosting look delicious as they cascade down a Christmas pudding, sprinkles sit atop an ice cream pop, and slices of toast accompany a soft boiled egg, which can be removed from its cup.  Each stitch is skillful and perfectly placed.  And to top it off, everything comes served up on a dainty display with descriptions that will make your mouth water (and educate an audience unfamiliar with jammie dodgers).

Ouissi, the creative mind and nimble fingers behind British Cream Tea, was kind enough to answer some questions for us.  The only unanswered query for me is, “Can I get a chip buttie?”

>>Please introduce us to your business?

What kinds of things do you make?

I am a felt confectioner and specialize in making British foods out of felt. Creating my pieces allows me to make the food I love and that filled my childhood and I love it when people say that my pieces bring back memories of their childhoods!

How did you get started?

I have always loved felt. The way it feels, the colours, the strong yet pliable nature. After having my son I wanted to try something completely different from the card and paper sculptures I used to make, although food has been the constant factor in all my work as I used to do a lot of work around cupcakes

I was taught to sew by my Aunt, who makes amazing couture wedding dresses, so I can sew well plus I have always loved embroidery…I just wanted to try something different and felt was it!

Is there an interesting story behind the name of your business?

I wanted to purvey the British classic nature of the foods I was creating in my business name. When I think of British food various things came to mind: the sunday roast, full english breakfasts, picnics with checkered cloths and wicker baskets, the afternoon tea. I considered the image that these classics conjure up and decided on the afternoon tea: scones, cucumber sandwiches, tea from china teapots and steaming mugs of hot chocolate!

After searching the internet for similar names and availabilities for web and shop addresses I settled for cream tea as afternoon tea was much more common, and combined it with British to make it clear where my work originated.

>>Tell us a bit about your town.

Where in the world are you?

I live in Liverpool in the UK after years of living in many cities including Edinburgh which I loved. I moved here to be nearer to my family and am now settled here with a Merseyside man and our new baby

Does your location have an influence on what you make?  Please explain.

Liverpool this year is European Capital of Culture so I have been surrounded by art and events and it has been wonderful! It is a lovely city to live in at the moment and a lot of my friends work in the arts so I am surrounded by inspiration.

But it is the UK as a whole that truly inspires me…or rather its food. I have been influenced by many different foods from all over the country as I have lived in many different places. I guess that the North of England probably carries the most influence
because that is where I grew up (Cheshire) and a lot of my pieces revolve around childhood memories.

Where do you find inspiration?

I love food!

I have always loved baking and cooking plus I am transfixed by a beautiful bakery shop or restaurant. My mother used to make fabulous cakes and biscuits whilst we were growing up and my Aunt will still whip up a fruit tart complete with immaculate creme patisserie if she feels we don’t have enough dessert at a meal so I am surrounded by food and wonderful cooks.

I will get excited by new ideas in shops, by cookery programmes on the television or by someone sharing a food memory or love with me.

Are there any crafters out there whose work you admire?  Or, do you have a favorite type of craft?

I love looking at new ideas an techniques and fall in love with new items on the internet and in the shops all that time!

I recently discovered Karen Ruane on her blog (http://karenruane.blogspot.com/). She makes the most amazing contemporary embroidery and quilts, a lot of white on white work, and I just love it! She has a shop on Etsy (http://contemporarystitches.etsy.com) from which I may make a Christmas purchase for myself!

What is the best part of what you do?  the most challenging?

The best parts are thinking of a new piece and seeing what is in my mind develop in my hands and someone buying one of my pieces of course…that is a lovely feeling especially when they write to tell me they love it!

The most challenging part so far has been keeping confidence in myself and my ideas. I am lucky though as my partner is my rock and as a business advisor I can actually trust what he says!

You have listings on Etsy and Folksy.  Can you compare the two hosting sites?  What are the advantages/disadvantages?

I have been on Etsy since early 2006 with my first shop so I know the site well and enjoy the international feel. Folksy is newer and fully focused on the UK which makes it more intimate somehow and I love the fact that the currency is the pound. Etsy is bigger and more established than Folksy so many more people see my work there, although I have had international enquiries on Folksy. I hope it does spread its wings a little over the next few months, it could be a really exciting site.

I have been really lucky to be a featured seller on Folksy and have been in the Etsy Storque and its gift guides so I have had exposure on both sites and so far my sales are evenly split between them.

And, for fun, please name three places in the world that you’d like to visit and why.

I’ve been to some beautiful parts of the World in my life, most of which I would love to revisit…but these are the 3 places I have never been…but really want to!

Hong Kong: my partner’s family are from Hong Kong and he has been a lot and has wonderful photographs and stories. I have never been but would love to see the harbour and the giant Buddha with my own eyes and see the city from the Peak. I want to see if it lives up to the stories (and I’d love to take Afternoon Tea in the Peninsula Hotel…if only to see if it is better than afternoon tea in the Paris Ritz!)

Egypt: I grew up in stories of Greek, Roman and Egyptian Gods, heroes and mythological creatures. I have visited Greece a lot, especially as a child when holidays involved Greek Islands, ancient ruins and Flying Dolphins But I have never visited Egypt…my parents used to go down the Nile without us during the winter. I dream of visiting Abu Simbel, the Sphinx and Valley of the Kings.

Pompeii: I have only been to Italy once, to see Pisa and Florence, and, whilst I would love to see Rome and Venice, the place that I always longed to see as a child was Pompeii…it held my imagination.

British Cream Tea has set up shop on Etsy and Folksy.

You can also keep up with her on her blog, A Journal of Dreams.

It’s a big world out there with crafters in every nook and cranny.  Know anyone that needs a feature?  Email thischickadee [at] gmail [dot] com.  Subject = Craft Chat.

What do you get when you toss together paper, ink and a wooden accordion with an active imagination and an interest in word play? The prettiest of print shops with diverse offerings ranging from stationary to sweet sayings that sit on a shelf. At mrs eliot books, there is much to delight and charm.

Collages are cobbled together from old envelopes, fabrics, pieces of prose and the artist’s own drawings. Beautiful books are constructed of blocks of wood pasted with prints of endearing creatures and curious words. The mood of these makings is calm and serene, with an underlying affection for the subject matter.

Let’s spend some time in the studio with Mrs Eliot herself and learn more about her craft, her likes and her location:

>>Please introduce us to your business!

What kinds of things do you make?

My name is Francesca and I run mrs eliot books. I make cards, prints, original collage pieces and little wooden books.

How did you get started?

I had been working on my little wooden books for a while and wondering what on earth I was going to do with them when I discovered etsy. It was like a whole world opened up, and where before I had struggled to get my work out there, there was now a perfect little outlet and a greatly supportive community. My little wooden books started to get noticed and I was lucky enough to get some press and it went from there.
Before that, I had worked in book cover design and had my own t’shirt company but I wasn’t quite fulfilled creatively.

Is there an interesting story behind the name of your business?

I like to cut up words and sentences from books to create a new narrative and use in my work. When I was at art college The Middle Age of Mrs Eliot by Angus Wilson was the first book I bought from the second-hand shop to tear up. It was completely random, I flicked through it and liked it’s ‘Englishness’. I still use it today.

>>Tell us a bit about your town.

I live in a leafy part of London with lots of green spaces nearby but only a short tube ride to the centre of town. I’m definitely a city girl, I couldn’t live in the countryside although I do love to get away for a weekend. London is still great. And it gets more exciting all the time. We have some great new architecture by the river, one of my favourite areas to hang out.

Does your location have an influence on what you make? Please explain.

Where do you find inspiration?

I like to use winter trees a lot in my work and these first really grabbed my attention in my local park. Otherwise, it’s a cliche but I do find inspiration everywhere. Just a shape out of the corner of my eye or a pattern or a phrase or conversation can start something off.

Are there any crafters out there whose work you admire? Or, do you have a favorite type of craft?

There are so many wonderful artists out there and etsy and the blogging community has really unleashed them! Some new people that have caught my eye recently are Helen Musselewhite, gypsy and twink and Nina Invorm.

What is the best part of what you do? The most challenging?

Without a doubt the best part of what I do is getting really warm feedback from someone who has bought one of my products, when they take the time to let me know how much they like something or they send me a picture of my work in their home. I even like writing out my address labels, so many little towns all over the world.
The most challenging part is keeping ideas fresh. With so much beautiful work so available on the net now, it’s sometimes hard not to be influenced. But I have been copied in the past and it’s a horrible feeling, so it’s really important for me to be true to myself and be inspired but not influenced. It’s also hard to keep motivated. If I drop out for a week, it’s much harder to get back on the horse, I need to do a little bit every day in order to stay focused.

You have listings on Etsy and Folksy. Can you compare the two hosting sites? What are the advantages/disadvantages of the sites?

Well, etsy is really the leader, I’ve been on etsy for a couple of years and I really think of it as my main shop but it is very hard to get noticed. You have to push yourself and your work constantly to stay visible among all the great work out there. Folksy is just starting out so I have a lot less work in there (I don’t enjoy the listing process!). It is also in beta mode so we are all still very much testing it out and reviewing it. It’s got a long way to go, but with less people using it, there is a chance your work will be seen more often than on etsy. (I also have a dawanda shop by the way, the euro-etsy).

And, for fun, please name three places in the world that you’d like to visit and why.

Cape Town, seems like a lot of interesting work is coming out of there right now. Western Australia has been on my list for a while – just my family and a camper van would be great one day. Tokyo, why not!

mrs eliot books currently keeps shop on etsy, folksy and dawanda! Check her out in any currency.

You can also read about her on her website, blog and see more on her flickr site.

The general consensus that I’m hearing from crafters is that Etsy is the still site to beat. But newcomers on the scene like Folksy and Dawanda (look for a write-up on this site soon) have certain advantages, especially for international users. Folksy gives UK artists a forum that accepts their country’s currency, while everything in Dawanda shops is priced in Euros. Also, not having as many sellers means a chance for more recognition. I’ve been taking advantage of the manageable size of makers and makings on Folksy and have spied some sellers that might have otherwise gotten lost in the shuffle.

Urbanknit is one of those Folksy Finds. The shop, run by London resident Dolapo James, is chocked full of chunky knits and brightly colored bags. It was the great big knits that first caught my eye…neck warmers and scarves of unusually large proportion that just looked like London to me. And they seem every bit as soft and sumptuous as they do warm and woolen. The perfect accessory for braving the chilly climes of the British Isles. Stitched in a creative color palate that is as interesting as the designs themselves, I dream of having one of Urbanknit’s cowls to cuddle my nook on cold morning walks.

But she doesn’t stop there, she also sews together an array of zips, clutches and totes out of prints that she hand-picks from Nigeria, West Africa. She pairs the brilliant batiks with solids which brings out their beauty and makes for an interesting contrast between materials.

Dolapo was kind enough to answer a few questions for us.  Read on to learn more!

>> Please tell us about your business!

What kinds of things do you make?

I run Urbanknit where I make mainly bags and scarves. I handknit and sometimes crochet scarves, neck warmers and scarflettes. I also make clutches, totes, purses and handbags from bright and bold African prints and batiks.

How did you get started?

I learned to knit when I was little and have always enjoyed making things since then. I like the whole process of dreaming something up and working through to making it. I used to make things for family and friends who fortunately indulged me even though some of the things were pretty strange! I started to take more time and care to make things I think are beautiful, fun and functional and decided to set up more formally as a business a few years ago.

Is there an interesting story behind the name of your business?

I went through so many combinations before I came up with the name. I still have the sketchbook where I doodled until I decided on this one. I wanted something that contrasted ideas. I love living in a city and visiting various big cities around the world as they are fascinating and work so differently. The idea of knitting seems in a way far removed from this. At the same time, I started just making scarves so it seemed a cool combination the idea that something warm and homely like knitting can exist in an urban context. Also I think everything is in some way connected and knitted together. Ha ha, it makes sense to me not sure it would to anyone else!

>> Tell us a bit about your town!

Where in the world are you?

Does your location have an influence on what you make?  Please explain.

I currently live in London, England. I think living here does influence what I make to an extent. Of course when it is cold, which is a lot of the time, I get to make scarves and so on. In the big cities here like London and Manchester, people can be quite quirky and experimental in their dressing and with fashion in general so it gives me an excuse to be experimental and try some crazy colour or pattern combinations.

Where do you find inspiration?

This is always a tricky one because it comes from so many things. Music (I listen to almost anything),
cartoons, graffiti, people watching, architecture, art, pattern, print, colours. I love bright colours, bold and intricate prints. I also like the Modernist era in architecture and artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Donald Judd, Mark Rothko. I am fascinated by how colours, scale, textures are layered in modern cities and the sheer variety that is possible and available. It’s just a crazy mix of the things that bombard my senses everyday and what I enjoy most is working on how various things contrast.

Are there any crafters out there whose work you admire?  Or, do you have a favorite type of craft?

I have too many designers and makers and crafters that I admire that if I list some, I’d forget others I am sure. I don’t have any favourite craft as I enjoy seeing things that I can’t make and will never try as well as work of other people who do similar things to what I do.  I enjoy looking at photography, metal jewellery, handwoven fabric and for some reason buttons. It seems you can never have too many buttons! I also love handmade leather bags and accessories and love love love handmade paper and stationery.

What is the best part of what you do?  The most challenging?

Again, it is the whole process, being able to think/dream something up and being able to take it all the way through to something that is fun and functional. The sketching, pattern-making, website building, product photography, marketing, meeting new creative and interesting people, posting things all over the world, everything! I even enjoy packaging things before they get posted. The two most challenging things are firstly, finding the time to do everything. The other is getting the word out so that people know about Urbanknit and that it may be just the thing they were looking for.

You have listings on Etsy and Folksy.  Can you compare the two hosting sites?  What are the advantages/disadvantages of the sites?

I have only just started using Folksy. Out of many that have come up on this side of the world, it looks the most professional and promising. It is still new and therefore has not yet had the time to grow and improve as Etsy has. I think it will get there though. What I like most about Etsy is the in-built community and viewers. Not only do you get people looking at your work as soon as you list it, there are so many other ways it could pop up, be it in the Treasuries, Gift Guides, people’s favourites and so on. The level and quality of work is also very high because the set-up is ‘self-policing’ for the want of a better phrase. In order for people to be successful they constantly have to improve the quality of the products, images and service.

What I like about Folksy is that it still feels small and cozy, in a way, so there aren’t yet hundreds and hundreds of items to look through before you find what you are looking for.

And, for fun, please name three places in the world that you’d like to visit and why.

I want to go to Rio for the carnival because it looks like mad fun that cannot be replicated quite the same anywhere else! I’d also like to go to New York even though I have been a few times. I like big cities and I think NY is probably the ultimate for me. I’d like to go to Japan because the culture looks so unique and interesting from the buildings to the clothes and the food. I’ll cheat and add one more, I’d like to go to quite a few cities in Italy to see the architecture, fountains and eat fantastic ice cream!

Urbanknit currently keeps shops on Etsy and Folksy.  You can also learn more about Dolapo and her craft by reading her blog.

You can also see more of her work on her Photo blog.

Happy Halloween!

And welcome to the dream world of art and ghosts.  An ethereal sphere that is charming and creepy all at the same time.  These mysterious prints are made in Manchester, England by a woman named Louise who fancies a bit of fairy tale and mythology.

She has this to say about her work:

“My images usually begin with a photograph, a painting or a doll portrait. I buy many dolls then sell them on for this reason alone (so fickle!),
although i do possess a somewhat overbearing collection of plastic animals, doll house furniture and vintage frocks. My backgrounds are generally my own paintings or textures that I have created or photographed. Although most of my ‘completed’ work is digital, my sources are rather eclectic at best.”

Fitting for today’s holiday, art and ghosts was one of the first Folksy finds that caught my eye.  She has a few listings on the UK site, but admits that she seems to ship off most of her work stateside.  To see her spectral series with US dollar signs attached, scoot over to Etsy, where she’s hosted a successful shop for almost two years.