Tigerlily Makes: August 2013

Friday, 30 August 2013

Bye Bye Summer, Hello Autumn

It’s hard to believe that we’ve reached the end of August already. The kids are ready to go back to school, the trees are starting to don their autumnal coats and clothing ranges in shops are featuring more cardigans than swimsuits ….. yes, autumn is upon us already!

So far, 2013 has been a great year for Tigerlily Makes. With new ventures such as the Handmade Boutique in Birmingham, new branding and lots and lots of happy crafters joining the felty flock we can’t complain.

Autumn promises to be just as hectic, with a plethora of courses planned - http://ow.ly/onODZ , and of course the festive season to prepare for. As with all retail businesses, we also have our Christmas campaign to roll out, as well as new products constantly being added to the Tigerlily range and new designs being worked on.

Here’s to the new season, and thank you for your support.

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Work/Life Balance – A Walk In The Park!

Running your own enterprise can be a stressful experience at times. It’s easy to work very long days without a break and skip such delights as weekends and holidays in favour of “the business”.

Technology doesn’t help the plight of the entrepreneur either: Phones make it possible to stay connected 24/7 – even after the PC has been turned off, we can still pick up emails, check Twitter and Facebook etc long into the night when we should be putting ourselves and our families first.

With this in mind, it’s been a real delight to take the occasional lunch time walk. Planned into the day, a brief spell away from the workplace in the middle of the day gives us a chance to clear our minds and take in some fresh air. I’ve actually felt more productive after a spot of lunchtime walking than when I work non-stop all through the day.

Try it for yourself – you will feel much better afterwards!

Princess Lily enjoys some lunchtime fresh air!

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Tigerlily YouTube Channel – have you subscribed?

Good morning!

Did you know that Tigerlily Makes has its own YouTube channel? There’s all sorts of short videos available, for you to watch at your own leisure, from general overviews of our designs through to easy-to-follow “How To” videos for some of our most popular products.

To subscribe to the Tigerlily Makes channel, just follow this link http://ow.ly/o5CRA

hers one of our videos to give you a taster!

For now, have a great day and keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep felting!

Friday, 23 August 2013

Home Comforts and Felt Slippers!

Gooooooood morning my lovely felt fans! Today’s question is all about footwear – how many pairs of shoes do you own? Of those pairs of shoes, how many do you actually wear on a regular basis, and how many are truly 100% comfortable?

Yes, every day we squeeze our toes into pointy shoes, often with a heel and grimace our way through the day. For many of us, that first action upon arriving home of kicking off the shoes and the initial “aaaaaggggghhhhhhh” of comfort signals the beginning of the evening – a time to relax and repair, in readiness for doing it all again the next morning.

As we near autumn, the evening temperatures begin to drop and the shops fill with racks of slippers: mules, moccasins, slip-ons, fully soled, open toed ….. you name it, there’s a slipper manufactured in that style!

What could be more rewarding than treating your toes to the comfort of a pair of felt slippers, handmade by YOU! Following a basic slipper design, but customised and personalised to your taste, join me on 16^th November at Hobbycraft Tamworth to make your own pair of felt slippers. With only 8 places per course, it’s also a great opportunity to take some time out for yourself, meet like-minded crafters and enjoy a day of creativity and socialising. There’s even tea and cake!

To book your place on the Felt Slippers Course, follow this link - http://ow.ly/o5i4m - you could even make a pair for someone special as a unique Christmas gift!

Thursday, 22 August 2013

Get Crafty, Get Chatty!

Well, hello again you lovely bunch!

How many of you have got craft projects on the go, but never seem to find the time or wherewithal to knuckle down and get truly stuck in? Yes, life gets in the way – kids, partner, holidays, school commitments, work, cooking, cleaning …… I’ve been there, done that and worn the t-shirt many, many times!

If any of this sounds familiar, then it’s time to dig out those part-finished works and join us for our Chatty Crafters Craft Night at Tamworth Hobbycraft on 3^rd September.

Chatty Crafters events offer an informal relaxed atmosphere for you to bring along your projects and get crafting. With other creatives in the room, it’s a great environment to bounce ideas off each other, share tips and advice and spend a couple of hours on whatever you want to achieve.

Past events have seen a mix of paper crafters, embroiders, crocheters, various textile artists and of course, felting! The more the merrier in terms of skills in the room.

And the best thing about Chatty Crafters Craft Night is that it’s FREE! We start at 5.30 pm and finish by 8pm. For more information, and to book your place visit http://ow.ly/o5jkt.

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

It’s Back! Ten Reasons Why We Love The Great British Bake Off

Good morning! Were you one of the millions, glued to the TV at 8pm last night for the return of The Great British Bake Off? What is it that makes this programme such a success? Here’s our Top Ten Reasons to love TGBBO.

1. Mary Berry. A real national treasure and what Mary doesn’t know about baking, frankly isn’t worth knowing!

2. Who can fail to withhold a titter every time “soggy bottoms” get a mention!?

3. It’s so very English! Baking in a marquee, often with the rain battering the canvas as they film.

4. We all know that giving those biscuits “just two more minutes” will result in burnt offerings for Messrs Berry and Hollywood.

5. Who will be the first contestant to confuse the sugar container with the cooking salt?

6. Paul Hollywood. Those blue eyes and twinkly smile ….. really ladies!

7. It inspires us to all “have a go”. Sales of baking products and baking cookbooks rocket when TGBBO is broadcast.

8. The Technical Bake round. One recipe. A multitude of contestants and many differing interpretations of a classic. Don’t look Mary, don’t look …..

9. The cover-ups. Icing over the burnt bits will not get you into the next round. The judges will find out …..!

10. The drama, the tears, the forgotten timers, the dough that didn’t rise.

Yes, welcome back to The Great British Bake Off – and roll on next Tuesday!

Tuesday, 13 August 2013

Featured Felt Kit...

Well helloooooooo lovely felt fans today I thought I would leave you with an insight to another of our glorious kits... the complete Tilly Little's Flower Heart Needle Felting Kit.

But for now keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep felting!

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Monday, 12 August 2013

Featured Kit this Week Dilly Dally Daisy Tea Cosy Kit

Well hello felt fans, happy Monday to you all! Today I thought I would share with you one of our most desired kits the Dilly Dally Tea Cosy Kit.

With the Royal Wedding, Jubilee, Olympics and of course the Royal birth, there really has never been a better time to participate in our quintessentially "British" tradition of a right good cuppa! Made in a very proper way with tea pot and kept warm in a beautifully handmade by you felt tea cosy, what could be a better way to spend time with you friends and family than over the great tradition of afternoon tea.

So with that said I thought I would leave you with a little video on our lovely Dilly Dally Daisy kit.

But for now keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep felting :)

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Friday, 9 August 2013

Wow where has the time gone, we our now into the 2nd month of opening our Handmade Boutique

Hello and welcome to all our lovely felters, makers, creators and all round lovely people!

Today is just a quick post really to say that we are now in our second month of trading at the Handmade Boutique! I can't quite believe where its gone to, but I have to say I am absolutely over the moon with the progress so far.

We have had such great feedback over our joint venture and the positive comments about the craftsmanship, the individuality and the standard of workmanship has been so wonderful to receive. I personally have received such brilliant feedback on my product range and kits as well as lots of course bookings.

So if you haven't visited the boutique yet in The Great Western Arcade in Birmingham, you are in for a real treat... stock is changing all the time so you are sure to be met with new inspirations each time you go in.

For now I will leave you with a few pics.

Thursday, 8 August 2013

Christmas Gift Idea's Get ahead now!

Hello my lovely makers, creators and all round lovely people! Well we know its only August, but already I am preparing Christmas stock and getting set for the festive season, so with that in mind I have decided to offer you all a 20% discount on any products in the Tigerlily Makes boutique.

This will be a great way to get started, with either one of our fabulous kits to treat yourself or for you to make and give as a gift, or to give a kit as a gift for the maker in your life.

With so many kits to choose from you won't be stuck for choice, alternatively you could give the gift of a felt-making course buy buying a course voucher valid for 12 months. Simply quote CELEBRATE_20 at the check out to receive your automatic discount.

But for now I will leave you with a sample selection of videos more info about our ranges.

Tuesday, 6 August 2013

OH Dolly Hand Painted and dressed Peg Doll Range

Warm welcomes to the latest edition of the felty TT blog, today is a nice little follow on from the last post which was all about Peg, bags and wooden hand made painted pegs.

So when I set to in painting my wooden dolly pegs to go with the peg bag kits and peg bags for home use... I realised why they had been so called the dolly peg. People have been painting pegs and making peg dolls for as long as I can remember! The wooden dolly peg goes back the 1700's when it was invented by the "Shaker" movement as an clever way of holding clothes on a line. From there it was re-invented with a spring and eventually into the plastic pegs that most of us have used at some time or another.

After the war and probably before people painted pegs as cost effective gifts, so I thought why not re-visit these pegs and resurrect the good old peg doll.

And here it is, its my interpretation on a classic theme and the range was inspired by my passion for old school "Hollywood" glamour. Hope you like as much as I do!

Available from the Handmade Boutique in Birmingham.

Dolly's Ready To Peg Hand Painted Pegs

Hello lovelies and a very warm welcome to the latest edition of the Tigerlily Makes blog at the Top of Tigerlily Towers or TT as I like to call it.

Today I thought I would share the first in a few blogs about some of the brand new ready to purchase ranges here at Tigerlily Towers. Tigerlily Makes has grown and developed and awful lot of the past 4 years since its start up and I feel that TT has now become a recognised brand of quality kits and home/lifestyle products. The customer feedback and feedback I have received at shows, events and indeed the Handmade Boutique confirms that too.

So lets kick this season of lifestyle products off with Dolly's Ready To Peg, Wooden Dolly Pegs. These are lovingly hand painted by me with beautiful hand painted polka dots on. They grew out of my popular Regalily Peg Bag Kits, which then grew into a customer demand of wanting the readymade and ready to use version, so with the vintage style and feelings of nostalgia, it made sense to have the hand painted pegs as the perfect partner. Each Peg Bag is sold complete with a set of 6 and the pegs are available to purchase separately to use with the felt making kit.

So let me leave you with some of the pegs and peg bags.

Monday, 5 August 2013

Autumn Winter Courses

Hi felties, well after the last courses post at the Boutique I thought I would throw the spotlight on some of our feltastic day courses, held at Hobbycraft Tamworth. We have a fantastic range of courses suitable for all abilities and without need for sewing, stitching, knitting or crochet, this is definitely suitable for any skill level.

Take a look at our courses schedule to see our mouth watering range of course types and samples, but for now I will leave you with a few taster photos!

But for now... Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep Felting!

Friday, 2 August 2013

Our courses are off with a BANG!!

Well hello my lovely felty fans! Wow what can I say what a busy few months its been in the run up to the opening of the Handmade Boutique. We have now been open just one short month and the feeback has been brilliant.

Last night we kicked off with the very first course and it was a packed full house!

This was the first of a number of needle felting and paper craft workshops that I am running, but these sit alongside other fabulous workshops such as Black Acres Soaps Bath Bombs workshops and Jenny Rose Mann's Fabric Collage Hoop workshops.

We are also adding other workshops from Caramel Designs and Kirsty Mason with a view to doing jewellery workshops not to far in the near future with the fabulous Perlina Jewellery.

But for now have a great day and look forward to catching up with you again soon!