Hello & welcome to the Designer/Maker Diaries

March was another busy month here at Claire Salisbury Studios & Creative Sparks Club HQ. Life in general is starting to improve a bit, most of the children here in the UK have returned to school & lockdown restrictions are gradually being eased. H isn't thrilled to be back at school, but she's definitely happy to be back with her friends in person rather than their weekly Zoom chat. Spring is here, the clocks have gone forward so the days are longer & the sun is starting to make a more frequent appearance, it's still a bit chilly though, but warmer days are on the way. 

I was also fortunate to get a phone call from my GP saying they had 5 left over Covid vaccinations & as I'm immune compromised, I could have one if I wanted & could get there within the hour, about 30 minutes later I was vaccinated with the first dose & the second jab will be in June.

I've spent most of the month working on something that I am so excited about....

The Creator's Collection is a colourful & fun range of useful accessories created especially for creator's everywhere. I've been testing ideas & making lots of samples. I'll be launching the pencil cases & super handy (& large) zippered pouches around mid May. Aprons will follow shortly after.

They'll be available for pre-order and if you're on our mailing list there may be a cheeky little launch discount just for you! If you'd like to know as soon as The Creator's Collection drops in my shop & get a little discount too you can join our mailing list here.

I've also re-opened my Etsy shop after about 18 months off. it's had a rebrand & is now Claire Salisbury Studios UK (formerly Crafty Alchemy) I've stil got quite a bit of work to do & I need to add quite a few more items but I've got loads planned & in the works too.

I'm bringing back some of the most popular craft kits I used to make starting with the Rainbow Cushion Cover Kit & the Rainbow Embroidery Hoop Kit. I'm also looking at the Make Your Own Voodoo Doll Kit as that was ridiculously popular, I'm planning on making the voodoo dolls a bit larger but I haven't sorted out all the details yet.

I'm also currently working on some new banner kits too...

So that was my March in a nutshell, hectic but filled with fun, colour & creativity! Happy days!

How was your March, do you have any big plans for April?

Hello, hello

Welcome to the February edition of The Designer Maker Diaries! It's been a busy month here at Claire Salisbury Studios & Creative Sparks Club HQ, learning new skills, getting new tech & eating cake.

I realised that during 2020 I'd spent a lot of time getting distracted by shiny object syndrome, lots of shiny new ideas that have absolutely nothing to do with print & pattern design or creativity. So I decided to set myself a challenge that focused on being creative, I came up with the idea of Floral February where I would draw something floral every single day. It's been really fun & I now have a large collection of floral sketches to turn into prints & patterns. I've enjoyed doing this challenge so much & I want to make drawing & sketching part of my daily routine so I'm carrying on with a different theme in March, I may try & keep this going all year with a different theme each month.

Here are a few of my February Florals

It was also my birthday, which means CAKE! This monster creation took 2 days to bake & decorate (one day for baking & most of the next day mixing buttercream & arguing with fondant icing) It didn't quite turn out how I envisaged - fondant icing is my nemesis - but it still tasted good & that's all that matters 

And of course it had to be a rainbow cake!

I was spoiled by my family, my parents got me a big box of Lush, including my favourite perfume from there. Hubs & H bought me a gorgeous little pink Phantom from The York Ghost Merchants, I've called her Arabella & she's now sat next to Sebastian (the little blue ghost I got for Christmas) in the cubby holes above my desk

They also treated me to this beauty!

A sunflower yellow Cricut! I've set it up on H's old desk in the studio (she's far too cool to hang out with me these days) I've had a bit of play with it & have lots of Heat Transfer Vinyl on the way, can't wait until it arrives, I've got a week off to myself in March so guess what I'll be doing that week. I've attempted a cushion cover & a pencil case for my Cricut tools so far and I've got a few blank bags & cushion covers to experiment with.

My cushion cover

and the pencil case - I always call my tools/pens/pencils Magic Wands because they sound much cooler

I've also been working behind the scenes getting ready to re-open my Etsy shop under the Claire Salisbury Studios brand (it was formerly Crafty Alchemy) There will be a mix of home accessories designed by me, printables & a whole assortment of creativity related products & kits. I'm hoping to reopen by the end of March - if everything goes to plan!

And we finally have a light at the end of the tunnel, the government in the UK have announced that we should be fully out of lockdown by 21st June 2021! Woohoo! I'm so hoping the goes according to plan, I have a list of people I'm desperate to hug! 

Take care & see you soon