Dec 2011

Well here we are almost at the end of another year.  It has been a very busy and successful year for Something Corny.  Recently we attended the Country Living Show at the SECC in Glasgow, what an amazing show.  We really enjoyed chatting to all our customers, it was such an amazing atmosphere.  The workshops Elaine took in the Craft Theatre were very well received, we had 32 participants in each class and we had a class each day of the show so loads of folk went home with a wee straw heart for their Christmas tree. We are still having enquiries from people who want to take up this craft. The show was such a success that we are likely to have a stand there again next year.

Bookings are well under way for 2012.  Another new show for us will be the Ideal Home Show – www.idealhomeshowscotland.co.uk -again in the SECC, Glasgow at the start of June, really looking forward to that.  More details to follow.

I’ve been invited to teach in America again in 2012, really excited about that and plans are already underway for my workshops at the John Campbell Folk School, North Carolina.

I will also be doing a lot more teaching here in my studio in 2012.  If you are interested in learning about this great craft , keep an eye on my diary page for workshop dates or how about getting a wee group of 3 or 4 friends together, book a class just for you  and enjoy a day out, having great fun and learning a  new skill too.

You can now find us on Facebook too! Just click here.

Thank you to all our customers for supporting us this past year and we wish everyone a very happy festive season and best wishes for 2012.

Sept 2011

We've had another busy summer, I enjoyed being at some of the shows especially Turriff show where Something Corny won first prize for Best Craft Stand.

 I had some lovely visitors to my studio during the NEOS event, with quite a few folk having a go at plaiting a wee hairst (harvest)knot for themselves.  North East Open Studios is a brilliant event to be involved in.  During the NEOS week I ran a small workshop which was very successful.  I have quite a few workshops coming up in the next few weeks so if you fancy having a go at Straw work and even making something special for Christmas then have a look at my diary page.

I'm really excited to have been asked by Country Living magazine to run short workshops during their Country Living Christmas Fair in SECC, Glasgow 17th - 20th November.  As well as the workshops where we will be making a straw heart, I will have a stand selling lots of lovely straw items for Christmas.

Other fairs we will be attending in November will be at Airyhall, Aberdeen and Woodend Barn, Banchory.

This year I am going to have an Open Weekend on 3rd and 4th December at my studio to give customers an opportunity to do some Christmas shopping. Keep an eye on the website for more details.

It's terrible to think that the summer is over and we are thinking of Christmas already.  The harvest is now in and I'm off to Yoxall to pick up my trailer load of straw in the next few days, always an exciting time to see how the straw is looking this year. It's a great sight to see my store packed high with new sheaves of wheat ready for another year of plaiting.  

This summer I have been making brooches as you can see in the photograph, these will be appearing on the website for sale soon.  Something else just appearing onto the website and that I'm really excited about is the new tools for straw working, these are all based on traditional designs.

If you fancy coming on a workshop please get in touch and if you see me at the SECC please stop and say hello.

July 2011

It seems like ages since I've updated my News. The first half of this year has been really busy with orders and commissions. The last time I wrote I was working on pieces for London Fashion Week. This was for the designers Meadham Kirchhoff, a lot of the pieces were necklaces, long strings of beads, hand made  straw chain. You will see the ideas in the photo.

Another interesting project I've been involved with recently was making items

for a florist for a competition she was entering. Her name is Shelley Ann Read

and the competition was for her local college.  She came first so we were all

really chuffed.

I've had a lot of enquiries this year about workshops and so you will see on my

diary page a few dates for your diaries.  The classes will be very small so if

you would like to come along please book in plenty of time.  

Coming up in September is the North East Open Studios event, 10th - 18th September, my studio will be open during that week and would be very pleased to see you, you could even have a go at plaiting for yourselves, please just ask.

Next weekend 30th July I am up in Fochabers at Speyfest and on 31st July and 1st August at the Turriff Show.  Hope to see some of you there.

Feb 2011

At last I'm finding a few minutes to bring you up to date with what has been happening over the past few months.  Back in September I travelled to the John Campbell Folk School in North Carolina where I had been invited to teach for a week.  What an amazing place with a fascinating history.

www.folkschool.org  They have a vast array of classes of every sort you could wish for going all all year round.  I had a great group of student who all worked well together.  They produced a huge amount of work and we all had great fun too.

I came home from America and straight into the North East Open Studio week.

Immediately that was finished I was off to Stratford Upon Avon to the Annual

Conference of the Guild of Straw Craftsmen (www.strawcraftsmen.co.uk). I

always look forward to this event as it gives me a chance to meet up with

some very good friends and find some new ones too.  I was teaching at

Stratford but also got the chance of learning from other straw workers

during their workshops too.

Back up the country again to do some demonstrations and some talks and then back down the country to visit Rosemary Sault (www.simplystraw.co.uk) to pick up a trailer load of sheaves.

Once into November it was straight into Christmas Craft Fairs and more talks, some of which were disrupted by the heavy snowfalls we had.  However the orders from the website continued to come in so I had plenty to do.  I also worked with a London designer on some pieces she needed for a magazine photoshoot and also did some anchors as trophies for an award ceremony.

Straight back into work after Christmas and catching up with wedding orders

and shop orders.  For the last month I have been working on pieces for

designers for their London Fashion week show, hopefully might have some

photos for you in the next news.

I have a workshop next Sunday, 27th February in Laurencekirk and also the

first craft fair of the year on12th March at Airyhall in Aberdeen, see my

diary pages for details.