Happy Birthday Little Keepsake Bunny

Little Keepsake Bunny is 1 Today

After being asked by a customer if I would be able to make a Special Commission, I jumped at the challenge and set to designing.

After making a few prototypes, I began to make he real thing.  

I followed the brief and produced this to my customer, who was very pleased with the result.

Whilst I was creating the above bunny, I realised that I had been inspired and drawn in a different direction than I  had been before.

And so Little Miss Keepsake was launched on the 20th June 2013

The first ever bunny I made - for my daughter

The photo I posted that evening on Facebook, proved so popular, that this bunny has grown from strength to strength.

Since that day this bunny has become one of my best sellers, and for that I have JW, (my original commission)
to thank.

She has evolved from her original design, and has been created from New fabrics, Children's Clothes, or a Mix

And her unique Bunny Tail has proven to be the most popular feature she has

 And introducing
the boys
<<<<>>>>

Little Miss and Little Mr Bunnies are available to order via my contact button on my website, or via the message button on my Facebook page

Now lets celebrate, with balloons and streamers

Happy Birthday Keepsake Bunny

MichelleCorbinDesign maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsakes to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Coffee Break With Ann Ross Design

Ann Ross Design

Based in Teesside, Annie is a Freelance Artist with over 10 years commercial experience in retail and industry (publishing and giftware).   

She is mum to 2 gorgeous wee kittens and Aunt to 2 adorable boys.

And also one of my best friends!

www.annrossdesign.com

 Ann began selling high end wedding stationery to design conscious couples worldwide, then moving into mainstream design as a freelance artist.  She has secured several licenses with a leading publishing house.  Annie, offers an eclectic design and illustration service, catering for commercial markets as well as bespoke, individual commissions.

This lady has an amazing talent (she designed and made all of my wedding stationary), however she was struck down with illness after illness a few years ago, which lead to her struggling to continue to design.  But with shear determination, will power, and a hell of a lot of research, Annie has amazingly fought the battle - WON - and made a complete recovery!!  

I had coffee with her to find out more:

How did Ann Ross Design begin?

Ann Ross Design began in 2000 when I set out as a wedding stationery designer and manufacturer.  I then came up with other greetings card ideas and sent off some speculative letters with samples.  I was lucky enough to have several ideas turned into brands for the international card market, each going on to gain merchandise licenses.  Trained in graphic design and a self-confessed font geek, I also enjoyed working on numerous promotional briefs during this time.

Talk us through a typical day in the life of Ann Ross

Things are a bit different at the moment as I’m taking a sabbatical from my usual freelance illustration and design to work on a self-initiated project. To cut a very long story short, gluten has caused me no end of grief and I didn’t even realise it was the culprit!  Having overcome such annoying health gremlins, I’m now developing a support website for those suffering from similar debilitating gluten-related disorders, with my own arty spin on things of course! 

Currently my typical day consists of baking and cooking from scratch (as I can’t even tolerate shop-bought GF food!) between happily slogging away on my new website that I hope to launch later this year.

What keeps you inspired every day?

In truth some days I’m not the least bit inspired!  However, I think uninspired days are very important as they allow you to switch off and come back to an idea with renewed perspective, a sequence vital to developing good work. Even the most nondescript notion can eventually grow into something exciting. Such thoughts are born from anything at anytime, so I keep a journal at the side of my bed as my brain is usually at its best when I’m asleep! Go figure!! :D

Where do see your future and Ann Ross Design heading?

I’m in a very privileged position in that I’ve achieved what I set out to do business-wise. As long as I keep coming up with ideas that have commercial potential I’m more than happy to continue like this for as long as the art and design industry will allow.

Over the past couple of years I’ve been experimenting with paper engineering, and am fortunate enough to have had my first idea for a new concept in children’s book packaging picked up by Egmont UK. The product is due to be launched in October and I’ve since been asked if I’d be interested in future project work with the company.

I still have many ideas I’d like to approach publishing houses and retailers with, but it’s a matter of finding the time to develop each and every one to presentation standard.  An individual can only do so much; therefore it would be very helpful if someone out there would be so kind as to make a cloning machine.  Thanking you in advance.

Do you have an inspirational word of advice for small businesses starting out?

As long as you love what you do and create truly original work, you’re already a success.

What is your favourite colour?

Pantone 624

If you had to choose, which would you pick? Fabric/Buttons/Ribbons

I’m not the most proficient sewer so I don’t have many supplies, but must admit I’ve raided my mum’s button tins a fair few times for crafty projects, so I think I must be a button gal at heart!!

Finally, tell us a joke? 

Comic Sans

 (One for all you typeface nerds out there!)

Thanks so much for joining me for coffee, however I can no longer drink it - hot water and a slice of lemon for me now a days :), but I hope you enjoyed yours.

Annie x

An inspirational story there from Annie, thank you so much to her for agreeing to share her story.  I'm sure her new website will do well, and we wish her lots of luck for her future xx

annrossdesign.blogspot.co.uk/

Michelle Corbin Design  And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsakes to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Coffee Break with Armadio Amore

Armadio Amore

www.facebook.com/ArmadioAmore

Based in a small village in Lincolshire, Armadio Amore is run from the home of mum of 2, Jolene.

Jolene designs and creates the most stunning Bears and Bunnies you will ever see.  She is meticulous in her creations, down to the very last detail.  No Bear or Bunny leaves her workroom, until each one makes her smile ......................................

www.armadioamore.co.uk             

Each Keepsake Bear and Bunny, is beautifully hand tailored from your baby's outgrown clothing, which remind you of happy times.  This allows the memories to stay forever and be treasured in the form of an adorably unique jointed bear or bunny, instead of hiding them away in a box.

Let's have a coffee with Jo, and find out more:

Hi Jo, and thank you for taking time out from your busy schedule to chat with us.  So lets's kick off with, how did Armadio Amore begin?

Hi Michelle, well, I have always worked full time in an accounts office and I would still be there had my husband not been offered a position to live and work in Italy. The offer was for him and his family to relocate and so we did! Surrounded by the beautiful Italian countryside I was inspired to get back my love of painting and sewing and creating beautiful things! I loved being home for my family and vowed that once our stay in Italy was over and we moved back to the UK that I would never go back to work full time ever again. So I drafted business plan after business plan until I was finally happy with my business idea. I had everything set up and ready for when we got back home but I had no idea that my business would take off straight away! As soon as I posted a picture on Facebook of my Nieces keepsake bear I was inundated with messages and friend requests and so I published my page!

Talk us through a typical day in the life of Jo.
Oh goodness this may sound incredibly boring!! I get my boys up and ready for school and walk my youngest (age 5) to the local Primary School. When I get back I make myself a coffee and get to work on my orders, whether I am cutting out or sewing or stuffing and jointing. I have a break for lunch and walk my dogs. I carry on with my sewing until its time to collect the little one from school and then I take him to his Martial Arts class. After that I make tea, then we read and do any homework together and we have treats. When it is bedtime for my youngest I help him get ready for bed and I lie with him whilst I read a bedtime story. We’ve just finished Roald Dahl’s The Magic Finger which was very funny! Then I wash and tidy up and get back to my sewing until my eyes and fingers tell me its time for bed – see… very boring!

What keeps you inspired every day?
My Facebook followers and customers keep me smiling with their fantastic feedback and comments and I am inspired by everything I see; other people’s fantastic work, sewing magazines, books and facebook is so full of amazing small business pages – just like me – and I just love to see their latest makes.

Where do see your future and Armadio Amore heading?
I have no idea what the future holds, I’m just enjoying each and every day for as long as I can. I can only keep working so long as people keep enjoying what I do and I thank each and every one of them for allowing me to carry on doing what I love for another day J

Do you have an inspirational word of advice for small businesses starting out?
Be individual, be unusual, be yourself. Do not copy anyone else. Work hard – being a success is NOT easy, it’s long hours; a lot of practice, patience and dedication. Don’t waste time on anything you don’t enjoy doing. Handmade should mean quality so use quality supplies.

What is your favourite colour?
Ha! Pink, no - yellow, no - green, no - turquoise!! I love colour! Especially pink ;-)

If you had to choose, which would you pick? Fabric/Buttons/Ribbons
Why is this the toughest question???!!!! Hmmmm I do like buying ribbon…. and fabric….. aaaannd buttons :/

Finally, tell us a joke? 
My 5 year old made this one up;
Q: What does an Elephant have that no-one else has?
A: A baby elephant

Bless him!!

Thank you for coming to get to know me a little bit better

Love

Jo

xx

Thank you so much Jo, that was fun and inspirational, and I loved the joke ;)

To find out more about the beautiful work Jolene does, follow her on Facebook and Twitter

Michelle Corbin Design And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsake items, to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Crafty Meeting in York

Having spoken to Jolene from ArmadioAmore, we decided we would like to meet up.  We had built up quite a good friendship, sharing knowledge, tips and ideas for our Facebook Pages and Keepsake Makes over the past year, and thought it would be really nice to meet at a crafty event.

We looked at a couple of options, and decided that York was a halfway point for us and what better than to visit a Craft Fair!

fortheloveofyork

Having heard where and what we had planned, Suzanne from IStitch asked to come too!

We agreed the time and place to meet, and it was as though we had known each other for years.

We laughed and joked, chatted and shopped - fab!!

Myself, Jolene and Suzanne

We indulged in a little fabric shopping - well it would be rude not too!!

We spoke with fellow crafty peeps.

A new crafty friend ;)

All in all we had a fab day.

Can't wait until we do it again

IStitch  Suzanne makes beautiful soft furnishings, so why not pop over to her page and take a look.  You really must check out her TeePees - they are amazing

ArmadioAmore  Jolene is an amazing Keepsake Maker, she has designed beautiful jointed Bears and Bunnies, and creates them from treasured items of clothing, they are really incredibly made, so much so, that her order book is jam packed full!!  I highly recommend her page and work - very talented

Michelle Corbin Design  And this is me, maker of all things to treasure, from Keepsake items, to Soft Furnishings

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

A Day of Sewing with Imogen Allen and Jane Lightfoot

It all started back in December, when Imogen from Imogen Allen Designs messaged me to ask if I fancied joining her on 1 Day Course with Jane Lightfoot Designs.  Imogen and I became friends over a year ago on Facebook, chatting about our pages and work, so I jumped at the chance a) to finally meet her, and b) to meet Jane and learn a relatively new experience.

Jane, Imogen and Michelle

     So I set off on my journey at 7.30am and drove down the A1 to Janes lovely home, where I was warmly welcomed by Jane, introduced to Imogen, and a coffee and home made flapjack!

Jane promptly set to, into describing what we were going to be doing.  We had booked to make a Note Book Cover which was to be embellished by Free-Motion machine embroidery.

We began choosing a design and the fabrics we were to use, then prepared them ready for stitching

Jane encouraged us to practice the Free-motion Embroidery first, 

before attempting our books.  Once we felt confident and comfortable, we went for it, and our books began to take shape

We broke for lunch around 1pm, and what a Lunch Spread it was!  Jane had been busy baking prior to our visit and so we were greeted with the most delicious Quiche, accompanied with salad, ham and home made chutney, followed by carrot cake and scone (with clotted cream and - oh yes - home made jam!)

After lunch we went back to the sewing room, to continue on with our projects.  Jane was very encouraging throughout, and gave us both lots of new tips to help us achieve a good result.

Of course, not all of our time was spent sewing, as we had all just officially met for the first time, we did chat, quite a lot.  It was so lovely to spend a day, sewing with like minded ladies, exchanging ideas and tips.

Imogen and I admired Jane's work, which was beautifully distributed around her house and in her beautiful sewing room.  Her work is truly stunning.  The detail and quality is just amazing.

We took the odd Selfie!!

But mostly, we just enjoyed the full day of sewing

Imogens Finished Book

Imogen hadn't done Free-Motion Embroidery before, but is super talented in Hand Embroidery and Machine Applique.  She made a fantastic design and beautifully sewn book, you'd never know she had never used this technique before, it's just incredible!

My Finished Book

I had dabbled with Free-Motion Embroidery, so had the basics, but Jane encouraged me to be a little more free with it, and a little less critical of myself!  I am really quite pleased with my book

The night prior to the course, I handmade two Fabric Cupcakes.  I felt I didn't want to go empty handed, and so I began to sew one each for Jane and Imogen.  Funnily enough Imogen had thought the same too, and made Jane and I a Bunting shaped banner, complete with our initials - this one is mine - isn't it stunning?

And Jane gave Imogen and I a jar each of Home made Jam!

All in all, it was an amazing day.  It  was so wonderful to meet two fantastically talented ladies in one day, and to have have the opportunity to sew with them - words fail.

I went to bed a very happy cookie

Imogen Allen Designs has a wonderful page on Facebook, why not pop over and have a look at her work

Jane Lightfoot Designs also has a fantastic page on Facebook, and I highly recommend you take a look at her page too, and if you too fancy doing a sewing workshop, Jane is a fantastic teacher, I can't recommend her enough

Michelle Corbin Design and this is my Facebook page

Thank you for reading

Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

Just a little gift

So I decided this week that a fellow Facebook Page owner, deserved a little gift.  She has been incredible support for me and my little business, and as a little thank you.  I thought I would make her a little gift

 I put pencil to paper and began to sketch, then once I was happy, I transferred the picture onto fabric

Next was the fun part.  I got out all of my scraps of fabrics and chose the dress fabrics (this took quite a while as clothing does - you girls must understand hehe) and I also have many scraps and get easily distracted with - oh I could make this with that etc - but it is fun x

Once the fabrics, ribbons and embroidery silks had been chosen, I placed the fabric onto a hoop and began to appliqué and embroider, taking much pleasure and care in each and every stitch.

The result was a picture, box framed for someone who has become a friend

Friends for Keeps

https://www.facebook.com/MichelleCorbinDesign?ref=hl

Patchwork, has become an obsession of mine over the years.  Fascinated by the mix of patterns, shapes, colours and textures which gel in such a complementary way.

One of the most important things I have learnt about patchwork, is the importance of preparation of fabrics; the pre-washing and ironing and the precision measuring and cutting.

Here is one patchwork project, I really loved making

And all of this these tiny squares were made to create and Applique

A beautiful Keepsake Cushion, Announcing the birth of a beautiful new bundle 

Thanks for reading and Happy Stitching

Michelle xx

https://www.facebook.com/MichelleCorbinDesign

Learning to Sew

Have you ever wanted to learn to sew?  May be you learnt a little at school or by your mum, but never really continued?  Well it is never too late to start.  Why not look for Workshops, Classes or Sewing Circles in your area?  You'll be surprised at what you can achieve.

I first began workshops last year as an experiment.  Having qualified with a Cert. Ed. back in 2002 I knew how to put a lesson together, so I began my research and started a couple of full day courses.  These proved successful, but I was unable to do them regularly.  Then in September I began Evening Workshops for Beginners, and these have proved to be popular.

We work in my home, 1 evening a week and it is a very relaxed atmosphere.  The ladies are able to take home what they have made and each week, they take home at least 1 new skill or tip.

It's a great way to start with the basics, and then move on to harder skills.  You get to meet like minded people, and we always have a little chat, a giggle and enjoy a beverage!

If you are more advanced, then don't worry you will still get something out of the sessions.  There are opportunities, to share skills, pick up new tips and just take a little time for yourself.

My main aim for the learners is for them to develop confidence around a needle, thread and a machine.   We cover a range of skills to enable them to develop their preferred technique and speed.

And as long as they enjoy the 2 hour session and have learnt at least 1 new item, then I am happy.

So why not have a look in your area and find a workshop or class near you?  You'll be surprised at how much you remember, and how much you can learn, in such a short space of time.  And most of all how much you'll enjoy it.  You never know, what it will lead to!

 

Thanks for reading and Happy Stitching xx

Happy New Year

Hello and welcome to my very first BLOG - eeeeek!!

I wanted my first blog, to tell you a little about me and my ickle business, so here goes:

I am a proud mum of 2 and will have been married to my hubby 10 years come March of this year.  I began my business in 2010, after completing a Curtain, Blind and Soft Furnishing Course.  I wanted to be a Stay at Home Mum, so I began a long term plan!!

I began making a few items for friends and family in between nap times and playgroup runs, and then once my youngest began afternoon Nursery I began promoting my work more.

Over the past 2 years, my business has evolved into creating beautiful Keepsake Treasures.  It has helped me to grow from strength to strength and I couldn't be happier.

I began by showcasing my work on my Facebook Page and as my children grew and begun school they inevitably started to go to parties, which got my creative juices flowing :) I designed and made a couple of Tooth Fairy Cushions for a friends 2 children, which lead to an order.

I have since created other designs and began to make Keepsake Memory Cushions and Quilts, made from outgrown pre-loved clothing.

Last year saw my little Facebook Page grow larger and quicker than I could ever have imagined.  My youngest had started in Full Time school, so I began to plough as much energy as I could into it.

My products and designs started to evolve and when a current customer asked if I was able to design and make a bunny for her, I stepped up to the challenge, and Little Bunny Keepsake was born and became one of my best sellers.

Having previously worked as and when commissions came in, I have now had to create a waiting list, which currently is approximately 3 months long!

As of 2014, I have decided to concentrate mainly on my Personalised Keepsake items and not so much on Curtains and Blinds.  My aim is to continue working through custom orders, and also to create some 'Ready -Made' items too, which I will list in my Etsy Shop.

I hope you have enjoyed your read, and will join me again soon.

Next time I will tell you a little about my Learn to Sew Workshops, and add some Sewing Tips along the way.

Many thanks for reading

Michelle xx