Wordless Wednesday....enjoying Autumn

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Monday Maker- The lovely Sarah is in the PRESS

Today I share a WONDERFUL press article 

that Sarah from Beetroot Press and her gorgeous house have featured in.

Find Sarah's things here  on the unikgifts website

Beetroot Press

Wordless Wednesday- Beetroot Press is here!

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Sarah Papworth & Beetroot Press

A montage of Sarah's beautiful pieces and inspirations

Coming soon to unikgifts.co.uk

Monday Maker- Sarah Papworth & her wares

Today we look at Sarah's wonderful illustrations on paper and fabric that we have been lucky enough to showcase on the u-ni-k gifts website very soon!

ILLUSTRATIONS...

SQUIRREL
This charming A4 Squirrel illustration will be a wonderful addition to any child's nursery, bedroom or playroom.  Squirrel and accompanied lettering were beautifully hand-drawn using fine-line pen, then digitally recoloured.

There is a choice of 3 different colour combinations.  
Grey Squirrel with Peach highlights, 
Lavender Squirrel with Mint, 
and Mink Squirrel with Pink highlights.

OWL
This whimsical A4 Owl illustration would be a heart-warming addition to any wall of your home. Owl and accompanied lettering were beautifully hand-drawn using fine-line pen and digitally recoloured.

There is a choice of 3 different colour combinations.  
Navy Owl with Red highlights, 
Lavender Owl with Peach, 
and Grey Owl with Mint highlights.

RABBIT
This adorable A4 Rabbit illustration will be a joyous addition to any children's bedroom wall or nursery. Rabbit and accompanied lettering were beautifully hand-drawn using fine-line pen and digitally recoloured.

There is a choice of 3 different colour combinations.  

Grey Rabbit with Pink highlights, 
Mink rabbit with mint, 
and Lavender rabbit with peach highlights.

Printed on Epsom archival matte paper, with archival pigment inks.  
Each illustration will arrive in a plastic sleeve with an A4 backing board ready to give as a gift, or keep safe until displayed.  And will also benefit from a card backed envelope while being posted.
COLUMBIA ROAD Collection...
The design is inspired by London's wonderful Columbia road flower market and the colours give it a modern-vintage feel.

COLUMBIA LINEN CUSHION
This whimsical and beautifully designed hand-made cushion cover uses traditional hand-printing methods.  The 4 colour design, in lemongrass yellow, red, emerald green and peacock blue, is silk- screen printed using sustainable materials.  The inks are water-based and the fabric is a soft white linen.

Size: 40 x 40cms.  The back is a plain white linen to match the front and has a mid way slip opening, secured with a vintage button.



COLUMBIA ROAD CANVAS PRINT

This whimsical and beautifully designed hand-made canvas uses traditional hand-printing methods.  The 4 colour design in lemongrass yellow, red, emerald green and peacock blue, is silk- screen printed using sustainable materials.  The inks are water-based and the fabric is a soft cream organic cotton and hemp mix.

Size is 40 x 40cms.  The print has been securely fastened to the back of the frame with upholstery staples.
 

Sarah's pieces above are all coming to u-ni-k gifts website soon along with lots of other ideas she has "working in progress" 
For more details contact unikgifts.co.uk

Monday Maker, Sarah's inspirations

Today we look at where Sarah Papworth of Beetroot Press finds inspiration for her whimsical wonders...and she introduces this wonderful new Bunny to the collection at u-ni-k gifts. 

Where do you find creative inspiration?
Anywhere and everywhere, but I find I am most inspired by nature, colour, texture and vintage textiles and printed paper goods/illustration.  I love going to antique fairs, shops and flea markets to see what gems I can uncover and get inspired by, whether it's the colour combination, a style of print or drawing, or the object itself.  Charity shops are good too for finding something unexpected or textiles to print on.  I go onto Pinterest quite a lot and look at blogs for inspiring photos.  Sometimes I may just sketch something random and new and that leads me onto something else and so on.






Which blogs or magazines do you read regularly and would you count as an 'inspirational read'?

I love to read Homes and Antiques magazine, they've re-vamped it from what it used to be, and they include latest trends and dates for fairs around the country.  I subscribe to Craftseller magazine, it is a simple mag which I was featured in a couple of times, it has a lot of other crafters and makers in there trying to start companies, or make things for charity.  Craftseller gives hints and tips to help you start and improve your small craft business which is handy, I also like the craft tutorials they include as it gives me ideas on what to make next.  I read a few blogs, visually I find tumblr very inspirational for images, there are a lot of photographers on there so I can spend hours just flowing through the pictures.  There are a couple in particular...'Bees like honey' http://beeslikehoney.tumblr.com/  for a gorgeous simple lifestyle that I would love to have, and Nest Pretty Things, also on Tumblr, for a girly look http://nestprettythings.tumblr.com/  .  I have a blog on there for Beetroot Press which, as of yet, I haven't shared with anyone, it's kind of like an ongoing mood board.  I also really like Lisa Jacobs' 'Market your Creativity' blog. http://www.marketyourcreativity.com/  I find Lisa's posts a powerful positive help to get me motivated to create and do more for my creative business.

What makes you different, what inspires you to create unique pieces?
I make what inspires me, rather than following specific trends; which I do in my day to day life designing for home and kids wear, so I wanted to create something different from the norm.  I'm not a fan of typical pink and blue products for babies and children, when I go shopping for friends baby's, a lot of the items on sale are quite predictable in this way, and I would rather have something a bit quirky and unique.  All of Beetroot Press' items I make are made from sustainable materials like linen and organic cotton and are not mass-produced.

What are your three most important advices to any upcoming crafter?

Don't wait until you have everything perfect, it is hard when most designer makers are perfectionists, but sometimes, just putting something out there to get feedback on is a very good idea, as it helps you develop your range on what customers like.  Show to friends and family first and get feedback from people you know will give you an honest opinion.  Keep trying, you may not get the right product straight away, but keep trying and adapting products to suit customers needs.

Why are your pieces special? 

They are lovingly hand-made, in Britain, mixing sustainable materials with traditional hand-printing techniques in my own whimsical style.  I only make small runs of the products so customers are always getting a unique gift, or treat for your home, that not many others will have.

     

Can you tell us about a gift that you will never forget? 

I was given my Granny's vintage summer dressing gown, which has the best bold and bright print, which hangs happily on the back of my bathroom door, looking pretty and reminding me of my Gran, who passed away over 10 years ago.  I think anything that is sentimental, or handmade is always a special gift.  Items which are family heirlooms and are passed down through the generations are particularly special, and these things do not need to be expensive, just something that reminds you of your loved ones that you can keep and treasure till it's time to pass on again.  If you don't have something like this, you can always start the tradition!  

What do you have planned for the future?  
I hope to grow the range with more designs and products like bedding, blankets, baby grows, drawstring bags and more wall art, cards and gift tags.  I will also be attending more fairs to get out and meet lots of lovely people and introduce Beetroot Press.
Sarah's illustrations and home wear are coming to u-ni-k very soon.
For more details on her lovelies please email us. 

unikgifts.co.uk

Monday Maker- Sarah Papworth

Name: Sarah Papworth

Year of Birth: 1980

Current City: Evesham 

Company name: Beetroot Press

How would you describe a typical Sunday?

On Sundays I like to get up a little later than usual and potter around the house in the morning.  I might tend to my veggies I'm starting to grow, bake a simple cake to eat during the week, or occasionally visit the Malvern flea fair to see what bargains I can find.  If it's a nice day, my partner Juls and I like to go for a walk around our local area and pop into our village pub for a quick drink. Or on a cold wintery afternoon I love to watch an old film while stitching a few patches onto my bedding quilt I'm up-cycling, or make something for our home, like another draught excluder for our drafty barn we live in!  Generally, in the evening I plan out my forthcoming week, (although I rarely stick to the plan), and relax by watching a good drama on the telly.  

                                                   

And here a quite obvious question: How did you become a talented crafts person / designer? What inspired you to do this?

I kind of just flowed into it really.  I have always been creative from a young age, sewing my own rag dolls, bags, purses from my Mum's vintage fabric stash, and drawing brightly coloured patterns and pictures. I went to Winchester School of Art to study fine art and while I was on my foundation course, I switched over to textile design as I realised what I loved most was creating marks and texture on the fabric which then came together through colour and design.  I hadn't studied textiles before, so the small amount I learnt off my mum was very useful.  After university I got a job in retail buying, then moved into surface pattern design, I got the experience and inspiration I needed within the design environment and the confidence to start doing my own thing.  I wanted to be able to create my own products featuring my designs, which lead to starting up Beetroot Press.  I love to learn new skills, so between that, and being naturally crafty, they drive me to gain more knowledge in what I do, and in new ways to create wonderful things.  

Its Fill-in-the-blanks time. So, please fill in the blanks:

I love Spring  because it brings new life and colour to the once wintery land.  

If I could live anywhere I'd live in the Malvern hills, Worcestershire.

If I weren’t a designer / maker , I would be an upholsterer/furniture maker, or aromatherapist! 

People who like whimsical and eco-friendly designs, inspired by vintage picture and pattern, will like my creations.

Sarah's gorgeous illustrations will be added to the unikgifts.co.uk website very soon. Email us for a preview of her work. Sales@unikgifts.co.uk