Folksy Friday - Time for Tea

Here at Quite Contrary HQ it seems we're pretty addicted to a cuppa or two during the day, especially when had with a bit of cake or a ginger biccy, nom nom! My man also made the best brew ever last night to have with Tea (which was a rather naughty english brekkie made from weekend leftovers, yummy!). So, sticking on this theme here's a few Folksy picks if you fancy joining me in a brew!





Talking of which...think I might go pop the kettle on!

Cards, cards, cards!

Quite Contrary HQ seems to have order fever at the minute (which is lovely, can I say!), so before I get surgically attached to my scalpel & board again, I thought I'd better put some piccies up of a selection of the ones I've made over the last few weeks.

One of the most romantic orders I've had yet, this special 25th Anniversary card has 'EL' on which stands for 'Everlasting love' - the very sweet couple have written this on the end of their letters to one another ever since they first met. Aww!

My Wedding cards have been very popular - you can tell it's the Wedding season!

And here's some of the custom Birthday cards I've made too...

And to finish with - possibly the best name ever for a Farm!

Super Dan!

Bank Holiday Monday was my man's Birthday, so in suitable Quite Contrary fashion I did of course have to come up with a special card for him!

I tried to do something cool and games-like with his X-box controller, but the internet wasn't playing and sitting in front of the console attempting to draw it would have been a dead giveaway, so I had to go to plan B - make him into Superman! (or Super Dan...)

I've created a special 'Personalised 'Super! Person' listing on both of my online shops so you can buy this for your Superperson if you'd like. It also comes in the yellow or white&green versions like the SuperMum! or SuperDad! ones I make.

One of my fave shops - She Draws

I received the funnest bundle of goodies yesterday from Mr Postie, thanks to She Draws. This is one of my favouritest bestest shops on Folksy, and I'm sad that she's going on hold for the moment - albeit because she's got an absolutely amazing new job in Londontown!

I spied her 'London' ring, which I thought makes a nice memento for my time spent in the big city...

...and got a lovely suprise when I opened up the package to find lots of lovely little extras too!

I'm absolutely in love with the Cupcake bracelet - I've never even seen this in the shop or I would have snapped it up!

So a big THANK YOU! She Draws - good luck with your new job and I really hope that some day She Draws can come back and sell us lovely things again!

Some Amazing Northern Talent

So, the fair in Manchester on Saturday was a mixed bag. It was a surprisingly quiet day, when lots of us had expected it to be packed, which was disappointing. However, on the up side I did meet lots of lovely new faces and some old ones too (or finally putting faces to well-known Folksy names!) - including Lyndsey of Purple Shmurple and Dave of Waldo fame from No Such Disco! We had a good chat whilst scoffing some rather yummy cupcakes made by Kelly, the stall holder next to me (we somehow managed to hold out 'til the afternoon!), and it meant I could go on a wander around the other floors too which is quite nice for once instead of being stuck to a stall!

On my wanders I found some stunning work, and took a few pics to put on here and show you lovely peeps.

Hazel Reilly creates hand whittled twig and branch sculptures - I love the little twig men with their miniature accessories!

If you look closely the papers are actual papers, with the Metro and Evening Standard in there!

I was also drawn to the amazing papercutting skills of Kate Bufton. She transforms old books into art work, and has created some amazing shapes in the process.

Lastly, these beautiful Lilies caught my attention. They're actually Jewellery although they look very realistic, and also as if they could be Wedding cake pieces. Lisa, the creator behind LWSilver, said that she's had children asking if they can eat them!

So all in all it was a fun day out and a great chance to meet new people and spread the word about Folksy too. Just a pity the sales didn't really reflect that, especially as it was the first Fair I've done in Manchester. It hasn't put me off though - I'm already on the hunt for my next Manchester Art Fair!

Folksy Friday - Birthday Fun

This weekend is my lovely man's Birthday, so today is appropriately themed around Birthday fun - cake, presents and fun galore!






We're off to Manchester tomorrow for a fair raising money for Sue Ryder Care - come and find us if you fancy a nice day out! Details are here.
Have a good weekend peeps!

Come find me in Manchester this Saturday

Quite Contrary will be setting up shop in Manchester this Saturday, at the Artisan Craft & Gift Fair held in aid of Sue Ryder Care.

It's being held in the Manchester Cathedral visitor centre, where there'll be many lovely stalls over 3 floors - plenty of browsing to be had! More details can be found on their website here. Come and say hello, I'll be on the First floor :)