Bust Christmas Craftacular London

I'm so excited to be taking part in the Bust Christmas Craftacular in London, this Sunday 27th November. Find me there with around 70 other Designer/Makers and a fab line up of crafty workshops, live music and a pop up cafe and bar. The Fair is taking place in the great venue that is York Hall in Bethnall Green and you're sure to find lots of Christmas gift ideas, as well as treats for yourself. 

 Find out more about Craftacular here. I would love to meet you there, pop by and say hi if you're planning a visit!

Harris Tweed mini embroidery hoop necklaces

Sky Garden London

36 floors up, the Sky Garden, on the roof of 20 Fenchurch Street (aka iconic building the "Walkie Talkie") is London's highest garden. Mr Writer and I throughly enjoyed our visit there a couple of weeks ago and I wanted to share a few photos with you! (I didn't want to share too many pics so that if you visit yourself you'll get the wow factor!) I love London and this was quite a treat.

It was a grey but warm day and the skyline views stretched for miles across London, taking in sights of The Shard, The Gherkin, Tower Bridge, Saint Paul's Cathedral, The London Eye- a completely different viewpoint to these buildings and landmarks that we'd only previously seen at street level.

There are 360 degree views so you can take in the whole city, with an open air roof terrace on one side of the building

The Gherkin

Tower Bridge from a completely new viewpoint. It was fascinating to watch the activity on the river, bridges and roads from such a great vantage point

There is a lovely bar and several restaurants (you may need to book) within the Sky Garden- a great way to take in the views

The landscaped gardens are lovely to wander through, back dropped with those stunning views

It's free to visit the Sky Garden (how fab is that?!) but you need to book in advance. Find out more and how to book here. You can also book a night time visit- I'd love to go back and see the city views by night!

Sunday Upmarket

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to have a stand at the Sunday Upmarket on Brick Lane in London and today I wanted to share some photos from the day. It was such a lovely day, there were lots of people out Christmas shopping and a great festive feel- hi to you if you stopped for a chat!

I was really pleased with my table set up, although I am going to invest in some fabric to wrap around the stand in the future! 

Lots of other stallholders stopped by for a chat which was really lovely

I've sold some brooches to men recently and Mr Writer came along to help me very kindly modeled a brooch for me

New bookmark display cards

My button rings- Harris Tweed, knitted, denim and Tartan were popular

I love Yumchaa tea and I always seek them out when I visit Sunday Upmarket. The teas smell and taste amazing- the vanilla and raspberry is my favourite!

Next door to the Sunday Upmarket at The Old Truman Brewery, The London Artisan market was taking place and it was here that I spotted one of my favourite stands from the day. Find and Make create amazing bright and modern pieces for the home using salvaged, vintage and ethically sourced materials. Just my thing! I spoke to Angelique from Find and Make and she was super lovely- check out her website here and her Etsy Shop

I'd definitely like to go back to trade at the Sunday Upmarket and I would recommend it as a fab place to shop for unique finds and great food too!

Louise Dawson Design at Sunday Upmarket London, 6th December 10-5

I'm super excited to tell you that tomorrow, Sunday 6th December, you will find me at the Sunday Upmarket at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London. I've been wanting to take part in the Upmarket for a long time and I have been very busy making lots of new pieces for the day.  From handmade jewellery and gifts from Designer/Makers, to bespoke clothes, art and the best food stalls (it's going to be hard for me not to be tempted!) the Upmarket is a great place to soak up the atmosphere whilst Christmas shopping!  Find me on stand 24 from 10-5- if you're out and about in East London tomorrow come and say hello! Find out more about Upmarket here

On Instagram in February

February is the shortest month of the year but I tried to cram lots in. Here's a look at what I got up to via my Instagram photo roundup...

Mr Writer and I visited Greenwich as I've always wanted to go and check out the market. It was bloomin' freezing but the views across the river were amazing. Just love London. Ooh and we visited the Cutty Sark!

Lunch times at the day job often look like this for me

I'm kept company on lunch at the day job by this lovely lady, Mellow the work dog who lives upstairs. I used to have a lovely Black Lab and Mellow reminds me of her. Really hope to have another dog one day

I bought this plaque from Tigerlilly Quinn and I love it. An important sentiment to live by I think

I made this Chocolate Malt Cake with Nutella icing from What Jessica Baked Next. The icing is to die for! Check out her blog, she posts very tempting recipes!

Still on the cake theme, I had tea and scones with a good friend at my favourite cafe. There is a vintage shop upstairs so a visit here is a double treat!

Leave a bag or a box unattended for a second and Nelson will climb in!

He'll also help you with any craft project you have on the go!

But it's ok because if you're this sweet you can get away with anything!

Some new Liberty fabric off-cuts- the one with the animals on is my fave. I'd like to create a Liberty fabric jewellery collection because it's all so beautiful

Working on this How To

At the Minories in Colchester there was a fab exhibition by Clare Sams on throughout February. Clare created a knitted recreation of the true story of a yarn shop in Cumbria that was devastated by floods in 2009. Flood waters broke the window of the shop (called Knitting Fever) and the wool inside flowed out and through the town. Such a clever exhibition

I wear something handmade every day. I knitted this jumper a few years ago in beautiful Colinette yarn and I love to wear it with handmade brooches

If you'd like follow me on Instagram, you can find my by clicking on the Instagram button to the side of the page

What did you get up to in February? Wishing you all a great March!

Thank you Renegade London!

Over the weekend I had a stand at The Renegade Craft Fair at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane London and had such a lovely time! Thank you to everyone who took the time to visit my stand, what a lovely bunch of people I chatted to! Over 12,000 people visited the fair over the weekend- I'm so happy so many people appreciate the handmade.

Thank you also to Mr Writer who came to help, dressed for the part in his Harris Tweed jacket!

It's the second year that I have taken part in The Renegade Fair and I enjoy it so much because there is such a friendly and appreciative atmosphere among vendors and visitors alike. Thanks to the Renegade Team for a great fair!

Louise Dawson Design at The Renegade Craft Fair in London 22nd and 23rd November!

It's all go go go here today as I get ready to head off to London to take part in The Renegade Craft Fair this weekend, 22nd and 23rd November! I'll be there showcasing my new Fair Isle brooches and necklaces, as well as my Harris Tweed brooches and rings in new colours! 

If you're planning a visit, I'd love to say hi, I'm on stand 59. Find the fair at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, just round the corner from Spitalfields and a short walk from Liverpool Street (find more details here). The fair is open from 11-6 on Saturday and Sunday and there will be a great selection of makers selling their handmade work- it's a great place for Christmas shopping! Hope to see you there

The Renegade Craft Fair London 2014

There are less than two weeks to go now until The Renegade Craft Fair in London! It's a great place to shop for unique handmade Christmas gifts and chat to the makers.

I had a lovely time there last year and I will have a stall here on 22nd and 23rd November, showcasing my new Fair Isle Jewellery collection alongside my Harris Tweed and Knitted Button collections. Located in The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, it's a few minutes walk from Liverpool Street Station/Spitalfields Market. 

If you're planning to visit, come and say hi!

This week in photos!

Today I wanted to share with you a few photos from the week! I've had a week off from the day job so it's been nice to get up to a few different things

Garment making!

You may remember from this post that I wanted to make my way through the Tilly and The Buttons book Love At First Stitch, so now I've moved on to the second project, the Margot Pyjamas! I traced off the pattern and I have actually cut the pieces out now- I'm quite slow and a novice when it comes to making things like this but I'm glad I've made a good start! The step by step instructions are so useful and I'm looking forward to cracking on with these.

Using food tips as weights, such a handy tip from the book!

Looking forward to getting these made and wearing them. I might make a heavier weight pair for the winter too!

(Attempting to) Get fit!

A while ago I took up hoola-hooping in an attempt to bring some excercise into my life, but I didn't stick to it, so this week I've made the effort to get outside and hoop every morning with my ipod, and do sit-ups too. I'm really feeling it after a week of excercise! I'm hoping that by doing it every day I'll establish it as part of my routine and I also hope that by sharing this goal with you I'll be more likely to stick with it. It's actually really fun if you've got some good bouncy music on too!

Cake scoffing... a reward for the hoola-hooping (!)

In contrast to the exercise, I made a Blackberry and Marshmallow cake (you've got to have some treats!) and gave a vintage metal tray an update in a How To..!

Charity shop hunting and bangle covering

I recently posted a How To... featuring fabric wrapped bangles and I've really caught the bug for making these, so I went charity shop hunting for bangles to cover with recycled fabrics, beads and chain- I'll be adding a selection to my Etsy shop soon!

Some bangles in progress!

New reading!

I picked up a second hand copy of Danny Wallace's "Yes Man" which I'm enjoying and hoping to learn from!

Climbing!

A friend and I climbed the o2! I'd very much recommend it, there are great panoramic views around London from the viewing platform at the top and it's something a bit out of the ordinary to do! I'll share some more pics of the view with you in a later post

I hope you've all had a lovely week and have a happy Bank Holiday weekend. Share what you get up to in the comments!