Alexia Claire at Christmas!

Christmas seems an age ago now, the many craft fairs I attended seem even further and yet I haven't written a post about them yet! So here are a couple of photos from the 8 (yep 8!) craft fair weekends I sold my baskets and gadget sleeves at. Not all were as successful as the others and I learnt a lot in the two months I was doing them. Mainly about how to display my baskets for full interaction from customers. I experimented a lot with signage and variations of offers. It was all quite fun! Very tiring when you work all through the week too though. However I now know which events benefit me the most and which I will definitely be returning to in 2013. 

Reetsweet hold their events at the Corn Exchange in Leeds. The organiser is such a lovely and helpful lady and the vents are always very well organised. I did two fairs here over the Christmas period, the latest one being the most successful as it was closer to Christmas. 

If you have never been to the Corn Exchange in Leeds, it's a stunning building in the round, with a breathtaking ceiling. 

Once dusk sets in it becomes quite magical.

My Kindle sleeves were an experiment at Christmas and seemed to go down a treat.

Great natural lighting in the Corn Exchange from the large windows in the roof.

Lots of people bought my baskets when they saw that I had put plants in them, realising that they could do the same. This spider plant is so much bigger now than it was in this photograph!

I am also now an artist registered with Artsmix. An organisation for artisans to sell their products at various locations in Leeds. The one I attended twice this Christmas was on Albion Street in Leeds next to WH Smiths. The stands are real market size, much bigger than a table top craft fair, so I had a couple of manic weeks making up enough stock to be able to fill one! It was well worth it though and I completely sold out of the Christmas bunting in no time.

It was blinking freezing though! Thankfully it didn't rain whilst I was there. My mum and two housemates all came to visit me separately meaning I got 3 nice hot chocolates delivered to me throughout the day!

My new British Wildlife range proved a hit at these events which I was very glad about. 

I then did the Harrogate Christmas Market. It was their first year producing this event and it seemed like a success from what I could tell! I was based in a big marquee for craft tables and their were your typical wooden hut stalls outside. Unfortunately it was so popular that people could barely move through the gangways between the huts! 

Christmas baskets were a huge favourite at this event. People came from far and near even in coach loads to come see the market. My new tote bags below also sold out.

I had some very very nice neighbours at this event. You always end up making friends with your neighbouring crafters at craft events, helping each other out with food, drink and loo runs! Especially when you're on your own. You learn a lot from them as well and vice versa. 

Another Christmas done and the next one seems to be on the radar already! 

Leeds Craft and Design Gallery!

I was very excited back in November to be asked to send a selection of my baskets to The Craft Centre and Design Gallery in Leeds. It is part of the Leeds City Art Gallery building (pictured below) and can be found immediately underneath the Art Gallery with it's own entrance (see my other photographs below)

My products are now part of the current exhibition called 'Made With Love' amongst some beautifully crafted items. I paid a little visit last week...

You can find my baskets on the shelves with the other textile items which included some lovely embroidered products. I would definitely recommend going for a good snoop around, everything in the exhibition is for sale! You have plenty of time as the exhibition is on until the 16th March. 

Bumblee Baskets

Back in September, I was asked by the lovely people from Out of Yorkshire to produce a specifically designed fabric basket for their online shop. They found me through Twitter during #YorkshireHour (I swear by #YorkshireHour! You can read my guest blog for the #YorkshireHour blog here) and loved the woodland based designs on my latest British wildlife range. They’re logo is also a red squirrel and their cafes in Leeds city centre feature lots of woodland based goodies too.

They sell hamper sets on their online shop (check them out!) and so wanted a bee related basket. Keeping in tune with my previous baskets which are all of endangered British species, I designed a bee pattern for this basket featuring the shrill-carder bee which is a threatened species also.

So here it is!

You can only buy the full hamper complete with honey and wax related products through the Out of Yorkshire website. You will soon be able to buy this basket by its self through my Alexia Claire Etsy shop, which will also feature a link to give you the option to buy the full hamper set.

The design stages:

The beginning: I drew the bee design by hand before scanning it into my Mac.

The workshop: I exposed the bee designs and its shadow onto silk screen

The print room: I screen-printed the bees’ shadow in white first

I printed the bees’ outlines second

I began sewing the pieces together

... ta daa! Lots of Bee baskets.

Ghosts of Gone Birds | Brighton

Exciting news for Alexia Claire!

I received some very exciting news a couple of weeks ago and I am now finally able to spread the word!

The amazing people at Moonko have represented me on their website and through their fairs and shop for nearly a year now, and it is through them that I have been given the opportunity to exhibit artwork in this year’s Ghosts of Gone Birds exhibition in Brighton!

The exhibition focuses around the idea that we can “breathe artistic life back into extinct birds species.” (Ghosts of Gone Birds). As you may be aware, I am quite a nature buff and enjoy including British nature in my designs and fabric creations.  My latest basket designs are centred on endangered British species and so being asked to be part of this exhibition is very exciting for me.

The exhibition begins at the start of November and lasts for three months. I’m looking forward to making my own visit to see it too.

Here are a few of my favourite pieces from previous years of this wonderful exhibition: 

Bruce Pearson

Gail Dooley

John Keane

Tessa Farmer

Owl Bicycle Basket

I was recently asked to produce one of my purple owl print baskets to fit inside a bicycle basket for a push bike. It was tricky to work out certain bits and bobs but I came to the decision that the more ties on it the better! So that it fits nice and securely into the bike basket.


The basket features 8 ribbon ties to fasten it to the inside of the bike basket.

It also still has my usual basket handles so that it can be removed and used as a bag also!

It is winging it's way to Germany as a present already!

Autumnal Colours

As it is now (supposedly) Autumn, I have picked out some of my favourite Folksy items in autumnal colours and shapes. I love this time of year when the trees are at their most dramatic. I missed it last year as I was living in the centre of London. I would go for days without seeing a tree! So it is nice to be back in Leeds and surrounded by lovely colours again. Enjoy today's Folksy Friday!

Beautiful beads by Luce di Luna

Little Autumn leaves by Meeni

Autumnal leaf hair pins by Sally

This gorgeous scarf by Broomhead Designs

Needle felt pumpkins by Lana Dolls

New Home Folksy Friday

This weekend I will be visiting my Uncle's family at their brand new home. They have lived in France for quite a while now and are making the big move back to the UK this week. I can't wait to see them and I have been making a few little Alexia Claire specials for my little cousins' rooms to surprise them with! This week's Folksy Friday is inspired by having a new home, some beautiful cards I found whilst browsing. Enjoy!

I love the shadowing in this illustration by Arbee Cards

I fab idea for a card by Lydia Fee illustration

A clever take on a mantelpiece card by Nota Bene Letterpress

I am a sucker for this over all print by Lovat Press