Any of the creatives out there willing to donate something you've made for a charity auction? All for a very good cause and a well publicised affair! Oh go on!!

Contact: leannepearce@yahoo.co.uk for more information or to organise donation.

In association with:

Hello there campers!

Having been camping in our newly purchased and terribly retro (old!!) caravan, I thought I had to share with you the fantastic camping accessories and inspired products that are on offer from the wonderfully creative handmade community!

Camper van Tea towel - well you gotta wash the dishes!
Available at - http://www.snapdragongarden.co.uk

The artist behind this wonderful textile piece is inspired by her 'Life in a Snapdragon's garden' having always been a keen secret sketcher 'documenting life in my garden, the plants, animals and insects that live there. My embroideries are based on these sketches, I draw with my sewing machine to make badges, mirrors, notebooks and other home accessories. Each item is made individually and this means that each is unique.'

A range of co-coordinating accessories are available to complement this collection - Truly a feast for any camper!
Sail Away....

The Reefer sail compay - http://www.reefersails.com/ offer us a wonderful array of unique one-off recycled deckchairs and windbreaks made and produced in Devon. The companies ethos is to rescued boat & windsurf sails, kites, paragliders, hang gliders and microlights as well as sailmaker's roll ends and offcuts, sourcing these sails from individuals and commercial organisations who make the decision to reduce waste and recycle. Well, a sound business philosophy which im sure will delight fellow campers out there!


Lets get knitting!

Whilst chilling at the campsite under the roaring firelight with your ginger beer (remember my last post -go buy!) you have plenty of time to get your creative juices flowing and knit yourself a camper van - well that is if your kids / neighbours for the evening are not keeping you awake with their giggling or shouting....

Time allowing, pre-order this wonderful pattern by Leah Sutton - http://www.leahsutton.com and knit s away....now i really do wish I could knit....
Bring the camping home?

Kids are notoriously invesntive...should the idea of camping not float your boat, but your kids do not see it your way, there is still no excused for not doing the summer camping thing...in your front garden or in the house on one of the few (not!) rainy days...my boys love nothing more than camping in their Wigwam, and care of 'Moozlehome' we can bring a bit of handmade to our play in or out of the house, visit http://moozlehome.com to take a look into what would make a little one think there camping, even if Mammy and Daddy don't want to! Now to be honest, I have been found on teh front lawn, wrapped up in a baby blanket asleep in our own wigwam at 4pm in the afternoon with my little one by Daddy...should I be admitting that bit?
Camping for Arts sake?

Want to bring the memories of the summer camping trip home with you? Well, look no further than http://www.etsy.com/people/margaretlillian for a range of camping inspired photography prints.

Being a Mam (no not Mum!) of two little boys I find myself drawn to wonderful boys products and all things inspired by the nature of boys and the 'scruff magnets' that they seem to be as I am sure you will see along my travels into the world that we call 'Handmade and Fabulous'

Rightyho...With summer hols in full force...along with a little boy in a cast due to a fracture - did I mention Scruff magnets but neglect to mention accident prone - I have decided to dedicate my first post to all things that are reminiscent of childhood. I'm thinking, Summer holidays, out all day, scruffy dirty, but more than anything- full of fun and frolics!A few choice books come to mind for a start - Enid Blyton would be a must and of course with that comes The Famous Five (any book will do -as long as Timmy and George are there, I will be happy!!) Then a splash of Huckleberry Finn to really get you going...Ahh perfect!

Ginger Beer
Should you wish to generate your own 'lashings and lashings of Ginger Beer', look no further than Make do and Mend's Shop.They offer for you 'A Ginger Beer Plant kit', presented in a kilner jar. This unique gift contains a fabric jar cover and elastic band, a sheet with full instructions on how to produce 4 litres of Ginger Beer per week and a sachet of yeast. What more do you need to start your summer memories off with a kick!

Beside the seaside
If this artist does not bring the reminiscent feeling of your childhood back, well, I'm not quite sure that anything will...Beach days, sun tan lotion, getting a bit too burned, aftersun, the works...Tutti Studio provided me with a source of inspiration for beach memories... Which brings me nicely to my next item. These wonderful briefs, yes briefs for boys from Small Threads.

In the Designers own words:

'Ahoy mateys! Arrr you lookin' fer some Skivvies? These be the best darn Skivvies on the mainland... so drop anchor, get a pair and cover that booty! One day I was at the store getting undies for my oldest boy. I held up all of the options and said "Nascar, Cars, Barney or Spiderman?" My son was completely unimpressed, he looked at me and said, "Mom, can you make me some?" So that is what I did. SMALL SKIVVIES are so adorable, you won't mind your little guy running around in just his skivvies'

Well I have to agree wholeheartedly - these are the best undies I have ever seen, and I will be more than happy to replace my little ones Spiderman pants with these, wouldn't you? And back to the beach...yeah, I could so allow them to run riot on the beach in just these undies!Should you wish to bring the seaside inspiration into your house, then this wonderful range of cushions could be just the ticket. Helkat Design do a wonderful range of vintage nautical inspired cushions that would look just wonderful adorning my dining room...what about yours? Hand printed in Wiltshire. this is a classic image, a vintage inspired cushion with a rustic twist. A royal blue background with a crown and laurel wreath on a hessian. Love it!What day at the beach is not complete without a rummage in the rock pools. Although, not a children's product, my Newcastle craft Mafia colleague, Laura Hebron has put that exact pastime into a wonderfully inspiring product range. Inspired by the seasons and the Northumberland coast Laura Hebron creates texture rich Jewellery designs using various objects found on the beach, harbours and ports, She constructs braids and rope work using traditional Fisherman’s techniques to create unique pieces of wearable Art.