Craft

Woodland florist Tupelo Tree branches out

What started as a flash of inspiration at the end of a tipsy night out has for, talented illustrator and florist Natasha, become a highly successful woodland floristry business. Tupelo Tree has since been featured in Italian Vogue as well as other top publications and Natasha has brought her unique vision to many gorgeous weddings at venues such as the Byre at Inchyra, The Edinburgh Botanics and Harburn House. In her

Michele Daykin: turning stone and brick into silver

Fife designer maker Michele Daykin draws on her previous studies of Stitched Textiles at Edinburgh Telford College and Jewellery Design and Manufacturing at Dunfermline Carnegie College to create innovative jewellery designs which combine silver and batik fabric. Michele says, ‘Inspirations for my designs come from surfaces; the repeat markings on Glasgow pavements, the chisel markings on Edinburgh walls along with aged and weathered brick and stonework. I work predominantly in silver, I treat

Local Christmas Shopping Guide #2: art and craft

Unless you’re buying for Alex Salmond, it’s too late to commission a full size portrait of your loved one for this Christmas but all of the artists and makers featured here offer commissions and vouchers for their work which would make an exciting start to 2016 for anyone lucky enough to receive one. Pictured above is a typically vivid piece by celebrated illustrator Jill Calder. Calder is based in Cellardyke

Fire Station Creative: First open studios weekend a big success

Artists at the Fire Station Creative in Dunfermline, Fife opened their studios to the public and welcomed over 1,000 visitors to the venue over the weekend, 27 November-29 November.  The organisers clearly wanted to create a sense of occasion to welcome the general public. On the first opening night, Friday 27 November, live music played while canapes were served by the cafe. Gin and vodka tastings were sponsored by Arbikie,

East Neuk Open Studios on this weekend and next

This weekend is the first of the autumn dates for the twice yearly East Neuk Open Studios Art Trail. The trail takes in over 30 artist and designer studios and workshops and you can follow the Red Balloons to discover artists, designers and makers from the east of Fife. There’s always a range of paintings, textiles, prints, jewellery, illustrations, photographs, ceramics and furniture on sale too. Further details about who’s exhibiting

Kara Burke’s dog cushions capture the heart

Kara Burke is an illustrator from Portland, Oregon who brilliantly captures the personality of dogs and cats in these adorable cushions and mini stuffed ornaments. Off the peg designs start at around £20 from Kara’s Etsy shop and she is happy to accept custom orders based on a photograph of your pet. You can find out more here and can contact Kara at kara.l.burke [!at]gmail.com.    

Great Tapestry of Scotland is now in Fife

The famous Great Tapestry of Scotland which tells the history of Scotland in rich and vibrant handstitched colour, is in Fife until September. You can see the entire tapestry, consisting of 160 individual panels running 143 metres long, at the Kirkcaldy Galleries throughout the summer. One of the biggest community arts projects in the world, a thousand volunteers worked for more than 50,000 hours to complete the project using a range of embroidery skills and

Discover your ‘Inner Island’ – stunning and stark jewellery from Ireland

Such lovely work here from Cork born jeweller Gemma O’Leary who, having honed her skills in Canada and Dublin as well as under the guidance of esteemed jeweller Mette O’Connor, has realised her dream and launched Inner Island. O’Leary combines simple shapes with precious metals to create timeless, understated pieces. The minimalist designs are handcrafted in Dublin using traditional silversmithing skills and natural materials. ‘I spent many years searching for something that inspired me.

Mosaic Course in Italy run by Edinburgh artist Joanna Kessel

Edinburgh-based Joanna Kessel, one of the UK’s foremost mosaic artists, is running a residential mosaic course in Italy from 6 – 13 June. The course teaches you how to design a mosaic, select the appropriate Venetian glass smalti and create your own contemporary piece. Inspiration will be close at hand in nearby Ravenna whose early Christian churches and mosaics have been designated a UNESCO world heritage site. You will be able