Tigerlily Makes: November 2013

Friday 29 November 2013

Never Too Old To Learn!

Morning felties! Now, as you all know, I love to teach others the beautiful craft of felt making. I regularly run courses on various aspects of felt making and have also branched back into paper crafts and card making over the last few months, but very rarely do I make time for my own learning …… until recently.

I’ve always embraced social media. I have 1987 Likes on the Tigerlily Makes Facebook page, and am being followed by 1422 people on Twitter, but when I heard of a half day course on how to use Twitter for business, I thought “why not” and booked myself onto the course without hesitation.

Taking an entire morning out of Tigerlily Towers was weighing heavy on my mind, particularly at this time of year – the run-up to Christmas is always the busiest time and there was also the exhibition to plan for and stock for the pop-up Christmas markets to think about, whilst at the same time planning for 2014.

After a morning of tuition from the lovely Melissa Plimmer of MAP Designs, I have to say that even though I’ve been using Twitter for a fair while now, I learnt so much during that one morning about how I can make more effective use of Twitter to the benefit of my business.

The moral of the story? Don’t leave the learning to the young ones! Invest the time in yourself and if you see something that you like the look of – go for it. You only get one chance! My Christmas Puddings have never been tweeted so much!

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Thursday 28 November 2013

Popping Up …. Everywhere!

We’ve just enjoyed a fabulous weekend, after having a stall at a Pop Up event at Midldeton Hall which was organised by the Vintage Emporium.

It’s made us think just how fantastic Pop Up events are. With prime commercial retail space being out of reach to many small businesses, Pop Ups offer the opportunity to showcase your products, often on a short-term basis, in a prime location. Pop Ups also often make use of empty shops, with local authorities giving short-term licenses, particularly in the run up to Christmas.

Here’s our Pop Up space from Middleton Hall – it’s amazing how much you can display in a small area!

Keep an eye out for more Pop Ups from Tigerlily Makes – we’re certain that this is just the beginning!

Monday 25 November 2013

Get Wrapped, Bagged & Tagged In A Beautiful Location!

We’re so excited, we might just burst!

It is with great pleasure that we can announce a brand new partnership with the Vintage Emporium Wrapped, Bagged & Tagged and a gorgeous new venue for the Needle Felted Birds & Blooms course and the stunning slipper course ……… we will be in our own private room above the Great Hall at Middleton Hall, near Tamworth.

Middleton Hall is a truly stunning venue, and during the lunchtime break you’ll even have time to explore the grounds and perhaps take in a bit of festive retail in the Courtyard shops.

There are still a few places remaining so treat yourself to a day of felting in this magnificent location.

http://www.facebook.com/events/144210019092925/

Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X Thank you for taking the time to visit Tigerlily Makes The Felt-making Blog Lisa X All content and design work, including text, photos, etc are © copyright 2013 Lisa Marie Olson owner of Tigerlily Makes (unless otherwise stated and named whereby copyright resides with said named person)and cannot be copied without prior permission from the copyright owner. Tigerlily Makes is a member of ACID (Anti Copying in Design and all designs are registered and protected. www.acid.uk.com www.tigerlilymakes.co.uk www.facebook.com/tigerlilymakes www.twitter.com/tigerlilymakes

Thursday 21 November 2013

Give Your Tree Some Hand-Crafted TLC

Good morning everyone!

We’re in full-on Christmas countdown mode here at Tigerlily Towers this week, as we are busy preparing for our Christmas felting courses as well as planning our very own Winter Wonderland at the same time.

The one thing I love about having a creative skill is that I can make my own decorations and adornments for the Tigerlily Christmas tree and for around the house. This means that I can give the home a unique look, rather than having exactly the same as everyone else in the street because it’s what the local garden centre or retail park had on offer.

If you fancy the idea of giving your home a sense of uniqueness, why not buy one of my really easy Christmas Decoration kits, they come complete with all the wool, twine, 5p piece foam punching pad and needles. They are retiring this year and on special offer so why not grab yourself a real treat and make something truly special for your tree this year.

Monday 18 November 2013

Get Creative Wtih Chatty Crafters

Our Chatty Crafters evenings are increasing in popularity – just a couple hours for one evening each month gives you the opportunity to bring along any outstanding projects you have on the go and work away at your own pace with like-minded crafters over a cup of tea and a biscuit or two!

There’s always a lovely buzz in the room as we bounce ideas off each other, swap tips and generally catch up with one another’s lives.

Our last Chatty Crafters evening before Christmas is on Tuesday 3^rd December, from 5.30 – 8 pm in the Craft Room at Hobbycraft in Tamworth - and it's completely FREE!

Why not bring along some Christmas ideas – maybe make a card for someone special, or make your own gift tags. Just let us know you’ll be coming by booking here http://www.facebook.com/events/562862987090120/ – we’d hate to not have enough biscuits!

Thursday 14 November 2013

Pudding Time!

Good morning and a massive High Five to all you festive felt fans out there!

I’ve been doing a fair amount of pop-up shops and shows over the past few weeks and one thing that has been selling incredibly well from my Christmas range are the little felt Christmas Puddings. Whether the Great British Bake Off has made everyone go ga ga for puds, or whether people are just getting back to tradition I have no idea, but the felt puddings are a sure-fire hit this year.

But did you know …..

Christmas pudding originated as a 14th century porridge called 'frumenty' that was made of beef and mutton with raisins, currants, prunes, wines and spices. This would often be more like soup and was eaten as a fasting meal in preparation for the Christmas festivities

By 1595, frumenty was slowly changing into a plum pudding, having been thickened with eggs, breadcrumbs, dried fruit and given more flavour with the addition of beer and spirits

By Victorian times, Christmas Puddings had changed into something similar to the ones that are eaten today

Putting a silver coin in the pudding is an age-old custom that is said to bring luck to the person that finds it

So, why don't you make your own needle felted pudding for the tree with our Christmas Pudding kit priced at just £10.00 complete with everything you need to get started and keep up the British tradition!

Monday 4 November 2013

Pining For A Pin Cushion?

I recently made some pin cushions, inspired by the chocolate box houses of the fishing village Aberaeron – and I can’t believe the response they’ve received!

I’ll be making more to meet the demand so if you’re looking for a stocking filler with a difference for the crafter in your family, keep an eye out for these cute, yet practical, pin cushions.