Meet the stallholders...

Apryl Brincklow from Blue Daisy Glass

Have you always been a 'crafty' person - how did you start making things to sell?

Yes I've always been crafty. I used to love making cereal box doll's rooms as a child and I have fond memories sitting doing crochet with my nan. I have tried many crafts but since buying a huge kiln have narrowed it down to ceramics and now glass. I have now found the right craft for me and the glass has taken over my kiln, my home and my life!

I started selling things when I needed money to buy more glass. I started selling to my family then the PTA persuaded me to try a stall at Christmas in the school. This went well so my New Year's resolution was to start selling online in 2010. I think the only New Year's resolution in my life not broken by February!

Tell us a bit about what you make...

I make jewellery, mostly pendants out of glass. Pieces of glass are handcut and then layered into a sandwich style lump. The layers can include confetti shards, strings and the fabulous dichroic glass, something originally developed by NASA. The pieces are then heated in a kiln until they 'fuse' together into one mass. The glass is very slowly cooled and finally the kiln is opened - the best bit! The edges round and the pendants have become smooth and very tactile.

I also teach 'Beginners fused glass jewellery workshops' in Great Bromley. They cost £25 for a 2 hour class and the participants create 2 pieces of very wearable fused glass jewellery.

Links:

Shop on Folksy: http://folksy.com/shops/bluedaisyglass

Meet the stallholders...

Graham Hunter - StationerHave you always been a 'crafty' person - how did you start making things to sell?

I've always been interested in art - especially painting, but had never really considered making anything myself until fairly recently. I started making cards mainly as a hobby and as a lot of my friends were getting married and having children I gave them cards as gifts - which led to people wanting to buy them for themselves!

Tell us a bit about what you make...

I make various greeting cards and card accessories like gift tags and name cards etc. I also do wedding invites and stationery on a be-spoke basis. Everything I design and make is all done by hand using simple classic materials. I approach my crafting like a bit of a glorified artist really! I'd like to think that the person who receives one of my cards or invites would want to keep it a little longer on their shelf or mantlepiece that a normal store bought card!

Links:

www.graham-hunter.com

Meet the stallholders...

Cristy Poole

Have you always been a 'crafty' person, how did you start making things to sell?

I started making my jewellery about 4-5 years ago and I was self taught. I gradually learnt the different designs over this period until I was confident enough to sell them when I thought the quality was up to a professional standard I wanted. It's just a hobby but I need to sell some of my work just to get the money back for the beads and materials I use. I sell my items at very competitive prices, this gives everyone a chance to buy something and I hope remind them of my work.

Tell us a bit about what you make...

I make a wide range of different items from beaded rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces and these are my own designs that are different from the normal jewellery that is sold.

Meet the stallholders...

Glenn Godden from Steampunk Glass

Have you always been a 'crafty' person, how did you start making things to sell?

I've always been a 'crafty' person, I used to do a lot of woodwork and guilding, but it wasn't until I found glass that I really found the medium that was 'the one' for me! It didn't take long before I had more beads and marbles than I could ever need, so I started offering a few to see if other people would be interested, and it snowballed from there!

Tell us a bit about what you make...

I use a process called 'lampworking' (also called flameworking) where I melt glass directly in a flame to shape it. Sometimes, for beads, the molten glass is wound onto a steel rod, but I prefer more free-hand work these days. That way I can make more organic shapes, such as my nebula pendants. I also make a lot of marbles which I love putting designs into. They can take anything from 35 minutes to an hour and half depending on how complex they are, and offers a unique challenge to pack as much detial into such a small area. Also I like the 3D quality, it really is a medium unlike any other that I've ever explored.

Links:

www.SteamPunkGlass.com