New Royal Bird Prints

Royal Blackbird & Royal Kingfisher

I've received lots of complimentary feedback about my little bird watercolour paintings I did some time ago, so ..... Drum-roll please ......

I now have A4 Prints of my Royal Blackbird and the Royal Kingfisher on 380mic Pulp paper. These will be available to buy from my online shop and through Facebook for £15 per print (inclusive of postage). I'll keep you posted once I've got them all packaged up and ready to go.

Another little feature in the Bristol City Council Housing Magazine

Our @cashpointers room makeover project on the front cover of @BristolCouncil Housing News http:

Magazine Mention ...

Oooo, We've been quoted in the latest issue of the 1625 Independent People magazine.  We hope our advice can help young people make their homes more enjoyable ‪#‎makeoversonabudget‬ ‪#‎upcycling‬ ‪#‎paint‬ ‪#‎revamp‬

Independent People - Spring Magazine - Room Makeover on a Budget

We help the Cash Pointers project team with assisting young people who have moved into their own homes to revamp and make the most of one of their rooms, we normally have a budget of just £50.  This can be rather challenging but it can do done.  Following the link above to read the full article on the Independent People Website

Interior Design - For Young Independent people starting out

I've been asked to write an article about how I've been assisting the Charity, 16-25 Independent People with their room makeover project.  This got me thinking about the whole ethos behind Interior Design and the current climate.  I've always been interested in interior design but often felt that it wasn't achievable on a limited budget.  It's the same for many people when looking through glossy magazines, they depict dreamy living rooms that just don’t seem affordable.  Even the weekly papers and their ‘home’ pages list items that are supposedly ‘affordable’, with ornaments coming in at the £30 - £50 price range for one!  However, I was to be proved wrong.  This is the article I wrote for the charity 16-25ip.

After buying Hannah's first home in Bristol three years ago her and her partner had to have major work carried out to make our home liveable.  This left them with a rather limited budget to decorate and furnish our home.  Freya, Hannah's daughter who was only 11 months old at this point, 'Hannah Redden Interiors & Textiles' was 'on hold' and Hannah's partner’s salary was paying the mortgage and bills.  They had to be clever and think of ways that they could achieve their desired home.  Hannah signed up to Free Cycle, Gumtree, Preloved, and was regularly searching on Ebay.  Hannah was visiting the local Charity shops so regularly that she was on first name terms with the staff.  Facebook selling pages were also another handy source for all sorts of items.  Now two years on and they have managed to decorate and fill their home, creating the style they wanted on a limited budget, often with surprising finds for very little or even free!  Our favourite find has to be from a lovely lady from who gave Hannah an amazing anglepoise lamp for free from Free Cycle which is now pride of place in her living room.

"I’ve been working for the Cash Pointers Project branch of the Charity 16-25IP for over six months now, within that time I have been able to assist four households create their desired rooms on a budget of just £50 per person.  £50! I hear you say, YES it can be done! 

Decorating on a budget doesn’t mean that you have to discard your ideas of your dream room.  It's all about changing your way of thinking.  Rather than rushing out to buy something new every time you want to revamp a room, it's about learning to work with what you've got or can get for a fraction of the price.  Just simple, stylish updates that anyone can have a go at make a considerable difference.  Paint, wallpaper and fabric are key to unlocking a new look.  There are many websites out there that will give you samples of fabric and wallpaper that could be framed and used to create a feature wall."

It's alleged that out of these times of economic catastrophe comes great creativity, and this isn't any less true when it comes to interiors.  It may be difficult to change your mind set at first.  One of our clients from the Cash Pointers Project Makeover scheme actually stated that “Sewing was for old people” Having spent four years completing a BA Hons in Textile Design Hannah really wanted to show her that this isn’t true, this client then went on to hem two sets of curtains all by herself, with her brother also having a go on the sewing machine.  This was one of the moments when this project has felt so worthwhile and rewarding.  Another client managed to source fabric table runners from Ikea for 50p each which we then transformed into cushion covers for her existing sofa, revamping the feel of the whole room.

Before:  The room was dark with red accents darkening the room further.

If you are clever with your money and spend time sourcing items, you can do it!  Alternatively, if you hate a piece of furniture but don't want to pay to replace it, you can hide it by painting it the same colour as the walls of your house.  Tester pots of paint may not cover a wall, but there is enough in those little bottles to paint old picture frames and hang them together on what was an empty wall.  There is potential in everything you own, that nondescript kitchen dresser that suddenly takes centre stage once you wallpaper the inside with a vibrant print, those plain Ikea drawers that are instantly updated when you replace the handles with mismatched vintage ones, even those plane pine draws that could stand out after being given a lick of something colourful.

After:  We used pale shades of blue to lighten the room and replaced the red voiles with a white calico and a blue trim

And for people who still harbour concerns about whether all this is worth it, you can easily make simple changes first and see what a difference it makes.  Change the focus of the living room from the TV to the fireplace; or face a sofa and chairs towards each other for a more sociable set-up. Once you have done this you will see that it really is worth moving on to the bigger stuff. Above all, don't be afraid to have a go – you can always change things again if you don't like them.

The summer 2015 ... Southbank Arts Trail, Bristol

Well, where do I start?!  I have been absent due to many reasons but I haven't been idle.  Here are a few images from the local South Bristol Arts Trail where I threw open my doors and let everyone have a nosy at my creations...

Hannah Reddens Studio

Left - Vintage Textile Sazburger Cushion; Right - Hand printed and appliquéd Cushion

Sketch a Day Images; These sold really well over the arts trail weekend.  

Handmade Cushions from Vintage Finds

Packing up a sale

Freya being entertained

       

Bristol Pound Competition

'Calling all Bristolians'  Fancy seeing your art work on our Bristol pound?  Here's your chance to enter a competition to be in with the chance for your designs to be featured on £1, £5 or £10 notes!! How awesome would that be?

Current Bristol £5 Note

Current Bristol £1 Note

Now, what topic shall I enter?...

1. European Green Capital 2015 (£B1 note)

2. Art & culture (£B5 note)

3. Community & diversity (£B10 note)

4. Innovation & Technology (£B20 note)

A different type of Magazine

I thought I'd share this lovely offer with you all.  

I took part in a fair last December Christmas at the Orangery​, and had the lovely opportunity to meet the Pretty Nostalgic Magazine​ crew.  

They are now offering a fab offer to have a nosy at the wonderful magazine they produce (only pay postage).  

The Pretty Nostalgic Society –Creative and sustainable living inspired by the past

Pretty Nostalgic is about hands-on living, heartfelt giving and mindful consumption.

Do you revel in nostalgia? Yearn for gentler, more civilised times? Would you rather live  a more hands-on, less commercialised existence?

Yes? – Then join us – the Pretty Nostalgic Society – the perfect antidote to the greedy, corporate, lacklustre and often unfriendly modern world.

We are a group of history and vintage-loving souls, who delight in our brilliantly British lifestyle. We try to live in a creative and sustainable way, enjoy crafting, making, baking, growing, sewing, brewing, preserving, foraging, upcycling and what’s more we love sharing our skills with others.  We are not about giving up technology and permanently time warping back to the 1940s (Not unless you want to of course!)

We feel that modern ways aren’t always good and that old-fashioned ways weren’t always bad; we strive to find a balance and to live in a way that makes us proud and fills us with a sense of achievement and pleasure rather than purely existing in an out-of-control world, dictated to by others, feeling unsatisfied and surrounded by mass consumer tat!

We are committed to supporting independent British makers, small independent shops and businesses and those who supply handmade, vintage, antique or upcycled goods and services. We want to put our hard-earned cash into the hands of those who deserve it!

WHAT AN INSPIRATIONAL TEAM AND MAGAZINE!

February 2015 - Sketch a Day's

Just a quick update with my 'Sketch a Day' progression.  I'm still sticking to it even though some days I'm just not feeling it.  Here are the latest attempts.  I do feel a certain style is emerging, or perhaps I'm just more relaxed now and have found a way to quickly do my sketching :)

Day 29 - Moon - Watercolour

Day 30 - Ears - Black Watercolour

Day 32 - 'F' - Watercolour

Day 35 - Greenman - Pen and Watercolour (Found this rather a tricky subject to tackle)

Day 33 - Shells - Pen

Day 33 - Shells - Pen and Watercolour.
I just couldn't resist adding some colour to this simple pen image.

Day 36 - Bicycle - Pen and Tea :)

Day 37 - Pumpkin - Pen and Watercolour (and Tea again!)

Day 38 - Jewellery - Pen, Watercolour and gold pen for the detail.

New Cushion Designs

I've started to list my new cushion designs on Etsy, I have over forty new designs to be added which will really boost my shop.  I'm rather excited about the new feel to the shop once these have all been added.  

Handmade - 'Yorkshire' Cushion. Duck Feather Insert. One Off, made with vintage fabric, blue velvet backing.

Handmade - 1977 Royal Queen Silver Jubilee Cushion. Duck Feather Insert. One Off, made with vintage fabric, embellished with a cord trim.

Handmade Cushion - Great British After - 100% Duck Feather Insert, featuring a blue pom pom trim.

DETAIL  - Handmade Cushion - Great British After - 100% Duck Feather Insert, featuring a blue pom pom trim.

The Lion and The Unicorn - Vintage Fabric - Hand Made Large Cushion

I hope you like these vintage fabric finds as much as I do.  I feel that vintage fabrics in particular add character and an interesting aspect to any room, you have something that is unique and can't be purchased by everyone else.  These cushions will add panache to any sofa.  

Southbank Bristol Arts Trails 2015

I attended a committee meeting last week to become part of the Southbank Arts Trail 2015.  I'm rather excited as since little Freya came along I haven't taken part in any arts trails and do miss the excitement.  I can't wait!  (This also means that my studio room will need to be finished in time ;) Another deadline Dan!!!)

       

     

This volunteer run organisation enables artists and creatives from Southville, Bedminster and Ashton, (plus visitors from further afield) to exhibit and share their work in homes and public spaces over one spectacular weekend in May each year.  Visitors have the chance to meet artists and makers in a relaxed environment and also enjoy diverse and fun workshops.  ‘One of the oldest, biggest and best Art Trails that have sprung up around town’ - Bristol Post 2014.  Now in its 13th year, this popular week-end has attracted an impressive 4000-5000 visitors in recent years, with one house alone recording 600 visitors on its first day.

The arts trails is looking to attract new artists, performers, musicians this year to help grow and attract more visitors.  If you know anyone that would like to get involved please follow the links on the SBA website to find out how to become a member, register you home, business or workshop. 

 Join Southbank Arts Trail 2015

IT’S A NEW YEAR!

This New Year arrives with promise; a milestone for goal setting.  A clean, fresh start for all...

2014 was a pretty good year for me.  We moved into our new family home (which I realise I haven’t posted any images of before or after!  These will follow shortly!  Although we are still working towards the finished article the house is looking pretty cool, all down to the hard work of my amazing partner Dan),  Freya turned one!  We had our first family holiday in an Eco Cabin in South Wales which was fabulous, so relaxing.  I have been spending the last week celebrating the New Year, Birthdays and generally enjoying spending time with my little family. 

You might have noticed a change to my blog design, I am still tweaking but this is the start of the new and improved *HANNAH REDDEN.* I wanted something different and a little more simple but still in keeping with my theme, when I started this was not what I thought I wanted but I LOVE it.  New Colour, New Headers for a New Year!  I've been getting organised over this festive period too.  I've got big plans for this year.......  I found this passage from a very influential blog for me.. The Textile Blog

Life is of course full of endless possibilities and of course because of that it is also full of endless choices. How you move through life depends upon those choices. Unfortunately, so many choices are made for us, or we are made to feel as if we have no choice, no decision in whether we go this way or that in our life path. However, life paths are extraordinary things, it is amazing how many times they seem to veer off track and then slowly come back to centre again. 

I've got so many ideas in my head and get distracted so easily, I really feel that the above passage is correct, the last two years have really been driven by becoming a mother (what a big change!), house renovating, becoming a landlord!  I now feel however, that upon reflection, these changes have also given me the excellent opportunity to concentrate on what I want out of life, I'm in a place to drive forward my new business plans.  What an exciting year to come!!!!

I've also joined a new group on Facebook titled 'Sketch a Day' I'm using this as my driving force to actually do a drawing a day!  Check the group out and follow our daily doodles......

Christmas at The Orangery 2014

Last weekend was my first event in quite some time - Christmas at The Orangery 2014, organised by Rachel Goodchild -  

 

The event was held in my home from 2001 until 2008 when, due to the volume of people attending, it was moved to a beautiful Orangery within the gardens of Goldney House and Gardens, Bristol. With this venue move the name was changed from 'Designer Sale' to 'Christmas at the Orangery.' The idea being an annual event where designers can exhibit their work for one day only. Giving customers something a little bit more unique than regular shops.

 

I absolutely loved taking part.  I'd forgotten what a rush it is to get ready for the big day and the anticipation the night before.  I actually had quite a wakeful night as little Freya was up all night.  I really wouldn't have made it though the day without the help from my Dad.  So a big thanks to my Dad. 

 

 

 

 The next step on my journey is to get my Etsy shop filled up with all my new products.  Announcements coming soon when this has been completed.  Enjoy the last few days of festive craziness.  Happy Holidays everyone.

 

Vintage Textile finds - New Cushion Designs

Just thought I'd share some images of the progress of my new cushions..

 

 

 

 

My Next Christmas Event - Christmas At The Orangery

Christmas At The Orangery  2014

I've recently signed up to exhibit in my first market in quiet some time (I wonder why that might be!!).  The event sounds quite exciting .. Christmas At The Orangery.

I'm looking forward to participate and meet some of the other exhibitors, especially this very talented lady .. Fiona Willis.  Her work really is an inspiration. 

 

''My prints start their life as wholly original works in pen, ink and watercolour. They are then scanned to produce a digital image from which the giclée prints are produced. However, the digital image is not manipulated in any way and is entirely representative of the original artwork. I've found this process to be the most effective way to reproduce the fine detail that characterises my work.''

http://www.fionawillis.com/about.php 

 

I really like that Fiona works in an initially very traditional way.  Drawing by hand and not manipulating her work.  I think that we loose the essence of the image when we draw directly with a graphics tablet etc.  I also prefer to draw by hand, being honest with the medium you are using.

 

I think I may need to have a gander at her pitch at the event.

World Textile Day - 1st November 2014

The Spirit of the Cloth  1 Nov 2014 - Saltford, Bristol.  10 am - 5 pm. 

Can you believe it's almost November already?  It's also World Textile Day ...

''Every year we like to have a new, interesting and stimulating theme for World Textile Day. This helps to give the day a focus, both for us and for our enthusiastic visitors.  In 2014 our theme is The Spirit of the Cloth and our free exhibition of world textiles will take you on a journey of discovery.''

 

 

FREE admission to the exhibition of stitched, embroidered and woven textiles and artefacts from around the world.

Morning and afternoon lectures:

•11 am. Sacred and Spiritual Textiles of South West China with Chinese textiles expert and collector Martin Conlan.

•2 pm. Textiles of the Islamic World with world textiles expert, collector and author John Gillow.

•£2 per lecture, tickets at the door.

 

With these specialist world textile traders:

•Textile Traders

•The African Fabric Shop

•John Gillow

•Slow Loris Textiles - Martin Conlan

•Tukuru Textiles from South America
•Khayamiya Egyptian Appliqués

•Susan Briscoe Designs

Saltford Hall, Wedmore Rd, Saltford, Bristol, BS31 3BY

I unfortunately can't make this event but will definitely be searching the web for feedback and inspiration.  If you manage to make the event I'd love to hear your views...

Studio Unpacking = Vintage Fabric Finds

So, I'm in the process of unpacking my studio in our new home (This may take some time!), I happened to stumble upon some of my vintage fabric finds that I'd forgotten all about.  I was soon distracted from unpacking and lost myself in fabric and possible cushion creations..

 

I just love the large bold floral print of this fabric.  Unfortunately (I don't think you can see this from the image) there is a faded line right across the middle of the print, I guess where the fabric has been folded for so long, or possible sun damage?  However, the colours are luscious, very suitable for this Autumnal time of year to warm up any interior.  I have a vision in mind for two new cushions, I've got the perfect trim in mind. 

 

This vintage, hand sewn cross-stitch is so unique, I can picture this paired with a lovely bold backing fabric.  This will have to be made into a cushion cover.  Maybe for our guest room as it would fit the vintage theme perfectly.

 

This table runner is stained in the middle, but at either end has this hand embroidered design.  I really like the bold coral and yellow.  I will need to get my thinking cap on for this as I am unsure how to transform this into something yet.  More to follow on this one ...

 

 

 

Here are my two latest additions to my handmade vintage cushion covers.  I found a pair of 1977 Silver Jubilee Tea Towels and thought they would make a delightful one-off pair of cushions.  I've yet to add these to Etsy (I need to create a new photo booth in my studio), but will announce soon when these are in online.

 

Right, I'm off to attempt to do some more unpacking.  Have a good productive week. xx

 

So... When should we be posting to all the different Social Media sites?

I've been doing a bit of research on this and have found the following site quite useful:

ADD THIS  - Content Engagement Made Simple.

Anytime someone shares, follows, or interacts with a piece of content, there's a good chance AddThis has something to do with it. According to comScore, we reach over 98% of the US — that's more than Facebook or Google. Our team is focused on building the best social tools, content recommendations and targeted advertisements. It's growing like crazy and we're proud to be the leader in content engagement.

Although an American site the information can be transferred across to the UK depending on your market.  So, my next plan is to make a schedule!
 

Childrens Fabric Pencil Roll / Holder

Childrens Fabric Pencil Roll Bag

 

I've been searching for a box or bag for Freya to store her pencils in, for some reason she loves tearing up the boxes that they come in!?

 

This blog post I've found by Kath Red is ideal!  Why didn't I think of sewing one earlier?  I will attempt this over the weekend.  I'm sure Freya will find some way of destroying it!  Extra strength thread? :)

 

Fabric Pencil Holder