A Year in Prints: Hogmanay Sale

Well 2010 is drawing to an end and it's time again to get organised and ready for another creative year. What better way to start the new year than with a new calendar! A Year In Prints is collection of hand printed calendar artwork by artists and illustrators in Dundee, Birminham and Chicago IL. The calendar is loose leaf- which means you can display it however you like, in a frame, hung on a bulldog clip or simply pinned to the wall with all your important dates circled.

From the 31st of December onwards, we will be selling the remaining calendars at a reduced price with 25% off so get yours while you still can. There's 12 beautiful hand printed artworks for each month of the year- so visti the A Year in Prints store today and don't miss out!

Winding Down for Christmas & Getting Ready for New Year

With today being my Last-Post day for Christmas orders in the shop I've spent the second half of today having the first proper time to myself in ages!

If you're still thinking about ordering anything from Nikkimade, i'll still be posting up until Thursday this week- however those orders won't arrive until after Christmas time.

If you're off to any nice New Years shin-digs this hogmanay and you 're taking your host a celebratory gift- why not consider a project I worked on this year with the very talented knitted textile ace Hilary Grant- A Year In Prints. This collection of 12 original screen-prints will see you through 2011 with a different piece of artwork for every month. With work from Dundee to Chicago- including hellojenuine, Tracey Smith, Lauren Gentry and Heather Page, this pack of 12 screen prints is an utter bargain at only £2 a print (£24 in total). Check out Hilary's blog for loads more pictures and artist profiles- and the A Year in Prints Shop to buy yours!

Pictured (top: November, by Hilary Grant; bottom, left to right: prints by hellojenuine, Chloe Cook & Jo Foster)

Dundee's Statues & Their Winter Woolies

I don't know if any other Dundee dwellers have noticed- but our city's statues have been looking pretty cosy over the last few weeks. It all started a few weeks ago, when I noticed that the bronze penguins outside Dundee Steeple Church were all wrapped up in very jolly hand-knitted red and white scarves! And it seemed like more than a coincidence when our Rabbie Burns at McManus Galleries started sporting an equally lovely striped hand-knit.

And these are only the ones that I've managed to photograph- also spotted dressed for the cold have been Dundee's Deperate Dan (in front of the Caird Hall) and the little bronze monkey who sits atop the Information board on High Street.

Any why not? Glasgow's famous Duke of Wellington statue famously wears a traffic cone hat for most of the year- and across the water knitta decorates everyday city life with brightly coloured crochets and knits. And the nicest thing about the knitting that's been appearing around town, is that it's been created by resident knitters- Ardler Knitting Group. It's public art, created by those who live and work around the existing monuments- with the simple message of warmth, empathy, good will and community through the cold winter months.

Christmas Last Posting Dates 2010

So, this is it- the first official mention of Christmas on my blog! I've had a busy few weeks over at the Nikkimade shop, and with December just around the corner we're very quickly nearing the last posting dates for things bought from my shop. So, if you're planning on ordering something biscuity for a loved one this year, be sure and get your order in by the following dates:

UK - 19th of December

Western Europe - 11th of December

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada - 8th of December

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand - 4th of December

On a cushiony note- my original Teacake Cushions are currently available on Pre-Order only, which will be available to be dispatched on Friday the 3rd of December. If you can't wait to add some Tunnock's goodness to your couch, there's a limited number of my new blue cushions available right now!

A Year in Prints

A few months ago, fellow DJCAD graduate Hilary Grant and myself embarked on a project to collaborate with 10 other artists to produce a collection of original artwork to see us through the following year.

Each artist involved produced a limited edition run of only 50 silk-screen prints- one for each month of the year. We had submissions from all over the UK, and even one from across the water in the United States. Each print in the collection is individually beautiful and together, A Year in Prints is an eclectic and original way to enjoy a different piece of art every month.

With original prints by: Jen Collins (aka hellojenuine), Chloe Cook, Jo Foster, Tracey Smith, Rae Duncan, Mahala LeMay, Liz Myhill, Lauren Gentry, Jordan Butler, Hilary Grant, Heather Page and myself, our calendar, A Year in Prints is available at our dedicated online shop, for only £24- which works out at an amazing rate of £2 per print. Pretty sweet, right?

For more photos, head on over to our Flickr group, or visit our shop to bag yours today.

Absent With-Out Blogging

I've been a bit blog-AWOL for the last few weeks- and this is because I have been super-duper busy!

So here's a sneaky peek into what I've been up to:

My Teacake Cushions were featured in The List Magazine's Christmas gift guide alongside some amazing sweet treats- look out for my limited edition Dark Chocolate Teacake cushions, coming just in time for the festive season!

I've been in the studio printing for my contribution to the Year in Prints 2011 calendar project- I'm really pleased with how my July print turned out and I can't wait to show you all! It'll be available to buy online and at the next Dundee Jamboree event very soon!

Which brings me to Jamboree! Jen, Lauren and I have been pulling everything together for our winter market event: Petite Noël! For all of the details, and how you can be involved visit the Jamboree blog.

Us Jamboree ladies were also pleased to be asked to give a lecture at Duncan of Jordanstone on our successes together so far- although it was nerve-wracking- it was such a rewarding experience and really cool to be back in the hallowed halls of DJCAD!

Tights for Sore Eyes have been keeping Danni and I up to our elbows in ink and Lycra- we've got loads of new designs and colours in our shop- and a few events in our calendar for the winter season. Follow us on twitter @tights4soreeyes to keep up with us!

As for me- I'm still tweeting as @Nikkimcwilliams- so follow me and say hello:)

Welcome To My Humble Abode!

Come in, come in! Welcome to my teacakey home!

In September, I opened my first solo exhibition, FOILED- at The Spider & The Fly gallery, Edinburgh- which is set to close this week. Whilst it's sad that my exhibition is coming to an end, the silver lining is that all of the drawings I exhibited sold- and found some lovely new homes!

For those who didn't make it along for a chance to own one of the original drawings on show, I've produced a limited edition run of screen prints, based on one of the original FOILED drawings.

Each hand-pulled screen print features two colours, plus the addition of individually collaged Tunnock's Teacake Foil for every little hill-top home!

Emblazened with the slogan, " A House Full of Teacakes is a Happy One"- each print for sale over at my Folksy Shop right now, for £22.00. As a limited run of only 40, once these little gems are gone, they're gone!

A Big Owl, by Popular Demand!

After I've had several custom order requests on my Teacake Owl print, I've decided to introduce it in a new larger size!

So, for those who'd like a slightly more substantial Teacake Owl in their lives, this little guy is printed on 21 x 29.7cm 250gsm ice white matte photo paper- and it's ready for you to choose the perfect frame for! Visit my Folksy shop today for bigger Teacake Owls and loads more!

NikkiMade Teacake Cushions to Order

After a Septemeber feast, my screen-printed Tunnock's Teacake cushions are out of stock.

Never fear though, I'm hard at work cutting, printing, sewing and stuffing a fresh batch, which will be ready for delivery on Friday the 8th of October. In the mean time you can pre-order yours.

Ok...back to work I go!

Badge Making with Me

To accompany my exhibition, FOILED at The Spider and the Fly this month- I'm running my Meet and Make: Badge Making workshop this Tuesday the 5th of October.

If you're based in Edinburgh and are even a teeny bit curious about what it takes to make your own badges, swing by between 6.30pm and 9pm and i'll promise you won't be dissapointed!

Designing your own badges is really addictive: they make fab presents for friends and family, and are also a great way to publicise your own artwork and even earn some extra cash. I'll be bringing along my collection of collage materials as well as loads of pens and pencils to draw your own on the night...OR you can download my templates for larger 58mm badges and 25mm button badges and have your designs ready to bring along with you!

Most importantly- it's FREE to come along and mingle, and prices start from only 30p per badge you make. RSVP via my facebook event. There will of course be Free refreshments for those taking part- and any suggestions for cake (leave a comment below!) are most welcome!

Over the hills and far away

I don't often get Saturdays off work, but today we took a trip to my folk's house in the hillfoots of Clackmannanshire (move aside mediterranean) and took a wee jaunt up to Dollar Glen. The weather was fantastically sunny and warm for late September and we trecked past babbling brooks and cascading waterfalls and stopped by Castle Campbell for a picnic ciabatta rolls, Kettle Chips and apple juice!

There were loads of brambles which has inspired me to try and make some jelly. Perhaps my Sunday will turn out to be a day of bramble-picking... If anyone has any good recipes, let me know!

What a Lovely Mug

Introducing, the "A Cup of Tea Solves Everything" Mug! I had one made up for myself a while back, and I was so pleased with the results, I've decided to stock them in my folksy shop.

They've been professionally printed onto a lovely delicate Bone China Mug, which has a super glossy finish and is fine to be popped into the dishwasher or microwave!

Priced at £10 they're an ace treat for yourself or any tea-loving friend! Visit my shop today!

Wine, biscuits & Conversation Pieces

So yesterday I enlisted the help of the lovely Lauren Gentry for the hanging of my exhibition, FOILED at the Spider and the Fly in Edinburgh.

With some nice wine and some homemade chocolate shortbread for guests, there was a good turn-out of very nice people, and two out of four of my drawings sold! They seemed to go down a treat, so I'm definately considered doing some more drawing in the very near future. One of my guests was particularly impressed that I'd gone for teacake wrapper themed nails for the occassion!

I'll be revisiting the very cosy Spider and the Fly on the 5th of October for a drop-in badge making workshop, and after a small taste of Edinburgh, I'm excited about my return! For more details, and to let me know you're coming along, visit the event page. My work will be on display until the 2nd of November.

As well as this- one of my teacake cushions is also currently up-for-grabs over at the fantastic Conversation Pieces blog give-away. All you need to do is describe why you'd like one, and you'll be in with a chance to win!

Updates: foliage, foil and freak weather

Well, what a week!

After a foot and a half of rain in Dundee on Tuesday, I decided to reschedule my exhibition opening at the Spider and the Fly to this Tuesday, the 14th of September to prevent damage in transit. Pop along this Tuesday at 6.30pm to see my new work, have a bit of a mingle and maybe even eat some teacakes!

Also, last night was the evening of n_ilk at the botanic gardens, and I ventured through the gardens with the ladies of Dundee Jamboree to set up the market for the day. With a fantastic turn out, our cosy little hut in the centre of the gardens was a truly amazing venue for our event, being surrounded by amazing music from the tropical glasshouse and acoustic tent surrounding us.

Thank you to everyone who came along, looked, bought, ate and listened!

FOILED at the Spider & The Fly

Calling all Edinburgh dwellers and beyond! This coming Tuesday the 7th of September, I'll be opening my very first solo exhibition at the Spider and the Fly Gallery! In the last year, Tunnock's has become a massive part of my life, and in Foiled i'll be showcasing drawing and sculpture which pay tribute to the hallowed Teacake, The Tunnock's family business and Scottish Culture.

Everything I'm showing at the Spider and the Fly is brand new work, never seen previously online. Drawings will be for sale at the gallery on the opening night, and up until the 2nd of November.

So come along to the Spider and the Fly (65 Bread Street, Edinburgh EH3 9AH) this Tuesday the 7th between 6.30pm and 8.30pm for a special preview with free drinks and Tunnock's goodies for early birds! RSVP via facebook.

Also, check out the article I wrote on the Spider and the Fly in this month's copy of the Skinny and you can also view it online.

Micro Holiday in Barcelona

Having just (almost) caught up with my work, I thought it'd be nice to share a little bit about my "micro" holiday in Barcelona last week. I'm calling it a "micro" holiday, as it was probably shorter than a standard "mini break" - with only one full day in the city.

We arrived in Barcelona at about 7pm, met my folks at the bus station and went to their lovely apartment for a shower before dinner.

Just across from the port is a monument: it's a column with Christopher Columbus atop. It looked nice at sunset.

With so much to see in the streets of La Rambla we didn't get any food until late, saw some amazing street performers including a really amazing Geiger style alien and ate cinnamon ice-cream. Yum!

So Tuesday was our full day. We decided to get an open-top bus to absorb as much sunshine and sights as we could in one day. On the way we stopped to feed the fish at the harbour.

Our first stop was La Sagrada Familia, which was truly breathtaking. We didn't go inside as we spent so long outside looking at all of the detail. Lizards, doves, snails, angels- all in stone and mosaic. Beautiful!

After grabbing some lunch, Gaudi's Parc Guell was next on the agenda. I could have easily spent a whole day there, with a picnic and some coloured pencils, the architecture and view of the city was amazing.

We bussed it back down to the city and saw La Pedrera & Casa Batllo before jumping off at Barceloneta Beach. It had been an absolutely boiling day so we literally ran into the sea to cool down. It was lovely.

After drying off I picked up a badge by AndaPanda, who had a little stall on the beachfront. She makes lovely badges by hand, with very cute Japanese fabrics. As you'd imagine, I couldn't resist!

We went back to the apartment and got ready for dinner and decided to go to a restaurant that we'd seen to be queued out the door, by about 15metres. We decided to brave the wait at Les Quinze Nits assuming that such an enormous queue must mean good things. After 45 mins outside, we were seated and eating what must have been the tastiest and most reasonably priced food in Barcelona. I had a delicious chorizo entre, lovely spicey meatloaf with mustard sauce and potato puree, salad with goats cheese and honey dressing, a whole jug of sangria and a totally chocolately chocolate brownie with stracciatella icecream for pudding. Four of us ate like that, for $20 each. I'd reccomend this place to everybody!

But you've heard of "power naps" and how refreshing and invigorating a 20 minute snooze can be in the middle of the day. Well, with that in mind, this was definately a "power holiday" as after 24hours in another country, it felt like Scotland had never existed.

The Spider and the Fly

As you may or may not know, I'm an occassional writer for the Fashion and Craft section of Scotland's art and popular culture mag, The Skinny. This month I was asked to detail the many exciting events going on at The Spider and the Fly pop-up shop and gallery space. There's all sorts: from workshops, to tea parties- which is going to make The Spider and the Fly a popular haunt for all local crafters, designers, makers, and lovers of tea.

Click here for the full article.

I am Published

After the first Dundee Jamboree event earlier this year, I wrote an article on our the journey of Jumpers and Jamboree from conception to realisation.

With the next Dundee Jamboree event in the pipeline (check out the blog for full details) my article has been published on the Pubic Art Scotland website!

With an introduction by editor Ruth Barker, Short Notice: an account of a whirlwind show is available to be read online now.

Good Times in my Folksy Shop

So, it's been 10 months since my wee Folksy shop opened it's digital doors last November. With a busy month due to the addition of my new screen-printed Teacake Cushion, I am so chuffed to announce that not only have I reached my 100th sale, but I've also become a Folksy Featured Seller!

Along with other new featured sellers, the NikkiMade shop has been included over on the Folksy Blog.

I've also just added a few things which until now have only been available to buy from me at fairs and events: my A Cup of Tea Solves Everything Notebook and Hand-Cast Custard Cream Brooch.

NikkiMade @ The Spider & The Fly

This week's excellent news is that NikkiMade will be making it's first appearance in Scotland's Capital- at Edinburgh's The Spider & The Fly Pop-Up Shop and Gallery this Saturday the 24th at Noon. I'll be selling my Tunnock's Cushions, Badges and Prints, alongside some fabulous designers- whose work is previewed below.

Also- my cousin Danni and I's Tights For Sore Eyes will also be making an appearance!

With the prospect of fabulous things to see, buy, make and do- and even a cup of tea and a bun- The Spider and the Fly is the place to be this weekend! Here's a wee map to make sure you find your way safely- to top it all off- it's on the delicious-sounding Bread Street!

A Day of Rewards

After a fab day at Oran Mor yesterday I decided to treat myself to a day of charity shop raking. I picked up this fabulous wee house (which I'm sure I've seen before in either a dream or a previous life) and also- a new (old) Basket Bag! I've been looking out for one recently, as my old faithful basket bag bit the dust last summer. After a little bath, this one's looking amazing- I love it!

Teacakes for your couch

What a busy morning I've had already! I'm using this morning to prepare for Say No To Plastic tomorrow at Oran Mor, Glasgow.

I'll be previewing my newest creation- the Tunnock's Teacake Cushion tomorrow- which I just finished making a big batch of today. Screen-printed at Dundee's DCA print studios- these Teacake inspired plushies have been really popular with all who've seen them already, and I've even sold a few!

They're currently available over at my Folksy shop- so pop your head round the door when you get a chance!

If you're coming along to Oran Mor tomorrow afternoon, i'll be there with NikkiMade (of course with some Teacake cushions!), as well as my cousin Danni and I's Tights For Sore Eyes, which are currently only available to buy at the shows we attend...so we'll see you there!

NikkiMade & Tights For Sore Eyes @ the Dundee Literary Festival

Nikkimade and Tights for Sore Eyes will be making a very special appearance at Dundee Literary Festival's Pop Up Shop in Dundee Uni's Dalhousie Building. It's on from now until this Saturday 26th of June- so pop in to get your hands on some of this!:

Amongst those pictured above, there's work on sale by Hilary Grant, Jona Rona, hellojenuine, Val Norris & Jill Skullina. Thank you and good luck with Zoe of Jill of Two Dolls in running the shop over the next few days.

Jo Foster (aka Jona Rona) and I will be lending a hand this Friday afternoon- and we'd love to meet you if you're in town!

Opening hours are: Thursday 11am-7pm

Friday 9am - 7pm

Saturday 11am - 7pm

Craft Party Photos

As promised, here's the rest of the photos of Friday's Etsy Craft Party. Well done to Jen for such a colourful set of pictures!

Etsy Party Fun at the DCA

Thank you to everybody who came along to our Dundee Etsy Craft Party on Friday at the DCA! As our party was in the top 50 worldwide Craft Parties, we received an amazing box of goodies from Etsy- which arrived just in the nick of time on Friday morning. With bunting, DIY projects and cake in tow- we set up camp in the DCA Activity room.

It was great to have so many enthusiastic visitors- who crafted, had a good chat, ate some really nice food (thanks to those who brought along the nibbles!), drank plenty of tea and made some really cool things.

Jen took loads of snaps (like the one of my Etsy cupcakes at the top) which we'll upload to the Dundee Jamboree flickr really soon. In the mean time, check out Jen's post at Dundee Jamboree.

We'll also be announcing the winners of the Tote Bags- so keep an eye on your inboxes- if your name was in the draw!

Handmade Nation & Etsy Craft Party updates

As I mentioned before, I've got a fair bit of blogging to catch up with! The screening of Handmade Nation was excellent last Wednesday. (Poster above by hellojenuine) I felt that I really connected with a lot of the folks interviewed in the film- not only sharing a love for the DIY ethic, but also the fantastic community that seemed to be the centre of those who's work the film documented.

One of the things which I really enjoy about visual arts occassions- whether they be exhibition openings, craft sales or indeed film screenings- is the opportunity to meet up with other creatives, from old friends to new faces.

The director of the film, Faythe Levine even gave us a shout-out for our Etsy Craft Party- which Jen and I have been working so hard to prepare for. We've got a few DIY mini projects for you to try out, while you grab a cuppa, some Etsy birthday cake and have a natter. If you've got your own craft projects you'd like to bring along to keep you busy then we'd love to see them too. Check out the Dundee Jamboree Blog for more information- RSVP via our Facebook event or just come along to the DCA this Friday the 18th of June at 7.30pm. It's free!

Featured on Craftsville

I've got loads of blogging to catch up on today and thought I'd start here. The Choccy biccy zine that Lauren Gentry and I worked on earlier this year has been featured in a fun "Good Finds" article on Tea related artwork! It's featured alongside some fantastic work by Thereza Rowe, She Draws and British Cream Tea. Check them out for some awesome tea themed loveliness!

Thank you to craftsville who I had the pleasure of meeting in person at last week's screening of Handmade Nation at DCA Dundee.

Tights For Sore Eyes: our new designs

After a long day printing at the DCA yesterday, Danni and I have started our newest collection of Tights For Sore Eyes! We're going to be previewing these at the fabulous Say No To Plastic on the 4th of July at Oran Mor on Byres Road Glasgow.

Without giving too much away, we've got more colours, new designs and a spangly surprise up our (inky) sleeves. Follow us over on the Tights For Sore Eyes blog for all of our printed news and updates.

Pie In The Post

No sooner had I commented on the edible-wearable blog about how much I loved their prototype for their new venture, Pie in the Post, it dropped neatly through my letterbox, all parcelled up in brown-paper and stickered with "Hello Pie Face!".

Now firstly, the attention to detail packaging-wise was beautiful. Brown paper (which is my favourite) stickers, chinese masking tape, and a hand-written label all amount to a lovely little box.

On opening one end (and I did this very carefully with a scalpel, like I do with all important mail) revealed a candy-striped lined drawer which perfectly housed two little pies- one apricot, and the other peanut butter.

So the good news for edible-wearable is that not only was the prototype a total success (my pies arrived intact) but that the little pies were delicious. Not only this- but I loved the fun factor of receiving baked goods through my letterbox. A fabulous start to any day and definately an antedote to the mundane.