Oh oh oh!! Xmas is coming!

🎄 Deck the Halls with my Arts & Crafts Christmas Collection! 🎄

The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, and what better way to celebrate than with handmade Arts & Crafts? This holiday season, I'm bringing you a delightful array of handmade treasures that are perfect for gift-giving, teachers gifts, stocking fillers and decorating your home.

🖼️ Illustrated and Lino Print Christmas Cards Send your holiday greetings in style with my cute Illustrated Xmas cards and Lino print cards. Whether you're sending a note of love to family or friends, adding a little note to your gifts under the Xmas tree, my cards are sure to bring joy and warmth to your loved one hearts.

✨ Festive Art Prints Brighten up your walls with my exclusive art prints. From carved lino prints for all your friends with a passion (cycling, sewing, dancing etc...) to London Illustrations, each piece is designed to spread cheer and warmth.

🧦 Block Printed Fabric Christmas Stockings Elevate your home decor with block printed Christmas stockings made from recycled fabric. My stockings are crafted with care to add a personal touch to your mantelpiece. Perfect for filling with little surprises, they make a charming addition to any festive home.

🎁 Lavender heat pads Let's face it, it has been really cold the past few days and it's only the beginning with Winter only starting at the end of December. But I have exactly what you need, lovely hand printed and handmade hand warmers filled with lavender and rice. The trick is to pop them into the microwave for a min before you leave the house, and use them to keep your hand and pockets warm.

👜 Holiday Tote Bags Carry the magic of the season with my hobbies lino print on stylish tote bags. Perfect for holiday shopping, gifting, as a small add-on in the Xmas stocking , or for your passionate friend to carry their music sheets, ballerina clothes to their lessons in the new year; or simply adding a touch of festivity to your daily errands.

🛍️ Shop My Collection Ready to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit? Visit my website and explore the full range of Christmas products. Each item is crafted with love and care, ensuring that your holidays are as special as can be.

Happy crafting and happy Xmas Season! 🎅🎄✨

XX

Anne from Anne Crafts & Designs.

Lavender heat & cold pads : Staple of our winters & nights

Lavender heat pads : Staple of our winter & nights

How to make your own rice & lavender heat [ads this winter in a few easy steps... and a few pointers if like me you decided to add some hand carved lino prints to the fabric. Welcome to my first "how to" blog. As the days are shortening, mornings & evenings are slowly getting a bit cold, so I had an idea to carry the scent of summer with me, but start bracing for the cold winters.

Heat & Cold pad - Lavender block print

Where did the idea came from?

As autumn approaches, I dread the cold mornings during my commute, school runs, or going to the gym. Everyone has their unique morning rituals! Maybe you walk the dog come rain or shine? That's why I thought of creating something compact that you can quickly warm up in the microwave and slip into your jacket pocket to extend that cosy feeling from home just a little longer. Lavender is well-known for its soothing properties. The combination of the heat pad's warmth and the lavender scent reminiscent of sunny summer days is the ideal way to ease into the autumn season.

How to make one?

Creating a heat pad is quite straightforward. You'll need two squares of fabric stitched together, stuffed with a blend of rice / wheat and lavender. The real challenge lies in block printing on fabric for the first time. If you've read enough blogs, Instagram, and Pinterest posts on the subject, you'll understand it can be somewhat unpredictable. If this is new information, consider yourself warned. I'm here to offer some tips..

Step 1: Prepare your fabric

Selecting cotton or linen fabric is crucial. These natural fabrics ensure that the ink adheres well and lasts longer. It's also important to pre-wash the fabric to remove any shop residues and to allow for any shrinkage.

Step 2: Draft a design with pen & paper. 

I wanted a lavender inspired print to complement the scent but you could use any design you like. Draft it on transfer paper using 3B/5B pencil (thick) and then rub the back of your design whilst laid onto the lino block. It will transfer the drawing. It is not so important for flowers, but remember that as you stamp drawings are mirrored, so any writing will need to be drawn mirrored in order to print in the right direction.

Step 3: Take the plunge and carve

I have experimented with various lino materials, ranging from traditional grey hessian-backed lino to pink speedy carve lino. Based on my research, the pink speedy carve lino is superior for fabric printing.

With your sharpest tools, or a starter kit from Esdee as in my case, carefully carve your design, removing all extra material and do regular checks. It is easier to carve more if you are not happy, than to try and put some back on. I often use a Sharpie to go over my block as I carve to ensure the design is clear, contrasting, and detailed enough. Alternatively, you can perform some test prints on paper while carving. 

Step 4 : Print & Patience

I have tried a few different printing ink since I started:

• Speedball Fabric paint for block printing works really well if you have the patience to wait the recommended drying time (roughly 7 days) ;

• Speedball Fabric Screen Printing Ink is more runny but gives really good coverage. It is dry to the touch quite quickly but then needs to be heat set by ironing for a few minutes.

When I started with this design, I didn't have a press (though I've treated myself since). For small designs like the size of your palm, a hand barren or the flat side of your had works quite well to apply pressure and ensure the design is well transferred onto the fabric.

For a larger design, think tote bag format, I would probably rely on a press to ensure the ink is transferred evenly all across the fabric. When I started I also relied on my kitchen rolling pin! Anything you have that can help you to apply even pressure. It is quite difficult to obtain consistent prints with a hand barren but I find this is part of the magic and beauty of 

linoprint. Each print, each rendering is different. 

Step 5 : Assemble the heatpad

After much drying patience ( recommendation from Speedball for their fabric ink is to wait 7 days for it to dry fully), sew together and fill with a mixture of rice, wheat and lavender and here you have it, 10 beautiful bags!

Finally, enjoy your heat pad

Pop it in the microwave for a min or two and enjoy the heat and soothing smell. Lie in the sofa, close your eyes and dream of summer days in La Provence or UK Lavender Fields...

If this was all too much and you'd rather buy ready made bags for now, please head to the shop. Any questions, please leave a comment and I'll get back to you asap.

Thanks

Anne

Welcome to Anne Crafts & Designs

Welcome to Anne Crafts & Designs

As you might have guessed, my name is Anne, and I am the founder of Anne Crafts & Designs. Although I grew up in France, I have lived in the UK for the past 15 years, which has significantly influenced my artistic taste and all the arts & crafts I've tried over the years (more about that later).

Anne Crafts & Designs was established this year, from my lifelong passion for handmade creations. I have been making from the various corners of our home, from the kitchen table to the bathroom, with our bed often serving as the only space large enough to spread out pieces of fabric.

This year, as I approach the dreaded 40s, I made the decision to transform my long-held dream of running an Art & Crafts business into reality, and so, here I am!

Over the years, I've explored numerous mediums, and a diverse range of these explorations will find its way on the website and shop. My goal is to share not only the processes and successes but also the failures, as they have been instrumental in my learning. I am keen to contribute to the growth of the crafting community. In the future there will be workshops, I don't know where, how and when just yet... but I know it. I love teaching and sharing my enthusiasm for crafting.

Photography

I received my first camera at the age of 15 from my father, although I had already been experimenting with his 1960s black and white film cameras for several years. My passion for photography has not faded; I always carry a camera in my bag. During my university years, I acquired an enlarger from a closing university darkroom, transforming our bathroom into a darkroom every weekend. The magic of watching an image appear slowly in the dark, the trial and error, the tinkering to achieve the correct exposure and duration, I loved it all. Eventually, the enlarger disappeared to make room for more important pieces of furniture. I continue to practice black and white photography, developing my films and digitizing the images for later use.

Sewing

Eleven years ago, the Great British Sewing Bee debuted on BBC1, starting my passion for sewing. Clearly influenced by the Brits here... A few weeks in, I knew I had to give it a try. With my first proper paycheck, I purchased a basic sewing machine, fabric, thread, and the first book of the Great British Sewing Bee to embark on this journey. I've spent countless hours correcting mistakes, yet wearing my own creation at my best friend's wedding was a moment of immense pride. Over the years, I've crafted numerous dresses for work, home accessories, and giant bunnies for friends' new babies. With a mix of anxiety, and encouraged by my partner, I made my wedding dress eight years ago, determined to avoid a 'homemade' look. I aimed for a professional, polished appearance. I never understood why some cling to their wedding dresses, storing them away indefinitely until then —now, I'm one of them. That dress is mine alone to cherish.

Linocut & printing

During COVID, who didn't pick up a new hobby? While many turned to bread making, I received an art box with all the necessary tools for linocut and printing. Ever since, I've been passionate about it, and much of my craftwork now involves linocut. I enjoy the combination of drawing, the intricate carving, and the printing process. It's similar to the uncertainty of black and white photography printing, where the outcome is uncertain until the end. The potential of merging linoprint with fabric is huge, which I'm currently exploring by creating small lavender bags and zipped pouches. I have many more ideas, including printing on bags, scarves, and kitchen towels, but these will develop gradually. Over the next few months, I'll share the process, including the successes and the setbacks.

Digital Illustration

You might wonder what else is on my mind. I could be slightly hyperactive. Should I rationalize and concentrate on just a few things? Probably, but I'm enjoying everything so much that it's hard to choose. I also have a "serious" full-time job as a project manager, which involves regular travel, so I began doodling on my tablet at the airport. Travel mishaps are common for me, with delayed flights or broken-down trains being the norm, but now I'm prepared and I create drawings based on photos I've taken of the places I've visited. Most of my illustrations feature an architectural theme, inspired by the cities I travel to for work... It's hard to linoprint on the plane...

You'll likely be able to tell when I've been traveling for work as I upload new designs to the website.

What's coming?

Expect updates in the shop as I #add all the illustrations, linoprints and B&W photography. But for now, see you soon and have fun going through the website and the shop. Buy Now and Subscribe or follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for latest news..