Time to take a closer look at one of the most hardworking designer-sellers in Brighton. She also creates products that could warm the stoniest of hearts!
Please introduce yourself….
Little Things i Make is the name for the whimsical creations that sprout from my imagination, weave their way through pens & pencils to create odd little doodles which somehow stitch themselves into my cheeky felt friends. If you want to see creations that will make you giggle & smile, check out the Little Things i Make.
Briefly describe the products you currently make
I make all sorts of creatures, from Badgers with Guns and Short Sighted Bunnies to Button Eyed Monkeys and Grumpy Bears. The creations I’m most fond of are my FOXES! They have been the most fun to create, from the initial obsession with foxy doodles to sewing my own little Foxy Friends. They’re so full of character and each one I make seems to take on a different personality. I have even heard that they are quite mischievous and have a tendency move things around when you’re not watching (it must be the magic that I sprinkle over them!).
How long have you been selling your wares and how did it begin? Or is Craftaganza your first time?
I studied Art & Design at UCA Canterbury and then on to BA(Hons) in Illustration at UCA Maidstone. Despite finding the world of Freelance Illustration tough, I continue to enjoy my illustration work and the origins of most of my felt creations are scribbled doodles in the margins of books.
I began making my little things while still at university, mainly as a result of not being able to afford to buy presents for friends & family. Once I saw the reactions to the Little Things i Make, I resolved to try and make an income from them. I began by taking on commissions via word of mouth which then led me to look into local craft fairs. I am a big fan of the Brighton Craft scene and I try to get involved with as many fairs as I can. You can usually find me at one of the many weekend craft fairs in Brighton. I am also involved in the Mixed Media Art Show collaboration PLATFORM which is curated by Sarah ‘Rock Cake’ Meredith. I have recently started selling my Little Things on Etsy & I am in the process of setting up my own website.
What inspires the things you make?
I come from a crafty background, my Mum has been selling her hand made products at craft fairs for as long as I can remember. She always inspired me to be creative – “Lucy, if you’re ‘bored’ – go and draw a picture or make something…”. I don’t think a day goes by that I’m not doodling or thinking about my next project.
I knew I always wanted to be involved in something creative when ‘I grew up’ but didn’t really know what. While in my teens, I had fanciful imaginings of a kind of bohemian lifestyle, similar to that of Paris in the early 1900’s, a place full of like minded artisans, living on enthusiasm and art… Although I reassessed this dream – I feel that living here in Brighton is pretty close (possibly less Absinthe!)
Final thoughts?
I conclude that, one day, I will take over the world with the Little Things i Make but, until then, I am quite happy to sit in an over sized woolly jumper (of which i have about 50!!!) and watch tele with them all around me (cruelly, some them don’t have the best eyesight as their eye-buttons are too small).
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