Tugba Kop Illustration

Embroidered Book Bags

2012-02-28T06:34:00.007-08:00

Have you seen these wonderful creations by Olympia Le-Tan?

They are embroidered and appliquéd canvas clutch bags based on classic books! From Moby Dick to One Flew Over The Cuckoos nest, you are sure to find one of your favourites.

The canvas fabric stays true to the feel of book cloth, adding to the character of the bag. I love that they have kept the exact size and structure of a hardback book. Front covers are often bold and eye catching images an these have translated wonderfully into textiles. Not only are they beautifully done on the outside, they are also lined with complimentary patterns fabrics.

These clutches have also been a hit with the celeb world and at £934, I think that's the world they will stay in!

Image courtesy of Getty Images

Website Problems

2012-02-28T05:56:00.006-08:00

Apologies to anyone who has been trying to access my website lately. I've been having a few issues with it. I was trying to update it when it randomly went down. I got it back up and running again, only for it to go back down less than 6 hours later! Again, I managed to get it back after deleting some plugins and attempted to update it for the third time. Third time lucky you say? Nope! It is now down for the third time within 3 weeks!

I'm not really sure what keeps gong wrong with it, but it seems to be very tempramental. I'm doing my best to sort it out and get my website up and running again (permanently!).

In the meantime feel free to visit my Notonthehighstreet shop or keep up to date by following my Twitter or like my Facebook page.

xxx

Embroidered & Stamped Tags

2012-02-07T15:08:00.000-08:00

As promised, some embroidery.

This first one has a simple stitched pattern around the edge.

For the second, I thought I would attempt some text, it reads 'it's what's inside that counts'.

I must say being used to stitching on fabric and then switching to card completely throws me! With free machine embroidery, I find it takes some warming up anyway, without the change in medium. Perhaps this may have worked better with a normal sewing foot.

Anyway, these tags add a great personal touch to any present. And the best part? You could make matching stamped wrapping paper!

Here's a little extra little peek at the idea of DIY wrapping paper to get your stamping juices flowing...

Enjoy! xxx

Tutorial: Rubber Stamps

2012-02-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the late delivery of this tutorial. I've had a hectic January, but as they say, better late than never!

I decided to start with a rubber stamp tutorial after a run in with a BBC journalist, who was in the process of writing her second craft book. She asked about me about stamping techniques, but I think I shared one too many of my rubber stamping secrets because she replied with, 'that will be in the second book'. SO, I am marking my territory before it is published to the world by a person with more money and contacts than creativity. Ain't that always the way!

Anyway, onwards and upwards-lets get stamping!

Once your design is cut stamp stamp stamp away!

Hope you enjoy the end result. Keep your eyes peeled for the embroidery element and stamping ideas coming soon!

xxxxx

January so far...

2012-01-22T05:05:00.000-08:00

The start of January has been a bit of a mixed bag, with the sudden death of my gangster kitty Rocky, my birthday & a wonderful trip to Istanbul.

Rocky had to be put down after having his ears got severely infected (months after they were removed due to cancer) and being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He was the gangster cat of my neighbourhood, beating up cats, foxes and dogs alike! However at home, it was a different story. He was a big softey inside- loving nothing more than curling up on your lap, purring (and dribbling due to having few teeth left from fights) as you stroked him. I'm sure he is happy, purring and dribbling in kitty heaven. R.I.P Rocky xxx

Next came my (dreaded) 25th birthday. I had planned quite a few things in order to distract me from the number-gathering my friends at my house, clubbing, a visit to Top Drawer, pub food and finally Istanbul! And I'm happy to report it worked! Istanbul provided the long over due cultural injection I needed. The mosques were amazing, the food was amazing, the snow was amazing-it was all amazing!

Not much in the way of work has happened due to all of these events coming one after another, but I am now back, a year older (and supposedly wiser) with my batteries fully charged! I am ready to jump back onto the work wagon. Bring it on! :)

...And a haaappyyy new yeeear!

2012-01-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! Hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year and got everything they asked for from Mr Clause. Anyway, seeing as it is that time of resolutions 'n' all, you will be happy to hear that one of my (many) resolutions this year is to be a better blogger! *Horray* This means that I will be more dedicated to my blogging and put more time and thought into my posts.

Another thing I REEEAAAALLY want to start doing here are tutorials. As a dedicated crafter, and someone who likes to hop from one project to the next, this is the perfect way of doing this. But here is the small twist-I am going to try to incorporate my beloved machine embroidery into every project. Hopefully by the end of the year, I will have had lots of hybrid craft objects!

My first one will be coming at you this very month, so watch out for it! This may be the start of something beautiful :)

xxx

Merry Xmas To All!

2011-12-18T07:40:00.001-08:00

With all of my Christmas fairs done and dusted, I thought I would post a stitched festive image to get the Christmas merriment going.

Hope everyone has a lovely Christmas! xxx

I'm officially on Not On The High Street!

2011-12-01T03:47:00.001-08:00

I was lucky enough to be accepted onto Not On The High Street . I have been busy snapping away my wares. My house has the worst lighting, zero white/empty surfaces and just generally far too much junk that is necessary. Photography hell in other words! I was lucky enough to be able to use my work place-the lovely Sew Over It as my photographing environment. The shop has plenty of light, white walls & tables and best of all, it's is full of sewing props to help with the lifestyle photography element! Photography heaven!

I can officially announce that they photos are finally uploaded and live on the site. Whoopie! Take a look here and let me know what you think x

Mollie Makes Blog Post!

2011-11-28T03:39:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to have my work featured on the Mollie Makes blog recently. Take a peek at the blog post here.

It's (almost) that time of year again...

2011-11-07T04:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, Christmas is slowly creeping up on us again. As with every year, it has come around so quickly! Despite being a self confessed Scrooge, I am taking part in a few Christmas markets. Come down to these markets to grab some unique handmade gifts and be merry! With free entry to both events, who could possibly resist? Take a peek:

Continuing with Christmas festivities, I am also doing Tea and Egg Cosy workshops as part of the Christmas Gift Classes series of workshops at Sew Over It. If you are stuck on gift ideas, this is the perfect solution. Not only will you have a gorgeous gift to give by the end of the class, but you would have also learnt some new skills, such as free motion embroidery! Two birds, one stone. If you are interested in booking a workshop, simply visit the Sew Over It website for more information.

Anyone who missed the London Knitting and Stitching Show can always go visit the Harrogate event. If anyone does happen to find themselves down those ends, do look out for my Granny Playing Bingo image. While I was at the Ally Pally show, Mr X Stitch was nice enough to ask me for one of my pieces to exhibit at his allocated space in the Harrogate show. You can see him in the latest episode of Kirsties Handmade Britain, so check that out too.

That's all for now. I shall be back with even more merriment soon!

Ally Pally Knitting & Stitching Show

2011-10-10T04:17:00.000-07:00

Hi all! I'm sorry to say I have neglected my blog slightly due to my non stop preparations for The Knitting & Stitching Show. The good news is it's all over now, so I shall be back to my former blogging self!

The Knitting and Stitching Show was a good experience. I'm not sure that grannies are quite my target market as my work is quite contemporary, but I met lots of great people, recieved lots of positive feedback, sold some goods and even got some tweets and blogposts along the way!

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to have a proper look around the show myself. The most I could do was have a very brisk walk through the stalls-quite hard when there are lot of slow paced oldies walking through at the same time! Despite manning the stall by myself for 3 out of the 4 days, I had some lovely (not to mention very talented) neighbours in the form of The Linen Tree , Lost Emporium and Heart Zeena to help along the way.

I also attended a 'Craft social' at Drink, Shop, Do, organised by the crafty duo of Mr X Stitch and Perri Lewis, on the Friday night. Despite recognising very few people, I knew alot of them through their online presence! Many of them had tweeted or blogged about me, so it was great to put a face to the name. I still can't get over how nice everyone was. I'm so used to the pretentious and intimidating world of Illustration, so it was such a breath of fresh air!

Now that it's all over, I feel like I have made some new contacts and lovely friends. I shall keep my eyes peeled for any email of opportunities and events that will come my way. In the meantime I am going to take a few days off to unwind, be social and get organised, but then it's back to work for me!

I'm a winner!!!

2011-07-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

I am so very happy to announce that I have been chosen to be one of the six crafters to be allocated a stall at The Knitting & Stitching Show 2011!

I was proud to have been chosen as the final 16, but getting the stall is unbelievable!

This is an amazing opportunity for me and I would not otherwise have been able to take part, as stalls for the 3 day event cost over £600!!! So thank heavens for the good folk at Craft Guerrilla & Twisted Thread who have joined forces to give people like me this wonderful opportunity.

The event takes place from October 6th -9th so a busy busy few months of making wait ahead! Until then I will also be at the The Thames Festival on Sunday 11th August, so watch out for me there too!

Making, Making and More Making!

2011-07-19T11:05:00.000-07:00

...and did I mention making?

My little hands have been busy (you guessed it) making lots and lots of stock. I am aiming to make atleast 5 of each thing before things start to pick up (fingers crossed!).

I have a few things in the pipe line. Firstly, Retro Roost-an online designer fair launch tomorrow and my goods will feature on their site. I'm very excited to see my things up there! Similarly, I have also been accepted onto a website I fell in love with called Lasso The Moon. A few of my products are currently being photographed by their pphotographers, ready to be uploaded onto my page. Again, very impatient to see how it all looks on their amazing site. It's so great to be accepted amoung such wonderful work!

Anyway, here are a few pics of a batch of my teapot oyster card holders in the making!

Simon

2011-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a purse I was commissioned for. The guy, Simon, contacted me through Etsy wanting a custom portait purse of himself to give to his girlfriend as her birthday gift! Above you can see I have included the photograph he sent me, my drawing and the finshed product as a small insight into my process. It's great to see the steps...although this photo makes it look so easy!

Feature Sew Hip, Issue 31

2011-07-04T10:40:00.000-07:00

Pick up the latest issue of Sew Hip to find an interview with me on page 52! Also by complete coinsidence Sew Over It is also in the same issue. Get your copy today!

Cally Fest Stall Pix

2011-07-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my stall at The Cally Fest. It was an amazing day! There was so much going on -although I couldn't actually leave my stall to witness it all for myself, I could hear it and feel it in the air! Such a wonderful atmosphere and even the sun was shining (and that's rare!).

I had great feedback from lovely passers by and customers, which is always nice. Everyone was very complementary and I even saw a few unexpected familiar faces. All in all it was a wonderful day and a great success!

Come To This!

2011-06-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Stall at the first Cally Festival!

2011-06-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

I will be having a stall at a festival taking place on Caledonian Road-the very appropriately named, Cally Festival! It's the first one ever and sounds very exciting! The street will be lined with stalls of all sorts, selling foods, crafts, and offering workshops while the air will be filled with sound of live music and the smell of tasty foods. That's not all, there will be a pop up art exhibition, sport, dancing and a kiddies section too!

I am excited to be one of the 70 designer/makers stalls that have been hand picked. Should be an exciting Sunday afternoon.

The Cally Festival will be taking place on July 3rd, 12-6pm

Find out more here

10% off my Leather Cupcake Brooch Making Workshop

2011-06-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

You can now get 10% off of my We Make London Summer Boutique, Leather Cupcake Brooch Making workshop when you book through Etsy! Simply click to purchase and type in this discount code at the checkout: WML10...and voila!

Bread & Roses Pix

2011-06-13T04:03:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of my stall at the Of Cabbages & Kings first Clapham event...Observe.

Watch this space for more craft fair/market news!

Of Cabbages & Kings Market This Saturday!

2011-06-06T02:44:00.000-07:00

I will be at The Bread & Roses Pub in Clapham this Saturday as part of the Of Cabbages & Kings Craft Market. Pop down to get your hands on some of Clapham's local crafters goods!

The market is open from 11pm-5pm, plenty of time for people to pop in.

Hope to see you there!

Mrs Textiles Feature

2011-05-31T11:33:00.001-07:00

I recently stumbled across an email in my junk mail sent by a lovely lady called Gabrielle from a website called Mrs Textiles (Mrstextiles.com) asking if I would like to be featured on her website. After browsing through her site, I agreed! I love what she was doing with her website. Her aim is to form a website where children can find and browse different artists for inspiration-all under one website! Sounds like an amazing concept. I remember trying to find inspirational artists at school- it was near impossible! I would browse for what felt like hundreds of websites for hundreds of hours and find very few of what I actually liked. As a teacher, Gabrielle has caught onto this and has created a website to solve this problem. It serves as a place dedicated to textile artists for children to draw inspiration from and I am very proud to be a part of that!

Check out the feature here>>>http://mrstextiles.com/?p=539

We Make London Summer Boutique Workshop

2011-05-31T11:14:00.000-07:00

There is still time for all of you lovelies to sign up to my leather cupcake brooch making workshop! It is taking place as part of the We Make London Summer Boutique on Tuesday 5th July at 3pm-5pm. Pop down to find only the best selection of beautiful handmade goods and ofcourse workshops!

All materials will be provided for the workshop-all you have to bring is yourself and your creativity! At the end of the class everyone will have a tasty cupcake brooch and a cute little drawstring bag to keep it in! All bags will be handmade by you and customised using handmade rubberstamps!

Follow this link for more information and to book yourself a place >>>http://wemakelondon.blogspot.com/2011/05/machine-embriodered-cup-cake-brooch.html

Spread the word! xxx

New Photography

2011-05-30T13:58:00.001-07:00

Yellow Teapot Oyster Card Holder, a photo by Tugba Kop Illustration on Flickr.

I have been trying (and trying) to improve photography of my items for some time now. Photography isn't a subject I know much about. Sad, but true. I recently purchased a 'mini photo studio' with a little back drop and lights in an aid up my photography. Another thing I am paying more attention to is the idea of lifestyle photography, Strangely enough, putting another object in the shot with your item does make it look miles better. I have no idea how, but it does. I guess it gives it some context and customers are able to visualise the item in use.

Anywho, hopefully up and coming photos will be better lit, well thought out and most importantly do my items justice! One can only hope x

London Bus Oyster card holder on Craft Blog UK!

2011-05-20T05:10:00.000-07:00

My London Bus oyster card holder has been featured on the Craft Blog UK among the 'best of Flickr group'! Check out their blog at http://craftbloguk.tumblr.com/ x

We Make London Summer Boutique Workshops Announced! Including mine! :)

2011-05-20T04:40:00.000-07:00

We Make London has announced the workshops and workshoop dates for their Summer Boutique at Oak Studios, Hampstead. There is a lovely range of workshops, and I actually want to do a few of them myself!

My workshop will a Leather Cupcake Brooch making workshop! All materials materials will be provided and included in the price. Not only will individuals be making a cupcake brooch but also a little drawstring bag to keep your brooch safe in!

All cupcakes and drawstring bags can be made to the individuals taste as there will be a variety of leathers and fabrics to choose from.

My workshop will be taking place on July 5th from 3-5pm. There are 10 available places, so book up early! Book here: http://www.wemakelondon.co.uk/userimages/procart30.htm

You can view all workshops on the We Make London website.

Tea Towels

2011-05-19T03:55:00.001-07:00

Tea Towels, a set on Flickr.

The complete set of British Favourite's Tea Towels. I am open to suggestions so feel free to tell me what your favourites are!

Handmade Oyster Card Holders

2011-05-19T03:29:00.001-07:00

Handmade Oyster Card Holders, a set on Flickr.

I have added some stuff to my flickr account, including a London Bus Oyster Card Holder. Take a mosey....

Legs, Legs, Legs!

2011-05-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Good News!

2011-05-15T13:44:00.000-07:00

My workshop proposal has been selected by the lovely people at We Make London! I won't give away too much at the moment, but details are on their way! In the mean time check out the exciting event that my workshops will be taking place at by visiting their blog: http://www.wemakelondon.blogspot.com/.

New Oyster Card Holders!

2011-05-11T13:07:00.000-07:00

New teapot Oyster card holder range. Each oyster card holder features a different vintage teapot. I have used different floral prints to add applique details to each teapot for added colour. While I was looking up vintage teapots I notices that many of them did have decorative floral imagery on them, so I thought the vintage fabrics would work well. Watch out for them in my Esty shop!

More to come!

More Tea Towels

2011-05-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Pie. Egg and soilders.

It's All Gravy!

2011-05-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

Sew Over It Launch Party Tonight!

2011-05-03T02:02:00.000-07:00

...and here is the invite for a Tea Party at Sew Over It to celebrate the opening of the new cafe. Come along, eat cakes, drink tea and check it out!

Sunday 8th May 12-5pm

I will be working there on the day, so come see me!

Everbody likes a good cuppa

2011-05-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Tea Towel number 3, featuring Winnie my chihuahua's blog debut.

New Lines Acoming...

2011-04-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

I have recently decided to extend my range and create embroidered tea towels! I was having a look at my existing tea towels at home and noticed that many of them do have embroidered details on them- hideous embroidered details, but embroidered none the less! This inspired my to create my own set of embroidered tea towels, each sporting different foods favoured by us Brits. These are the first two (both happened to be Heinz!), but there will be more to come. Other possibilities I am considering are scones, bacon/BLT, tea, fish and chips, trifle and gravy (no one non
British has ever undersood my obsession with gravy, so it must definately be a British thing!).

It's actually quite dificult to choose, as some foods are very much loved by the British public, but just don't work as stitched images. A good example I can give is bangers and mash. I think that would look pretty horrific as a stitched image. Some things just seem to get lost in translation when it comes to sewing. This is why I have opted for packaging thus far. I have kept everything really simple. They are literally stitched line drawings, but I think that is why they work. If you try to over complicate things, the delicacy of the stitched line can be over looked.

If there are any other foods anyone can think of feel free to comment and give me some more ideas! The stranger the better :)

Check out the talented Miss Spinks!

2011-04-27T11:04:00.000-07:00

My good friend and fellow Illustrator, Lindsey Spinks was nice enough to give me a mention on her blog-http://www.lindseyspinks.blogspot.com/. Check out her work on her blog or her website-http://www.lindseyspinks.com/ where you will find her beautifully intricate pencil drawings, combined with textured fabric collage and an array of quirky characters (like this chap on the right)! I love Lindsey's attention to detail and her people are always bursting with charcter. So what are you waiting for? Mosey on over there, you won't be disappointed!

Tweet Tweet

2011-04-26T11:51:00.000-07:00

I have finally given into the inevitable and jumped on the Twitter bandwagon. Keep up to date with my goings on and follow my tweets!

New Phone = New Phone Holder

2011-04-25T10:49:00.000-07:00

Designers/Makers Market Pix

2011-04-25T08:09:00.001-07:00

Due to the bank holiday/sunny weather, unfortunately the Designers/Makers market wasn't exactly bustling on Saturday. It was a worth while experience none the less, I did make a few sales and was lucky enough to have had my sewing machine there (as I was doing workshops), so I had something to help the time pass. I got a starting on a new range I have designed. So it wasn't all bad!

The Switch

2011-04-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

This is one of the peices I made to endorse my new Sew Over It embroidery workshops. It was the first full peice I created since scarily switching from a normal machine foot to a free hand embroidery one. It was a big adjustment and I felt like I was learning to sew all over again! I think the fact that the fabric has to be put onto an embroidery hoop to prevent it from runching is what makes it so difficult. You have to use the embroidery hoop to maneuver the fabric, which is an art very difficult to master! The hoop edge gets caught on parts of the sewing machine and jogs your perfect line, you run out of space within the hoop...it's a whole new set of problems. I was stressed out to say the least and what was meant to be a 3 hour image took me all day!

Now that I have adjusted to the foot (kind of), I do wonder how I had the patience to do some of the things I did with the standard machine foot. Intricate details are a whizz! Straight lines however, seem to be an impossible task, with the hoop issues and all that! Anyway, I am glad I got out of my comfort zone and am developing my skills with the free hand embroidery foot. It has opened a whole new world of possibilities (and frustrations) for me!

You can find out more information about my embroidery workshops and book a place on the Sew Over It website http://www.sewoverit.co.uk/lessons. Enjoy!

Workshop at the Designers/Makers Market

2011-04-18T05:32:00.000-07:00

Come down to the Designers/Makers Market this Saturday for some machine embroidery workshopping goodness! You have a choice of three wonderful wonders- embroidered leather brooches, keyrings or pincushions. All for the bargain price of £3.50 a go! Also, I will have some of my handmade goodies on sale for anyone who doesn't want to take part in the workshop. There's a little something for everyone!

Designers/Makers Market

The Triangle,

Warburton Street,

E8 3RH

Visit their website at: www.designersmakers.com

Time to Get Crafty!

2011-04-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

My DIY kits are finally done. You can now make your very own leather cupcake brooch or a pincushion! Each kit contains everything you need to make the product, all you will need is your sewing machines, you sewing skills and your creativity! The beauty of my DIY kits is that they have been specially designed so that the drawstring bag can be re-used as a gift bag after the item has been made. It makes the perfect gift!

There are currently three kits to choose from, but I am working on widening the range.

They are available to buy from my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/tugbakop. Enjoy!

Another Day, Another Bootsale, Another Bargain!

2011-04-14T10:20:00.001-07:00

I have had yet another successful bootsale experience today. I managed to bag myself a cute sewing basket, with all sorts of wonders inside it, all for two measly pounds! Many wonders sat inside this sewing basket, including buttons, needles, threads, thread cutting scissors, brooches, poppers and all sorts of other wonderful haberdashery goodness. Also, I found (yes found!) me some peices of vintage fabric. Someone had dumped it! Well you know what they say, one man's rubbish is another man's treasure! So true.

First Boot Sale Bargain of the Year!

2011-04-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from my first boot sale trip this year, and look what I found...It's a massive roll of fabric-the very same fabric I use as the base of all of my illustrations-for the bargain price of £5!!! The stall holder lady initially set the price at £10 (which I was more than willing to pay), but my mum a.k.a Queen of Haggling managed to get her down to £5. I think it's safe to say that my first boot sale experience of the year was a good one!

My Market Ventures

2011-04-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

I had a lovely Saturday afternoon trapsing around Hackney in the sun. I ventured to the new Designer/Makers Market off of Mare Street to check out the hand crafted goods and talk about doing possible workshops. From there went to Broadway Market, stumbling upon two other markets along the way! It was market heaven! Due to the sun, car boot sales around my local area have opened up too, so I can't wait to go around having a browse and a rummage to find some rare beauties at bargain prices!

Book Up To My Embroidery Classes!

2011-04-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

You can now book up for my Machine Embroidery Classes with Sew Over It! Each lesson is three hours long with tea and cakes provided to help fuel your creativity! You can either stitch your own designs, or one of the lovely templates on offer. By the end of each workshop you will have a peice of beautiful embroidery which will then be mounted at the end of each class so you can hang your new creation proudly on your wall!

You can get more information and sign up here: www.sewoverit.co.uk/lessons.

Write.

2011-04-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

Here is another peice I've been meaning to do for ages and have only got around to doing it. This is going to be used as another book cover, much like the 'draw' sketchbooks. I want to make a whole series of them to aquire to all tastes (and creatives!). This one will be a notebook with lined paper, so this will be the 'write' one for, you guessed it, writing! I also want to do a 'create', 'capture' and 'ideas' notebook to complete the series.

10 months later and I've graduated...officially!

2011-04-06T12:03:00.000-07:00

Even though I finished uni waaaaaay back in June/July time, I have only just had my graduation! It felt like more of a reunion rather than a graduation! The moment had kind of passed, but still good to be an official graduate!

I will tease you no more!

2011-04-04T09:14:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I did a post giving just a tease of one of two peices of work I have been working on. I am now happy to reveal them in all of their finished glory!

These two images will be used to promote my embroidery workshops at Sew Over It (www.sewoverit.co.uk). These will be starting in May, so once again....watch this space!

Check out my designs on The Create Place website!

2011-04-04T09:08:00.000-07:00

So, the Mother's Day Pop-up Shop is over and the nice people at The Create Place in Bethnal Green have written all about it on the blog of their brand new website! Take a peek here>> www.thecreateplace.co.uk/?p=514

Pop Up Shop Tomorrow!

2011-03-25T04:19:00.000-07:00

Ok guys, so the Mother's Day Pop Up shop is tomorrow and I thought I would give you a sneaky peek of what treasures you may find!

The Create Place Mother's Day Pop-Up Shop

2011-03-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to meet Jill of The Create Place to discuss possibly doing some workshops with them, so watch this space! I also showed her a few of my leather accessories and I am pleased to announce that my hand crafted goodies will be making an appearance at The Create Place, Mother's Day Pop-Up Shop! The shop will feature beautifully hand crafted items by a wide range of wonderful designers. So, if you are looking for an original gift made with love and care to show you care, then look no further! Pop down and have a look!

Mother's Day Pop-Up Shop

Saturday 26th March

10am-5pm

Back to Basics

29 Old Ford Rd

London

E2 9PJ

For more information visit their blog at http://www.backtobasicsartsandcrafts.blogspot.com/.

Experimenting with paint

2011-03-16T13:28:00.000-07:00

Here is an experiment I did involving acrylic paint. I very roughly painted the areas in which I wanted there to colour to be e.g. the jeans and just stitched over the top. I think it worked quite well, I like the way the colour comes out of the stitched lines. This has also inspired me to buy a screen printing set! It's something I have wanted to get back to ever since leaving uni, but ofcourse I didn't ever have the resources...until now that is! I can't wait to get stuck in!

Also I have been featured on another blog! Here is the link>>> www.littleyellowbirds.blogspot.com/2011/02/quirky-folks.html

Check it out!

Just a tease!

2011-03-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

Here is just a small glimpse of a peice I have been working on. Watch this space for the final peice!

* Feature*

2011-03-08T06:48:00.000-08:00

I have been featured on the Spilling Open blog! This is a wonderful blog filled with amazingly inspiring stuff of all varieties! Check it out: www.beckyacarey.wordpress.com.

Lot of things I love all rolled into one!

2011-02-26T09:42:00.000-08:00

All of this bookbinding workshop stuff has whet my appetite and inspired me to get back to my bookbinding ways. So here is one that took me a good few days. I combined my embroidery work (as the book cover) and some large scale drawings I did at uni. These are the drawings that I never quite knew what to do with, so I found the solution in bookbinding! I also gave hand embroidery a go and stitched my logo into the back of the book. It is already serving me well as my multi purpose notepad/sketchbook.

Workshop Workshop Workshop

2011-02-23T12:29:00.000-08:00

This week I did a three day Storytelling workshop with a lovely group of fellow creatives! These pictures are from the third day where I taught the kids the art of bookbinding. As you can see, they really went for it! Some wrote stories, some made diaries, some used stamps, collage, paint and ofcourse their personal favourite glitter! Who doesn't like glitter? The results were amazing and they all did a little performance of their stories at the end of the day. Wonderful!

Pics From The Love Easy Valentine's Craft Fair

2011-02-12T08:14:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures of my stall at the Craft Guerrilla's Love Easy Valentine's Craft Fair. It was a great effort, with the music and beautiful venue of the William Morris Gallery. There were so many talented crafters at the event, I didn't get to wonder round a see them all unfortunately. Probably a good thing, seeing as all of my earnings would have been spent had I had the opportunity!

Sneaky Peek

2011-02-11T03:59:00.000-08:00

Here's a little look into some of the things you will be able to find at my stall at the fair later this evening!

Feature Check out Mr X Stitch!

2011-02-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

I have been featured in the Cutting (& Stitching) Edge on Mr X Stitch's website! This is a great website that features contemporary embroidery and needlecraft. People tend to assosiate needlecraft with old people and conventional designs. Mr X Stitch shows that needlecraft can be fun, cheeky and edgy. This website is a breath of fresh air! Check it out at www.mrxstitch.com

Craft Guerrilla's Love Easy Valentine's Craft Fair!

2011-02-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

I am happy to say that I will be having a stall at Craft Guerrilla's latest event, Love Easy Valentine's Craft Fair. So, if you are looking for a special gift for that special someone or just a little something for yourself, then come along!

Event details:

Friday 11th Febuary 2011, 6-9pm
William Morris Gallery
Forest Rd, Walthamstow E17 4PP
£2 entry-with a free complimentary drink!

For more information visit Craft Guerrilla's blog!

http://www.eastlondoncraftguerrilla.blogspot.com/

Draw!

2011-02-03T07:33:00.000-08:00

I love alot of things, and book binding is one of those things! I realised I hadn't made a sketchbook in a long while, so I began to get the itch again. This image is a consequence of that itch! I designed it especially to go on to the cover of my new sketchbook- two birds, one stone baby! I also want to start selling these in my Etsy shop, so watch this space!

More Oldies!

2011-02-01T12:08:00.001-08:00

Yes, yet another old guy. Recognise him from my leather purse creation? He gets around.

New Oyster card holder!

2011-01-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

I thought I would finally make use of this amazing furry leather that I've had lying around for ages. It's been among all my other leather bits and pieces for months and months, but I never really quite knew what to do with it (or even what possessed me to buy it in the first place!). It all worked out well in the end though, I think the yellow fur really complements the birdy!

Colour!

2011-01-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

So, here he is in full make-up! Pink is definately his colour.

Men in make-up

2011-01-17T03:48:00.001-08:00

Just a sneaky peek into my current creative activities...

Pompus Train man gets a revamp!

2011-01-05T04:29:00.000-08:00

This is a character I used for a previous project, but I love him so much I thought I would revamp him. Isn't he charming?

You Mug.

2010-12-27T07:27:00.001-08:00

I Love My Booties!

2010-12-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

How to...

2010-12-27T07:08:00.000-08:00

An image looking at the amount of hair products we use on a daily basis- inspired by the number of hair products and tools invading my room at home. The time, effort and tools it takes to do one little hair docan be insane!

'The Four Stages of Tea'

2010-12-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Finito! Made quite alot of changes to this image in the end. I decided that the water element was missing, so I added the kettle and water. As I added the water going into the cup, I thought the milk, sugar grains and tea bag trails should be added too. So here it all is! Hope you like!

Tea time

2010-12-17T04:55:00.000-08:00

Work in progress

Best. Invention. Ever.

2010-12-08T14:06:00.001-08:00

The amount of times I flick that little red switch on this kettle in one day is insane. Whether I'm making a cup of tea, boiling an egg or filling up my hot water bottle, my kettle serves me well. I thought it deserved a little something in return!

Tea or Coffee?

2010-12-07T08:17:00.001-08:00

Some reportage work of my favourite room in the house-the kitchen! In these winter times I find myself drinking even more tea than I usually do, so I pay these little jars regular visits.

Feeling Festive

2010-12-07T08:14:00.001-08:00

Family Portrait Part 2

2010-12-03T04:17:00.000-08:00

The new way to display family portraits, without the wall space!

Family portrait

2010-12-02T15:17:00.001-08:00

New Meerkat Bookmarks!

2010-11-30T11:47:00.001-08:00

Some bits...

2010-11-20T14:12:00.000-08:00

Finding Beauty In The Strangest Things

2010-11-08T11:54:00.001-08:00

I love the delicacy of tracing paper. This love has been enhanced by the nature of my process. I feel like they are a work of art in themselves! A happy accident almost-the missing abstract shapes, the jagged edge, the way you can vaguely see through the paper and clearly see through absent areas, but not enough to eliminate the ambiguity. I have captured them this time, and I think I shall start making a habit of this. I love them! Like I said, I find beauty in the strangest of things...

Some Good Old Fashioned Drawing

2010-11-08T11:43:00.000-08:00

Branding & Packaging

2010-11-04T05:16:00.000-07:00

This old man gets a revamp!

2010-10-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

To be continued...

Keep an eye out for my miniature greeting cards at the latest We Make London event!

2010-10-29T14:22:00.000-07:00

I have posted off 40 miniature greeting cards of varying themes to the people at We Make London. You will be able to find these inside 40 of the 80 free goodie bags to be given away at the latest We Make London event. This is a Christmas themed craft fair taking place at Chelsea Town Hall on Saturday 4th December. So pop down and keep your eyes peeled!

Cards, cards, cards!

2010-10-26T13:21:00.001-07:00

This is why I can't work in my match box of a room!

All will become clear...

2010-10-26T12:08:00.000-07:00

A sneaky peek...

2010-10-22T05:54:00.000-07:00

A sneak peek into my process. The finished piece can be seen as my blogs header above!

Chiko is my biggest fan

2010-10-18T10:21:00.001-07:00

Why is it that when your fully focused on doing something, animals will choose that time to want your attention? Chiko is of the jealous kind and attention seeking kind. Whenever anyones attention is on anything but Chiko, he begs for attention with those bulbus eyes of his. So when he did this while I was photographing my stuff, I thought I'd give him a taste of what I was doing. He made for quite a cute model (but not one without attitude!). Here he is modelling one of my teacup necklace creations.

My creations are taking over my kitchen

2010-10-18T08:38:00.001-07:00

My lack of studio/desk/workspace at the moment means that I often take over the kitchen table. The kitchen can be quite a distracting place to work though, what with all that yummy food around, it doesn't help that I'm making cupcake shaped brooches!

Check out the online Craft Market!

2010-10-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

After uploading my goods onto Etsy, I have discovered a whole other world of craft websites, communities and online markets! It's good to know people are still passionate about crafts. I've found there is a certain amount of snobbery surrounding the subject of crafts, it was almost considered a dirty word at Uni! This is why it's so inspiring to see what a nice little community we have going on. Anyway, on my world wide web travels, I stumbled across the Craft Market. This is an online virtual market where you can buy anything from craft supplies to handmade goodies! Check it out! http://www.virtualcraftmarket.com/?page_id=17&id=142

Check out my Etsy Shop!

2010-10-11T06:59:00.000-07:00

I've just been working on my Etsy shop. It still needs alot of work and I've still got so much to upload, but atleast I've got the ball rolling! You can find my Etsy shop at:http://www.etsy.com/shop/tugbakop So take a look, and pop in again in a week or so, when hopefully it will be well on it's way!

In the meantime, here's a sneak preview of the goodies you will be able to find...^^^^^

My First Stall

2010-09-20T13:10:00.001-07:00

I set up my first stall on Sunday! As part of the Wanstead Art Trail, I was asked to set up a stall, I made a bit of cash and recieved some positive feedback from passers by, which is always nice. It was also nice to see which of my creations was most popular for future reference. Wanstead festival was on next door, so there was a good atmosphere, great turn out and lots to do! All in all, a good event and a good day!

2010-09-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Wanstead Art Trail

2010-09-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

The wanstead Art Trail is now on. My work is displayed in the glass cabinets found in the foyer of Wanstead Library. In there you will find my two bingo players and two pages from my 'Junk Boy' book from my second year work. In addition to this tomorrow morning there will be stalls set up in Christ Church, where artists, including myself will be selling hand crafted goods. I'll be selling my leather purses, keyrings, oyster card holders, brooches, cards and more! So come on down and check it out!

Vogue Darling!

2010-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

So Vogue's Fashion Night Out was on Wednesday night. I have been working on two different events for it via my internship at Fiona Leahy. First off Harvey Nichols, where a haberdashery counter was created and t-shirts were customised, with the help of four famous designers: Marcus Lupfer, Erdem, Jonathan Saunders and Marios Schwab! The event was a total success. Loads of people turned up to have one of a kind t-shirts made by big designers and there was champagne and cupcakes on tap! Yum!

Secondly, there was Louis Vuitton where we made a selection of props out of the September issue of Vogue, to be used in a photo booth set up especially in store. The props included Gaga-esque shoulder pads, a moustache, bunny ears, bows, a ruff and a mohawk. The props were even set up on mannequins in the windows and upon entering the store! As you can see, I got my picture taken in the booth, I loved it! It was amazing seeing other people interacting with the props too. It felt like all the hard work was worth it :) And ofcourse there were free cocktails going round and lots of stunning (and amazingly tall) people everywhere! I was definately one of the shortest ones in there. The atmosphere was amazing though and I spotted a few celebs, so all in all a great night!

2010-09-05T10:49:00.000-07:00

Another bingo-er!

My internship....

2010-09-04T03:43:00.000-07:00

I have been interning at Fiona Leahy's creative events company for a few weeks now, making paper accessories for Vogue's London Fashion Night out on Wednesday 8th September 2010. The paper accessories will be used inside a photo booth set up in the Louis Vuitton store. Check out the UK Vogue blog for a little taster!

http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/the-vogue-blog/default.aspx/page,3

Some more press about the event and the photobooth!

http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/100803-fashions-night-out-september-2010.aspx

An illustrators dream...

2010-08-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

I've always thought of bingo halls as an illustrators dream, they are swarming with the ugliest of people and all sorts of other characters and I love it!

I'm not quite sure what this is yet

2010-08-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't quite decided how I'm going to use this lovely lady yet. Watch this space!