Cuppa & Cake with A Girl Called Boz

Laura (A Girl Called Boz) is a brilliant artist who, among many other pretty goodies, made the brilliant Doctor Who theme stitch markers in my etsy store at the moment.  Using computer graphics and plastic as a creative medium, Laura creates some brilliant earrings, cufflinks and great other bits & pieces for her store (I might have the bunny earrings...)

Tardis Earrings :o

Tardis, Dalek & Stetson Stitch Markers :o

Hi!  Thanks for inviting me over for a cuppa and cake. I love that you call it a cuppa. Where I come from (North East England) they call it a cuppa, but over here where I'm living now (North West) they call it a brew! My family get most confused if I offer them a brew before midday, to them a brew is a beer!

 1. Helloo!  You mention a love for graphic novels, what's your favourite?
When I say I love graphic novels its like a subtle way of letting the internet know I'm a geek. I love all sorts of nerdy things like sci-fi movies, fantasy books and role playing games. I do love a good comic though. My favourite at the moment is Gotham City Sirens. It's part of the Batman franchise and revolves around the three main female characters, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and Catwoman. I was so excited to find a graphic novel with three of my favourite female characters as the protagonists.

 2. When did you start creating these wonderful little bits and pieces of jewellery?
I decided to start making and selling my own jewellery pieces in university. Unfortunately, real life got in the way and I had to find a boring full time job to pay the bills. Last July I decided I was settled enough in a boring job that I needed a creative outlet and set about crafting. One day I just decided I needed to start work on my own creative business. Even though I was still working full time I fit the creating and marketing in the evenings and A Girl Called Boz was born. It isnt the dream job I wanted in uni, but its the start of something amazing.

 3. Your favourite cuppa & cake?
Oh I've just come off a diet so I feel spoilt for choice at the moment. I love a good cup of tea. Two sugars and a splash of milk please. Blueberry muffins are always nice, or something chocolatey. I've got a really sweet tooth!

 4. I particularly love the shrink plastic animals, where did you get the inspiration for these and is creating them a difficult process?
I follow a lot of illustrators on twitter that inspire me. People like Jam Grantham (@1985jam) and Stacie Swift (@Stacie_swift). One day I decided I wanted to learn how to draw using a computer program and just started having a go at it. When I'd done a few of them I discovered shrink plastic. The plastic is perfect for earrings but it doesnt make very good necklaces because its so light. Currently I shrink each piece by hand using a heat gun but I plan to try using an oven to make the process faster.

 5. Are you from an arty background, or is this something you picked up later?
I am from an arty background. I studied fine art at college, then applied art at university. I've always loved making things for myself and for other people and I can't imagine living a life where art or craft wasn't a part of it. If I didnt have A Girl Called Boz to keep me busy I'd be making furnishings for my home or planning Christmas presents for the family.

 6. Anything we excited fans should know about?!
Well I've just started selling cufflinks in the shop so theres now even more ways to wear your favourite animals. Im excited to extend the range so that there are more choices for men. I have also got a new line in the planning stages at the moment which is tea party themed. And I plan to make the animal faces into temporary tattoos too. I'll update the blog and facebook as soon as there's more details.

Thanks for having me over for virtual tea and cake. It was lots of fun!

Take care, 
Laura, aka A Girl CalledBoz.


You can visit Laura's shop here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AGirlCalledBoz?ref=owlprintpanda
blog here: http://agirlcalledboz.blogspot.co.uk/
and follow her on twitter:@agirlcalledboz
and facebook!: www.facebook.com/agirlcalledboz

And if you're a knitter, the stitch marker versions can be found here :)  

Edinburgh Yarn Festival

Whew!!  What a crazy day!  From arriving at 8am, I don't think I had a chance to look at my watch until around 4pm.  The queue down the street was so long, all those poor people waiting out in the rain!

The hall was lovely, but so busy with people!  I think people were getting lost just wandering around in the crowd :D

I had such a brilliant day, met two lovely podcaster ladies who I've spoken to online - it's so nice to put a face to a name!!   (and a voice in these cases!) with Aimee from KnitSpinCake and Louise from CaithnessCraft.  Hillarious situations arising where I can hear people I know, but have no idea who I'm looking for!    I was rather excited through the whole day, and after narrowly dodging knocking my charm-hanging tree over to hug Louise, loudly invented the 'Dangerhug'.  Cause odd things pop into your head when you get over-excited... clearly...

Many, many, many great conversations with lovely ladies from ravelry, a man buying charms for miniature sculptures he makes (how cool!), questions for interviews and visits from friends with much-needed food packages - there was a 30 minute wait for cups of tea in the cafe :o

I know a few people couldn't find me at the festival yesterday!!  So I have spent the day re-organizing and photographing over 60 different sets of stitch markers to pop them up on etsy!

Feel free to pick and mix, just contact me on etsy with your 5 charms and the numbers I've given them on etsy, and I shall make up a little baggie for you!!  It's 80p postage to the UK.

Some of my favourites:

Were you at the festival?

What did you buy?!

Cuppa & Cake with... Karen, from When Adam Met Eve

Hello Lovelies!

After showing you all those amazing little earrings in the "11 Perfect little Earrings" feature, I couldn't help but drop by and chat with the amazing curator and artist behind When Adam Met Eve.  

Karen lives in Perth, Western Australia. She's a self taught crafter with a background in graphic design; often described as quirky and with a love for animals and nature, this probably translates into some of the jewellery she designs! Karen pleads guilty to impulse purchasing - which she claims has probably led to designing jewellery as a means to curb her spending on costume jewellery. 

She has some lovely items (with some lovely pictures!) for sale in her etsy store, here are my favourites:

EEeeeeep They are so cute.  I should stop 'eep'ing.  I 'eep' far too often.

1. Such cute earrings! When did you start making these little beauties, and how did it all begin?

I started making jewellery around April last year mainly because I am a self confessed shopaholic and by chance I saw laser cut earrings on a random google search and loved the idea so thought I would give it a go. So my very first pair I created was the little boy and girl from my logo. Once I saw them made up, I got a little carried away and started doing different designs and it just kept growing and growing from there. Once I had about 20 different pairs of earrings I thought it may be worthwhile to see how I would do selling at markets and online but couldn't just sell earrings so got into making necklaces also.  . 

2. I love the foxes, no the squirrels, no the bambi! Oh my goodness I just spotted pandas... Ahh there's so much choice, what's your favourite item in your shop?

Its hard to say what my favourite are as I am constantly designing new earrings which then become my favourite. A lot of the pieces are inspired by nature with almost any animal you can think of. I also like the idea of it being asymmetrical so many of the pieces will be different on each ear lobe - ie a dog and a cat or a squirrel with an acorn. 

When I design the different pieces I am often thinking of a friend of family member that would like it so each different piece is inspired by different people around me. For instance with the necklace range, the travel ones were inspired by my sister who has the travel bug and has recently left for South America. The little bottle was added so I could write her a message that she could read while on her travels.

3. Your Cuppa & Cake of choice?

Hmm I love a good latte or hot chocolate with marshmallows on the side and carrot cake! But if I eat mud cake the I must have a glass of cold milk on the side (its pretty embarrassing when I am at a restaurant ordering a glass of milk with my chocolate cake) 

4. What is your crafting space like? 

Most of the time its an organised mess! I have attached a picture. The two top shots are what it looks like when its nice and clean but it ends up looking more like the bottom image by the end of it.

5. Where are you when you're not making such pretty pieces of jewellery?

I am a graphic designer normally so if I'm not making jewellery then im designing corporate identities, wedding invitations, designing ads etc for different businesses. 

I'm so in love with all of these earrings.  I may have to bag myself a few pairs.  Do you have a favourite item of jewellery?  Where did it come from?

:D x

11 Perfect Little Earrings (because I couldn't narrow it to 10)

I'm a sucker for earrings, and recently they're getting cuter (either that or I'm just on etsy far more often...).  Anyhoo, thought I'd share some of my all time favourites!

Perhaps you're looking for gifts to hint heavily for on valentines day, or you're just going to treat yourself, but these little guys are all awesome :)

(p.s. I haven't price checked or anything, so maybe have a wee etsy search first if you do decide you *need* them - wouldn't wanna be sending people off paying too much!)

Over the Moon Birds, from Verarodrigues

Raincloud Studs, also from Verarodrigues

Spiky little Hedgehogs! from Pippoko

Flying Elephants?! also from Pippoko

Squirrel and Acorn!  When Adam Met Eve

Baby Fox Studs, also from When Adam Met Eve 

Uh oh, catses and mouses! - Turns out I love the When Adam Met Eve shop too much

The fox and the bunny!  find them at Sarah Birt Jewellery

Hoot Hoot with Janes shop

And Hoot take twoooo (see what I did there) with Apple Latte

Squirrels! from Studio Rhino