Goodbye… for now!

Hi folks.

So, I have some news…

After a great deal of thought I have decided to take a brief hiatus from my online stores to concentrate on learning some new skills. There are a lot of things I want to learn to help me get and give the most to my full time job and Bisabuela, and whilst I try to do both at the same time I will not do either well!

My plan is to squirrel myself away for a few months, and then relaunch at the beginning of summer with a new store, new products and just to be bigger and better than ever!

 At the moment I still plan to blog intermittently as I learn new things, so I’ll still be in touch. It will just be the store front that will be closed for now. So please keep in touch

Thank you to all my friends old and new for your support xx

Frankly…

Last week I was featured in the Folksy online magazine ‘Frankly’, in their feature all about a maker’s essential kit. It was a really fun thing to write, and a real privilege to be asked! Plus, I even got to be on the front page for a whole day! How exciting You can check our the full article here.

I’m Back!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Oh wait… it’s no doubt way too late to be saying that now, uhoh! As you can see my blog writing habit appears to have been seriously derailed by the festivities (and also a busy Christmas period sales wise)… but now, as my post-Christmas chocolate supply dwindles I thought it was time to appease the blog gods before January disappears completely into the ether!

Indeed, January seems to have freight-trained right by me, and my great heaving task list for 2012 displays just a few scattered ticks (and don’t even get me started on New Year’s resolutions!). On the plus side it has been a positive month. I’ve been very busy in my full time day job, and have had a few sales and lots of new product ideas for my ‘any/all other time’ Bisabuela job. PLUS, my lovely fella bought me a banjo for Christmas (best present ever!), so I have been indulging myself with a little music learning.

This month I was also really excited to have been included in the Folksy mail out for Valentine’s Day gifts, and have recently been asked to contribute to their online magazine blog Frankly (more on that soon hopefully). Since we last ‘spoke’ I’ve also been included in a cute bear themed Folksy Friday, and some beautiful treasuries over on Etsy.

I’m keeping it short and sweet today so I can dash off and get on with some actual making(!), however I promise to blog more often now that I’m back! In the meantime, if you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift then check out my Folksy store which is full of hearts and flowers… and if you have 5 more minutes, there are a couple of banjo masters for you to enjoy here and here!

Over and out x

Movember Madness!

Hi folks,

Firstly – apologies for the radio silence! I have been busy recently with lots of bits and bobs, but now I’m back and ready to rock!

I wanted to share with you today my buzz about Movember and the efforts of all the MoBros in raising awareness, support and good solid cashola for prostate and testicular cancer charities. I think it is a fun and engaging – and also beautifully simple – way to support such a worthy cause and I have been thoroughly enjoying the generous moustache fare all around!

Sadly I can’t grow a real tash, but fear not! If you have a girlish bald face like me there are still lots of ways to get involved…

Here is a site created by the good folks of design agency TwentySix, where you can donate your pennies and get a lovely tashed-up illustration of your mug – Gallery of Mo

I’ve also just pulled together a few tashtastic treats in an Etsy Treasury here. Lots of these sellers will be donating some of their proceeds to the cause, so it is a great way to get yourself a nice treat and show your support at the same time.

There are also lots of UK made Movember items over on Folksy… I especially like this mustachio’d button hat - come on girls, get involved

So, if you want to find out more about Movember in general, then visit the UK Movember site here where all the info lives! And of course, please feel free to share your Movember treats (or indeed your moustaches) here!

Happy Movember! x

Not So Grim Up North

Today is a typical Manchester day… cold… grey… rainy!! One of those days where your imagination takes flight and you end up somewhere hot and lovely (right now I’m sitting in a little tapas bar in Barcelona, chomping on patatas bravas and sipping a perfect mojito!)

However, despite my delusions of escape the truth is I would miss Manchester immensely if I moved away. I love how small it feels for a city, and how I know the streets like the back of my hand. I love the culture and the creative ethos, the music and the party attitude. And though it certainly may be grim up north right now meteorologically speaking, the usual buzz about town prevails!

Autumn/Winter is a great time to be in Manchester as there are several mini festivals on the run up to the Christmas Season. The Food & Drink Festival has just come to an end (with the chilli nachos being a favourite for me!) but there are still more cultural events to come…

10th – 23rd October | Manchester Literature Festival http://www.manchesterliteraturefestival.co.uk/

17th – 23rd October | Manchester Comedy Festival http://www.manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk/mcf_home.aspx

20th – 23rd October | Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair http://www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk/

22nd – 30th October | Manchester Science Festival http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com/

27th – 30th October | Buy Art Fair |http://www.buyartfair.co.uk/

31st October – 1st November | Cofilmic Festival | http://www.cofilmic.co.uk/

17th November – 21st December | Manchester Christmas Markets http://www.manchestermarkets.com/Specialist-Markets/Christmas-Market/Christmas-Markets_15_p1.asp

Of course there is even more going on all around Manchester, from art exhibitions and photography workshops to Halloween happenings and Bonfire Night celebrations… So pop on your rain mac, hop on the bus and go explore!

Tis the season to be spooky…

Halloween shall soon be upon us, and I must admit that it’s one of my favourite times of year… Bobbing for apples, fake blood, haunted houses… human pumpkins gyrating awkwardly to the song Monster Mash…! What’s not to love?! The … Continue reading →

What’s in a name?

Since opening up my online store, and becoming active in the craft community I have been asked a few times about the origin of the name ‘Bisabuela’ for my business. Some people find it difficult to say, others find it intriguing, but hopefully you like it! I thought today it might be nice to share with you the tale of Bisabuela so that hopefully we might get to know each other a little better.

The first incarnation of Bisabuela for me comes from a place of nostalgia and also my love for the playful yet equally beautiful iconography of the Mexican festival El Dia de las Muertas….

In Spanish class at school (many moons ago!) we were made to watch a terrible educational show in which a young Spanish girl discovers her ancestor is the infamous La Catrina….

The image of La Catrina is emblematic of El Dia De Las Muertas, and a perfect depiction of the artistic style associated with the festival. Not only does this style appeal to my aesthetic sensibilities, but I also love the connotations of superstition and ancestral legend. Somehow this was burned onto a collective memory as to this day my friend Sarah and I are still known to exclaim the infamous line ‘LA CATRINA ES MI BISABUELA’…

So why not call my business La Catrina you ask? Well…

Bisabuela actually means Great-Grandmother in Spanish. Not only do I love the sound of the word (the Spanish language is so lyrical), but I also love its connotations within a craft setting, and within the heritage of storytelling. For me Bisabuela is about fairytales and whimsy, as well as the habitual sharing of secrets and techniques passed down through generations. Bisabuela is the tall tale over tea and cake on a summer’s day, or the fireside fable told against to gentle pitter patter of rain outside.

Bisabuela is also the wolf in Grandmother’s clothing (only less evil perhaps!), the parody and play of La Catrina, the unexpected twist of cunning and the contemporary ideas added to traditional methods and inspiration. So… what does all that mean? Well, I suppose in my own way I want to offer my own contribution, to honour tradition, and to share ideas and stories.

On that note, I hope you have enjoyed my story about origins and that you have got to know me a little better…

What’s your story?