The Crafty Girl 0 Creative Websites

Isn't it refreshing when you get to someones blog, via another blog and through anouther. All of a sudden you reach somewhere in Cyberspace, not quite sute how you got there or even how you will ever get back. But, somehow all the reading makes the inspiration you find, all worthwhile. That's what happened this morning and http://thecrafty-girl.blogspot.com/ is well worth a look. I've added a link to my links page at the right and hope you find it inspiring too.
Also worth a look is http://www.violette.ca/ and in particular http://www.violette.ca/aboutme.html sounds like my kinda girl! How lucky are we to have the wonders of modern technology that we so often curse. Creative people sharing there knowledge, experience and most intimate inner selves with the outside world. Something I find totally refreshing in this mad and crazy take, take, take world.
Thank you to all those who share and make the world a brighter place.

Websites, websites and MORE websites

Well, as if one website not enough for anyone to keep track of, we are soon to launch another! We have bought another domain name, which will be separate to www.inspiredbyscript.
Tony and I decided that I needed somewhere totally separate from the calligraphy and creative bookbinding site to advertise the Pagan things we make. We have decided to add other Pagan friends work to the site also in a way of marketing their fantastic hand crafted goods. After deciding what the site would sell (Pagan Crafts) we were bemused to see that www.pagancrafts.co.uk was for sale! EXCELLENT!
And so it was born. This name is great as it is also searchable and we should be the number 1 Google search for ‘Pagan Crafts’ in no time.
We’ve encountered problems in our own site which hopefully will stop them occurring in our sister site. It’s a place to sell my Books of Shadows, Dream Journals, Fairy Doors and Pagan Greeting Cards, along with Wands, Cards, Cloaks, Jewellery and other scrummy things from other craftspeople.
At the moment I’m working on a logo for the business and will post my idea as soon as it’s finished. Meanwhile, here are some photos of the new Pagan Cards, taken from Pagan Chants….enjoy!

Updated Website

For all those who are keeping track of my website www.inspiredbyscript.co.uk this is a very quick email to let you know Tony and I were burning the midnight oil (again) to update the site with more photos. Can you believe I've had over 500 visitors since we opened it less than 4 weeks ago. Not bad for starters!

We've added to the Wedding invitations, framed and mounted pieces and also added some more concertina books.

News of a sister site will be posted here shortly!

To family and friends we're sorry we're neglecting you lately and we'll be back on track very soon.

Concertina Commissions

Last week I had a couple of Concertina Commissions. The first one in a sext red and black....very striking! and the second in more subtle lavenders and creams.

1st Commission from Website!

Well, the web site had only been up for just under 2 weeks and I got my forst commission. (Thanks Andrew). This is a canvas to gis wife who was due to give birth within the next day or so. As luck would have it the canvas was finished just before the safe arrival of their new baby daughter.

CONGRATULATIONS to them all!

And a couple more from the workshop

A couple more photos from the workshop
Click to enlarge

Calligraphy at Eden Valley Scribes

The pictures above show some examples of the types of letters the students had to learn. Click on the photos for a larger image.

Well.....what a fantastic weekend. Only 9 out of the 12 members managed to make the meeting, but the enthusiasm of the group made up for it.
There were severe weather warnings on the net office website, but we went anyway. Well they did say that travel ONLY if you have to and we HAD to!
It was raining as we set off but only light and not too bad, but as we got to Scotch Corner roundabout neither myself or Tony could believe our eyes…the place was a white out! What a difference, but never the less VERY beautiful. All icing sugar white unspoilt but human intervention and not a soul on the road. Then at the end of the A66 back to green grass and fields. Weird.

The day went surprisingly well. The students embraced a totally new (for them anyway) style of writing. No x-height to worry about, no ruled lines and no boundaries. I hope a truly liberating experience for them.
There was a new starter Liz who had very little experience of calligraphy who seemed to do better than those who have for years struggled with the formality of calligraphy….which proved to me a little knowledge is sometimes a good thing.

My only regret is that we didn’t have longer to produce a finished piece of work and see the letters learnt in there entirety. Hopefully the students took away with them a new and fresh way to use these experimental letters as an exciting alternative and in conjunction with their more formal lettering.
Thank you to all at Eden Valley Scribes for their warm reception and constant cups of tea throughout the day. I had a wonderful time.

It's All Go!

Latest update on things in general..... Well Tony is working really hard at developing and launching my website. Hopefully it will be up and running very soon. The month is only half way through but already the orders for books are starting to come in. So today I've spent a fortune on more velvet, paper and ribbon for these books. Tomorrow I must remember to order the pendants for the front. I've also been asked to run a workshop for Eden Valley Scribes in the Lake District sometime in February. Since loosing my sight and appearing to disappear off the face of the earth I get very few workshop bookings now....but I LOVE TO TEACH! and miss the contact with students immensely. I offered to do a workshop on Experimental Calligraphy. Perhaps I should have called it Expressive Calligraphy......Whatever. I am sooo looking forward to it and I know they will be. I'll post more on my blog as soon as I've worked out my lesson plan. Too many ideas and only 6 hours to experiment...it will be more of a case of what to leave out rather than what to put in! The picture shows a few ideas of the type of lettering I'm going to have the students create. Click on the picture to enlarge the image.

Bookbinding Supplies Website

Here's a link to a website for bookbinding materials
http://www.charnwoodbooks.co.uk/

Her name is Dawn and she sells a lot of materials at VERY reasonable prices for bookbinding and repair. Please mention that you got her link from me because I told her I would pass on her site wherever I could and she's only just starting this business off so needs all the help she can get! :o)
Many thanks,
Sue

Ken Bromleys Art Supplies Website

For anyone that buys art materials (canvases, paint, brushes etc.) here is a great website. Prices are good!
http://www.artsupplies.co.uk/index.php

Magic!

What price can we put on

the magic and beauty of nature?

It's November....the mornings are dark and the night draws in early. It's getting colder and winter is getting closer. Dragging myself out of a nice cosy, warm bed at 6.30 and getting in the studio for 7.30 has its benefits. This morning after putting the kettle on at the studio to try and encourage my body into wide-awake mode, I caught a glance of this! The photo hasn't captured the fantastic pinks and violets as the sun started to rise. I watched in wonder as the sky turned all shades before my eyes and the whole event was over and done with in 15 minutes flat. I realise how important vibrant colours are now that my sight is not good. This amazing sight is priceless and makes any trouble in the world and bad news that the TV and Radio seems to take great delight in reporting, pale into insignificance!

Hand Lettering on Calico and Canvases

I love creating canvases.....here are a few

Concertina Cards To Order

Concertina Books Commissions taken

I Found some photos on my hard drive and thought I'd post them for those of you who are unfamiliar with my work. These are CONCERTINA BOOKS Enjoy!

RUNRIG Lyrics piece SOLD!

I'm so pleased that my Runrig piece has sold on ebay and seems to have gone to a good home. I got £50 for it....not the price I wanted but every little helps towards my website fund and there is no price on the pleasure I hope it gives the winning bidder.

Mounted Calligraphy on Paper

And here's a few more pictures. I don't think Blogspot likes too many pictures to download at once!

Mounted Calligraphy on Paper Great Gift Ideas

What a week! Once again I seem to have that... 'Thank the Goddess it's Friday' feeling. This week has been exhausting.
I've cut and mounted a number of pieces of work. The work seems to take as long to mount as it does to create. Also i've have a visit from a chap called Haniff Din who is going to help me design and maintain my own website. His job is to generate traffic and move forward my business.
My lovely man Tony has been hard at work and has helped me every evening. He's put up the hanging rails and brought me cups of tea while I have fought with eBay! He's very patient!

We're both exhausted but we're raising another stone at Sentry Circle this weekend...the circle will be 1/2 way there!

Here's some of the mounted work:

New Wall Suspenders

Well....they cost me a packet....but I hope the pictures show....they've been worth every penny!
One of my greatest difficulties has been hanging pictures onto a false wall. I'm the first to admit I'm useless witha hammer and even more dangerous balancing on a chair, so the time came to invest some money ona track system which have nylon strings and adjustable hooks attached to them. The hooks slide easily up and down which means that I can hang work closer together and fit more on a wall. Added to this the whole thing looks far nearter and more professional! I think you'll agree?

Gorgeous Hand Made Books

Hand Crafted Books and Journals

Here at Inspired by Script we make books for all occasions. Journals of all kinds….Books of Shadows, Grimoires, Dream Journals, Druid Journals, Fairy Journals, Angel and Dragon Journals...Journals for Buddhists, healers and Zen Masters. Guest Books, Photo Albums, side bound Japanese Stitched binding, hard backed, paper backed, plain or decorative covered…..in fact, you think it...we’ll create it! Journals can be made for Gardeners, Travellers, Private Thoughts, Dream Journals…..the list is endless! Our books are made and treated with the respect they deserve, they are unique and one-of-a-kind. Each book is signed and dated by the artist Sue Simpson, making a totally original item. We can include pockets for your favourite mementoes and keepsakes. All our books are individually hand created At our studio in Northallerton...bordering on the Yorkshire Dales. All our books can be made to order. A blank book can be anything you want it to be: A diary for your innermost thoughts, A personal journal of self-discovery A dream diary, Travel journal or somewhere to record your life experiences. It can be a Guest Book, Memory Book or Special Moments Book, Somewhere to keep your love letters or favourite recipes. Whatever you put in the journal is only limited by your imagination!

What I do and where I work

Well here it is....my humble little studio, tucked away in North Yorkshire, England.
The door enters the gallery area and the far right window shows my workspace.

I am a Calligrapher, Lettering Artist and Creative Bookbinder and specialise in items for the Pagan, New-Age and Mind Body and Spirit market.

In this blog I hope to show the products available from my studio.

Please call in, enjoy and leave a message if you want.
Email me at inspiredbyscript@yahoo.co.uk
Tel: 01609 776 866

Love, light and all good thoughts,
Sue - Inspired by Script