Amy graduated from Central St Martin in 2005. Dictated by the need to support herself financially and by the fact that job prospects for conceptual artists are not exactly flourishing, Amy ended up having to take up a job that is not even remotely near her artistic ambitions. A few years on and Amy is now married, has two gorgeous girls and is still in the same job. She is a housewife, mother and part-time employee, but at heart she is also an artist who is looking for an opportunity to keep her passion going.

Meditating on her situation, Amy realised that there are plenty of women in exactly the same situation – women that continue to produce incredible work behind closed doors while they feed their babies, support their husbands and chase a job that pays the bills but doesn’t satisfy their creative needs. These women need a voice and an outlet.

What if we created a movement to celebrate these talented women? What if we could find a way to collect the work of these women and then look for an opportunity to exhibit their work? In answering these questions, Amy created ‘Desperate Artwives‘, a movement, a website and a collection of work that will eventually be sifted and shortlisted for a London exhibition.

Although in its very early stages, Desperate Artwives has already caught the attention of the Women’s Art Library and other associations who have shown interest to support Amy’s initiative. These are exciting times for DAW and, as it is gathering momentum, it would be great to give it as much support as possible.

So, if you are a creative woman with a passion for art (any type of media accepted) and you’re also a mother or wife who doesn’t currently work in the art industry, but continues to produce excellent work that could be showcased at the Desperate Artwives exhibition, then take part! Amy is currently collecting and showcasing on the website the work sent by artists. As soon as a London venue has been secured, a deadline will be released and the exhibition date announced (s/s 2012). Amy will curate the exhibition and get in touch with all the artists selected to take part.

If you are not a creative type, but love this initiative or know people who have the means to support this initiative in any way (i.e. by blogging, tweeting, ‘facebooking’, or even by sponsoring it), then please do.

For more information, please visit:

http://www.desperateartwives.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Desperate-Artwives/211293672262707

https://twitter.com/artwives

Plasticine is a great toy and DD makes some fab little models from it, but just imagine if you could mould chocolate in the same way. That’s just what the inventors of Magic Choc have created. For £4.99 you get a packet with milk, dark and white chocolate ‘nuggets’ inside. Mould and squish the nuggets and they become pliable just like plasticine. It’s not sticky and doesn’t cover you with melted chocolate. D created flowers, and space rockets for her brothers. Happy children while playing with it, happy children while eating their creations, and an hour filled on an otherwise dull day.

 I’d definitely get this again, probably (without mentioning the C-word) as a stocking filler.

Disclosure: I was sent the Magic Choc, thank goodness!

Beaches are not just for summer and how absolutely spell binding is a near deserted beach. Pack a flask and soup based picnic, lots of warm clothes and waterproofs and head for a free fantastic day out. Beaches in autumn may not be full of people deckchairs and ice lolly wrappers but your little one will still delight  in seaweed fossils and the like that the sea brings in. Just looking at a huge ocean and feeling the squidgy sand is a delight for a little on., shells, egg cases and jellyfish. How many types of seaweed will you find?

Rock pooling

Autumn’s a particularly good time of year to go rock pooling as lower tides reveal ever increasing fabulous treasures. Do plot your beach visits carefully as one crazy holiday day we spend hours looking for a rock pool beach. Ask around before leaving home and get good directions or check out the Guardians list of   10 rockpool hot spots

Cosy crafting

Do make sure you have a well filled craft box for those days you just want to stay indoors. Glue, scissors and paper are all staples that are cheap as chips from the supermarket. Extras you may need (that you don’t have to shop for) are:

• Buttons
• Spaghetti/pasta shells/lentils
• String and ribbon
• Pegs  (for hanging up paintings on string)
• Egg boxes
• Washing up bottles (see the dragon we made!)
• Old  greetings cards
• Bits of scrap paper in many different colours
• Old catalogues and magazines
• Fabric, buttons (for eyes and wheels)

Corn dollies

Making a corn dolly is simple; you need a small bundle of dried wheat with the ears intact. (alternately you can use wool) You need to tie the corn under the ears to make the hair  and then tie it again a little bit lower and hey presto you have made a face. With wool you just follow the same principles. Next you need to separate the corn into 3. 2 thin sections which you make into arms and tie at the wrist and the fat middle will become the body. You tie the body at the waist then split what’s left to make 2 legs which again you tie off at the ankle. Easy peasy and a tradition as old as the hills.

It’ll be you doing the making for a few years at least but this can become a lovely family tradition and your child will soon be making their own.

Make a scarecrow

Scarecrows are traditionally used to keep birds from eating crops. Scarecrows are made to look like a real person so birds are scared away. You can make a scarecrow at home with old or stained clothes that you plan on throwing away.

Stuff an old shirt and an old pair of jeans with plastic shopping bags or crumpled up newspapers. Use a lot of stuffing to give shape to your scarecrow. Safety pin the bottom of the shirt to the top of the jeans. Stuff an old pillowcase so that it takes the shape of a head. Tie the opening of the pillowcase with a string.

Safety pin the stuffed pillowcase to the neck of the shirt. Draw facial features on the front of the pillowcase with a permanent marker. Stuff straw into the cuffs of the shirt and trousers so that it sticks out slightly. Place an old hat on top of the scarecrow’s head for a final touch.

Instead of buying fireworks paint them:

Firework pictures are brilliant fun to make and you simply need straw paint and paper. Make your paint super runny ( just by adding water.) Put some drops of paint onto the paper then have your child blow through the straw and see it run off in lots of directions. Repeat with another colour until an explosion of fireworks fill your page. Even if kids can’t yet manage to blow through the straw they love to see you do this – it looks like magic. Sprinkling on some glitter adds even more firework sparkle to the picture. These pictures will fill your house with colour without the bangs!  (head to a free local event with little ones…they may well not like the noise.)

Becky’s book: 50 Ideas For an Amazing Autumn is now available as an Ebook download.

A panel of judges from the Contemporary Art Society – the leading national organisation which has been encouraging the appreciation and understanding of contemporary art since 1910 – will choose 12 pieces of submitted artwork for exhibition at a gallery in East London in October 2010.

The shortlisted toddlers and their families will be invited to an impressive ‘orange squash and canapés’ opening and award ceremony, where winners will be revealed and the first ever winner of the Butlins Toddler Art Prize announced.

The chosen 12 talented toddlers will share in a prize fund totalling £10,000 with the winning tot banking £500 in cash.

Entries can be anything from paintings to sculptures to installations.

Godolphin continued: “We hope to uncover the little Tracey Emins and Damien Hirsts of the future. And what better way to showcase Britain’s talented tots than with an exhibition of their work in the home of contemporary art – East London. Butlins has always encouraged creativity in children through art and play on Resort, but this is an amazing opportunity to take it to another level.”

Fabienne Nicholas of the Contemporary Art Society, and a judge in the competition said:

“Getting toddlers engaged in thinking about art is an exciting idea. From sculpture to painting, collage to photographs, what’s interesting about art today is how it can open a whole world of possibilities that goes beyond just making a pretty picture.

“Contemporary art can help us see the world from different viewpoints, make unexpected connections between ideas or express our secret emotions. Creativity is hugely important, especially from a young age, and children love nothing more than expressing themselves through art.

“This competition is a great opportunity for parents and children to discover the benefits creativity can bring. We can’t wait to see what artistic talent Britain’s youngsters have to offer.”

The Contemporary Art Society has developed the following tips for parents of toddlers entering the competition:

• Collage can be an excellent way of introducing children to composition. This can be done with material that has already been cut out, so the onus is on them to assemble the shapes as they see fit.  Try using tissue paper that they can easily rip and layer

• Drip drawings are good for experimentation with line.  If some ink is placed onto a large piece of paper the child then has to hold the sheet up and use gravity to create an image – a great method for learning control and steady discipline
• Teaching colour theory is most easily done using cellophane sheets, which can be layered on top of one another to produce colour combinations
• To help children consider composition and colour relation, get them to use potato printing.  By placing different coloured prints around a piece of paper, they can learn how individual designs can come together to create an aesthetically pleasing image
• Encourage tots to experiment using paint to really develop their natural creativity – use big and small strokes, flick paint and use other tools
• Keep empty packaging to hand to allow children to produce sculptures or combine with paintings for a 3D effect

To help toddler’s become more creative, why not encourage them with the following tips:

• Look! The longer you look at something the more you will see
• Think! Think of an emotion – what does happiness look like?  Try and paint it
• Play! There are lots of ways to make art other than painting – here are some ideas…

-  cut out pictures from magazines and collage them together

- try different materials for collage – fabric, felt, wool, card, leaves etc

-  put together a sculpture box – full of things you find that can be put together later on

-   photographs – experiment with the camera and find different angles on things

-  try potato stamping – cut out a shape from half a potato & use watery paint to make patterns

To enter visit www.butlins.com/artprize. All entries must be received by 31^st August 2010 and the 12 shortlisted toddlers, and their immediate family, will be invited to attend the VIP awards ceremony and opening of the exhibition in the capital.

MISI (“Make It Sell It”)  an innovative online craft marketplace. Since its launch MISI has grown phenomenally and today the site has over 3000 sellers and is now generating over 75000 visitors a month.

MISI’s mission is to challenge the role of the high street by introducing the people who buy directly to the people who make. It is the brainchild of keen crafter, web developer and young Mother of two Emma Hogg. Emma explains, “I have always had a great passion for British crafts. We are constantly being told by the likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey to cook homemade and Support local British farmers, but why stop at food? Food miles aren’t the only miles that matter! It gives me a huge buzz to support small craft businesses and watch them turn a passionate hobby into a profitable reality”

To celebrate the success MISI will be bringing the online world of internet crafters offline for the first time. The MISI event is being held on November 7th . It will give MISI followers and crafts people across the region the opportunity to sell their products in exciting and vibrant surroundings. The show will be open from 10.30am to 5.00pm and entry is just £2.50 per person, with children under 14 being allowed in free. The first 100 visitors will also receive a goody bag crammed with information and samples. “We hope this will be the first of a series of shows,” says Emma. “Look out for details of the MISI event road show shortly!! For further information please visit www.misi.co.uk/

Lisa of Borrowed Moments

In the midst of a recession, regular mum Lisa is making a success of her baby casting business.

After huge success with 3d castings and kits, Borrowed Moments Baby Casting Kits & Keepsakes of Torpoint is now launching new 2d clay impressions which capture your baby’s hands or feet in another beautiful and unique way. Lisa is also opening a new shop area at the studio so customers can see the range of keepsakes on offer before they decide what to buy.

Lisa’s business inspiration happened when she wanted to create some casts of her own children and found that the ones available were really expensive to have made. She bought a kit and with the help of her friend Aileen tried to create some casts. The frame was poor quality and the results were not good, so Lisa set out to change this. She says, “I wanted to create kits with quality frames and good instructions and make creating a baby keepsake an option for anyone who wants to make one, you can’t get that special baby time back!” The company which sells and produces hand-crafted, personalised baby keepsakes has gone from strength to strength ever since.

To coincide with the new shop area opening at the Torpoint studio, Borrowed Moments is launching a new photography service.  Kits can be ordered or appointments made via www.borrowedmoments.co.uk  and if you require more information about keepsakes or to see the full range of items, please call 01752 815444, visit the shop at unit 12 Trevol Business park, Torpoint, Cornwall or email: mark@borrowedmoments.co.uk.

Your Name and Age: Fiona Morris, aged 36

Tell us about your family: I have a very supportive husband and 2 gorgeous children – a son who is nearly 6 and a daughter who is counting sleeps until her 4th birthday! We live in Solihull, West Midlands

What did you do before coming up with your business idea and how was it making the transition?

Immediately prior to running my own business I was a stay at home mum. After having baby number 2 I didn’t go back to my old job as a solicitor for a number of reasons. Primarily I wanted to stay at home with the children and it simply wasn’t practical with the cost of childcare being in excess of my salary – there I go shattering the myth that all solicitors are paid highly!! Even when I still working in my legal career I always dreamed of running my own business but at that stage felt it would never become a reality.

When did you launch?

I launched my business in January 2008. 

How did you get started?

I enjoy crafts and before Christmas 2007 my husband asked me for some present ideas! I set about looking for a new craft so I could have materials as my Christmas present. I stumbled across pyrography (wood burning) and decided I would buy myself the pyrography iron in advance of Christmas as I had in mind to make the children personalised Christmas decorations. After several attempts at teaching myself how not to burn the wood so much it just looked like a blobby mess I felt happy enough with the completed decorations to make for friends’ children as well.  The idea came about that there was a commercial venture in the decorations and I started to sell them on auction sites. To begin with my children were my inspiration and I made gifts that were ideal for my own children – such as an artwork hanger for the kitchen, and door name plaques. Now, there are over 90 different gifts to choose from!

What research did you do before launching?

After christmas I turned my mind to what else I could come up with. I had a look round craft sites to see prices of stock for the wood, and price ranges of similar gifts sold online. That gave me a gauge of whether I would be able to make any money out of it at all. I also contacted  the tax office for advice who were very helpful and sent self-employment literature.

How do you promote your business? What has worked best?

I promote the business online mainly on social networking sites, although being naturally quite shy I do find this side of the business quite hard.

What has worked well about your business?

It has fitted in around the children and my husbands work hours. For example, school fete’s etc where I book a stall tend to be on a saturday so childcare hasn’t ever really been an issue. I have managed to fulfill orders in the evenings when the children are in bed. My husband is very supportive and is more than happy to occupy the children at weekends if there is a lot of orders to make up. As my youngest starts nursery school this year and as the business is getting busier I am going to be very grateful for a day-time 2 hours or so to work as well!

What has been your biggest challenge so far? How have you dealt with it?

Learning to juggle so many things at once! Luckily my previous job as a solicitor gave me a lot of time management experience, but it’s different being in an office to working at home. I shut myself away in my little study to work either crafting or website tweaking or trying to promote the business but when I hear the children having so much fun with daddy it’s hard not to get distracted!

What advice would you give to someone else wanting to work in this area?

Take the plunge and go for it. It’s great doing a craft you enjoy and making something out of it as well. Don’t expect success overnight, and don’t give up at the lack of immediate success! It took about a year before my business really started picking up, but during that time I spent time searching for better suppliers, working on improving my overall pyrography technique etc

Your website: www.samigailsgifts.co.uk

Discount for Family Friendly Working readers: If you quote NewSHPG10 in the discount promotion box this will entitle you to a 10% discount. Also, if you sign up for a newsletter these often contain special offers.

Women who enjoy spending their leisure time crafting would prefer to stay home and work from the kitchen table turning their hobby into a home business, according to research carried by bead supply company epbeads.co.uk in preparation of the for the launch of a new internet craft magazine, ibeadmag.com Response to a recent survey carried out by epbeads.co.uk suggests most women who enjoy beading and making jewellery, one of the fastest growing hobbies in the UK, would love to work at something they love and are passionate about; ideally running a business from the kitchen table . The appeal of the traditional style cottage industry, which would fit in around childcare and family commitments appears to be the ideal scenario.

Unfortunately many women feel that they lack the skills or confidence to take this dream any further. In response to the findings, ibeadmag.com is offering a mixture of free and premium content within the magazine style website, which will be specifically targeted at helping women develop their jewellery making skills using beads and other mixed media, as well offering support in areas like business development and marketing. For the September launch, ibeadmag.com is offering a free Jewellery Making DVD and a free month’s trial membership to ibeadmag. Anyone interested in learning to make jewellery or developing their existing skills with the aim of turning them into a home business should go to www.ibeadmag.com/getstarted for more details.