The Blog of Nikki McWilliams: Designer & Maker

Stickygram Vs Goodwin + Goodwin

2012-02-04T14:08:00.009Z

A little while ago I picked up this amazing Speech Bubble magnetic whiteboard from the fabulous Goodwin + Goodwin- the talented duo behind Signs For Homes.

Although I wasn't sure quite where I was going to hang it in our flat- I knew that I needed it in my life! The perfect opportunity arose last week, when I received my Stickygrams in the post. For anyone who's not already been swept away by the joy that is Instagram- Stickygrams are little magnetic versions of your Instagram photos.

Anyhoo- my new shiny white Speech Bubble whiteboard is the perfect blank canvas for my Stickygram magnetic photos! I love that I'll be able to rearrange the pictures and even add more to my collection.

It comes in an oval shape too and as a piece of British made design (hooray!) is a bargain at £34.95.

A Day in the Life: February 1st 2012

2012-02-01T23:34:00.016Z

Yesterday was the most recent "A Day in the Life" blog date. Here's a day in my life:

Up and dressed early for the Post Office trip. My phone says it's -2 degrees C out, but it feels a lot colder! Posting out of the way, I pick up things for lunch: bread, milk & an all-butter Victoria sponge.

I arrive home and put the kettle on- My Stickygram magnets have arrived! I only ordered them on Sunday and they are brilliant. I contemplate getting more to cover every magnetic surface in the flat with instagram magnet fun.

I get through the mornings' emails and then Michael gets home. We have crusty rolls, ham, tea and the Victoria sponge- I think ham rolls are my favourite of all plain sandwich fare. After lunch I do some paperwork and pack some things to take to my parents' house for the night.

I catch the train- it is totally mobbed, so I sit on one of the foldy seats in the vestibule. I try to be productive by making some notes for the talk I'm doing for 2nd year Design at DJCAD in March.

I arrive at my parents' house- they've made a beef curry in the slow cooker- it's really tasty! My Dad goes out to work and me and my mum do some cushion packing.

My Mum's cat, Alfie, is obviously feeling a bit left out so decides to act super-cute to get some attention. It works. Alfie rolls around on his footstool throne for a while posing for photographs and we have cup of tea and some of my Mum's greek Semolina Cake.

Somehow it is 1am. This is well-past my usual bedtime however the Cat/Cake party was good fun.

Bed.

------------------

Read about a Day in the Life of the other participants here: (**Update- great effort everyone! Look out for the next Day in the Life date- which will be chosen by Hilary Grant**)

Nikki McWilliams Design at Selfridges

2012-01-29T12:58:00.007Z

I am very, VERY excited to say that my Biscuit Cushions will soon be available to buy in Selfridges!

As part of the celebrations surrounding the Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, my cushions are to be featured within Selfridges' Big British Bang, launching summer 2012. You'll be able to take one of my cuddly biscuits home in an iconic yellow bag from the Oxford Street Store from March onwards!

The lovely Zoe of Ladybird Likes went along to the Press Preview this week and took these beautiful photographs. She's one talented gal!

I love the way Selfridges have styled my cushions- I do like a good afternoon tea- and this one looks brilliant!

My wee Teacake Cushion with some iced buns and a Corgi- he looks like he's having a grand ol' time in London town!

Thank you again to Zoe for the fabulous photographs (see more of her work here and more of her pics from the Big British Bang here), and to the good people at Selfridges for this amazing opportunity- I am royally chuffed! In the mean time, my full range is available to buy online.

Hope everyone has had a lovely weekend!

Hooray for Handmade!

2012-01-26T18:30:00.006Z

I've posted about my process before- but after a productive day's printing this week I really wanted to share some more photos of the start of my cushions' existence- which involves printing each cushion by hand.

In other news, my Caramel Wafer cushions were featured in Emerald Street's fabulous weekend guide! If you don't already sign up for it, I suggest you do!

Video Blog: Product Development

2012-01-23T22:44:00.002Z

I have ventured into the world of Video Blogging! Please excuse the glare-tastic lighting.

My London Photo Diary

2012-01-22T21:04:00.010Z

I wanted to post some of the photos I took while I was in London for Top Drawer last week. Some friends were kind enough to put me up for the week- and show me some cool places in London that I would have never found otherwise. It's a long post, but bear with me- it's all good stuff! So here's my London photo diary:

1. Setting off from Dundee train station early on Friday morning. Caught a beautiful sunrise behind the Discovery.

2. Six hours later- arrive in London and make my way to my Friends' house. They have nice tiles in their hallway!

3. Go out for dinner (Franco Manca Sourdough Pizza, Yum!) and then cocktails at an amazing half art exhibition/bar called Seven at Brixton. Had a Ginger beer and Basil Mojito- it was delicious. My favourite part was the room filled with faces!

4. Set up my stand at Earl's Court and then head for tea and cake at the delicious Yumchaa near Goodge St station. They have about 50 different teas and amazing cake. Despite the choice I opt for English Breakfast tea- but is a particularly delicious variety!

5. Having fun at Top Drawer with some of my Spotted buddies from the September show. They gave us champagne on the second day!

6. My laser cut print display stand- took a bit of figuring out but it worked out in the end- I'm proud of that!

7. An amazing cardboard tube shop called, Circus, in Brixton village- it was closed when we went- but it looked pretty fantastic from the outside!

8. One evening I sampled dinner at The Breakfast Club in Hoxton. I had a ginormous burger and delicious chips, that although less breakfasty that it's establishment's name suggests was still very, very good. My favourite thing about The Breakfast Club however would have to be...

9. The Toilets at The Breakfast Club. Firstly- the entrance hall to the toilets is painted entirely black, has a glitter ball and a speaker playing music- and is most likely the "World's Smallest Disco" as it says on the door. Secondly- the interiors of the toilet cubicles are papered entirely with 80's cartoon wallpaper. My toilet was papered in a Fraggle Rock repeat- it was awesome!

10. Despite getting in from our Hoxton adventure pretty late- I decided to paint my nails all fancy for the last day of the show. Yay for Zigzags!

11. A lovely painted "Bovril" building on my way to the tube station on my last day of Top Drawer.

12. After catching the train back up north I caught a beautiful sunset while passing over the river in Newcastle- Shepherd's Delight if ever I saw it!

And that's that! I had such a great time while I was in the Big Smoke this time round- it's so good when you have a London local to help you find all of the little hidden gems! I'd recommend seeking any of these places out- they're very good finds indeed!

Spotted Plus - Fun Times in London!

2012-01-21T21:07:00.009Z

Well after all of the hard work and preparation- Spotted Plus at Top Drawer Spring is over- and was jolly good fun indeed!

I arrived back in Scotland late Wednesday evening after a brilliant 5 days in the Big Smoke. It was really great to meet up with everyone I'd met at Spotted back in September and to see their new work for 2012 (see Snowdon's new hand-printed "tweet" card above- it's super cute!) It was also lovely to see the new talent which Charlotte had picked out for the main Spotted feature- with my favourite pieces being Esme Winter's beautiful patterned papers and notebooks (pictured above) and Polaroid inspired ceramics by Just Noey (also pictured above).

For more photos of the Spotted & Spotted plus features at the show, check out my Flickr!

I had a great few days at the show- met some lovely people and arrived home to a really lovely review over on the Guardian House and Home blog!

Thanks to everyone who took the time to come visit me at my- including the lovely Zoe from Ladybird Likes...!

Nice to See You...

2012-01-12T17:41:00.004Z

I've been working on some brand new cushions recently- and I am pleased to say that they are now here! My screen-printed Nice Biscuit cushion and Pink Wafer cushions are available to pre-order in my Big Cartel Shop.

I'll be launching them alongside my new Bourbon Biscuit Brooch at Top Drawer London this January 15th - 17th at Earl's Court, London. I'm catching the train all the way from Dundee to London tomorrow morning, so I'll keep you all up to date with my progress via twitter over the next few days, and while I'm at the show.

Half Price Oreo Cushions & Instagram Photo A Day: week 1

2012-01-08T14:28:00.002Z

If you're one of my twitter pals, you will already have seen that I am currently offering my Oreo Cushions (in a never before seen chocolate colour- they previoulsy looked like this) at Half Price. After retailing at £30.00, I'll be selling the last batch I made for only £15.00 each. And after this lot's gone- I've decided to discontinue this one for good- to concentrate on a solely British biscuit selection.

Lots have been given new homes already- and if you'd like a cuddle oreo in your life visit my shop now- there's very limited stocks- and as I said, once they're gone, they are GONE!

Last week I decided to take part in the Instagram Photo a Day in January challenge- and I'm really enjoying it so far! You can see my daily photos so far in my Flickr set, or by following me on instagram (username: nikkimcwilliams). Photography is one of my all-time loves: and I know I should really make time to take more photographs.

I try to travel light on a daily basis (hence the overwhelming ratio of instagram photos to actual camera photos (I have a Canon G11, if anyone was curious) but I'd really like to do a project that will encourage me to take more pictures. I've been inspired by The Dainty Squid to give a Photo A Week in 2011 project a go. It sounds like a big commitment, but I'll have a think about a worthy subject and let you all know. Watch this space!

A Photo A Day in January: Instagram Challenge

2012-01-03T11:53:00.004Z

Happy 2012 Everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the Hogmanay celebrations and had a relaxing first day of the year. The other half and I spent the bells at my auntie's house in Glasgow drinking Amaretto/Leffe and eating wee sausage rolls. The 1st of Jan for us mostly involved a long walk, breathing in lots of fresh air, and visiting the town's McDonalds.

So- to the blog's main subject! (see the screenshot above). I spied this fun looking project via CutCopyCreate on instagram yesterday, and albeit a little late, have decided to take part! The idea is, in a nutshell- that you take a photo-a-day in January, using the themes above as a guide- and tag it with #janphotoaday.

This month i'll be preparing for and exhibiting at Top Drawer in London- so I thought it would be an interesting month to do the project.

Click here to see photo 01 "you" and photo 02 "breakfast" as well as following me on twitter or if you have an iPhone find me on instagram (I'm nikkimcwilliams) to keep up with my daily photos!

+++UPDATE+++

I've created a Flickr Set to keep all of my Photo a Day pics together. Here it is!

Happy Hogmanay: 2011 Highlights

2011-12-31T11:00:00.000Z

I say it every year- but I can't believe how fast this one's gone. There's been a lot of hard work, and I feel like so much has changed after looking back on my blog posts from this time last year. I'm planning on celebrating Hogmanay and the end of a really good year with the people closest to me in Glasgow this year. Here's a run-down of my highlights of 2011:

I introducing a new collection of 6 cushions throughout the year

Exhibiting at my very first Trade Show with Spotted at Top Drawer Autumn

Meeting some exciting new stockists (who I'll be unveiling in 2012)

Quitting the day job (WOOHOO!)

Hitting the 800 sales-mark in my Folksy Shop

Acquiring my first International stockist in Australia

Receiving the Dundee Craft Maker's Award

Happy Hogmanay Everyone!

Spotted PLUS at Top Drawer Spring 2012

2011-12-30T09:52:00.006Z

With the whirlwind that is Christmas and the festive season almost over I'm making plans for the coming year. Thank you to everyone who visited my shop this festive season- I hope that everyone who received a biscuity gift this Christmas was chuffed with it!

I'll be blogging a round-up of highlights from 2011 tomorrow- but until then I can't wait any longer to announce that I will be returning to Top Drawer Spring this January as part of Spotted Plus! While I was part of the Spotted feature last time around (see my blog post), Spotted Plus is a new addition to the Spring show. I've been invited to be part of Spotted plus alongside 5 other Spotted exhibitors from the 2011 Autumn show: Goodwin + Goodwin, Snowdon Design, Laura Spring, Bong & Rag, and Cutture.

I've been seriously lucky this month- and was awarded the Dundee Craft Maker's Award- which will be used to fund my attendance at Top Drawer this January.

The Top Drawer show mag popped through the letterbox this morning- and I'm very lucky to have had one of my Custard Cream cushions featured! I'll add a link to the digital mag as soon as it's released- until then there's a few snaps above.

If you're planning on coming along- don't forget to register. They'll give you a shiny show-badge to wear!

A Day In The Life: Boxing Day 2011

2011-12-29T16:18:00.006Z

10:45am. Wake up after super-long lie. Was dreaming that I'd quit my day-job and was living in Cyprus. Nice!

11:00am. Get Bacon and Pita Bread for breakfast. Stay in PJ's.

11.30am. Help my mum design her new kitchen. She's excited! I am too- I like organising spaces so this a treat for me!

14.00pm. Stop kitchen-designing for lunch. This is homemade Nigella Lawson babycakes and Swedish Glace icecream. My brother calls them Heart Attack puddings. He's probably right.

16.30pm. The kitchen design is complete!

17.00pm. Start making dinner. Play with my mum's cat, Alfie. Discover that he loves it when you sing to him- it makes him roll on the floor!

18.30pm. Dinner time!

19.00pm. Settle down on the couch for the Boxing Day Eastenders. My brother improvises a song on the guitar about the on-screen drama. There's not enough memory in my phone to record it!

20.00pm. Brother announces he has a new business idea. Asks me to design his website layout. He is impressed by my knowledge of typefaces.

22.00pm. Website design complete. I realise that I have accidentally done a fair bit of design work today. Try to watch Ocean's 12 on the TV but it is awful. Playing with the cat is far more appealing. He's hyper.

22.30pm. Eat a mini Turkey sandwich and have a cup of tea. We watch something on the telly but I can't remember what (food coma setting in).

00.00am Bed!

Click below to read about other blogger's days:

Claire

Laura

A Day in the Life- December Date

2011-12-23T09:57:00.004Z

For those of you who regularly read my blog posts you may have noticed a few posts entitled A Day In the Life. It's my turn to choose the date for the next post, and I have chosen Sunday the 26th of December- Boxing Day!

Everyone has their own rituals at this time of year and I thought it would be nice to share a slice of our lives at this much-hyped time of year. If you're taking part- don't forget to leave me a comment with your post's url so that I can collate them all at the end.

You can read the lovely Laura's belated Day In the Life from November here- along with a list of all of the other posts from this day.

Happy blogging!

FLASH Giveaway

2011-12-18T16:58:00.004Z

I totally forgot that I'd made up these little gift selection boxes, (contents pictured above) so I'm having a FLASH Giveaway over on my twitter this evening (closing at 9pm this evening)! If you don't already all you have to do it follow me, and Retweet the giveaway tweet- when I tweet it!)

I only have 2 of these available only in my folksy shop- at the price of £15.00, including totally FREE postage for Christmas. These wee boxes contain £19.00 worth of my stuff- and come gift-wrapped up all nice, ready for you to give to someone for Crimbo!

Get yours HERE or head on over to my twitter for the chance to win one this evening!

Get it for Christmas 2011: Last Posting Update

2011-12-15T13:13:00.003Z

If you're keeping up to date with all of my news at the mo- you'll know that my last posting dates for standard UK delivery have been and gone.

I know how busy everyone can be at Christmas (I, for one am nowhere near finishing my Christmas shopping) so I thought I'd give folks a chance to carry on shopping and still get their orders delivered in time for the big day with the option to upgrade your postage.

I'm offering an upgrade to First Class, or Next Day Special delivery, starting at only £1.00! This is available only for orders from my Big Cartel Shop, so avoid my folksy or etsy if you want to go for this! Check out the listing here for more information.

Hope everyone's starting to get into the Christmassy mood now! If you're not- here's a really brilliant How-To by Flora of Through the Round Window for beautiful Eastern European Embroidery inspired paper chains! She's even included printable PDF's of the lovely patterned paper she used. Thanks Flora!

A Festive Week in Pictures

2011-12-13T09:08:00.010Z

TOP (Left - Right): Snowy skies over Perth; Hand-painted tree decorations; Twinkly lights on our tree; Wrapped up warm in a Hilary Grant Scarf; Festive Nails with emerald Swarovski; Our tree this morning

With less than 2 weeks until Christmas (10 days if we're being precise) it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our wee flat! Here's some photos from my week via my beloved instagram.

This week sees the last order date for Christmas in my online shop which is tomorrow, the 14th of December!

I'm also looking forward to the Creative Dundee Christmas Party, and posting my #TwitterSecretSanta gift. Hooray for Christmas!

Stay Cosy STORM Discount

2011-12-08T10:54:00.004Z

The severe weather warnings were dished out early this morning with winds reaching up to 100MPH up here in Bonny Scotland!

Take advantage of being housebound today by putting the kettle on, doubling-up on the wooly socks and getting some Christmas shopping done from the comfort of your living room!

To help you in your quest for cosy home-shopping, I'm giving 10% off everything in my Big Cartel Online Shop for today only! Just enter the code STORM at the checkout.

You can use the code on absolutely anything in my shop from badges to cushions- until 23:59 GMT tonight. Remember, the discount only applies in my Big Cartel shop- the code won't work in my Folksy or Etsy.

Have a great day- and stay toasty!

Vitra Christmas Market 2011

2011-12-04T23:34:00.005Z

My fabulous central Glasgow stockist, TOJO Design at The Lighthouse are setting up a little slice of TOJO magic as part of the Vitra Christmas Market at the Vitra Showroom, Clerkenwell London. (Above is a photo via Someday London off last year's market. Doesn't it look lovely!)

They'll be showing my Teacake and Caramel wafer cushions as part of their stand at the market which opens today (Monday 5th December) and will run until the 22nd of December 2011.

You can stop by Vitra for all of your Festive shopping (which in my opinion is always more fun when the shop looks like a little Swiss Chalet!) as well as picking up some classic design for your home (Santa- if you're listening- you could pick me up a nice Eames Chair for my studio desk!)

Check out the Vitra Blog for the official press realease. Hopefully I can squeeze in a trip to London before the end of the year to have a look myself and see how my cushions are getting on!

UPDATE: The nice people over at @VitraUk have tweeted some photos of the market as it is- now all set-up and open to your good selves! Here's their snap of my cushions alongside the beautiful work of Donna Wilson!

Photo Blog: Bunty and Bella's Boutique Bash

2011-12-04T23:20:00.003Z

Let's Hear it for the Boys: Festive Gift Guide 2011

2011-11-30T11:20:00.009Z

One of the reasons that I love taking my work to shows and fairs is the fact that it's a great opportunity to speak to my customers and get their feedback on my designs. One thing that stood out at the Ideal Home Show was that lots of folks were buying my Bourbon Cushions as gifts for the boys in their lives!

So- I've decided to put together a gift guide of things that would make great presents for your special chap this Christmas:

1. Chaos Theory Print by John Alan Birch (£8.00) A Giclee print from an original illustration of an Old Icey. It's slogan reads, "Without Ice-Cream There Would Be Only Darkness and Chaos". Brilliant.

2. Bourbon Biscuit Cushion by Myself (£30.00) Hand-Printed giant version of the biscuit-tin favourite.

3. Geometric Circle Scarf by Hilary Grant (£46.00) Super cosy lambswool circle scarf (also available in Magenta/Oatmeal or Cornflower/Coral)

4. Homework Pencil Box by Present and Correct (£24.50) Old fashioned pencil box with new-fangled laser-etched designs decorating its lid.

5. Secret Agents I Met and Liked Notebook by Archie G rand (€11.95) One of a plethora of coloured notebooks with neat round edges and Witty titles detailing different people you may meet, and like.

6. Box Pattern Leather Wallet by Backerton on Etsy (£24.42) Hand-stitched leather wallet with a nice box-inspired pattern printed on one side- I do like a bit of geometry in pattern!

I hope everyone's enjoying the Festive season so far- stay cosy! I can't believe it'll be December tomorrow...argh! You can buy both Hilary Grant's lovely scarves and my cushions at Bunty and Bella's Boutique bash here in Dundee this Sunday.

All product images belong to those as noted above.

Shop Handmade: Bunty & Bella's Boutique Bash

2011-11-29T18:52:00.004Z

After I missed being part of the last Boutique Bash (have a look at the beautiful photos here) I am so excited to be part of the next Bunty and Bella extravaganza at the Maggie's Centre in Dundee this Sunday the 4th of December from 1pm - 3pm. It's FREE to attend- and a great chance to do some of your Christmas gift-shopping straight from your local designers. I'll be there, cushions in tow, along with Hilary Grant, Yoke, Lovely Pigeon, Claire McVinnie and loads more fabulous Dundee-local makers.

Maggie's Dundee is a really beautiful building- and if you've not been it's definitely worth a trip! You can find it- here.

If you're feeling creative you can also come along the Festive Printing Workshop to carve your own stamps- perfect for personalising gift-wrapping and making your own cards this Christmas. It's £20 to attend the workshop- which includes all of your materials, tuition AND homemade cake AND tea/coffee- which sounds like a totally perfect afternoon to me! (In fact, if I disappear from my stall at the fair...you'll probably find me here!)

Getting Festive at Say No To Plastic

2011-11-24T19:53:00.006Z

After a whole week zooming around London it's great to be back on home turf in bonny (rainy) Scotland!

It's been a busy few days catching back with everything that I've missed whilst being away- and I've been very lucky to be offered a stall at this Sunday's (the 27th of November) Say No To Plastic Craft and Vintage Sale at Oran Mor on Byres Road in Glasgow.

I'll be in good company alongside fellow Scottish maker and twitter pal Miso Funky, as well as We Are the Robots and Peony and Thistle

To celebrate being north of the border again, I'm giving a 10% discount to anyone who shops with me at the fair on Sunday. Just snap a screen-shot of the voucher below on your phone (iPhone peeps: use home button + lock button- not sure how you'd do this on other handsets) or just print it out and bring it along with you. The discount is valid on my range of cushions purchased only at Say Not To Plastic on the 27th of November- so get yourself down to Byre's road to shop hand-made this Christmas!

And if you weren't already in the Christmas mood- here's a wee tune (by the master of movie soundtracks John Williams) from one of my favourite Christmas movies of all time: Home Alone! See you Sunday peeps!

A Day in the Life

2011-11-17T22:54:00.006Z

I thought I'd do a visual Day in the Life blog post this time- so I took a few photos to mark my day at the Ideal Home Show at Earl's court.

Nikki McWilliams at the Ideal Home show at Christmas

2011-11-16T22:12:00.004Z

If you've been following my blog over the last few weeks you'll probably have guessed that by now I have set up shop for the week at Earl's Court exhibition centre in London for the Ideal Home Christmas show!

It's taken a lot of planning but with a little help from friends and family it's all come together nicely! I'm really pleased with my stand and it's actually a bit scary how close it is to my original plan sketch- but what can I say- I do like being organised! My very talented friend Lauren Gentry did my pretty chalkboard price list- I love it!

Today was the first day- there were absolutely loads of people in and I had a really fab response from those who stopped by my stand- favourites of the day were definitely the Caramel Wafer and my Custard Cream.

We'll be open tomorrow for late night shopping from 10am until 9pm (and then 10am - 6pm thereafter) so if you're in the area and you'd like to swing by, say hello and hug your favourite biscuit, please do! I'll be at Stand 2C81- upstairs in the shopping section!

Ideal Home Show at Christmas: an exciting update!

2011-11-11T18:16:00.004Z

With only a few days before I leave for London to set up shop at this year's Ideal Home Show at Christmas- I'm all prepared and starting to get properly excited about a week in the capital city at what is shaping up to be a super-festive show!

I've been lucky enough to have had my cushions selected as one of the show's Top Gifts: they'll be featured in a special display at the entrance of the show- which is a really fabulous opportunity! I've also been asked to contribute cushions to the show's famously inspiring Room Sets- along with Top Drawer friends Goodwin + Goodwin and Design Bark.

I wanted to share this time lapse video of the build-up of last year's show- the transformation from empty space to the show in it's finished state is truly incredible!

If you're in London between the 16th and 20th of November- pop along and say hello! I'm travelling down for preparations this Monday- so you can keep up with me while I'm on the road via twitter and instagram.

Last Christmas Posting Dates 2011

2011-11-08T18:27:00.004Z

With the nights drawing in and the Scottish air getting cooler every day I can't believe how quickly the Festive Season is approaching us!

So without more ado, here are the last Christmas posting dates for 2011 for all orders from my Online Shop (Etsy and Folksy included): please ensure that you order before these dates to make sure your biscuity goodies arrive in time for gift-giving!

Last International orders: Friday 2nd December

Last UK orders: Wednesday 14th of December

With last year's winter weather and subsequent postal delays in mind I would of course recommend that orders are placed ASAP to avoid disappointment.

AWOB (Absent With Out Blogging)

2011-11-06T23:11:00.004Z

Night owls- I've been super busy and therefore a bit absent from the blogosphere- so here's a wee video (it was made entirely using my phone- filmed and edited- so don't judge!) of what I've been up to- for those who are interested! With only 8 days until we leave for London for the Ideal Home show- I'll be doing a lot more of this in the days ahead- it's cushions-a-go-go here!

Enjoy!

p.s- It's stated at the end of the video- but music is by Frightened Rabbit- they're pretty great, I think!

Ideal Home Show at Christmas: Giveaway time!

2011-10-24T13:02:00.004+01:00

I'm still working hard to get everything ready for setting up shop at the Ideal Home Show at Christmas this November but in the mean time I wanted to celebrate via the blog with a little pre-show giveaway!

I'm giving away three pairs of tickets to enjoy the show (worth up to £26 per pair) courtesy of Nikki McWilliams design and the Ideal Home Show! Tickets are valid on any one day (Wednesday the 16th right through to Sunday the 20th- including late-night (9pm) shopping on the Thursday night!)

All you have to do to be in with the chance to win is leave a comment below with:

1) Your favourite item from my Online Shop.
2) Who you'd to take to the show with you, and why.

I'll announce the three winners on Monday the 31st of October. If you're more of a facebook-er than a blog reader, you can also enter via the Nikki McWilliams Design Facebook page!

Good luck everyone!

Shake It Up, Baby

2011-10-18T09:02:00.003+01:00

I first watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off about 15 years ago during an inspired late-night sewing and making session with my wee cousin, Danni. We were hopeful and young (we must have been early secondary school-age) and the prospect of taking a sneaky Day-Off to have an adventure in a big city was so exciting.

Over the years I've come back to this film with fond memories. It's not just a story about some school kids skiving- it's about aspirations, taking chances and living life.

And with that (and you might be wondering where this is going) I am pleased to say that within 4 weeks- I will be 100% self-employed and will no longer have a day-job. Leaving the security of a regular income and the familiarity of a workplace which I have been part of for the last 4 years was not an easy decision for me to make- while it's the end of one (longer than anticipated) chapter in my life it is also the start of a new one- and I'm so excited!

In the famous words of Ferris (and at the risk of sounding super cheesy): "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". I can only hope I havn't just reversed the metaphorical Ferrari through a plate-glass garage wall: wish me luck!

Ideal Home Show at Christmas 2011

2011-10-15T22:04:00.006+01:00

I had an excellent time on my last trip to London which is why I am super-excited to announce that I will be returning to our capital city again this November for the Ideal Home at Christmas show at Earl's Court!

I'll be setting up shop for 5 whole days (including one Thursday late shopping night) between the 16th and 20th of November at stand 2C81 (directly across from the Christmas food market within the Ideal Shopping section) so pop along and say hello!

If you're coming to visit me- be sure to use the code EXHX11 for a 10% discount off your ticket price.

See you soon, London!

Biscuits of Excellence

2011-10-14T16:26:00.002+01:00

When I last blogged I was looking forward to a trip back to my secondary school, Alloa Academy to the annual Open Evening. I made a bee-line for the Art Department (as I did pretty much every day when I was a pupil there) and I was not dissapointed!

There was a truly excellent enormous cake-stand filled with giant papier mache biscuits made by super talented Third Year pupils who clearly (judging by the high standard of work and attention to detail) had really enjoyed their biscuity assignment!

It was great to see a few familiar faces and I had a lovely night. Thanks to Miss Wilson for getting in touch and inviting me along!

Going Back to My Roots

2011-10-10T09:01:00.003+01:00

My friend Sarah and I on our last day of School, Alloa Academy c. June 2003
(At the dawn of digital camera technology- check my 1MP photo!)

This week I'm stopping off in my home town of Alloa to attend my former secondary school, Alloa Academy's Open Evening. I was contacted by one of the current Art teachers (who is also a DJCAD grad) a week ago to invite me along, as some of the kids have been making biscuit-inspired artwork!

I was one of those geeky kids who actually really liked school (especially in 6th year when Art & Design/Portfolio work made up about 80% of my timetable) and was sad to leave.

Although the original building is now long-gone, the new and improved school is now home to a few of those who taught me between 1997 and 2003, including my ever-supportive and inspiring Art and Design teacher! The new school's running some new subjects too, including "Creative Cake Production" which I wouldn't mind studying now!

To go along with the pupil's biscuit inspired artwork, there's also a Biscuit inspired prize-raffle for attendees of the Open Evening- which includes one of my Bourbon Biscuit cushions, along with loads of other biscuity goodies!

London, Rain & Raffaellos

2011-09-23T10:27:00.011+01:00

It's now two weeks since I set off for London and Top Drawer-and it feels like yesterday, and months ago all at the same time. I've had loads on my to-do list since I've been back, including blogging, which has steadily been getting further and further down my list. So- today I am catching up- here's a fortnight in pictures and a wee bit about what I've been up to!

Top Row: Sticking up my logo vinyls and catching the train to the Olympia at Top Drawer
Second Row: Lovely birthday chocolates from my friend Veronika and meeting kittens
Third Row: The dawn sky from the London to Glasgow sleeper train and drinking champagne at Zandra Rhodes' Jewellery launch
Bottom Row: Insanely lucky charity shop find: New Toffel Swedish Hasbeens for £6.00 and our gloriously sideways Scottish weather

With daylight hours getting shorter, and the familiar sight of fairisle emerging in the shops- winter is approaching fast! Time to dig out the scarf and mittens to brave the cold- and a pair of 150 deniers if I want to give the Hasbeens an outing in 2011.

A Top Drawer Adventure

2011-09-17T22:53:00.000+01:00

Here's a few photos from my adventures in London at Top Drawer last week- after everything was set up I settled in nicely with my cushions (and some new pals from the surrounding stands) as company!

It was great to meet some of my existing stockists and a few new ones too- so thank you to everyone who made the effort to come and visit me at my stand!

Above (left to right) Helena Carrington, Me, Viviane of Goodwin and Goodwin and Laura Spring.

Top Drawer Prep & The Old Cinema

2011-09-10T18:48:00.001+01:00

So, after a long train journey (details of which I won't go into) we arrived in London Euston this morning at 06:45. After quickly nipping back to our hotel in Chiswick we met up with my good friend Lauren who was helping with my set-up.

After a little while, boxes were assembled, cushions stuffed and decals stuck! After laying everything out however- I decided that the thing that was missing was an old school chair, for my Caramel Wafer cushion to sit on. You know the kind I mean: painted steel legs with a curved light-wood back and seat. As the events hall only had shiny new chairs (much to my dismay) we set about scouring London for perfect prop...and I was lucky enough to be able to rent a beautiful vintage Belgian school chair on a daily basis from the treasure trove that is The Old Cinema antique and retro furniture store on Chiswick High Street.

So- after a few tweaks early tomorrow morning, I am ready to go! I'll take lots of photos and try my best to blog tomorrow!

I'll be uploading the rest of the photos from my trip so far to my Facebook page very soon!

New Web Home

2011-09-09T17:31:00.005+01:00

Ok- super quick post as I am packing for London as I type...to announce that I have a fresh new website just in time for Top Drawer 2011!

It's live now at www.nikkimcwilliams.com along with my brand new web shop!

I'd best go finish packing, so I can score every last thing from my gazillionth to-do list of the last week- and then I'm hitting the road! I'll try my best to make time to blog- but if not you can always keep up to date with me on twitter- I'll be tweeting and sharing photos of my experience of the show over the next four days.

See you soon!

Here Comes The Sun

2011-09-07T08:53:00.000+01:00

With only a few days until I leave for Top Drawer in London, everything's coming together nicely! I reckon I'm pretty organised so far, however I still can't help but spring out of bed at 6am every morning this week- the pro's of which are the beautiful sunrises that Dundee sees!

I wanted to share the view from my living room window between 6am and 7am this morning. The Rowan Goliath (I've blogged about this before!) has been a part of my personal skyline now since the start of the year, and I've grown to quite like it.

Inadvertently in Ideal Home

2011-09-05T10:06:00.000+01:00

Some exciting news this week- my Teacake cushions have (somewhat inadvertently) been in the October 2011 issue of Ideal Home magazine! Blink and you'll miss it- but it's on p18 of their Home Fashion flipside mag on a very nice Italian sofa in the very stylish Belfast home of Mairead and Owen Moore.

I'll be packing up my Teacake cushions along with all of my other designs this Friday for London and the Top Drawer show at the Olympia. If you're planning on coming along don't forget to register here.

See you soon!

London Calling: Spotted @ Top Drawer 2011

2011-08-31T10:59:00.010+01:00

A little while ago- I was invited to exhibit my designs at this year's Spotted Showcase, at Top Drawer Autumn/Winter 2011. It's curated by fabulous style and interior design writer, Charlotte Abrahams who has written for The Guardian, Living Etc and Elle Decoration- and I am so excited to be part of it all!

My Biscuit Cushions will also be gracing the sofas in this year's VIP Lounge, The Indigo Club- so if you're lucky enough to be a Top Drawer VIP you can snuggle up with my cushions in the lap of luxury!

I'm in the final stages of preparation for the show this week before we catch the sleeper from Glasgow to London next Friday night. We've got a whole day for setting up camp at The Olympia on Saturday, before the show opens on Sunday:

Sunday the 11th of September: 09:30 - 18:00

Monday the 12th of September: 09:30 - 18:00

Tuesday the 13th of September: 09:30 - 17:00

Here's some handy travel and accomodation info that could help plan your trip to the London Olympia via the Top Drawer website, along with a handy map I've annotated for you to make sure you pay me a visit while you're there!

Friday Print-a-thon

2011-08-26T21:13:00.010+01:00

Here's a few snaps from my day today which consisted of a mega cushion print-a-thon alongwith some very tasty food! Highlights include my fabulous Graze box which arrived this morning after the excellent Groupon deal I got earlier on this week. I was very impressed with everything it contained, especially the Lemon Merngue pie mixture- and it was excellent high-energy printing fuel! I'd definitely recommend that you give Graze a go- I got a voucher code for a FREE box with my order so do the right thing and go get yourself some delicious snacks!

Free Graze Voucher Code: VJLTZTJM

The second last photo is of my current favourite salad (yes- you heard it- a SALAD!) which is so good. It's babyleaf salad (spinach & rocket mainly) olive oil, balsamic vinegar, pine nuts and parmesan. You can add sundried tomatoes too if you have any- and you will not be dissapointed! Do let me know if you try it- and what you think!

Also- if you were ever wondering what my hands look like after a day of cushion-printing- that is one of my rather grubby (inky) looking paws!

Pintastic

2011-08-17T22:49:00.009+01:00

I find it really interesting to think about where my cushions and prints and things end-up... who they belong to and their place in their new homes.

So- today I set myself the task of making a reminder of the things that I've made that have left the studio for new owners near and far. I do love a good pin-board (If you've not already followed me on the wonderfully addictive Pinterest, you can do so now!) so I set about a black cork-board with some Sharpies and Posca Pens to come up with my very official Nikki McWilliams Sales Map.

Each pin represents a country or state that I have sent some of my things to and probably the areas of the world that appreciate a biscuit or two!

A Day in the Life: Sunday the 14th of August

2011-08-16T20:33:00.005+01:00

I read about "A Day in the Life" in the blog of Claire of Miso Funky. It looked like a really fun blogging idea and despite thinking that my day would probably be too boring to publicise, I decided to give it a go.

This day in the life date was chosen by Julie of CraftyFrayedEdges- you can read all about a day in her life and everyone else who's taken part here.

Here Goes!

07:15- My alarm goes off. I know that I should really get up but I snooze until...

08:00- I haul myself out of bed and inspect my bandaged hand which I staved the previous day at work. My finger's still pretty swollen and it's my good hand. Disaster! Decide that another 15 minutes might be of benefit to my injured paw.

08:15- Check email on phone, a few good deals from Groupon and shop emails. Still not out of bed.

08:20- Eventually get up, get showered and hair washed. I have to sit down while I'm drying my hair because I'm still pretty sleepy.

08:45- Michael brings me some bitesize Shredded Wheats but there's not enough time for tea.

09:00- Arrive at work. Let myself in and start ploughing through a mini mountain of admin stuff.

10:30- I proceed to unpack what seems like a gazillion pairs of brogues trying not to use my gammy hand too much.

13:00- Get back to the flat for lunch (it's so good living close-by to the day-job)and have some really delicious scrambled egg on toast followed by a large cup of tea, 3 Custard Creams and 2 Jaffa Cakes.

14:05- Back to work. Feel a bit sick after the mega lunch.

15:00- Feel a bit worried about my injured hand as I have a lot of printing to do next week. Double Argh!

16:30- A bit of excitement when the fire alarm goes off and the shop is evacuated. It's sunny outside which is a bonus!

18:15- Hometime!

19:00- Make a huge batch of macaroni cheese and eat quite a lot of it for dinner. Yum.

20:00- Catch up with my shop, emails, do some blog-reading and think about the possibility of buying some new glasses online. Decide I'm too fussy to buy stuff to wear on my face without trying it on first and look at some flats for sale online.

21:00- Think about having a small gathering/party for my birthday in September. Hmmm.

21:40- 2nd giant cup of tea of the day (this is a surprisingly low number). I wish we had more sweets and cake in the flat. My hand feels a bit better which is ace.

22:00- Catch a bit of the new Dragon's Den on TV and paint my nails a lilac colour.

22:50- Get into bed with a book (a curry recipe book)

23:00- Sleep.

65p Jam Shopper from M&S

2011-08-06T15:14:00.007+01:00

Ok, so I admit that I may have gone a bit blog-post crazy in the last few days but I really wanted to share this great little find from M&S.

I remember seeing some of their nostalgia inspired jam jars in store about a year ago- and I loved them. M&S Food seem to be quite big on their retro-revival at the moment (our store in Dundee has a penny mix-up style sweet section- think flying saucers and pink shrimps) and that alongside their lovely product packaging is a total winner for me.

So- when I saw this fab Blackcurrant Jam label shopper for only 65p(!) I had to pick one up. It's a good size and has nice woven handles (and will come in extra-handy seeing as my almost brand new Cath Kidston shopper's zip is busted!)

A lot of the nicer re-usable shoppers have become quite expensive so it was really refreshing to see M&S pricing such a covetable design so fairly.

Good job Marks and Spencer!

Back to Blighty

2011-08-05T10:05:00.002+01:00

Well, refreshed and recharged, I am back! My cousin's wedding was lovely and it was so nice to be there alongside relatives that I hadn't seen in a really long time!

Thank you to those who have placed an order from me while I've been away- I'm working hard to get the majority of these out today- so keep an eye out for your shipping confirmation email (Folsky shoppers), or check your order status if you've bought through Etsy.

I've returned to an overflowing inbox- so if you've sent me an email in the last 10 days- sit tight! I'm doing my best to reply to everybody as quickly as I can. Thanks for being so patient!

I'll do a proper photo post with some more of my favourite snaps from my break very soon- but in the mean time here's a couple to tide you over: A few of my favourite things about visiting Cyprus- amazing mosaic and cool ice-cream sandwiches!

Tour De Biscuit 2011

2011-07-22T15:04:00.007+01:00

Ok, so I may not be going to France, but I thought Tour De Biscuit was a pretty catchy name for my upcoming project.

Back in 2007 (During my days as a Kid's club rep overseas- I bet that's something you didn't know about me!) I was lucky enough to share an apartment in the Algarve with another lovely Kid's rep who was just as crazy about tea and biscuis as I am.
Every week we would sample a different biscuit and score it on a chart in our kitchen:

The top scoring biscuit, "Princess Biscuits" (with 73%) is a biscuit that you can actually get here in the UK, for about 80p from Lidl. They're basically two rich tea biscuits with chocolate (flavour!) cream in between, and come to think of it now, I don't know how they got such a high score. But we were addicted to them!

So, in the spirit of what was a really fun project, I've decided to do the same during my trip to Cyprus. I'll be scoring each biscuit I try on:

Appearance

Smell

Texture/Flavour

Size & Value For Money

Dunkability

If you want to join in, you can download your own Biscuit Score Sheet to print out, and fill in with a doodle of the biscuit in question and the all-important scores. I'll be uploading all of my biscuit analysis along when I get back, but in the mean time, you can post your completed Biscuit Score Sheets in the new Tour De Biscuit flickr group. Happy Dunking/Drawing/Scoring!

Here's a tea-inspired tune by the The Kinks to get you inspired!

New: Biscuits for your couch

2011-07-15T13:03:00.009+01:00

I've gone a bit blog-post crazy this week (three is quite a lot for me!) but I feel like I've had lots of news to share! Thanks to those who took the time to comment or send me a tweet me about my posts- it really is lovely to have some bloggy feedback!

Anyhoo- my main news this week is that I have not one, but two new designs in store. I shared my Chocolate Digestive cushion a few days ago- and am pleased to say that some have already found new homes in the UK and across the pond in the USA. This ace New Zealand blogger featured them in her "Cool For Kids" section- which is pretty ace too!

Also (pictured above and brand new today) are my Chocolate Malted Milk cushions! I can't wait to hear what folks think about them.

You can visit either my Folksy or Etsy Shop if you're thinking about adding either to your collection.

A Week in Pictures

2011-07-14T11:47:00.011+01:00

(From top left to bottom right) A lucky black cat. He was nice!; Homemade cheesecake with wild Scottish Strawberries from the garden; New Digestive Cushions in store now; Baking shortbread hearts; Pretty Pastel Hydrangeas and Mint & peach triangle nails (in Model's Own- Top Turquoise, Barry M- Mint Candy Apple and Chanel- Orange Fizz)

With just over a week to go now until my holiday in Cyprus, I thought I'd share some photos I've taken in the last week. While my camera of choice is my very nifty Canon G11, I don't always have room to carry it with me- which is where the iPhone comes in. I (finally!) downloaded the instagram app a few weeks ago and have been pretty much addicted to using it ever since.

Honda Made in Britain Style Competition

2011-06-30T10:44:00.005+01:00

A few months ago I entered my Custard Cream Cushions into Honda's facebook based Made in Britain: Style Competition. Aiming to promote homespun British design, the competition highlighted the fact that despite overseas manufacture has become commonplace for so many companies- that a lot of excellent British design (including various models of Honda Cars) are made right here in the UK- which is definitely a good thing!

Anyhoo- after the deadline of the competition was moved back due to the volume of entrants, I was really excited to find out last night that my cushions had been shortlisted as finalists! There are 28 other shortlisted entries including the work of two other Dundee locals: 2011 DJCAD Jewellery graduate Roisin Connolly and vintage-inspired maker Cissyface Vintage. What an abundance of talent Dundee holds!

In other news- thank you to everyone who left me a nice comment, tweeted or blogged about my "Sugared Alan" biscuits inspired by this week's challenge on The Apprentice. I thoroughly enjoyed last nights show (mainly as it was all about biscuits)- however I'm still waiting for ASDA to get in touch with their six-figure offer for exclusivity on my biscuit idea!

"You're Fired!"

2011-06-27T23:40:00.006+01:00

I didn't watch the previous series of The Apprentice- but I've found myself totally addicted to the current one. Most of all- the thing that intruiges me about it- is how they've managed to choose a group of hopefuls which despite their supposed business accumen are practically devoid of any creative flair. The episode about creating the pet food brand and the "freemium" magazine had me shouting at the telly.

So that's why when they announced at the end of last week's show that this week's challenge would be to create a new biscuit- I was excited. Biscuits: now that's my area of expertise! I doodled a few ideas before popping my shortbread creation in the oven this afternoon.

Ladies and gentlemen- I give you: Sugared Alans! Packed with extra sugary energy for high-flying young go-getters and the recently fired alike, Sugared Alans are a perfect everyday treat.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Team Logic and Venture are going to come up with to rival my Alan Sugar inspired munchies.

Morning Coffee, anyone?

2011-06-20T10:10:00.002+01:00

After rooting through my sketchbook last night I came across this little "watercolour" Morning Coffee biscuit I painted a while ago. (I say watercolour in inverted commas as I actually painted it in black coffee. So I suppose that would make it "Coffeecolour")

Things Which Have Made Today Brilliant

2011-06-14T21:46:00.006+01:00

Before I start- I'd like to say Thank You! to everyone who has made a nice comment or taken the time to blog (Craftsville and ILike) or tweet about my new Caramel Wafer cushions. It was really great to get such positive feedback and so many sales in their first week- so for that- Cheers very much!

So- today I found myself in the Scotland's fair city of Perth. I didn't have much time to myself but I did get a look in a few of the many charity shops in the centre. I resisted a lot- however did get a huge selection of embroidery threads which I'd been on the look out for this week after seeing this nostalgic tutorial for Freindship Bracelets via Fashimi's twitter. I also found little packets of vintage postage stamps from all over the world. I got about 40 for £1.00. The ones in the photo are from 1958 Hungary. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them- but the artwork on some of them is so beautiful I couldn't resist.

And then- I arrived home to find my hand-printed Crystal Forms tote bag by Cuppateaandcake - had arrived. It is really beautiful in "real life" and I absolutely can't wait to tote around my wares in it. I suggest you order one today!

As an unrelated treat- here's a photo of my mum's stripy cat, Alfie with his new Caramel wafer cushion. It's stripes-city!

New Cushions: Caramel Wafers

2011-06-03T14:40:00.004+01:00

So after a week of late nights, and long days screen-printing, they're here! They have been my most time consuming make yet- with not one, but TWO layers of hand-printed fabric which I've appliqued together. I'm so pleased with how they've turned out- It's going to be hard sending these away to their new homes!

My new Caramel Wafer inspired cushions are available to buy in my shop. Happy days!

DJCAD Degree Show 2011: My Highlights

2011-05-23T18:23:00.006+01:00

Well- time really does fly and I can't believe that it has been three years since I put on my Fine Art Show at Duncan of Jordanstone. My work has changed so much since then- and I'm altogether more design-led in what I do now- but if you fancy a nosey at my expressive Fine Art roots then you can peruse the photos from my show- feedback welcome!

Anyway- less about me...the current DJCAD Degree show opened last Friday, and runs all of this week until Sunday the 29th of May. There is tonnes to see- and today I went back for my second look. Below is a list of my personal recommendations of what you should explore the Duncan of Jordanstone labyrinth to find.

Sarah Johnston - Fine Art

I really liked Sarah's whole space- it had a lovely crisp, minimal feel but with plenty of humour and character. I especially loved her "My life is a mess: Why?" book of questions. You can see more of Sarah's work here.

Hannah Champion: Art, Philosophy & Contempory Practices

I'm not usually one for video art- but I spent ages in this space. The aerobics ladies are teamed up with a pretty repulsive eating-cake-off-the ground video. While the repetitive audio/visual of the 80's aerobics gals takes precedence at first glance, I found myself filtering the beat out to concentrate on the cake video. I'm not sure if it made me want to do any excercise- but it did put me off cake (a bit- this a pretty mean feat when it comes to myself and cake). You can see more of Hannah's work over on her blog but her space (the outdoor sculpture sheds) is definitely worth a visit! [screenshot courtesy of Hannah's Blog]

Nicola Keir - Textile Design

Nicola Keir's work was easily my favourite part of the textile design show. I felt that there was quite a noticable presence of new technology amongst the exhibits (hello, laser-cutter!) and it was really nice to see someone going back to basics with an entirely hand-made approach. I'd happily have any of these gorgeously chunky and nostalgic floor cushions and pouffes- they are lovely!

Down-time: Baking and Haircuts

2011-05-16T21:33:00.008+01:00

I read an interesting proverb about "work" this week: It was about how a wood-cutter's wood-chopping ability decreased over time- not because he stopped working hard, but because he was so busy working his hardest- he forgot to sharpen his axe.

So, with that in mind, I decided to sharpen my axe today, by going for a haircut, and doing some baking!

I've not had a proper haircut in about 4 months- and when I saw that there was a Groupon deal for a £14 Cut and Blow-dry at Dundee's Retro Hair, I decided that this would be a good time! If you were wondering what it was like before: it was about twice as long and thrice as straggly. Much better!

I also baked these amazing Cinnamon Rolls (this is the photo just before I added the cream-cheese frosting). Cinnamon is my absolute favourite flavour of sweet treat- and I feel quite clever that I made them all by myself- as I always thought they'd be really tricky to make. I used a No-Yeast recipe and substituted the buttermilk (which is pretty hard to get in Scotland) with a yoghurt/milk mix- and they are delicious.

Under Construction

2011-04-25T10:15:00.008+01:00

After locking myself in the flat for the last week- I have finally started to get my head around web-design. It's a slow process but I'm learning lots and I'm definitely on my way to having my very own, built-by-me website! You can have a peep as it is at the moment over at http://www.nikkimcwilliams.com/.

I'll be putting it all together along with a nice fresh new look over the next few weeks- and will let you know when the grand unveiling will take place

In the mean time keep up with me on twitter.

The Weather is Sweet

2011-04-08T15:10:00.004+01:00

Not only yesterday was I praying for time to move a bit faster towards my sunny holiday in Cyprus this July- and now the weather in Dundee is GLORIOUS! So, this morning I set up office on my window ledge, opened the window and caught me some rays: as this might be my only opportunity to get some sunshine:

A) In Scotland

B) In April

C) From my gardenless 4th floor flat.

I'm tryin on the garden front though- check out my jolly Daffodils outside! And seeing as the weather is warming up- it is most definitely time to break out the Ice Cream Sandwiches! The ones in my photo above are so easy to make- they're just a good vanilla ice cream in between 2 digestives- then put back into the freezer to turn the biscuit slightly soft. So good!

Lovely Pigeon: Beards and Tiaras

2011-04-04T20:48:00.005+01:00

I got some fab news this morning when I found out that my Princess Mallow drawing is to be included in the Lovely Pigeon Beards and Tiaras exhibition in Anstruther from the 29th of April to the 9th of May. Not only will there be an exhibition of beardy and tiara-laden artwork, but also, A Right Royal Pop-Up- where my Nikkimade biscuity design will be available to buy!

My Princess Mallow will be onsale alongside the work of some fabulous artists and illustrators for the price of £25.

So if your invite for the royal wedding has gotten lost in the post- celebrate in style with Lovely Pigeon and co!

A Mother's Day Jaunt to Say No To Plastic

2011-03-31T10:50:00.003+01:00

It was a lovely surprise this week to find out that I'll have a stall at this coming Sunday's Say Not To Plastic Vintage & Craft Fair at the fabulous Oran Mor on Byres Road in Glasgow.

It'll be the second outing for Nikkimade at Oran Mor and with lots of new designs and old favourites- it's going to be great! Why not bring along your Mum and treat her to a huggable biscuit for her couch this Mother's Day- they'll last longer than flowers and they're just as jolly!

As a treat for any of my blog readers who swing by- I'll be giving away 5 Golden Tickets which will entitle you to a Nikkimade goodie-bag with any purchase you make on the day. All you have to do to get your hands on one of these is drop me a line at n[dot]c[dot]mcwilliams[at]gmail[dot]com with your name, and "Golden Ticket" in the subject header. It's first come, first served- so be quick!

You can RSVP via the facebook event by clicking here. See you there!

It's All Greek To Me: Oreos

2011-03-29T14:02:00.007+01:00

I've had this one under my hat for a little while now- but I'm now so excited to show off the new cushion in my collection- inspired by the best black and white biscuits going: Oreos!

I was doing a bit of research on Oreos (which honestly consisted of more than just eating them) and I came across a few interesting facts. One of which is that the word "oreo" means Lovely in greek (so my greek mum tells me) which I can definitely agree with.

My new Oreo inspired cushions will be available to buy soon in my Folksy and Etsy shops in time for Mother's day!

My New Cushions and Our New Couch

2011-03-17T20:57:00.008Z

One of my goals this year was to design a new cushion- and I did that a wee while back when I introduced the Custard Cream cushion. I had a few more doodles in the sketchbook- and I was saving them until I had a week away from the day-job to try them out- and these are what I came up with- all new Chocolate Bourbon Cushion (And here they are displayed on our smart new couch!)

They're bigger than any cushion I've made yet (at a whopping 12" x 24") and are made from a lovely thick chocolate brown cotton.

On another note- I recently entered the Honda: Made in Britain design competition- and was lucky enough to be asked by their team to do a little interview with them. You can read what they asked me and what I said here.

I've noticed a few new followers lately- so hello to you all! Don't forget to leave me a wee comment to say hello :)

Springtime Giveaway

2011-03-08T17:00:00.004Z

UPDATE: This giveaway is now CLOSED! Thanks to all who entered- Winners to be announced soon!

Last month, I introduced two new prints to my shop: Malted Milks & Kettle Compendium. To keep things nice and simple, all of my Screen-Prints including my House of Teacakes print are now all priced at £8.

And to celebrate my new easy-peasy pricing structure, I've decided to have a little giveaway! To win one of these limited edition prints, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post before the 15th of March at 18:00 (GMT) with a wee hello and which print you'd like, if you were to win. Three lucky winners will then be chosen at random.

Good luck!

Charity Shop Challenge: February

2011-02-25T12:14:00.005Z

If you read regularly, or follow me on twitter you'll be excited about today, becauase as the last Friday of the month, it is the very first Charity Shop Challenge! Lots of folks have already joined the Flickr group that a some of us set up a few weeks ago (see original post) and today I uploaded my star-find.

It's actually 2 things- the first one was a batch of old zips (priced in shillings and old pence) which were 3-for-10p. Total bargain.

The second is probably just as great a bargain- a Liberty pansy printed cotton skirt- which was only £3.49 from the local Bernardo's. It was elasticated at the waist, and a little long for me, so with a bit of sewing-maching magic, I took it up a few inches at the hem and added a proper waist-band and the zip at the back...et voila!

For lots of other excellent thrifted outfits, check out the Charity Shop Challenge Flickr group, and be sure to tweet your additions with the hashtag, #charityshopchallenge!

New in Store: Prints

2011-02-24T12:23:00.006Z

Yesterday I treated myself to a day in the studio printing some brand new work. It's always so exciting trying out colours and seeing your work come together in a new medium- and once you get going, screen-printing is so satisfying! I managed to print two (go me!) new editions of prints.

Both my Kettle Compendium and Malted Milk prints are available now in my Folksy shop, for only £8.00 each.

Sunflower Babies

2011-02-21T16:29:00.002Z

One of my personal resoloutions for 2011 was to try to make more time for myself in amongst work and the day job and everything else- so- in the last few weeks I've been trying my hand at a little gardening. Well, not so much gardening (due to our crucial lack of garden) but more window-sill plant cultivation.

And it seems to be going well, for now! These are my baby Sunflowers, which were grown from seeds from Poundland (which has a wealth of garden-supplies for beginners like me) and despite being in their own little pots now, they started off life all together in an old Ferrero Roche tub.

I'm waterring them everyday and making sure they're nice and warm so they'll grow up to be big and strong!

It's Pretty Much the Best Drawing I Ever Did...

2011-02-14T20:59:00.003Z

This valentines, I borrowed an idea from one of my all-time favourite movie characters, and drew my beloved in true Napoleon Dynamite style.

Of course, my Michael is far more handsome: and if you were wondering- the shading on the upper-lip didn't take as long as the original Napoleon drew of Trisha. And if you havn't seen Napoleon Dynamite yet- I suggest you do!

eBay Yard Sale 2011

2011-02-10T13:12:00.003Z

Living in a city centre flat, I don't have a yard (and if I did, living outside of the States it'd probably be called a Garden) so I can't have a "Yard Sale", in "Real-Life". Thank goodness for eBay- who'll be hosting my 2011 Yard Sale for the next 9 days.

There's loads of really great clothes starting from only 99p that I've not worn in a long while, and need to find a new home. Have a raid through my wardrobe today and get yourself a bargain!

Charity Shop Challenge

2011-02-08T22:32:00.005Z

UPDATE: We now have a flickr page to upload your finds to: check it out!

Twitter is a wonderful communication tool, especially for those of us who are self-employed and don't have a regular team of buddies to work beside. Today, a wee group of us (who all love a good rummage in our local charity shops) decided to go bargain hunting, then report back with any exciting finds.

The idea of rummaging en masse seemed to appeal to many a twitter-friend, and so Charity Shop Challenge was born!

Hilary took the liberty of penning our Charity Shop Challenge guidelines. I can't wait to get going!

The Guidlines

1. Your outfit must comprise of a key-garment from a charity shop plus any other pieces/accessories etc to make up an 'ensemble'.
2. Annotate your outfit. Include a description of the garments/ where you bought or found each piece/ price of charity find.
3. Upload your image onto your blog by the last friday of each month.
4. On the last friday of the month tell everyone about it and tweet with the hashtag #charityshopchallenge
5. Extra credit for those who customise their charity shop find.

Photo of a very cool New York Salvation Army store via www.inherclosetandco.com

New Couch Biscuits

2011-02-06T20:36:00.006Z

After the creation of my Tunnock's Teacake Cushions last year, I've spread my screen-printing wings into the world of couch decoration!

This week, I finally got around to realising a cushion idea that had been floating around in the back of my head since I was at Art School. I'd started experimenting with quilting, and inevitably I quilted a biscuit.

So, here it is- the Custard Cream Cushion! It's hand-printed onto lovely cotton, and is available to buy right now in my Folksy shop.

New Jumper, New Drawing

2011-02-01T10:09:00.003Z

In my attempts to firstly do more drawing, and also to take more time out to relax, I spent a little while yesterday buying myself a new jumper, and then drawing it's knitted pattern.

I usually find clothes shopping on the high street pretty uninspiring, but this lovely pillarbox red cotton knit caught my eye in Zara yesterday. I've probably got too many jumpers, but then living in Scotland a wardrobe stocked full of woolies in pretty much essential.

Happy Frosty February everyone!

Papergirl Glasgow and Malted Milks

2011-01-28T15:27:00.003Z

Today I've sent off a big fat parcel full of prints to the Papergirl Glasgow project.

Papergirl is a really excellent public art project which started in Berlin not too long ago. The concept is simple. Anybody with a passion for drawing, whether it be biro scribbles or pastel portraits contributes art- the only limitations are- that it needs to be rollable. And it needs to be rollable, as all of the art is then rolled up and tossed (Paper-boy/girl style, of course) from a moving bicycle. Amazing.

With Papergirl groups now formed in Manchester, Bucharest, Cape Town and Albany, I'm so excited to be submitting my work for the first round of deliveries set to hit Glasgow this coming March.

I've sent a limited edition of 10 gouache embellished digital prints- as pictured above. I'm hoping to get into the studio soon to do a similar screen print, so never fear if you miss out on the Papergirl edition, there'll be one arriving in the shop very soon!

Bad Moon Rising

2011-01-21T20:22:00.002Z

A few month ago, the Rowan Goliath oil rig arrived in Dundee, and since then has been lighting up the sky and providing us with a bright view from our city flat's window.

Papa's Got a Brand New Bag

2011-01-19T15:20:00.004Z

Well, so far I've not managed to stick to my Weekly Blogging resolution- however- I promise that is because I've been super busy with the rest of them!

I've been drawing some of the excellent Christmas gifts I was lucky enough to receive this year, including this beautiful little chestnut leather satchel, by The Cambridge Satchel Company. It's just big enough for an A5 sketchbook and a few essentials- and it's not unlike my first school bag.

I'm also a step closer to fulfilling my Swim in the Sea resolution- as I've been invited to my cousin's wedding in Cyprus. Our family haven't been all together in the one place for at least 20 years, when my Granparents moved home to the little sunny island when I was a wee girl- so I really can't wait to see everyone on such a lovely occasion!

Relaxation and Resolutions

2011-01-01T23:51:00.005Z

Well, hello 2011! I can't believe a whole year has passed- it has absolutely flown. So much has happened this year, and after taking some time to relax and recharge I can't wait to make a start on some new projects.

I've got a few goals for the coming year- which I'll be making a start on very soon, including:

1. Make a zine

2. Invent a new cushion for my Folksy shop

3. Do more drawing

4. Blog weekly

5. Make an edition of screen-prints

6. Get back into yoga

7. Learn stained-glass making

8. Look for some new savoury-food recipes

9. Pay off my student loan

10. Swim in the sea (preferrably a warm one)

11. Have a giveaway

Thank you to anybody who has taken the time to read anything I've written here over the last year, those of you who have visited my shop, or have followed me on twitter- I promise I'll work hard to bring you more in the new year.

A Year in Prints: Hogmanay Sale

2010-12-31T13:53:00.006Z

Well 2010 is drawing to an end and it's time again to get organised and ready for another creative year. What better way to start the new year than with a new calendar! A Year In Prints is collection of hand printed calendar artwork by artists and illustrators in Dundee, Birminham and Chicago IL. The calendar is loose leaf- which means you can display it however you like, in a frame, hung on a bulldog clip or simply pinned to the wall with all your important dates circled.

From the 31st of December onwards, we will be selling the remaining calendars at a reduced price with 25% off so get yours while you still can. There's 12 beautiful hand printed artworks for each month of the year- so visti the A Year in Prints store today and don't miss out!

Winding Down for Christmas & Getting Ready for New Year

2010-12-20T21:51:00.005Z

With today being my Last-Post day for Christmas orders in the shop I've spent the second half of today having the first proper time to myself in ages!

If you're still thinking about ordering anything from Nikkimade, i'll still be posting up until Thursday this week- however those orders won't arrive until after Christmas time.

If you're off to any nice New Years shin-digs this hogmanay and you 're taking your host a celebratory gift- why not consider a project I worked on this year with the very talented knitted textile ace Hilary Grant- A Year In Prints. This collection of 12 original screen-prints will see you through 2011 with a different piece of artwork for every month. With work from Dundee to Chicago- including hellojenuine, Tracey Smith, Lauren Gentry and Heather Page, this pack of 12 screen prints is an utter bargain at only £2 a print (£24 in total). Check out Hilary's blog for loads more pictures and artist profiles- and the A Year in Prints Shop to buy yours!

Pictured (top: November, by Hilary Grant; bottom, left to right: prints by hellojenuine, Chloe Cook & Jo Foster)

Dundee's Statues & Their Winter Woolies

2010-12-03T18:26:00.006Z

I don't know if any other Dundee dwellers have noticed- but our city's statues have been looking pretty cosy over the last few weeks. It all started a few weeks ago, when I noticed that the bronze penguins outside Dundee Steeple Church were all wrapped up in very jolly hand-knitted red and white scarves! And it seemed like more than a coincidence when our Rabbie Burns at McManus Galleries started sporting an equally lovely striped hand-knit.

And these are only the ones that I've managed to photograph- also spotted dressed for the cold have been Dundee's Deperate Dan (in front of the Caird Hall) and the little bronze monkey who sits atop the Information board on High Street.

Any why not? Glasgow's famous Duke of Wellington statue famously wears a traffic cone hat for most of the year- and across the water knitta decorates everyday city life with brightly coloured crochets and knits. And the nicest thing about the knitting that's been appearing around town, is that it's been created by resident knitters- Ardler Knitting Group. It's public art, created by those who live and work around the existing monuments- with the simple message of warmth, empathy, good will and community through the cold winter months.

Christmas Last Posting Dates 2010

2010-11-28T23:58:00.005Z

So, this is it- the first official mention of Christmas on my blog! I've had a busy few weeks over at the Nikkimade shop, and with December just around the corner we're very quickly nearing the last posting dates for things bought from my shop. So, if you're planning on ordering something biscuity for a loved one this year, be sure and get your order in by the following dates:

UK - 19th of December

Western Europe - 11th of December

Eastern Europe, USA and Canada - 8th of December

South & Central America, Caribbean, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Far East (including Japan), Australia and New Zealand - 4th of December

On a cushiony note- my original Teacake Cushions are currently available on Pre-Order only, which will be available to be dispatched on Friday the 3rd of December. If you can't wait to add some Tunnock's goodness to your couch, there's a limited number of my new blue cushions available right now!

A Year in Prints

2010-11-26T19:00:00.000Z

A few months ago, fellow DJCAD graduate Hilary Grant and myself embarked on a project to collaborate with 10 other artists to produce a collection of original artwork to see us through the following year.

Each artist involved produced a limited edition run of only 50 silk-screen prints- one for each month of the year. We had submissions from all over the UK, and even one from across the water in the United States. Each print in the collection is individually beautiful and together, A Year in Prints is an eclectic and original way to enjoy a different piece of art every month.

With original prints by: Jen Collins (aka hellojenuine), Chloe Cook, Jo Foster, Tracey Smith, Rae Duncan, Mahala LeMay, Liz Myhill, Lauren Gentry, Jordan Butler, Hilary Grant, Heather Page and myself, our calendar, A Year in Prints is available at our dedicated online shop, for only £24- which works out at an amazing rate of £2 per print. Pretty sweet, right?

For more photos, head on over to our Flickr group, or visit our shop to bag yours today.

Absent With-Out Blogging

2010-11-15T20:45:00.008Z

I've been a bit blog-AWOL for the last few weeks- and this is because I have been super-duper busy!

So here's a sneaky peek into what I've been up to:

My Teacake Cushions were featured in The List Magazine's Christmas gift guide alongside some amazing sweet treats- look out for my limited edition Dark Chocolate Teacake cushions, coming just in time for the festive season!

I've been in the studio printing for my contribution to the Year in Prints 2011 calendar project- I'm really pleased with how my July print turned out and I can't wait to show you all! It'll be available to buy online and at the next Dundee Jamboree event very soon!

Which brings me to Jamboree! Jen, Lauren and I have been pulling everything together for our winter market event: Petite Noël! For all of the details, and how you can be involved visit the Jamboree blog.

Us Jamboree ladies were also pleased to be asked to give a lecture at Duncan of Jordanstone on our successes together so far- although it was nerve-wracking- it was such a rewarding experience and really cool to be back in the hallowed halls of DJCAD!

Tights for Sore Eyes have been keeping Danni and I up to our elbows in ink and Lycra- we've got loads of new designs and colours in our shop- and a few events in our calendar for the winter season. Follow us on twitter @tights4soreeyes to keep up with us!

As for me- I'm still tweeting as @Nikkimcwilliams- so follow me and say hello:)

Welcome To My Humble Abode!

2010-10-20T20:01:00.003+01:00

Come in, come in! Welcome to my teacakey home!

In September, I opened my first solo exhibition, FOILED- at The Spider & The Fly gallery, Edinburgh- which is set to close this week. Whilst it's sad that my exhibition is coming to an end, the silver lining is that all of the drawings I exhibited sold- and found some lovely new homes!

For those who didn't make it along for a chance to own one of the original drawings on show, I've produced a limited edition run of screen prints, based on one of the original FOILED drawings.

Each hand-pulled screen print features two colours, plus the addition of individually collaged Tunnock's Teacake Foil for every little hill-top home!

Emblazened with the slogan, " A House Full of Teacakes is a Happy One"- each print for sale over at my Folksy Shop right now, for £22.00. As a limited run of only 40, once these little gems are gone, they're gone!

A Big Owl, by Popular Demand!

2010-10-17T22:00:00.006+01:00

After I've had several custom order requests on my Teacake Owl print, I've decided to introduce it in a new larger size!

So, for those who'd like a slightly more substantial Teacake Owl in their lives, this little guy is printed on 21 x 29.7cm 250gsm ice white matte photo paper- and it's ready for you to choose the perfect frame for! Visit my Folksy shop today for bigger Teacake Owls and loads more!

NikkiMade Teacake Cushions to Order

2010-10-02T00:22:00.002+01:00

After a Septemeber feast, my screen-printed Tunnock's Teacake cushions are out of stock.

Never fear though, I'm hard at work cutting, printing, sewing and stuffing a fresh batch, which will be ready for delivery on Friday the 8th of October. In the mean time you can pre-order yours.

Ok...back to work I go!

Badge Making with Me

2010-09-27T19:27:00.006+01:00

To accompany my exhibition, FOILED at The Spider and the Fly this month- I'm running my Meet and Make: Badge Making workshop this Tuesday the 5th of October.

If you're based in Edinburgh and are even a teeny bit curious about what it takes to make your own badges, swing by between 6.30pm and 9pm and i'll promise you won't be dissapointed!

Designing your own badges is really addictive: they make fab presents for friends and family, and are also a great way to publicise your own artwork and even earn some extra cash. I'll be bringing along my collection of collage materials as well as loads of pens and pencils to draw your own on the night...OR you can download my templates for larger 58mm badges and 25mm button badges and have your designs ready to bring along with you!

Most importantly- it's FREE to come along and mingle, and prices start from only 30p per badge you make. RSVP via my facebook event. There will of course be Free refreshments for those taking part- and any suggestions for cake (leave a comment below!) are most welcome!

Over the hills and far away

2010-09-25T21:25:00.002+01:00

I don't often get Saturdays off work, but today we took a trip to my folk's house in the hillfoots of Clackmannanshire (move aside mediterranean) and took a wee jaunt up to Dollar Glen. The weather was fantastically sunny and warm for late September and we trecked past babbling brooks and cascading waterfalls and stopped by Castle Campbell for a picnic ciabatta rolls, Kettle Chips and apple juice!

There were loads of brambles which has inspired me to try and make some jelly. Perhaps my Sunday will turn out to be a day of bramble-picking... If anyone has any good recipes, let me know!

What a Lovely Mug

2010-09-22T19:12:00.003+01:00

Introducing, the "A Cup of Tea Solves Everything" Mug! I had one made up for myself a while back, and I was so pleased with the results, I've decided to stock them in my folksy shop.

They've been professionally printed onto a lovely delicate Bone China Mug, which has a super glossy finish and is fine to be popped into the dishwasher or microwave!

Priced at £10 they're an ace treat for yourself or any tea-loving friend! Visit my shop today!

Wine, biscuits & Conversation Pieces

2010-09-15T10:53:00.010+01:00

So yesterday I enlisted the help of the lovely Lauren Gentry for the hanging of my exhibition, FOILED at the Spider and the Fly in Edinburgh.

With some nice wine and some homemade chocolate shortbread for guests, there was a good turn-out of very nice people, and two out of four of my drawings sold! They seemed to go down a treat, so I'm definately considered doing some more drawing in the very near future. One of my guests was particularly impressed that I'd gone for teacake wrapper themed nails for the occassion!

I'll be revisiting the very cosy Spider and the Fly on the 5th of October for a drop-in badge making workshop, and after a small taste of Edinburgh, I'm excited about my return! For more details, and to let me know you're coming along, visit the event page. My work will be on display until the 2nd of November.

As well as this- one of my teacake cushions is also currently up-for-grabs over at the fantastic Conversation Pieces blog give-away. All you need to do is describe why you'd like one, and you'll be in with a chance to win!

Updates: foliage, foil and freak weather

2010-09-12T20:56:00.003+01:00

Well, what a week!

After a foot and a half of rain in Dundee on Tuesday, I decided to reschedule my exhibition opening at the Spider and the Fly to this Tuesday, the 14th of September to prevent damage in transit. Pop along this Tuesday at 6.30pm to see my new work, have a bit of a mingle and maybe even eat some teacakes!

Also, last night was the evening of n_ilk at the botanic gardens, and I ventured through the gardens with the ladies of Dundee Jamboree to set up the market for the day. With a fantastic turn out, our cosy little hut in the centre of the gardens was a truly amazing venue for our event, being surrounded by amazing music from the tropical glasshouse and acoustic tent surrounding us.

Thank you to everyone who came along, looked, bought, ate and listened!

FOILED at the Spider & The Fly

2010-09-02T12:05:00.006+01:00

Calling all Edinburgh dwellers and beyond! This coming Tuesday the 7th of September, I'll be opening my very first solo exhibition at the Spider and the Fly Gallery! In the last year, Tunnock's has become a massive part of my life, and in Foiled i'll be showcasing drawing and sculpture which pay tribute to the hallowed Teacake, The Tunnock's family business and Scottish Culture.

Everything I'm showing at the Spider and the Fly is brand new work, never seen previously online. Drawings will be for sale at the gallery on the opening night, and up until the 2nd of November.

So come along to the Spider and the Fly (65 Bread Street, Edinburgh EH3 9AH) this Tuesday the 7th between 6.30pm and 8.30pm for a special preview with free drinks and Tunnock's goodies for early birds! RSVP via facebook.

Also, check out the article I wrote on the Spider and the Fly in this month's copy of the Skinny and you can also view it online.

Micro Holiday in Barcelona

2010-08-30T20:44:00.008+01:00

Having just (almost) caught up with my work, I thought it'd be nice to share a little bit about my "micro" holiday in Barcelona last week. I'm calling it a "micro" holiday, as it was probably shorter than a standard "mini break" - with only one full day in the city.

We arrived in Barcelona at about 7pm, met my folks at the bus station and went to their lovely apartment for a shower before dinner.

Just across from the port is a monument: it's a column with Christopher Columbus atop. It looked nice at sunset.

With so much to see in the streets of La Rambla we didn't get any food until late, saw some amazing street performers including a really amazing Geiger style alien and ate cinnamon ice-cream. Yum!

So Tuesday was our full day. We decided to get an open-top bus to absorb as much sunshine and sights as we could in one day. On the way we stopped to feed the fish at the harbour.

Our first stop was La Sagrada Familia, which was truly breathtaking. We didn't go inside as we spent so long outside looking at all of the detail. Lizards, doves, snails, angels- all in stone and mosaic. Beautiful!

After grabbing some lunch, Gaudi's Parc Guell was next on the agenda. I could have easily spent a whole day there, with a picnic and some coloured pencils, the architecture and view of the city was amazing.

We bussed it back down to the city and saw La Pedrera & Casa Batllo before jumping off at Barceloneta Beach. It had been an absolutely boiling day so we literally ran into the sea to cool down. It was lovely.

After drying off I picked up a badge by AndaPanda, who had a little stall on the beachfront. She makes lovely badges by hand, with very cute Japanese fabrics. As you'd imagine, I couldn't resist!

We went back to the apartment and got ready for dinner and decided to go to a restaurant that we'd seen to be queued out the door, by about 15metres. We decided to brave the wait at Les Quinze Nits assuming that such an enormous queue must mean good things. After 45 mins outside, we were seated and eating what must have been the tastiest and most reasonably priced food in Barcelona. I had a delicious chorizo entre, lovely spicey meatloaf with mustard sauce and potato puree, salad with goats cheese and honey dressing, a whole jug of sangria and a totally chocolately chocolate brownie with stracciatella icecream for pudding. Four of us ate like that, for $20 each. I'd reccomend this place to everybody!

But you've heard of "power naps" and how refreshing and invigorating a 20 minute snooze can be in the middle of the day. Well, with that in mind, this was definately a "power holiday" as after 24hours in another country, it felt like Scotland had never existed.

The Spider and the Fly

2010-08-19T15:42:00.003+01:00

As you may or may not know, I'm an occassional writer for the Fashion and Craft section of Scotland's art and popular culture mag, The Skinny. This month I was asked to detail the many exciting events going on at The Spider and the Fly pop-up shop and gallery space. There's all sorts: from workshops, to tea parties- which is going to make The Spider and the Fly a popular haunt for all local crafters, designers, makers, and lovers of tea.

Click here for the full article.

I am Published

2010-08-04T10:26:00.002+01:00

After the first Dundee Jamboree event earlier this year, I wrote an article on our the journey of Jumpers and Jamboree from conception to realisation.

With the next Dundee Jamboree event in the pipeline (check out the blog for full details) my article has been published on the Pubic Art Scotland website!

With an introduction by editor Ruth Barker, Short Notice: an account of a whirlwind show is available to be read online now.

Good Times in my Folksy Shop

2010-08-02T21:53:00.003+01:00

So, it's been 10 months since my wee Folksy shop opened it's digital doors last November. With a busy month due to the addition of my new screen-printed Teacake Cushion, I am so chuffed to announce that not only have I reached my 100th sale, but I've also become a Folksy Featured Seller!

Along with other new featured sellers, the NikkiMade shop has been included over on the Folksy Blog.

I've also just added a few things which until now have only been available to buy from me at fairs and events: my A Cup of Tea Solves Everything Notebook and Hand-Cast Custard Cream Brooch.

NikkiMade @ The Spider & The Fly

2010-07-20T08:51:00.004+01:00

This week's excellent news is that NikkiMade will be making it's first appearance in Scotland's Capital- at Edinburgh's The Spider & The Fly Pop-Up Shop and Gallery this Saturday the 24th at Noon. I'll be selling my Tunnock's Cushions, Badges and Prints, alongside some fabulous designers- whose work is previewed below.

Also- my cousin Danni and I's Tights For Sore Eyes will also be making an appearance!

With the prospect of fabulous things to see, buy, make and do- and even a cup of tea and a bun- The Spider and the Fly is the place to be this weekend! Here's a wee map to make sure you find your way safely- to top it all off- it's on the delicious-sounding Bread Street!

A Day of Rewards

2010-07-05T21:15:00.006+01:00

After a fab day at Oran Mor yesterday I decided to treat myself to a day of charity shop raking. I picked up this fabulous wee house (which I'm sure I've seen before in either a dream or a previous life) and also- a new (old) Basket Bag! I've been looking out for one recently, as my old faithful basket bag bit the dust last summer. After a little bath, this one's looking amazing- I love it!

Teacakes for your couch

2010-07-03T15:10:00.005+01:00

What a busy morning I've had already! I'm using this morning to prepare for Say No To Plastic tomorrow at Oran Mor, Glasgow.

I'll be previewing my newest creation- the Tunnock's Teacake Cushion tomorrow- which I just finished making a big batch of today. Screen-printed at Dundee's DCA print studios- these Teacake inspired plushies have been really popular with all who've seen them already, and I've even sold a few!

They're currently available over at my Folksy shop- so pop your head round the door when you get a chance!

If you're coming along to Oran Mor tomorrow afternoon, i'll be there with NikkiMade (of course with some Teacake cushions!), as well as my cousin Danni and I's Tights For Sore Eyes, which are currently only available to buy at the shows we attend...so we'll see you there!

NikkiMade & Tights For Sore Eyes @ the Dundee Literary Festival

2010-06-23T22:54:00.004+01:00

Nikkimade and Tights for Sore Eyes will be making a very special appearance at Dundee Literary Festival's Pop Up Shop in Dundee Uni's Dalhousie Building. It's on from now until this Saturday 26th of June- so pop in to get your hands on some of this!:

Amongst those pictured above, there's work on sale by Hilary Grant, Jona Rona, hellojenuine, Val Norris & Jill Skullina. Thank you and good luck with Zoe of Jill of Two Dolls in running the shop over the next few days.

Jo Foster (aka Jona Rona) and I will be lending a hand this Friday afternoon- and we'd love to meet you if you're in town!

Opening hours are: Thursday 11am-7pm

Friday 9am - 7pm

Saturday 11am - 7pm

Craft Party Photos

2010-06-21T08:55:00.003+01:00

As promised, here's the rest of the photos of Friday's Etsy Craft Party. Well done to Jen for such a colourful set of pictures!

Etsy Party Fun at the DCA

2010-06-20T20:09:00.003+01:00

Thank you to everybody who came along to our Dundee Etsy Craft Party on Friday at the DCA! As our party was in the top 50 worldwide Craft Parties, we received an amazing box of goodies from Etsy- which arrived just in the nick of time on Friday morning. With bunting, DIY projects and cake in tow- we set up camp in the DCA Activity room.

It was great to have so many enthusiastic visitors- who crafted, had a good chat, ate some really nice food (thanks to those who brought along the nibbles!), drank plenty of tea and made some really cool things.

Jen took loads of snaps (like the one of my Etsy cupcakes at the top) which we'll upload to the Dundee Jamboree flickr really soon. In the mean time, check out Jen's post at Dundee Jamboree.

We'll also be announcing the winners of the Tote Bags- so keep an eye on your inboxes- if your name was in the draw!

Handmade Nation & Etsy Craft Party updates

2010-06-15T16:40:00.005+01:00

As I mentioned before, I've got a fair bit of blogging to catch up with! The screening of Handmade Nation was excellent last Wednesday. (Poster above by hellojenuine) I felt that I really connected with a lot of the folks interviewed in the film- not only sharing a love for the DIY ethic, but also the fantastic community that seemed to be the centre of those who's work the film documented.

One of the things which I really enjoy about visual arts occassions- whether they be exhibition openings, craft sales or indeed film screenings- is the opportunity to meet up with other creatives, from old friends to new faces.

The director of the film, Faythe Levine even gave us a shout-out for our Etsy Craft Party- which Jen and I have been working so hard to prepare for. We've got a few DIY mini projects for you to try out, while you grab a cuppa, some Etsy birthday cake and have a natter. If you've got your own craft projects you'd like to bring along to keep you busy then we'd love to see them too. Check out the Dundee Jamboree Blog for more information- RSVP via our Facebook event or just come along to the DCA this Friday the 18th of June at 7.30pm. It's free!