Did you see last week's blog? We introduced you to the first four of our many artists and makers that will be taking part at our Crafty Christmas Market from December 1st - 3rd! Now we are back for more! Meet Kim, Rachel, Clara, Vixie, and Terry! 

The Christmas Countdown has begun! In less than two weeks we will be excitedly opening the doors to our Crafty Christmas Market on Spare Street.

In case you are as curious as we are and simply cannot wait to see what all will be on offer, this series is shedding some light on the beautiful arts and crafts that will be for sale at our market!

Meet Kimberley Westwood

Kimberly Westwood is the founder of 'Just Kim Prints', a sports luxe fashion brand that designs printed neoprene bags and accessories.

For the current collection, print designer Kimberley Westwood took her inspiration from the urban landscapes around the now demolished Heygate Estate in Elephant and Castle. The prints all take their names from the estate’s blocks; Marston, Claydon, Risborough and Ashenden. Each print is made up of a combination of scanned in hand screen printed techniques along with hand drawn elements which are digitally manipulated and printed onto neoprene.

Just Kim Prints is proud to support UK manufacturing and valuable social causes. All products are printed and manufactured in the UK. Kimberley this year has partnered up with ‘Making for Change’ for production, a social enterprise programme set up by London College of Fashion and the Ministry of Justice. They provide professional standard skills and meaningful employment for serving and recently released offenders to help them reintegrate into society and build a better life for themselves and their families.

Find out more at: http://www.justkimprints.com/

Meet Clara Castner

Clara has a passion for colour, and texture and is combining that with her love of all things floral to make vases.  Each one of her vases is made of porcelain, and is hand carved to create texture that allows glaze to flow and pool.  Clara particularly loves the tactility of ceramics: both the making process and the finished product. She is constantly working on new glazes and carvings to see how they react with one another.

Fittingly enough, Clara loves Christmas!  At our Crafty Christmas Market she will be offering delicate porcelain decorations that will be exclusive to our Hotel Elephant market (£5 each). Along with her porcelain decorations, Clara will also be selling succulent pot holders, a small range of vases, and tea light holder. Her works will range from £15 to £125 with exclusive offers to those that RSVP to the event via our Eventbrite.

Find out more about Clara at https://www.claracastner.com/

Meet Rachel Littlewood

Rachel Littlewood is a London based designer & risographer. In her studio at Hotel Elephant, she mainly works print based, but she also enjoys working on exhibitions, producing installations, and running workshops.

She uses her printing background and bookbinding knowledge to create sketchbooks and notebooks, which make use of the vibrant range of colours risograph printing has to offer.

Creating stationery also gives her an opportunity to experiment with pattern making and colour in ways that isn’t always possible in everyday work. 

Lucky for us, Rachel will be selling those notebooks and sketchbooks at our Crafty Christmas Market. She will be selling A5 Hand painted Notebooks, B5 Plants/Blobs Notebooks, neon and mini notepads as well as wrapping paper and cards. All of Rachel's products range from £2 to £15! 

Find out more about Rachel here: http://rachel-littlewood.com

Meet Vixie from Jazzy Menagerie

Vixie Dean is the founder of the Jazzy Menagerie. The Jazzy Menagerie full of fun and quirky jewellery, all handmade using wood and various specialist papers with a wide array of decorative finishes - including Swarovski crystals and fine glitters.

You'll be sure to find something at the Jazzy Menagerie to help glitz up any outfit, whether it’s a casual occasion or something a little more special.  As well as jazzy animals (including sharks, foxes, unicorns and dinosaurs!) we will be launching a new collection of jazzy geometrics - so if animals aren't your thing, you'll still have plenty of snazzy items to choose from!

Product will range from £5 - £50. 

Find out more at https://www.instagram.com/jazzy_lapin/

Meet Terry Weston

Terry's collection for the Christmas Fair is for Autumn/Winter 17/18. The colour range is predominantly rich and dark, with a few brightly coloured leathers. Materials used include felt, leather, feathers, metal studs, braids, rubber and plywood.

This collection is based around simple circular shapes of various sizes: the challenge has been to make unusual hats from such simple shapes. Making a hat involves working through many stages: stiffening; blocking; wiring; putting in the headband; and last, but certainly not least, deciding how to trim and with what material.

All artists and makes will be offering exclusive deals to those that RSVP to our event. Register now for exclusive offers at our Crafty Christmas Market! 

Check back next week when we introduce the next four artists and makers !