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Twitter #sbs winner Sunday 14th August 2011!!

August 15, 2011
This morning at about 1.45 am, I discovered that I had been re-tweeted by Theo Paphitis for the #sbs (Small Business Sunday). What a blast....

This became very obvious when I discovered that my followers had leapt up by 100 and there were about 200 emails from Twitter.

I try and tweet my business every week but quite often forget. I would say that I have tried about half a dozen times, perhaps ten times at the most. Each attempt, I would wait for something to happen, then realise as it was so quiet, I probably hadn't made the grade. I analyised what the successful #sbs business were trying to say. Short, sweet and clever was my initial thoughts... but still no success.

Then the light went on, you know the one you see in cartoons shining brightly above your head with the obligatory phss phss sound. What was missing in my tweet was a connection to my branding.... why did I use old books, it could be any books, why old, why tatty, why miscoloured books. And there was the answer...

So my tweet for my business for #sbs was:




I have been away from the computer all the morning so I have been relying on my phone to allow me to reply to all the lovely comments and congratulations I am receiving. How I'm going to get my book work done I'll never know.....
 

Bobbing and Weaving

August 15, 2011
I'm just back from a week at the seaside, fully rested and refreshed. Before I went away I was having a play with some different techniques that I could use with paper.

I wanted to try making a basket using some magazines I had left. This is something that has been sitting on the back burner (in my head) for a while. I see the idea being developed int
o a neat workshop where participants can create their own custom container using, what else, but old books. Incorporated with some ...
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Le Design a L'Heure Anglais', L'Atelier Gallery, Paris

August 4, 2011
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What an opportunity, to exhibit in Paris the capital of France. Culture, Coissants, Wine and some of the world's most recognised monuments.

Designed by Gustave Eiffel in 1889 for the Worlds Fair. At the time there was a petition by many local artists who saw the structure as .....useless and monstrous. Amazingly nature lovers were concerned that it would disrupt the flight of birds. Within the first year sales of tickets to ride the nine hundred foot elevator covered the cons...


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...and now for something completely different - papermaking

July 29, 2011

Yesterday, I decided to have a shot at papermaking. It's ages since I have done it but I had a nice stack of scraps left over from making my jewellery. I absolutely hate waste, so much so that I can get slightly cluttered with bits and pieces that in the words of my mother, 'Will come in, one day'.

STAGE ONE When papermaking you need to plan a little in advance. First, I got the mulch ready. This involved a bucket of warm water, the paper torn up into little pieces and then left to ...
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Green Great Britain

May 17, 2011

Tuesday 18th May, my son's school are celebrating Green Great Britain by letting the children wear green. The school is an eco school and a Good Food school. Now he's eleven year's he's that age when he wants to be a little be more crucial about what he wears.

Designing this T-shirt for him was a breeze as his favourite colour is actually green. When I collected him from school, I put it in a carrier bag along with some green hairspray. As you can imagine he was made up. So fo...
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The trouble with paper beads

May 16, 2011

I have been exploring paper beads recently and having great success and actually loving the result. ( see earlier post - Making Beads from Paper)

Until that is I try to go bigger. My aim is to make some sturdy hollow beads but every time I push them into shape they seem to collapse. I can form the paper into a domed shape but as soon as I put it down the centre pops out, as you can see in the photo.

I'm not really sure how I'm going to resolve this problem. It maybe that coiling around...
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Water Origami

May 10, 2011
The video is truly amazing, it was retweeted on twitter by @bookloverRAH from a post by @uponafold.


Flottille (detail) from Etienne Cliquet on Vimeo.

Don’t let the rather simple geometric images above fool you, watch the video. Using small pieces of paper (just 2-3cm wide) artist Stephen Ratcliffe has created delicately folded origami pieces that once placed in water begin to bloom, the result of capillary action as the paper absorbs water. Beautiful.

(via reddit)
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Do you need a reason to visit First Anniversary: Paper Exhibition?

May 9, 2011

One: The most obvious, to visit an all paper exhibition. If you are a fan of paper and what can be created with it, then this is definitely for you.

Two: Location, location, location. Unit Twelve is found on a working farm set in the beautiful Stafford Countryside.

Three: The curator of the exhibition is Jennifer Collier, so to met her in person and to see her studio will give you a very real connection to why artists work with paper.

Four: The way the exhibition is set out allows you t...
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'Paper' Exhibition in Edinburgh

May 5, 2011


I received an email informing me that my submission had been accepted for the upcoming 'Paper exhibition at Craft House Concept in Edinburgh.

This is my second 'all paper' exhibition this year. I feel as though I am finally moving forward. I will be sending one of my book sculptures with a selection of my 'Organic Repose' range. The downside of exhibiting is the distance, I always want to be present at the private views but logistically this is not always possible.

This Saturday, ...


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Boxes, Boxes, Boxes

May 4, 2011

Last night was spent catching up on my box-making. I needed to make a few to house some pieces that are going to the 'Ladies Night' event at Byard Art, Cambridge I remember, when I started creating my jewellery pieces I was conscious that they needed to be housed safely giving them that precious feel. I sourced various companies that supplied boxes but they never really seemed to have what I was looking for. In the end I created my own.


This means that each piece has a box made to fi...
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About Me


Phiona Richards I am intrigued by paper and it's versatility. It is a total misnomer and full of contradictions. I am continually exploring the possibilities this material unfolds for me.

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