This week we are starting something a little bit new… We are going to do some meet the maker segments, and thought that we should probably start with ourselves so you can find out a bit more about the ladies behind Felty Bee Crafts. This week it will be Jo in the spotlight.
Describe your business in less than 10 words… As Squiggy Bee I paint personalised presents, full of love.
How did you start? I started with two children’s chairs. They were for my kids and after years of being too busy to craft I just fell back in love with creating. I was really nervous about whether to take the plunge into selling my work, but after a few orders from my amazing friends and family I haven’t looked back.
What are your inspirations?Most of what I paint is unique to its new owner and I am inspired by their passions. Sometimes people will have a detailed idea of what they would like, others will just have a broad theme, but for each I take all of the elements would love and create a design especially for them. Working this way is so exciting as I am always working on something different. Often the more random combinations can end up being some of the best designs, such as a tiger driving a tractor.
What’s your favourite make and why? Now I’m afraid I am going to cheat slightly as I have two. The first are the children’s chairs that I paint, I love that each is unique to their new little owner. They take a long time to design and paint, so I end up completely immersed. In comparison my other favourite make, my peg doll fairies, take much less time to paint, but I love coming up with new designs, and after the weeks of work that go into painting a chair it is really fun to paint something more quickly.
Who would be your dream 3 people to meet for tea and cake? The singer Bob Dylan is a bit of a family obsession, and whilst he might well be grumpy I couldn’t pass up a chance to meet him. So to liven up the conversation I would have to invite Stephen Fry, I think everything he says is both witty and interesting. With a bit of time travel I would love to bring Cleopatra to my tea party, as she has always been a fascination of mine and I could finally find out which of the many versions of her is the truth!
Which new craft or hobby would you love to try? At the start of the year I started teaching myself lino print, which is now a new obsession. Next on the list is embroidery, as I would love to be able to give my clothes a new lease of life!
What two things, aside from food and water would you want on a deserted island? I would need a device that could play me endless story tapes, preferably full of Agatha Christie novels as they are my favourite. I would also need painting supplies so I could while away the days painting my surroundings.
Where can we find you? At a my kitchen table with a cup of tea and a paintbrush. If you want to check out more of my creations I have an etsy store as Squiggy Bee at www.etsy.com/uk/shop/SquiggyBee or you can find me on Instagram and Facebook as Squiggy_Bee
Watch this space for more interviews with local crafters and businesses, it’s the perfect way to find out about what amazing things are on your doorstep. If you have been inspired to have a go at crafting check out our COURSES tab to book your place on one of our workshops in November and December.
Goodbye for now and we will be back next week x
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