Me…… Would Be Window Dresser!

A while back I went on a fantastic Visual Display Training Course  (sorry about the poor quality of the pictures) and thought I'd tell you about about it today.

It was primarily about window dressing, how brilliant is that?  Something I have always wanted to have a go at. It was run by a company called Made You Look http://www.madeyoulookmadeyoustare.co.uk/ and the lady who took the course, another Helen, was truly inspirational. 

Helen has done displays for all the top people, including Monsoon, British Airways, Toyota, House of Fraser etc. plus she does some of those wonderful Christmas displays in shopping malls etc..  I am SO jealous.

The first part of the course was about the “science” of window display, but in the afternoon we had a chance of doing a bit of window display ourselves. I was so lucky, as there were only three of us on the course, so we had this wonderful lady and her knowledge to ourselves. She critiqued, advised and tweaked our efforts. I was in seventh heaven.  The above is my tweaked effort.

And this is what the other ladies created.

We also learnt how to wrap boxes for display (with no joins showing)  and as a gift wrapping.  I need a lot more practice, but we were given a brilliant copy of all the course notes that I can use as a reference.

The course cost £175 which was paid for by work – it was so well worth the money, I was bouncing for days afterwards with ideas and inspiration.

Opening Up …Just a Little

 

I know I don’t open up much on my blog, I like to keep it strictly “craft”, it was a decision I made when I first started writing, but I've decided that occasionally it would be nice to wander off the path a little, and show you some of the things I love to find and collect ….. and sometimes add to my projects.

What gave me the idea was hopping to a new blog written by a lady who often comments on my blogs:- http://magweedsmayhem.blogspot.com/2010/08/bobbin-about.html . What I read inspired me to think about the things that  I have squirreled away but  not looked at for a while.  Lilibet wrote about her love for wooden cotton spools – we must be kindred spirits, as I too love old sewing paraphernalia, although I very rarely sew, because it makes my gums itch and reminds me of sewing lessons at school, when all I ever did was unpick,even my tacking had to be unpicked, as a result I am always disappointed with most things I sew.

But, I always look for old sewing boxes at carboots, people almost give them away, thinking that they are worthless when I see them as priceless treasure trove, you never know what you are going to find ….. as you can see from my pictures.

I love the thought of shoulder ribbons and using "potato" coloured darning thread.

And look at this wonderful receipt

I like to ponder upon the women who’s boxes these once were, who ordered lassie, omo, vim and cake (I wonder what sort of cake it was!)

But it was Lilibet’s comments about the cotton reels that made me think and get  my Gran’s old sewing basket out. When she died it was the only thing I wanted because this is what she used/touched almost every day for years, and years and years.

It seemed so sad that I just keep it on the top shelf in one of my cupboards, but then I had an Ulrika moment and looked up at the empty IKEA memory boxes on my nic-nacky shelves  ………..

................and I sorted out all the wooden cotton reels and her thimble and put them in one of the boxes.

I am dead chuffed ...

Thank you Lilibet, and all this happened before 9.00am on a Saturday morning! I wonder what will inspired me to fill the other boxes.