Meet The Crochet Cow

There’s nothing like some hand-crafted woolies to greet a new baby into the world. If crochet skills weren’t passed down from mother to daughter in your family, thankfully Sharon Traynor of CrochetCow & Designs by Sharon is there to kit out your little bundle of joy. Sharon often works to her own designs but always keeps that classic timeless style which is guaranteed to look adorable. Whether it’s a hat, a blanket, a dress, bootees, a complete outfit or anything else that could be crocheted, you’ll find Sharon very accommodating, tailoring her work to suit your needs at a very reasonable price.

Baby girl's set in lilac with pink trim, from a design by shiflo.co.uk

• Sharon has received this promotion as a thank you for voting for me on Enterprise Nation. If you'd like me to give you a write up like this, please find out how by visiting this link to my new Facebook page. 

Dress Your Doll

Here's another unique creative toy I first saw at this year's Autumn Fair. This one's aimed at the budding little fashion designer in your life.

Barbie (and her other 12" rivals) may not be every woman's idea of a feminist icon. But what if you could use her to develop your child's creative skills, along with encouraging recycling and the lost art of Make Do And Mend? That's the thinking behind Roos Productions, 3 Belgian women who have combined their love of designing textile graphics, creating fashion patterns and exhibiting historical girls' toys.

The result is Dress Your Doll, an innovative set of craft kits suitable for anyone 7 years old and upwards (supervision recommended for young children). Each kit has everything you need to create an outfit for the most popular size of fashion doll, along with accessories from a bag to a bedspread. Everything is printed on non-fraying fabric which just needs to be cut out and sewn together along the dotted lines. Any child who can cut neatly and sew a straight line will soon be creating a wardrobe of mix and match outfits she can be proud of and have hours of fun playing with.

The doll used here is also available as part of the Dress Your Doll range, supplied separately.

The print details are in perfect tiny proportion. The doll on the right is sporting a photo-quality robin on her top and bag.

Patterns are also available that can be used on your own choice of fabric, which is a great way to make use of those old scraps that would otherwise have gone in the bin. They also sell greetings cards that can be cut up and sewn into a doll's T-shirt! They're even willing to design bespoke kits for you, which would be perfect to get your logo out there for advertising campaigns or charity fundraising.

Collecting a few official Barbie outfits can soon start to cost a fortune so making your own not only makes economic sense but also helps teach children valuable life skills and trains their hand-eye co-ordination.

Unfortunately in researching this blog I'm struggling to find any retailers for Dress Your Doll. There are certainly none listed in the UK. I'm sure if you contacted the team at Roos Productions directly and show them some love, they'd be happy to help supply you with their ingenious little product.

Brickwork: Lego v Nanoblocks

Ahh, Lego. The one toy it's perfectly acceptable never to grow out of. Especially if you end up with the skills to create masterpieces like these:

There are people out there paid good money to be professional Lego sculptors. Guys such as Nathan Sawaya and Sean Kenney. I want their lives.

However you might not know that Lego has a pretender to its crown. A very small, very tough and very awe-inspiring little rival. Nanoblocks were invented in 2008 in Japan (those masters of miniaturisation) and are distributed in Britain by Nanoblocks UK. That company's founder Ashley Yeates recently promoted the product by making this tribute to the X Factor!

I first saw Nanoblocks at this year's Autumn Fair and my jaw nearly hit the ground. Photos really can't do justice to how intricate these bricks are, but this pig will give you a clue.

The smallest single peg bricks are an incredible 4 mm square so you might need a magnifying glass to work on some of the fiddlier details! Other differences to Lego are that all the blocks are one height, 5 mm, and they have a different interlocking mechanism which makes it easier to place them diagonally, as you can see with the pig's ears.

At the moment you can buy them as kits to build specific models, ranging from an 80-piece cockatiel to a nerve-wracking 6000-piece castle (complete with LED lights). Here's a 550-piece International Space Station from the Sights To See range:

The miniature kits such as the pig come with a 4 cm x 4 cm base plate and Sights To See are 8 cm x 8 cm. With prices starting at less than £8.00, they're a very affordable stocking filler for anyone over 12 that would pass away the duller hours after Christmas. So you could easily collect all the kits, solve the puzzle of how to put them together (instructions are included but the website encourages you to also come up with your own ideas) and still have lots of room left on your shelves!

Hopefully in the future Nanoblocks will release basic starter kits so you can create whatever you want. If they could get artists as talented as Nathan Sawaya and Sean Kenney behind them, the mind boggles at what they could achieve!

•UK retailers for Nanoblocks include Firebox, Dinkybox, FireStar and Clockwork Mouse.

Autumn Fair 2011 - Home Sweet Home

The first week in September marked my annual trip to Autumn Fair at Birmingham's National Exhibition Centre. As a designer, there's no better way to get a snapshot of all that's at the cutting edge of homeware and gifts for the coming year. Then follows the job of researching all the exciting products I've seen and posting a taste of the show for you on here (or formerly on my Work In Progress).

At every visit a different sector catches my eye and this time it was the furniture. This year, designers are aiming for a traditional, practical feel delivered with lots of creative flair.

So if you want to get your home on-trend for 2012, take a look at these sample products from just a few of my favourite exhibitors.

Go for reproduction antique furniture throughout your house and garden. If you can't afford designer prices, scout around for second-hand goods you can paint and upholster.

T3048T Farmhouse Dining Table from PD Global

PFJ218 Toulouse Heart Backed Chair by PD Global

R1-9125-SL Lacquered Silver Dressing Table with Tri Mirror by Trade Fair International

SUN004 Curlicue Patio Set by PD Global

Dress your rooms up with lots of homely nick-nacks, cosy soft furnishings and Granny's homespun wisdom.

No more lonely mugs for one, brew up a pot for the whole family and hand round those cakes!

Cup Cake Spotty With Candle Teapot by Carter's Ceramic Designs

Allegra Cushion by Malini

Bird Cage Key Holder by Heaven Sends

Distressed Wooden Frame Blue by Heaven Sends

Kitchen Rules Metal Sign by Heaven Sends

Make a statement with big, ornate mirrors. They're not only dramatic and practical but also an eco-friendly way to add extra light to north-facing rooms.

Wooden Carved Mirror by Trade Fair International

Get creative with clocks. This massive 55cm diameter hands-only timepiece can be mounted as-is or you could stencil numbers onto your wall or surround it with 12 little picture frames to make it the centrepiece of your room.

Little Big Time Chain Steel Wall Clock by Karlsson at Present Time

Look out for more Autumn Fair highlights coming soon!