Change of Business Name

The decision to change the name of my business from “Mystic Moose” to “Ceridwen Hazelchild Design” was based on a drive to forge a closer connection between my artistic practice and my craft business. Alongside my illustrated fabric goods that I make for sale, I also create installation and sculpture artworks which deal with concepts of memory, nature and childhood. This side to my artistic practice has been somewhat abandoned whilst I have been focusing on developing my creative business, and I now want to create a closer link between both creative outlets.

But at the heart of the name change was the urge to enable valued customers to identify with the maker of the products they were purchasing. As a frequent buyer of handmade beauties, I enjoy learning about the maker or designer; knowing and sharing the maker’s name is part of this process. By renaming my business Ceridwen Hazelchild Design I aim to provide a closer link between maker, products and customers.

Although the products I make and sell now have new tags, labels and packaging with our new logo, we will continue to provide the lovely designs and high quality goods our customers have come to expect.

For more information please visit our new website: www.ceridwenhazelchild.co.uk or if you have any queries please email me at design@ceridwenhazelchild.co.uk

Useful Links:

Website: www.ceridwenhazelchild.co.uk

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ceridwenDESIGN

Twitter: www.twitter.com/ceridwenDESGINS

Etsy: www.ceridwenDESIGN.etsy.com

Merry Christmas!

 

The Christmas season seems to have arrived with amazing swiftness this year, and December has flown by in a blur of tinsel and gift wrap. I wanted to take this moment before I settle down to eat some roasted chestnuts by the fire, to say a huge thank you to all the friends, family, beloved customers, new followers, and fans  who have made 2012 a fantastic year all round! I whole heartedly wish you the happiest of holidays and a wonderful new year!

I already have a few new products and designs lined up for 2013, along with some exciting updates in the next week about changing my business name!  The New Year will bring an expansion of our online shops and I will hopefully be participating in more craft and design fairs, so watch this space!

Whilst our online shop is readily available for any new orders, all orders made during the next week will be posted on 2^nd January, so that the Post Office and I can have a well deserved rest for a few days!

 

Susan Horth Jewellery and Sculptures

One of my favourite makers recently is Susan Horth, who constructs exquisite animal and insect sculptures and jewellery pieces from woven wire and bead jewels. Each piece is stunningly detailed and surprisingly life-like. They seem so precious and intricate that time can easily slip away whilst you gaze at them. I am particularly fond of the little bee and lizard brooches.

Feels a lot like Christmas

The studio has been a flurry of activity this week, working late into the night to send off orders to their new homes across the world. This week heralded our final posting dates for most of the world, bar Western Europe (which is Tuesday 11^th December) and the UK (Tuesday 18^th December), and all orders placed from now on should arrive in the new year.

Since I also work part-time at a lovely craft shop and art space in the heart of the Cotswolds, my evenings have been spent catching up on orders, and days off have been at the heat press and the sewing machine, pressing totes and stitching lavender bags, pencil cases and felt pouches for pocket mirrors. Feeling festive midweek, I decided to make roast chestnuts but had a minor accident when one rolled away whilst I was attempting to piece the skins, which resulted in plaster-covered fingers and general fumbling when it came to using my sewing machine again! All seems healed now though, and I’m back on full form for the sewing in the week ahead! Every spare moment is geared towards making, packing orders or answering enquiries and updating sites. Although it is exhausting, it is also exulting.

My lunchtime post office trips have been taking considerably longer than usual, as I waddle in with bags of packets and parcels under both arms. It seems that the post office has become a gathering place for creative entrepreneurs, and I’ve come to recognize regular customers who seem to be on the same time table as me, also laden with bags of posting. With nods of recognition and semi-awkward grins all around, we acknowledge that we are major contributors to the queue, and share a desire to sincerely apologise to the people behind us, particularly the poor guys at the very back who only came in to buy one stamp. Last Monday I spent a full 55 minutes at the counter, much to the dismay of the patient folk in the queue behind me!

Alice Palace Illustration

The last few weeks has brought with it a few birthdays for some lovely Sagittarian friends. Even though we may not live nearby any more, having moved to various parts of the country to pursue our dreams, we try to send tokens and cards through the post at regular intervals, and birthdays are one occasion which can’t be missed! I am a firm believer in card-giving, especially when it means you can support smaller companies and independent artists. One of my favourite illustrators in recent months is the independent greeting card company called Alice Palace.

I recommend taking a good look through their website to peruse the selection of quirky colourful designs.

Sally Swannell Advent Calenders

With December approaching fast, I feel the need to share these wonderful advent calendars by Sally Swannel. These flat-pack wonders are assembled to create a free-standing three-dimensional house, complete with chimney and dorm windows, with 24 numbered advent windows on all sides. They are relatively easy to assemble too; we did add a tiny bit of double sided tape on a few of the tabs to make it more secure, but it was more for peace-of-mind than any physical need for it as the slot and tab design holds the house together very well!

I also adore the miniature advent cards, which come with an envelope, perfect for giving and receiving. I enjoy these traditional picture advents like these so much more than chocolate ones!

Lush Designs

If you are looking for colourful and quirkily designed home wares, I wholeheartedly recommend taking a browse through the delightful products by Lush Designs. Their screen printed lampshades are one of my favourite things to ogle at when I am in need of healthy dose of pretty things. Naturally I was drawn to the fox design, but after some thought I decided that I preferred it in the cream and pale grey to darker tones because of how the colours of a lampshade can affect the light in the room. The colours of all the designs are so beautiful and well combined that they seem to make my mouth water. The cotton napkins adorned with root vegetable screen prints are a prime example, with their exquisite array of purples, oranges and blues!

Rachel Eardley Jewellery

I have recently stumbled across the beautiful jewellery of Rachel Eardley. Each piece is constructed from vintage coins, with painstakingly cut out figures and details used to adorn necklaces, rings, pins, cufflinks and bracelets. Examining her work has made me look at some of these coins in a completely new light; the little hares, dogs and horses which cover some of the Irish coins are my favourite, along with the intricate bird on the Fathings. There is something wonderful about transforming outdated coinage into something charmingly decorative and functional. The thing that really completes these lovely creations, is the boxes they are displayed in; each piece comes in a beautifully hand illustrated craft box, detailed with drawing and dates of the specific coins used.

Lovely Things

A few more lovely things I’ve been looking at recently:

Between Folks: British Butterflies is just beautiful. Take a look at some of the other works in this series.

These delightful chicken footstools from The City Girl Farm. I also love the design of the website.

Mystic Moose’s new Folksy shop!

 Oh Comely magazine. Who couldn’t love such a delightful collection of charming articles?  I can lose myself for hours in these stories.

Mystic Moose Tote Giveaway

Giveaway Time!

I am delighted to announce that the lovely Chloe from Lazy Explorers is hosting a Mystic Moose giveaway!  Which is your favourite cotton tote from Mystic Moose? You can have up to four entries per person, and be in with a chance to win the tote of your choice!

Take a peek at her latest blog post to read an interview with me about Mystic Moose, and make sure to comment on her post once you have entered. (The rest of her blog is full of beautiful and inspiring things and is well worth a read as well, so make sure you wander through!) The lucky winner will be chosen on 13^th June 2012 over at Lazy Explorers.

This giveway is now closed, and the winner can be found here.