The Life Craft is launching!

I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to announce that our webstore is now open!

At present we are leading with our sumptuous Milla Mia range of yarn, patterns & kits:

Although I am delighted to tell you that we are awaiting deliveries from Hot Patterns, Colette and more! Stay tuned this week for our product showcases where we’ll highlight our favourite items from the webstore.

What we’d love to know is – what would you like to see us sell?

- Vonnie

Doll-making class

Good morning everyone! Isn’t it a beautiful day? Aren’t you thrilled to be alive?

This Friday 21st May, The Life Craft is offering a reduced-rate class where participants will learn how to make a rag doll. All participants will in fact make TWO dolls (time permitting), one of which will be kept by the participant and one which shall be donated. Your donated dolls will be sent to Haiti via Dolly Donations – a fantastic charitable cause that aims to provide every Haitian orphan with one item that they can say has been made with love just for them.

The class costs £10 which covers the materials you will use during the class & the postage costs for sending the dolls to the collection point with any money left over being donated to Christian Aid. We are being provided with a hall in Pollokshields to run this class, directions will be provided upon confirmation.

To sign up please email me.

A cheeky favour

We have entered the Barclays Take One Small Step competition which would give us a fantastic opportunity to really launch our business in style. Could I ask you very nicely to click on this banner and give us the thumbs up? We’d be ever so grateful

I had no idea work could be so fun!

As we solidify the plan for The Life Craft, various opportunities have come our way for training and after a chance encounter with Elaine – one of the co-owners of Busy Bees Craft Studio – at Baby Loves Disco I booked Jenny and I onto a one-day face painting class and a couple of weeks ago we trotted along. So. Much. FUN!

These were our models for the day:

I have to admit I hadn’t expected that – I thought we’d have been practicing on each other but this was so much easier since mistakes were easier to tidy up and objectively critique. The rapport with our trainer Elaine and her sister (and co-owner of Busy Bees) Diane was absolutely brilliant and since the class was a nice small size (just 6 of us) there was a decent amount of chat too.

After we’d gone through the different brush techniques it was time to practice sponging (which has been my particular bugbear) and our arms were pressed into service. Using Grimas water-based face paints we were encouraged to sponge a base onto our arms and blend it with other shades and once we were a little more confident in that, it was time to practice on a real-life human! Here’s an action shot of Jenny painting Diane’s face and you can see her sponge blending on her arm too.

Diane’s finished facepaint

Elaine with a butterfly design:

It was so much fun, seriously. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d be studying facepainting for work I’d never, ever have believed it and this is the start of so many exciting experiences. I can’t wait

Busy Bees can provide experienced face painters or face painting training based in the South Side of Glasgow. For more information call them on 0141 433 9506 or send an email

Our first sewing class

Good afternoon friends and welcome to The Life Craft’s first blog post – it’s a pleasure to see you here!

Those of you who follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Flickr may have been granted a little preview of what we’ve been busy with lately but here is a better run-down for your delectation.

Last week saw us take The Life Craft on the road as Jenny and Vonnie headed out West to visit the achingly cool Konnie Kapow and her lovely amigas who had volunteered to test out our Tote Bag sewing class. Just to prove how lovely they were, they made us pizza and tea and CAKES! (which if I remember correctly were made by the lovely Nicole)

So of course we got off to a cracking start. Jenny had elected to teach the Tote Bag class which is aimed at beginners with a sneaky twist – during the class, attendees are taught how to master the beautiful French Seam. Unfortunately, we had only one sewing machine between five novices so Jenny and I are going to have to go back this Friday to help them wrap things up. I mean it’s such a hardship going to visit a super lovely girlie and her braw pals, have a giggle and a cup of tea or three

Some photos to tide you over until the girls have finished their bags.

Jenny chatting to Lindsey, Nicole and Lucy

Our participants cutting out their bags

Getting on with the sewing

Applause for Lindsey

Profuse thanks to Connie for having us, to Jamie for pizza and tea, to Lindsey, Lucy, Cath & Nicole for being such excellent fun and to Jenny for being a great sport and working until 11pm on a Friday night. It was a blast and we can’t wait to run the next one