Dorset Team Relaunch!

 

The Dorset Team has relaunched! 

I have been taking some time off for maternity leave to welcome our second daughter but I am so excited to be returning and relaunching the Dorset Team. 

The Dorset Team is a community group primarily for local Etsy sellers but we have also recently expanded to include all other makers, artists, creatives and independent shops. 

There is going to be lots of opportunities to get involved with the team and we have THREE Dorset Team Fairs coming up towards Christmas too.

Please give us a follow on social media to find out more:

https://www.facebook.com/dorsetteam

https://www.instagram.com/dorsetteam/

Rachel 

Dorset Team ONLINE Christmas Fair - Friday Stallholders

 

Dorset Team ONLINE Christmas Fair 2020 

We were due to at our wonderful Dorset Team Christmas Fair at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne this weekend but sadly Covid-19 has prevented us from doing so but we are bringing you our amazing makers and sellers ONLINE to your living room!

Pour yourself a festive tipple or have a cup of tea, stick on some Christmas music and have a good old browse!

You can pick up some really unique gifts whilst support independent makers and sellers this Christmas.

Please see all the online stalls here: https://www.instagram.com/dorsetteam/ on our Instagram page where you can also view our stories to see updates from our stallholders throughout the day.

Below you can also see the list of our stallholders and links to all their shops, click each to browse and see what they have to offer.

Friday Stallholders 

Please have a look through our Friday Stallholders - Each stallholder is an independent maker or seller 

Arrabella Giles Jewellery 

Carriegraphy 

Chalkhill Blue Crafts

Chase the Tide

Coastal Cottage Creations 

ColourPOP Textiles

Creative Clay for All 

Hangersmith 

Jodie House Collage 

Joanna's Treasures

Katy Makes

Loving String

Nashira Jewellery

Peggy Rae Emporium

Rose Cutting Crafts

Stormy Sky Studios UK 

Studio Pickles

Ten & Six

The Dorothy Days 

The Medal Hanger Shop 

The Sunshine Bindery 

Tide Dorset

Times to Treasure

Trapeze Jewellery 

Valkyrie by Faye

West Country Creations 

Yaz Baxter Creative 

Featured Seller - Maxine from Simply Love Art Studio

This week our featured Dorset Team seller is Maxine from Simply Love Art Studio 


Maxine lives in Wimborne Minster with her husband (also called Max!) and their two tuxedo cats and sells unique, fun, affordable art for your home, workspace and also by commission.


Maxine says "my mantra is 'For Art as Original as You'; I want people's homes and workspaces to be an extension of their personality, one that tells their story."

Things you should know about Maxine in her own words...


1. I think in post-it notes. My studio is always covered in neon squares full of scribbles and doodles that I'm constantly moving around as ideas evolve. The great thing is that once a plan emerges I staple the post-its into my diary - cue instant 'to do' list !


2. I love gymnastics and go to an adult gym class every week. Not only is it good to get away from my desk and get active but its also a great mental workout as you push beyond your comfort zone.


3. I'm not good at sitting still, so aside from creating art I love to sew, knit and crochet. Always making, always creating =)


Would you like to be our next Dorset Team Featured Seller? Apply here: https://goo.gl/forms/TxCqP7XwbJGLet903

Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Charlotte Miller

The countdown is on to the Dorset Team Christmas Fair which is taking place on Saturday 1^stand Sunday 2^ndDecember in the Allendale Centre, Wimborne. 

Each week we are going to be meeting a different stallholder who will be selling at the event. 

This week we meet Charlotte of Charlotte Miller Ceramics. Charlotte is a Bournemouth based ceramicist that makes budgies and other small animals in hats and knitwear! 

Charlotte with some of her creations

Her anthropomorphic, whimsical budgie sculptures are both endearing and nostalgic, whilst her range of quirky tableware is a tribute to the eccentric and the kitsch.

As a child, Charlotte became a keen social observer, trawling around car-boot sales with her Dad collecting curios, mid-century kitsch and seaside postcards. Amused by seeing the closeness of people and their pets, she alighted on the idea of melding the two.  Thus, Brian the budgie was born out of the chance meeting of an Elvis lover and his budgerigar.

Before establishing her own pottery studio, Charlotte taught for many years as ceramics tutor on youth, community and degree courses. Through engaging with a wide demographic of students from children to the elderly, her empathy and fondness for people began to feed into her work.

Charlotte in her studio 

Charlotte has a broad technical language in ceramics, allowing her to accurately satirise traditional homely and domestic clay idioms. This results in the fresh and witty social commentary of her aesthetically resolved art works.

Charlotte’s love of print making and sculpture has led her to develop a range of work that concentrates on form as well as illustrative and textured surfaces. Both are influenced by her degree in Contemporary Crafts, where she studied both textiles and ceramics. Charlotte also has a PGCE and teaches ceramics classes from her studio in Bournemouth.

The budgies and other creatures are created by using a combination of press molding and hand sculpting techniques. She uses a stoneware body with underglaze, engobe, earthenware glaze, decal and lustre decoration. All these are made from her Bournemouth studio.

Come and meet Charlotte and our 60+ other stallholders at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on both Saturday 1^stand Sunday 2^ndDecember. 

More information can be found on our Facebook event page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1994393970585608/

Dorset Team Christmas Fair 2018 - SAS Creative

Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd of December will be our Dorset Team Christmas Fair. It is going to be a wonderful weekend with stalls from local makers, designers, vintage sellers and craft suppliers. 

The fair is taking place at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne and entry is FREE

Each week we are meeting different stall holders who will be at the fair and this week our featured stallholder is Samantha from SAS Creative who sells original papercut and paper cutting templates for those who want to give it a go! 

Samantha was born in Dorset and originally from Wimborne. She studied at the AUB and has over 14 years studio experience. She says " I found my love of paper cutting back in 2012. After the birth of our daughter I wanted to pursue my passion which enabled me to work for myself. I love designing new paper cuts and selling my products"

3 things about Samantha....!

1) She is inspired by the New Forest 

2) She is a heavy tea drinker 

and 3) she has a passion for colour 

Come and meet Samantha and see her beautiful work at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair which is taking place on 1st and 2nd December at the Allendale Centre, Wimborne. Entry is FREE and there will be two rooms full of local makers and sellers. 

Please find more information about the event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1994393970585608/

Dorset Team Pinterest Board July - Jurassic Coast

We hope that you have all been enjoying the sunshine that we have been having recently. Our Pinterest board for July will be all about our beautiful Jurassic Coast which runs through Dorset.

Here are a selection of products made and sold by members of the Dorset Team

Dorset Team Spring Fair - SM designs in Wood

Our Dorset Team Spring Fair at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne is fast approaching and this week we are sharing another one of our stallholders who will be selling at the event. 

This week's featured stallholder is Simon of SM Designs in Wood. Simon is based in Portland and  sells beautiful handcrafted wooden furniture and wooden items. This will be Simon's first time selling at one of our Dorset Team events and we are really looking forward to having him at the Spring Fair. 

Work in progress photo of Simon making a chopping board

After 18 years working in a different career, Simon decided to return to Dorset and fulfil his lifelong dream of becoming a furniture designer and maker. He finds the Dorset landscape offers much inspiration and he hopes to highlight this by using local woods and other natural products like Portland stone in his work. 

He uses a mixture of traditional and modern woodworking skills to produce unique, high quality pieces and makes and sells everything from candle holders to beautiful handcrafted tables.

He says, "I want to create pieces that are aethetically beautiful to look at, but are functional in the lives of people who own them."

Come and meet Simon and see his beautiful handcrafted wooden items on display at the Dorset Team Spring Fair at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne on Saturday 5th May. Entry to the fair is FREE and there will be 60 stalls by local makers and sellers at the event. 

This is a fantastic way to support small independent sellers whilst also picking up some really unique items for your home or for gifts. 

Please put the date in your diary and we hope to see you there! 

More information about the event can be found over on our Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/282450382285845/

Gift Guide - Something for everyone - Gifts from the Dorset Team

The Dorset Team is a group of over 700 local makers, designers, vintage sellers, craft suppliers and artists who all sell their wares on Etsy.com. Members sell a diverse range of different products so there really is something for everyone!

You can find some examples of their work on our Pinterest board here or by searching #DorsetTeam on social media.

Meet the Seller - Dorset Team Christmas Fair - Emma from Knitted by Aunty Emma

Name: Emma

Shop Name: Knitted by Aunty Emma

Shop Link: KnittedByAuntyEmma.etsy.com

Located in: Ringwood

Sells: Vintage style handmade knitted items using sustainable British wool bought from small local farms.

Maker's Story: I have been knitting since I was very small, I was taught by my mum as soon as I could read about age 4 or 5. I come from a very large family (I actually have 5 nieces, 2 nephews and now I also have 2 great nieces and 2 great nephews and that's only on my side of the family!) We used to hand make our christmas gifts for each other, I tried making things with all sorts of different techniques but it always kept coming back to knitting. We have continued the knitting tradition to this day, one of my nieces actually suggested I set up my Etsy shop, after I was struggling to find a work life balance with my daughter. 

Ilove wildlife and nature and love using natural fibres (I love animals, I am also a qualified veterinary nurse) but I am a firm believer in matching the yarn to the purpose and the recipient. I use a variety of techniques but I love comfort knits, I use techniques that avoid seams and the need for sewing up and am always on the look out for new techniques and styles.

I have a large collection of 1940s knitting patterns, I love the 1940s knit wear as its not only beautiful but practical, just like the iconic 1940s landgirls. I also like to write my own knitting patterns and love challenging myself with new ideas.

Dorset Team Christmas Fair: Emma will be selling her vintage inspired knitted wares at the Dorset Team Christmas Fair on Saturday 3rd December at the Allendale Centre in Wimborne.

Please come along, meet Emma and our other makers and sellers.

Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and it is free entry.

For more information please see our Facebook event page or blog post

Samantha and Gem join our Dorset Team volunteers group

We are really excited to announce that we have had some new volunteers join us on the team.

Please welcome Samantha and Gem who have kindly volunteered their time to help grow and develop the Dorset Team and find out more about them here...

Samantha
Based in: Bournemouth
Shop Name: Manta Makes Ltd
Role: Pinterest Admin

Samantha makes and sells wooden gifts, accents and decorations and particularly specialises in personalised wedding decor. The company was born in August 2015 and the shop name was inspired by Samantha partner's lifelong dream of swimming with manta rays. In 2013 his dream was realised when he swam with them on a trip to Hawaii.  Samantha says "It was at that moment, when I saw his happiness shining through, I realized how powerful dreams were. I have dedicated myself to the pursuit of dreams and it is my goal to make each and every one of my customers as happy as my husband the day he achieved his. "

Samantha is joining our volunteers team as a Pinterest Admin and will be working closely alongside Annie from Annie's Farmhouse Craft  to make the Pinterest page beautiful and appealing to both shoppers and members alike.

You can find the Dorset Team Pinterest page HERE

Gem
Based in: Near Bournemouth

Shop Name: Snug Creations
Role: Forum Admin

Gem sells beautiful hand knitted accessories for your family and home including hair bows, baby booties and greetings cards. Gem works from her home studio close to the sea near Bournemouth. Gem's love of knitting began in 2006 when she became envious of her friends endless collection of hand knitted accessories and it made her determined to learn how to make her own knitwear. As well as running her shop Gem also has run local 'knit-nights' and knitting clubs. She says "Living by the sea, I am inspired by the beach and the great outdoors to create knitwear for those special family moments, whether you need to wrap up against the elements or cosy up indoors."

Gem has taken on a new role within the team as a forum admin. Her role will involve creating new topics in the team forum, generating discussion and posting important information to our team forum for you all to read. We hope that this will make our team forum a really exciting and useful place to visit and a place you can come to share advice, gain advice and support and meet other local Etsy sellers.

You can find our Dorset Team forum HERE

Gem and Samantha will join our team of dedicated volunteers who all give up their free time to the running of the Dorset Team and our various social media pages.

We are always on the look out for more members to join as volunteers. If you feel that you could dedicate some time to the team please click HERE to find out more information