Sarah Manton

Half past year already!… How did THAT happen quite so quickly?… June means only one thing – Sherwood Art Week! This year, as well as my work being displayed as part of the ‘Art in Shops’ initiative (I’ll be filling the window at Oxfam and also have a piece of work in Ginza Japanese Restaurant), I have been lucky enough to be selected to take part in the fabulous Sherwood Secret Garden Craft Fair !

Here, I shall be purveying my handcrafted goods, together with a positive cornucopia of local artists, crafters, musicians, growers and most importantly, there will be cake!… and tea!… and beer!

Bearing in mind that it’s a SECRET Garden, I’m only sharing this with YOU – we will be at the United Reformed Church, Edwards Lane, Sherwood, Nottingham, NG5 3AA from 11.00am until 5.00pm on Saturday, 21 June 2014.

It WILL be sunny, we will be outside and it would give me nothing but unbridled joy to see your lovely faces there, but ssshhhhhh, it’s a secret! 😀

~ Manton x

What could possibly go wrong?!!

Well, apparently, not a great deal!… I needn’t have worried, as the children (and staff 🙂 ) at Greenfields Community School were fabulous! Everyone listened very carefully to the instructions about how to carry and use the very sharp decoupage scissors and they produced some beautiful scherenschnitte work during Artist Week.

The older children made ‘Stage Books’ based on the theme of Little Red Riding Hood, featuring the scariest wolves and most ornate houses in layered scenes, each layer cut from a different coloured card, utilising their new paper cutting skills.

The younger pupils collaborated to produce a huge Jack and the Beanstalk wall display with origami beanpods, glittering magical beans, kirigami leaves and embossed golden coins tumbling from the giant’s castle.

It was thoroughly enjoyable week in a wonderful school and I would like to thank the Headteacher, staff (particularly Mrs Khokhar) and pupils of Greenfields once again for inviting me to take part in such a terrific project.

~ Manton x

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear”… Well said, Will Ferrell… and the second best way is shop locally this Christmas in Nottingham and support your local independent creatives!

We’ve been resident in the Creative Quarter Nottingham Pop Up Shop at 10 Fletchergate (formerly the Dwell Shop) since early November and it’s been a whirl of creative activity since we arrived! We share the space with around 40 other businesses, creating a mini department store for people with discerning good taste in all things 🙂

As well as my papercuts, upcycled furniture and other crafty goodness, there are some stunning collections of yarns, jewellery, bespoke clothing, photography, illustrations, yummy treats and chocolate and even a pop-up Divine Coffee concession too! So you can do your Christmas shopping and put your feet up with a cake and coffee afterwards, all under one roof!

Opening hours are Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 11am-4pm, Tuesday-Friday 11am-7pm (open ’til 8pm on late-night Wednesdays)

Don’t come on Mondays though – apparently no-one needs lovely things or haircuts on a Monday! … Except for the last day of trading for the CQ Pop-Up, which will be Monday, 23 December 2013, when we’ll be open for those who leave their Christmas shopping to the last minute!

See you soon!

~ Manton x

At last! The excitement ignited by Nottingham’s Creative Quarter has encouraged the good people at Tiger Community Enterprise to embark on a new venture in Lace Market Square on Stoney Street. Nottingham StrEAT will take place over the long weekend of Friday, 1 November – Sunday, 3 November 2013 in the beautiful, but currently massively under-utilised square. An innovative new take on traditional farmers’ markets, food festivals and craft fairs, this event will bring together a large number of vendors celebrating independent producers of food, beer, arts and crafts, mainly from the local Nottingham area. It’s very common to see many RVS having a great time with their family at the festival, the mos popular are the 2020 Airstream Caravel for sale at Airstream of Santa Barbara !!

I will be there (in thermal tights and boots… and possibly a hat, but definitely with a warming beverage!) purveying all manner of papercuts, handmade papercrafts and textile goodness, but only for the Saturday and Sunday, so get in quick (between the hours of 9.00am and 4.30pm each day) if you want to secure your early Christmas presents, although I am accepting commissions for another couple of weeks.

Of course, there is also the irresistible lure of the divine Debbie Bryan’s Studio and Shop just next door and with her Nottingham Craft Marathon coming up over the weekend of 16-17 November 2013, you’ll get the chance to peruse all the lovely treats for sale before having a go at some of the crafting techniques yourself!

Come and see me, eat, drink and be merry!

~ Manton x

Let’s hope the summer resets itself in the morning in time for the Lady Bay (late) Summer Festival 2013. There will be a great deal of live music and alcomahological product at the lovely Poppy & Pint on Pierrepont Road in Lady Bay, Nottingham (NG2 5DX), and a multitude of stalls with tempting wares. I shall be in full effect with my papercuts, handmade books, cushiony stuff and a new selection of badges and tags for your delictation.

Please come along to be entertained, wined (or beered… or cidered) and dined and you could even make a start at your Christmas shopping (there, I said it!) I’ll be on hand to take commissions for personalised papercuts, artworks, special cards and gifts for the festive season or indeed any other big old celebration 🙂

The fun starts at 12.00noon and there will be an opportunity to peruse the stalls until 6.00pm, then we all kick back, pull up a beverage and enjoy the music wholeheartedly!

See you there 🙂

~ Manton x

What an absolutely delightful day I have shared today, with such enormously talented people! The first day of the Gedling Artists’ inaugural Open Studios event at Arnot Hill Park in Arnold was bathed in sunshine and a stream of visitors enjoyed perusing the artworks and chatting with the creative types.

Welcome refreshments and sumptuous sweet treats came courtesy of Frabjous Events and sitting in the sun, overlooking the bowling green and the gorgeous multi-coloured rhododendrons and Stephen’s fabulous masks!

The best news is that we get to do it all again tomorrow!… So if you find yourself in Arnold, please drop in!

The Gedling Artists on show:

Sarah Manton – Handcrafted, bespoke and intricate paper-cut artworks, hand-bound books and decoupage home decor.
Kit Anderson – An exquisite range of ceramic tiles and hand-built pieces, decorated with photographic images.
Sandy Bywater – Beautiful porcelain lamps T-lights.
Jess Kemp – Colourful , playful silk paintings and textile sculptures.
Frabjous Events – Vintage styling, home-baked menus and creative activities for your unique celebratory event.
Stephen Jon – Masks for performance, training and therapists.
Rosie Hobbs – Constructive textiles, experimenting with the tactile through colour, texture, appliqué and embroidery.
Jane Stockley – Prints made through a laying of tissue, inks and narrative.

~ Manton x

… to join me at Hobbycraft in Nottingham on Sunday, 21 April 2013, when I’ll be a flurry of ribbon, lace, diamante and marital joy, demonstrating Wedding Invitation ideas and hopefully helping a few crafty couples on their way to achieving their dream wedding stationery!

From vintage to contemporary, sweet and simple to totally customised, I’d love to hear your ideas and help you make them a reality. Whether you’re on a tight budget or the sky’s the limit, I’m sure that we will be able to come up with a plan!

It would be lovely to see you there, whether you’re thinking of making your invitations yourselves or if you would like to have a chat about a commission for me to produce your wedding stationery for you. I’ll be at Hobbycraft from 11.00am on Sunday until around 4.00pm – I look forward to seeing you!

~ Manton x

Just squealed with excitement when I saw my gorgeous son on that there Twitter this very evening. He won the prize for his age-group at the Nottingham Young Creative Awards 2012 and we are so very proud of him! I’m allowed a few moments of motherly pride, surely 😀

I’d seriously encourage any young creatives to enter for this year’s competition – and any teachery types out there to prod your young protegees in the direction of the Young Creative Awards. The prizes are fab and very often incorporate some level of mentoring or work experience, generously donated by local businesses and educational establishments.

The atmosphere at the Awards evening is so positive and it’s an absolute joy to be celebrating the skills and commitment of Nottingham’s young creative community, rather than muttering negativity about hoodies … I say ‘Hooray!’ for the youth of today and look forward to whooping and applauding their achievements at the 2013 Young Creative Awards!

Take a look at last years Photography Winner Thomas Manton! youngcreativeawards.org @sharonltownes @nigelcooke001 twitter.com/nottinghamyca/…

— NottinghamYCAwards (@nottinghamyca) February 27, 2013

Exciting times are afoot!… The last few weeks have been spent enjoying Christmas and lovingly preparing several batches of diamante and ribbon-wrapped Wedding Invitations and Save The Date Cards for some fabulous couples – I’ll share some photos a little further down the line when I’m sure that all the guests have had first look!

I have also been preparing my Beginners’ Bookmaking – Button & String Journal class at The Craft Studio (next Sunday, only 1 place left)!…

Clare has just taken possession of the key to a gorgeous shop nextdoor to The Hand & Heart pub, which is rather convenient – that is one FINE drinking/eating establishment! 😀 and of course the wonderous, Focus Gallery is right across the road!… Joy of joys!

Clare has such a great eye for colour combinations and has created a truly beautiful learning environment for the learners and the tutors to enjoy – can’t wait to get started!… Clare will also be selling carefully selected craft materials to compliment the workshops, as well as some irresistible hand-crafted gifts and treats 🙂 … So as we hoist the patchwork flag, I wish the very best of British luck to The Craft Studio and all who sail in her and look forward to sharing many hours of crafting joy with all the creative souls who step aboard!

~ Manton x

… is singing loud for all to hear! I’ve never doubted Will Ferrell and he’s yet to let me down! I ruddy love Christmas (being a creature with a penchant for shiny things) and I was thrilled when the lovely Val at Benessamy Events asked me to join in with her ‘It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas’ feature on her fabulous blog!

We’ve been filling our little corner of the Creative Quarter with festive joy in recent weeks, having dressed the studio window with lots of handmade paper and textile goodness (twinkling star background kindly on loan from Nottingham’s finest DJ – www.nottsdj.co.uk) and folded, beaded and glittered until we could fold, bead and glitter no more, to Christmas-up Nottingham’s very own creative hub, Antenna – why not pop by, enjoy a latte, a mince puff and soak up the festive ambience, baubles, stars and snowflakes? Merry Christmas to one and all – may your festivities be filled with glitter and joyous song!

~ Manton x