Zoe-Lee Skelton

His Collections Photography Project

March 29, 2016 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

With a couple of weeks off work, I’m so glad I got round to starting a new photography project that’s been rattling around my brain for a while. It’s called His Collections: a project displaying my boyfriend’s small collections of “stuff”. Whether they’re useful, sentimental or simply hoarding.

I wanted to use the photographs as a way to build up a character profile without resorting to portraiture. They’re kind of like a puzzle to help you figure out what someone’s personality, appearance and preferences are without meeting them face to face. It’s still early days but I’ve shared a few images below of compositions I’ve taken so far.

Do you have any strange collections?

Windswept Easter Weekend Away in Wangford

March 29, 2016 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

I used to think that a holiday isn’t a holiday unless it’s in the sun. But when I started full time work the term “holiday” took on a whole new meaning. Nowadays I’m happy to have a break, whether that’s staying at home getting on with a project, or going away for a few days somewhere in the UK.

Now that I’m feeling a bit better, me and the other half decided to cash in our Groupon deal and get a few days rest at The Angel Inn, Wangford, Suffolk (don’t let the name put you off!).

I’m not as familiar with Suffolk as I am with Norfolk but I’m glad I ticked off a few more places that I’ve now explored and made a mental checklist of places I would visit again.

We obviously went to Southwold, and unfortunately, with it being Easter, so had the “Chelsea Tractor” crew. The place is lovely, but you can’t help but notice how commercial and ‘upper crust’ it has become. I mean, the place has a Havaianas shop for christ’s sake – a whole store selling flip flops – and it was open over the rainy Easter weekend! Why??!!

But don’t make the mistake of thinking that Suffolk is just about Southwold. It definitely is not. There are so many gems to find. I’ve put together some photos of where I would recommend you to visit.

Burgh Castle

A castle ruin at the ancient roman site in Burgh. The castle was built as far back as the 3rd century AD. Three of the four walls are still standing. The castle has fantastic views over Breydon Water, where you can walk alongside or take a boat ride.

Walberswick

In terms of house prices and clientele it’s just the same as Southwold – but it’s a little rougher around the edges. My personal favourites from this sleepier seaside village is the dock with the ramshackle chalets and artists studios. The artist studios tend to open in the warmer months, but there are a couple of pretty shops and a art gallery in the village centre with many different exhibiting artists.

Kessingland

Kessingland is just down the road from Lowestoft and is much quieter. The beach stretches far and wide from east to west offerig panoramic views. It’s a quaint town which has seen a few pub closures over the last year leaving only one still open,The Sailors Home, which is on the beach front and quite lively. Kessingland was also where I saw the most holiday cats so if that’s your thing, then I recommend this place.

Did you go anywhere over the Easter weekend?

A Fluffy Bunny & Easter Recipe Book Photo Shoot

March 9, 2016 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

I recently worked on the best photo shoot project ever!

Discount Supplements got in touch and asked me to take photos of baked goods for their Easter recipe book. But I never thought I’d be taking pictures of a real-life fuzzy bunny sqweeeee

People always say never work with animals, but Buda was the most photogenic and amenable model I’ve ever had the pleasure of photographing.

So, obviously, the theme was Easter and the set was totally cute with lots of chocolate eggs littered everywhere. Buda was allowed to roam free among the delicious food created from the cook book’s recipes and not once did she attempt to have a little taste – so well-behaved.

As Discount Supplements offer healthy and free from alternatives on their website, the idea behind the cook book is to show people how to bake treats that they love without all of those naughty calories or things that they’re allergic or intolerant to.

The recipes include gluten and grain free hot cross buns, gluten free cakes and vegan truffles.

If you like what your see, download the recipe book for free from here.

Have you made any Easter treats recently? Or have you already stuffed yourself with loads of chocolate eggs like me?

Lime Crime, where have you been all my life?

February 27, 2016 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

For years I thought that every lipstick had a spurious sheen. That was until Lime Crime showed me the light – and the light was matte with a velvety finish.

I treated myself to these two contrasting shades; Suedeberry and Cashmere. Both of these come from Lime Crime’s Velvetines range. Cashmere seems to be a favourite with the fashionistas. You know the ones who dress like unicorns and wear plastic platform shoes, whilst suedeberry looked like a colour I needed to brighten my wintry pallor.

What else can I say? I’m going to sound like a gushing idiot either way so I may as well get on with it. You ABSOLUTELY need these lipsticks in your life. They dry matte, they smell gorgeous (kind of like a vanilla dessert) and guess what? They’re long lasting and don’t end up all around the rim of a glass. I kind of grew an unnatural hatred towards lipstick marks on glasses through my time as a barmaid. Plus, I think it looks trashy.

Anyway, here’s my face with them on:

Cashmere

I was surprised to find that this shades suits pale skin. I can also wear it with pretty much any outfit too without it looking overly glaring.

Suedeberry

Suedeberry is like a staple orange-hued red lipstick. The orange undertone to this red as opposed to the blue undertones associated with the iconic red lippie lifts most skin tones.

It can’t quite easily be teamed with anything and everything but it looks best with black and greys (on me anyway).

Have you got any Lime Crime colours? Which shades do you recommend?

A Newbie’s Guide to Preparing for a Craft Fair

February 20, 2016 by Zoe-Lee Skelton

Last Saturday I participated in my first ever craft fair. The actual fair itself was perfect and passed without any problems. I set up promptly, my stall looked great and I made sales. But on reflection, I failed to plan effectively and to allow myself some breathing space before the day. I packed on the morning and felt rushed and stressed as I plunged everything I needed into a bag.

As I berated myself at the time, I vowed to never leave things to the last minute ever again. So, to give myself the kick up the backside I needed, and to help any of you out who might be facing your first craft event, I thought I’d write a checklist on how to prepare properly for a craft fair.

Know what type of pitch you’ll have before you do ANYTHING

Before you start getting carried away with hundreds of products, lighting, props etc. check what size your stall is and what will be included in your pitch.

Most stalls are pretty basic and come with aproximately a 6ft table and two chairs. If you’re allowed to use the space in front of and to the sides of your table check with the organiser first. You might also be able to put stuff on the wall behind you too. Also, venues for craft fairs tend to be dimly lit so you might find that you need to bring your own lighting – but it must be PAT tested.

You’ll usually need to provide your own table cloth of sorts as you don’t want a chipped, ramshackle old table off-setting your goods!

Get your products ready well in advance

I really cannot stress this enough as this is exactly what I didn’t do and hated my stupid self for it. Once you know your pitch dimensions you’ll be able to plan how much product you can physically display and take with you.

It’s best to make anything that you would like to bring well in advance so that you’re not rushing through it last minute doing a half-hearted job. I learnt the hard way this time around and stayed up until 11pm most nights (even after doing a full days work!) to get product done. Use the days before to factor in any last minute table top styling ideas, packaging everything protectively and promoting the event – but more on this later.

Craft fairs can be the perfect place to showcase brand new or limited edition products which is why I slogged my guts out to get some new bits and pieces finished. Like this brand new black liberty print bow tie:

I also had some beautiful skull print fabric gifted by Fabric World that I wanted to turn into some hair bows to sell on the day:

I loved working with this fabric and the finished product looked polished due to the high quality of the material. The hard work paid off in the end as I sold one and had many complements so it’s now up on the Etsy shop.

Package your items to eliminate damage

If your products are delicate and you have to travel far to get to the venue, it’s so important that you package your pieces securely to eliminate any possibility of them being damaged. It would be heartbreaking to turn up to a fair only to discover that some of your items have broken in transit.

Use bubble wrap and individual boxes if you want to keep things separately and not get tangled or thrown around. If you have to travel by foot take a suitcase or trunk on wheels and pack out the space so things aren’t being chucked all over the place.

If you have prints, photos or paintings you’ll want to keep these flat so if you don’t drive you could consider getting lifts to the station or the event. If you have the budget you could pay for a taxi. I got the train but it was only a short ride and kept prints flat in a pop up cardboard box carrier.

Get promotional materials sorted

If you want to ensure you make an impression and direct people to where you sell your products, take business cards, flyers and labeling with you. Clearly display promotional materials on your stall and offer it out to browsers and people who purchase something.

For example, if you have sold out of something or you produce custom orders, give someone a business card with contact details and tell them to get in touch.

Promotional materials help to “build your brand” and remind people that they can connect with you online. I use a combination of business cards and handmade product labels to make an impact.

I like my labels to be handmade and printed as I think it helps to emphasise how much detail and effort goes into everything. I decided to add extra style to my labels using an X-Cut paper puncher. It’s so simple to use and there’s loads of different shapes to chose from to emboss your paper and crafts.

Use props to make your stall stand out

Props and stands can give your products the attention they deserve and help to demonstrate how they work or what they will look like on. As I sell hair bows I took a manaquin head to clip to a hair piece. You might also want to bring platforms to give depth to your stall to highlight best sellers.

If you sell prints and cards, you might want to invest in a card rack. This will allow your cards to be displayed upright to browsers who can then easily look through your items.

A word of caution with props – don’t go over the top. You’ll risk putting potential buyers off if your stall looks too pristine and like a “set”. Customers might be too scared to touch or move anything. Plus, a busy stall won’t let your products speak for themselves.

Promote the event as much as possible in as many ways as possible

Don’t assume that the craft fair organiser is also a marketing guru – it’s likely that they’re too preoccupied with filling up pitches and collecting cash. In fact if it’s a smaller event there will have been little to no marketing done by the organisers or even the venue as they could be seperate entities.

Find out what the venue or organiser’s or venue’s social media channels are and see whether they’re tweeting the show. Share their updates and share you own content with them in order for them to then like and re-share your updates (how many times did I write share in that sentence?!).

Check to see if there is a hashtag. Use photos of the flyer and your own products to sell the show. Create a Facebook event and invite your friends and ask other craft sellers to invite their wider circles too.

Whilst digital is great for reaching more people, don’t forget to flyer the locality and put a sign up outside the venue telling people what’s going on and where to go. There’s nothing worse than getting all set up on the day only for three people to turn up and look at your stall.

If you’ve got any more tips to add to my guide, feel free to write them in the comments below.

*I was gifted the skull fabric and x-cut paper puncher but all views are my own.