Saturday, November 08, 2008

Introducing BONNIE BOON Designs

Now here's a surprise! My secret it out .... atleast I've decided to 'come out'. And confess that I am a closet crafter. There .... I've said it! Phew! that wasn't as hard to say as I thought it would be. I feel better already.

Ok, to family and folks who know me well, it's not that big a surprise. When I was 5 years old, my Granny Boon taught me to crochet and knit. And when a little older Mum showed me simple embroidery stitches. In the 1970's I ran a tiny cottage industry, with homeworkers converting my designs into handmade sweaters. Then later I was a needlework project designer for craft magazines and eventually Amathusia Designs was born.

For some time now painting is all I've wanted to do, except for a blip last Autumn when the slipped disc put me on my back for a couple of months. To stave off boredom, verging on temporary insanity, I discovered that it's possible to crochet whilst horizontal. Since then I've been back to a painterly norm until Baby Max was expected and I set about making tiny garments for him.

To my surprise I've found that I still love to crochet and so I just kept on going. I love the fact you can do it practically anywhere with no pallaver or masses of equiment. I love the fact that you have just one stitch and it can just happen free-form without a pattern (similar to painting in that respect), adding bits and taking them away just as easily (the equivilent of a turpsy rag when painting with oils LOL)

OK .... so there's a limit to the need for hats and scarves in Cyprus. So what to do with the finished pieces all neatly and lovingly wrapped in tissue paper and increasing by the day? It was obvious really .... open another shop. My Granny Boon, who was 93 when she died, would be astonished to know there's such a thing as the internet. It just feels so appropriate to give the shop her name. So Bonnie Boon it is. She would have been tickled pink :)

I toyed with the idea of creating a separate blog for Bonnie Boon. Should I be precious and keep the 'art' separated, breathing purer air so as not to be contaminated by it's lowly cousin, I thought. Or should I push the shy new-borne forward and let her mix with the rest of the family. To heck with it, I decided. They're all my children LOL!

4 comments:

KC'sCourt! said...

Hello! Nice to see you back - did you enjoy your break? Crocheting and Knitting must be catching - I have been making flowers of different kinds including ones made in felt. I have also been making pincushions too all being sold/sold out in the shop I work in so this week have to make some more, cross stitching has gone on the back boiler for a while!

Bee Skelton said...

Hi Julie. You have been busy! Maybe it's an Autumn thing that gets some us clicking needles and hooks. Nice work :)

Unknown said...

How lovely to get to know you a bit from reading your wonderful blog. My goodness you are just bursting with incredible talent and looks like time and energy to make the most amazing things. I look forward to seeing more!
~Emily

Bee Skelton said...

Hi Emily ... Believe me, the feeling is mutual. Thanks so much for calling in and for your kind comment. Look forward to seeing lots more of you and your work.