Busy, busy being creative..!

Wednesday 30 May 2012

Day 30 - The end of the 30DC but not the end of Bags of Love

now you see them....
now you don't - but who's got one??
Wow. I can't quite believe it is now the 30 May and the end of the 30 Day Challenge. I must say Its been an amazing experience and I've totally enjoyed it. I know I wouldn't have gotten this far without being part of it. 


I've learnt so much. 


So I'd really like to thank John and Selina for creating the community in the first place where I felt supported to bring my idea to life and to all the fellow 30DCers who have given me such fantastic feedback and support - THANK YOU and of course a huge thank you to everyone who took a bag and sent me a photo! I've really loved getting those and reading your emails.


It makes me so happy ;-) And of course to Bristol Textile Recyclers who donated the first batch of shirts so I could make it happen.


Soo is this the end of  'bags of love?'...
I don't think so! It's just the beginning...


I've had such fantastic responses that I'm now making my bags and they will be for sale. So if you weren't lucky enough to find one you can still get your hands on one. I'll continue with the numbering as each is unique (and I like that!). I'll also still like to see where my bags end up so would still like to get photos. Where's the furthest one will go???


Have set up a Folksy shop - but need to make some more bags to put on there now...;-)


I am also looking at scaling this project up so it can be done in different towns and countries. 


One day there will be a 'bag of love' in every part of the world!! (ooh think I'm getting a bit carried away now!!). But then you've got to dream! I must admit I'm so excited about it all. 


So watch this space....and make sure you...DO WHAT YOU LOVE!!!


Bye for now (and see you at the picnic on Saturday!)


Morwhenna aka 'bags of love'
xxx


p.s Here's the latest pic I've received - and hopefully not the last! Maria said "you really put a smile on my face!!!!!" which was exactly what I'd written I'd hoped would happen at the very start of this project...


Maria with her bag no.19
Selina with the first sold 'bags of love bag'

and in fact...I have sold my first bag already - to Selina no less!!  ;-)








Tuesday 29 May 2012

Day 29 - Three more bags have new owners - one is a very lucky rabbit called Hamish

Jo with her bag no.25
Had a lovely email from Jo who now owns bag no.25. I love how excited Jo looks in her photo! She was in Bristol for her Grandad's 90th Birthday and found her bag on the bench over looking the Clifton suspension bridge.


I was so chuffed to hear she'd loves her bag and has been using it everyday since she found it! It's now gone home with her to Brighton. ;-) 


And Jo has offered to help me if I extend to a 'Bags of Love for Brighton', I'd only been chatting to a friend of mine about just that this morning...All brilliant. ;-)



And then we have this cute fellow! - Such a brilliant photo, really made me smile.


He's now the owner of bag no.23 which was found in Victoria Square.


And another just in - Hamish - one lucky rabbit, who now owns bag no.14 (ooh tasty carrots!) Thank you to Amber, Ruby and Vicki for this photo.


This happy chap now owns bag no.23
Hamish the rabbit with his bag no.14



Monday 28 May 2012

Day 28 - Some more new owners!

Am so loving this! It's so exciting each time I get an email with a photo! 


Have had two more today...Thank you!


Liv who's now the owner bag no.17 
And this cool pic of Will with his bag no.21

Sunday 27 May 2012

Day 27 - Bags about town – part 2 and 3 photos received so far…! Yipee


Annie, new owner of bag no.10
at Cabot Tower

First photo came through last night! So bag no.10 has a new owner called Annie, here she is with her 'bags of love for Bristol' bag. 

And I can’t tell you how excited I was to get this email! So lovely that it’s worked AND it passed the ‘carrying beer test’ so that’s cool. Thank you Annie for sending your photo!

So today, it took much longer to get the rest of the bags finished and it wasn’t until 16.00 that we ventured out to distribute the rest of them.  Another glorious day so lots of people out and about enjoying the weather. Perfect.

Stayed in and around Clifton Village this time and by the time we got back – there was another photo waiting for me!! Yeah! So that’s bag no. 16. It was left in Victoria Square, but Isabel took a great photo of it in front of the Clifton Suspension Bridge! How neat is that that she went to that effort. Thank you Isabel!! (see further down for photo!)

So tonight I’m having a bit of a rest and will start  planning my folksy page.
Have had such an amazing response for this project.  I'm really chuffed to bits. 

Outside W.G.Grace's House
Have also had some great ideas from a fellow 30DCer called Matt, on how to scale this project up for a wider audience, towns and countries, which is what I’ve been considering how to do.

Ooh and I’ve just had an email from Sara, another of the 30DCers who is a photographer and as she likes my project so much has offered to take some professional photos of me and my bags. Excellent!

AND I did manage to do a short stop frame animation…had fun making this. Will add some of the new pics to it and once I’ve had all the photos in from the bag’s new owners will add those as well. So this version is a ‘now’ version!  So missed most of Eurovision as I was making this video..

Thank you to everyone who’s taken a bag  - look forward to getting your photo and seeing you at the picnic. 


Clifton Village Library














This young lady (don't know her name)
is now the owner of bag no.27
Clifton Suspension Bridge - bag no.27
Isabel - the new owner of bag no.16

Victoria Square - bag no.16
Other side of Clifton Suspension Bridge
Path leading to the Camera Obscura
The Camera Obscura


Outside the Camera Obscura

Saturday 26 May 2012

Day 26 - Bags about town - part 1

Making the tags - recycling card
Sooo, there are now 15 bags 'somewhere' about Bristol..... saw two people taking bags - but we'll have to wait and see if they send me a photo. 


I predict out of the 30 bags I leave around I'll get at least 15 responses and photos. Rich reckons I'll get Six. Hope I'm right!! It took a while to get the tags finished this morning and put everything together. I still have some bags left to sew, so decided to distribute them in two batches. 


hee hee thought that was funny
So first batch went out today. Second will go out tomorrow (once I've finished sewing them!!) 


We left around 14.00 and finally got back at 19.30 (just in time for Eurovision...;-) after being all over the place (ooh and stopping at the Apple for a well deserved drink!) Got to see some great parts of Bristol as Cabot Tower is now open. That was great!


Really looking forward to getting some emails and photos now of the lovely people who've taken one!! (fingers crossed)


FINISHED!
First bag to be 'left' - where's this though??
In a grand entrance!
Highest point in Bristol?
Camera went all B/W here

Would you like one Banksy?

Large beetle spotted

Ready for some shopping?

This bag didn't stay here long!

Where is this?

Part of an exhibition?

Outside in the sunshine again

hmmm where are these seats??

Sat here and had a well earned drink ;-)

Play me a tune - but where's this piano?

Picnic in the park anyone?

Thursday 24 May 2012

Day 24 – Back to Bristol Textile Recylers and font designer Galdino Otten


Tania at BTR with her chosen bag!

Facebook comment from Galdino
Bag with tag - first version
The tag - has been tweaked slightly from this version
Popped back to Bristol Textile Recyclers today to see Tania and give her one of the bags. I took a selection so she could choose which one she’d like. Was really chuffed as she was really pleased with her bag and was impressed at how well they’d come out. In fact she did have difficulty choosing which one to have. In the end it was actually the first bag I’d made that she selected!

I asked about the cost of buying the ‘wipe’ shirts so I can carry on making some now to sell and Tania wasn’t able to tell me there and then how much they were – so will email me once she knows. ;-)

I’d emailed Galdino Otten last night about his wonderful font that I’ve used for this project - I now need a commercial licence as I’m going to be selling them. Wasn’t sure what to expect – so was happy when I received an email saying on this occasion he’d be happy with a donation as I think he liked my project! 

So I suggested I made a donation now and if I do sell the bags then I’d be able to donate more at a later date. Was really pleased when he said he was happy with this! So now I’m comfortable with selling them. He’d designed such a fab font – ‘Action all the Time’ and it really makes the bags. ;-) Check out his work, he’s a bit of a font master! 


Then was chuffed when I saw he’d actually posted about me on his facebook page!  He posted about my project and that he was grateful I’d respected intellectual property rights and made the effort to contact him and do things properly.  He added a link to my blog and mentioned I was making a difference by creating a more sustainable way of living! Wow! That was nice of him to do that.

I did have to use Google translate as he’d posted in Portuguese.  Did I mention he lives in Brazil?

So was very excited  about all that!

Also finished the tags today thanks to the help of my friend Shaun. He pointed out that my original text might give the impression it was a ‘private’ picnic just with me! Oh heck I thought – That’s NOT what I mean! Panicked then about giving people totally the wrong idea! So after some re-wording came up with a much friendlier version.

Did a trial with the first version and worked really well – So tomorrow will now print the tags and can start attaching them to the bags – ready for distribution! Although when counting my bags tonight I appear to have lost some!??

It’s been a good day. ;-)



Wednesday 23 May 2012

Day 23 – Olympic Torch and bag love!


WOW just went outside to photograph my bags and had three people come up to me. First wanted to buy one (she said they're beautiful!), second was an artist called P Tubey who asked me if I could make him a suit jacket for his exhibition - he now wants to include me in his exhibition.. and third was a lady who wanted to photograph them! all in the space of a few minutes!!

And I’ve had so many other people asking to buy one that I’ve decided to make some more now to sell. So will be getting some more shirts and also setting up a Folksy page!! This is SOOO exciting!

Am still sewing at the moment and have moved my distribution to ‘before Sunday at 20.00’ so still have quite a few to sew!

And yep – was up early this morning to see the Olympic Torch coming over the Clifton Suspension Bridge! That was amazing! Then spend AGES trying to get some tickets to the Olympics and managed to get some (after a few hrs) to the Women’s Fencing and also the Paralympics Athletics! VERY EXCITED about that too!!

So watch this space for my Folksy link! As I’ve some things to sort first!


Blink and you'll miss it! The Olympic Torch.


Friday 18 May 2012

Day 18 – 26 Bags so far and printing commences!


Wow – am so excited – my thermofax screen arrived yesterday and my textile paint today which meant I could – GET PRINTING! Yippee! Been spending the other days making up my bags ready to be printed and then sewn. 

I’ve also created a draft of the tag, which needs some tweaking, then will be ready to print them too. So here’s some photos of my progress. And one of me at SS Great Britain this evening as the Jellymongers Bompas & Parr had taken over and covered the glass plates with green jelly. ;-)  

Screen arrives!



25 Bags cut and pinned 
Using 'collar' sections as handles

Test piece!

First printed bag ;-)

Close up shot

The Screen

Printing - so pleased with results

On stripes

Lots of bags now ready to be sewn up!
Green Jelly at SS Great Britain