An Introduction

Why looky here! What's all this? Never seen this blog before, huh?

Pleased to make your aquaintance. We are the Made In The Shade Gals. Some folks call us that. Mainly because we organise boutique shopping event, Made In The Shade. Genius. 'There go the Made In The Shade Gals!' they holler. 'Wheet whoo!' We don't mind it so much. It's a welcome improvement from “Whit's up wi you, Craft Face? Whit ur ye knittin' that fur? How come yir werrin' yer granny's auld claise?” [someone honestly called you 'Craft Face'? - ed.] I guess that's what you get for public crafting on the Clockwork Orange dressed in a reproduction 1940s teadress. Goons.

Our new blog space on www.theskinny.co.uk is, I suppose, a virtual extension of the work we do in real life. Just like the Made In The Shade event, the Made In The Shade pages are dedicated to unearthing and promoting off-beat design and neo-craft talent in Scotland. We intend to take you on many an online shopping trip, introducing you as we go to the homegrown independent makers and designers who have embraced the sometimes grannified notion of handmade and reworked it into something exciting and relevant. Not that we don't adore grannification you understand. We're somewhat grannified ourselves (Dot Cotton is one of the most stylish dolls on TV and stands as a fashion role model for us all). It's just that when it comes to crafting, folks can easily assume you're talking about nought but tie-dye and wicker. We'll help you drag connotations of 'craft' out of the realm of the dowdy town fayre and the W.I., and we might even teach you to make a little something of your own now and again! Knitted beards anyone? Stay tuned for posts about our latest indie market place finds and profiles of our favourite crafty ventures.

The vintage and indie culture elements of the blogpages will manifest themselves in all sorts of ways: articles on guerilla crafting, (p)reviews of innovative crafty events, vintage beauty tips, posts on DIY business, vintage lifestyle features (home decorating, holidaying, music...), retro photostories will all crop up at some time or another. You can also expect to find interviews with lesser-known Scottish figures who work to make an impact on carbon copy style and the general humdrum of city life.

You'll learn more about us, our little foibles and pet hates as we get to know one another, but let me quickly introduce y'all to the others. That cheeky cowgirl over there is Clare Nicolson. She is a textile designer and dedicated Made In The Shade Gal. She sells her collection of homewares, soft interiors and giftware internationally and is a bit of a star 'round these parts. She dreams of returning to Austin, Texas to visit her chums but is content working from her pretty studio in D-Town (Glasgow) for now. I have seen her eat mac & cheese with cut up hotdogs in. If Clare were in a movie, I reckon she'd be in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The flapper girl in the corner? Why, that's Suzanne Smith. Suzanne is a jewellery designer. She is a silversmith and a felter and can make woolly gifts that look good enough to eat. She lives in Glasgow with her husband and her cats but secretly harbours a desire to move to Beamish – the living museum in Durham. Suzanne also shares my love of rose and violet flavoured food and shares my hatred of cheese. I'm not sure if Suzanne would like to star in Amelie as such, but I do know that she's seen it hundreds and hundreds of times. I am Carrie Maclennan. I have a lot going on. I'm currently writing my PhD thesis. 'Tis true. Allegedly, my brain is bound for the academy. However, my heart is that of an indiepreneurial timewarp wife and clearly has other plans. I handcraft vintage inspired bath products from my kitchen workshop and I collect things. Lots of things. Sometimes I keep 'um. Sometimes I sell 'um. Usually I keep them for a while - then I sell them. I am the Made In The Shade Gal with the Bettie Page hairdo. If I could star in a movie, I might be the doll from Jailhouse Rock. Or maybe Natalie Wood in Rebel Without A Cause. Those are my coolcat, wannabe-pretty-gal choices. Really I just want to be Doris Day in Calamity Jane.

Pleased to meet y'all! Do come visit again won't you?

Carrie & the MITS Gals