Hotchpotch

Ch...ch....ch...ch.....changes!

2010-12-31T12:52:00.000Z

...after a lot of deliberating, much pondering

and sleepless nights

there's gonna be some changes around here!

♥

I have decided to only open Hotchpotch on a weekend

10am til 4pm

(during term time)

as I am too busy with 'studio work'

and teaching craft workshops at

various schools during the week.

♥

Hotchpotch will of course still be open as always

Monday through to Friday during the school hols.

♥♥♥

We would like to wish

A Happy New Year

to the friends that we've loved,

those that we now love

and those who we've yet to meet

Love Julie, Robert & Dexter

xxx

♥

Well the weather outside is shocking......

2010-12-01T22:31:00.000Z

Which means that sadly Hotchpotch is closed until Saturday

....I think!

I shall update when I know more.

Have fun!

❄

christmas time,mistletoe and wine la..la..la..la.la..la..laahhhh ♫ ♫

2010-11-27T22:14:00.000Z

Hello again ♥

I think I've put off writing this particular post as I simply can't believe it's nearly December!

Where does the time go?

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

Our shelves are now full of Hotchpotch Christmas goodies

for you to paint.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

We have 5 different types of baubles!

Plain round ones that are great for printing teeny handprints on,

flat ones for foot prints and

christmassy shaped ones that make a great

original handpainted pressy.

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

(Personally I don't think you can beat a good old Messy Mug.)

Do come along and have a go....

It's great fun!!

and a lot less stressful than shopping!!!!

❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

This is Halloween!!!!

2010-10-26T11:05:00.000+01:00

It's the school holidays again!! (are the kids ever at school?) and we are open this half term Monday - Saturday 11.30-5pm.
As usual we are closed Sunday for a bit of a rest.
It's raining so come and paint your christmas pressies and chill

❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄❄

Back to school....back to reality!

2010-08-29T19:10:00.002+01:00

....for visiting us over the summer.

Without you, our lovely customers there would be no Hotchpotch.

Just to remind you all we are back to our 'normal' opening times this week.

Wednesday 3.30-6.30

Friday til Sunday 12.00-5pm

We are so excited about starting two new school projects this term.

Hotchpotch will be very busy crafting and creating with Scissett Middle school and

making and baking (well firing actually but it didn't rhyme!)

with the Felkirk school.....it's all happening.

Do come and visit us soon.

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

Holiday time!!!

2010-08-10T23:33:00.000+01:00

Hotchpotch will be closed on the 28th August as we are away here...in Tighnabruaich.

We are still open Monday to Saturday 11.30-5pm so come and join us

☺

Ruby's getting married in the morning ♫♪♩♫.....

2010-08-05T10:29:00.002+01:00

....Well the day after tomorrow
at 2 in the afternoon

Which means we are closed

Saturday the 7th of August.

We open again on Monday

at 11.30.

See you then!

✿

New pots to paint!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-07-27T09:46:00.000+01:00

At Last!!!! we have some new pottery to paint.

We have money boxes shaped like baseball boots, aeroplanes, puppies, plates & plaques HOORAY! I think I shall spend today (after speaking to my bank manager...gulp) painting some inspirational samples. But first I think I shall hang my patchwork beach blanket out on the line to dry. See you soon!

Summertime and the living is easy....

2010-07-24T00:15:00.001+01:00

Potty Painters

Just a quicky really, I just wanted you to know our Summer Holiday opening times.

We are now open.....

Monday to Saturday 11.30 til 5.00.

We close on Sundays as we are really old and start

to get tired by the end of the week :D

Disco Fever!

2010-07-18T21:58:00.000+01:00

We have always done parties....
Pottery Painting,
Soap & Bath Bomb making,
Funky Frames,
Tee Shirt Painting
and now...
Disco Karaoke parties!!!!
These are great fun for everyone.
So far we have done a Hen night for Ruby..
Mayhem!!
and a Groovy
40th Birthday party seventies style!!!! Put on your dancing shoes and ring, ring why don't you give me a call?

Twinning Tiles...

2010-07-16T10:07:00.001+01:00

Well it has been a while hasn't it? Sorry about that but we've been out & about with Hotchpotch on the road!
For a number of years now we have worked with schools across Kirklees on their 'twinning project'

Let me try and tell you what that is..... 2 schools get together and each pupil is given a 'twin/buddy' who then share their school days for a little while.

We take unglazed tiles and paints and encourage the kids to study each others faces and paint a portrait of each other.... the painted tiles are then taken away to be glazed and fired....but before we do that we carefully outline their work in black to make it look SPECTACULAR!
How colourful is this school's reception area now?

School hols.....

2010-05-29T22:49:00.000+01:00

I hope you don't mind but I'm going away for a few days for a little rest

to Tighnabruaich (teen-a-brew-ack) on the west coast of

Scotland.Whilst I am away I am leaving you in the capable hands of lovely Robert/Dexter (depending on how long you've known him....we've been friends for 27 years!!! so he's Robert to me) Have fun and I'll see you soon :3

Festival Folk and folk.....

2010-05-25T09:11:00.003+01:00

Just a sneaky peek at my weekend!

I will add a little more later

when I have the time.

TTFN

F1 Girlies

2010-05-18T22:30:00.006+01:00

Last Saturday my tiny shop was 'invaded' by these four lovely young designers (& Mum),

They have designed an F1 car which they are entering into a school competition.

As well as designing 'the car' they also had to come up with some original promotional stuff leaflets, posters and.....a Handpainted F1 Mug!

They worked really hard and their finished pots look Fab!

Good Luck Girls!!!

This weekend Hotchpotch is out & about!

We are at the Shepley Spring Festival

... a cute little folk festival in an absolutely beautiful spot in Huddersfield

Come along....there's music, pot painting (us! :^D) craft stalls, a beer tent, food and vintage clothing too it's just lovely.

I can't believe the sun is shining, the birds are tweeting and the ground is dry!

We've never done this festival in sunshine and warmth, I'm very excited.

I've even baked sausage rolls and cheese straws as I can feel a picnic coming on.

We do hope you'll join us!

Another week over and a new one just begun.

2010-05-02T21:50:00.005+01:00

This week has simply flown by....

on Tuesday Dexter and I (briefly) attended a conference,

I say briefly, as after 45 minutes we left. But not until I had told them

"My name is Julie Black, I am an artist and i think I must be in the wrong room!"

We then spent a lovely 'stolen' day in the sunshine feeling very naughty!!

On Thursday we spent the afternoon visiting an old friend and fellow textile artist

Gemma Nemer at her pretty little studio in Rotherham called 'The Button Tin'

her work is delightful and her attention to detail is second to none.

I always feel so inspired when I spend any time with her.

Then it was back to Huddersfield to spend a couple of hours with the lovely crafters at Scissett Middle School.

One half of the group spent the session making handmade soap with Dexter

whilst I taught the others how to make fantastic flowery felt phone covers.

Saturday was a quiet day in the shop and the 'artists' that visited had been before

and didn't need my help soooooo I had time to make my friend a crocheted cafetiere cover for her birthday....

......I'm pleased to say she absolutely loved it!

Friday Funday

2010-04-23T20:20:00.006+01:00

Today I decided to take my kiln home...

the mill are being awkward ( so what's new?)

and have told me that I can't fire it during the day.

...So I shall bring it back home

where it belongs

and fire everyones

pottery in my craft room at my leisure.

This kind of pettiness really makes me tense, so after phoning all my smashing customers to tell them their pottery wouldn't be ready just yet,

I decided to start my new range of textile art

to calm me down.

My lovely friend Jo sells my work

in her beautiful shop in North Norfolk

coastandcountryhome.co.uk/

As you can see from the photograph

I'm not really a tidy worker but...

In order to create inner calm one must first create outward mess...I think!

out & about

2010-04-21T23:05:00.000+01:00

Tomorrow we are out & about....

Dexter is working in Dewsbury teaching a group of teenage girls how to make beautiful handmade soap, yes we do soap making parties too!

I am running my Craft out of school club at Scissett Middle school, I think tomorrow we may be.....painting pottery!!

In the weeks to follow we will be making soap, mosaic mirrors, jewellery and just about anything else that I fancy doing (I tend to go with the flow a bit) Have a good day we plan to!

2010-04-18T22:11:00.000+01:00

remember...remember...

We are back to our NEW 'normal' opening hours

Wednesday 3.30-6.30

Friday-Sunday 12-5

See you then!

Out with the old in with the new!

2010-04-18T17:39:00.000+01:00

So... after weeks of emptying shelves,filling bins, skips and cars with 8 years of 'stuff', we finally said farewell to Hotchpotch Denby Dale 2 and moved into Hotchpotch Denby Dale 3 just in time for the Easter Hols.The new shop is lighter,brighter and so teeny tiny but I love it! The white walls really show off Robert's paintings and it's blooming GREAT to see the outside world.