Coriandr Express

First of all, a massive thank you to everyone who took part on the Coriandr Express. You all did a wonderful job, I think we all made some new friends and made up a nice little network!

I've left it a bit late as Lynne invited me to help out on the Blog a while ago, but none the less I will be doing my best to interview people and their products on Coriandr, as well as seeking out seller promotions to advertise here!

So without further ado, here are the first set of Sales and Promotions!

Kev at Dig The Earth is offering 10% off all items until December. Be sure to quote "TWITTER09" to take advantage of this offer!


Little Sparrow is having a huge sale clear out in her shop.


FREE UK shipping from Mollimoo until 31st August.


Finally, and sadly, Alice of Snapdragon Beads is closing up shop. For 50% off, quote "Twitter" in the 'Message to seller' box.

Our last VIP on the Coriandr Express this time round is the multi-talented Katrina of Tomato Tea. Katrina's shop draws me in because of the yarn, because I have a huge love of hand dyed and spun yarn. I have knitted with Katrina yarn and it is a delight to use as the colours are so beautiful. I can safely recommend it to anyone that loves to knit or crochet as it will add to the piece you are making in colour and texture.

Katrina is not only a talented spinner she is also a great knitter and crocheter too. There is a cheeky fun style in some of the work you'll find in Tomato Tea, which should bring a smile to your face. This little bird keyring shows off her crocheting skills and her sense of fun.

Katrina also has a good eye for embellishment. Many of her pieces at first look don't appear to be embellished, but that is because all the items added just fit so well on the piece that they look like they should be there. You can see this on her purses. The ribbon and buttons added just complete the look of them perfectly.

The colour choices Katrina makes are gorgeous. Some of the combinations of colours in her yarn are ones you don't regularly see together but she picks the perfect shades and combines them in such a way that the end result is stunning. I also love the texture her yarn has. That is something you can only really get from hand spun yarn, hence my love of using it.

Katrina's work is beautiful, and that's all I really need to say. Stop by her shop to see for yourself and keep up to date with what is going on in her world on her blog or personal website. If you would like some custom work done Katrina is happy to discuss it with you, so get in touch and you can own your own amazing Tomato Tea product.

Today is the last random selection from the Coriandr Express train riders shop. We have had a busy 10 weeks and I think we have shown you a fantastic selection of our handmade goods in that time and I hope we have convinced a few more people that to buy handmade goods mean you will receive quality, lovingly hand crafted goods that will last for a long time and give you lots of pleasure.

Love Light & Peas' shop is full of recycled goods that not only look great but you can buy them in the knowledge you are helping to prevent needless waste.

Nic's Knots' shop of craft bags and totes, for adults and children alike, give you a fantastic alternative to use instead of plastic bags and thats got to be good!

Cee Gee Jewellery has lots of beautiful hand crafted jewellery in a range of colours and styles, so check it out and find something to sparkle up your life.

Creativesque art work and designs have a very special style which gets used to embellish useful items like tags, envelopes, and book marks and purely decorative pieces and art works.

Myfuroshiki shop is full of fabulous fabrics and sewn works like these reusable tags. The idea of using fabric as gift wraps is fantastic. It's a beautiful shop.

I hope you have enjoyed our journey on the Coriandr Express and visit our shops in the future. Keep an eye out for new stock and designs.

Tomato Tea

1. Please introduce us to who you are and tell us a bit about your craft.
Hi everyone! My name is Katrina and I live down in the south of the UK in Dorset. Going by the name of TomatoTea always seems to intrigue people, but quite simply its down to a love of home grown tomatoes from the garden and a good ol' cuppa!
I love all things to do with textiles and wish I could do so much more, just like any crafter. It all stems from when I learnt crochet back in 2005, which progressed to knitting in 2007, which then lead to dyeing yarn and now to spinning it! Somewhere in amongst that I learnt embroidery and sewing.

2. How would you describe your style and how did that style evolve?
To be honest, I tend to go with the flow and how I'm feeling. Some days I want to make something bright and colourful, other days this will be the opposite and i'll either want to create something pale or natural in colour. Some days I like to play with buttons and embroider random motifs to purses, others i like to knit... it constantly changes but this seems to feed my crafty appetite!

3. Who/what inspires you?
Like most crafters, the what is everything around me. You seem to look at the world differently noticing odd colour combos that work well together, this is particularly true of flowers but a lot can be seen in town too. I love texture as well, cracks, stones, walls, wood, sand, the sea - theres not only a world to look at but a world to touch.
As for the who I would have to say all crafters inspire me. Be it that they do a similar craft or something completely different, it is really inspiring knowing that there is a massive community of people going back to their roots and making things themselves instead of buying mass produced.

4. What do you do if/when you have a creative block?
I tend to browse other peoples blogs. Its the positive energy when they are writing about what they have done that day, be it crafty or otherwise, gets me excited and wanting to do my own things again. However this doesn't always work! I find going out for a walk or simply chilling out with a book or playing a game on the DS can clear the block.

5. Where do you see yourself being in a year’s time?
This is a difficult one as there are a few cards on the table for me at the moment! My friend (Nicole of Hearts and Skulls) and I are working on building up a network of handmade artists here in Dorset called oOak. There seems to be a huge gap in the handmade crafts market, particularly in Bournemouth and we want to get some local events such as workshops and affordable craft fairs going with similar success to the likes of the Handm@de Fairs! I'd really love for this to be up and running next year.
On the other hand I have been looking at returning to New Zealand for a Working Holiday. With unemployment being extremely high in the UK at this moment in time and with me being out of a job, I feel some drastic measures are needed!


6. What do you like about being a seller on Coriandr?
As most sellers have said, it has to be the wonderful Mathew. He is such a dedicated admin and he bends over backwards to make sure he can make Coriandr the best that it can be. He is quick to answer any queries and is super friendly! I also love the community. Everyone is extremely helpful and supportive. It can only get better!

7. Which other Coriandr Sellers do you like?
Being on the Coiandr Express, I am biased towards all 19 of you! I love DigTheEarth's cards , LottieLodge's recycled stationery sets and Heart and Soil's baskets, particularly the bread basket - I can see some hand spun yarns in there! I have to mention Robin too, her handmade buttons are fantastic! Also, I don't mind telling you that its because of Kev's interview on the Coriandr Blog with Hen that I decided to join Coriandr!

Ruby Spirit Designs is a great beaded Jewellery shop run by Tracy on Coriandr. The shop is getting fuller by the day with beautiful pieces made from a mixture of vintage and new beads. Many of the items in the shop, due to the vintage components, are one off designs, such as the vintage button rings.

Tracy has been working tirelessly lately to up the stock numbers in her shop and the new pieces are absolutely stunning. My personal favourite of the moment is the buckle and dragonfly necklace (below). Tracy has a good eye for colour and form as you can see in this piece. The way the dragonfly drapes around the buckle is inspired.

In fact there has been a rash of creatures appearing in Ruby Spirit Designs, from butterflies to bees. This pair of very pretty little swallow earrings with suspended teeny green lampwork glass beads are so charming and very retro looking. Great to go with all the great 50's style dresses on sale today.

I've always loved kilt pins, ever since I was a child and was given a bright read checked kilt by my dad. Tracy's range of beaded kilt pins are fabulous. They come in a range of colours so you are sure to be able to find one that matches up with your outfit, but if you don't or you have any designs that you want making up, have a chat to Tracy as she is happy to take on commission work. With her skill and talent you are sure to get just what you are looking for.

Ruby Spirit Designs is a shop full of great jewellery, all priced incredibly fairly, that Tracy will beautifully package up for you and post out to you A.S.A.P., so why not get over to her shop and purchase some of those amazing pieces before they have gone. Don't miss out on those one off pieces!

This is our last week on the train so very soon all the train riders will be spilling out back onto the platform at the Coriandr Central station, where I hope they will continue to fill up their shops with gorgeous handmade goods for us all to buy.

This little scrummy baby in a baby grow from Frute Juce is having a little wriggly dance to the music coming from the record player on his chest. A must have item of clothing for the most stylish baby on the block.

Kitty Ballistic's potato has joined the ranks of the Zombie army that my friend Rory seems to be so scared of. He has thought up plans on how to survive a zombie attack and tells me it is remiss of me not to have made my own plans.

Oh my... it looks like Tiny Pretty Things has been taken over by zombies too. Coo Lummy, maybe Rory is right and I should assess my home for zombie attack, just as we have done for Velociraptor attacks.

Dig the Earth thankfully is a zombie free shop. He just has beautiful colourful cards on offer. Although this one could make a good target to aim for if you attached it to a zombie that's trying to break into your home.

Mrs. Toad Designs has a new flower to share with us today. Her felt brooches are so pretty. This light pink felt floral brooch is so much fun. Again no zombies to be seen here. Phew!

Don't miss out on the great products in the Coriandr Express riders shops. Click the links on the right and have fun surfing through the shops.

Ruby Spirit Designs

1. Please introduce us to who you are and tell us a bit about your craft.
Hello! I'm Tracy, I live in Yorkshire with my husband (Dig The Earth) and my two gorgeous sons. I currently spend every spare minute (of which there aren't many) creating jewellery in my studio, aka the spare room!
Many of the things I make are one offs because I love to work with broken vintage jewellery, pulling it apart and making it into something completely different. As a family we do our best to recycle everything and I love the fact that I can carry that over into my work! It breaks my heart to think of all the beautiful things people throw away because they've got a broken clasp or have lost a few stones.

2. How would you describe your style and how did that style evolve?
I would describe my style as eclectic, in that I take inspiration from a broad and diverse range of sources. Jewellery from any point in history can still be exciting and relevant today with the minimum of interpretation. I have always loved making new from old, and I take my lead from the random selection of vintage components, glass beads and other sundry bits & bobs I might have cluttering my workbench on any given day!

3. Who/what inspires you?
My husband, my children, my friends. The beautiful county where I live. Music. Art. A random blouse I see someone wearing on the bus. A broken brooch I find in a charity shop. A messy sky. Anything and everything!

4. What do you do if/when you have a creative block?
Get the notebook out! I always have a notebook with me (it harks back to my days as a graphics student in the '80s) so whenever I get an idea or think of a random colour combination I jot it down. It really helps to have a little book of ideas on standby for those block days!

5. Where do you see yourself being in a year’s time?
I'm planning on making some things entirely from scratch, including making lampwork glass beads. The garden shed is in the process of being transformed into my workshop, I'll be in there with my torch set up soon! I'd like to make bespoke lampwork so that people could request completely bizarre colour combinations that you perhaps wouldn't normally see.
I intend to have my work selling in a few more 'bricks & mortar' venues, I'm in two galleries at the moment. I'm also considering the possibilities of teaching workshops.

6. What do you like about being a seller on Coriandr?
So many things! A great supportive community, feedback tool to make your ideas known, the ever-helpful (and reachable!) Mathew, easy one-page listing, clean site design that doesn't upstage the items, homepage items that change often so it never looks stale... shall I go on?

7. Which other Coriandr Sellers do you like?
It would be far quicker to list the ones I don't like if only a) there were any, and b) I felt morally comfortable doing that! Coriandr is full of talented craftspeople who are passionate about what they do and I find it an inspiring site to be a member of.