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Unusual Gifts made from usual things

01/11/2026

And we’re good to go!

All set-up at Holt Sunday Market! 10-3

Down in our usual spot.

The stand is groaning will new bits & pieces, including the ones I’d forgotten I’d done 🤦🏻‍♀️

Yes I didn’t get everything done that I wanted to - some things will never change.

Forgotten a few cards, missing the outdoor kit bag - but who cares!

Lovely market buzz already & thats just catching up with the traders.

If you’re out, pop down & you’ve still got a week or so to chat through anything bespoke 😊😊

31/10/2026

So the last two weeks have been very up & down.

Up as the extension floor rose 40mm and down as we’re back to just the concrete slab running from the front to the back of the house.

We’re still in a state of upheaval & whilst he’s been working to get everything back straight - it’s taken me a little longer to adjust and get back on track.

He adapts to change so much better than me and when I hit a grumbly phase, which isn’t that often - honestly; I can take a while to climb back out of it 🤭🤭

Our next show is tomorrow at Holt Sunday Market & whilst I have some lovely stock, I’m far to focussed on the things I haven’t finished. Which inevitably leads to me being hard on myself.

Fortunately the universe has been bombarding me with some ‘not so subtle’ signs.

This week we’ve had some wonderful commissions, placed by customers who have seen us over the last few months. A very healthy reminder to trust the process.

This lovely wartime monopoly set, poignantly stored in a biscuit tin may not be made into our folded squares just yet, but one’s already ordered.

There’s a big music piece, 2 unusual map pieces, and even a Dickens to name but a few. Even a Haircut 100 if I can make it work!

So rather than focus on what I’ve not done, I’m going to recognise the signs and count my blessings 😊😊

- now any biscuit tin experts?
- how do I date a tin?

Plus, back in the day not all Monopoly sets were boxed, in fact you had to pay extra for the box! But does that mean it’s a 1940’s tin?

28/10/2026

This time of year, our focus is on creating bespoke pieces & commissions.

So we’ve dialled back a little on our number of in-person events.

We’ll be back at Holt on Sunday so please come & see us since the next couple of weeks really are the last chance for us to turn round those pieces in time for Christmas.

And to all of you organised and incredibly patient people who have already placed their orders, thank-you and you guys are top of the to-do list!

28/10/2026

Four vintage comic themed pieces.

The same shape, the same number of modules; yet each piece is very different in how they’ve been pulled together.

Before I get too distracted - orientation.

These pieces will go into our standard A4 frames & displayed as landscape. Unfortunately I couldn’t easily capture that image. So they’ll be flipped through 90 degrees.

So 12 modules made from 12 squares, can they really be that different?

Well yes! Each one of these pieces has a very deliberate module placement.

I’m going to pull together something that works through a little of what I want to convey for each piece. That’ll come in the next few days.

But as a starting point I think ‘who am I making this piece for?’

Many of our creations are bought as gifts.

So I’m not expecting each customer to know the insides & out of every Viz character. Yet if this was your thing, then you’ll have expectations from the piece. My job is to make sure that I create the piece with the end customer in mind.

For the purchaser, they won’t necessarily see all the subtle details - why would they? They may not even notice at first glance that it’s made from Viz.

So I’m always grateful when people trust me to create the piece and/or take time to talk to us at the stand. 😊

- and if you’ve never read Viz, you don’t know what you’ve missed 🤭🤭🤣

27/10/2026

So 19yrs ago we got dressed up!

Cowboy boots & Cuban heels 🤭🤭

Weather was a little better than today, thank goodness

I’d like to say we’ve got it all figured out by now, but that will never happen.

This year has been mad, chaotic and at times bonkers (currently my word of the month!), but never boring.

And whilst we try and work out who is more Hal or Kate or both - we both do the clipboard thing whilst someone else is on the phone 🤣🤣🫣

- I take the prize for the most obscure romantic gift 🤫🏆

26/10/2026

So I don’t start with a blank piece of paper!

What I do start with is a book, a comic, a piece of music, a map etc.

The typeset, colour palette, characters, condition etc is already fixed.

The creative part then is the composition.

Take something as classic as Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

A well loved iconic tale with great detail, characters and intrigue.

Over the years there’s been various adaptations, from a myriad of book interpretations to music and film.

This has generated an abundance of source material, yet that in itself creates more problems.

What do you pick?

The reality is, there isn’t ‘one’ Alice piece that works for everyone. Over the years we’ve made various different pieces and we’re not done yet.

The common thread is always retelling the story. But just as we’ve all walked out of the cinema many a time muttering ‘that’s nowhere near as good as the book’, or ‘they really didn’t suit that role’ we all have our own individual interpretations.

My task is to try and compose something to match both the material, but still create a faithful reimagining of the story.

25/10/2026

Not entirely sure how I’ve managed it, but I have 3(!!!!!) Lord of the Rings double map hexagons cut out & folded.

They may be the last ones of the year. So be quick if you’re interested.

Hoping to get 2 framed up in our extra deep box acrylic frames - only available in black. Float mounted for extra 3d & hopefully ready for Holt Sunday Market on 1st Nov 🤞🤞🤞

If you want to reserve one they’re £60 (+£5.99 if posted)

Celebrate the wins no matter how small 👏👏👏

25/10/2026

Please forgive us if you’re waiting to hear from us.

So we’ve definitely had a trying week!

Apart from losing broadband for a few days, we returned last weekend to a little ‘indoor floor hill’.

Insurance/builder/surveyor - we’re working our way through all these.

In the meantime we’ve lifted a floating recycled pvc tiles floor & taken up the ceramic tiles.

Plan today is to reinstate the frame assembly space but we’ll likely be living with just concrete underneath for a bit until we can suss out what’s happening beneath.

25/10/2026

A new Lord of the Rings piece.

Not quite ready to share in full yet.

I think it’s there.

It tells the story.

It has flow around the piece.

But it just has to sit with me for a few more days until I’m fully happy with each module placement.

Oh and I also need to fathom out my my head starts at 11 o’clock on each module and works clockwise. Clockwise I get, but why slightly to the left. It’s not like I’m known for being earlier to everything 🤭🤣

24/10/2026

I’m not certain I ever set out to create such intricate pieces.

The basic concept was not only to use vintage and antique paper in a structural way but to convey as much of the detail in the transformed piece. A fairly straight forward goal!

Whether that’s a character name, a place name, an image or even the progression of the book.

In theory that means once I’ve done a particular piece, then I can just rinse and repeat for the next one.

Well that’s the theory, but far from reality.

So why isn’t it the case?

Well take these 2 vintage Odyssey pieces made from a 1940’s and 1950’s Penguin classic.

The modular hexagons alongside the iconic front covers are the same yet different.

Why? Well the typeset changes. A subtle shift to the margins, a carriage return added in. A shift of the block text onto the next page. A name once sitting on the left of the page is now thrown to the right.

It’s then an adjustment process to know do I want to capture the Chapter heading or is it more important to put in key phrases. Each choice and decision has a knock on effect to the next piece and the next. Small decisions which can impact the final piece.

I suppose one solution would be to only use a narrow range of source materials, but where would the fun be in that.

Address

Welborne
Dereham
NR203LD

Website

http://www.pixiesprite.com/

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