Oh I do like to be beside the seaside...

The sea is one of my favourite things- from its calming rhythm to its beautiful blues... And there's nothing I love more than staring out to the horizon and wondering how many other people are doing the same around the world. One person who shares this passion with me is my Nan, who up until this weekend, hadn't seen the sea in over 5 years.

At the age of 76, she was recently asked what was on her bucket list- to which she replied with "a bucket what?". After a bit of explaining, we found out the one and only thing my Nan had on her bucket list, was to go to the beach. So off we went to Llandudno!

So whilst my Nan ticked off her bucket list to eat fish and chips once again by the sea, as she had done on many, many occasions when she was younger; I found the perfect opportunity to take some photos!

No I know I'm no Ansel Adams, but I thought I'd share a few snaps!

We also popped to Conwy!

My photos don't justify the natural beauty of the scenery! But it's not the photos I went for- it was the look on my Nans face when she ticked "fish n chips by the sea" off her Bucket List!

Bethan Rose x

All things African...

So after months and months of having finishing my first year at Uni (and attempting to write a regular blog- which you can see hasn't been going too well!), I decided it was about time to knuckle down with some serious work on our summer project. Whilst I wasn't feeling overly inspired by the task sheet given to us by our lecturers, the theme of AFRICAN ARTISAN intrigued me. I don't know much about African culture, or design, but been as I enjoy looking to other cultures for inspiration, this seemed like the perfect theme!

Whilst Google is all good and fine for research, you can't beat a bit of real life, first hand inspiration- and whilst I'm not the poorest, there's no way I could afford to go to Africa anytime soon! So after a cheeky bit of research (of which Google was very good for!), one of my course mates discovered an African Market in London. The Old Spitalfields Market to be precise.

It turns out the market is held on the last and first Saturday of every month, and is filled with authentic market stalls covered in beautiful bright colours and patterns! Whilst some of the stalls are ran by Africans, and sold beautiful designs and items hand crafted on the continent itself, others were designed by those living in the UK.

We were lucky enough to meet a fellow Textile Designer, called Rachael. I was initially drawn to her stall because of the beautiful lino printed tote bags lying on the table. Lino printing was something I always enjoyed trying at A-Level, and something I'm yet to explore at Uni! The bright colours and patterns are beautiful, and gave me loads of ideas for my own work! Give her an Instagram follow- @rachy_boos - she's defo worth checking out!

We also got to meet the lovely guys from Plush too! (They're also worth an Instagram follow- @plushventuresltd) Their designs are all original prints designed by ladies and gentlemen in Africa! I brought a gorgeous tote bag from them- not just because of the beautiful print, but also its perfect for all my sketchbooks!

The other stalls had a lot to offer as well- plenty of bright colours and bold designs.

So after an interesting morning inspo-gathering, it was only right we rewarded ourselves with a trip to Camden for a bit of street food...

So after a great day- all that's left now is to crack on with our sketchbook work!

Bethan Rose x

A little bit about me!

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 Hi!

So I'm new to all this blogger stuff, so I thought I'd begin by introducing myself!

My names Bethan Rose, I'm 18 years old and quite frankly the youngest of ALL my friends (everyone was 18 before me, and now everyone's 19 and I'm not!). I've just completed my first year at the University of Derby, studying Textiles Design! It's kind of mad I ended up there, I never really new what I wanted to do when I was growing up- as a child I've been a nurse, a zoo keeper, a mechanic, a chef- I even went through a period where I wanted a princess. Or a fairy. Or a dog....

I've always been arty though, my Nan was a Tailor in her 20s, and always had her sewing machine out when were growing up. Me and my brother and cousin used to stay with her in the summer holidays, and we've made some pretty hideous hand puppets and dolls clothes over the years! My Gran was quite crafty too- I think it's something to do with their 'make-do and mend' generation (as my nan would call it!). Between the two of them, I could use a sewing machine by the time I was 10, even getting a cute little purple sewing machine for Christmas- it sang when you pressed the foot paddle! I can remember being taught to knit as well, making my favourite teddy bear a brightly coloured stripped scarf!

                                              

Despite all the colouring books, make-your-own-pom-poms and fuzzy felt, I never took textiles at A-Level. Don't get me wrong, I loved Textiles Design at GCSE, but I'd always been an Art & Design kinda' girl! So I applied to do Fine Art, English Literature and Language, Biology and Psychology... LUCKILY, I changed English last minute and have absolutely no regrets! Ever since I started Textiles Design, I fell in love! I even began to make my own clothes- although I soon discovered it wasn't a career in Tailoring or Fashion I was heading for!

 I really enjoyed the few years I studies it (I've never been very academic- I can apply myself much more with fabrics and dyes and a sewing machine than with writing an essay) and if I'm being honest, it was the subject I excelled in the most! So there you go, one thing led to another, and my life long ambition of being a dog went out of the window!

So here I am, a year into my degree, and absolutely loving it! It's changed me so much as a designer! Now everything I see is a piece of inspo, every tree, every house, every little cupcake with the cute icing and sprinkles on! It amazes me now that I once didn't think I wanted a career in design...

So anyway, there's what you need to know about me! My blog, is looking to follow my journey through design, both at Uni, as well as my own little projects!

Bethan Rose x