Etsy Shop

gilhoolie has an Etsy shop!

July 9, 2020May 6, 2025 Julie Gardner

Finally, I have a shop! Okay so the ‘shelves’ aren’t fully stocked yet but at least I have set one up, it’s a start. Lock down has been a great opportunity for me to work on my own creative projects but I have been very busy with lampshades lately so that’s had to take priority, it is the day job after all. I’m currently in the middle of recovering lots and lots of large tapered drums for an interior designer in Haslemere. All with gold embossed PVC lining and mostly with a satin black fabric on the outside (which I swear I have been seeing in my sleep!) Two of them are taupe, with black trim around the rings so that made a nice change to make today. I’ll write a blog post with some photos once the order is complete.

So back to being creative and my Etsy shop. I have been thinking about setting up a shop for a while so that I have somewhere to sell my illustrations, machine embroidery pictures and lampshades. Since I started my head has been buzzing with ideas on designs so at the moment I’m itching to get back to it.

As I write this there are just a couple of new pieces on there as my rhubarb and ginger gin machine embroidery picture sold yesterday – yay! (It actually felt quite weird once the reality had sunk in that I had to wrap it up and give it to someone who had paid good money for it, amazing too though). I added some hand embroidery French knots to the jug in this one, and trailing flowers around the outside, with liberty print fabric on the Edinburgh gin bottle label.

All of the pieces are one-offs and the pictures come unframed but fit perfectly into an Ikea frame. I machine embroider onto linen fabric which has a lovely texture and on the lampshades the light comes through beautifully when lit.

Rhubarb & ginger gin machine embroidery illustration

As soon as I have a break from lampshade orders I’ll be back making another illustration I think. I have recently drawn my favourite houseplant (oxalis triangularis) so no doubt that will be my next machine embroidery picture. I have some lovely purple soft felt that would work perfectly for the clover shaped leaves. Watch this space. And please do visit my Etsy shop and look out for new additions, hopefully really soon!

Inspiration

Hello 2013!…

January 1, 2013February 16, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

It’s time to look back at the last twelve months at gilhoolie and make some real plans for 2013. Sometimes I can’t believe some of the events below only happened a matter of months ago and I have to say, I’m really looking forward to more fun and learning in the next twelve months.

So, goodbye 2012, when gilhoolie (kind of in order)…

1. …drew lots of retro kitchen drawings that I later machine embroidered onto tea-towels; I still have my favourite ones on display in my kitchen and you can buy them on etsy…

2. …learnt how to make hand-stitched lampshades at Homemade London. I was taught by the very lovely and incredibly talented Angela Constantinou from Cocoon Home. I think this was a real turning point for me in terms of where I wanted gilhoolie to go…

3. …taught my first lampshade workshop which was featured in From Britain With Love coursenotes. I now teach regularly at Make & Do in Caversham and will be teaching at Hands on Art Adventures in Old Windsor this year too. I taught a lot of 1-2-1 lampshade lessons at my house in Maidenhead in 2012. I love it; it’s so nice to be with other people and see their faces light up when a lampshade comes together looking beautiful!

4. …felt ready to change my logo to represent what I wanted to do with gilhoolie. I still like it a lot, luckily, it’s very me!

5. …dabbled with machine embroidery a bit more, to give my drawings another dimension – I really want to do more of this soon…

6. …made my first big hand-stitched lampshade commission for an Interior Designer in Maidenhead. This was very exciting, if a little nerve-wracking but it turned out amazingly after an awful lot of hard work and dedication…

7. …made lampshades from wallpaper and comic books including Tintin and Spiderman…

8. … drew lots and lots of house pictures for various people – more on those soon…

And hello 2013 when gilhoolie plans to…

…make a collection of big hand-stitched lampshades to sell on my website

…improve my website to make it more professional but carry on blogging too

…continue working with Interior Designers to make beautiful lampshades that match a room design

… do more of the following – drawing, teaching, sewing, machine embroidery, decorating my house

… learn a new skill – can’t wait for my crochet workshop at Make & Do later this month!

So you see, still lots to do and lots to learn in 2013, Happy New Year everyone!

gilhoolie loves lampshades and…chevrons

October 22, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I’ve been meaning to start a regular picture feature on my blog for a long time where I can just post some images with links of things I like and that inspire me. So here it is. Not much chat, just lovely pictures.

Starting with chevrons – I don’t know why I like this simplest of patterns so much and I’m not sure I would be brave enough to have anything too bold in my house but I’m always drawn to them (and these colours, I’ve realised). See what you think…

gilhoolie loves... chevrons — gilhoolie loves… chevrons

1. Creativity takes courage art print from Bubby and Bean on etsy 2. Yellow chevron purse from Oktak on etsy 3. Laugh, dance, sing, love art print from Vint Print on etsy 4. Chevron print pear art from DigitalCS on etsy 5. Ipod covers from Plum Street Prints 6. Chevron bag from Cindymars7 on etsy 7. Chevron utensils eat art print from Paperfinch Design on etsy 8. Chevron painted floor from House Beautiful 9. Cool tights from Lottie Loves blog

Lampshades

The journey of a gilhoolie hand-made lampshade…

April 26, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I made a lampshade this morning from some of my screen-printed fabric and I thought it would be nice to write about what goes on behind the scenes. Not every detail, don’t worry, just a little insight into the journey of a gilhoolie hand-made lampshade.

As I’m not organised enough to have lots of fabric already printed, I started off by screen-printing my fabric using my butterfly design. Well, at first I had to mix up some more ink as I had run out of purple, nothing’s ever straight forward you know!

Printing fabric for butterfly lampshade — gilhoolie butterfly fabric in dusky purple

Five perfect screen-prints later (phew!) and I have a strip of crisp cotton/linen blend fabric printed with my butterfly design in dusky purple. I love screen-printing when it goes right but it’s not always as easy as you’d think. It’s unbelievably satisfying though when I make a lampshade from my own print and that’s why I do it.

Once the fabric has dried, I iron it to set the design and then get ready to transform it into a drum lampshade. I won’t go into details but you can see the course notes from my first lampshade workshop on FromBritainWithLove. Or come on a lampshade making workshop with me!

I love it when the lampshade comes together and I must admit I still have a little jump for joy when it’s done and perfect!

Next I wrap it in cellophane, add a gilhoolie tag and wrap it in bubble wrap before placing it in a box and sending it on it’s way to a lovely Etsy customer. This all takes time but I love the fact that it’s all hand-made by me, here at gilhoolie…

Textile Design

Where has the week gone?…

March 8, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

I was thinking in the shower this morning (as you do) and asked myself, “what have I made this week?” It’s Thursday already and, unlike most weeks I haven’t made anything at all. But I have been busy in other ways, honest.

I started the week by posting my details on the lovely on-line magazinefrombritainwithlove’s directory, oh yes and the course notes from my first lampshade workshop were published, very excited about all that.

What else? Well, after the success of the first one, we have booked a date for the next workshop with Arts and Laughs (12th May, in Maidenhead, Berkshire), looking forward to it already.

I’ve been busy listing my machine-embroidered tea-towels on etsy and sold two of them to a friend and my ‘nice cup of tea’ cards seem to be popular too so I’m thinking about getting some printed.

So you see, not much making going on this week. But, I have just finished screen-printing my windmill pattern in turquoise for a lampshade order and I now I’m going to make a ‘nice cup of tea’ card and possibly start on my first wedding picture commission, phew! I’m pretty good at multi-tasking and it’s a good job I like being busy!

So it’s Thursday and have I met my objectives yet this week? Well, I’ve certainly met some of them but I really wanted to start making another hand-stitched empire lampshade, ah well, there’s always tomorrow, (where has the week gone to?!…)

Screen-printing gilhoolie windmill — See, I have done something!

Artwork · Creative Courses

Working through my ‘To Do’ list…

February 22, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

Yesterday was a bit of an admin day for me as it was the first day back at school and a chance to get my head round things again. Now I can start to work through my gilhoolie to do list (there’s lots on it after a week off!) Today I have been busy getting ready for my first lampshade workshop on Saturday – instructions – check, equipment – check, lampshade kits – check. Looking forward to it, I might even make some cakes to take along; it was so nice when our tutor brought homemade cookies to the lampshade workshop at Homemade London, nothing like the personal touch!

I have also been finishing off some drawings for an art gallery in Romford, Essex. These are all now on my Folksy and Etsy shops and I’m going to stock some for future events. Sorry about the light reflecting on the cellophane but I just neatly packaged them all and didn’t want to get them out again to take the photos.

Oh yes, and while I’m here I thought I’d put this personalised house portrait on my blog. It was commissioned by a lady called Gemma in Birmingham, as a present to her fiancee for their ten year anniversary – ahhh, this was really special to do. It’s the first one I’ve drawn from someone else’ photos and came out really well.

If the weather cheers up this week I’m going to take some photos of wedding venues near here and do some drawings, oh and there’s a building down my road I MUST draw… So lots to do, I really should get ready for the events I’ve got coming up though. I think tomorrow I will be mostly machine embroidering a pile of tea-towels!

Textile Design

One year on…

January 30, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

It’s nearly a year since I stopped working in an office and started a journey to re-discover my creative side (which had been lost a LONG time ago apart from my Interior Design courses).

I remember sitting at my desk over the last few months, day dreaming about being a Textile Designer and making my own lampshades. I was inspired by a lady called Helen Rawlinson when I came across her blog one day. There was a picture of Helen in her studio, screen-printing her wonderful, simple designs and I thought “I want to do that!” I also told everyone I wanted to do that and I’m not sure they believed me. They definitely didn’t think I’d actually have a go at doing it.

One year on and I’m not really a textile designer but guess what? Today I went to look at the statistics of my gilhoolie shop on etsy. It’s brilliant, you can see how many visits you’ve had to each of your items and, more excitingly, who ‘favourites’ an item or your shop. Well, someone has liked my gilhoolie windmill lampshade, which is great, but then I realised they had also liked one of Helen Rawlinson’s lampshades! That made it all worth while, I think I might have to come up with another print design to add to the gilhoolie butterfly, tulip and windmill, hmmm what next?…

Textile Design

gilhoolie lampshades are go!

January 26, 2012February 8, 2025 Julie GardnerLeave a comment

gilhoolie lampshades - butterfly, tulip and windmill

My hand screen-printed lampshades are all ready to go to The Bowery in Leeds next weekend, each carefully wrapped in cellophane, don’t they look pretty?! These ones are all 30cm diameter pendant lampshades but they can be made in different sizes and for table lamps (and different colours too if you like). You can also buy them in my new Etsy shop – come and have a look!

Interior Design · Soft Furnishings

Mummy, when will you make us beanbags?

March 10, 2011February 8, 2025 Julie Gardner2 Comments

Before I finished work a month ago I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish and this was high priority as I’ve been promising to make them for ages. I wanted to make beanbags for the boys that were a bit different from shop bought ones and I’m really pleased with the results. They are a pyramid shape with a square base, with a handle at the top and pockets on the sides with their initials. One in soft grey cord (J) and one in blue denim (D), both top stitched along the seams to make them really strong. I’m making things like this to perhaps eventually sell as items on somewhere like Etsy, so I’ll let you know if this goes ahead, or get your orders in now! Let me know what you think, it’s always really helpful to get your comments… Also had a play with Photoshop to try and make the images more professional, thanks to a book from the library! (such fun…)