Right, tell me what you think good people...

[kipper workshops]

Hi everyone,

I have just finished making a batch of new items. They are called KIPanimals.

So far I have made Pigs, Chickens, Elephants, and Hedgehogs.

Each has a different pattern based on a fabric idea. The design is printed onto the wood with my handpress and likewise the design is printed onto the musilin bag. The edges of each are painted with buttermilk Milk paint and then finished in natural bees wax.

The idea is that they are a bit unusual, a cross between the wood grain and the fabric print!! Each is also individual as the grain of the wood shows through in different ways on each one.

They are fun ornaments really but are perfectly safe kiddies to play with. I could even put names on the bags or messages?

Each one is about 5" to 6" long.

What do you think?

1. Do you think they are any good? Any market for them?
2. What do you think I should price them at? I was thinking £5.45.

What do you all think? I'm just not sure??

Many thanks
Steve

[Bowed Over]

I think they are lovely with the bags. Personalising the wood and the fabric bag to match might be an idea.

All the best.

Lisa

[Seahorse]

They are adorable.
I think the price is good as they are playable with and the bag is practical.
If you can personalise them as well itl add to it.
Maybe you could do a little leaflet teaching the kids about the different types of wood, the parents could read it to them.

[kipper workshops]

Thanks for your feedback glad you like them.

I was thinking of maybe having a little leaflet with them describing all about the animal. Giving them names and creating a whole KIPanimal family.

My wife thought it was a good idea and offered to help writing the info.

It could be a lovely little package all housed in the printed bag?

Thanks
Steve

[Seahorse]

Maybe you could make it into a competion, let the kids choose names.

[swirlyarts]

Personalised is definitely the way to go. They are very cute. Have you thought about different fabric types e.g. more flowery for girls etc? I think the price is good too especially with the bags.

[Apple Tree Crafts]

They are Sooo Cute!

I love wooden things, and as I've said before, totally obsessed with fabrics!

Swirly is right about the floral fabrics, anything along the lines of Cath Kidston /vintage/ retro type designs, and they'd go like hot cakes!

Jules

[kipper workshops]

Thanks,

some great ideas there.

I hear what you saying about florals, the kidston style. Having looked at the patterns I have made they are definately more on the boy side thatn the girl side. So I think some florals are definately a good idea.

I have a couple of patterns in mind but how will I get trendy floral patterns without infringing copyright? Anyone got any sources or ideas?

Thanks for all your input.
Steve

[goldy1]

How a bout making them into jigsaws? How do you print on to the wood?could you use designs from the pc?

[countrygal]

They are great steve...well done. Oh and thanks for the circles...perfick !

[mollymandy]

Ahhh they are so cute.

[kipper workshops]

I print onto the wood using a hand press. It uses a process called sublimation. It is a commercial process really that I have experimented with. It is used for t-shirt printing, mug printing, coasters, placemants, keyrings... and loads of other uses.

I use a special polymer mix that bonds the
image into the wood. It's ahit and miss, all depends on the grain and sap content of the wood as to how successful it is. But it gives a nice result when it works well.

Yep I can transfer any image onto wood, a digital image, a real photo, a drawing, anything off a pc too.

Hope that makes sense.

Steve

[goldy1]

I think I undersatand you. Do you mean a heat press I used to work in a t-shirt printers many years ago.
How do you get your image is it from a pc printer? I worked befor all the pc ecuipment came out. We had to do it all by hand Colour seperation and all that with photo equipment it took ages.

[kipper workshops]

Yep, you can just print out from a computer. The printer has been modified to print with water based dyes instead of ink.

When the ink is heated in the heat press it turns to gas, the polymer coating on the wood turns to gas too and the two infuse. the image has then become part of the surface of the wood or whatever you are printing on.

Steve

[Pretty things]

I really love the hedgehog, but they are all very cute. I think the others are right about the personalisation idea and maybe you could expand the herd? How about some sheep and cows, and maybe an owl? Not sure how big they are but you could do 'build your own mobile', with customers choosing the animals they would like and you would assemble a mobile for them.