Meet the maker Vanessa Bizzell

I'm an architect who used to take herself way too seriously.

I'm currently crafting on a smaller scale with fun hair accessories (mainly for children as they truly appreciate the kitsch, pretty and quirky) now because my small daugher was seriously ill last year. She (and the rest of us) has had a tough year recovering from an illness that brought her very close to death. I've needed to be there for her and architecture is too demanding to be able to do that, hence the small-scale crafting that is so much more flexible.

I sell through a couple of local boutiques (The Ice House, a gift boutique on Campo Lane in Sheffield and Miss Kantor, a children's boutique on Sharrowvale road in Sheffield) and also online at Folksy.

I currently use the garden as my design source, reinterpreting flowers, butterflies etc. with buttons, crochet and stitching techniques.

Handmade has history and is part of our heritage. Someone's imagination and care has gone into producing limited or one-off pieces. I really value craftsmanship at all levels, whether that is at building or jewellery scale.

Having said that I also place an equal importance on good design and will happily buy a beautiful piece of mass produced design work that could not be built by hand as I believe there is a place for both in my life.

I design, make and sell mainly from my home studio. Sourcing new materials, designing and talking to the boutiques that are interested in stocking my products always excites me and I hope you will love my work as much as my local customers.

If you want to know more about me, please see my blog: www.theescapedarchitect.blogspot.com