News
A lovely article that was published locally December 29 2024
Kim Watkins, also known as Random Stuff, has been a full-time artist for over 10 years, she didn’t start out life doing that and spent many years as a staff nurse before leaving the health service to bring up her daughters in Kingston. She has lived there, with her husband and a variety of animals since 1994 and is happier there, than anywhere else in the world. She also spent 13 happy years as a Teaching assistant at Modbury School, but after becoming ill, both mentally and physically, whilst recovering, she re-evaluated and became a full-time artist, a decision that she has never regretted as she has a passion for what she does and has discovered that many of her customers feel the same!
She is a member of the Association of British Naïve artists and creates beautiful, unique pictures using recycled paper and sews them together on her sewing machine. Each naïve creation contains engaging and nostalgic materials, rescued from a large variety of sources; each piece is therefore, not just a visual narrative but also tells a story through the materials she has used. Kim has always recycled things and hates waste and enjoys the fact that she is using other people’s rubbish in a fun and wacky way! She takes inspiration from all-around her, and it satisfies her inner Womble!
Word soon spread around Kingston and beyond and arriving on an almost daily basis, deliveries from friends and locals of old, interesting bits of paper and empty bottles, (which she removes the labels from) feature heavily in her work. These mostly become removable covers for notebooks and journals, all again sewn together.
Kim now works virtually every day in a lovely little shed in her garden, where the sun shines through the windows (and even the rain sounds great on the roof!) watching the birds on a recycled bird table and working hard, she’s never been happier.
She is very pleased to have been asked to be a part of a new collective of makers and collectors in Modbury, called Fourteen A, next door to the post office and is thoroughly enjoying her Wednesdays manning the shop.
As well as creating pictures, she has also designed and makes a large range of brooches, made from cereal boxes with only the pin on the back being new, no two are the same. Her journals and notebooks are made using a huge array of pre-loved papers and have proved to be incredibly popular. She produces a printed calendar every year, with 12 brand new designs, these are just back from the printers and are available at Fourteen A in Modbury and on her website.
She has been delighted to have been selected to exhibit at Delamore Arts for the last two years, which lasts for the whole month of May. In the summertime, and into the autumn she attends various craft fairs and as a member of South Hams Art Forum (SHAF), she exhibits for two weeks in October, in the market hall in Kingsbridge as part of their annual arts trail.
In the winter and spring, Kim will again host workshops, where people get the opportunity to learn new skills, have some special time for themselves and leave with their own creation, her feedback from this year’s events has been fantastic and fills her with joy. She will be booking more later in the year.
Finally, a great choice of notebooks and journals available. April 30 2020
I am delighted to say that after many, many hours work, we have now added nearly 90 hand covered books and journals to our range, I am a much better seamstress and artist, than computer operator and am happy to have had help from my hubby. "I'm satisfying my inner Womble..." April 27 2019
APRIL 25, 2019
“I’m satisfying my inner Womble…”
Hi, I’m Kim Watkins and I make pictures and beautiful things out of old and used paper and card. Up until five years ago it was very different, juggling work commitments with my need to create. I then plucked up the courage after being unwell, and gave up my job to work for myself full time.
I have always recycled things, and love the fact that I am using other people’s rubbish in a fun and wacky way! I take inspiration from all around me and each picture tells a tale by the papers I have used and it satisfies my inner Womble! I am always on the lookout for materials.
Soon, word spread around my village (I’m so lucky to live near the sea in South Devon) and I have almost daily deliveries from friends and locals, of old interesting bits of paper and empty bottles (which I remove the labels from) and they then feature heavily in my work.
I now work every day in a lovely little shed in my garden, where the sun shines through the windows (and even the rain sounds great on the roof!) watching the birds on my recycled bird table and working hard, I have never been happier.
A personal highlight for me was when I had my design used on a commercial jigsaw puzzle, the day the sample arrived was incredible, I felt like I had just had my first book published!
It’s not always easy, I struggle with the technical side, the website and social media but partly because it takes me away from what I want to do more!
Everyday is different, I never get tired of cutting and gluing, then sewing all the bigger pieces together on my sewing machine. My head is permanently full of ideas, just not enough hours in the day to make them all, I love it.
Meet Kim and Random Stuff Paper in the Artisan Marquee on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 May
Working hard towards Christmas November 06 2017
Thank you to all the people who visited me on the Arts Trail, It really was a fantastic couple of weeks. We were now working hard towards all of our Christmas sales, hope to see some of you at our future events. This is Noodle, my daughter's puppy, who visited me on her first day out after all her injections, very cute!
New products April 25 2017
I'm very proud to have added a lot of new products over the last couple of days, with the help of my family. It is a long slow job, so I am really pleased to have finally achieved it. Check out my new collection, "Home Stuff", a range of aprons, t-towels, worktop savers and more.
Not forgetting my new boozy fish, which have had very positive feedback, especially my gin and tonic fish, there will be more added soon.
COMPETITION TIME! Spot the Jigsaw March 06 2016
The jigsaws are out there but where?
As many of you know, the jigsaws are on sale nationwide, but we don't know where !
I thought it would be fun to play spot the jigsaw! So, when you're out and about, keep your eyes peeled because if you snap a picture of my puzzles on sale you could win a prize!
Either email me, or post on my Facebook page, a photo and the location where you found them! The first person to do so will receive one of my puzzles sent first class, plus a limited edition puzzle brooch. I have a total of 12 brooches that I have made specially,so the next 11 finds will receive one of them!
(This sadly excludes the local places I already know about, I'm hoping for some sightings further afield, hint - garden centres might be a good place to look).
Here at last "Fantasy Island" Jigsaw January 29 2016
We had an exciting delivery this week of the first batch of the "Fantasy Island" Jigsaws. Which are now ready to buy. Needless to say, I am very proud of the finished piece, rather like an author getting their first book published. I am over the moon and hope this will be the first of many creations to be published.
Puzzle sample has arrived!!!!!!! December 05 2015
I haven't been as excited about a delivery from the postman in a very long time! The sample arrived from Otter House this week and is looking great! All of our family have been trying for pole position to complete it and we are nearly there! It has 1000 pieces and will be available to buy in January, I'm not sure of a price yet but watch this space. We have had great pleasure putting it together and will proudly photograph it on completion.
EXCITING NEWS September 02 2015
Exciting news in the Random Stuff household!
I've had my first design accepted by Otter House Publishing to turn my fantasy island picture into three thousand, 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. I am delighted and hopefully this is the first of many projects that will happen in partnership with them, and we hope the first of many print runs.
They will be available in January, which unfortunately misses this Christmas, but birthday prezzies and next years festive gifts could be sorted for some of you!
Over Seas Orders April 30 2015
We have been delighted to see that some overseas visitors have been looking at our little website. Although we have currently only calculated prices for people who want my creations in the UK, if you live abroad all is not lost! Please send me a message and I would be more than happy to figure out how much it would cost to send my creations out to you!!
Happy Shopping!