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Showing posts from January, 2010

Win a bracelet!

It's competition time! Would you like to win a one of a kind bracelet made from a vintage brooch, chunky amazonite nuggets, rock crystal, pretty pink Peruvian opal and Swarovski crystals? One that fastens with a cute heart-shaped toggle clasp? I thought so! Just to whet your appetite a bit more, here's a couple of pictures: Because it's nearly Valentine's Day I thought I'd have a bit of a soppy theme. So, to win all you have to do is follow me on Twitter here (if you're not already a follower, if you are you can get retweeting right away) and RT any of my tweets that mention the words "Valentine's", "love", "romance" or "romantic". For each RT you will be entered into the draw (no more than one an hour, though!). For two bonus entries, just blog about Made With Love or this competition. The competition runs until midnight on February 9th and I will be announcing the winner then via this blog. Good luck!

Explosion in a jewellery box

It took me ages to find a pretty way to store the jewellery for my Folksy shop . I didn't want it to get muddled up with my own jewellery, but at the same time I didn't just want to stick it all in a box. I also wanted something that I could take with me to craft shows. At first I used a French shabby-chic style mini jewellery mannequin, but it soon got full! Then I found a gorgeous bird-themed jewellery stand. Unfortunately I've been so busy making lovely new items recently that tha's got a bit stuffed too! Oh dear... (Sorry about the picture quality, I had to take them on my mobile) I think it's probably time to buy another jewellery stand. I want one that will complement my existing ones but not exactly the same. Any suggestions will be happily welcomed. And how do you all store your stock? Is it tucked away under a bed or proudly on display to make the most of any visitors?

Two of the best

There are some fabulous blogs out there on th'internet - and I've been lucky enough to be featured on two of my favourites recently. Obviously I'm biased because they like my work, but aside, you really should add both of these to your reading list. Found on Folksy is a well established blog run by Glassprimitif and Aleximo Croissant , although how they find the time I don't know. They pick the best of everything from Folksy to showcase, and I was thrilled when I spotted my Pink Sunrise earrings on their latest post. And they're reduced! Newer to the blogging ranks, but just as hard working is EvieGeorge , who when she's not making her absolutely gorgeous gift tags runs Folksy Weddings . It's a one-stop guide for brides who want their special day to have that extra-beautiful handmade touch, and (hurray!) she has featured my Wonderland necklace . Thankyou!

Happy snaps

It's a bit geeky, I know, but some of the product photography on Folksy just blows me away. So I though rather than picking my favourite items according to a theme I would pick the ones which I think have had most love put into the pictures. Inspirational for us all, I think you'll agree! William Wordswoof sock dog from Hotdog And Me. I love all of Hotdog's pics and creations, but this one is particularly cute - love they way she's used the snow to create a cool background, and William Wordswoof is at the edge of the frame, almost like a holiday pic. Ceramic cupcake candleholders by Lauren Cermics. The composition of this picture is so simple - it really suits Lauren's elegant ceramics. Plus they're a bargain. Shakesperian Valentine hearts by Bookity. I can't imagine how long it took to get everything hanging just right, but it was well worth it. Set of four owl notecards by Gooseberrymoon. There must have been some contortions to photograph these fro

GrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrRRR

In my job you live in a constant state of fury that the PRs who get paid double your wage often have little or no grasp of how to use the English language. You don't sell over 10,000 tickets, you sell more than 10,000 tickets. And for God's sake, learn to use an apostrophe. Here's a classic example, which landed in my inbox about five minutes ago. You would think that Topshop would proof read their marketing stuff, but it appears not...

Waste not want not

Upcycling, recycling, repurposing - whatever you want to call it people are increasingly loath to throw things away. There's been a lovely thread on Folksy showcasing people's upcycled items and I thought I'd show you a few of my favourites: Patchy Pocket by Ellie's Treasures Measuring tape fancy bow brooch by Lilidrawspictures Wee Jock Scottie dog by SophieCat Upcycled map handbound notebook by Toggle Comic strip tags by Evie George Saucer candle holder by Loglike What are your favourites?

When you have eliminated the impossible...

...What's left is a fabulous Folksy feature! Yep, to celebrate the release of the new Sherlock Holmes movie (and the divine Robert Downey Jr) the Folksy folk have put together a Holmes/Victoriana feature... and I'm a featured seller! You can visit my shop by clicking here Of course it's not all about me. Here are my favourite of the featured items: This mini museum by comedaygoday is a bit macabre but I think that's why I love it. You can buy it by clicking here I love everything Talulahblue does, but this stole is particularly lush. You can buy it by clicking here Champignons is another shop where I could just buy everything. This reassuring raven is apparently inspired by a book called "The Buddha's law amongst the birds. You can buy it by clicking here

New Year's plans

Well I saw in the New Year in the company of my darling boyfriend (who gave me the best ever Christmas present – more below) and a swing band – what could be more glamorous? So what are my plans for 2010? Business-wise I’ve got one or two new stockists so I’ll be busy, busy, busy, but away from that I’m determined that I’m finally going to take my darling horse Meggie to some dressage to music. I also want either to make some real progress in my career at work or think seriously about setting up the little shop/tea room/art gallery that I keep daydreaming about. It’s been an amazing year – twelve months ago I would never have believed that my little business would become so successful. Highlights have definitely included the Lancashire Life feature and being included in the Royal Exchange’s Fairytale Christmas exhibition (which closes on the second). And that present? My boyfriend is a filmmaker and I’ve always been fascinated by the storyboards he makes for each scene. For Christmas I