Then...and now

Back then...

As a teenager I visited local handmade markets in my city a lot. I was always so inspired by all of the wonderful handmade wares that I would go home and find ways to make my own versions of what I had loved at those markets - fabric covered boxes and notebooks, handmade paper, soap and greeting cards. It didn't really matter what I was making, if I was doing something creative, I was happy. And as a teenager I was dreaming of my own designs, my own products and my own market stall...and as the years have gone by, nothing has really changed.

At the age of 20, my friend and and I decided to dive into a business making and selling greeting cards. We had so much fun, but of course it failed...a lack of experience and commitment to running a business made sure of that...but it didn't dampen my courage to dream.

Nearly 15 years later, for the first time since the card design business, I started selling my handmade wares again, on Etsy. That took courage too, as did deciding to start all over again 14 months later with two new online stores.

And now...

Every day when I disappear into my craft room for several hours, lost in my little world of handmade goodness, I am blissfully happy. I am designing, making, creating and packaging, and every part of it is satisfying. And it is a real sense of happiness and satisfaction that comes with doing what you love, and it is well worth working hard for.

I hope you love what you do too, and that you have the courage to follow your dreams xx

Signed, sealed, delivered...

"A sweet little card...

to hold and feel...

sealed with love...

a hand scrawled message...

delivered with a hug...

received with a smile...

to be saved and cherished"

Oh the joy of a real, tangible, greeting card!

More often than not, we are so caught up in our digital world of connecting with friends and family via email, text messaging and Facebook that we forget about other super nice and simple ways to show someone we care, send our good wishes and brighten up a day...

My little trio of mini cards are finished! I loved making them! You can find them in my shop here.

Hope your day is 'sweet' xx

This morning I am...

wrapping up cute packages for the mail....

and punching out lots of little Christmas trees ready for the afternoon's crafty project!

What are you doing? Have a nice Saturday xx

New Stuff, GOOD Stuff!

New stuff! The above bags were listed in my shop yesterday and today. Cute crochet for little girls, and lovely vintage fabric for big girls!

And the very first issue of Good Stuff is out now! Have you seen it yet? Go and have a look...Good Stuff was put together by Pip Lincolne from Meet me at Mikes, and it is a huge online magazine full of REALLY good stuff! The first issue is a Christmas / Holiday Guide and is packed with Christmas craft, gift ideas, food and lots more. My shop is advertised in Good Stuff, (yay!) and I am offering 10% off all online purchases between now and January 31st 2012. Just enter the code GOODSTUFF12 at the checkout. How good is that! xx

Photography issues

One that worked out in the end...I think!

Earlier this week I was feeling a little disheartened. While I love what I do, with my craft, my online shop and this blog, there are a few sides to it that are quite challenging for me. One particular side being the photography of my handmade products. And really, what is an online shop without awesome product photos? My customers cannot pick up the items, turn them over or feel them, and so they need to be able to see the detail in the photos, to help them imagine what they feel like, and see the real colours and textures. But with some of my products this can be really hard to achieve.

I am not in any way a photographer, I have never been taught how to take photos, and I don't know a lot about the many functions my wonderful camera is capable of performing. The camera was bought by my husband a few years ago, and I had barely picked it up before I started selling on Etsy. And then, all of a sudden, I needed to know as much as I could about taking great photos. But I also needed to learn what I could about Etsy...and Blogger...and flickr...and pinterest...and oh my goodness!! AND not forgetting the most important thing I needed to spend time on - MAKING THINGS...or there would be nothing to photograph anyway!

I like this pic, and have used it on Etsy, but it is still lacking in colour and detail

So even now, after 10 months, I still haven't learnt a lot about the camera or photography. I am busy with making and blogging and trying to keep up with all other things 'online', and what I want is to be able to set the camera to auto, point and shoot, and instantly get the shot I want, without having to edit! (Surely that is not too much to ask!) Sometimes it actually does work, because some of my photos turn out great and I am happy with them first go. But others just won't turn out no matter what I try, and this gets me down, as I feel that this is what it's all about.

Earlier this week I was struggling to get any decent photos of some of my gift tags, and my fold up tote bags. I tried over and over again to achieve clear detailed photos, but it just wasn't working. So I took a break, from the photography and most of the 'online' stuff I do, and just spent a couple of days hanging out with Miss A, playing toys with her, and doing kids craft. I came back to my own crafting with a simple project - a card for our friend's new baby boy.

Taking photos for Blogger is so much easier as the photos can be more natural.

Miss A and I made cute wrapping paper for Baby's present. And a gift tag to match. How cute is the elephant?

And then after all of this I had another go at the photos for Etsy....and lo and behold....they turned out ok! Obviously still not as good as what I could achieve if I took the time to learn more, but they are photos that I can be happy with. I think with any creative project that isn't working out, putting it aside for a time, having a change of scenery, maybe working on another less complicated project, and returning with a clear mind, can really help. I still think the photography is going to challenge me for a while to come yet though!

What do you do if a project isn't working out?

Are you an Etsy shopper, or do you take photos for an online shop?

Are photos 'everything'?

Christmassy tags from scraps

What do you do with all of the too-good-to-throw-away outside rings leftover from die-cutting a stack of circles from Christmas card stock?

Cut out a whole stack more circles of course...until your arm is almost dropping off...

and make more pretty gift tags, feeling super good for using up those scraps!

These gift tags have a double sided adhesive attached to the reverse side so you can simply peel and stick them to a gift or gift bag...or any crafty project...and the Christmas design is so subtle I think they would be great for any occasion.

All of these designs are available in my shop, with still more Christmassy stuff to come!

A pocketful of vintage

It's been absolutely ages since I received a package full of pretty vintage fabric, from Zwizzle. I had immediate plans for it...the pockets on some tote bags, patchwork cushion covers, bunting for my craft room, and anything else I could use up the scraps on. But because I had other projects on the go when it arrived, I had to put it aside for later (well, I didn't have to, but I knew if I wanted to keep my sanity I really shouldn't be starting another crafty project yet).

Eventually I got around to making the pockets for the tote bags...but pockets were as far as I got, and the project was put on hold again. And then, FINALLY, last week, I got back to it and finished the bags...yes, a whole TWO bags! Hurrah!

So, the vintage fabric on these bags makes a handy pocket on the front

(I like patterns on a plain background...it lets the patterned fabric really 'pop')...

And when not in use the whole bag folds up into a cute little clutch that you can throw in your handbag, ready for shopping. And the pretty vintage pattern becomes the outside so it looks super spesh! These bags were originally inspired by a really plain boring fold-up shopping bag I recieved at the chemist with my shopping a couple of years ago. I ended up using the bag so much that it fell apart...and so I started making my own. These two bags will be listed in my shop soon.

Patchwork cushion covers are next on my list of projects for the vintage fabric. I wonder how long it will be before I get started...and finished...?

Do you have lots of projects on the go? How do you keep organised with your projects and get things done?

Time

I have always loved making things, but in the past I haven't always allowed myself to spend as much time doing craft as I would have liked. There were always other seemingly more important things to do like work, study, cook or clean. I would tell myself that when these jobs were done there would be time to make something, but of course these jobs are never really 'done' are they?

Becoming a mum several years ago gave me more time at home, but of course I was busier than ever and still had no spare time for craft...and if there was time, I was far too tired!

But as my kids have grown, their love of craft and making has grown too, and I have found that craft has effortlessly become a part of our every day lives. 

And for me, starting my Etsy shop has taken this one step further by giving me the excuse I needed to finally put my craft ahead of all of those other jobs! I have more drive and motivation and a real purpose for my making, and I am happy!

 

All of the above photos are of a birthday card and gift I made a couple of days ago for my son's friend, who has just turned six.

I used a technique called tea bag folding to make the medallion on the card. The pink flower is made from felt, with a little pink bead stitched into its centre, and attached to a hair elastic.

It is always nice to see the things we make loved and enjoyed by others. I hope you have time to make something for someone...or something for yourself  :)