Autumn in the UK

Fly the flag

With the Queen's Golden Jubilee and the London Olympics happening this year, everyone's gone Union Jack crazy. So I decided to join the party!

I've crocheted one of my Galaxy brooch designs into a patriotic brooch to clip to your top, bag, hairband, or wherever you feel the need...


Here is a small selection of many other fabulous handmade ways to fly the flag this year!

The UK Beat

Great UK finds on Etsy!

Gift for Mum

It's Mother's Day here in the UK this Sunday, which is perfect timing for me to get the clip earrings done that my Mum mentioned she would like a while ago.

I made her some clip earrings a couple of years ago; she loves them and wears them regularly. Time to increase the selection!

I bought the earring backs very reasonably from ebay - clips as she doesn't have pierced ears, gold as she wears that more than silver, and nickel-free as I'm allergic to it and don't want to cause anything like that for my Mum!

Then was the fun part - browsing through my bead stash to find the perfect combinations, and making the earrings up.

I had the jewellery presentation box from a previous ebay purchase, and cut more slots in the foam lining to accommodate all the clips. 

It didn't take long at all, and I'm really pleased with the results. I'd better get it packed up and sent off to my Mum in time for Sunday now - hope she loves her gift!

How are you celebrating Mother's Day this year?

Front Page

Woohoo - I made the Etsy UK Front Page again - this time in Onetenzeroseven's gorgeous collection - thanks Oneten!

Warming up a damp and chilly summer

This treasury by CwtchBugs should do the job nicely!

And here's another - berry lush!

Happy Mother's Day!

It's Mother's Day here in the UK, so I hope everyone has a wonderful day, whatever you're doing!

Sensational Supplies

Following a recent order I have been inspired to add a couple more colourways of the Creative Yarn Packs to my shop.

I have added Ice Cream Sundae - a delicious pale pastel mix..

..and Flaming Fire - a hot mix of reds, oranges, a little gold and some darker browns.

There are many other great supplies on Etsy from UK sellers - here are a few to inspire you!

Top row, left to right:

• Hand-dyed silk carrier rods from SassaLynne
• Berry mix organza ribbons from Overspill
• Red pointed muffin cases from MarmaladySupplies

 Bottom row, left to right:

• Stripy Tiger Pendant Charm from CardsAndCraft
• Pick your own 9inch felt squares from Titchables
• Campfire sock yarn from JunoFibreArts

So what are you waiting for? Buy some fab supplies and get crafty!

Oh Valentine..

Valentine's Day is fast approaching and there are so many affordable gifts on Etsy from uk sellers that I think are fabulous! Here are a few of my favourites:

Trembling Mulberry Rose Earrings by ErikaPrice

I love the delicate pink to lilac colours of these earrings - and the shape of those disc beads!

Set of 4 purple corduroy coasters by Katiedidonline

The deep purple shade of these is amazing - and the corduroy would be great at soaking up spills and drips.

Pocket Mirror - Hot Pink Orchid Botanical Papercut Design by KitzieG

A pocket mirror would be so useful - and not the kind of thing I would think to buy for myself.

The range produced by KitzieG are very pretty - perfect for the sweetheart in your life!

In The Pink

29th October is Wear It Pink day to support breast cancer awareness, so what better than a treasury full of pink items from the UK Silly Sale!

Perfect for Christmas shopping - your chance to get an amazing bargain and a unique gift at the same time!

Sale on!

The Uk Silly Sale has started early in my Etsy shop loophole - come and take a look! 

I have marked 50% off everything until the end of this Sunday.

It's a great way to get some beautiful unique bargains as early Christmas shopping. There are lots of UK sellers involved - come and see!

UK Silly Sale

Woohoo - my turn for a little piece of fame - and maybe some fortune too?

I was one of the lucky Etsy sellers to be featured in the Etsy UK Newsletter focusing on the UK Silly Sale. 

The sale is scheduled for 24 hours from 7pm GMT Friday 8th October, but I'm extending mine over the whole weekend with a huge 50% discount on everything!

I have also made a treasury showing some of the items already tagged as part of the sale from lots of UK Etsy sellers. Of course lots more will be included in the next few days.

Take a look and get some early Christmas shopping bargains!

ukhandmade Wedding Gift Guide

The ukhandmade Wedding Gift Guide is out now! 
 
I'm so excited as my luxurious beaded angora/merino handwarmers were selected to be included.

Crammed full of beautiful items available for you to purchase, all handmade by talented uk designers and artists.

Even if you're not planning or going to a wedding, take a look - it's fabulous!

Fairground win

Yay - thanks to everyone who voted for my fairground crochet mat in the recent UK Etsy Challenge. 

It won!

Now I'm entering it into the local horticultrural and domestic show this Saturday to see how we get on there.

After that I'll be listing this winning item for sale in my Etsy shop. :)

UK Etsy Challenge - Fairground

I stumbled across the UK Etsy Challenge group on Flickr a while back and decided to join in.

The current challenge is to create a Fairground-theme item, and the closing date is 4th July. The entries are rolling in and and there are some very inventive ideas - take a look!

My entry started life as a doodle...

It changed slightly as I crocheted it into life. I'm pleased with the result - loud and entertaining!

From the centre you can see the helter skelter, balloons, then the structure and seats of the big wheel.

I wanted a spiral for the helter skelter, and found just the "how to" article I needed in a back issue of Interweave Crochet that I used to subscribe to.

I've never entered a challenge before or created anything like this from a doodle before and really enjoyed it.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the next theme is - maybe you'll take part too!