16/365

I'm taking a break from catching up on previous blog entries. This is today's entry, the 16th of January.

Heart For Haiti is an Etsy shop set up in aid of Doctors Without Borders, who are assisting with the relief after the horrific earthquake Haiti suffered last week. Etsians are donating items to sell, with free shipping, and all the proceeds will go directly to helping the aid effort.

I truly hope you will find it in your heart to donate an item you have created, or to make a purchase from the shop. Even the smallest effort will go towards helping people in a situation that many of us can only imagine in our worst nightmares.

I include a few of my favourite items in this blog entry, I've linked each picture to it's listing. I have made a purchase from the shop and will blog about it when it arrives.

8/365

My latest favourite Flickr user is the beautiful new mommy Stoopidgerl. Her amazing glittertastic resin pieces are among the best that I have seen anywhere online, and I new she would be perfect when I wanted to commission some coasters for my coffee table.

I don't think any photo I take could possibly do them justice, so here is the photo she took that I have stolen from her Flickr stream.

And here is a rather feeble photo I took today (the 8th) of them in action!

7/365

Following on from yesterdays post about how I discovered Etsy, I thought it would be fun to blog about my first Etsy purchase.

It's from RedAreTheRoses, whose shop is currently closed, but makes the most awesome layered pins and rings from vintage Lucite flowers and feathers. I love the way she puts colours together and when my ring came I wore it every day for a week, telling everyone who would listen "It's handmade, darling" I still wear it occasionally, and when I found it lurking on my desk at work this week I just knew I had to blog about it :)

What was your first Etsy or Folksy purchase?

6/365

My internet got cut off! I've paid the bill now but I am rather behind. Luckily I carried on taking pictures but it will take me a few days to catch up with myself!

Do you know how I found out about Etsy? I saw an amazing bracelet in a magazine, by handmade jewellery lady, Lady Luck Rules OK. I loved her awesome, fun jewellery, and started religiously reading her blog. One day, and I can't for the life of me find the actual blog post to link to, she mentioned another seller, OneGoodBumbleBee. I clicked the link and was taken to her website, which sadly, seems to have ceased to be, despite the fact that she did the most awesome vintage paper packs I've ever seen. I'm not normally a random clicker, but I must have been bored that day because she had a link to Etsy on her page and I clicked it, and LO! I did discovered the wonder of the handmade crafting community!

I would love to hear how you came across Etsy, let me know in the comments!

I've purchased a lot of lovely things from LLROK over the last few years and I usually wear apiece every few days. Here is just a bit of my collection!

I've got loads more which I'll probably feature at some point but today I wore my long 'Lovebird' necklace with a grey jumper. I did TRY to take a photo of this ensemble but the batteries died in the camera :(

5/365

I realised today I have bee doing this project for 5 days and I realised that I haven't blogged something that I myself have actually created! Then I realised that I've been so busy this ear going back to work and blogging that I haven't actually sat down and made anything at all yet...not a good crafty start!



So today is a really short entry about something I have made with my son. I was reading this blogpost by nicsknots, whom I have mentioned in a previous post (and who, by the way, has forgiven me for stealing her mini-tote!) and saw what she said about being a crafty Mummy. I have the same problem. People assume that because I make jewellery and do craft fairs, that I am automatically a wonderful crafty Mummy whose house is filled with wooden blocks and art materials. Sadly, my house is filled with odd socks and giant plastic workbenches, garages and ride-on-diggers that made horrible noises. I do try though. This Christmas I wanted to give handmade presents, as we are completely skint. I bought some plain white mugs and some ceramic paint and the idea was for my little guy to paint the mugs. Not a good plan! Ceramic paint is not really toddler-friendly...it goes weird and sticky and doesn't suit being loaded onto a brush and sloshed around haphazardly. The resulting mugs are...drippy. I haven't baked them or given them out as presents yet because Ramsey has lost interest in 'PAINT CUP!' and doesn't want to finish them off. Plus the excess paint has gone really weird. I'll probably have to use them as planters...or possibly as additions to our own dwindling cup cupboard.




As you can see there is loads of paint around the rim...and the handle is covered in sticky handprints. Next year I think we'll stick to presents from Boots 3 for 2...

What are your favourite ceramic items on Etsy?

4/365

Went back to work today and I'm pooped! But I did come home to find that L had tackled the enormous mountain of washing and there is now damp clothes hanging from EVERYTHING. I'm sure it's not good for out lungs but I've congratulated him anyway...it was a job I was dreading! I'm proud of him :)

Today's handmade item of the day was another fabulous craft fair purchase. We adore handmade soaps, and every time I see them at a fair I simply cannot resist but this is by fair the softest, most beautifully scented soap I have ever used...I am dreading it running out!




Mmmm delicious! We have this soap in our kitchen, it's by Saffron Bar and it's her most popular fragrance...Black Raspberry and Vanilla. The scent stays on my hands for ages afterwards and really softens my knuckles...in fact I think I am going to order up a new bar or two to give as pressies because it's such a lovely fragrance. You can purchase some here.

If you are enjoying my handmade project, please follow this blog, Id like to add a list of followers soon :)

3/365

I'm nervous tonight. I go back to work full time tomorrow, for a three month period. My fiancee is going to be staying at home and looking after our precious boy. He's always toyed with the idea of being a stay-at-home-dad, but I think he is going to find it harder than he thinks to keep the house clean, cook the dinner and look after the toddler. I'm giving it a week before he says "I can't believe you've been doing this for two years!"

Today's handmade item was a Christmas present. I mentioned my Grandmother briefly in my last post, but today I want to celebrate her wonderfulness by showing some of her art work. This photo is of a watercolour that she gave to me entitled "Windswept Day". She's been taking art classes for a few years now and have been in exhibitions and everything, I'm very proud of her! Her art is not for sale, she's very modest about it, but I really love this painting :)

Sorry about the glare, I have just hung it up in my kitchen, where it brings me happiness every time I glimse it in the corner of my eye. Handmade presents are the absolute best.