New in my Etsy Shop- Fair Isle Brooches

I'm just stopping by today to tell you that I've just added some new pieces to my Etsy Shop! I had a great photo shoot last week with the always fab Hammonds Photography Studio and I'm gradually adding the pieces to my shop. I hope you like them!

The first pieces I have added are these three Fair Isle triangle brooches. They are hand knitted in Shetland wool to my own Fair Isle design and they are finished with a pom pom. I love making these, they are so much fun to create! I have made Fair Isle brooches and necklaces in a lot of different colour combinations but these are my favourite so far. I'd love to know what you think!

New Harris Tweed Necklaces!

Over in my Etsy Shop I've just added some new additions! During the cold snap I've been really looking forward to Spring and with that in mind, my latest Harris Tweed mini embroidery hoop necklaces are inspired by Spring gardens. The bright blue, pale pink and lilac Harris Tweed necklaces are embellished with tiny pieces of colourful upcycled fabric, hand stitched onto the tweed in gold thread- they remind me of gardens in bloom! The mini embroidery hoops are strung on a 24" silver plated chain and hang at approx. 12".

As with all of the pieces in my Etsy Shop, these necklaces arrived package in a beautifully hand decorated gift box, so they are ideal for gifting or as a lovely treat for yourself. 

If you'd like to have a closer look, take a peek into my Etsy Shop here. Have a fab day all!

UK Handmade Showcase

I'm delighted that two of my necklaces have been featured in the UK Handmade Autumn Showcase, which features handmade and unique items made by designers and makers across the UK. Take a look at the pieces and find out more about the work of those featured in the Showcase here- so many lovely things!

Take 20% off in my Etsy Shop!

Have you taken a look at my Etsy Shop recently? It's stocked with handmade jewellery pieces that would be perfect to give as gifts or as quirky pieces to wear yourself. I'm currently offering 20% off everything in my Etsy Shop until 1st May 2016, just enter the discount code TAKE20 at the checkout! Here is just a selection of pieces to choose from, pop over to my shop to see my full range... Happy browsing! 

Hand Knitted Fair Isle Necklace

Hand Knitted Fair Isle Brooch

Swarovski Crystal, Freshwater Pearl, Mother of Pearl and Upcycled Glass Beads Embellished Necklace

Mustard Knitted Button Brooch with Upcycled Fabrics

Jade Harris Tweed Button Brooch With Upcycled Fabrics

Photo Shoot Sneak Peek

At the weekend I gad a great photo shoot at Hammonds Photography Studio in Chelmsford for some new jewellery pieces. I'm now working on adding all of these pieces to my Etsy shop- watch this space!  Here is a sneak peek at some photos from the shoot...

New Fair Isle brooch designs, hand knitted to my own designs in British wool

I have chosen three spring like colours that I haven't used before to make new Harris Tweed Button Brooch designs

There will be several new Fair Isle necklace designs coming to my Etsy Shop soon. These are hand knitted in Shetland wool

Teal Knitted Necklace with Upcycled Fabrics- I haven't made this style of necklace for some time but I really miss making them, so I will be re-introducing this design to my shop. I'm going to include the option of making custom orders if you'd like to choose a particular colour for your necklace

Harris Tweed Button Bookmarks with upcycled fabrics

I've been making these "Half Moon" necklaces for some time now but have always sold them before they've made it into the Etsy Shop, so I'm pleased to say that these will be up in my shop soon! These are a labour of love which I so enjoy making- I love embellishment and for these necklaces I have used Swarovski Crystals, Freshwater Pearls, Mother of Pearl and beads upcycled from broken jewellery.

Thank you for letting me share this sneak peek with you today- I'll let you know when I've added all the new pieces to my shop!

Blog and Buy Sale Christmas Wish List

Have you made a start on your Christmas shopping? If, like me, you like to seek out individual and handmade gifts for your loved ones, do check out the Blog and Buy Sale Christmas Wish List. It's packed with work from a talented bunch of artists/designers and makers so you are sure to find a special gift.

I'm super excited that three pieces from my Fair Isle jewellery collection were chosen to be included in the wish list this Christmas! I hand knit each piece using British wool and they make the ideal gift for a knitter.

Hand Knitted Fair Isle Triangle Necklace in Shetland Wool

Hand Knitted British Wool Fair Isle Brooch

Hand Knitted Fair Isle Triangle Necklace in Shetland Wool

There are some brilliant pieces featured in the wish list from a fab line up of Designers and Makers- I'm definitely going to be making some purchases!

I absolutely love this Laser Cut and Engraved Wooden Christmas Jumper Brooch by Hello Sunshine!

This Grey and Peach Geometric Sterling Silver Necklace by never spent is so elegant and each piece is made to order

How cute are these Christmas Sprout Tree Decorations from SewSew?! I can see them adorning many a Christmas tree this festive season- I definitely need one (or three) of these in my life!

I hope that gives you some festive gift inspiration! Check out the full Blog and Buy Sale 2015 Christmas Wishlist here!

Make/Customise Your Bag For Life!

Unless you haven't been to the shops this week you'll know that large stores in the UK are now charging for carrier bags. I think this is a good idea if it cuts down on the amount of carrier bags going to landfill, so today I'm sharing two of my How Tos for making and customising your own "Bag For Life"!

This tote bag is really simple to make and all you need is a pretty fabric scrap and your basic sewing supplies. You could even upcycle the fabric from an old skirt/pillowcase/dress etc. A really thrifty make, it folds away and I keep it in my handbag ready for shopping trips! This is also a great bag to use for keeping craft projects safe.  Find the How To for this bag here

There are lots of fabric bags for life available but they are often plain and uninspiring. In this How To I share my customised bag for life, which is given a brighter lease of life with printing, studs and swapping the handles for old belts. 

The finished bag is lovely and bright and I've used it as a beach bag as well as on shopping trips.

Have you made or customised your own Bag For Life?

New Products: Denim Button Brooches

I've just added a little selection of Denim Button Brooches to my Etsy Shop! Each one is handmade from upcycled denim and colourfully embellished with recycled fabric pieces. I've been enjoying wearing mine with my favourite denim dress (double denim, haha!). Take a look at them in my Etsy Shop and check out my other upcycled fabric brooches here

The Made In Colchester Summer Fair

On Saturday 4th July I took part in the Made In Colchester Summer Fair at Colchester Arts Centre. It was such a lovely day with a great atmosphere and very busy so I didn't get a chance to take a lot of photos, but I wanted to share a little look back at the day and introduce some of the Collective members and their handmade work, all created in the Colchester area...

Brilliant prints from Lauren Kelly. The hard thing about the day was being tempted by all the lovely work on display!

Ar and illustration from Ella Johnston

Prints, cards, cushions and bags from Daisy Courtauld

A beautiful display from Tracy Owen

Stationery and illustrated gifts by Holly Trill

My display. I'm still enjoying using the vintage suitcases to display my brooches and they seemed to draw attention!

We ran drop in workshops throughout the day and they were all very popular. I taught 6 lovely ladies how to make felt beads- they all said how much they enjoyed it so I got a bit of a buzz from that. It's definitely given me a push to carry on planning a workshop programme- watch this space!

There was live acoustic music playing throughout the day which added to the great atmosphere. The Arts Centre where the Summer Fair was held is a former church that is now used as a music and event venue, so the acoustics are brilliant.

As if that wasn't enough, there was also a pop up cafe run by collective member Caroline Rhys-Lewis, serving lovely homemade cake and savoury goodies. I treated myself to a piece of caramelised apple and ginger cake- it had to be done!

 The Collective members enjoyed the day as much as the visitors and if you came along to support us, thank you very much. I'd also like to say thank you to the founder of The Made In Colchester Collective Lucy Hook-Child and to all the members of the group who put so much effort into making it such a fab day. We're now planning the Autumn Fair for Saturday 19th September!

If you'd like to find out more about the Made In Colchester Collective and keep up to date with news and events, check out our website here