Pink Liberty

New pink Liberty Tana Lawn. Well sort of new, I have had them in my fabric stash for a couple of weeks (maybe months ) but haven’t used them yet. They are destined to become brooches and maybe something else if I get some inspiration.

I am in love with Liberty fabrics right now. They feel beautiful, they look beautiful and I love how detailed the prints are. They also seem to come in every colour imaginable.

So far I have only made brooches out of my Liberty fabric because of the cost but I would love to make something bigger for myself one day like a shirt or a bag.

Postcard Swap

I participated in an etsy postcard swap recently. The idea behind it is to swap postcards with someone who lives in another country to you. It’s a fun thing to do especially because these days I think most of us hardly ever get handwritten mail.

The postcard in the photo was sent to me by Betsy who runs the etsy shop ZestyB. Her shop is filled with beautiful handcrafted jewelry in sterling silver, copper and brass. Betsy lives in Boston Massachusetts and the postcard shows some fall (Autumn) scenery from around the state.

Banner, Banner, Banner

My new etsy banner

I ventured into Illustrator and finally made a new banner for my etsy shop and while I was at it one for my made-it shop and also this blog. They are all pretty much the same thing only different sizes. It didn’t take nearly as long as I thought it would and I don’t recall swearing at the computer so I am a pretty happy camper.

My etsy shop feels all shiny and new again (except for those pesky scarf and bag photos I haven’t got round to re-taking) and I now feel a bit more official on the blog front with a proper header. My old made-it shop banner was pretty terrible so the less said about that the better.

Little Love Earrings

I love buying stuff on etsy and receiving parcels in the mail from all over the world. It’s like opening a birthday or Christmas present every time one arrives. While it is exciting it also makes me feel good because I am doing my bit to support handmade - well that is what I tell myself anyway.

My latest purchase on etsy was an adorable pair of Little Love Earrings by Joanna Rutter. They came in a box that was tied with red and white string. They looked tiny in the box but were a perfect size when I put them on, which you can see in the photo I took of the earrings on myself (which is hard to do by the way). I love the elongated shape of the hearts and the texture they have been given. They are modern and cute at the same time.



The rest of Joanna’s shop is filled with simple shapes from nature including a number of different birds such as chicks, canaries and robins. I especially like her earrings that feature a different shape on each ear like her Bird and Branch Earrings that have a bird on one side and a branch on the other. You can check out her etsy shop at joannarutter.etsy.com

Make Me Over

This is the BEFORE photo of my etsy shop.

I love a good makeover, especially anything involving Trinny and Susannah. They always manage to blow me away with what they do. Take one dowdy lady in an ill fitting bra and nanna clothes, have a go at her fashion sense and then transform her into some kind of hot and sexy babe.

I am in the process of making over my etsy shop. It is in some serious need of sprucing up. I have been open for business for a while now, my banner is looking old and tired and I think the colourful backgrounds are overshadowing my products.

My brooches are all about the fabrics they are made from and that is what I want customers to focus on when they are looking around.

I have chosen a white textured background and have already started re-photographing and editing my brooch listings.

I am also hoping that a change of background might increase my chances of being picked for treasuries. I have already been in one treasury since the change, but I am not sure if the white background had anything to do with this.

Next on the agenda is a new banner and a re-working of my scarf and bag photos.

I will post an AFTER photo of the shop after the transformation is complete because a makeover is not a makeover without before and after shots.

Come Fly With Me

Thanks to sophiehillartist on etsy for featuring my brooch in her "Love was the Egg" treasury. I am on the left at the very top.