Grand re-opening of my Etsy shop!

Today is the Grand Re-opening of my Etsy shop!!

I have one beautiful item for sale - A string of union flag bunting, but I will be adding new items to my shop daily so keep your eyes peeled and check back soon to see what I will be adding.

I first opened my shop way back in March 2010 selling a variety of handmade items and vintage ornaments.
I have a large collection of vintage music sheet, maps, books and comics so started making items out of this including bunting, confetti, badges and garlands,

I also got into selling really cute vintage ceramic ornaments like these beauties:

As I developed my products I found that fabric bunting was also popular and I enjoyed making it so I have decided to continue selling the bunting and focusing on this for now (though I really hope to start including vintage ornaments in my collection again because they are so fun.)

So I really hope you will visit back soon to see my new products.

Stay tuned!

Rose wreath in the shop

Hey everyone, how are you enjoying the weather?  I love snow for like a day and then I am all "ok, had enough of this now,"  (I know so fickle!)  
I decided to list my rose wreath in my Etsy Shop.  I made it for Christmas initially but I think it would work well for lots of other celebrations throughout the year, particularly Valentine's Day which is fast approaching.
I enjoyed making the wreath so much that I am pretty sure I will want to make another one next year.  I don't have room to store a wreath from every Christmas so thought selling it would be a perfect solution to the problem of little storage and and insatiable urge to create!

It's for sale at £23.63 (US $35.00) plus postage and could be hanging prettily from your own door or wall in 3 working days!

Hope you are all well, life is pretty slow with me, Orren is doing well and not far off 1 year old!  Can't believe where the year has gone.  He is crawling now and trying so hard to stand.  He is filling my life with so much joy and contentment he is just such a delight, I really can't imagine not having him around.  Of course there are downs as well as ups, life can be hard work at times and I get sick of the mundanity and repetition sometimes but the goods far outweigh the bads.
Any other crafting mums out there?  How do you manage to find time for creating?  I was thinking of changing the name of this blog to "things I made while the baby was sleeping".
Hope you are all having a wonderful weekend and if you are in the UK then hope you are enjoying the snow.
Hels
x

Button heart and earrings - New items in the shop

Finally I have recovered from my cold and feel like I have my mojo back, been rushing round like a whirling dervish today cleaning and tidying and cooking, my poor old hubby has the cold now and my little bubba is coughing up a storm.  So with my newly found energy I have gone into listing over drive, I have re-opened my Folksy shop and just added some more items to the shop and wanted to share them with you.

Not sure what has happened to the colours on my buttons heart, must have had the white balance on a funny setting, very blue!?  I am going to try and list some clothes tomorrow. 

P.S. I have a new phone!  I know not something I should boast about, but it is very exciting for me because I haven't had a new phone of my own in about 10 years.  Now I have the internet which is a revelation, and a working camera!  I know I sound soooo sad, but really this is the most exciting thing for me, I have aps galore now!  Including one to track my breastfeeding and nappy changes; what could be better?! Oh yes, angry birds!

Jubilee Bunting - New item in the shop

Made some Jubilee bunting this week, slowly slowly, a couple of flags a day!  One of my friends asked "how are you making things with a new baby?" How indeed!!  But the pressure is on my shoulders to make up the money I will be missing out on by being off work for a year, so I have no choice but to get cracking with the sewing machine in order to keep our heads above water and keep on paying the mortgage. Every now and again I get a bit panicky thinking how on earth am I ever going to make up the money I need, but then I have to tell myself to get a grip and just take one day at a time, just do what I can do in one day, I can't do more than that.

So I really hope you like my bunting, I am hoping someone out there might be having a lovely Jubilee party where my bunting can can adorn a wall or hang boldly over a table celebrating the fabulous 60 years our Queeny has reigned. Click on the photo to take you straight to my shop.

What have you got planned for the Jubilee?

Purple button heart - new item in the shop

I love the idea of this hanging from a beautiful bouquet of flowers:

Orange button earrings - new item in the shop

Next set of earrings, orange this time, oh how I do love buttons.

Button Earrings - New item in the shop

I am steaming ahead with making and listing items for my shop, I have got a few more things to list and aiming to list one a day, I hope you don't get sick of it.  I am sure you won't because you are all lovely, just humour me ok!?

So branching out into jewellery, I have tinkered with it before but seriously this time, and focused on one item; button earrings, got lots of different colours and styles waiting to be listed, don't you think they are cute? Fun, quirky and kitsch. I would love to wear a pair but sadly my holes have closed up booo!

Hope you area all having a great week xxx

Floral Bunting - New item in the shop

Floral Bunting!! Finally a new item in the shop that I have made!! Yes it has taken me about 3 weeks to make them grabbing a couple of minutes here and here to cut the fabric the slowly slowly sewing then together then photographing and  finally listing. I hope you like it, it is good quality, being double sided, rather that the usual style with just one piece of fabric which I have sheered on the edges, this one is hemmed on all sides. I love this fabric so much I think the blue is my favourite, which is yours?  I think this bunting would be lovely for a Jubilee party or a wedding, or just to decorate the house to make it feel really springy.

Green Glass Bottle - New item in the shop

A green glass bottle is the newest item added to my shop.  I have recently just been renewing items but have finally got round to photographing this little gem.  I have six of them and they would be perfect for commercial use with cosmetics or perfumes, or for decoration in a shop or around the home.  Wouldn't it look lovely with a posy of flowers coming out of the top? I love the antique/vintage style and the Victorian look, I can see it sat in a Victorian Pharmacy window!  What do you think?

I have a few more items to list in my shop in the next few days, including some fantastic vintage suits inherited from my Grandmother-in-law, to check back soon.

Featured Crafter - iheartbuttons

You may remember a few days ago I blogged about a fantastic wedding I attended and included this photo of a stunning button bouquet. 

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the bouquet myself, I hadn't seen anything like it before.

Anyway, as luck would have it, the talented maker of this bouquet stumbled upon my blog by googling "button bouquet" and she was kind enough to leave a message for me.  I visited her website and sent her an email and asked her if she would be so kind as to answer a few question for the interest of you, my lovely readers, fortunately she said yes!

Hi Lesa, thanks so much for agreeing to do this interview please do tell us a little about yourself and your business:

Hi Helen, thanks again for blogging about I Heart Buttons, it's a pleasure to answer some questions for you, I am flattered that you think your readers will be interested in my business.  In 2010 I moved to the Isle of Wight to bring up my two children. I happened to see a photograph of a button bouquet on the internet and it was love at first sight. I researched how to make them, bought some buttons and other materials and gave the result to a friend. One of her friends saw it and asked me to make one for her wedding. From there I opened an ebay shop, launched a website and started getting lots of enquiries.

What/who inspires you? 

I can't say there is a particular person or thing that inspires me. I 
get a lot of inspiration from the beautiful vintage brooches and jewellery I find for my bouquets. Most recently I found the most 
gorgeous pair of vintage gold and blue/green leaf earrings. Then when in my local haberdashery shop I saw a material in a colour that would go perfectly and my "Tiffany's Treasure" bouquet was created.

What motivates you? 

The thought of creating unique bouquets and I love the reactions from the lovely people who follow and support my work.

What are some of your favourite websites/blogs that you like to visit? 

It is so busy at the moment that I struggle to have free time to surf the net but I do have a penchant for cars and belong to a couple of car forums. I also love looking at online wedding sites such as Ideal Bride, Ice the Cake and you have to love Kat Williams Blog, RocknRoll Bride.

Who are your favourite artists? 

Being honest, I am not from an arty background so have never really 
followed any artists. Although I do now belong to the Isle of Wight Arts 
www.isleofwightarts.com and there are some fantastic local artists here on the Island.

What are your goals/plans for the future? 

When a bride considers a button bouquet, I would love I Heart Buttons to be the first company that is thought of or recommended. I have lots going on at the moment so watch this space :)

How do you come up with ideas for your designs? 

They just happen. As soon as an idea pops into my head, I write it 
down.

Can you recommend places to buy tools and supplies for someone who wants to make button bouquets?

Craft shops would sell the tools. Fantastic buttons can be found in shops such as Funky Poppy in Plymouth and on Facebook/Ebay.

That's there serious questions over with, now for the stuff we really want to know!

What is your idea of the perfect day? 

A track day in my car at Oulton Park would be a fantastic day. Even 
better if it was in someone else's car (just in case lol). Or out sea fishing in the Maldives... 

What is on your wish list? 

A Lamborghini Aventador. I will have an I Heart Buttons Lamborghini one day, it may not be an Aventador but we shall see.

Do you collect anything? If so what? 

Betty Boop and Buttons! I started collecting vintage Betty Boop 
memorabilia back in 1999. I built up quite a collection which I am now selling off in my shop here in Ryde. Buttons, well that comes with the 
territory lol.

Who would you like to sit down to dinner with? 

My husband. It seems a rare occasion now we have any time together to sit down and eat dinner without interruptions from the kids or him being at work on the mainland. 

Do you have any guilty pleasures? 

Curries. I love making and eating curries from scratch.

Thanks so much for answering all my questions Lesa, it's been great talking to you.

All photos are from Lesa's website: www.iheartbuttons.co.uk

You can also visit Lesa on her Facebook page.