Hello 2016

Well it has been a while hasn't it. How are you? So in the last days of 2015 I am looking forward to 2016, wow where are the years going? Why do they seem to come around so quickly the older I get? It is as if time is speeding up. I have many goals I wish to achieve this coming year that I may not fit them all in. A few big ideas I have I need to break down in to achievable chunks as right now they are very daunting and I am sitting back and not working on them.

Do you set yourself goals at this time of year? How do you keep on track and measure how successful you are? I have achieved so many things I never thought possible with my small business but most things still remain to be done. So I must go make a list of what is very important to me right now. I must be brave and begin somewhere Because she who is brave is free!

handmade shabby wooden heart

Love Clara x

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/clarashandmade
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How to measure for curtains...

These are shabby chic rosali curtains made by me. Click to purchase.

Curtains look best when they are double the width of the window, if they are the same width they are flat when you close them. However some prefer them to only be one and half times the width, I always go with the more is more and therefore that is how I measure my own so let us agree on double. Buy a rod that is 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) wider than your window so it extends on either side. This makes your window appear much wider than it is and it also allows for maximum light to enter because you can push your curtains right back when they are open. Mount curtains as high as possible to draw the eye upwards and that therefore makes your room appear to have maximum height. As a rule fit poles a minimum of 15 cm (6 inches) above the window above the recess and make sure it is in the centre and that you have 15-20 cm (6-8 inches) each side of the window. If you already have a pole/ track up and you wish to measure for curtains do not include the finials (end of pole/ track decorations that stop curtains falling off the ends).

The length of curtains is very subjective, some advise letting them break 3 cm (one and half inches) on the floor, some like more than that on the floor for a puddled effect. Here I will talk about the most common for the average home.

Sill length: Curtains should be 1.25 cm (half an inch) above the window sill.

Below sill: End your curtains 15 cm (6 inches) below the window sill.

Floor length: End your curtains either 3 cm (one and half inches) on to the floor or as I prefer 1.25 cm (half an inch) above the floor. Ending them just above the floor prevents them sweeping up dust as you open and close them each day.

Please note, if you have a radiator below your window you may not want to cover it with curtains as it will prevent it from heating your room. In this case you should end your curtains 3 cm (one and half inches) above the radiator to allow the heat to circulate.

When it comes to measuring the length of your curtains please measure from the top of your pole or from the eye of your curtain ring, or where the clip is if you use clips. Measure in at least two places along your pole as it may not be level if you did not fit it yourself, then always use the smallest measure to define your desired length.

I hope this was helpful and informative.

Peace and Love
Clara x

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/clarashandmade
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarasHandMade
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Rules, rules, rules

Everywhere there are rules, be quiet in this train carriage, no running in the corridor, turn off your phone. All pointless, all necessary. People can not be nice with out being told to be nice.  The Rules I prefer are these ones though.

#1 Be thankful
When I experience something beautiful I like to say thanks with a silent prayer, clouds, blue skies, cloudy skies, good food, a beautiful bloom growing in a crack in a pavement.
#2 Alone time
I love my family and my friends, but I also love being alone, in silence or with music drowning out the thoughts and sounds of other lives around me. A chance to read, relax spread out and make mess only to tidy it up again.
3# Patience
The world sometimes is so fast, fast food, downloading a song you just heard for the first time within a minute, sometimes I like to hand sew, I can only go so fast, one stitch at a time. I have done sewing projects that have taken hundreds of hours to complete.
4# Doing something New
It speaks for itself never stop learning or growing. Because we are never complete nor perfect and that it OK.
5# Respect
Respect each other and each others things. Be truthful, not hurtful. Listen. Value time, yours and others. Do not make people wait unnecessarily.
#6 Celebrate
The little things come around more than big things, Celebrate them all.
#7 Love
Treat yourself well. Eat well. Exercise. Sleep. Have hope. Dream of Spring.


Love Clara x

Pretty Pictures

Hello Lovelies,

I thought I would share a few images from my collection of lace that I have put on Instagram today. I hope you like them, I will be posting mainly to Instagram and Pinterest from now on as I get so little feedback here. So if you do not see for a while that is where I will be. Links are on the right hand side if you wish to keep up with ClarasHandMade.

Peace and Love
Clara x

Grafitti/ Inspiration/ New Design

Hello my lovelies,

I have always found Graffiti beautiful, not those horrible tags you find in grim alleys and on railway lines, no I mean the big colourful kind with images and words that make you think. Maybe this is because one of my favourite places is East London where there are many such pieces. These are some of my favourites:

Not my photo, taken from Google images

one side of the street

and the other side

Lets Adore and Endure Each Other

Although all the above have always been favourites of mine, this Adore and Endure piece has really being playing on my mind lately. I loved it from when I first saw it many years ago. Now with the recent horrors of the shootings in Paris and the out pouring emotions from both sides this piece of graffiti art has really been in my thoughts. I have also loved this banner from Rachel Ashwell for a long time:

Endurance banner

and these last two images inspired me to create my own banner. In pure simple white linen with silver stitching tracing my own hand writing I made Adore & Endure.

I hope you found where some of my inspirations come from interesting.

Peace and Love

Clara x

ps this piece and others along this theme will be in my shop soon.

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/clarashandmade
Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarashandmade
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Happy New Year

So another year rolls around. It's cold and wet. Not much to look forward to for a while. So for me it is all about taking joy in the small things like fresh flowers.

pink roses

Hope you get to enjoy beautiful things too,

Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/clarashandmade
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ClarasHandMade
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/clarashandmade
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