Updates, March 2014

Sorry for the length of time since the last entry, I have been a busy bee, going between work, antique fairs and a meet up with Etsy and Pinterest in London!

Yep I met up with PinterestUK!  I was so excited!!! I was part of a very small group invited to join a couple of Etsy admins and the Marketing manager of Pinterest in the UK to see a presentation and ask questions, we got so many questions answered on how to benefit our businesses via Pinterest. I was so glad I made the effort to get up super early and squeeze myself on to a train and several underground trains in rush hour.
Other shops that were at the meeting were:
colorbloom
bylykiard
evajeanie
andsmile
and last but not least VintageCuriosityShop

I also recently spent the day at a large antiques centre where I found some fantastic pieces for my garden when they are planted up I will show some pictures to you.

My shop has also been busy which is lovely as it is coming up to my 2nd Etsy birthday and my 100th sale. I think it has been due to Mother's Day this weekend and all those lovely people have been buying for their dear old mum's.

My favourite image from my Pinterest this week.

Today I am spring cleaning!

Spring cleaning should be invigorating and lively, right? Well not for me as I am trying to spring clean my huge pile of fabrics and ribbons. I have made a huge mess and will need to hoover to rid my place of loose threads and bits of fabric. I have sorted out the ones I am not using, the ones I will use and those that I simply can not let go of, yet, if ever. As a crafter I love squirrelling away supplies for future brain waves that will actually be made in to a project to be sold, and some pieces I just hoard as they are too pretty. As I have said before I own many vintage ribbons, pieces of lace and crochet doilies that are too beautiful to cut or to create with as I have not yet come up with a fitting design for them. But alas today is the day when I shall actually photo and measure some pieces of fabric that I know I will not use. So I will put them up in my Etsy shop and hope they quickly find a great owner who will make them in to something wonderful and use them till they can not be used any more.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/176802541/destash-fabric-de-stash-linen-yarn-dyed?ref=listing-shop-header-0

Day off?

So I work four days a week to make sure the bills are paid each month. But my passion is sewing and making! Sadly my passion does not make enough money for me to do it full time and pay the bills, hopefully one day it will. Today was my second day off in a row and I had the desire to sew after resting yesterday. I find if I am tired or rushed I can not be creative at all. But more of this in a later blog post. On the days when I am too tired to create I just gather ideas on my boards on Pinterest. (http://www.pinterest.com/clarashandmade)  My gosh how I love that site. All the pretty images collected together. I find them so appealing that sometimes I forget to blink for ages staring at the screen I have boards for Shabby Chic, white shabby chic (my favourite board), for linens and lace (ooo this is also my favourite board) for baskets and colourful objects, for pretty buildings and for industrial pieces I am in love with, plus more, so take a peek via the link above. I also read lots of blogs and I will look through www.etsy.com for hours adding favourites and making lists of items I want to buy.
I always have scraps of paper laying around with lists on. The lists include: Supplies I need to buy, things I want, things I NEED, ha ha ha my needs are never ever anything practical this list is in fact the pretty objects I must must must own as soon as I can afford them or find them if they are vintage/ antique. My biggest list, and the one that gets made and remade several times and never ever get completed is my things to make list! I find writing down what I want to make, with a quick sketch really helps when I have time away from the day job. It focus' my mind and steers me in the right direction. Otherwise I can waste a whole day trying to make a decision on which piece of lace I love the least so I can bare to cut it up to make something else from it. Or which piece of linen/ cotton I should use. The lists help me keep that clarity. Today was such a day where I actually crossed some things off my lists. In short it was a great day!
I made a new pocket pillow for my Etsy shop and I took the photos for another piece and I listed a vintage display case. So not really a day off as I was still working of sorts. But I was working on my passion and that is never a wasted day or a day spent in vain. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do something I adore, and I squeal with delight when someone purchases one of my items as I know nothing is promised or forever. But that is another story for another day. Thank you for reading.

Love Clara


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

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/166199375/remote-holder-pillow-pocket-pillow-doily?ref=shop_home_active_21

Handmaking and selling

Today I made a new pillow for sale in my Etsy shop, but once it was completed I was struggling to list it for sale, not because I physically couldn't do it or because of a bad Internet connection but because I loved it so much!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/175269562/white-decorative-pillow-appliqued-doily?ref=shop_home_active_1

Sometimes as a maker of one off items and when I purchase vintage items for sale this is what happens. I love unique one offs and I struggle to let them go. I have to convince my self about the new happy home they are going to!
What a silly billy I am. I hope you like my new item here a few photos of the making of it.

Love Clara x



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

A little glitter and sparkle

Today is Saturday, it is beautifully sunny and bright, we are between winter storms in the South East of England at the moment. I wanted to capture the sun for the not so bright days ahead. I picked up all my sparkly things I have been meaning to do something with for literally years. This included: beads; pieces of chandeliers; mother of pearl buttons; a broken necklace and some silver coloured netting. I grabbed my wire and cutters too. 

tools and some sparkly bits

I wanted to make some kind of dream catcher but for light instead of dreams!

sparkles!

This is the top and it has a mirrored button and mother of pearl and that lovely netting in sparkly silver threads so delicate and beautiful.

tear drop glass pendant from a chandelier

At the bottom I added this large glass drop from a chandelier, look how it captures the light for me for on the grey days of winter. In today's sun light it is making rainbows all over my room. So pretty. It is if fairies are dancing about.

Light catcher

It is not long only about 50 cm. I will not hang it in front of my window like I would love too but on the side of my wardrobe as my daddy dearest has always frightened me of fire caused by glass magnifying the light and burning houses down. I have used an old broken chain to make another with another tear drop pendant. 

light catchers. dec 2013.

What do you think of these? Wouldn't they be magical hanging from a tree in the garden? Maybe with with my lace heart from Etsy: 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/170633851/valentines-heart-white-heart-lace-heart?ref=shop_home_active 

If you to have an old chain like the one I used or if you bought one from a thrift store or charity shop you too could make your own magical light catcher very cheaply.

Thank you for reading please tell me what you think in the comments.

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

Love Clara x