Folksy Friday - It's Orange

Asked for orange nominations, the Folksy Folk came up with these little beauties







1.  You could make something really striking with this wool by Wharfedale Woolworks.  I could only make a mess of knots, but other talented people could do lovely things!
2. Fishy is very happy to be wishing you a happy birthday from Clare's Creations
3. Brighten up your keys with this keyfob from The Sequinned Sheep
4.  Why not send a note instead of an email today?  From Print for Love of Wood
5.  Has Mommy sock monkey been out too long in the recent sunshine without a hat?! Oddsox
6.  Luscious lampwork by Beady Pool
There were lots of other lovely nominations so look out for 'Orange - Part 2' another Friday.

Enjoy!

Dreamy Wednesday - This weeks favourite picks from Dreamaid

I post an Etsy feature on a Monday or Tuesday and a Folksy Friday, so why not have a Wednesday devoted to Dreamaid?  After all, Wednesday's the day of the week we all starting dreaming of the weekend, isn't it? 

It's great to see more sellers and items on the site this week.  Here are a few of my favourite items posted on Dreamaid in the last few days. Click on any of the pictures to go directly to that item.

This stunning photo of Snoqualmie Falls, Washington, USA caught my eye.  Have to admit, I'd never heard of the place, but now it's definately on my visit list!  John Gaffen is the UK-based artist who shot this and you can see more of his fantastic photos on the Dreamaid site.

I  bought this card from Chrissys for three main reasons:

1.  It's so charming
2.  It's a perfect card for a man (and it doesn't have a picture of a car or someone playing golf on it)
3.  It's particularly perfect for someone who's concerned about the environment.

So that's my brother-in-laws Birthday card sorted in advance.  Thanks Chrissys!

Next up, an artist with a style I really love.  cbaroneart combines a folk art style with stunning colour combinations and a touch of Eastern Europe influence - at least, that's what I think.  You can see more on her blog which has links to Etsy and Folksy shops.

And last but by no means least, here's my second Dreamaid purchase this week:

I bought it as a card, and it's even more beautiful in real life - really intense colours and textures - Wisteria tree by mochalulu.

A great thing about shopping on Dreamaid, besides the fact that you're donating to charity with every purchase, is the customer service.  Both items I bought came within a couple of days and were carefully packaged with lovely extra notes and sentiments.  You know exactly who you are buying from, and can get in touch with the seller whenever you need to.  That's the beauty of buying handmade.

Hope you like these choices.  More to come - watch this space ;-)

BESTeam weekly feature - Our Home to Yours

It's my pleasure to introduce Our Home to Yours a lovely shop on Etsy where you can browse so many different types of items.  It's like being in a little department store where there are new handmade items and lovely vintage finds side by side.  I guess part of the variety comes from the shop being run by a mother and daughter combo, Debbi and Amanda, with each of the items made or found by one or the other. They clearly both have very good taste!

Here are a few of my favourites






1.  This quilt cover is beautifully stitched and finished and would look fantastic in any setting
2.  Bunny needs a loving home where his lop ears will be regularly stroked!
3.  A unique momento of your special day - this shadow box will hold your bouquet and other wedding keepsakes
4. Beautifully crocheted ring bearer pillow to carry the symbols of your love
5. Lovely vintage crochet collar
6. These cross stitched swans are a handmade work of art!

You can find out more about Our Home to Yours on their blog, follow them on Twitter and on Facebook

Happy shopping!

Folksy Friday - Sunshine on a Sunny Day

Great to see the sunshine, and to have lost the chill breeze we've had here for a while.

Here are some lovely Folksy picks to spread a little sunshine.  Click on any of the pictures to be taken to the shop.





1. A beautifully coloured suncatcher by Diomo Glass
2. The sun glinting through by Beggars Bowl
3. Pretty sun charms by heartfelt handmade

4. Beautiful tie-dye style scarf sold in aid of The Eye Fund by Glamglassgifts
5. A really cheerful card by asking for trouble
6. The sun setting in Spain (oh, to be there now!) by Bee Brady Photography

And your favourites are??

PS - Only 2 more followers needed to get to the first BFJ blog giveaway...!!

Wordless Wednesday - Strawberry cream tea anyone?

BESTeam weekly feature Darling Dande Designs

This week I'm delighed to feature quite a new and exciting Etsy store Darling Dande Designs. 

Here you can get beautiful accessories and clothing for your little ones - especially toddlers - as well as beautiful fabrics by the metre and some treats for grown-up girls too.

Dandee has two of her own little treasures - Dani and  Declan and that's how the name of the shop came about!

I love this personalised blanket made of plush and satin.  You can choose the embroidery font and colour so you'll have a truly one of a kind item.

Wouldn't this be a fantastic present for someone expecting a new arrival soon?

 Dandee also makes items for adults too, and this zippered change purse is really pretty and striking!

The fabrics are great too.  I had to choose this retro turquoise blue one, of course!  Time to dust off your sewing machine and make something stunning...

What's more the Darling Dande website features the cutest home page I've ever seen!  Check it out.  The range of products there is even wider than in the Etsy store and includes bath and body products.

And how cute would baby look in this hooded bear towel?

You can find out more about this lovely shop at the Darling Dande blog.

Enjoy!

A great new way to sell on Dreamaid

Giving to charity always make you feel a bit brighter and better, doesn't it?  And the benefits to others are undoubted.  That's why I'm really happy to have opened a shop on Dreamaid, a great new selling concept that allows you to donate a percentage of the purchase price of your items to charity.

Dreamaid supports a number of causes including education projects in Brazil as well as promoting the global handcrafting market.  Sellers can decide what percentage of the selling price goes towards charity.

There are some great sellers on the site already.  Check out these lovely items. Click on any of the pictures to be taken to the shop:








1. 'Shared Whispers' by mochalulu
2. Turquoise wrap ring by chicita
3.  Red Sami bracelet by Hamespun
4.  Butterfly cushion by TopFloorTreasures
5.  Bunny bottom butter by ScentsibleAromas
6.  Summer Lovin' ring by LouLousluxuries

I've listed a couple of things and am really hoping that consumers with a conscience will flock to the site.

This 'true blue' denim bracelet is perfect with jeans...

And here are my popular If Picasso did Lampwork beads in a red necklace.

Folksy Friday: Cute corsages

Check out these lovely flower corsages - perfect for weddings or just everyday, they make me think of summer and the outdoors!

This pretty felt brooch by sandrute is such beautiful colours

This one by LittleRedDesigns is a little different... What a lovely idea!

You would have to buy 6 of these from Quilting Demon because they look so fantastic together!

And finally....

a real splash of sunshine from Sunshine Days!

BESTeam weekly feature - Miss Pretty Perfect bags and purses

If ever a shop was appropriately named, it's this one - Miss Pretty Perfect!  Each of the handcrafted bags and purses featured are unique, one of a kind and beautifully crafted from upholstery fabrics and leathers.

La Toya, based in Charlotte, NC, did her apprenticeship working for a handbag designer who sold to major stores like Bloomingdales, and you can really see the skills in the crafting and finishing of these purses.  There's a really distinctive brand feel to them, I think, a touch of vintage boho chic but very practical and in luscious colour combinations.  And it's an exciting time as the store, established in 2007, is now branching out into womens and childrens clothing.

Here are a few of my favourites.  Click on any of the pictures to visit the store.

This messenger bag is a lovely combination of fabrics and easy on your back too - something we should all consider!  It's also available in other fabrics and combination as a custom order.  It will fit your laptop and your papers comfortably, so perfect for work.

Love this mustard and olive wrist bag - the pattern is delightful and the quilted fabric looks soft and beautiful.  It would be great for daytime with jeans and a T-shirt and equally suited to a smart evening event as well.

And here's the Indian Princess blouse, made to order from saree fabric in the colour combination of your choice, it features sequinned, beaded and embroided fabrics patchworked together.

You can find out more about MPP and keep up with new creations by following these links:
Facebook MPP: http://www.facebook.com/missprettyperfect
Blog MPP: http://www.missprettyperfect.blogspot.com
Tweet MPP: http://twitter.com/toiyah

Design dilemma - please help

You know when you're making something and you just can't decide which way will look best, so you try it out and usually you can easily decide?  Well I started making these delicate turquoise and white howlite earrings, but I'm really stuck over which one looks best.  What do you think?

The half hoops would be more delicate and the beads would move around.  Is that good, or would the movement be a bit of a pain?

I like the bigger bead in the centre - I think!  Then again,

You get more of the lovely sky blue turquoise presence here.  And it looks more like a traditional hoop earring but one where you can see all the beads all at once.

Ho hum!  Over to you ...

Folksy Friday: The Red Rose

Beautiful red roses from Folksy sellers today.  Partly for politics reasons - the red rose is still alive and kicking, hooray! - but mostly because they are lovely!  Click on the pictures to visit each shop.




1. Luscious felt brooch by Granny Ruth
2. Pretty rose card by Box of Delights
3. Beautiful brooch by Gelert Design
4. Macrame and fimo bracelet by Jayfa Jewellery
5. Stained glass decoration by Diomo Glass
6. Wire wrapped ring by Emily Mah