Yay! I made it onto the front page!

I'm feeling just a little bit chuffed as one of my favourite pieces made it onto the front page of Etsy late Friday! When I popped into my shop today I found that Aunt Bess's pendant (centre, top row) had in fact sold… ahhh, the power of the front page!

Thanks to lizzywatson for including me in her treasury and also bloominglilly for letting me know I was there.

Please help me…

…out of my coat!

It's cold but not so cold I need wear my coat in the house, but that's just how I'm dressed at the moment.

Why? You may ask! I went out this morning to my Wednesday morning pilates class as usual and when I returned to my warm and cosy home I discovered that the zipper on my down jacket had stuck. Fabric had become entwined in the mechanism and it simply wouldn't glide.

In my frustration I yanked hard at the zipper-pull and to my dismay it moved but an inch and no further. "This is a cinch!" I thought, "I'll simply slide myself out from the coat and deal with stuck-fast zipper when I'm out!" But oh no, too optimistic was I, because the zipper had, in fact, jammed at the slimmest part of the jacket and there was no way that I could wriggle the jacket over my hips. Please note, at this point I had already dislocated both shoulders to get my arms free of the sleeves!

At this moment the doorbell rang. So with my jacket securely around my waist I ventured to the front door and presented my dilemma to the postie. What an interesting sight we must have made as he also tried tugging at my stubborn zipper! I guess in time I shall find out what the neighbours were thinking!

Needless to say I am jolly warm as I write this blog. I have turned down the central heating, not so much to save energy, but to stop myself from passing out!

Here are some useful suggestions for a broken zipper:



This is an entirely handsewn necklace by Alice Pleasance. Check out more of her necklaces and cute polymer clay creations here



These are real, repurposed zipper pulls, so they're a bit heavier than normal earrings. Not recommended if your ears are very sensitive to weight. They'll dangle just over 3 inches from your ears, or about 8cm.



There are lots more fun and funky items in tangerined's shop!

And if I can't get myself free I shall just have to unpick the zip and make one of these:

My first giveaway!

If you would like to take part in this giveaway all you need do is pop into my shop and have a browse through my items for sale. Pick and tell me your favourite piece in the comments section to this post.

That's all there is to it! The winner will be chosen randomly on Monday 8th December and will receive this pretty Swarovski Scattergram necklace made by yours truly!

PS I don't mind where you're from!

Call it a wrap!

For a while now I have really admired the work of those who artistically wrap silver wire around pendant focals with such style and grace. It looks so simple, I thought… until I gave it a go and realised that you have to have a plan before you wrap… you need to understand the bead you are wrapping… you need to know what you're aiming for!

Here are my first attempts using silver (I used copper wire for the previous 63 until I'd 'mastered' the art!)






































And my model, Robyn, shows us just how lovely these pieces look on!

snuggle up and see what I made!

A couple of weeks ago I sought the help of the Etsians in finding me some beautifully handmade neck warmers. So inspired was I, that I rummaged through mother's craft box for knitting needles and popped to the haberdasher for some suitable yarn! I'm reasonably please with my effort, but have a look at what the real experts make before I show off!



Don't you just love the colours in this knit by artish? I'm especially fond of the loose and erratic stitch which declares to me that this had to be made by hand. Check out artish's shop for even more fabulous knits!



























Now this is something else! Simple and stylish and versatile. A very clever and wearable piece by olivebrown. If it's the last thing you do today, pop into her shop and check out her beautifully themed knits!



























If you were looking for something wispy and wild to adorn your neck, this could be the item for you! You can see that luxe has shown this neck warmer against a denim jacket… it works so well!






















I can tell by the picture of Urbanknit's neckwarmer that this is a super soft item to snuggle into. I love the flattering colour and the chunky style… I'd be comfy in this all day long!






















"An incredibly plush and slouchy cowl, hand-knit with organic cotton yarn in warm shades of brown sugar and dusty rose…" Great colours and individual style at Magic Lantern.


























With a tad more glamour that would see you from dawn until dusk, check out this lavish scarf by the funkyfelter

Are you ready to see what I made?

Well here it is! Kindly modeled by my daughter Robyn (yes, I will pay your modeling fee darling!)

And if you are in London…

Thanks Karen!

Carnaby Shopping 20% discount

Passing this on from Karen, a great opportunity if you fancy a shopping spree in London's renowned Carnaby Street – enjoy!

Find your brand here

Am really enjoying this site and don't mind the daily emails telling me what's up for grabs! There are always great discounts on the brands we love and can't help but click thru to see what bargains there are to be had!

Check it out here!