I have been busy!

Evening all...

I have been busy! Apart from exhibiting at a billion fairs recently, most of which I forgot to advertise on Facebook but there you go, I have been working really hard thinking up, designing and making the following items, I hope you like them:

Christmas Reindeer Cushion

Yes, I know, but it is only 81 (ish) days away! ARGH! Sorry. Anyway... I haven't made cushions before and so I thought I'd just experiment a little and I am really happy with the result! The material is cream cotton and the decoration is made of felt, beads and gold thread but the best bit is that it is made using freehand machine embroidery. I am really into that at the moment...more in a future blog.

Next up:

Hand Made Lavender Bags

As the title suggest, hand made lavender bags! These are made of a satin/silk material and filled with French lavender heads and closed with a beautiful lavender coloured ribbon. These are a true classic and always sell well at the fairs.

Pink Heart Divided Purse

Strawberries Divided Purse

Yet again the titles should say it all but to add to that, they have cute little aplique felt pictures on the front, they each have seperate pockets that fit cards and cash as well as mobile phones and so they are pretty, versatile and durable. Plus with an added keyring they are even more inviting.

And next we have...:

The Reversible Mini Shopping Bag

This is such a cute little bag that is made of strong canvas materials that has no pockets or closures that get in the way making it perfect for reversing. I only made a couple but one sold on the first fair they went out at.

You still with me? There's more:

Country Kitchen Print Tissue Box Cover (and tissues)

Olive and Black Tissue Box Cover (also with tissues!)

These are something I have been wanting to make for quite some time and get asked for the most, I had just never tackled them - until recently. They actually took me a long time (and multiple efforts) to make them to fit and each have ribbons underneath to tie around the base of the box.

And finally...

Upcycled and Vintage Beige Shpping Bag

This is one of my favorites that I have earmarked for me - I have said that if it has not sold by Christmas, I am keeping it myself! The material is a hesian/calico/muslin type (found at a market), the handle is an old leather belt, the doily is from a vintage shop in Bakewell that I have decorated with vintage beads and the metal findings came from an old leather rucksack that had seen better days. I made it with a cream lining and a hanging internal pocket that fits a mobile phone or cards/money, the belt adjusts to any length you like and it has a magnetic snap to close. I LOVE this, if I do say so myself...

You will find these items in the Etsy Store soon or if not, pop along to a fair I will be exhibiting at. I promise to try and keep my Facebook page up to date for these...

Thanks for reading, leave me a comment if you wish :)

Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2014

Chalk, Lavender, Kindle and Coins...in that order!

Hi there,

Four items to tell you about today (yep, been busy again!) First up, these are the OTHER two designs of Chalk Boards I mentioned in the previous post:
 

 

The first one is a crackled gold on a black base and it gives a real rustic, perhaps chabby chic look as I chose frames that could be recylcled.The second one is yellow-ish gold colour and I decorated it with red trim and flowers. They are great because they are small enough to fit in so many places of your home, office or craft room!

Both have black-boarded glass to write on, both stand on their own although they could be hung, both come complete with chalk and both cost just £5.99 each. Bargain! Find them soon in my Etsy store and remember, there is only one of each...

Now, onto the second of today's delights... Do you like lavender? The smell I mean? Well if so, I have the perfect little drawer filler for you:

Look at the cuteness! These little organza bags are just over 3 inches wide and are full of French Lavender heads. They smell gorgeous. And at only 99p per bag, who can resist? They are finished with cute lavender coloured ribbon and they can be placed in an underwear drawer, a scaft drawer, on the bed-side table or just about anywhere you like. They aid relaxation and sleep... If it gets to a point where you can't smell the lavender so much anymore, you just gently squeeze the bag which will crush a few heads and the aroma will fill and calm your senses once more. Find these in my Etsy store soon too...

Next up, is a really pretty new style of Kindle Fire HD Case I designed and made just this morning:

 

I bought some doilies and few months back and they sat on my shelf sinse then, because I didn't know what to do with them. Then, just this morning, this idea popped into my head. I have made Kindle cases previously, and although brilliant (if I do say so myself) they are in an envelope style - this time I wanted to make a sleeve style instead. I also thought I would keep this line quite modest in materials as opposed to my usual floral and spot, earthy maybe and so I used a cream exterior, white interior, white doiley, brown button and string for closing. I thought about adding a handle, key ring or even an ear-phone holder but thought against it in the end. Maybe later.

I took measurements of my Kindle, worked it all out, then interfaced the exterior and padded the interior. I actually quilted the interior to make for greater padding and quality finish and I think it looks realy nice. The doiley is hand sewn on and the button and string have a little give to allow for ease of opening and closing, yet they keep the Kindle secure and in place. My Kindle looks very at home in this and I am pleased how it turned out; I will be making iPad and other tablet cases soon so watch this space...

And finally for today, I finished these a couple of days ago:

 

Mini coin purses. These are in fact the second batch, I forgot to tell you about the first, but because I only had three left I had to make some more... They are quite small so they are known as coin purses, they all have interesting linings and they are have cute little zips. I usually reserve these as basket fillers for Fairs, but I may put some in my Etsy store if there is an interest shown. And the best bit? They are only £1.99 each! Wow. 'Can't make it for that'. Well actually...

(I like to keep my prices as low as I possibly can. As those who make things will know, if I charged for the time it takes to think up, design, make and re-make items, I wouldn't get anything back - there is no way I can charge for my time. But hey, I love doing it! I like to charge a price that is fair and that I would be happy to pay myself - I think this is the best way.)

So, mammoth post over, what do you think? I would love to know. 'Like' me on Facebook if you wish or leave a comment here.

Thank you for your time and for reading :)

Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2014

Jeans and Shirt Bag and Matching Purse

Good afternoon all,

I just had to show you this:

Something I created in an afternoon, a Jeans and Shirt combo making a Bag and Matching Purse :)

These items of clothing were in my 'to use later' bag and I was looking through the bag when I thought of this creation. I think it turned out well!

I unstitched the base of the 'bottom' area of the jeans (if you know what I mean), shaped and re-stitched into the desired size, I cut the shirt into pieces and used the sleeves for the handles, the sleeve roll-up things for the decoration on the front, the body of the shirt for the lining and a piece of the body for the mini front pocket and lining of the purse.

This picture shows the bag interior with the small breast pockets which can still be used for small items:

This pictures shows the lining of the purse with matching red zip:

And this picture show the purse's mini front pocket that can be used!:

I was contemplating putting it on Etsy, but then I have a Craft Fair at Bakewell this Monday so I think I will take it there and see what happens...

Do you like it? It's amazing what you can do with a little imagination and some re-cycling skills :)

Thanks for looking, leave a comment if you like or share this.

Julie.
(C) FMN Crafts 2014