Wedding Gift Challenge

We've all been there: there's a wedding on the horizon and we have no idea what gift to get! To be honest, the rarity of the occasion that any of my friends get married means this has only happened to me twice. However, it will surely only become a feature more and more as time goes on.

This happened recently when my friends Esther and Tom got married and had a beautiful ceremony and celebration in a little village in The Lakes. But what was I going to get them?

It strikes me that we needed fewer and fewer things as we get older because we are bestowed with so much as a child and are most of us prone to the consumerist bug every now and again. However, there is an onus in the 21st century society on having and getting and receiving, making it more and more difficult to choose something that people actually want/need/care about.

Of course Esther and Tom are not in the slightest bit materialistic, making this somewhat easier when it comes to crafting something for them. (You wouldn't be able to get away with this for some people as, no doubt for many, the acquisition of material worth is precisely the point of receiving a gift.)

So, I decided to do an individualistic twist on a gift I gave my sister for her 30th. Instead of a plaque with a rose, I created a plaque/collage bearing their names - something they could treasure for a lifetime.

As all Brits, I am obsessed with the weather and think weather symbols are adorable. Plus, using the weather as a theme is not only timeless but also allows you to play around with colour and texture.

I created this collage using an A5 canvas as a starting point and building it up with an array of different fabrics and materials: vintage coloured cottons to create the rainbow effect, felt for clouds, metallic thread for stitching the names, rainbow ribbon around the outside and finished off with a few sequins for good measure.

At first I was a little dismayed (as I always am when I finish a creation) that it bore little resemblance to what I wanted it to be. But as days went by and I'd glance over at my craftwork, I was filled with a satisfaction that this little labour of love was cute, colourful and definitely unique. A sense that I certainly would not have got had I gone to the nearest gift shop and bought something totally meaningless and pointless. Why not judge for yourselves and let me know what you think! If you have something similar that you'd like, just drop me an e-mail and I can come up with all sorts of bespoke designs!

Cute Gifts for Crafters

I was riffling through my collection of ribbons and supplies and happened upon this wonderful tape measure grosgrain ribbon.

Instinctively I started creating these cute little hair bows without thought. It was as though they wanted to be made! And what better way to top them off than with a sumptuous, sweety-looking button on the centre or a beautiful rose embellishment?

They're small and cute and will look adorable in the hair of kids or adults. And at just a pound you can't
complain!

I'm going to be producing a variety of these little gems, so if you like what you see you can buy from Folksy or even send me a message and I'll see if I can create something bespoke.

Getting Crafty

Things have been getting crafty this side of the web, as Witchy Woo prepares for Hallowe'en.

You will notice my blog has had something of a makeover - it's hard to find the time to tweak all the things which need doing and it had become cluttered and clumsy. It should be more up to date, but the listings on the individual pages do need changing. The easiest way to see what I have in stock is to follow my side bar gallery listing to Folksy. However, if you've seen something you like or have a bespoke order, feel free to message me via my contact details on the contact page.

If you take a stroll over to my shop on Folksy, you'll see that I've been going all out with my hair grips. From orange and black saddlestitch bows, to witchy hat printed bows and even gothic black lace and burgundy ribbon bows - there's something for every age this Hallowe'en season.

Whatever you're in the market for - you'll find it this Hallowe'en on Folksy. From gothic garlands to spruce up your haunted house, to cute and charming brooches, or maybe a hair bow or two, there's soon to be more designs joining the collection!

I have even moved into supplies, so if you're looking for some unique ribbons that are hard to find but perfect for all your Halllowe'en crafting, don't for
get to check out my shop. There is some black and orange checked gingham on there at the moment, but soon to follow will be orange and black saddlestitch grosgrain and more!

Free Vintage Images For Use!

I've just spent the weekend investing in lots of lovely new materials for some new Hallowe'en crafting projects. I really can't wait to get some time to myself and make a good go of some brand new designs!

One of the items I invested in was a CD-Rom of vintage Hallowe'en postcard images which are now in the public domain for use free of charge and free of license issues. However, it's worth pointing out that you don't need to buy such images on a CD - if you have the time and patience you can always trawl the Internet and download them to your PC for absolutely free! Or you can just pay £1.69 and have them all compiled on a disc and sent to your door (eBay is a good place to find this)! 

Either way, these fabulous free resources are invaluable when crafting and make a nice personal and vintage touch when used for gifts and cards.

A couple of sites that compile some of these for you are:

Vintage Holiday Crafts

Squidoo

Card Cow

Enjoy and get crafting!

Growing Is Another Form Of Crafting

I've had my eyes opened recently to the possibilities of being green-fingered. Yes, there is another way to be craftily creative other than pricking your fingers with a needle!

Four of my pumpkins on their journey of life!

For my birthday my sister got me my very own 'Grow Your own Peter Pumpkin' set. OK, so this is clearly for kids, but when you have a seed phobia as I do, you may not have done much growing as a child. And for the record, any seed the size of a pumpkin seed is pretty much exempt from the phobia.

So, I planted the little beggers and look at how they are coming

on! I'm so excited to see my own pumpkins start sprouting their tentacles and blossoming their little pumpkin flowers! I seem to increase my stock of pumpkins by one every year but this year will (hopefully) be a record year with at least six pumpkins to adorn my home with this Hallowe'en!

Of course, now that we've entered into July, I can't help but get all excited in anticipation of that most hallowed of months. I've started getting my crafting list ready and I'm about to make some big purchases. This year I intend to do more crafting than ever before - so look out for some exciting new products, including ghoulish greetings cards, petrifying plaques and boo-tiful bags!

Happy Halloween!

It might be over now for another year, but I hope every witch and warlock out there had a Happy Halloween! I spent the past Halloween week at Blackpool Zoo, where there were lots of ghoulish goings on, notably pumpkin carvings that were then fed to the animals! Until next year, I shall leave you with a few images of the critters enjoying their spooky snacks...

 

 

Get BUYING Not Just Crafting!

Further to a post I made earlier, I thought I'd just like to point out the unique potential for buying handmade crafts on websites such as Folksy, Etsy and eBay.

I have been buying handmade, upcycled or customised items from these online platforms for a few years now, simply because they offer me a better chance of finding a fabulous present that represents the people I'm buying for. All to often around gift-giving festivals, we find ourselves trapped in the unhelpful mindset that we have to buy something - ANYTHING - for our loved ones! In fact, because we're too busy stressing, our brains don't seem to work logically and thoughtfully. Simply put, we don't end up getting the things we'd really feel happy giving.

Why not try a purple Halloween cobweb dress on for size?
Designed by Jennifer Lilly Designs

Well, the great news is (it's not news - it's merely a wake up call) that you can get all these things online! No pointless gifts, no dragging your tired self from store to store and lugging all your ill-advised spending after you - instead, you can be guaranteed that the quality of your present bought from Folksy, for example, is exceptional because someone has slaved over it, as opposed to it being casually ignored in the quality control of a huge factory somewhere on the other side of the world.

But chances are if you're reading this it's because you're into hand crafted items, you may even dabble yourself. However, as I pointed out two posts back, so many designers who upload their own work to these sites don't actually buy from fellow designers and crafters. You don't need me to tell you they're a great source of rich and innovative present ideas. You must know that yourself! So what's stopping you from buying?

Purple Halloween Cat Cushion.

Designed by Emily MacLeay, Miscellany Designs

Over the past two-three years I've bought: 2 hand-printed T-shirts (football and cricket), one hand-printed constellation tie, one upcycled malt sack beer bottle carrier, one clutch bag, one upcycled button earring and bracelet set, one beautiful burgundy handbag - that's just off the top of my head and all that must have cost about £50! I know there's even more I could list, I just can't recall it! I already have some presents lined up for this year's shopping list (which, let me tell you, is a weight off the ol' shoulders), and I recently bought myself a Halloween cushion - which, I supposed, is more to the point of this blog!

My Halloween cat cushion was a great find and is happily sitting on my bed as my favourite addition to my Halloween decoration this year. But there are so many more! In fact, if you're looking to add some handmade Halloween items to your repertoire this season, then do so NOW before you run out of time! The Folksy gift guide is a great starting point. Handmade Halloween (or Christmas for that matter) decorations are a worthwhile investment. You won't get in a tangle putting them up, they're environmentally friendly, they're designed with love so they're definitely unique and homely, and you don't have to throw them away  because they won't rip or be broken!