Welcome to the 20th Handmade Monday! (Click the link for more info)

I use this stork a lot on canvases, but this is the first time I’ve put it on a plaque.   I quite like it on the plaque and it makes a less expensive (but still quite special!) little gift:

stork with baby plaque

The customer requested some pink, so it has a little pink bow on the baby bundle, as well as a cute pink gingham ribbon.  I’ve even managed to add it to the website here (I’m usually way behind with updating the website so I feel like that’s a bit of an achievement!).

While I’m talking about the website (and things not being uploaded onto it) I think maybe I should point you in the direction of my latest customer review.  It’s listed on the reviews on my home page (you need to scroll down a little!) and at the moment it’s the first of the reviews on there (click the little arrowhead/triangle to display the full wording).  It the one that starts “Oh my goodness . . “.

I was completely blown away -  it was one of those orders for something seen on the blog but not the website. But that aside, aren’t customers just so lovely at times?  It’s amazing how a few well-chosen words can make your day.

What’s new in your world? Let’s find out – please leave your blog link below!

Buying handmade is now more popular than ever.  It seems to me it’s:

• a little bit about people being fed up of blandness, of poor quality imports and of everyone having the same as everyone else
• a little bit about the general culture of appreciating a slightly slower way of life and knowing where things have come from
• a little bit about wanting something individual
• a little bit about supporting British makers (you can exchange Britain for another country and the story will probably be the same - there’s nothing wrong with a bit of patriotism and supporting your own country’s designers and makers)
• a little bit about appreciation for good design and quality
• a little bit about good value for money

For a lot of my customers it’s about the personalised too.  A gift with a name on

personalised fairy door plaque

a personalised baby gift

newborn baby details on a hanging plaque

a special message

personalised message on a photo frame

or maybe just that campervan painting  in that perfect pink (or orange, or blue, or black) – or even in a patriotic red, white and blue!

personalised campervan canvas painting in red white and blue

If you, like me, appreciate the handmade, you may be interested in this new concept.  Things British aims to be a retail store specialising in handmade.  It looks amazing.  It’s new, so I’ll be watching their progress with interest! You can too on their Facebook page.

You can even see the Things British video here

Welcome to . . .

handpainted welcome sign

 . . . the third Handmade Monday!

This week has seen me prepping for the first craft fair of the year.  I love doing craft fairs, but I’m finding they take so much time away from the making that I’m going to have to seriously limit the fairs I go to this year.  This one though was a fabulous one – Warrington Market is such a good venue.  Helpful staff, lovely customers, fab atmosphere and – that stallholder’s dream – people willing to spend!

For me, this week’s Handmade Monday is about craft fair prepping . . .

I love seeing the organised and wrapped stacks of handmade plaques, just waiting to be personalised.  I personalise things at fairs while customers wait and I always have some samples already personalised so people can visualise what they’ll be like.

personalised children's art hanger plaques

There’s been a lot of things to wrap in cellophane bags.  It doesn’t take long but it’s not one of my favourite jobs.

wrapping door plaques

So . . .  what have you been making this week?  Joining in with Handmade Monday is easy – pop a link on your own blog pointing people in the direction of this blog post, then just pop a link to your own blog post using the linky tool below.

I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else has been creating!

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