My stuff's in a shop with walls and everything!

Yep, the day's here at last. The Gift Gallery York is opening today! From what I've seen and heard, Kate's done a fantastic job getting it all ready, as well as getting married!

Some of my photos and cards are for sale here, plus one notebook. Yes, just the one. I simply had no time to make any more.

Anyway, it's really exciting to have my things for sale in a real, proper shop. There are loads of other Folksy sellers stocking their fantastic items as well. It'll be the perfect place to buy a quality, unique gift from talented folk in the UK and Ireland.

You can join the shop's Facebook page and see a pic too. And if you're in York, why not pop in to have a look around? 19 Shambles, YO1 7LZ.

And other promotion news... I just joined Crafters R Us which is a growing online directory of crafters. Take a look!

My Handmade Birthday!

OK, so it was nearly two weeks ago, but better late than never to tell you about the wonderful handmade birthday I had. I was lucky enough to go on a Folksy shopping spree, courtesy of my family and these are the delights I found...

A busy bee organiser from AskingForTrouble:

Perfect for keeping me organised. I love to make lists! There’s a magnetic strip on the back so it sticks nicely to the metal brackets on my craft shelves. Marceline also sent a postcard of some of her other kawaii designs.

Then there’s these funny face magnets I’ve had my eye on for ages, from Glassprimitif:

I love covering the fridge and freezer in magnets! And these have certainly brightened them up. Jo also sent a cute little notebook.

I also bought this bag from Purpss:

This is just right for summer. It’s a really unusual design and such lovely, bright colours! Also included was a little free bag, which was very thoughtful.

Then, from Ellie’s Treasures I bought this gorgeous Patchy Pockets keepsake wallet:

I fell in love with the little bear; what a cutie! There are two pegs inside as well, to clip little pictures. I love things like that! I’ve got some photos of my children in there already and need to think of some more mementos...

Lastly, I finally bought some wonderful prints and a pocket mirror from HiddenEloise, which arrived in the most delightful envelope:

I’ve wanted to buy something from her for so long, but could never decide what to choose! Eloise included a little personal note, tag and some stickers as well, which was a lovely touch. (By the way, it goes to show that handmade is really best, as the frames I bought for these prints from a well-known supermarket said 7” x 5”, but when I got them home they were actually half an inch smaller both ways!)

So, all in all, a perfect birthday! Finished off with a family BBQ in the evening and a mountain of cupcakes made by my brother’s girlfriend. They were truly delicious! Lemon, strawberry and chocolate – mmm. There must be something about cupcakes at the moment, as these were very similar to my 'Naughty But Nice' cupcake print and also one of the birthday cards a friend sent...

And not quite handmade, but to help me make handmade, I bought a clay extruder. I’m having so much fun with it! These are some retro ‘70s magnets that I’ve made already:

And last night I made some interesting rope twists, which I think I’ll make into earrings. I’ll post a ‘how to’ soon I think.

Anyway, that’s my longest post in a while, so better leave it there!

Shop Handmade Gift Boxes now for Sale!

Belinda at Shop Handmade UK has been working hard putting together some wonderful gift boxes. They're currently for sale on Folksy: http://www.folksy.com/shops/ShopHandmadeUK but will be taken to Oxford Handm@de Fair on November 29th, so hurry if you see something you like!

Each gift box includes a variety of handmade items which designers have supplied at discount prices, so the customer will save a huge 45%!! My items are in the turquoise, jade and purple boxes. Here's Frederick amongst all the other lovely things in the Jade box: Thanks Belinda!