Etsy Treasuries

'A good day to be happy' by leanan

Handmade Yellow and Grey Ori... ShopIndigoRock... $25	READY to SHIP out faster- La... EJbutik $46	Unique Minimalist Bubble Pen... JagnaB $55	Lemon Yellow and Gray Leathe... SmArtAnna $42
Lemongrass Tea Cold Process ... mojospa $8	Yellow and grey hand knitted... makneta $119	Happy pillow 16x16 Decorativ... MonochromeStud... $35	Rolled fabric beads - Hand r... SuppliesbyAyca $8.4
Yellow and gray Wedding Bea... DiAmoreDS $33	Nursing necklace Yellow grey... boorashka $22	Baby Bib Modern Organic acraftyhen $11.5	Felt Clutch Bag, Hand Bag, G... NIJICOLLECTION $24
resin earrings small grey st... KAZrobertson $20	Grey felted wool slippers fo... aureliaLT $78	Wall button in light grey - ... Beh1ndHome $28	Vintage German tea coffee cu... LeKosmosBerlin $22

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'Woodland Nursery' by valerieoutlet

Fox Bookend or Fox Softie Se... GandGPatterns $9	Luxurious Organic Woodland B... acraftyhen $22	Woodland Baby Mobile, Crib M... TheMemis $85	Squirrel Shelf - Gray Parent... MapleShadeKids $79
Nesting Dolls, Woodland Nurs... andralynn $50	Wood Owl Switchplate Kids Nu... graphicspacesw... $28	Woodland Nursery Art Print S... DeliveredByDan... $30	Personalized Baby Blanket, W... TheCherryCheet... $34.99
Vinyl Nursery Wall Decal For... wallartdesign $165	Woodland Baby Toss Newborn A... CatandWolfDesi... $18	Woodland Animal Toy Box - Cu... BirchTreeKids $399.99	Woodland Animals Monthly One... BuddhaBellies $9
Rustic coat rack -- wood, ru... RusticBabyBout... $30	Modern Woodland Fabric Tote ... tanneicasey $45	Curtain TIebacks-Drape Hold ... SwagMags $13.99	Wooden Hedgehogs and Toadsto... Imaginationkid... $25

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I have been lucky enough to have items from my Etsy shop included in quite a few treasuries of late. I have also been very busy with sales lately so I do wonder whether the two are linked! So I thought I'd show you my favourite two treasuries. The first is a wonderfully named treasury called 'A good day to be happy' which includes my Baby Bib Modern Organic  and the other treasury is called a 'Woodland Nursery' and includes my Luxurious Organic Woodland Baby Gift Set . I do think the ability to create treasuries like this is one of the great tools that Etsy has to offer. From a sellers point of view it acts as publicity and brings new traffic to your shop, and as a buyer it shows you glimpses of items that you may not have seen before. I have found some of my favourite shops through other peoples treasuries. I often get asked what my thoughts are regarding selling on Etsy v Folksy and I have to say that this is a reason why I feel Etsy is a better platform than Folksy.


I am closing my Etsy shop tonight and also my other two shops as we are heading to Cornwall on Saturday for a few nights camping. Fingers crossed that we have some sunshine!

Popping Up In The Pop Up Design Shop

It's been a busy few weeks, but I'm pleased to be able to finally announce that you can now buy 'A Crafty Hen' items from the Pop Up Design Shop 
in The Brooks shopping centre, Winchester, from now until Christmas Eve.

Source: scribd.com via Jenny on Pinterest

The shop looks amazing, full of wonderful pieces and I feel very lucky to have some of my things in there. It's the first time I've been involved with a 'Pop Up Shop' but I think the concept of these shops is great. Such a good way to fill up empty high street shops. And Suzie the owner of the shop and of  Urban Bird is so passionate about showcasing what is out there that it's been a delight to dedicate the last couple of weeks to sewing stock for the shop.

I have sent a selection of baby bibs some new and some of my favourites. 
There is also a selection of my cushions and large cosy blankets.
I hope to get these into my web shop soon but it probably won't be until the New Year, as this year is quickly disappearing!

 Oh and Lavender Raindrops are on their way!

So please if you are in the area, do stop buy and have a browse.
I wish I could!

For the love of Organic....Part 1!

I've been slowly reopening my 'shops' back up after closing them for a while whilst we went on a camping trip, and as I've opened them up I've had a good look at them and it's made me question a couple of things. At the moment I have a folksy shop, an Etsy shop and a Bigcartel shop but I'm beginning to wonder where I'm going with a couple of them, more on this later though, as I think I have a lot of pondering over it first to do! The other thing I have noticed is how many of my items are now made using Organic cotton fabric, especially in my Etsy shop which has become the shop that I update the most and put my 'one off' items in.

Luxurious Baby Bib Set Bunting

The use of organic cotton has not particularly been a concious decision. I spend a lot of time browsing fabric sites and making notes on forth coming collections that I like and prints that suit my work and more and more I find that the ones I like tend to be organic. 

Luxurious Baby Burp Cloth Set Bunting

I am drawn towards nature and animal prints so its not surprising that the first collection I fell deeply in love with was Circa 52 by Monaluna for Birch fabric and especially their Woodland Party print. It came a firm favourite in my Etsy shop as well, selling well and I was so disappointed when I came to order more and found that it had all sold out! I have since managed to find and buy 1 yard! and have started to make one off bibs using it like the bib below and I hope to have the sets above back in stock before Christmas.

 Baby Bib Woodland Bunting

Luxurious Organic Baby Set Forest Animals

The second collection that I was drawn to was Ed Emberley's first fabric collection 'Happy Drawing' which was brought out my Cloud 9 fabrics. I love the quirky animals and his scribble print has become a firm favourite. From the moment I heard Cloud 9 were releasing this collection I knew I would like it as his 'How to draw' books are a favourite in our house with the kids and myself, they are just perfect for any parent who gets asked by their child
'Can you draw me a............"! 

 Lavender Raindrop

We own 3 of his books and have a fourth Ed Emberley's Drawing Book Of Halloween on it's way for my Halloween obsessed son! I love the drawings of the foxes, raccoons and elephants and what is so lovely with his 'Forest Friend' print is that you keep spotting animals that you hadn't noticed before.

Organic Baby Bib Grey Elephants

At the moment I have a selection of baby accessories made using Emberley's prints available in my shops with more on their way. Cloud 9 are also releasing Ed Emberley's 2nd collection 'Happy Drawing Too' in October, so I'm looking forward to seeing that. Cloud9 also have a lot of new fabric designers working with them with collections due out towards the end of the year. It seems to be a very exciting time in the 'Organic Cotton' world!

Part II of my 'For the love of Organic' coming very soon!

Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head!

Quite literally it has felt that everything you step out the door of the house over the last few months you will get rained on. First there was the jet stream that was affecting the weather and causing all the rain and then just when you think that 'crisis' is over and we did have a week of blissful sun for the first week of the school summer holidays, the rain returns! The constant sight of raindrops on the window that I look out of as I sew and the ever-increasing amount of bags filled with small fabric pieces, that I'm continuously stepping over or moving from one end of the room to the other got me thinking, there must be something I can do with them.

I am lucky that my other OH does not seem to mind too much my fabric obsession! In conversation with him the other day about the amount of bags in the room filled to bursting point with what are best described as 'fabric scraps' I mentioned that maybe I should recycle them. I was quite surprised when he answered 'really you must have some use for them'! I wonder sometimes what size fabric scrap other sewers keep and which they feel are too small to be used, I find it hard not to keep every last morsel! 

 

 

I ordered some dried lavender with the intention of making lavender sachets as gifts for my son's teachers but never managed to find the time so sitting staring at the dull winter like weather that was hitting the window the other day and with a head full of the smell of lavender I started playing around with my fabric pieces and doodling.

So please welcome my 'Patchwork Lavender Raindrops'.

I have really enjoyed sewing these, fussy cutting small pieces of fabric to get animals in the right place like this Orange Fox

and this 'Hiding Fox' {below} cut from my very precious last scraps of Cica 52 Birch fabric, the print is one of my favourite fabrics and I've been caught out by not having bought enough. I have finally tracked down a shop in the US that a metre left so are waiting its arrival eagerly, but still its a lesson to be learnt!

The raindrops are filled with dried lavender. I have made them with baby's in mind, thinking that they would look lovely placed in a nursery. Lavender helps to calm and aid sleep, lavender also acts as a insect and a moth repellent so these raindrops will be great for placing in clothes drawers or for hanging in wardrobes. Of course they aren't just for babies and can be hung or placed anywhere in the house.

 

 

I have listed them in my Etsy shop here and are hoping to add some to my folksy shop. I really hope they sell as these first six have not made dent in my 'fabric scrap stash'. I could probably make enough raindrops to fill the sky above me and still have small fabric pieces left!

Shop Talk

Summer holidays and sunshine has meant very little time spent in the house and plenty of time spent at the beach which has been a lovely start to the school holidays but has meant that my work has taken a back step, and at what is appearing to be a very busy time for me it has meant that my late night sewing sessions have become that bit longer. Thank goodness the mornings have been lazier than normal with no school runs to have to get up to.

'A Crafty Hen' has had it's first bit of publicity this month with a feature in Folksy's online magazine Frankly Shop Talk, Jennifer Parsons - A Crafty Hen I felt when writing it that I had gone back to college, as its been a long time since I had to write something other than snippets here on my blog! I was really pleased that Folksy asked me and have also been lucky to appear in their 'best sellers' list a few times lately.

 

{Please excuse the imagine I was hoping to somehow show a picture of the interview and using Instagram was the only way I could think to do it!}

I was also asked recently if I would mind being featured in a new blog Great British Family it's a lovely blog where they aim to showcase the best Great Britain has to offer for the family, a place to showcase the talents we have here in the UK aimed at families, particularly to show case designers, handmade artists and photographers.
I was really happy with the article they did on 'A Crafty Hen' .

So all in all it's been a good week for me and my 'little business'!
It's very exciting to watch it grow and to wonder where it will be in a couple of years!