I Heart Haberdashery

I've been buying some gorgeous new supplies lately, with the excuse (as if I needed one!) that they will, in turn, inspire me to create new stuff. That, and well, I just love haberdashery. I even like the word - though it's almost dismissive somehow - making me think of frippery a little...it's amazing what you can make with some simple pieces of haberdashery and a dash of imagination.



Particularly irresistible I found, were the wonderful new range of ribbons by V V Rouleaux (such a grand name!) at my local John Lewis - I especially loved these jacquard ones below (which came in several beautiful colourways), and there was some gosgrain ribbon in colourful vintage stripes which caught my eye and conjured up romantic images of Cambridge: blazers and straw boater hats. I had to leave before I bought a bit of everything!

Retro Romantic

As an 80s kid, I'm simultaneously horrified and delighted to see some familliar sights from the past back in fashion. The neon colours I am really not that fussed about, and as for leggings, well, having not worn them since doing ballet classes at the age of six, I don't intend to wear them just because everyone else is. What's with the weird-looking metallic ones?! Is is just me, or do they look more than a little bit odd... Plus the whole 'baggy' look isn't exactly flattering.

Anyway, the delighted part - I wholeheartedly love all things kitsch, so the 80s revival in that sense is great!


Speaking of kitsch, I love these heart-shaped bangles from topshop- they fit right in with this theme.

I feel that the way to give a nod to this trend is through funky accessories - it shows you are aware of it (but don't want to look like an extra from Fame). Try some colourful bangles, a fun pair of earrings or a great little bag.

So with that in mind, I've been working on some retro designs of my own, namely these bad boys:



I'm really pleased with this collection of four different space invader badges - I now have them listed on my etsy, dawanda and folksy shops. Please see the links on the right :)

In other news, I have also been working on a new commission: a Pac-Man inspired scarf featuring Pinky the ghostie!



See my flickr photostream for more wip pics - I'm back on the crafting 365 wagon!

Crafting for a Cause

Red Nose Day 2009 is fast approaching. So, with that in mind, for every Handmade Felted Sweetheart Brooch I sell from my etsy or folksy shops during the month of March, I will donate the proceeds to the UK charity Comic Relief.



I thought it was about time I did some crafting for a great cause. The money raised is used by Comic Relief to "help poor, vulnerable and disadvantaged people turn their lives around across Africa, throughout the world's poorest countries and closer to home here in the UK."

In 2007, I made this corsage and sold it to raise money for Red Nose Day on my etsy shop. A group of other UK etsians did the same, making other items featuring the colour red - a colour very much associated with Comic Relief and their red noses - in their work. A treasury featuring many of these pieces made it to the front page of etsy, which was great for raising awareness.



For more information about the charity, or to donate, see www.comicrelief.com