Sunday 24 February 2013

'Random' Purses

Good afternoon all,

For the last couple of days I have been making these - I have called them random purses as well, what else could I call them? Purses-with-things-added-to-them? Purses-that-I-made-using-some-fancy-bits-and-pieces? Nah. I don't fink so... ;)

So, here they are:


The yellow fringe was the first one I made. I used a really thick plain white exterior so that items I used to decorate would stand out and then went through my accessories stash to find goodies to decorate with. That was the fun part! I just thought 'right, go for it' and did. My favourite part of the first one is the fringing, very tactile and free, and my favorite of the red one is the dangley (is that a word?) beads and pom-pom swinging on the front. Cute :D

It was quite difficult sewing over the zip ends on these purses as the white material is so thick so I needed to hand finish a little, which added to the time to make them, but also added to the hand made feel. :) I know there will be MANY more to come as the world really is my oyster with a project like this - there are no limits.

What do you think? Do you like them? The fair next weekend is not going to know what hit it! (She says in a confident but hopefully not cocky way). If of course you like one so much and do not want to see them go to anyone else, contact me! I am not putting them on Etsy until after Sunday so if you are reading this, you have first choice! Get in contact, they will be £8 plus the postage as listed on Etsy.

Thank you for reading, please remember to follow me on Twitter @FMNCrafts and I'm on Facebook too. Drop me a comment somewhere - it would make my day.

Have a happy week, share if you like.
Julie.

(c) FMN Crafts 2013


Friday 22 February 2013

Hand Warmers and Pocket Tissue Packs

Wow, I had a fun time with these little cuties! I think I must have been inspired by the really cold weather we have been having here recently; it has been snowing just a little bit again today and more is due...

Firstly then, I made these for a little warmth; hand warmers:


I made them from soft cotton material with cute little prints and filled them with lavender infused uncooked long grain rice, and real lavender. All you do is pop them in the microwave for 1min 30 secs (750W) and then enjoy the warmth...with the beautiful smell of lavender to warm your senses too. SO good. :)

You can see from the photos they are in are the process of being made - I made one but I am letting the rice and lavender oil do their thing for as long as possible before filling. This will make them last for years and if the smell does diminish a little, just crush the bag a bit in your hand and fresh aroma is dispersed. Mmm.

Of course they can be used for many areas that need warming and my God-daughter came up with a nice suggestion that they can be warmed and put on the pillow, to either warm an ear or to give off the aroma to aid a peaceful night's sleep.

And, to top it all, they make great little bean bags for the kids to throw around!

Soon to be in my Etsy shop...

Secondly, still influenced by the winter chill, Pocket Tissue Packs:


I have actually been wanting to make these for quite some time and once I got around to it, I made 10 in one go! (You will notice only 9 in the photos as my husband swiped one for an early Christmas present! Wow.)

I just love how pretty they look all lined up and ready to work. They each hold 10 ready folded tissues and have cute little embellishments. I enjoyed making these and just couldn't seem to stop! I think it was hunger that eventually made me...What do you think to them? Again, these will soon be in my Etsy shop, of course let me know if there is anything you want instantly!

Thanks for reading, pass it on if you like it and leave a comment if you wish, I'd love our feedback :)

Have a nice weekend,
Julie. x

(C) FMN Crafts 2013

Wednesday 20 February 2013

New Make Up Bags & Fairs News

Evening all,

So,  I just love this material and can't help myself from making things with it! Here are some new make-up or toiletry bags that I made with it, with cute little blue dotty internal material :)
I made three, as you can see, and I made them with flat bases so that they can stand up easily - it is very annoying when your make-up bag won't stand up! I used white zips for these too as it adds to the crisp and clean effect. Do you like them? I will be putting them on Etsy soon.

Also, I have had conformation of six more fairs I will be standing at throughout the year and they are in one of my favourite places on the planet - Matlock Bath! For those who are unaware of it, Matlock Bath is a village south of Matlock in Derbyshire, which is in the Peak District in England, UK. It is one of those places I visited as a youngster and fell in love with and have gone back hundreds of times again. For me, it's like the seaside, only the sea happens to be the river Derwent and the Promenade (it's official name!) is a row of shops, probably half a mile long (?) split into North Parade and South Parade that contains gift shops of all types, as well as fish & chip shops, cafes and amusement arcades etc.

The fairs I will be attending are at the Old Methodist Church and you can see their Facebook Page here. I will be standing 6 times this year (booked so far) and they are mostly 3 day events. I am so excited! It looks like a great venue, the owners have renovated it and done a fantastic job AND it is right in the middle of the main strip. Matlock Bath is always busy but during bank holidays, Matlock Bath gets PACKED. So, hoping for fruitful events... :) The fairs I will be attending are on my Facebook site, please check them out here on the Events page, and maybe come visit!

BUT, before those fairs, I will be attending one right near to where I live. In fact if I stood on my roof I would be able to see the venue. This one is at the Wollaton Park Community Hall, in Wollaton, Nottingham, England, UK. The owners of the event and event details can be found through their website. This is my first one this year and is on Sunday March 3rd 2013. Exciting times!

And so anyway, off to watch the rest of the BRITS. Have a lovely evening.
Julie.
p.s. please Like me or pass on this page, if you wish... ;)

(c) FMN Crafts

Saturday 9 February 2013

Elasticated Sewing Machine Pin Cushion

Hello all,

Today I have been making these cute little things as mentioned in the title:


This are something that I have been meaning to make for myself for some time. It is an object that although small and simple, can make life a lot easier... It has always been a thing with me that when I am sewing at the machine and I get to a pin to pull it out, I haven't bought the pin cushion with me and I have to get up to get it! It's SO annoying! Especially when I am in the flow... I will not leave pins loose on the table unless I really have to as I know I will have an accident with that! Now, I have an answer in the Elasticated Sewing Machine Pin Cushion. Not what you call revolutionary but most certainly useful! The picture above with the pins in the cushion was no prop picture - this was after it's first use :)

The elastic is approximately 13 inches long and fits all size of machine. The little machine was in use when I took the pictures, but it also fits a monstrous Brother machine just fine; there is a lot of stretch in them :) All you do is feed the elastic under the sewing foot and wiggle the cushion along to the upright section. Easy.

These will retail for just £5, you can see them wrapped and ready to go, but not on Etsy yet as I'm still keeping items for my next fair - not unless someone asks that is ;)

Thank you for looking, if you like this pass it on, share, Like or Tweet.

Have a nice rest of the weekend,
Julie.

(c) FMN Crafts 2013


Thursday 7 February 2013

Hand Made Greeting Cards

Good evening to you all, I hope you are having a good day,

Today I would just like to share with you some cards I have recently been making. I make each one individually and although I have around three cards that are similar, they are still different to one another. They are generally birthday cards and some cards are left blank for your own message.

Here they are:



I have made them into a collage just for ease of viewing in one go, if you are having trouble seeing individual cards, just click the picture and it will increase in size.

There is one Christmas card in the collage - but I just wanted to give you a sample of what types of cards I make.

They are all based on craft card, some with apertures and I use embellishments of all kinds, card stock, printed card sayings, wire, glue, string, buttons, handwriting, stamps and so on. I have always loved hand made cards and so I thought I would make and sell some - why not?

And sure, you can buy cards relatively cheap from card stores, but remember they are mass produced, many via machines - mine are made individually, via my hands and heart.

Anyway, please let me know what you think! If you like this article, please share on Facebook or Twitter etc. This would make me smile a lot. :)

Will speak soon,
Julie.

(c) FMN Crafts 2013

Tuesday 5 February 2013

Fairies, Music and Lavender...

Good evening all,

Today, I have three different items to show you, I thank you for sparing a minute.

Firstly, this a delicate little tooth fairy pillow:

 

When your little one's tooth has fallen out, place it in the little pocket, leave it near the pillow and when the tooth fairy comes to collect it (and hopefully leave a little gift) she will have a nice soft landing :) How cute? This one is for a little girl, a little boy one is coming soon...

Secondly, I made these:

Little pine picture frames containing genuine sheet music, with pictures drawn on top. The piano sits on piano sheet music and the band member sits on marching music! They wouldn't take up much room and would be great for any lover of music. I like them because they are a little bit different...


And thirdly, these:


I only finished these tonight, so the lighting is really not good, but I couldn't wait to photograph them and post them here! They are cute little lavender bags. I made them fairly small so they could be placed virtually anywhere, including the usual places like wardrobes and drawers, but also hand bags and desks. (Imagine, scented writing paper...)

All items will be available once I have done the fair coming up, but if you would like any of my items that you have seen here, and are not yet available in my Etsy store, please get in touch.

If you enjoyed reading this, please pass it on! Maybe you could 'Like' this, or even Tweet about it. Or better still, leave a comment :)

Have a lovely evening.
Julie.

(c) FMN Crafts 2013