Friday 16 May 2014

Pom-Pom Bookmarks

Evening all, hope you've had a good week and ready for a sunny (in the UK) weekend! Wahoo!

I just wanted to share these little beauties with you that I made today:





Are they cute or what? I saw the idea somewhere on the internet recently, so I can't claim them as totally my own, however I made them a different size and I added the eyes and the beads, so I guess it's my interpretation of...

I love making pom-poms and found a much easier and quicker way to make them, than I did when I was a child, so I was able to make these over the course of one day (in-between life interuptions, you know what I mean?)

And the best part? I will be selling these for just 99p each! They're great little pocket-money lines for the craft fairs.


How do you like this little lady? I've named her Pony-Pom; I think you'll guess why...

Let me know what you think!

Thanks for reading,
Julie. :)

(c) FMN Crafts 2014

Tuesday 13 May 2014

Chalk, Lavender, Kindle and Coins...in that order!

Hi there,

Four items to tell you about today (yep, been busy again!) First up, these are the OTHER two designs of Chalk Boards I mentioned in the previous post:
 



The first one is a crackled gold on a black base and it gives a real rustic, perhaps chabby chic look as I chose frames that could be recylcled.The second one is yellow-ish gold colour and I decorated it with red trim and flowers. They are great because they are small enough to fit in so many places of your home, office or craft room!

Both have black-boarded glass to write on, both stand on their own although they could be hung, both come complete with chalk and both cost just £5.99 each. Bargain! Find them soon in my Etsy store and remember, there is only one of each...

Now, onto the second of today's delights... Do you like lavender? The smell I mean? Well if so, I have the perfect little drawer filler for you:


Look at the cuteness! These little organza bags are just over 3 inches wide and are full of French Lavender heads. They smell gorgeous. And at only 99p per bag, who can resist? They are finished with cute lavender coloured ribbon and they can be placed in an underwear drawer, a scaft drawer, on the bed-side table or just about anywhere you like. They aid relaxation and sleep... If it gets to a point where you can't smell the lavender so much anymore, you just gently squeeze the bag which will crush a few heads and the aroma will fill and calm your senses once more. Find these in my Etsy store soon too...

Next up, is a really pretty new style of Kindle Fire HD Case I designed and made just this morning:




I bought some doilies and few months back and they sat on my shelf sinse then, because I didn't know what to do with them. Then, just this morning, this idea popped into my head. I have made Kindle cases previously, and although brilliant (if I do say so myself) they are in an envelope style - this time I wanted to make a sleeve style instead. I also thought I would keep this line quite modest in materials as opposed to my usual floral and spot, earthy maybe and so I used a cream exterior, white interior, white doiley, brown button and string for closing. I thought about adding a handle, key ring or even an ear-phone holder but thought against it in the end. Maybe later.

I took measurements of my Kindle, worked it all out, then interfaced the exterior and padded the interior. I actually quilted the interior to make for greater padding and quality finish and I think it looks realy nice. The doiley is hand sewn on and the button and string have a little give to allow for ease of opening and closing, yet they keep the Kindle secure and in place. My Kindle looks very at home in this and I am pleased how it turned out; I will be making iPad and other tablet cases soon so watch this space...

And finally for today, I finished these a couple of days ago:


 

Mini coin purses. These are in fact the second batch, I forgot to tell you about the first, but because I only had three left I had to make some more... They are quite small so they are known as coin purses, they all have interesting linings and they are have cute little zips. I usually reserve these as basket fillers for Fairs, but I may put some in my Etsy store if there is an interest shown. And the best bit? They are only £1.99 each! Wow. 'Can't make it for that'. Well actually...

(I like to keep my prices as low as I possibly can. As those who make things will know, if I charged for the time it takes to think up, design, make and re-make items, I wouldn't get anything back - there is no way I can charge for my time. But hey, I love doing it! I like to charge a price that is fair and that I would be happy to pay myself - I think this is the best way.)

So, mammoth post over, what do you think? I would love to know. 'Like' me on Facebook if you wish or leave a comment here.

Thank you for your time and for reading :)
Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2014

Thursday 8 May 2014

More Notice Boards...to Notice!

Evening all,

Just wanted to let you all see my new notice boards, to add to my collection. First up, we have the blast of pink in this pin board and pocket board mix:


You will 'notice' it has quite a few elements to it: The cork board is covered in a lovely pink cotton material with ribbon trimming, there is a hanging line of crochet with cute mini pegs to clips things to and there is a really handy pocket at the base to slot Chinese restaurant menus and bus time tables etc in to. The back is covered in well and finished off, and the board comes complete with a 'choose how you wish to hang' pack, comprising of one flat-to-the-wall metal fitting with two screws and a wall screw, plus a length of fishing wire and screw-into-the-frame hooks, so you can choose! I love the materials used for this board as they add dimension to the usual, boring old pin board and it would fit into many places of a home or office.

Secondly, I would like to introduce to you to my Chalk Board and Padded Card Slot Notice Boards:


This one is my Cloud Board, which has beautiful clouds and flowers material at the base for cards, with red striped ribbon and green buttons. The top half is a chalk board and both sections sit in a cream painted frame, divided in two by a very useful chalk holder. This item also comes with a 'how-to-hang' pack and chalks. :) I have also made this one:


A Peach and Gold Board which has wonderfully classy material for the card holder, a chalk board top half, a cream coloured wood frame and very handy chalk slot yet again. This too comes with a 'how-to-hang' pack and chalks.

I enjoyed making all of these boards and I know there will be more designs to come. I took the padded boards (mentioned in my previous post) out at the fair in Matlock Bath last weekend and the lighter one sold almost straight away, so I was really please. I really think they will grace any room in the home or office etc so I have every faith they will appeal to the masses. What do you think?

They will be in my Etsy shop soon, but in the meantime, if you have any questions please ask. :)

Coming soon:


Watch this space...





If you enjoyed reading this blog, please pass it on! Don't be shy. Remember you can 'Like' my Facebook page and keep ahead of more new products and fair dates coming up.

Thanks for reading, good night.

p.s. It's our 9th Wedding Anniversary today and we visited our wedding venue, the beautiful Newstead Abbey in Nottinghamshire. We reminisced over the events of the day (as well as the run up to!) and all the wonderful people who shared our special day...thanks to all. Here's to the next 9 years and well beyond!

Julie.

(C) FMN Crafts 2014