A Treasury of Jewels



Creative Treasures

Sadly, I have never been much of a jewellery person.  I have quite sensitive skin so it feels uncomfortable to have jewellery against my skin.  I have never even worn a watch!

All my life I had long blonde hair, but in my early forties I decided it was time to have it all cut off!  Wearing my hair short gave me the excuse to have my ears pierced and to start wearing earrings.  Things didn’t run smoothly, but after a while my ears and my skin adjusted and I indulged myself in purchasing a wide range of earrings!


beady daze


I discovered that I loved earrings that were inspired by the designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, particularly his rose design, so when looking for new earrings I was always drawn to those that were influenced by his work.  Over the years, I have collected quite a few! 

Unfortunately, losing earrings has been a daily life hazard and I have sadly seen many disappear... most frustrating is when you lose one, and still have the other to remind you of your loss!

Lillibets



Spiral Fountain Jewellery

Joining Folksy last October brought me into contact with lots and lots of handmade jewellery and I found myself being fascinated, tempted, dazzled, transfixed, seduced by an array of gorgeous designs!  All kinds of jewellery presented itself to me and I was intoxicated by the beauty of the colours, textures, and craftsmanship! 

Last Christmas I could no longer resist and purchased four pairs of earrings from four different sellers as a treat to myself!  I think at the time I thought I was going to give them away as gifts, but of course, once they arrived I couldn’t part with them!  

Adien Crafts


I appreciate beautiful things.  When I am designing and making, the thought that I want to create something beautiful is uppermost in my mind.  Sadly, it is not always achievable, but I certainly give it my best shot!

I am sure that I share this wish with all the jewellery designers/makers on Folksy, whether consciously or not!  I decided it was time to celebrate this beauty, so my blog post today is devoted to those special people who create beauty with their treasury of jewels! 

Abyjem

(Don’t forget to click on the photo and it will take you directly to the item in their shop!)

I hope you don't mind but I steered clear of depicting some earrings.  They would have been far too much of a temptation!  I am sure you will agree though that the selection I have chosen are all beautiful, and I hope you enjoy looking at this feast of beauty as much as I have enjoyed finding it!

If you wear jewellery I hope you will consider purchasing something beautiful for yourself - go on, treat yourself!

Marthamoo Beads

BFN
Edwina


 




Inspiration

My visit this week to the NEC – Birmingham for the ‘Sewing for pleasure’, ‘Hobby crafts’ and ‘Fashion, Embroidery & Stitch’ exhibitions was truly inspiring.  This visit is an annual treat and I always look forward to it every year.  Of particular interest to me this year was the exhibition called “The Art of Lace” – I very much enjoyed looking at this stand and was mesmerised by the beautiful vintage lace on display.

There is so much to do and see that it is never possible to do it all in one day, but I was whizzing around on my mobility scooter trying to pack in as much as I could!  Watching the fashion show is always fun to do.   Just the colours and designs on the Cat Walk are an inspiration and led me to purchase some turquoise fabric (no idea why!) but it is such a gorgeous colour!  ‘The Queen of Chocolate’ was a highlight of the fashion show – and it just shows you what you can do with chocolate wrappers!

Best of all for me, was meeting and talking to textile artist Helen Cowans.   The work she had on display was just heavenly.  I was completed captured by her use of textures, colours, photos, and vintage LACE (my all time favourite!)  So beautiful!  I really enjoyed talking to Helen about her work and I found it so inspiring!

Of course, much of the day was taken up with shopping!  When you have the most delicious array of fabrics, lace, buttons, and numerous other items on sale – how can I resist!?  Most years I have been fairly restrained in my purchases, but this year I had been saving up the pennies to have a mega blow out on fabric!



In the photos you can see some of the fabric I purchased, and all these will be making an appearance in future projects.  My head it buzzing with ideas!  There are twelve different fabrics on just one pile!  Twelve!  Not all purchased together I hasten to add, but periodically throughout the day.  In fact, I didn’t know how much I had bought until I unpacked all my purchases the following day!  I forgot to photograph the silk I purchased – yes, I had to buy silk because I love it so!  Another photo shows the lace and trims – very unusual – that I purchased along with turquoise (of course!) beads and rick rack, threads etc.



Purple silk purse



Ruby Tote



Finally, just a couple of photos of the latest items I have listed in my shop.  The Ruby Tote has received a lot of interest so I am hoping it won’t stay in the shop for very long!

Thought for the day:  What inspires you?

BFN

Edwina



Passion for Knitting and Crochet



UniquelyYours

My Mum loved knitting and crocheting.  My abiding memory of her is sitting in her favourite chair with a pair of needles or a crochet hook and lots of yarn!  Sadly, she passed away 18 months ago and I still miss her dreadfully.  With Mothering Sunday almost upon us, I feel sad that I can’t take her a card and flowers/gift and visit her and have a chat or take her out for a meal.  It feels quite painful.


PollyKrafts


However, Mum was a sunny person with a positive attitude and a good sense of humour, so she wouldn’t want me to feel sad.  My Mum loved her crafts, not just knitting and crochet.  She was a dressmaker too and not a bad cook!  She also liked embroidery and when I was young she attended evening classes and learnt how make items with leather.

I am confident that my passion for crafts was inherited from my Mum and for that I am grateful, for nothing makes me happier than when I am creating something beautiful.



NOfkantsCurios



In honour of Mum and in her memory this week, I have decided to showcase three people and shops from Folksy who all have a passion for yarn crafts:  Linda from Uniquely Yours, Natalie from NOfkants Curios and Polly from PollyKrafts. 

Natalie from NOfkantsCurios

“I enjoy knitting and working with yarn and wool, making items from simple scarves through to handmade handbags. My inspiration is often taken from nature, or by the look of how differing yarns, wool and other products work together. Each of these items will be unique and guaranteed handmade.”



NOfkantsCurios

Linda from Uniquely Yours

“I love to crochet and knit, it`s a real passion. I don`t make anything to a pattern, so everything is unique for each unique person.”

Linda is a great blogger so do have a look at her blog which I find always interesting and she loves to feature handmade crafts from Folksy.

http://myblogfinallymadeit.blogspot.com/



UniquelyYours



 

Polly from PollyKrafts

 “My grandmother brought me up and very patiently taught me to knit and crochet and sew as soon as I was old enough to hold the needles. I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t making and designing. My passion is mostly with yarns and fabric. I love to sit in my Cornish garden knitting or doing my crochet in the sun, listening to the birds or the sound of the sheep in the field beyond.”



PollyKrafts

I hope you enjoy looking at these stunning knitted or crocheted items from three talented designers/makers from Folksy.  Click on any of the photos to view the item in their shop! Enjoy!

BFN

Edwina





Show me something beautiful

A child’s smile, a bride on her wedding day, the look of love on a mother’s face when she sees her new born child for the first time, a dazzling red sunset over the calm sea, a perfectly formed flower glistening with raindrops, an exquisite piece of embroidery, a glorious piece of jewellery, a magnificent painting, and so on... and on...

There are so many beautiful things in our world, but how often do we stop in our busy lives and notice them?  Looking a beauty is uplifting, it restores our weary spirits, it refreshes our tired minds – it helps to make us feel at peace and at one with the world in which we live.

What have you seen today that was beautiful?

 Creating beautiful things is what I am about.  It’s very important.  Colour, texture, embellishment, shape, style, depth and that magical quality that is finite – all these are the ingredients for my creations, but there is no guarantee for success because beauty is in the beholder!  What we see is unique to us.

 Here are a few beautiful bags from Folksy.  They were selected because I’m all about bags myself (as you know!) and I thought it would be nice to show you some other beautiful bags that are available on Folksy. Enjoy!  And don’t forget to click on the picture and it will take you directly to their shop.



Juniper Spools




Ritzy Swish




Handbags by Helen




NOfkantsCurios




Handmade by Edwina



BFN
Edwina

Fabulous Fabric



Whimsy Woo Designs

Sometimes I seriously have to question my sanity.  It is with regard to my obsession with collecting and purchasing fabric! I have storage boxes full of fabric and yet I can’t stop myself from buying it!  If I see something that I like, then I just have to have it!  Luckily, the sensible part of my brain does kick in when it comes to cost.  I’m a big bargain hunter!


Audrey's Cat

 Recently, I visited Cath Kidston’s website and I was very seduced by her fabrics, but some were £35.00 per metre and others £20.00 per metre.  I just can’t justify the cost.  I’m not rich by a long shot!  So I happily made a visit to Ebay and managed to buy some at a much reduced price! 



Ritzy Swish



PollyKrafts

There is no rhyme or reason to what I like.  It is very eclectic.  I love all kinds of fabric, vintage, retro, contemporary, lacey and quirky! I think since joining the daily listing club on Folksy my obsession seems to have intensified, because I am always being seduced by such beautiful fabrics that the other sellers display!  First, New Year Nutters now February Fruitcakes!  Well, I fit right in as I’m definitely a nutter and a fruitcake!

Today, I am illustrating what I am talking about by showing you some of my fellow Fruitcakes beautiful, fabulous fabric items! I have included Polly’s beautiful heart made from vintage lace, because lace is also another obsession!  I adore lace, vintage, antique, contemporary and my stash is in further storage boxes (Yes, there is more than one!) so you can see I am quite a collector!



Leanne Woods Designs




Handmade by Edwina

Don’t forget to click on the photos and it will take you directly to their shop.  Have a great day!

BFN

Edwina

Owl’s that!?

Owls are very popular in the crafting community and today I thought I would devote my blog to them.

Here are ten interesting facts about Owls.

• Owls are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions.

• Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish.

• They are found in all regions of the Earth except Antarctica, most of Greenland and some remote islands.

• Though owls are typically solitary, the literary collective noun for a group of owls is a parliament.

• Owls are characterized by their small beaks and wide faces, and are divided into two families: the typical owls, Strigidae; and the barn-owls, Tytonidae.

• Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270 degrees in either direction.

• The smallest owl (weighing as little as 31g and measuring some 13.5 cm) is the Elf Owl.

• The largest owl by length is the Great Grey Owl which measures around 70cm on average and can attain a length of 84cm.

• Owl eggs are laid at intervals of 1 to 3 days and do not hatch at the same time. (This fact accounts for the wide variation in the size of sibling nestlings.)

• Owls do not construct nests, but rather look for a sheltered nesting site or an abandoned nest in trees, underground burrows, or in buildings, barns and caves.

I hope you enjoy looking at the owl crafts.  Please click on the photo and it will take you directly to the shop. Enjoy!



TempoDesigns




Girl of the Sixties




Jaysmonkey's Jewellery


 

Coral Reef Crafts



Miss Winnie Makes



And this one is from me! Don't forget to have a browse in my shop - lots of new items added!



HandmadebyEdwina

BFN

Edwina

The Ballad of Good St. Valentine

I was thinking about Valentine’s Day and I found this verse so thought I would share it with you today.

May love’s own festival day
Scatter blessings on your way.

Oh, gentle lady, list the lay
that thus I sing to you—
A ballad of St. Valentine,
And youthful lovers true—

And as you list—remember, Sweet,
True love’s worth more than gold,
And Constancy’s the fashion still,
As in the days of old.

The February morn was chill,
Though Spring was drawing near,
And violets made haste to greet,
The young days of the year:

A blithesome traveller came by—
“Ah, why so sad”?—quoth he—
“Come, tell me, hath thy maiden fair,
This morning frowned on thee”?

“Aye sir”—the shepherd lad replied,
“My love hath said me nay—
I’ve loved her well, and loved but her,
A long year and a day.”

“Up heart, lad” spoke the traveller,
“My name is Valentine,”
And I’ve a charm to move the heart,
Of that cold maid of thine. 


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  Shoogly Beads



Just pluck me straight the violets
From ‘neath yon beechen tree,
Then from their petals kiss the dew,
And trust your cause to me.”

One time upon a grassy bank
Where moss grew soft and green,
Reposed a comely shepherd lad,
Of sad and mournful mien.

The violets the shepherd plucked,
And kissed their petals sweet,
And Valentine—that blithesome Saint,
Sped off on willing feet— 


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  Ello Design



And soon he met a maid who led
Her cows to pastures new,
And softly ‘gainst her eyes and lips
The violets he threw.

Then love within her heart awoke,
And by her hand the Saint
The maiden led to where the lad,
Sighed forth his lover’s plaint;

She blushed rose-red with eyes cast down—
Sang Valentine the bold—
“Be true young hearts, for true love’s worth
Far more than lands, or gold”!

From an Illustrated booklet Circa 1905

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  Uniquely yours



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  Sewflair



I hope you like the super array of Valentine gifts available at Folksy.  Please click on the image and it will take you directly to the shop.

  

BFN

Edwina