Four years of selling on Etsy

May 14th (this Saturday!) marks the 4 year anniversary of my very first sale on Etsy

So to celebrate I am offering free shipping on all orders for 48 hours over my anniversary weekend. All you have to do is enter the discount code 4YEARS at checkout. This offer will run from 8am (GMT) Saturday 14th May to 8am (GMT) on Monday 16th May.

I honestly can’t believe I have been selling on Etsy for 4 years, the time has just flown by. I also can’t believe that when I stumbled across Etsy in 2007 whilst reading Susie Bubble’s blog Stylebubble that it would become such a big part of my life

Pre-etsy I had been trying to sell my handmade bags at craft fairs, I had found it a disheartening experience as I was often faced with people who weren’t my target market tutting at my prices and making me feel about two inches tall. When I found etsy, it helped me to realise that you don’t have to undervalue your work and that there are people out there who will pair a fair price for unique, handmade goods.

Since opening my Etsy store in 2007 I have sold vintage fabric bags, homewares and accessories to 100s of people around the globe. I have received lots of positive feedback and my confidence in my products has grown. Over the past four years I have expanded the Pouch range to include not only bags, but belts, clothespin bags, vintage trims, lavender filled hearts, owls and rabbits. The latter have turned out to be one of my best selling products and I am constantly on the look out for bright and bold vintage fabric to craft even more owls and rabbits!

The biggest plus-point about Etsy is that it is not just a selling venue, it is a community. Through Etsy I have met many designers and crafters from around the world and in the UK. Most importantly, I have formed friendships with a small circle of like-minded crafters who offer me support and advice about selling, designing and also the occasional life-related dilemma. I have even met a number of my fellow crafters in ‘real life’. Most recently Lisa from seaurchin and Laura from Lupin Handmade visited my home city of Bristol and we enjoyed a cup of tea and a chat.

In my life, alot has happened in the past four years, I have got married and most importantly I have become a mum for the first time in 2009. To say my daughter has changed my life would be something of an understatement. My priorities have changed and I no longer want to work in my old job – I want to be able to make an income through crafting. It offers me flexibility as a Mum to a young toddler and job satisfaction because I am doing something creative, which motivates me more than any other job I’ve had.

I think my Etsy store has changed dramatically since I first opened in 2007. I have learnt loads and have worked hard developing my products and honing my photography skills. I am proud of the way my online store looks today, although there’s still lots to learn. There are so many talented designers on Etsy, that you have to continually raise your game to try and keep up!

So, here’s to the next four years!

Don’t forget, free shipping on all orders over my anniversary weekend, just use the code 4YEARS to claim your discount. Please visit my store here

If you are new to etsy, or are unsure how to use discount codes, please see this helpful etsy guide

NavyBlueNotes kindly gave me permission to use her birthday card image at the top of this blog post. 4th birthday card by NavyBlueNotes

Vintage love: Teabreak biscuit tin

I love vintage tins, but unfortunately I don't own many of them. I'm usually caught up in tracking down vintage fabric and tend to ignore things like tins. I do however own a few that have been passed onto me by my Grandmother. She has had them in her cupboards for so long, they have become vintage and collectable by accident...she just wants to get rid of them and I'm more than happy to give them a new home!



This particular tin dates from the 1950s, so it's pretty old. I like it because it says 'Teabreak' on it and quite frankly, tea breaks are my favourite part of the day.



It's actually pretty big as far as vintage tins go, it measures over 20cms tall. I really love it because it's so sturdy and chunky and can hold a myriad of crafty bits and bobs. Because it's been stored away for so long, it's actually in very good condition. A quick Google search tells me these tins are brass lined - which goes to show how well made it is - I doubt if they put brass in many biscuit tins these days!



In other news - the winner of April's giveaway...
Many thanks to everyone who took part in my blog giveaway last month. With all the excitement of Easter and the Royal Wedding, I haven't had a chance to announce the winner.



Comment number 52 was picked out by the random number generator - so congratulations to Amber L who writes the appetizerforacraftymind blog. A selection of vintage trims will be winging their way to you shortly...

April Giveaway - vintage trim bundle

**this giveaway is now closed**

To celebrate the launch of my new vintage trim section in my Etsy store, I am holding a giveaway.



Up for grabs is a bundle of vintage trims containing:
1 yard of vintage aztec trim in citrus orange and bergundy
1 yard of vintage scroll trim in mustard yellow and sage green
1 yard folklore vintage trim in scarlet, gold and biscuit brown
4 yards of vintage tiny flower trim in crimson and orange
The whole bundle is pictured above and is worth over $20!

To enter please visit my vintage trim section and leave a comment below telling me which is your favourite trim.

The giveaway runs from April 15th through to midnight (GMT) Friday 22nd April. This competition is open to worldwide entries.

Charity listing - Lavender rabbit in spring green

Back in January I wrote a blog post about creating some vintage fabric rabbits to raise money for my local children's hospice. I have now completed the rabbits and they are now available to buy in my etsy and folksy stores:

Etsy listing of Lavender rabbit in spring green
Folksy listing of Lavender rabbit in spring green



I am raising money for the Children's Hospice in the South West of England. 50% of the retail price will go straight to the charity. The Children's Hospice provide invaluable support for families looking after children with incurable illnesses. The support they give extends to the whole family, into bereavement and beyond for as long as each family needs them.

You can find out more by visiting their website
Children's Hospice South West

I want to try and raise as much money as possible, so if you are on twitter please feel free to tweet about this, if you write a blog and would like to feature my Spring Green rabbits, then please feel free to do that too! If you would like further info, or more images, please contact me and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

Spring Cleaning

I'm not sure if you can say you 'treat' yourself to cleaning products, it depends on how much you love housework I guess. But I have to say, I'm a tiny bit in love with the Earth Friendly range of cleaning stuff!



I am something of a reluctant domestic goddess at the best of times, but even I love using the Parsley surface cleaner - it has such a fresh smell and leaves everything sparkling. Plus the skin isn't stripped from your hands, your nose isn't affronted with artificial chemicals and whatever gets washed down the sink wont harm aquatic life.

When I ordered my latest selection of Earth Friendly products, I received a free gift - a Michael's Originals washing-up luffa. they are designed to be used instead of those plasticky scourer sponges you can buy. I must admit, it does feel a bit strange doing the washing up with a loofah, but they certainly work well. As it says on their website, they have been used for many years in other countries - sometimes traditional ideas are the best.

"In the Philippines, luffas have been used as washing-up scourers for generations. Continuing this tradition, Michael's Luffas are grown to organic principles on his parent's farm for this purpose. Ideal for washing-up, Michael's luffas are supple enough to bend round rims, reach into corners and have plenty of scrubbing power. They last for between 3 and 12 months and when they are worn out can be composted, saving landfill."

folklore vintage trim in scarlet, gold and biscuit brown

As mentioned in my previous post, things have been a bit hectic recently. I haven't had much time for making, but I have been listing some vintage trims in my Etsy store. I thought I would share some photos of my current favourite with you...I adore this folklore vintage trim, the detailing is amazing for something that is only 20mm in width!

folklore vintage trim in scarlet, gold and biscuit brown

Blogging break

I have had quite a long break from blogging recently. We've had quite a few upsetting things happen over the past few weeks and sometimes you have to focus on your family over everything else. I don't tend to blog about personal things, but the past few weeks have been particularly stressful and writing about this kind of thing can often help...

Our daughter was born with a large hemangioma birthmark or her arm. This wasn't really a problem in itself, but when she was five months old it became ulcerated and infected. We had to push our GP to get a referral at the local hospital, we both knew something was very wrong. It was incredibly painful for her because it had turned into a raw, open wound. It's impossible to explain to a child of that age why their arm is hurting so much, so she would scream and scream if anyone touched it.

As well as being referred to the local specialist, I did some online research and found the Birthmark Support Group (based in the UK). If you have a child with any type of birthmark, I strongly recommend getting in touch with them.

To explain everything that's happened over the past nine months would take me forever, but we basically felt like our daughter was not getting the right treatment. Her arm was constantly ulcerated and it became infected three times, so that involved three lots of anitibiotics in a 15 month time span.

The Birthmark Support Group had put me in touch with a specialist nurse at Great Ormond Street Hospital in July 2010. We contacted her again in January 2011 and sent her some photos of our daughter's arm. She was shocked at the condition of the birthmark and asked us to get an immediate referral. Our daughter was admitted to GOSH in early February. The treatment she received had an almost immediate effect. Her arm has continued to heal at a rapid rate over the past few weeks and we are so pleased with her progress. After so many months of cleaning and dressing her birthmark, it is fantastic to see the improvement. She is no longer in pain and any parent would feel immense relief at this.

To respect our daughter's privacy, I'm not going to put photos on my blog, but if there are any parents who would like to see the progress of our daughter's arm pre and post treament, then I am happy to discuss it via email. I'm also happy to tell other parents the type of treatment we received from Great Ormond Street. I know how little information there is out there about infected hemangiomas, so if I can help anyone else - I'm happy to do that. I think if you feel that your child isn't getting the right treatment, it's important to push for a second opinion - after all, children need us to stand up for them and get things done properly.

On top of all this, my father-in-law passed away on the 21st February, just days after we returned from Great Ormond Street. I lost my own father in 2006, so I know what my husband is going through - nothing prepares you for losing a parent.

So it seems we've had quite a lot to contend with recently. I'm hoping to get back on a more even keel soon - crafting is my therapy, so I'm sure I will back making things for Pouch very soon.

Many thanks to Laura George, who very kindly allowed me to use her "Things Are Going To Work Out" print at the top of this blog post. I found it a couple of weeks ago whilst browsing on Etsy and fell in love with the sentiment it conveys - I think it's going to be my new mantra!