Recycled packaging: revamp

Using recycled packaging is a very important part of our ethos. I get a steady supply of used bubble mailers from a local office. If I didn't use them, they would go in the bin and into landfill.
I want to use recycled packaging, but I still need to bear in mind that I don't want scruffy looking packages turning up on my customer's doorsteps.
I decided a few weeks back that I would try a little idea to revamp the bubble mailers and I'm really pleased with how they turned out.



I collected a few wallpaper samples from my local DIY store and cut round the edges with pinking shears. I then taped the wallpaper to the envelopes.



I completed the revamp by stamping the back with this ink stamp from terbearco.etsy.com

I think they look pretty stylish now and it means I can continue to recycle the donated envelopes and not worry that I am sending shabby packaging when I post out an order. I also believe that by re-covering the envelopes in this way, it prolongs their life and hopefully my customers will re-use the envelopes for their own postal needs.

Folksy Featured Sellers for February

James from Folksy contacted me on Friday and told me Pouch’s name had been picked out of the bin to choose the Featured Sellers for February. This put me into an immediate tailspin because I am a) very indecisive and b) very indecisive.
I started to put together a shortlist which as the day went on was getting longer, rather than shorter. I guess it’s a good sign that I had too many shops to choose from rather than too few!
Eventually I whittled the list down, and these are my chosen four, I hope you like them as much as I do.

With the prospect of more cold weather on the way, I love to browse the knitted goodies on Folksy. A fellow West Country crafter, Amanda Sainsbury, creates beautiful machine knitted skinny scarves, cowls and mittens. Amanda’s work has a delicate look and feel, so it's ideal for the coming months as we move from Winter into Spring, or as fashionistas would say ‘they make perfect transitional wardrobe pieces’.




I am big fan of ‘eco chic’, I love to see people creating items from recycled materials. Milomade’s shop contains innovative and funky bracelets made from safety pins, badges made from repurposed envelopes and jewellery created using recycled buttons. Top of my wish list is an 'Autumnal Dream' bracelet, I didn't even know they were safety pins until I looked closer, always a good sign of clever recycling.




I have always loved silver jewellery, it suits my skin tone better than gold. There are so many talented silversmith’s working in the UK, but if I had to pick my favourite on Folksy, it would be Quercus.
Working in the beautiful city of Bath, Quercus makes just the sort of jewellery I love. It’s bold and modern, but it also has an organic and tactile quality which I adore. I would love to buy everything in her shop, but I don’t think my bank account would like it, so I will be dropping as many hints as I can around valentine’s day…



Another big love of mine is artwork and photography. In fact this was the hardest choice to make as there are so many talented photographers, print makers and illustrators selling their work on Folksy.
After much browsing, I decided to put forward Gifling as I have admired her work for some time. There is a dreamy, melancholic quality to her prints and the figures she depicts really intrigue me. I also like the soft blue and turquoise tones which are a recurring theme in her work.



So there they are, Amanada Sainsbury, Milomade, Quercus and Gifling. I've really enjoyed choosing the featured sellers for February, it's a minor miracle I managed to finally make a decision :)

new listing: Blue blast vintage fabric belt

A cute, eco-friendly belt made with recycled, vintage fabric
The vintage fabric features a bold pattern of royal blue, turquoise, bright green and purple flowers

Perfect for creating a cinch waist look over a dress or tunic or for threading through belt loops
Features a 2 jet black o-rings to fasten the belt with
Pretty and stylish, great for year-round use
Find it at Pouch's Etsy store

January = healthy eating!

It's January so there is loads of fruit in our house. It's been stockpiled in bowls in an attempt to be healthy and lose that Christmas weight :)
I find these bowls of fruit make very good weights when I am cutting out large pieces of fabric. It stops it sliding onto the floor and driving me mad!
The thing is, if I eat the fruit, what will I use to weigh my fabric down?
So that's why I reach for the chocolate bar, because I must keep those fruit bowls full, for practical reasons.
Do you see my logic?

New Year, New Projects: 2

January is usually a quiet month sales wise, so I am using this time to tinker with new ideas.
Currently I make lavender owls in various recycled, vintage fabrics.



They have been popular with customers and have cropped up on a few blogs including Indie Quarter
I'm working on a prototype lavender rabbit at the moment, I'm quite pleased with the way he's turned out!
so watch this space for more details on the bunnies nearer to Easter!

Featured seller on Folksy!

Pouch is one of four featured sellers on Folksy throughout the month of January. Huge thanks to Sally from Tinkering Times for putting Pouch's name forward to the team at Folksy
What a great way to start the new year!

Folksy is a new selling site based in the UK and it is designed to showcase handmade crafts. At the moment it is in Beta testing stage and the handmade community are giving the folks at Folksy lots of feedback on ways to improve the site before it goes fully live.
As the guys behine Folksy state on their site:
"Small scale production and handmade goods offer ways to manage resources effectively and support local economies."
There is growing interest in Folksy with a number of national press features already completed and many more in the pipeline.
We look forward to seeing the site grow in popularity in 2009!

New Year, New Projects

After taking a couple of weeks off from crafting, I'm starting to get a few projects off the ground.

I am always looking for new ways to use up the fabric offcuts leftover from bag and belt making. I don't like to throw any piece of fabric away, no matter how small! So I've decided to experiment with some brooches. I've started out with hearts, the ones pictured below feature vintage Sanderson fabric sewn onto brand new felt. This is attached to a recycled denim heart and fastens with a brooch pin. I'm currently making some flower shaped brooches which I will list in the near future. You can check out the current range of brooches by visiting my etsy shop



I am also currently cutting out a new batch of peg bags in lots of my favourite vintage fabric. At the moment, temperatures are dipping to -6 at night in the UK, but making peg bags always makes me think of Spring. I love pegging out washing in the sunshine, not long to wait now. Hopefully!