Blog Moving!

I have finally got my new blog up and running on my Pocket Wren website. So to keep up to date with what's going on with Pocket Wren please follow me over to my new blog.

See you there!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day cards.

Love is in the air...well almost! So I thought I'd share my Valentine's card designs with you. I have gone with the phrase 'I am nuts about you' this year. They are all available in my Etsy shop Pocket Wren for £2.50 each +p&p. There's not long left to make sure you're in the good books with the one you love!

New papercut inspired greeting cards designs.

I haven't posted anything on here for a while so I thought I would rectify that and share some new ideas I am working on with you.

These are two designs from a range of greetings cards that I am currently in the process of developing. I am hoping to eventually create a whole range of these papercut inspired designs to suit any occasion. So far I have cards for birthdays, weddings/engagement and moving house. I plan to add cards for a new baby, new job/sorry you're leaving and good luck which should keep me busy. Let me know if you would like to see any other designs!

Preston Craft Fair.

This is where you'll find me this Sunday! Do stop by if you are in the area.

Illustration Friday: Creature.

My submission for this weeks Illustration Friday topic 'creature'. 

New Products at Pocket Wren!

I haven't posted in a while as I've been so busy recently. So I thought I'd take a little break and share some new products that I've been working on with you. 

Above is just a small selection of the new additions to my Pocket Wren range. I have created some bird themed pocket mirrors and badges, to see the full range visit my online shop. 

For anyone thinking about getting organised for Christmas they would make the perfect small gift or stocking filler!

Owl you need is love papercut.

I've not had time to post anything for a while so I thought I'd rectify that by sharing one of my new papercuts.

The design, which is hand cut by me, features the quote 'Owl you need is love'. Perfect for the romantics among us!

Craft Fair Preparations.

As you know I have another Pocket Wren craft fair coming up at the weekend, so I am busy getting things organised for it. I'm trying to work on improving the overall look of my stall. So this weekend I decided I was going to try and create a bit more height on my stall by building some shelving.

I had some old scraps of wood left over from bits of old furniture and garden stuff in collecting dust in the garage which is what I used (with the aid of my ever helpful husband!) to create the shelving unit below.

I then white washed the whole thing to give it a more rustic look to compliment my work. I had a spare plank left over so I used two wicker storage baskets as supports to make an extra moveable shelf so I can make my stall layout more flexible. Hopefully my new shelves will help me make more of my product display.

I just need to have a trial run now (on my dining room table) at setting up my stall to see where everything is going to go as I have a lot more stock I'd like to include this time. Hmm...I think that this could be a long job, lots of rearranging and head scratching!

Life is better with friends.

I've been doing a lot of paper cutting recently in preparation for my next craft fair. It's a new technique to me but I am really enjoying getting to grips with it! This is my friendship themed design containing the phrase 'life is better with friends'. I have also created a reusable canvas shopping bag inspired by the hand cut papercut which is now on sale at Pocket Wren. You can even choose what colour you would like!

I've definitely been bitten by the paper cutting bug so keep your eyes peeled for more designs arriving at Pocket Wren soon!

Pocket Wren Feature on Pink Flamingo Handcrafting.

This week I was very flattered to be approached by Laura Barker who asked if she could feature my work on her blog Pink Flamingo Handcrafting. I of course jumped at the chance and here is the link to the lovely feature she wrote about me... 

Pocket Wren feature.

Laura writes a weekly blog post entitled 'My Favourite UK Crafter of the Week' and this week she chose my work. Although a relatively new feature she has already unearthed some very talented people so I feel privileged to be among such company. Nikki McWilliams who produces biscuit inspired lovelies is one of the previous featured artists/creators whose work I find particularly appealing.

  

 This is just a small selection of her charming pieces.

I look forward to seeing what treasures Laura discovers next week!

Next craft fair.

I'm now all booked in for my next craft fair. It will be at The Last Drop Village in Bolton on 25th August. 

I'm pleased to say I will be introducing some new and exciting pieces to my stall, so come on down to find out more!

Retirement papercut project.

A friend of mine retired the other day. She's a primary school teacher and has worked at the school she went to as a child for 39 years! So she has basically spent most of her life there in one way or another. I wanted to make her something personal and unique as a gift to mark the occasion and to remind her of her time at the school. 

The skill of paper cutting is something that I have been wanting to have a go at for a while now, so I thought this would be the perfect project to start with. After finding the perfect quote I created my design around it including some personal details such as names and dates etc. I then worked for many an hour in reverse on the wrong side of the A4 sheet of paper to cut out my design. The images above show the results of my efforts. 

Finally I framed it in a transparent floating frame and I'm pleased to say my friend loved it! I can't wait to start the next one now!

New owl bag design.

Another new addition to my range of bags at Pocket Wren.

This is my second design to feature the phrase 'owl you need is love'. I must be an old romantic at heart, or is it just that I have a love for all things birdy? 

The design was created by me digitally and heat transferred onto the tote. It is available in three soft and subtle colour options, grey (as shown above), green and pink.

New 'Take a Hike' Bag Designs.

I thought I would share my newest bag design. It's an illustration I've been working on for a while inspired by my love of hiking and the great outdoors. 

The bags are now on sale at Pocket Wren and are available in four different colour options. Why not stop by and have a look!

Garden bird bags order.

Here's the latest order, I've been working on this afternoon for Pocket Wren.

Four of my garden bird series of bags, a Great Tit, a Robin, a Blue Tit and a Bullfinch one. They are all packaged up and ready to go all the way to Japan via the USA first. 

It is so exciting knowing that my little creations are heading out there all over the world! I can't wait to see where I'll be sending packages to next!

Illustration Friday 'Children'

My entry for this week's Illustration Friday topic 'Children'. Two mischievous little guys doing what kids do best, causing trouble and making a mess!

Personalised wedding order.

Five lovely personalised 'Owl you need is love' bags I made last night for a customer in Canada. She wants them to give as gifts to her bridesmaids, which I think is a really nice idea. Each one has been personalised with each of the bridesmaids names. 

I packaged them up and posted them this morning I just hope they make it all the way there in time for the rapidly approaching big day!

Illustration Friday 'Sweet'

I've not had time to post an entry to Illustration Friday for a while. So I thought I'd cheat a little this week and enter an image I created a while ago for a party themed children's book.

It is an image from the end of the book where all the characters at Tiger's birthday party gather round the table to enjoy all the 'sweet' birthday treats. 

Yummy!

Hand painted mugs.

I don't seem to have much time for posting at the moment so I thought I'd share some of the newer products that I have created recently for Pocket Wren.

These hand illustrated mugs were a new project for me and were created using porcelain pens (my first time using them). I think they have come out quite well and I enjoyed making them so there will definitely be more to follow. They are even dishwasher safe, I've tested them in my own dishwasher just to be sure and they passed with flying colours!

They will be taking pride of place on my stall at my next craft fair.