Folksy Seller Interview 'MrsJones'

This is the third installment in a New weekly Feature **Folksy Seller Interviews** Find out about your favourite folksy sellers and discover new favourites!



Name: Emma Jones

Folksy shop: mrsjoneshandmadejewellery

How long have you been on Folksy? About a month

Describe what you create: I created mainly beaded jewellery. Just can’t resist beads in all their shapes and sizes!

How did you get into your craft? I wanted to make jewellery that I couldn’t find in the shops, and after starting off making a few elastic bracelets the bug really hit me and the rest is history!

What inspires you? I get inspiration often from the beads themselves. When I buy the beads, I already have an idea in my head what the end result will be. I put the beads on a white tray and just add something or take something away until I am happy with it. I love the texture of things too, so that plays an important role.

Favourite item in your shop? Green shell heart bracelet – pretty, tactile and very wearable. Am actually contemplating making a duplicate for myself.

What makes you unique? Igive excellent customer service and am always happy to adjust something for a customer to suit, where possible. I also offer face to face customers a colour matching service and I was asked to make colour matched earrings for a bride who had a pretty but unusual dress!


What would you spend your millions on if you won the Lottery?
After giving a generous sum to each of my children’s schools, I would set myself up a workshop . My husband is always complaining about treading on small beads and bits of wire!

If you would like to see more of Emmas lovely creations visit her at http://folksy.com/shops/mrsjoneshandmadejewellery

Folksy Seller Interview 'The Oak Tree'

This is the second installment in a New weekly Feature **Folksy Seller Interviews** Find out about your favourite folksy sellers and discover new favourites!


Name: Natasha Lee

Folksy Shop: The Oak Tree

How Long have you been on Folksy? About 1 month

Describe what you create:
I create all kinds of jewellery, mainly using beads. I take my inspiration from nature and anything vintage. I tend to use lots of glass pearls and funky charms.
How did you get into your craft?
I first discovered jewellery making when I was planning my wedding. I had seen some fairy bead keyrings in a local bead shop and as all our tables were named after Autumn Flower Fairies I thought they would be perfect. Then I looked at the price. So I decided to have a go at making them myself and got the beading bug. Since then I have created jewellery for friends and family.

What inspires you?
Anything vintage, the outdoors, anything pretty!

Which item for sale in your Folksy shop is your favourite?
Ohh thats a tricky one I think at the moment it has to be the Butterfly and Pearl Necklace.

What makes you unique?
As I am doing this as a hobby most of my items are £5 or under. I still use good quality items but I simply don't make much, if any profit.


If you won the Lottery how would you spend your millions?
As I have just passed my driving test I would definatly buy myself a car so I didn't have to borrow my husbands all the time!
 
If you would like to see more of Natashas creations visit her at http://www.folksy.com/shops/Natashamarie

Folksy Friday 'Gifts for Mum'

My Folksy Friday theme this week is 'Gifts for Mum' as it's mothers day in a couple of weeks (Sunday 3rd April)

Heres my favourite creations found whilst browsing the wonders of handmade gifts on http://www.folksy.com/

I'm sure there is a gift suitable for every Mum on folksy as there really is something for everyone on there and something in all price ranges!

(If you would like to purchase or view any of the featured folksy sellers items simply click on the photo you like to be taken to their shop)



A Lovely Gift Set from HandmadebyLilli & you can choose any fragrance!



A Mothers Day Photo Frame from Imperfections



A Sweet card for Mum from Allys Stationary




A Funky Coin Purse from MoodyCowDesigns



A Swarovski & Rose Quartz Gift Set from my shop

Folksy Seller Interview 'Crafty People'

This is the first in a New weekly Feature  **Folksy Seller Interviews** Find out about your favourite folksy sellers and discover new favourites!

Name: Carol

Folksy Shop: Crafty People

How Long have you been on Folksy? Since December 2010

Describe what you create: Anything knitted or crocheted but mainly baby items.

How did you get into your craft? Knitting & Crochet have been my hobby and now, my business, for many years. My Mum, her Mum, and her three sisters all knit as do my my female cousins, my Aunt on my Dad's side of the family, and some of my friends. I have grown up with knitting so it was only natural that i would become a knitter too.

I remember my Mum teaching me how to knit. I had these horrid blue plastic needles and some yellow yarn, which, in those days, i called wool. I was making a scarf for teddy, just garter stitch for now. Mum casted the stitches on for me as she taught me this at a later stage. Mum always had to do the first couple stitches of each row for me as i always dropped the first stitch. It was going along fine until, out in the garden one afternoon, i noticed somehow i had a length of yarn going across the front of the knitting. I had no idea what i had done but thought 'if i cut that off, Mum won't know I've gone wrong'. I did cut it off and guess what happened, yep, a gaping big hole in teddy's scarf. It was hardly going to keep him warm now!

Anyway, that was over 30 years ago. Since then, Mum had taught me a lot more and i have learned through trial and error and books/internet.

What inspires you? Nothing as such, i just make what i personally like which is normally pretty, frilly items as i'm a girly girl

Which item for sale in your Folksy shop is your favourite? My heart shaped baby shawl. It's the 1st time i've made one of these and i'm really pleased with how it has turned out.

What makes you unique? I do not write patterns myself but i do update old ones, adding lace, ribbons or using multi coloured yarns. I think knitting has a bit of an 'out of date' image to it, i try to make items that mothers of today would still love to dress their babies in.

If you won the Lottery how would you spend your millions? Firstly, my Dad is just about to turn 64 and is still working full time, i would give him enough to give up work, do his house up and get the workshop he's wanted for years in the garden. Then i would treat Mum and Dad to a well earned holiday, wherever they wanted to go. I would buy my 2 brothers a house each and buy a house for me and hubby. Nothing flash, just a nice sized family home since we are currently renting. I would still craft but me and hubby would give up full time employment.

Carol

If you would like to see more of Carols wonderful creations visit her at http://www.folksy.com/shops/yarncreations

Folksy Friday 'Sunshine'

My Folksy Friday picks for this week are inspired by the Gorgeous weather we've been having in Cornwall!

It's been really nice looking out the window and seeing Sunshine instead of the gloomy rain, admittedly its still quite cold out but feeling the sun on your skin instead of getting soaking wet has been nice and makes me think summer is slowly on its way :)

Here are some lovely creations i found on Folksy which reminded me of the Sun and Summer, hope you like them as much as i do

 (If you would like to find out more about the creators or purchase the items simply click on the photos)





A Hot Pink Shell Jewellery Set from my shop, perfect for wearing to the beach



A Funky Bright way to carry your make-up around from BooBooCraft




I'd Love to get myself some of these lemonade heart soaps from s o a p a l i c i o u s



I just love this Happy Sun card from the Crafty Mushroom



I'm tempted to get myself one of Arabella's Seaside Tote bags to take to the beach



These Ribbon Flowers from ffflowers are amazing and would brighten up any room!

Folksy Friday 'Spring'

My Folksy Friday theme this week is Spring

I've chosen this as it's the time of year when all the wintery stuff starts to get forgotten and lovely bright spring colours start to appear in the shops and in our gardens, we've got our first daffodil of the year growing outside our front door!

Heres some of the wonderful and very affordable creations available on http://www.folksy.com/ which caught my eye and made me think of spring, hope you like them as much as i do!

(If you would like to purchase or view any of the featured folksy sellers items simply click on the photo you like to be taken to their shop)



A Spring Charm Bracelet from me, only £5

A Daffodil ACEO for only £3

Some Very Funky Wall Decorations from 100Percentdelicate

An Eyecatching Tote Bag from SimJaTa

A Fused Glass Pendant from Blue Daisy Glass

A Crocus Pendant from Lynwood Crafts

Magnolias Card only £2.20 from Little Paper Gallery

How Cool is this Sheep Bangle?! and only £15

A Cool Card from Aunty Joan for just £2.50

Experimenting with Silver Clay

I've been having fun this week trying out Silver Clay, its always interested me and i was thrilled when i finally got a starter kit to play with!

I find it really fascinating, if you are not familiar with Art Clay Silver it comes as a small piece of whitish colour clay which you mould into your desired shape, i got the slow dry clay so i had plenty of time to work with it, then you have to dry it either with a hairdryer for 45 mins or let it air dry for at least 2 days.



My First Attempts with moulding Art Clay Silver into pendants



Once the clay is completely dry you need to fire it, either in a kiln, with a blowtorch or on a gas hob

I don't own a kiln or a blowtorch so I fired mine on the gas cooker using the wire mesh that came in the kit
I've learnt not to make my creations too thin though as i accidently snapped one in half after firing because it was too fragile! oops
I'm going to Polish them up when i get chance next week and will post pics of the finished results on here.