Folksy Spring Market (and a product launch!)

It is the Folksy Spring Market this weekend, the 14th and 15th May, and I’m excited to have new products to launch. There are also lots of other makers taking part from across the UK, and a huge variety of products on offer. First of all, my new products:

I have created three wall hanging designs inspired by my range of lavender bags. There are three themes, Garden Friends, Under the Sea and The Night Sky. Each hanging features three felt motifs, completely hand stitched and embellished with beads, embroidery and sequins. I think they would look great in a child’s bedroom or nursery. The bright colours and cheerful smiling faces will be certain to add a special happiness to any room!

There are lots of other makers who are taking part and I want to share a few who are taking part:

Send a beautiful card or letter to someone you love with these gorgeous collections of cards and writing paper from Lellibelle, DaisyWings, Eleanor Jane Studio, and Ruth Thorpe Studio.

I love all of these pieces, they would make lovely gifts for a nature lover! Jill Blakey Makes, MegaLily Design, Silver Nutmeg, Louise Crookenden Johnson Ceramics

And finally some more nature themed pieces, maybe these are a a little treat for yourself?! Makers are Emma Corry Designs; Raina Atelier; Clare Cosens Designs; Thimbleville

The market opens at 8am on Saturday morning, and finishes at 11pm on Sunday evening. There are loads more makers taking part, click on any image to be taken to the Tresstle website, which is hosting the market, or click here!

Happy Shopping!

Mother’s Day Gift Guide

It’s Mother’s Day on March the 27th in the U.K. and I would love to share some of the beautiful gifts available on Folksy from some of my fellow Folksy Local team captains. You can click each image find out more information (and buy!)

Lellibelle uses freehand machine embroidery to create beautiful cards, gifts and homeware featuring British wildlife, plants and birds.

Crochet Shaz crochets the cutest crochet items! Can you offer this little elf a home?!

These sterling silver earrings from Athene Sholl are simple and elegant.

Such a sweet card from Medel Crafts!

I love the vibrant colours in this wreath from Woofs and Wool – it would add a burst of colour to any room.

Add a statement necklace to mum’s outfit with this pretty floral necklace from Bower Bird Jewellery .

Utterly Pottery has created a collection of vases that would be perfect for Mother’s Day gifts, available in a range of gorgeous colours.

HANDforthMADE creates useful and beautiful items out of Harris tweed, this juicy pink glasses case would keep mum’s specs safe.

Finally, I’m sharing one of my sea creature lavender bags- this is a new design of a walrus with sparkly sequins! Filled with home grown lavender and perfect to pop in your wardrobe. Find him here on Folksy.

There are so many other beautiful gift ideas for Mother’s Day on Folksy, the team at Folksy have curated a guide too, click here to have a look!

Bits and bobs of news

Well, we are nearly at the middle of November so I thought I’d send a quick blog post with what’s happening at Shirley Rainbow at the moment. I’m preparing for some craft fairs coming up soon, which is involving some fairly long hours making (which I love!)

I thought it might be useful to share my Free Crochet Bauble Pattern again, for any crocheters out there preparing decorations.

You will find me at the Creative Mum’s Club Christmas Market on 19th November, and at the SOCK Gallery Christmas Art and Craft Fair at Loughborough Town Hall on 21st November. The first market is a brand new venture, and I’m really looking forward to displaying my work. I’ve attended the SOCK Gallery Fair before, and its always a fun day out, Loughborough’s Christmas lights turn on that afternoon so the town is busy and has a fun festive atmosphere.

Click on the images to be taken to the Facebook Event page.

Finally, I have a little celebration to share… 300 sales on Folksy! I’ve been selling on Folksy since 2014, on a part time basis while I fit work around my children. I’m pretty proud of myself!!

A huge thank you to everyone for helping me achieve this!

Teresa xx

Christmas is here- at Shirley Rainbow!

It really is! On Monday morning I launched my full range of Christmas decorations for 2021. I have a fully stocked shop of decorations for your tree or walls, ranging from the traditional to the more unusual. Here’s a little peak…

I’m taking part in the Pedddle Christmas product launch online market this week, along with 50 other makers. The Online Market (hosted on Tresstle) is open until 10pm on Sunday 31st October, you can visit the market here, and I thought it would be nice to share a few of the makers that caught my eye below…

Fairy Lights necklace by All The Discos; Hand Screen Printed Christmas House Decoration by The Print Lass ; Christmas Mix Tape Decorations by Fussy Geek Wares

Crocheted Robin Tree Decoration by Little Smidge of Happy; Penguin Tree Decoration by Stitch Studio; Nordic Santa Ornaments by
Utterly Pottery

Christmas Trees by HANDforthMADE; Ceramic Tree Decorations by Clara Castner; Robin Notebook by Daffodowndilly

There are many, many other makers taking part so it’s well worth a visit to see if there’s anything you can buy for Christmas, (or as a treat for yourself) and you will be supporting independent businesses when you do! Win win all round!

There is a list on my News and Events page of all the markets I’ll be attending in the next few weeks, if you want to come and browse my stall in person.

Happy Christmas Shopping! X

Summer Round Up

My children are back at school and it feels like the summer is over with this grey damp weather we are having here in the UK. Apparently there’s a heatwave around the corner, but I’m not so sure! I’ve had quite a long break from work related things, so it’s nice to be back at my desk and getting stuck in again.

I’ve updated my news and events blog page with new craft fairs I’m attending or taking part in. You can find all the details here and I’m hoping to add a few more events to this list soon!

My full Christmas collection will be launching at the end of September- I’ve got a couple more designs I’m working on and then I will be ready to reveal all.

Just before I closed for my summer holidays I had a very fun commission: a large Jellyfish lavender bag! One of my lovely repeat customers ordered it from me to hang on her bathroom door. It was a lot of fun to make, and has inspired me to revisit the idea of larger lavender bags.

As you may know my online shop is through Folksy, (and I love selling there!) and recently Folksy have set up a new initiative: Folksy Local. This will be run by small teams of sellers from different areas of the country, and I have been asked to help make up the team for the East Midlands! You can read more about it here on the Folksy Blog. We have set up an Instagram account here for you to follow, and also a Facebook page too, we would love you to follow us and see the amazingly talented craftspeople based in the East Midlands. We will also be running an online craft fair in November which looks like its going to be an amazing event.

That’s it for this post, thank you for reading!

Teresa x

Christmas in July

No…. I haven’t gone crazy! Its a month long online market I’m taking part in, where customers can order products made to order and makers can avoid the manic rush later in the year!

The online market is being hosted by Flower Child Heirloom Clothes and Accessories on the Tresstle event platform. There are some gorgeous products available, and makers will be adding more throughout the month. I’ll be publishing a gift guide later in the month and I will be featuring some of my favourites.

Already available are my Christmas Twinkle Teddy Tree Decorations, which can be personalised with an embroidered initial, and I’ve added options where you can choose the colour of the bear and their scarf. These teddies are one of my favourite products to make, and I really like the option of adding an initial. You can find them in my Folksy shop here.

Today is the launch day for my Donkey tree decorations. These little donkeys are completely hand stitched, and are made using wool felt and vintage threads. This year you can choose your own blanket design from a selection of 3, and your donkey will be made to order. Please visit my Folksy shop page to find out how to order your own donkey.

And last but not least, here’s a little look at the other Christmas decorations I will be launching in July! Follow me on Facebook or Instagram to find out when they are available.

Teresa x

Shop Small this weekend with Indie Roller Bundles

Hello!

This weekend I’m taking part in a new online market, its hosted by Indie Roller and has a theme: Bundle!

All the small businesses taking part have created collections of products that you can buy as one off special offers on Saturday 17th April. I’d like to share some of the bundle offers available on Saturday that have caught my eye.

Resin Be Thankful Keyrings created with waste plastic

Utterly Pottery Rainbow coaster bundle with two hanging decorations and a brooch

Tula and the Whale Recycled Leather Earrings

Brian the Rainbow Keyring and purse bundle from Jennie Sergeant Designs

Polymer Clay Earrings from Hello Terry

And I’m sure you would like to see the bundle I have put together…

Happy Flower Bundle

My offer is for Saturday only, and is a Felt Happy Flower Decoration with a matching Felt Flower Lavender Bag. Each one is hand stitched, made of beautiful 100% wool felt, and has happiness stitched right in!

Here’s all the colour ways I will have available:

Blue, purple, peach and pink!

The Happy Flower bundle will be £25, with free postage, which is a saving of over £6.

There will also be an update of Jellyfish and Yarn Ball Lavender Bags on Saturday too.

So many tentacles!

If you click on the photos it will take you directly to the products available, thanks so much for reading and happy shopping!

Rainbow Needlefelting

Have you seen the latest Makes magazine by Take a Break? It’s another packed issue full of craft projects and ideas, one of which is a Rainbow Needle Felted Mobile by yours truly!

This was a really fun project to make, and is a great beginner needle felted project. If you want to get hold of a magazine, you can find them here.

I had a lot of fun playing around with the hearts before making the mobile. Needle felting is therapeutic in so many ways!

I’m taking part in this online craft fair, starting tomorrow! I have an exclusive discount available for the market, head to Shop Small, Love Indie to find out more at 10am, see all the small businesses taking part and find out what my discount is! I’m planning on a small shop update of lavender bags too, which are selling out fast!

Over on Instagram I’ve been taking part in March Meet the Maker, hosted by Joanne Hawker and Tresstle. It’s really fun every year to share aspects of your business that people are interested in and that you don’t normally share! If you’d like to find out more, click here.

In shop news, there are a couple of new products in my Folksy shop, with an option to add an embroidered badge to your purchase, creating a lovely gift to send to a friend. I’ve enjoyed selecting badges that complement the product, either a lavender bag or purse.

And that’s it for this blog post, I hop you are okay,

Teresa x

Random Acts of Kindness Day

On Wednesday this week it’s Random Acts of Kindness day, and to celebrate Pedddle are hosting an online Market, the Random Acts of Kindness Market.

It’s all about buying a gift for someone else, to spread love and appreciation. I think it’s a lovely idea! Each small business taking part has created a special gift, which when purchased will be gift wrapped, and a hand written note included for the recipient. I love the idea of lots of people receiving surprise gifts through the post, that also support small businesses.

Read more about Random Acts of Kindness day on the Pedddle Blog

I have made a new collection of my Mini Happy Flowers, brightly coloured felt flowers that are hand made from wool felt, hand stitched and stand in small wooden bobbins. Each one is slightly different, with different colours and stitches. They will be available in my Folksy store from 10am on Wednesday morning. I think they make a lovely gift, or as a treat for yourself! Being kind to yourself is very important too!

There are some other fantastic makers taking part, here’s a selection of some that caught my eye on the market page…

Top Left, Wriggly Tin Soap Co Foot Spa Set; Top Right, Lilliput Wight Colourful Coiled Trinket Dish ; Bottom Left, Utterly Pottery Personalised Ceramic Coaster; Handmade by Tinni Rope Statement Necklace

The market will take place on Pedddle’s new sister site, dedicated to online markets, Tresstle. Here are all the links you need to shop:

Pedddle: link to stall holders taking part here

Tresstle: link to the online market, products and other events taking place within the market here.

Folksy: my online shop is found on the Folksy website, dedicated to hand crafted products made in the U.K. is here.

Happy shopping!

Teresa x

Behind the Scenes: Post and Packaging

Selling your work online means doing a lot of wrapping and posting of parcels. Receiving one of these parcels is the biggest part of the customer’s experience of buying from you, and you want it to be a good one. I also want my packaging to be re-usable and recyclable. As I will be increasing my postage prices on Monday (due to a price rise at Royal Mail) I wanted to share a little more detail about my packaging.

I wrap all my products in tissue paper and fasten this with a sticker or paper tape.

I add a business card and a hand written note to the customer.

This is all popped into a letterbox friendly card envelope, and if there are any gaps where the product might slip around these are stuffed with shredded paper.

The box is sealed with paper parcel tape, and a Shirley Rainbow logo and return address sticker (both paper) are added. The customer’s address is written on the envelope and off it all goes!

It has taken me a while to get this process right, however I’m really happy with it all now, and I’d like to think customers can reuse the tissue and box for sending their own parcels, and any shredded paper can be recycled or added to a compost bin! Very occasionally I will use reused bubble wrap, although I try to stay plastic free.

All my orders are sent 1st class with Royal Mail. As I mentioned earlier my prices will be going up on Monday to £2 per parcel. At the moment I am only sending to UK addresses, however I am keeping a close eye on several small business advice groups I’m part of, to see how to proceed with the new arrangements re selling to the EU, after Brexit. Hopefully then I can resume offering postage outside of the UK!

Its really important to me that my products, which are made with so much love, care and attention are sent to my customer in a way that reflects this. I‘ve had some lovely reviews recently, in my Folksy shop regarding my packaging, which makes me think I have got it right! Hurray!

Teresa