We have a WINNER!!

CONGRATULATIONS 'Crystal' - You are the lucky winner of the lovely ring in September's give away.

If you didnt win this month, then come back very soon to see what you can win in October's give away!

Big Blue Bed

Alix Smithers runs Big Blue Bed and has always made things or had handmade things around her, guided by her mother and older sisters who wore handknits by her grandmother.

After having her daughter, Alix realised that she loved seeing children make things and be involved in creating. With a bit of time on her hands and with Christmas approaching she decided to make things as presents.

Alix says "I have recently opened an etsy shop specifically for my knitwear. I design and knit these myself. I love feeling yarn and letting it work itself into my creative mind, almost deciding for itself what it wants to be. One of the items I love and will be making more of is the 'Mine all Mine' scarf which incorporates these words into its pattern. I loved doing the chart for this even though it did not do my eyesight much good!"




As well as knitwear you can find a range of fun accessories including, coin pouches and wallets, hair clips and cuffs.

You can buy all of Big Blue Bed items from a great new UK based site called folksy - http://www.bigbluebed.folksy.com/; and also on etsy - http://bigbluebed.etsy.com/. For my knitwear visit - http://www.bigblueknits2tog.etsy.com/

September give away

The first of the 'Partners in Crime' monthly give aways begins now!

Want to bag yourself one of these funky rings? Then all you need to do is check out the Claire Laraine website and leave a comment on this post about what you love the most! We will announce the winner on this site on the 30th September, if you are the lucky winner you must email us to let us know your details and we will send your prize to you!

This ring has been lovingly handmade using a colourful piece of 'found' fabric, trapped behind a glass pebble. The best bit is this sliver plated ring base is adjustable, so you can be sure it will fit you! This ring is truely unique and special.

Beautiful spinning fibres for you...

Jooles discovered and fell in love with knitting a few years ago, after trying out several crafts, and says that


"Knitting and all the related crafts has so much going for it the possibilites are endless. I became obsessed with bags, then socks and then lace. It wasnt long before I bought a spinning wheel and began to spin my own yarn. The next step was dyeing my own fibre to spin. The UK has some great fibre artists but not nearly as many as the USA. Often shipping and custom charges mean that hand painted fibre can become very expensive and obviously its not great for the enviroment to be importing everything from over seas. "

Jooles loves the magic of painting fibres. Each one is unique and the magic carries on through the spinning and knitting. It is never certain how the finished product will look, ensuring excitement until the very end! As a spinner myself I know it is as much about the process as the finished product, therefore I hope my fibres excite the senses with the colours and textures to make crafting as joyful as possible.

In amongst all this love for fibres, Spindlefrog was born, and offers unique beautifully crafted fibres for spinners. There is a vast aray of fibres to use, each with their own charactistics. Sometimes you need a fibre that will stand up to years of hard work other times soft and squishy is called for. Whatever you need there is a fibre out there.

So if your a spinner then get yourself over to Spidlefrog and grab some of these beautiful fibres. http://www.spindlefrog.etsy.com/ http://www.spindlefrog.live.com/

Pretty Lil Stars

Amy Lees loves bright things and has been collecting bright things since she was little. Amy lives in Scotland and works from a small home studio, making funky, fun and kitsch jewellery, which she sells in her Etsy shop - Pretty Lil Stars. Her shop is filled with bright colours and quirky pieces, Amy makes the jewellery that she would want to wear herself.

Amy is branching out and learning new skills all the time and her goal is for people to wear her creations and have people say WOW!! She hopes that people buy something from my shop and when there wear/use it they feel how I felt when she made it.

Amy says "It makes me happy when i make something new and sit back and admire it its a huge sense of achievement. I love bits like charms and beads! I'm seriously feeling the love for plectrums right now!"

So am I - just look at this plectrum badge - Love it! Head over to her Etsy shop now to check out other plectrum goodies, including earrings and necklaces. I am also a fan of the reclaimed seat-belt belt! Amy will ship internationally too - http://www.prettylilstars.etsy.com/

The Accidental Jeweller

Jo sort of fell into jewellery design after breaking one of her favourite necklaces. What began as a hobby has quickly grown into a small successful business - Gem Heaven. Jo says that "glass artisans creating unique and exciting lampwork and gemstones are my main obsession - mixing these beauties with sterling silver or gold filled is a fantastic journey I'm lucky enough to take everyday".

Having a studio in Cornwall ensures endless inspiration for Jo and she strives to capture the special organic nature that the ocean and the wilds of the moorland inspire, in every hand crafted piece.

Last year Jo took a silverwork course and now incorparates soldering and hand-forging within some pieces. More recently wire wrapping has become a feature in her work and she was thrilled to be voted onto the new Wireboutique.com website for handcrafted wire jewellery.

You can buy Gem Heaven jewellery worldwide by shopping online at http://www.jelli.etsy.com/ http://www.wireboutique.com/ http://www.gemheaven.co.uk

Covetables

Michelle Aaron has been making stuff ever since she was a little girl and used to make dresses for Barbies. Now Michelle has a little girl and is still making dresses and dolls! Being a mum to her five year old daughter has really stirred up a passion in her for making things for kids. She believes that playthings are central in a child's life and they ought to be things that are special and treasurable.

Michelle now runs Covetables making among other things, cloth dolls. She adores working with natural materials; wool, silk, bamboo fibre, organic cotton and felt. It's not only best for the earth to use natural and eco friendly products but they feel great, look beautiful and even smell gorgeous. Each doll is one of a kind and happens in an unplanned way, taking shape as she makes them. They are all sturdy enough to play with, the clothes can be removed and their hair can be styled as well. Some even come with sets of special things.

Michelle says "Nothing satisfies as much as making something with my own hands and see it turn out before me. Actually rethinking that, it's even more satisfying to see someone fall in love with something that you have made for them!"
If you would like one of these unique dolls, you can buy yours on Covetables' Etsy shop - http://www.covetables.etsy.com. These dolls are happy to be shipped internationally too!

One of a kind jewellery

Elizabeth Yarker from Evy Designs has been making jewellery for 5 years and began when she was unable to find something individual for herself and a little bit different from the norm.

Working from a studio in a beautiful village near Halifax, Elizabeth creates a mix of eclectic to timeless pieces, they are all carefully hand crafted, using a range of components including, handmade glass, Freshwater Pearls, Jade, Swarovski Crystals, Amber & vintage items that can be brought to life again by being incorporated into a new design.

ELizabeth says that she loves working with gemstones because "no two are ever the same, each one is unique and they have a wondrous beauty which has been captured in many cases after thousands of years"

These two are my favourites though, the vintage typewriter key bracelet and the knot wood bracelet.

You can buy any of these gorgeous pieces online at http://www.evy-designs.com