Happy New Year folks! I hope you all had a wonderful time over Christmas and a well deserved rest after all that frantic crafting on the run up!
There's been a lot of flooding in these parts... i took this picture of a local carpark on Christmas Eve on the way to visit family near by...
Luckily we live up on a hill with little danger of flooding but my heart goes out to those who had a wet Christmas. Anyone else in the same boat as these poor people? (pardon the pun...! :/)
I had a lovely time with family and it was nice to finally be able to give them the gifts i'd made (some quite a while ago!) Happily, i've also had some positive feedback from customers too, especially from those who bought personalised and custom gifts.
Today i've picked a couple of my favourites to share with you :)
Custom Squirrel Mug for a Lovely Mum
My dear friend Sandhya (creator of gorgeous handmade bath products) asked me to design a mug to give to her mum as a Christmas pressie featuring squirrels and some wording too, a quote on one side and 'lovely mum' on the other.
The nature theme was right up my street and i loved the whole process of design through to painting the finished mug. The best bit is that Sandhya and her Mum are really pleased with it - yay!
Here are some pics...
I hope you like it too!
Coffee Lover's Cushion
The other make i want to show you today is this cushion cover i made as a Christmas pressie for a coffee lover in my family.
I used gold fabric paint, frayed edged applique and a pretty lace trim to decorate the front which is made from some lovely faded linen which i've upcyled.
The reverse is made from a lovely cashmere jumper which was ready for a new life, and a hand sewn patch as a finishing touch.
I'm really pleased with how the 'cosy coffee house' look came together and the soft cashmere makes is super hugable too :)
In Other News...
2013 was a great year for Free Spirit Designs. I had lots of fun with new creative avenues like fabric design, printable craft papers and greetings cards and have learnt so much along the way. Sales were a lot better than in 2012 too (yay!) and i'm hoping to take another step in the right direction this year - i've got lots of ideas for new collections and directions which i'm looking forward to sharing with you very soon.
This seems like a good time to say a huge thank you to all those who have supported my little business over the last 12 months - customers, blog readers and of course my lovely friends and family too - i wish you al the very happiest of New Years and hope that 2014 has wonderful things in store for us all!
Now, i can't wait to hear about how all the crafters over at Handmade Monday have faired over the last few busy weeks...were they, like me, queing in the post office on the last posting day layden with last minute orders? Did they get 'everything done' in time for the big day? I'm off to find out :)
Thanks for stopping by! x
I *love* that mug! It reminds me of our little squirrel, who raids the birds' nuts on a regular basis!
ReplyDeleteYes, I was one of those in the last-minute post office queue, holding everyone else up!
Aww thanks Wendy, they're cheeky little creatures aren't they!
DeleteHehe yeah me too... happens every year! x
We too suffered severe flooding in this neck of the woods - my town featured heavily on Sky news! - but aside from blocked drains that didn't overflow on Christmas Eve, we remained unscathed.
ReplyDeleteI love your mug! And I think the use of a pre-loved sweater is a great idea. Best wishes to you for 2014 x
Oh no... it seems to be v widespread in the UK just now... i'm glad you didn't suffer too much.
DeleteThank you! You too! x
Those mugs are really good, what a lovely personalised present for a mum! Best of luck with all your new ideas for 2014! x
ReplyDeletethank you!! x
DeleteI love your mugs. So original, I've not seen any like them anywhere x
ReplyDeletethank you very much! x
DeleteLovely mug and cushion. I like the little patch on the back!
ReplyDeletethank you! Hehe, i like it too :) x
DeleteSo delighted to hear 2013 was a much more successful year for you:) Than handmade gifts are lovely. Looking forward to seeing how your business progresses this year (have to admit I found the last minute orders rather stressful in terms of whether the gifts would arrive in time, people seemed to take no regard of last day postage for overseas!), Vicky
ReplyDeleteThank you! I agree, handmade gifts are wonderful, to give and receive :)
DeleteI know! I got a request for delivery by Christmas to the US the day before Christmas Eve!
The mugs are gorgeous. The squirrel are SO cute. I'm sure 'mum' was over the moon with it. Lovely cushion too xx
ReplyDeleteAww thank you! x
DeleteWhat a beautiful mug, I can see why your friend and her mum were happy with it. The cushion looks really snuggly too. I'm glad you've had a good year, let's hope 2014 is a great one.
ReplyDeleteAww thank you!
DeleteHehe, i hope so! :)
Hi Natalie! Thank you so much again! :) I couldn't wait to give it to my Mum! She absolutely loves it and I think our squirrels are happy they inspired it! :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the second beautiful custom made mug you have created for me and each one is so unique and special, can't thank you enough :)
And the cushion is just lovely to!
So happy 2013 was a good year for you, hope 2014 is even better :)
Can't wait to see what treats you have in store for us this year :) xxxx
Hehe aww thanks Sandhya :) I had so much fun creating the mugs for you, i'm really glad you like them! (good to know the squirrels are happy too!! :))
DeleteI hope 2014 is a fantastic year for you too! i'm sure its going to be :) xxxx
Happy New Year
ReplyDeleteLovely makes and the cushion you made is really gorgeous - I can see a whole range of similar themed items.
Hope you have a good week
Your coffee cushion is lovely. I love the little handsewn patch on the back. Great bit of recycling with the jumper.
ReplyDeleteThe cup is lovely, well done. The cushion is a good way of recycling too.
ReplyDelete