New Cards, Valentine's Day And Spring For Handmade Monday

One of the things i love about January is that fresh start feeling, out with the old and in with the new. I've already made a start listing some brand new cards, i look forward to hearing what you think of them!

Nature Photo Typography Cards

I've been feeling for a while like i need to do something a little different with my nature photograph cards, there are just so many lovely cards with wildlife images already out there and i've realised i need to be a little more original to stand out from the crowd... So, i hit upon the idea of using them as the background for words, like this 'love' card, featuring a photo i took of a beautiful red rose.

I've also had a go with 'smile' featuring a lovely pink cosmos flower,

and 'wild', featuring glimpses of a stunning peacock butterfly that kindly stayed still long enough for me to photograph it!

As with all my cards they are priced £1.99 (or £1.75 if you buy more than one) and are available now from my website, and my Print and Paper shop on Etsy.

Bugs In Love Cards

Those of you who have followed this blog for a while may remember my 'Bugs In Love' designs from way back. I've always thought they would make cute cards and i've finally got around to creating them.

There's 'Bees In Love',

'Caterpillars In Love',

and 'Snails In Love'.

I think they'e kinda cute and i like their simplicity too, it suits my 'fresh start' January mood :)

As with the others they are available now from my website and Etsy.

Has anyone else been working on something new this week? I look forward to finding out over at Handmade Harbour, see you there! x

P.s. Having just found out that today's will be the very last Handmade Monday, i just wanted to say a huge thank you to all that have visited me via HM over the years (yes, its been that long!), your comments are always so kind and helpful and greatly appreciated. I hope we will continue to catch up with each other's crafty adventures in blog land! :) xxxxxx

Bugs In Love - Valentine's Tile Coasters For Handmade Monday

I know we're still only a few days into the new year, by my brain is already buzzing away with ideas of things to make for Valentine's Day. In fact, buzzing is an apt description because i've gone down a slightly alternative route with some insect themed love tokens! (If your romantic tastes are more traditional, i have a very pretty Valentine's day collection in the pipeline which i hope you're going to love :))

But back to the bugs!

'Bugs In Love' Valentine's Day Tile Coasters

I've been looking forward to having a go at enamel painting on tiles (a flat surface, yay!), and i've had great fun with this little collection.

I wanted to keep my 'Bugs In Love' designs pretty simple to help make the concept easy to grasp. The idea started with the bee's.

Bee's In Love

I painted a similar design in acrylics years ago as a little pressie for someone and i popped into my mind when i was thinking about design ideas. The idea of a bee declaring its love for its mate by writing it in the sky like an aeroplane really tickled me so i was soon thinking of other bugs declaring there love for each other in different ways appropriate to their species!

Caterpillars In Love

I don't know what type of caterpillars theses are as i have made up their markings! I'm sure they will turn into beautiful butterflies though :)

Snails In Love

It took me a while to think of a way to make a snail trail look sufficiently pretty and romantic to be an appropriate design for a Valentine's gift but i'm pretty pleased with how it turned out... i hope you like it too!

Spider's In Love

Apologies to any arachnphobic readers! I know spiders aren't everyone's cup of tea... i'm hoping those with some love for these little creatures will find the idea of this loved up spider image on a coaster cute and quirky rather than creepy.... let me know! :)

That's all the bugs in love so far. I've added scratch resistant felt bottoms so they don't ruin your coffee table!

I haven't listed them for sale yet but they will be appearing in all my online outlets over the next few days. They will be priced at £8 each or £12.95 for two.

I do have plans to create some designs for tiles than can be used in the traditional way i.e. on kitchen and bathroom walls... any ideas for what you'd like to see? I'm thinking sheep at the moment, or fish, or flowers, or cats...

Valentine's Tile Fridge Magnets

I've also started having a little play with some mini tiles which i've added a magnetic back to to turn them into fridge magnets.

So far there is a little bee to fit in with the bugs in love theme...

... and this 'I love you' trio...

... simple, but kinda cute i think! :)

These magnetised tiles will be £5 on their own, £8 with a friend, and £11 for a set of three.

Handmade Monday

That's all from me for this week. I'm hoping to have something rather lovely to show you next time on the 100th Handmade Monday...! And its to HM headquarters over at Handmade Harbour that i'm headed right now to link up with lots of lovely fellow crafters and find out what they've been up to :)

Thanks for visiting! x