Meet Ellie!

A huge "THANK YOU" to Ellie Thouret who discovered my Etsy shop, SweetScarlett, and has asked me to accept an invitation from her to write about, and promote, my work featured in my little shop!

Ellie is an author/artist associated with an on-line journal publication called, Try Handmade (www.tryhandmade.com). I love their slogan - "people not factories"
She has just published her article, "Product Showcase: Go England!" featuring some wonderful handmade artists, and their products, all made in the UK.
Have a look here: http://tryhandmade.com/product-showcase-go-england/

This is just one example of products she has featured in her article. This adorable little striped guy was made by Emma from Squiggly Monkeys. He is so fresh and cheeky, isn't he?

Ellie has a little bit to share with us, about herself, in her Etsy profile:
I am an independent knit and crochet designer based in the UK's North West.
My accessories are inspired by anything and everything and I put a stylish flair into all of
my garments.
I instantly fell in love with yarncrafts and my mission is overturn the common
perception that knitting and crochet is old-fashioned and unfashionable!


Her Esty shop, Ellie Thouret Textile Designs, can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/EllieThouret
Why not take a moment and look to see what she has in the shop and why knitting is so "now" and not old fashioned at all!

Ellie Thouret has been kind enough to also include my work in her current treasury on Etsy.
Entitled, "Handmade in England" it showcases some the items featured in her article for Try Handmade. It can be found in Treasury East on Etsy at this link: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4c2a26113d6d8eefbfd49a44/handmade-in-england

Thank you Ellie - I appreciate the promotion and want everyone to know it, and YOU, too!
xxx
Maggie

Martha Stewart & Etsy Contest Finalist!!!

Oh I received the most wonderful news this week! I am so excited!
Well, saying I am excited about being a finalist in the Martha Stewart & Etsy collaboration contest would certainly be an understatement! I am beyond that - overwhelmed might be a better term to use to correctly describe my feelings right now.

I was contacted by a member of Martha Stewart Weddings on Tuesday about being one of the finalists in the contest. One of my wee Lucky Sixpence Books had been selected as one of 19 finalists and one winner out of thousands of entries. After some questioning I discovered that the announcement was going to be made on Thursday, today.
I feverishly began completing books I had very slowly been working on, in order to try to get them listed in my shop ASAP.

Of course, you know when you are busy, that is when all things come to a head: the phone rings a gazillion times, there are doctor appointments to attend to, tradesmen appear at your door, email builds up, the bank decides to ring you with am accident insurance policy to sell, birthdays, and even a very early Christmas coffee morning celebration, too!
So it was with great difficulty, with everything else going on, that I tried to keep working so that I would have some new additions for my shop by today.

You might imagine my surprise when I then discovered the announcement was made on Wednesday instead!
Oh well you know what is said about the best laid plans!

I have gotten a lot of work on the books finished and some are in the shop now and some more will go in this weekend - new styles and designs and custom covers as well as a new concept for design-your-own book.
Stop by Etsy and have a look - and thank you for letting me do the puffing peacock thing tonight!
xxx
Maggie

Busy as a Summer Bee!

Hello everyone!
Where has the time gone?
I have been remiss in not writing more but it seems the more I am doing the more I still have to do.
What is that old saying, "Ask a busy person to do something because she is the one who will get it done?" Or something like that. I am reminded, too, about goldfish growing in proportion to the size of theri bowl! The more complete in my tasks, the more there seems to be to still finish.

Sooooo here is the brief:
Katie left to spend the summer in America. It is a well deserved visit with family and friends, as well as to try to get some time in on a placement for an internship she needs to complete for university.
She took with her my hastily finsihed wedding invitations so that her sister woulf have them to mail out before July.
They turned out nicely and Elizabeth was pleased, so that is a job well done!


No sooner were th invitaiotn completed, then I was asked to work on revising and editing a manual for a new company my brother-in-law will be opening. Most of it is finished, but I still have more to do, and have been working on that feverishly so that they will have it in time for an upcoming audit.
I have been adding vintage items to my Etsy shop, EnglishPreserves, and when I can, I have been trying to add things to my handmade shop, SweetScarlett.
Recently, I had a request for a custom order, personalised, Wee Lucky Penny Book, from Julie, for her friends who just had a new baby girl.
I had a lot of fun making the book for her and the results are fab!
Here are some of the images . . .

The cover of the book

The end paper with the Queen Victoria Penny and the title page

The inside pages personalised with baby's name and unique message

The last page and end paper

There have been a few orders for custom printed business or calling cards, too, so that has been keeping me busy, too, and my printer gobbling up ink!
And finally, I have added a new design to my bookplates - it is from an illustration from a French nursery rhyme book from the 1920s - so sweet!

Let's face it, although the handmade shop is more rewarding, the vintage shop is where the sales are these days. So more of my time gets spent listing things in EnglishPreserves.

Which brings us nicely into an adventure my husband and I have had.
We attended our first local auction several weeks ago.
What fun!
We bought two boxes of vintage and antique linens and have been selling them on etsy and on ebay.
It is a lot of work - so much laundering and ironing - but allows me to keep a few for myself and sell the rest to get my money back, and it is so much fun to go to the auction, too!
I have no photos of any of them yet, but here are a few things to be found in EnglishPreserves, soon!

A darling little wooden box with carved lid

A fabulous little miniature teapot

My sister is slowly improving slowly - baby steps for her - and although her situation is quite serious, we are all thankful she is still here with us. And we thank all of YOU for your kind words, thoughts, and prayers for her. Bless you.

Until next time . . .
xxx
Maggie

PS - what books are you all reading? I am afraid to admit that Oliver Twist is still about 20 pages from the end!

YART SALE!

Oh my! Where has the time gone?
First, my apologizes for not visiting your blogs of late, and for not keeping up with my own!
I promise to be by for a visit soon!

I have been remiss while time gets the better of me.
My days begin with promise of a long list of things to get done during the day and night, but somehow, at the end of the day, it seems I find myself playing catch-up with my own agenda!
I never seem to have the time to finish all of the many projects I have going on, and just wish I had a lovely workroom with loads of storage and works areas. It would be so nice to have everything organized just so!
But, I usually work out of the guest bedroom and EVERYTHING is in there:
twin beds, closets, computer, 2 printers, 2 sewing machines, tons of fabric and sewing supplies, paper, board, pens, trims, tissue and wrapping, envelopes, patterns, books, graphics, oh my!
And it seems lately it is all just taking on a life of its own and dragging me along for the ride!
I have now emerged from the room to take over the dining room table with my trimmers, and cutting boards and slicers!
So with that said, I know it is time for a clear out and also time for some cleaning up and organization.
Which brings us to the Yart Sale on Etsy this weekend.
Etsy is sponsoring a sale this weekend and everyone is invited to participate.
One of the conditions of the sale is that the seller includes free shipping.
So do stop by for a peek and get some bargains!
It is NEVER too early for holiday shopping and Father's Day is soon upon us, too.

I have already listed and relisted some items in SweetScarlett for the sale but I am getting tired.
So it's bedtime for me but I will be back on-line tomorrow, listing more things for the sale.
Ooooh - I have some fab vintage buttons and fabric to list in EnglishPreserves, and some other unique finds, too. So please stop by and have a browse, won't you?

xxx
Maggie

Artists to Share

Elizabeth's birthday is March 30th.
She is a grad student, attending New York University, and living in Brooklyn.
I live across the pond in England. Needless to say, important events in her life would be better shared, but that cannot always be.
I wanted to make this birthday we spend apart (again!) special.

Looking for something I knew she wanted and looking for something I knew she would love, but maybe had not thought about 'wanting' I turned to my favourite stomping ground: Etsy.
I am pleased to say the outcome was excellent and the artists deserve recognition for their fabulous goods.

First, I looked for the item Elizabeth was wanting and in need of: a ring holder for her kitchen to keep her rings safe while she prepares food or washes up the dishes.

She had sent me a link to a 'manufactured' ring holder featuring a hummingbird, saying it was 'less scary' than the 'freaky 'hand' ones'. She was describing the Victorian dishes that feature a small, raised hand in the center.
Now I like them, and do not find them freaky or scary, but Elizabeth does not, so they were immediately cast aside, as was the hummingbird - too commercial and a little on the tatty side, if you want my opinion of them. So the search began in earnest.


And it led me to Sue, from Cottonseed.
She was so awesome!
She was fast to respond to my custom request, quick to create a product just for me, and offered her work and shipping both at reasonable prices.
But that was only the beginning; she went the extra mile, including in her packaging an adorable hand-drawn card and a wee bouquet of lavender flowers.


My daughter was so impressed, she wrote a little post about it on her blog, The Brooklyn Clothesline.
She loves her new ring holder and has it in use already in her kitchen. Many thanks to Sue for her charming work and timeliness of creating and shipping. Stop by her shop, Cottonseed, and take a look at all of her wares - you won't be disappointed.

Next, I turned to something I knew Elizabeth would love: a Terrier pillow.

She would love to have a real terrier dog, but for now, she will have to make do with a pillow impostor!
The lovely creation sent to her from Iowa, was hand made and custom ordered from Teresa, from So Blissfully Vintage.


What an amazing woman Teresa is! I sent her a note asking her if she could make a pillow for me in a similar look to what she had used to make a top that had already been sold.
I also requested a colour for the reverse, rather than just white, and with lots of puffs on it, too.
Not only did she respond immediately, but she quickly found the identical fabric, and coordinating chenille for the back of the pillow, and sent photos off to me to ok.


They were fabulous so I authorised the order and paid immediately.
Then this amazing woman MADE THE PILLOW THE SAME DAY! I mean the whole entire process took no more than 24 hours from my first note to her to the the completed item.
Amazing service and fantastic work - well done Teresa!

Teresa specialises in vintage chenille items and welcome custom orders. She has been collecting vintage chenille bedspreads for years and knows all about them - where they were made, pattern names, etc. She is a wealth of knowledge!
Take a look in her shop, So Blissfully Vintage, too, and be amazed at her Easter bunnies and childrens' clothing.

xxx

Maggie Elizabeth at 2 years of age

Hair Accessories from the Past for Today's Modern Girls

With modern design so much in vogue right now for home decor, who would have guessed that our modern young ladies would love a bit of vintage flair for the hair?
It seems no matter where we look today we see women wearing vintage-looking hair accessories that include feathers and net, buttons and rhinestones, velvet and satin and all sorts of vintage things!
Feathers bob on slivers of wire; bows adorn necklines and hair; mixed media corsages made with bits from the past combined with adornments of today, peek delicately from behind an ear.

Imagine my surprise when I received a little note from Tiffany, a young artist who had purchased some vintage buttons from my Etsy shop, EnglishPreserves.
Her note provided me with a link to a hair accessory she had made using one of the buttons!
I couldn't click it quickly enough! Here it is for you to peek at, too: GRACE

Tiffany's Etsy shop is called DecoNouveau and features all of her gorgeous hair accessories including: clips, headbands, bobby pins, and drops.

Tiffany is from Texas and creates her little bits of art by hand in her home using only the best materials - and some of them vintage - when she can get them.
She told me "I do most of my work while watching old classic and silent movies to get inspired. Sometimes I get inspired by everyday things -

"Flora" came from the appearance of a beautiful butterfly,which landed on my bike one day and went for a ride with me.
"Kimberley" (already sold) came from a shooting star I saw while up on my roof one night."


A bit about Tiffany from her profile:

I noticed that the vintage style of feathered and decorative hair pieces has come back 'in', but at such exorbitant prices! I try to make all of my work affordable for the average woman to look fabulous on a budget (I know it's tough, I am one myself!) without compromising quality or ethics. It's working out pretty well so far!

Tiffany names all of her pieces after family and friends, and uses friend for her models.
"Melody" is named after her mother (photograph at the top of this post) and "Hanni" is named after her step-grandmother who lives in Germany.


It's such a small world, isn't it?
Tiffany loves custom orders and wedding and prom season is upon us!
Go on and take a look at her unique and beautiful things - I know you will fall in love with them.

xxx
Maggie

The Winner Is . . .

My little give-away has ended and I was surprised to see that not many people entered, but that only meant that there was more luck to those who did enter!

Three people entered the give-away:
Isabelle from Suzy's Vintage Attic
Sunny from The Sunny Bower Art Studio
Mary Isabella from Daisy Bouquet

Isabelle won the draw, but since there were only three entries, I have decided to give everyone a little surprise.
So winners, please contact me with what you would like printed on the bookplates and with your contact information, including your address, to my email, englishpreserves[at]googlemail.com

Thank you for your participation!
xxx
Maggie

Lucky Me!

Lovely Ali, from 'Message in a Teacup . . . Tales from Betty and Violet' (http://bettyandviolet.blogspot.com/) has given me this creative award
and I am now giving it a go as to how to carry out my duties and honour others with it, as well.
So first things first; here are my seven favourite things:

• I love it when my husband says, "Mind how you go" to help keep family and friends safe on their journeys.
• I love memories of my childhood and memories of my children's childhood.
• I love the scent of spring flowers - lilacs and bluebells and daffodils.
• I love the tiny, yet strong, little forget-me-not blossoms, and beautiful wild violets, springing up wherever they choose, year after year.
• I love the beach at Lake Erie on the Ontario shore: the bon fires and starry skies at night, the water spray, the wild weather with wind that takes your breath away, the sand and sun and pebble beaches, the fireflies in June.
• I love the excitement at the beginning of a holiday knowing not what adventures are ahead.
• I love people who care about others and give of themselves.

Of course, there is nothing as wonderful as one's own family: our children and siblings and parents. This goes without saying.
This was so easy - - - I could go on naming things I adore, but I was limited to only seven!

I would like to share my award and pass it along to these lovely women:
Susan from Hometown Girl (she gave me a similar award when I first began blogging but I didn't know how to use it! Thank you, Susan!)
NatalieJo from Piccalilli Days
Sunny Bower from Vineyard Painter
Liz from The Washerwoman
Isabelle from Suzy's Vintage Attic
Elizabeth from The Brooklyn Clothesline
Phyllis from For the Love of Vintage
Lili M. from Lili M.

Happy Blogging and Happy Creativity!
xxx
Maggie

Happy 1st Year Anniversary, SweetScarlett!!!

I am so excited!
Today my little Etsy shop, SweetScarlett is one year old!
I am generally not a superstitious person, but this is, after all, Friday the 13th!
Not to mention that the Ides of March are fast approaching!
Of course, St. Paddy's Day will offset all of that, with a bit o' Irish luck!

It all began when I wanted to sell the little clothes I make for American Girl dolls.

I have made so many sweet little outfits, in the past, for my own daughters, and I wanted to make some to sell in order to establish a little business for myself.
My goal was to have my couture for dolls have the quality of 'people' clothes, using vintage fabrics and trim, and also be unique, one-of-a-kind clothing.
Special, so that the little girl receiving them would know she was the only person to have that outfit for her doll.

This pink silk nightgown was a custom order from the Alchemy board. It featured antique mother-of-pearl buttons with silk loop closures, self-made piping in silk, and a collar made from a vintage hankie.

The same customer ordered this robe made from 100% cotton Laura Ashley rose print, Bibi.
It features self-covered buttons and Victorian styling.

A dear 'new' friend from Northern Ireland purchased the Shamrock dress from me, after I had purchased the vintage embroidered linen from her, with which I made the dress. Its photograph is at the top of this post.

The 100% Irish linen dress featured antique buttons, and hemstitching along the hemlines of the sleeves and dress, as well as a lovely hand-embroidered shamrock.
Trish also was so kind as to carry an American Girl doll back from the states for me. Emily has been waiting for some time to be a model . . . I must sew some clothing for her to model!

I made another new friend, Irina, who lives now in the UK, but was originally from Russia.
I purchased some hand crocheted flowers from her to adorn my couture, eventually asking her to design some eggs for me, too. Her little Easter eggs embellished my 1920s style Egg Dress, pictured here.
I also made a gorgeous coat and dress, both made with all vintage fabrics and buttons. It is pictured below.
And finally, a coordinating set of pajamas and robe were made and sold - but sadly, not on Etsy.
In fact, none of the doll fashions ever sold on Etsy, and that was so deflating,


I simply gave up and sold them on ebay.
It was important for me to remove the negative feelings I was having about my work and move on to create other things.

And so my graphics background kicked in and I was off and running designing bookplates and calling cards for my shop.

But like most things in life, my shop (and me) is ever-changing.
Right now I am working on some small objects that I do hope will bring a smile and a bit of warmth, charm, and and history to you all. These are your only hints!

I am hoping to have them ready to sell in my shop in a few weeks - maybe less -


as I am having a bit of trouble sourcing some of my materials for them.

I believe they will be a unique product on Etsy, and maybe just about everywhere else, too.
Please keep checking back to have a peek at them, and when you do, let me know how you feel about them. I need feedback!

In honour of the 1st anniversary of my little shop, I am giving away a set of eight bookplates.
All you need do to win is to comment with your name and/or shop/blog on one of the previous messages about the give-away, or, on this post.

Everyone who send me his/her name will be entered to win. My daughter will draw the name from a hat and I will post who won after the drawing.
In order to give folks a bit of time to comment, I will wait until the weekend has passed before compiling a list and conducting the drawing.

I would like to send out a huge "THANK YOU" to all of you. You have kept me going with support and friendship and even a few purchases, here and there.

Bless you all!
Maggie

PS: With the graphics in my shop now (finally!) picking up, I feel better about sewing again, and will soon be sewing up some more AG clothing. Please let me know if there is anything you would like to see in the shop.

Two Days to Go . . .

OK, so now let's see . . . I have decided to have a give-away!
I would like to give away a set of eight bookplates to someone who would like to have a set of bookplates! LOL!
Anyway, just look in my shop, decide which graphic you would like to have, and then submit your name here. The winner can select any graphic or I can use one of your own for a custom order.
I will put all the names in a hat and have my daughter draw one as winner.
So send me your names!!!
xxx
Maggie

Three Days and Counting!!!

Why is it that time goes by so fast these days?
I just noticed that in three days I will have been a member of Etsy for one whole year!
Where has the time gone?

I MUST do something in honour of the day . . . but what?
(Why is it so hard to think these days?)
Any ideas out there?
Help me decide what to do to mark the occasion, please.
I am thinking about having a sale, or perhaps a give-away.

Tick-tock, tick-tock . . .

Just Wanted to Say, 'Hi'!

So many things to get done and where, oh where, is the time going?
I thought I would just stop by to say, 'hello' for today and say I am working on some new projects, have some exciting new finds from a visit to Malvern over the weekend, and will be posting more on the blog, and listing more on Etsy soon!

I listed these darling little cups from the 1960s:

I had an order for some custom mini-business cards that came out just fab!
And soon will list this lovely hand thrown pottery piece:Another order for some custom business 'thank-you' cards is still in the works,
but should be completed tomorrow:

And there will be more vintage buttons coming and some fabulous new graphics, too.

And soon the sewing will begin again and I have some new books to share and some new fabric and some vintage fabric, too!
Soon, soon, soon!

The Art of Sunny Bower

Hello friends,

Today I would like to share the work of a talented artist from Etsy, Sunny Bower.
She was a stranger to me, just a week or so ago, when I featured her in
a Treasury I curated.
Upon discovering her work was being featured, she then featured ME in her blog.
I was shocked and humbled at her generosity.
So today, I would like to share some of her gorgeous work with you all and some links to her shops and to her blog.
She is ever so talented!

She can paint something so real you want to drink it . . .
and then she can create an image so charming, and traditional, you want to share it with your children.

Or she can consider a greater audience and cause . . .

Give her a look!
Sunny Bower's blog: http://vineyardpainter.blogspot.com/
Sunny Bower's Etsy Shop, The Art of Sunny Bower:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5666244
Sunny Bower's Etsy Shop, ZenGarden:
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5767439

I Love Vintage!

So today, I meant to get a lot more done than I actually accomplished, however, what I did get finished was oh so worthwhile!
I do believe this is my favourite bookplate thus far.
Modified from a magazine advertisement from 1932, the latest little bookplate looks like a vintage illustration much like those botanical prints of days gone by.
However, the amazing thing about this one is that it is actually modified from a colour photograph!

The colour photographs for print advertising were so bad in those days, reworking it in Photoshop has made it look great!
Now I didn't alter the pixels from the original at all - just removed the background and adjusted the colour a bit.
The results are making me cheer!
It isn't yet listed on Etsy, but will be soon.

I am posting it here - click on it to enlarge it and let me know what you think. Thanks!

All the best!
Maggie

I Learned Something Today

The day began much like any other.
I was working on on the computer much of the morning while simultaneously cutting out some sewing projects.
I was anxious to get a Treasury to support craftspeople on Etsy, so that means a lot of waiting.

In between cutting, I was browsing about in the forums on Etsy and came across a title I couldn't resist; something about not bothering to look at the Front Page any more.
Curious about such negativity, I read what the author had to say and it wasn't at all what I had expected to see.

She was saying she was upset that her recently listed products weren't showing up in the little mini-treasury that reveal things recently listed. Of course, I had thought she was going to say she was tired of seeing the same sellers featured on the Front Page over and over again while she languished along with the rest of the thousands of unknowns, ad so would not bother to look to see if her work was there.

Trying to offer support to her, I commented, in the forum, that I never really pay attention to that space on the Front Page, anyway, and that I doubted it would impact her sales one way or another.

She corrected me and said she personally bought many items once she saw the artists work in the tiny space. And she also said she had discovered a lot of new sellers that way, too.
That was the inspiration for a plan set into motion immediately: my new treasury would feature only items from the recently listed window. Fresh and new today, I would see what I could discover if I were more observant.
And wow - I was amazed! She was so right!

I don't know how long I sat there, glued to the ever-changing screen revealing goods just listed from all over the world.

I saw items from the New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada
Canary Islands_____Italy_______ Finland _______Manila
_

. . . and so many more!

I tried to be quick and not lose what I liked best, which wasn't easy since the items change every 15 seconds! So it was with speed that I clicked on items, scrolled down to copy the item's number, and then click open the tab for my Poster Sketch, whereupon I pasted the item number in the tiny box.
And eventually, the treasury, New Today, was created.

The lesson learned today was to be more open minded about other people's opinions and obeservations. We are not all the same and although we all do things our way and we think it best, sometimes, our way is not the best way.