Loving handmade - Accidental Vix

Hello there! 

Well the weather here has finally turned and we have that crisp wintery feeling at last, not quite frosty but definitely nippy...that's more like it :) 

With the cold air though comes the cold weather germs and I have the flu.  Pffft.  It's been almost eight years exactly since I last had it I had forgotten how hideous it is.  I've had a pretty dire few days but I'm feeling a little better today, my head no longer feels like it is trapped in a vice and I can drink tea without feeling sick, a definite improvement!  I am under strict instructions from everybody to REST.  So although I am itching to do the washing up and tidy the bedrooms I am instead sat on the sofa with my feet up, a perfect opportunity to blog...

I wanted to start sharing more about my love of handmade.  I am such a big believer in buying handmade, second-hand and antique (of the cheap variety) as well as reusing and upcycling things. Recently I am falling more and more out of love with the mass-produced, I just find the handmade things I buy are always more unique, better quality and better value. 

So, I thought I would share with you some of my recent handmade finds.

First up - Accidental Vix.

I came across Vicky's shop on Folksy and started following her blog quite some time ago.  She makes cards using her beautiful and unique illustrations...

(Click on image to be taken to original images - all courtesy of Accidental Vix)

She sells these in her Folksy and Etsy shops.  I especially love the Anonymity range.

When I saw on her blog that she had been working on creating a new range of handmade baby booties and needed some little volunteer testers, well, I knew just the girl to help!  Phoebe was delighted to offer her services as Bootie Tester!

Vicky sent two pairs to try and they are so well made. Phoebe has chubby feet but not much of a heel so booties and socks are a nightmare to get to fit her, but these booties stayed on perfectly...

She gave them a good run for their money - crawling about the house in full destruction mode, balancing, rolling, walking with her walker...

She was very pleased with them, but not as pleased as me as I didn't have to follow her around putting booties back on her :)

Plus one of the other advantages of buying handmade is that you will never, or rarely, bump into somebody with the same item.  So you will always stand out from the crowd.

Vicky isn't selling her booties yet, but I am hoping she will or what will happen when Phoebe grows out of these ones?!

More Loving Handmade posts will follow from me in due course, now I must get back to resting...Serendipity or You've Got Mail...?  Hmmm...

Why I believe in handmade

(I just posted this in my other home and thought my readers here would enjoy a little crafty eye candy too!)

I love to make my own handmade things, and I love to buy things handmade by others.  In fact I feel rather strongly about it. 

Why buy a generic gift set from the high street when you could spend less, or the same, and get something totally original whilst supporting small producers?

Halloween Spiders by Diomo Glass on Folksy

I am sure those that read my blogs need no convincing, I am more than likely preaching to the choir.


Hair flowers by Calexendra on Etsy

This is all rather indulgent really, a blog-post equivilent of a cuppa and slice of cake :) 

The spiders are my most recent purchase - for my Halloween decorations - they are simply too cute for words, I am tempted to keep them out all year round.  The flower hair clips are from one of my most favourite Etsy sellers who happens to also be a fellow Kentish girl! I wear one or two of her flowers every day, it makes it look like I have made an actual effort with my appearance rather than just scraping my hair back in a hurry :) 

I have a very talented best friend who is a fiend with beads and a wire cutter.  She made the above necklace for her shop and I nicked it before it could get listed.  I wear many of her items every day and I always get comments.  It's great to say, "This?  Oh, it's handmade...I got it from Folksy..." in reply to the where did you get it question. 

Blue and Pink Rose Clock by Elibee Gifts on Folksy

The creativity that is out there in the UK, lurking on Folksy and Etsy, is amazing.

The Green Collection Button Ring by Maisie Wilson on Folksy

And so many people don't even know about such sites!  Folksy especially seems to be rather unknown.

Key to Your Heart Earrings by Lonely Hearts on Folksy

The whole process of buying directly from sellers on Etsy and Folksy is wonderful.  When your item arrives it is often wrapped so beautifully you feel you are getting a gift sent by a friend.

Sterling Silver Textured Surface necklace by Esme Dodsworth Design on Folksy

And the best part is that you are getting something totally original as something handmade will never be totally uniform, will never look as though it fell off the production line.

Vintage Image Christmas Decorations by Silent Theatre on Folksy

So you can always be safe in the knowledge that you carry a little bit of originality with you wherever you go.  Like the brooch on my shopping bag which gets used every single day...

Flower brooch by June at Noon on Etsy

So with Christmas season starting more or less now (yay!) don't forget to buy handmade - your friends and family will be delighted and you will get a reputation for being a great gift-giver!  You know it makes sense.