Merry Christmas!

My First Etsy Treasury

I have done my first Etsy treasury ~ Christmas Wonder. It's all about seeing Christmas through the eyes of a child because I think you really experience the magic of Christmas when you have children about! The wonder in the eyes of the baby who is seeing a Christmas tree and lights for the first time!

I have had the idea for a few days and I think it is a lovely theme for my first treasury :-)

I hope you will pop by and support these lovely artists.

***New Bracelet Competition!***

Hi I have just had a creative couple of hours making a new bracelet!  I had this idea and wasn't sure how it would work out but am really pleased with it and my mum loves it!

I have taken photo's throughout the process as I thought you might be interested in how it came about! But before I show you that I would like to announce a competition! I have a giveaway running of a pair of earrings but it's not getting me the followers I need so in a slight amendment you can win one of those pair of earrings by being the winner of this competition!

So what do you have to do to win? Just 2 things...1. follow my blog here (see follow above left or to the right) and 2. name the bracelet! This is your opportunity to be part of my creativity and win a lovely pair of handmade crochet wire earrings in either pink or teal! See this post here for the photo of the earrings!

I borrowed this book from the library... 

and then chose a pattern from it...

then I chose black wire from my recent order from the crazy wire company...

then some red beads which I then threaded onto the wire...

then about 1 1/4 hours later...

it's all finished and the clasp has been added!

So what do you think? Do you like it and what would you name it?

I can't wait to see what ideas you come up with!

Crazy Wire and Other Lovely Bits

Today my Crazy Wire Company order arrived! It was very exciting! 10 metres of 15 different colour wire, a skein of recycled Sari threads some coloured tigertail and some ribbon crimps!

 All my goodies including the Sari threads...aren't they just gorgeous colours?

All the lovely wire. I can't wait to get playing with them too!

It didn't take me long as my friend Maria predicted to get in a tangle (with the sari threads though not wire as she predicted...thanks Maria) but having got myself untangled I then had to get started making something fabulous with them! And here are the results... ok result as I have only made one thing. The threads are about 1mm thick so need beads with large holes and the only beads I had were pandora style beads but I do think it looks pretty and unusual and know I will have to go shopping for some more pandora or large hole beads!

Sadly my puppy managed to get hold of some of the threads this morning! I was very careful, honest and was sure I had taken it all upstairs but one bit managed to escape and so I think I should make myself something lovely with it as it is still very useable but I obviously can't sell it! I do always try to make things for myself as I see it as free advertising! So something pretty with Sari threads that I can have fun making and wearing to look forward to!

So what do you think? Do stop by and let me know! And I will put all my new designs on here when they're done!

Autumn at Folksy

Time to do a feature pointing you to my Folksy shop so here are some lovely items available on Folksy! As we have just entered autumn I have decided this should be my theme.

This beautiful bracelet is by Lonely Hearts

I'm currently doing a photgraphy project with a friend which you can see here. So I had to choose a photo. This one is 'Dusk in the Autumn' by Dave Amis Creative Digital Photography

 Isn't this pretty? It's a hair clip by Crown and Glory. I do love pretty hair clips but I'm not sure my hair is thick enough to carry it off!

This cushion is lovely! It really has all the glorious colours of Autumn! It's made by Sewflair

A gorgeous Hand crocheted Poncho! Perfect for those Autumn days when It's not cold enough for your winter coat but you need something just to ward off the chill!

Handmade by Candy Floss

I love this beautiful pendant especially the leaf! And I especially love the artists name ... The Whimsical Wren

I need a new notebook just to jot down things as I think of them so I don't forget which is what I do now! This is handmade by Crafted

I had to include this!! How cute is this sweet Autumn Fairy outfit? And doesn't the little model look like she is loving it too? Handmade by Ella Bella Fairy ... another great name!

And finally...

 With this gorgeous sun catcher you can make the most of the autumn sun! Handmade by Dormouse Studio

I hope you have enjoyed my picks and will pop by and visit these very talented artists! I am waiting for an order of wire and threads so look out for my own autumn creations coming soon!

Home Is Where The Art (Fire) Is

Ok so another week and another blog post this time to point you to my Art Fire shop Rainbow Cottage.

As I am looking to move to my own home soon I thought I would show you some great products from Art Fire sellers that I would love to see in my home!

My bathroom is going to be a birdie theme with towels in aqua and white! I think this would look lovely on the wall and I'm sure I would look at it and dream while soaking in the bath! This is by ChuckEByrdWallArt.

I love having magnets on my fridge! these would fit in beautifully with my already extensive collection! These handmade glass magnets are by StuckTogetherMagnets. I do think it's funny that she has cute little birdies on her logo it matches my bathroom theme!

 

For my lounge I think this lovely patchwork cushion will look fabulous on my rocking chair! Handmade by Quiltfinger.

A beautiful crochet doily for my dressing table! I'm sure it would look stunning against the white as it does in this picture! Handmade by BriarRidge.

Every dining room needs a pretty shelf! I'm sure I could find some lovely things to go on it! This one is made by LesBricollesDeCleo

I love this sign! I recently went back to Cornwall where I lived for 18 years! I hadn't been back for 5 years and hadn't realised how much it is my home even though I don't live there anymore! The journey home was very special and was more than just physical. It was very much an emotional journey too! Cornwall will always be my be my home as much as the place where I lay my head! This is by nesedecor. I would love to see this sign greeting me every time I walk through my door!

Finally, no Rainbow Cottage Treasury would be complete without a rainbow!

In my new home I plan to have a Friendship wall with photo's of all my special friends! I think this would look lovely in the centre! It is by efygiftshop.

I do hope you have enjoyed my Art Fire treasury do stop by these seller's shops to see what other lovely goodies they do and don't forget to enter my giveaway! All you have to do is follow my blog and then leave a comment stating which pair is your favourite! I will be drawing a winner when I reach 25 followers!

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you come again soon!

My Dawanda Bead Wish List

Hi there! As I have a shop on Dawanda I thought I would promote it at the same time as showcasing some of my favourite beads on there. It is all a case of selling some jewellery before I can buy some more beads but dreaming is FREE!

I feel it is important with a name like Rainbow Cottage that I have a rainbow of colours in my jewellery. So here are beads of all colours and styles! 

First - Red.

These are gorgeous. Victorian Carved Lucite from Charmsnfindings

These are a bit big to crochet with so I would team them up with Swarovski crystals in red and clear for some sparkle and maybe with multiple strands dangling from the Lucite bead.

Orange

Everyone seems to have gone mad on Pandora style beads right now and I think these ones are lovely! I am looking forward to having a bit of fun trying to crochet with Pandora style beads! Look out for the finished product coming soon! These are from bingbing

Yellow

 Yellow is a hard colour to work with! It's not the most popular colour so I would want to match it maybe with white beads to tone down the brightness or maybe like this bead have a yellow motif or a hint of yellow on a bead with a different main colour! I love these as they have a Victorian feel! Hmm there seems to be a bint of a Victorian theme going on! It's not intentional but I do love things that are 'Oldy Worldy' style! These are from Charmsnfindings again! Totally by coincidence! We obviously have the same great style!

Green

These are handmade blown glass rondelles! Aren't they beautiful? I love minty green! These would look beautiful as a set of jewellery and combined with Swarovski crystals would look lovely dressed up with an evening dress or dressed down with jeans and a white t-shirt! These are from doubleangelssupply

Blue

Handmade by Brilliant Beads these are worth a visit! They are handmade and carefully created to provide a high quality bead! I would love to see these as a bracelet! They would certainly get a lot of attention! They are stunning!

Indigo

I have recently made myself a set of jewellery and included pink pearls spaced amongst the other beads and it looks really classy (if I do say so myself) and so I would love to crochet a bracelet or other piece of jewellery using various blue beads with these pearly glass beads in the mix! These are from bingbing again (I am searching by colour and choosing and then I see who the seller is now while I'm writing it up so this really is a case of mutual good taste!)

Violet

These are beautiful and handcrafted out of leather! They would require a bit of creativity from me as they are not beads with a ready crafted hole. I could ask to have a jumpring added and add them to earrings or as a pendant or I could sew them together myself perhaps with some beaded sections in between! It would be a lot of fun though! These are from HMCreativeSupplies

Well that's the rainbow over and done with but as pink is a very popular colour and in the spirit of having been a Rainbow and Brownie Guider here are some cute pink owls from Jivah

 

I hope you have enjoyed my little wish list! Let me know which beads and colours are your favourite and what you would like me to do with them! I look forward to your comments!

 

Rainbow Cottage Giveaway!

Welcome to Rainbow Cottage's 1st Giveaway! Our goal is to get to 25 followers here on our blog. So come along and join our blog to be in with a chance of winning a handmade pair of crochet wire earrings and to keep up to date with all my latest news and other giveaways! 

Here are the earrings for the giveaway! I hope you like them! You will win one pair of earrings in the colour of your choice! Pink or Teal. 

So to be in with a chance of winning these beautiful earrings just leave a comment stating which colour you prefer. When I reach 25 followers I will randomly pick a winner! So I look forward to hearing from you and Good Luck!

Rainbow's Attic: Our Supply Shop

Hello all

I am pleased to announce the opening of our supply shop Rainbow's Attic!

Now you may have instantly worked out why it's called rainbow's Attic but just in case...Here's why! I have got lots of beads and A4 card and other bits and pieces that I have bought in quantity when I had my last business. Now when I am needing to get some money into this business so I can carry on making lots of lovely jewellery I am rummaging around my boxes to find things I can sell! Now if I lived in that quaint cottage Maria drew for me I'm sure the attic would be the only place I could store things and so I am figuratively rummaging around in Rainbow Cottage's attic to find all those bits that someone else is desperate for. Ok maybe not desperate but hopefully enticed into buying!

So are you the crafty type? Do you need some pretty beads or some necessary findings or maybe some card stock and toppers to make pretty cards with then come on by and visit us at Rainbow's Attic! We look forward to seeing you there. Oh! and do keep popping back! I'm hoping to be adding things daily until it's all listed! If it goes well I'll even be able to buy some more bits to put into Rainbow's Attic!

Well bye for now and Happy crafting!

Teri and Jan xxx

Designer Advertising

Now you might be wondering what I mean by Designer Advertising? Well being a jewellery Designer I need to wear my own jewellery, it's free advertising (all excepting the cost of the beads and the time taken to make it). I have one set of Crochet Wire Jewellery that I have made myself to go with a particular skirt I bought but feel I need to have a bit more in my own jewellery box. So again inspired by a piece of clothing in my wardrobe I have just made this set of jewellery! It is also made with an event in mind. My birthday is just over a week away and am hoping to go out with a friend and think this new top I've bought will definitely be worn!

(Ok so this isn't a great picture and I look rather tired but it looks better than the picture of the top hanging on a hanger!)

 

 

 

 

So here are the pictures of the jewellery lying on the top they are made to go with. I have yet to give it a name so if you have any ideas leave me a comment!

The whole set

Close up of the earrings

The bracelet

Close up of the pendant. This is a clever little thing. If you look closely you might see a little clasp by which I can wear the necklace with or without the pendant!

As for the rest of the business...watch this space! I am building up a supply shop and want to get on with more earrings and then to get listing!

Until then happy crafting!

Love Teri xx

Sunshine Award

I was thrilled to receive this Sunshine Award from The Scarlet Butterfly Company! It has really given me encouragement and inspiration from someone who always inspires me! Thank you Maria!

The Sunshine Award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity and creativity inspires others in the blog world.

The rules for accepting the Sunshine Award

~ Put the logo on your blog or within your post

~ Pass the award onto 12 bloggers

~ Link the nominees within your post

~ Let the nominees know they have received this award by commenting on their blog

~ Share the lovely and link to the person from whom you received this award

Getting this award means passing it on and so it has also taken me on a journey to find other bloggers whose Blogs are exciting, interesting and of course inspiring as I didn't have many blogs I already followed! So it is a great pleasure to pass this on to some of the new bloggers I have discovered on my journey!

Lori Anderson.
Inspiration Avenue
Hook and Scumble
Life, Craftiness and Everything Else
Beady Pool
Joy Funnell
Deesigned Beads
Coloraddiction
Bumpy Beads
Fired Silver
Dilly Whispers
Randomcreative

Thank you all for such engaging blogs and the inspiration they give! I hope you will go and look at these blogs and that they will give you inspiration and cheer!

Thanks again to Scarlet Butterfly Company for this lovely award xxx

What's New at Rainbow Cottage?

Wow I have lots to share today! There is lots going on at Rainbow Cottage! There is a distinct flurry of ideas and activity in the air!

This weekend I finally got my new laptop and oh! has it made a huge difference! Everything is working as it should and at speeds I haven't had in years! It has buoyed up my spirits and has given me new energy!
The result of this is that I have been looking at things I have around that are just being useless and taking up space and giving off a negative vibe every time I see or even think of them! So what can I do with them?

Well firstly I have a lovely range of Original Poetry Postcards. The poems were written by my dad, Phil Coleman and I have found an almost as lovely picture to complement them! As I write I have 2 listed on Folksy with more to come! I used have them on Ebay where they weren't appreciated but I hope with Folksy's support of originality and handmade items they will get a more appreciative welcome!


Secondly I have some postcards that I designed using stock pictures from my postcard printer/supplier. They are very pretty but are just taking up space! "Let's get rid of them quickly!" thought I and was happy with that decision but in the spirit of handmade and beauty I thought I might be able to do better than that and a new idea was born! Look out for our notelet sets coming soon in handmade wallets! The description doesn't do it justice but I want to keep you guessing until the finished items are ready! A little suspense to whet your handmade appetites!

Alongside these 2 new projects older projects are still ongoing. The arrival of a light tent for photographing jewellery means that I just have to tidy the dining room table and then I can try it out! I have high hopes for it (based on the recommendation of a friend in the business) so once those photo's are taken and uploaded on to my bright shiny new laptop I can get listing the boxful of items I've been dying to show you!

And yet there's more to share! My uncle is very supportive of his niece's enterprise that he has, without any prompting, found a shop in Northampton who is interested in stocking some of my jewellery and so I am beginning to prepare some items to send her. As soon as I have been accepted I will let you know where they are!

As you can imagine all this is very exciting and extremely uplifting! I am happier than I've been in months! suddenly I feel like the business is beginning to take root and maybe even fly!

Alongside all of this I am planning my own home and will be making as much as can for it. I don't have lots of money to spend so this is a project of frugality and creativity. If you are interested in following my progress then follow my blog - 'Teri's Handmade Home' at http://teris-handmade-home.blogspot.com

So do please check out our Folksy shop for our latest ranges including our new Poetry Postcards at http://www.folksy.com/shops/RainbowCottage

Bye for now and thanks for reading

Teri

New Products On Folksy

Hi
Just to let you all know that I have just finished some lovely scarves perfect for this snowy weather and I have already got them listed on my Folksy shop http://www.folksy.com/shops/RainbowCottage
It was lovely to be able to quickly photograph them and have the photo's come out so well and then to be able to list them. Quite a contrast to the difficulties I have with photographing jewellery. However I have been chatting to my friend Maria today and she has given me some great tips that I hope to be able to put into practice soon so watch this space!
I do hope you will pop over to my shop and have a look! it is nice to be able to just see the numbers of visitors come by but of course the best thing is getting a sale. To know that someone likes my work enough to spend the money on it and someone else is going to get lots of wear out of it! We crafters feel very fondly of the items we make. They are a labour of love and some of our heart goes into each item and so it is very lovely when someone likes one of our items enough to buy and wear it!
Well thanks for reading and as ever, happy crafting!
Love Teri