Goodbye For Now

It is with a sad heart that I have to tell you of my decision to take a break from the business. My health has sadly been going downhill this year and I have been finding staying on top of the promotion of my various shops not only tiring but a bit of a chore. Sadly for all the work I've been putting in I've not had the sales to make all this effort worthwhile. This is just a temporary change. I have every hope that I'll be able to pick up the reins again in the future when my health improves. Meanwhile I am planning on doing lots of creative things just for fun like filling my new card organiser with handmade cards :-)

Now if there is anything of my stock you like now or would like to get in the future my Facebook page will remain active and you will be able to browse and buy by emailing me or leaving me a message on there. I will also be happy to make special orders so do feel free to contact me. 

If you would like to be notified when I restock my shops (who knows how my work may have evolved by then) then please send me an email to rainbowcottagecrafts@hotmail.com with 'Newsletter' in the title. I promise I will only email you when Rainbow Cottage is once again open for business.

Thank you to all the people who have added my items to their Etsy treasuries or left comments on my Facebook page or my blog and of course bought any of my jewellery :-) I hope to see you again soon

Sunday Special ~ Ice Cream Indulgence Bracelet

Hello! Welcome to the second week of Sunday Special! This week I am featuring my Ice Cream Indulgence Bracelet.

This gorgeous bracelet is made from real Art Deco Beads! I just love the shades and they are really glitzy catching the light as you move. I didn't want to detract from the lovely vintage beads so just crocheted them into a bangle with silver wire. I just love this bracelet!

So how did I came up with the name? Well the colours reminded me of ice cream! Yep, I'm a foodie all the way hehe so that's how I decided on Ice Cream Indulgence :-)

So now for the special offer. You can buy the Ice Cream Indulgence Bracelet at 25% off this week just quote SSRC25 at checkout. Now do remember that each of my items are One-of-a-kind and so once it's sold, it's gone forever! However if it has gone just email me and I will give you a discount code for 10% off any other item in my shop! 

You can buy this bracelet by emailing me or from my Etsy,  Folksy or Dawanda shops or on my Facebook page

So that's it! 25% off the Ice Cream Indulgence Bracelet lasts until midnight next Saturday! I hope you'll pop by and take advantage of it. Until next Sunday, have a good week :-)

Sunday Special ~ Gardenia Necklace

Hello! Welcome to the first week of Sunday Special! This week I am featuring my Gardenia Necklace.

This lovely necklace has hand crocheted black and white ribbon which gives it that lovely 2 tone effect. On the necklace is a chain of crocheted silver plated wire and graduated black and white beads with a lovely handmade (I believe. It's a while since I bought it) clear glass bead with lovely little white flowers dangling off the chain. Finished with ribbon crimps and a Silver plated trigger clasp. This pretty necklace is just perfect for summer :-)

So you might be wondering how I came up with the name? Well I try to tie in my names with the style of the business name. When I ran Celt Celf all my names were Celtic. This time I thought about my Rainbow Cottage garden and so I looked through flower books and chose Gardenia for no other reason than it's a pretty name :-)

So now for the special offer. My business adviser (wink Maria) and I decided that we would run each special offer for the whole week. So you can buy the Gardenia Necklace at 20% off this week just quote SSRC20 at checkout. Now do remember that each of my items are One-of-a-kind and so once it's sold, it's gone forever! However if it has gone just email me and I will give you a discount code for 10% off any other item in my shop! If you miss out and totally love it do let me know and I will try and make you something similar and can also do it in the colour of your choice just drop me and email.

You can buy this necklace by emailing me or from my Etsy,  Folksy or Dawanda shops or on my Facebook page

So that's it! 20% off the Gardenia Necklace lasts until midnight next Saturday! I hope you'll pop by and take advantage of it. Until next Sunday, have a good week :-)

Treat Yourself Tuesday! ~ Glass River Jewelry

Hi Welcome to this weeks Treat Yourself Tuesday! This week I am featuring a beautiful pair of handmade glass earrings from Glass River Jewelry. I love this seller! All her jewelry is so pretty! I have chosen this pair of earrings because they are perfect for summer! 

I hope you like them too and will pop over to Vicki's shop and see all her other lovely items :-)

See you next week!

Introducing Sunday Special!

Hello! Welcome to my new weekly blog feature...Sunday Special! This will be a time where I can feature an item of  my jewellery and tell you how I came to create it, perhaps how I chose the name and then the exciting bit..... A special offer for you of a discount on that piece of jewellery for one day only! Remember all of my pieces are One of a Kind so it's first come, first served! However if you miss out on something you love let me know and I'll see if I can make you something similar. The same goes if you like something but would like it in a different colour...just let me know.

Helleborina Necklace

I am in the process of putting all the jewellery and details on my facebook page so you can browse on there and to buy just send me an email any time to arrange payment and personal details for posting. See my Jewellery Listings Photo Album for all my jewellery and details :-)

So today I have a Sunday Special Introductory Offer for you! 15% off all my jewellery at any of my online shops or through my facebook page just quote code RCSS15.

I've posted this later than I intended so this discount will run 'til the end of Monday 6th June.

Etsy Treasury ~ Daisies and Dandelions ~ Summer Sundays

I have done an Etsy Treasury today inspired by this lovely sunny weather we are having! I didn't intend it to be all yellow though :-) I couldn't help myself despite not being a yellow girl at all! Maybe I could be won over? hehe See my treasury here. I hope you like it and leave me a comment so I know you've popped by :-)

Treat Yourself Tuesday! ~ Linen and Roses

Hi Welcome to this weeks Treat Yourself Tuesday! I have opened a Misi shop this week and have had fun personalising it and that has prompted me to personalise my jewellery photo's (see them here). So I have chosen my seller for todays treats from Misi.

These lovelies are Handmade by Fiona from Linen and Roses. I just love that cushion and in keeping with me dreaming about my new home 'The Heart Of The Home' embroidery ring hanging would look lovely on my wall!

I do hope you'll pop over to Linen and Roses to see what other lovelies Fiona has on offer.

I hope to see you next week for some more Treats.

Some Personalisation

For some time I have been trying to find a way of making my jewellery pictures looks great. Something that stands out from all the others. This inspired me to go on a Photoshop course so I could learn about creating great graphics and making necessary alterations like lightening and removing blemishes (like a dog hair on the material the jewellery was laid on). My dear friend Maria of Maria Divine is very creative and has a great abiltity to add character to her photo's and everything else connected! She is a great inspiration to me. I love how everything she does is so pretty and professional. She also designed my logo etc. I was also looking at some pictures the other day and there was just a simple bit of text with their name on it and that made me think too about what I wanted my branding of my pictures to look like. I want people to know that these pictures belong to Rainbow Cottage.

So armed with these ideas, my Photoshop skills, and all the Photoshop images passed onto me by Maria I got to work designing a way to personalise my pictures. This is the result....

It would have been hard to work with the rainbow so using my business name in rainbow colours fulfils that side of it. I just love the way it looks and the way it lifts the photo's of the jewellery! I'm really pleased with my hard work and it all looks especially good in my new Misi Shop where I have been able to personalise the background of my shop too :-) What do you think? Doesn't it look great?

Doing this has also sorted out a problem I have. I don't know why but when I'm looking at thumbnails of my images on my computer they don't always show the way the picture actually is. I may have cropped the picture but the cropping doesn't show up. The same with lightening and other adaptations. Sometimes the picture is on it's side and when I open it to turn it I find it's already the right way. I might have a play, turn it one way and then another but when I go back to the thumbnail it's still on it's side. This happens with any of my images not just my business ones. Anyway now I have made these changes to all my jewellery pictures they all look just the way they should cropped, lightened and pretty! :-)

So I hope you like my new look pictures and I hope you'll pop over to my new Misi shop too. As you can see there is only a few items in it at the moment but I'll be adding more soon. I am in the process of deciding which one other shop I will be keeping...Etsy or Folksy. I will be closing my Dawanda, Art Fire and Zibbet shops soon to give me more time and energy to devote to the 2 shops I keep. I love Misi and Esty is easier to use than Folksy but I do like the idea of supporting the UK sites. I will let you when I have decided.

Treat Yourself Tuesday! ~ Lottie Jewellery Design

Welcome to this weeks Treat Yourself Tuesday! Today I am featuring a Folksy seller called Lottie Jewellery Design. She has lots of lovely and affordable items to treat yourself to! 

These are just a few of her pieces in her full shop so I hope you'll pop by and see what other beauties she has to offer :-)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope to see you next week.

Etsy Treasury ~ My Vintage Home

Hi I hope you'll pop over to etsy to see my latest treasury ~ My Vintage Home

Hi Welcome to 'Treat Yourself Tuesday' I'm sorry we didn't have one last week. Somehow although I had been thinking about it, it managed to completely slip my mind!

TYT is undergoing a slight change. As I will be closing all my shops except Folksy and Etsy I won't be limiting where I draw my Treats from. I will also only be doing one treat a week. I need to conserve my energy for managing the shops properly! If you shop on Dawanda, Zibbet or Art Fire then pop on over to my shops to grab yourself a treat before they shut. I would like to offer 10% off just put in RC10 at checkout and I will refund you through Paypal after the transaction is complete.

So I have been on Ebay today shopping for a little basket I can make into a card organiser for birthdays etc and I came across Annie's Linens She makes lovely textile products and it was her little storage bags/caddies that caught my eye. On further exploration of her shop I decided that i would feature this item....

it's a rug/bathroom mat and soo pretty! you can buy it here

And she is having a big sale at present! 68% off! so get on over to Annie's Linens and treat yourself or someone special to a pretty bargain!

I hope you have like my Treat this week and will pop back next week to see what other treats I have found!

Treat Yourself Tuesday! ~ Painting

My second blog post of the day! Sorry could have organised that better!

I have just got back from my art group and have just done my first real painting of still life, in acrylics. So this weeks theme is Painting which I am taking from Art Fire the site created for artists.

This is a hand painted card by Art by Joan

This porcelain planter is decorated with the Chinese brush painting technique.by Terrance Franz Lazaroff (otherwise known as Clayart) at £225 this is a real treat!

I love this picture! I love the way the bear is almost smiling! This is an original watercolour by Cherilynne Fine Art

 ok so I admit I have chosen this painting just for the Border Collie since I have a very cute one of my own :-) Also the concept of the painting made me laugh! This painting is by Todd Young Art

still life. This is the kind of thing I was working on today! But this looks so much better than mine but then I am just beginning! This is in oils by Meaghan Louise who lives in Australia! It's always nice to see art from different parts of the world :-)

I love the pastel colours in this one! One of the reasons I want to learn to paint is so I can paint sunsets with this kind of colouring. This is painted with acrylics by Pendragon Art Works. Pendragon too reminds me of my Home County Cornwall. "By Tre, Pol and Pen you shall know your Cornishmen" Which means names starting with those like Pendragon :-)

A painting that is so good it looks like a photo! I can't imagine ever being able to replicate what I see so exactly :-) This is handpainted by Veronica's Art

and finally, no collection of mine is complete without a piece of Jewellery and this piece is handpainted porcelain by Saniki Creations

Well I hope you have enjoyed my selection of treats this week though I understand they are treats for a very special occasion! But then Art is for life (not just for Christmas hehe)

I hope you will pop over and see these artists shops and the other wonderful pieces they have for sale and I hope to see you again next week.

Spring Sale ~ Folksy

Everybody was having January Sales but I wasn't well at the beginning of the year and so I decided to have myself a Spring Sale and here it is! 

Initially starting on Folksy I'm hoping to spread it over my other shops over the next couple of weeks.

Lots of big savings on all products! 

All my postcards are down from £1.50 to 99p

Gentian Scarf was £16 now £12 

(the other scarves have reductions of £3-£4) 

Ice Cream Indulgence Bracelet was £12 now £9

(the other jewellery has reductions of £1.65-£5,25) 

I will be adding more items into my sale over the next couple of days including new postcards and magnets so do po back again

So why don't you pop over to my shop now and grab yourself a bargain? See you there!

Treat Yourself Tuesday! ~ Royal Wedding

Today I wrote a post on my personal blog Rainbow Days about my dream wedding with pictures of Princess Diana's wedding ( I was talking about fairytale weddings) and as there is another Royal Wedding this week, Diana's eldest son, that this weeks TYT should be Royal Wedding :-)

I will be taking the Royal Wedding Treats from the biggest UK handmade site...Folksy

These cute William and Kate Owls are handmade by Zebedeez

Patriotic but pretty bunting by Queen of Persia (great name)

just right for hanging on your door for your street party. handmade by Esbee Ribbons

A beautiful momento for you or someone special of the Royal Wedding. Handmade by Corinna Smith of Green River Studio

somewhere to put all your Street Party pics :-) handmade by Dottie Designs and if you buy this 20% goes the GOSH (Great Ormond Street Hospital) to help children and families who have prolonged stays in the hospital.

Keep your British Tea warm with this oh so British tea cosy :-) handmade by EvaJeanie

I had to include these for my niece Rebekah! She love Meerkats though I'm not sure why ;-) these are hand crafted by Nifty Knits

Show your patriotism with this fab bag! Handmade by Kadouda

Well I hope you have enjoyed this weeks treats :-) What are your plans for the Royal Wedding?

We're Going On Holiday!

Rainbow Cottage is closed until after Easter as Teri is off to Cornwall for a Christening of her newest Goddaughter and to catch up with Friends and Family. All our Shops are on Holiday but in Art Fire and Zibbet you can still browse and if you see something you want to buy you can come back when we reopen on the 26th.

We wish you all a very Happy Easter! 

Treat Yourself Tuesday! ~ Travel

Welcome to Treat Yourself Tuesday! This time next week i will be on a train to Cornwall! My Home County! I will be going for my new Goddaughter's Christening and I'll get to see my sister, nephew and niece and my other friends! So in honour of this my theme this week is Travel and I'll be taking this weeks treats from Etsy. I will try to do a post next week but if I don't manage to I hope you'll forgive me but I'll be too busy having fun and cuddling a sweet little Sarah!

This vibrant Passport case is by Gracie Designs

This leather travel journal carries an inspiring message! " Be the change you wish to see in the World" Handprinted by inblue

"The World is Yours" Fine Art Print by Lisa Burch

'Skies Over Paris' Necklace created by Piper Blue

No travel treasury would be complete without a suitcase and this is a vintage case has been given a new lease of life by Baggage Handler

Escape or Explore Silver ring handmade by happygolicky

Well that's all this week Folks. I hope you have seen something to treat yourself with this week :-)

Hope to see you next week!