Titchables

Bulk Buys Now Available!

2011-12-01T22:31:00.000Z

I have put together some bulk buys in the etsy shop, namely Ric Rac and mixed button bags. All end of line/clearance items and all at fantastic prices!

Artist Discovery

2011-11-21T22:47:00.000Z

I'm currently planning on re-decorating my living room so I've been browsing a lot on etsy for items that would work with the theme I'm going for. However, sometimes it's just to just do a wide search to see what pops up and I stumbled across the wonderful artwork of Lily Moon.

Stunning, I'm sure you'll agree!

Back Open!!

2011-11-10T17:04:00.000Z

Hello all!

I have decided to re-open the etsy shop for a limited time only!! I am still left with an excess of handmade stock, particularly Christmas decorations so I figured I'd use this time to try and have another sort out!

All stock is GREATLY reduced, and if you do have your eye on something, please order ASAP to avoid disappointment because I will not be making anything new. :D

I'll be adding a few more bits and bobs over the coming days so keep an eye out on the shop.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/titchables?ref=si_shop

Everything Half Price!!

2011-07-18T14:58:00.000+01:00

Just a quick message to let you know that everything in the shop is now 50% off!! You need to use code "sale50" at checkout for the discount.

Only limited supplies left but lots of lovely bulk ribbon packs and still some lovely handmade goodies available - perhaps you could get some early Christmas presents??

I want to thank you all for your kind words since I announced I would be closing. I'm really thankful for all of your support!

http://titchables.etsy.com/

Last bundle of felt

2011-05-31T12:17:00.000+01:00

I've put together the last I have of the felt, 66 squares in total. All for £36, but cheaper obviously if you use the 40% off code at checkout.

Get it while you can! Right here on etsy!

Just wanted to thank you all for the lovely message since I posted I would be closing. You've all been incredibly sweet and kind and it's been very much appreciated.

For the time being I am definitely taking a break, but I may come back with the handmade side of things later in the year once I've had a chance to re-charge my batteries. :D

I'll be putting together more great deals of different supplies soon. Don't forget, if you do buy anything to include "sale40" at etsy and just "sale" at titchables.co.uk :D

Closing Down

2011-05-28T15:47:00.000+01:00

I regret to announce that the Titchables webshops are closing. I haven't come to this decision lightly and I am definitely going to miss a lot of things, but unfortunately I'm just not enjoying myself anymore.

I may come back to it one day, at least in terms of making my own crafts, but as of right now I have other things I want to focus on (boring, real life things unfortunately!).

I've really enjoyed this experience and I want to thank everyone who have been a huge support to my little business over the last couple of years.

Now to the good bit! I'm having a giant sale! All items are now 40% off!! At Titchables.co.uk, please use the code "sale" at checkout. At Etsy, please use the code "sale40" at checkout!

I wil not be re-ordering any stock so what's listed is all I have left. I will keep re-listing at etsy so long as I have the stock available to buy. If anyone is interested in bulk buying anything please email me titchables(at)gmail(dot)com and we can try and sort out a deal.

Home!

2011-05-27T23:49:00.000+01:00

Well I'm back from my holiday. I had a fabulous time and it was really good to see some of my dearest friends. :D

I will be catching up and sending all orders on Monday. Thank you for your patience!

More updates soon!

New Buttons!

2011-05-18T18:29:00.000+01:00

I've got some brand new button bags for you today which I know you're gonna love because I certainly do! They're all available now at Titchables.co.uk and I'm gradually adding them over at the Etsy Shop too.

Large 4 hole Buttons

Mother of Pearl Heart Shell Buttons

Mother of Pearl Star Shell Buttons

Mother of Pearl Stripe Shell Buttons

Hope you like them!

Also a brief announcement, I am going away on Friday for a week so will not be dispatching any orders during that time. This is just a FYI so that if you do want anything please order ASAP so I can get it out before I leave! Thanks!

New packaging

2011-05-11T20:54:00.000+01:00

A couple of months ago I had the urge to do something about the packaging for my handmade brooches, keyrings and other small items. In the past I use some bakers twine and moo cards - which, while lovely, are a bit expensive - so instead I cut up some kraft card with my fancy jagged scissors and used my clear bags that I use for the fabric buttons. All that was left was to do a new topper with all my info on the back and voila!

I also printed off some small stickers for the back of the kraft card just so that it didn't look so plain. I'm really pleased with how my small handmade items look in this new packaging. What do you think?

More New Products!!

2011-05-09T22:35:00.000+01:00

More new goodies have been added to the Online Shop. Some of which I've been dying to stock for ages. Hope you like everything!

Flower Felt Trim!! This is by May Arts in the USA and I've been looking for a UK based supplier for a long time. I'm so excited that I can offer this to you now! Available here. 90p for a yard or £4.50 for a bundle of 5 yards.

Teeny Tiny Pom Pom Trim. In four colours. This will be a super cute addition to a variety of different crafty projects. Available here at 40p a yard or £1.50 for a bundle.

Mini Polka Dot buttons! How cute are these? These are available in colour themed packs for £2.50 (60 buttons) or in a huge 240 bag for £9! Available here!

Some of these are now available over at the etsy shop!

I will be adding a lot of new handmade goodies also this week so keep a look out for them!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-05-08T21:49:00.000+01:00

I would love an old looking kind of bike. There's one in the local bike shop which needs to be mine one day!

A Fuji Instax Mini 7 camera. Proud to say I own one of these and I love it!

I love the bunny cover!!

Pastel M&M's! I wish I could find them here! I love the display too.

What a colourful room! Love the purple!!

Rainbow ice cubes! Genius!!

Birdhouse cake. So very awesome.

Gorgeous felt garland!

Lovely simple packaging.

Simply amazing!

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

New Craft Supplies!

2011-05-05T19:38:00.000+01:00

Very excited as I have some new craft supplies for you today! Hope you like them as much as I do!

These are handmade (not by myself, though!) 3 layer crochet flowers. They come as packs of 5 for the very small sum of £2.50! Available here.

Gorgeous lace trim available in 5 different colours and sold in 2 yards and a special 10 yard pack. Available here.

And my favourite of the lot - this fab silky embroidered ribbon! Available in packs of 3 metres only (as I have limited stock) and a steal at £1.50! Purchase here!

They'll all be available shortly over at the etsy shop so do look out for them there over the coming days!

More new goodies coming soon along with some new handmade products as well!!

New blog layout!

2011-05-02T19:09:00.000+01:00

I've done a bit of a re-design on the blog today. Made it a lot brighter. I'm really loving yellow at the moment, perks me right up!

I've been having some fun cutting up some new designs today, really looking forward to filling up the shops with some new handmade goodies! I've also put in an order for some new crafty supplies which should be here within the next week or so.

Hope you all enjoyed the lovely bank holiday weekend!

Post-Easter Sale!

2011-04-25T21:08:00.000+01:00

Who fancies 20% all purchases for the next week???

All you have to do is quote "posteaster" when you go through checkout at either http://www.titchables.co.uk/ or http://titchables.etsy.com/.

The offer will end on Sunday May 1st! So if you've been putting off buying some crafty supplies, or perhaps a handmade good head on over to the shops now!

Also, you should note that I will be out of town from tomorrow until Friday and will not be sending any orders during this time. I am doing a post office run tomorrow so if you do want something soon, get your orders in tonight/early tomorrow.

Enjoy the sale!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-04-24T11:46:00.000+01:00

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

New fabric buttons!

2011-04-21T12:09:00.000+01:00

I've made some new fabric button sets for the shops. I hope you like them. Two of the sets feature a slightly bigger button than what I usually use, so there is a small price increase for those.

I love those tea cup buttons!! All 3 sets can now be found over on the Online Shop or at Etsy.

Show & Tell!

2011-04-18T13:16:00.000+01:00

Today I want to show off a few things my lovely customers have made with their purchases from Titchables. I really love seeing the end result of something and it gives me a great deal of satisfaction knowing that someone is creating something with my products.

venus-in-tweeds used my blue skull buttons to finish off this delightful cardigan.

JupeyCat made this rather lovely heart ornament using my felt and buttons.

And DottyBlueBird made these very excellent Russian dolls using my felt. Aren't they fab??!!

If you have made anything with Titchables products and would like to be featured in a future show and tell post, please send me an email (titchables(at)gmail(dot)com) with a picture and what you used. Or you can of course use the convo function over at etsy if that is easier. :D

Looking forward to seeing your creations!!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-04-17T17:37:00.000+01:00

Love the colourful garland set against the rustic furniture!

So fresh looking.

I love a nice, organised craft space!

My mum would love this!

Gorgeous!

What a stunning cake!

I need to try and find this!

I love the detail on this.

I would love to get out my pastels and have a nice afternoon drawing. :)

Very tempted to give this a go!

Vintage plastic flowers, so many uses!

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

Spring Sunsets

2011-04-15T19:25:00.000+01:00

Over the last few weeks we've been getting some gorgeous sunsets. I'm fortunate enough that I live right by the coast, but I can't always get out with my camera unfortunately so I'm glad that I get to see the sun set right from my living room window. It's not the best angle, picture wise, but I still like to take a snap or two of the pretty colours in the sky.

Once again, sorry I've not been a particularly active blogger in recent weeks. I've gone through a recent spate of too-much-to-do-not-enough-time which is thoroughly annoying! I'm working my way through a to-do list and have lots of ideas rumbling around in my head for new products which I'm looking forward to working on soon.

Hope you all have a good weekend!

Buttons!

2011-04-09T22:08:00.000+01:00

It's not very often these days that I treat myself to lots of crafty things but I was feeling in the need for a buttony fix and these fit the bill perfectly! Looks how cute and colourful they are!!!

I have a few project in mind for them. I'm quite desperate to design and make some new handmade goodies for the shop and these are perfect for what I have in mind.

I'm looking forward to sorting through them all on my next day off. :D

Giveaway winner!

2011-04-08T18:10:00.000+01:00

And the winner is..................

Wendy, who wrote: Well done on so many sales- heres to the next 1000! i would love to be entered into your giveaway It's so hard to pick a favourite from your shop- the tapes are all gorgeous but i think my favourite thing is the strwaberry ice cream brooch- it makes me think of hot summer days

Thanks to everyone who took part! I will be doing more giveaways in the near future with more exclusive goodies!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-04-03T20:24:00.000+01:00

So adorable!

Love this idea, definitely want to give this a go.

Pretty pattern, and it's free too!

I love looking at cloud formations, storms are so pretty.

The detail on this dress is beautiful.

Such a good idea!

Cute!

Yummy!

Lovely colours.

Sunsets are magical.

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

Giveaway!!

2011-03-31T15:33:00.002+01:00

Yes, a brand new giveaway for all my lovely blog readers and Titchables fans! To celebrate reaching 1000 sales over at the etsy shop today (thank you so much!!) I am giving away this little bundle of crafty goodness and handmade to one very lucky winner!

The prize includes: 6 metres of Spotty Ribbon, a pack of 50 Spotty Buttons, Handmade Panda Fabric Buttons, a cute handmade Bunny Brooch AND a Masking Tape Sticker set!! Here's a better look at what you'll find in the sticker set (I ordered one with the deco tape just to see what they were like and I ordered another one specifically for a giveaway. You really won't be disappointed!):

Looks awesome right???!!!!

If you would like to be in with a chance of this unique prize package, all you have to do is head on over the etsy shop and tell me what your favourite item is and leave a comment here with your answer! Please leave your email address as well so I can contact you if you win!

The giveaway will end on April 7th and I will announce the winner on the 8th! Good luck!!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED. CONGRATS TO WENDY!!

DIY: Memo Board Tutorial

2011-03-29T20:56:00.000+01:00

A new tutorial! Well actually it's more of a little DIY walk through but I'm hoping you'll be able to be inspired by it at least. I recently found an awesome memo board in a thrift store which was just dying for a little make over.

As you can tell, it looked a bit, well... boring. It is amazing what a bit of paint can do, so let me show you!

All you need is: Acrylic Paint, Paint Brushes, Fabric, Deco Tape, fun shaped Buttons and some flat drawing pins.

First of all you want to paint all of the wood. This took about 4-5 coats using white. I wasn't too worried about going on to the cork part as that would be covered later, but I tried my best to keep the paint off the white board area.

Next, I cut a piece of fabric I liked to size so that it would fit in the corkboard area. I then generously painted the cork with PVA glue and glued the fabric in place.

You want to get your fabric as tight as possible and don't want to leave any bumps where you might have excess glue. To combat this, get a piece of card and holding down on one end of the fabric (you will get a bit sticky!) just slide the piece of card across. Any excess glue will come out and you can just wipe that away.

This will take a little while to dry so make sure to leave it for a while (I did it so it dried overnight).

The next thing I did was choose some pretty deco tape and stuck it on (rocket science, I know!). Deco tape is surprisingly sticky and it stays on really well on wood. Washi/masking tape would also work well here.

I added some more deco tape and voila! I now have a very pretty memo board/stationary holder!

I hope this has inspired! More tutorials will be coming your way soon!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-03-27T10:00:00.000+01:00

Supermooooooon!

Such gorgeous colour.

I need this in my life!

So cute!

These strung together would make a really cute baby mobile.

How lovely does this look to just sit on in front of the fire?

If I ever get married, this is what I want to wear! So gorgeous!

Panda bread. What's not to love?

So cute.

Panda's have the best life. <333

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

Spring has sprung!

2011-03-24T17:56:00.000Z

Well Spring has finally arrived! We've been enjoying some fabulous weather the last couple of days - warmth, blue skies and lots of sunshine! Unfortunately, I haven't been able to enjoy much of it due to work, but I have managed to squeeze in a walk and lots of photo taking when I can.

I hope you've been enjoying the change in seasons!

Sorry I haven't been an active blogger lately. Since taking on more hours at my day job, I'm finding it hard to find time to do all the things I used to do. Managing the shops and sorting out orders remains my number 1 priority so other things just get left behind. I'm hoping that as I get used to the new hours, I'll be able to plan myself more appropriately. :D

Donated

2011-03-20T21:44:00.000Z

As promised, here's the transaction reciept for my donation to the Red Cross for the Japan Tsunami relief fund. It wasn't a lot but it felt good to contribute a little bit of money.

If you're wondering, you can donate to several charities with Paypal via MissionFish which then directs the money to wherever you wanted to donate, which is why it doesn't mention the Red Cross on the reciept. :)

This was a really simple way to donate, so if you have a few spare pennies in your paypal, it's definitely worth it.

No Ten Pins tonight, will try and get them up for you tomorrow!

Felt Delivery!

2011-03-18T20:49:00.000Z

This is what my felt shelf looked like last weekend. It looks like a really sad state of affairs doesn't it? Luckily I knew I had a huge delivery on it's way to me so after sorting it all out, counting it and putting it on the shelf (and that took some doing!!) it now looks like this:

Ah much better! My plan for the next few months is to build up the back stock of felt. Before, because I was ordering when I really needed it, which has meant me ordering a small amount each month. Now that I'm in full time employment I have a bit more money to play with (in theory!!). I'm hoping that when that dreaded C-word thing happens again, I'll have double the felt you currently see. That's the plan anyway!

New Deco Tapes!

2011-03-15T20:31:00.001Z

Really excited about today's shop update! I finally decided to source some more deco tapes, and these are a bit different from the last lot I stocked. This time they will be sold in packs of 3. They are 10mm wide and get this: each have 8 metres of cuteness!!

I am selling the packs for £2.50 and they are all available on the online shop now!

The pack you see here is very limited edition. I could only get 2 lots. :( So if you want one, grab it now!

I've also added a brand new button bag, again only on the online shop for now. Some bright colourful stars! They come in packs of 30 and you can check those out by heading to the Plain Buttons section and scrolling to the bottom.

Don't forget, any handmade sales this week and I will donate 50% of the sale to the Red Cross relief fund for Japan. I will also be doubling any money I can donate from sales, so keep them coming.

Buy handmade for Japan

2011-03-13T21:00:00.001Z

I am sure you have heard what has happened in Japan. I have been thinking of ways to help out, so this is what I propose:

Buy any HANDMADE products in any of my shops including: titchables.co.uk, Etsy and Folksy and I will donate 50% of the price to the Japan Tsunami & Earthquake Appeal from the Red Cross.

So if there's a brooch, keychain or plush you've had your eye on for a while, please take this opportunity now to make the purchase!

Fundraising with begin with the posting of this blog and will end next Sunday at 9pm at around which time I will post the receipt for the donation.

If you want to donate directly to the Red Cross Appeal, please visit their website.

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-03-13T16:32:00.000Z

Felt Garlands

Beautiful crochet cushion. Want to try and do something similar!

Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes! Yuuuuummy!

Really love the colour palette here.

So clever!

Canada. Gorgeous colours! Hope to visit one day.

Once again, gorgeous colour palette!

This is why Panda's are my favourite animal!!

Fabric bird. Beautiful!

Lots of pretties!

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

New Mini Bear Plush!

2011-03-10T13:40:00.000Z

Introducing my brand new mini plush! I'm so excited about these and I love how they came out. I've been wanting to do some mini plush for ages and I finally drew a sketch which I thought would lend itself quite nicely to be tiny and cute. I have made them in 5 lovely pastel colours and they've got a lot of nice detail on them. You would think with something this small, they would be quicker to make, but they ended up taking a lot longer than I thought!

Look! They even fit in the palm of your hand! They only measure 3.5"

So they are a perfect companion for your Blythe doll, or just for simply displaying (or giving as a gift or....)!

You can buy all 5 colours now at titchables.co.uk and I am adding them to the etsy shop over the coming days (Blue and Peach currently available!)

Regarding the etsy shop - I have now converted all prices into pounds. I've umm-ed and ahh-ed about this for a while but it is the easier option for me when doing all my monthly sums. It can be quite time consuming to have to convert the dollars into pounds, and now that problem is gone. If you have set your local currency on etsy, then this will not affect anything and you will still see the prices in that currency!

And even more news! I have ordered in a few new bits and bobs - deco tapes mostly and some new embellishments which should be arriving soon. The deco tapes do really well when I have them in stock, but this new stock will be completely different. They are really cute and I'm sure you'll love them!

Happy Pancake Day!

2011-03-08T18:38:00.000Z

I actually had pancakes yesterday with the family, but today as I was on my own I wanted them again (I'm a big pig apparently!) so I looked up a recipe for American pancakes. This is the first time I've made them and they came out really yummy. Not the most asthetically pleasing, but when food is good, it really doesn't matter!

I also did some crispy bacon and poured a load of maple syrup over it. Delicious!!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-03-06T21:31:00.000Z

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Free Shipping Weekend!

2011-03-04T19:14:00.000Z

As a special treat, this weekend in the ETSY SHOP ONLY I am having a Free WORLDWIDE Shipping special offer!!

To claim your free shipping, all you have to do is enter the following code: FREESHIPMARCH when you go through checkout. You MUST put this code in the coupon area of checkout for it to qualify for this offer. The shipping will be deducted straight away and you won't be charged, and you won't have to wait for your refund.

The offer will end at 8pm Sunday so please make sure to grab this opportunity while you can!

Copenhagen!

2011-03-01T20:51:00.000Z

It just occured to me that I never posted my pictures from my trip to Copenhagen last month! It was such a wonderful time and I'm so grateful that I got to spend some time with my friends.

The Little Mermaid statue.

This was outside the royal palace and they were changing the guard. We managed to time it to see the full ceremony with the band and everything!

Copenhagen Library.

It was such a pretty day. Such a lovely picture too, I love capturing reflections in water.

Wonky house. I love seeing these in the midst of more modern buildings.

This was the outside of the museum. Really lovely place to visit!

This was taken on top of the Round Tower. Superb views of Copenhagen and it was a lovely bright day too!

Inside the church of the Round Tower. Very grand.

Probably my favourite picture of the trip. This was just taken using the film strip setting on my camera. I love using that to capture the shadows in buildings.

I obviously took a lot more, but these are my favourites! I will do another post sometime this week showing you some of the food we ate!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-02-27T20:00:00.000Z

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Felt Shade Cards

2011-02-26T21:27:00.000Z

After selling a few of these recently I thought I better make some more. These are a great way of seeing all the colours of felt I stock in person, and a great reference guide if, like me, you craft with felt and need to see what a colour looks like exactly before purchasing! You can purchase these shade cards at titchables.co.uk for the very excellent price of £1!

I did these while I had a quiet moment at work, which happens a lot when you work in a little shop which is tucked away. Speaking of work, this week I recently took on a more permanent role as someone else left so it does mean that my time is slightly more restricted. Luckily working where I do, it allows a lot of freedom for me to sew and other such business stuff (as long as it doesn't require the internet!) so I'm still being really productive - probably more so without the distractions of the web!

Custom Owl!

2011-02-22T22:00:00.000Z

I recently got this custom request which I finished up and sent out yesterday. I really love the colours they chose and I hope they really enjoy their unique owl!

I'm hoping to do lots of sewing over the coming weeks. It's time I replenished my back stock of plush and I have a few new designs I want to work on too!

USA Order Delays

2011-02-21T14:08:00.001Z

This appears to be a growing concern for myself and other shops sending orders into the USA. I've currently got at least 5 orders "MIA" since the beginning of this year, which isn't a lot compared to what some shop owners are dealing with, however for me that is still quite substantial.

In case you don't know, US customs have changed how they handle international mail since November and this is causing rather a lot of delays in getting orders to customers there. I just wanted to point out the current information concerning this problem direct from the Royal Mail website:

Update Feb 15 2011
The United States Department of Homeland Security is continuing to require increased security measures for items carried on passenger airlines. As a result, some mail entering the US from around the world, and including the UK, that would normally be sent via passenger aircraft must now travel by other means, including ships and cargo planes.
Most items, including personal letters and cards, magazines, CDs, DVDs and lightweight packets, will be delivered in the US within a few days of posting. However, there are delays of about two weeks for some heavier packets. These delays are currently affecting stamped items, franked items, and items posted under contract, with the exception of Destination Sort and/or M-Bag items.

Royal Mail is very sorry for these unavoidable delays. We have implemented a number of contingency plans to ensure as much of our customers’ mail reaches the US as quickly as possible and are continuing to work to minimise disruption to our customers, whilst ensuring we comply fully with the US directives and regulations.

So while I'm sending out orders ASAP, after they have left me it is out of my hands on how long they take to arrive. I have placed a message on the etsy shop to let customers know about the delays.

It's hugely frustrating to me, because I get a lot of custom from the US so I hope this doesn't frighten people off. I'm hoping that a better outcome will be reached soon!

Ten Pin Sunday

2011-02-20T16:48:00.000Z

I recently joined the site pinterest which is a fantastic way of seeing lots of different images - you basically "pin" anything that you like to your own virtual pinboard. I've decided to start a new feature where I will share my favourite ten pins each week. I hope you enjoy!

1. source 2. source 3. source 4. source 5. source 6. source 7. source 8. source 9. source 10. source

Chocolate and Vanilla Cake

2011-02-17T22:38:00.000Z

I decided to have a bit of a baking session today. I really love adapting recipes I find in my cake books and this is one of them!

I used the Vanilla cupcake recipe from the Hummingbirds cookery book (which you really should pick up! Or visit one of their bakeries in London!!) but I decided to make it into a two layered layer cake.

I cheated (as I sometimes do!) and used a can of Chocolate Fudge frosting for the outside and in between the layers and gosh, it came out very, very yummy!

Anyone for cake? :D

Felt Balls back in stock!

2011-02-16T15:17:00.000Z

Well they arrived, about an hour before I was leaving for the airport! Typical! Anyway, I have added all the new stock to the etsy shop and Titchables.co.uk!!

Also, all outstanding orders have been dispatched today so they should be with you soon!

I had an awesome time in Copenhagen, it's really beautiful there! Will post some pictures shortly. :)

Holiday Time

2011-02-09T16:49:00.000Z

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be away from Thursday 10th February until Tuesday 15th February. I am off to Copenhagen for a few days to see friends and I'm very excited!

So just to let you know, no orders will be dispatched during this time! I am also not sure what internet access I will have so I may not be able to answer any queries either.

Any orders placed during the time I am away will be dispatched either on the Tuesday (if I get home when I'm supposed to!) or Wednesday at the very latest.

Thank you for your patience!! I'll be sure to tell you all about my trip when I get back!

Spotty Buttons Clearance

2011-02-08T22:26:00.000Z

I've just added a new clearance item over at the etsy shop which I didn't want you guys to miss because I know you like your spotty buttons!

Mixed bags of all the leftover polka dot buttons in the bigger sizes to what I currently stock, plus some over stock of heart one's too. They come in bags of 50 but if you want more, feel free to send me a message on etsy.

I only have a limited amount of these so get in quick because they're on sale for the great price of $6.50 a bag! Clearance Spotty Buttons at etsy!

Felt Re-Stocked!

2011-02-04T23:57:00.000Z

All the felt has been re-stocked over at titchables.co.uk! I don't think I've seen my shelf so full of felt before, it's quite exciting - I could barely fit it in!

I am off to London tomorrow for a birthday weekend with friends - I'm sure lots of cake will be consumed! I'll be sure to share some pics when I get back. :)

Felt Balls

2011-02-03T23:43:00.000Z

I keep getting a lot of messages asking about when certain colours will be back in stock - just a quick message to let you all know that I have put in another order and should be with me by mid-Feb at the latest. I'm really pleased with how well they've done, they seem popular with a lot of you!

All felt squares should be back tomorrow as well (or Monday!).

Sorry for the lack of blog posts. I haven't been feeling 100% this week, time of year I think. Will try and get more on top of things soon. :)

You scream for ice cream!

2011-02-01T10:42:00.000Z

I've had doodles of ice cream in my sketch pad for quite some time, since at least the end of last summer. As it was a bit late in the season to make any, I put them on hold. Granted, it still isn't quite the season for ice cream goodness but I was desperate to make something cute and fun and these fit the bill!

Chocolate, Strawberry and Mint ice cream brooches. Aren't they cute?? I'm so glad to have found another project to use my teeny tiny pom poms on!

All available at the etsy shop now!

So cute!

2011-01-29T17:14:00.001Z

I just came across the tutorial to make this adorable bunny and I had to share the link because it's just so cute! You can check it out now over at the All Sorts blog!

Pincushions!

2011-01-25T11:32:00.000Z

Finally, some new handmade products! These didn't really come about until I actually received the fabric. I loved that flower cord fabric (you may recall from this post?) and thought it would be perfect as a pincushion so I decided to use some of my other lovely fabric and make lots of them.

It was fun sewing something with my sewing machine. I'm learning it slowly and making these helped me pick up a few more skills so I'm looking forward to progressing with it. I also had to learn how to do a slip stitch, which is something I've never figured out how to do - thankfully I think I've got it now!

This batch is for the etsy shop only though I may make some more for the online shop too if they do well.

Shop Update!

2011-01-21T16:01:00.000Z

I received some gorgeous new grosgrain ribbons from my supplier today, which I know you're gonna love too! We've got stars, flowers, hearts, stripes and even cute little buttons (!). I've uploaded them all onto the online shop so head on over there now! I will be listing them gradually over the coming days on etsy too!

Also over at the online shop are two new colours of spotty buttons!! I now stock red and hot pink so go and check them out!

For those interested, I will be stocking a mixed bag of spotty buttons soon over on etsy so be on the lookout for that listing soon.

Hope you like the new products, let me know what you think!

Fashion

2011-01-20T18:09:00.000Z

This is a new sort of post for me. I rarely post about the sort of clothes I like, but I've been eyeing a particular brand, Joe Browns for a while now so I thought I'd share some of my favourites.

Sultry Print Dress in red

Perfect Passion Dress

Bubble Knitted Tunix

Mix and Match Dress

All very tempting stuff!

Giveaway Winners!

2011-01-18T18:11:00.000Z

Congrats to the winners and a big thank you for everyone who entered! I'm hoping to make the giveaways a bit more frequent so check back often for new contests!

I would really appreciate it if the winners could email me with your address that would be fabulous! My email is: titchables(at)gmail(dot)com

Giveaway Closed!

2011-01-17T23:59:00.000Z

The giveaway is now closed! Check back tomorrow to see if you have won one of the three packages!

Thanks to everyone who has taken part!!

Bloglovin'

2011-01-14T00:53:00.000Z

I just discovered this a mere 30 minutes ago and I'm already up and running with all my favourite blogs. I've been using various different ways to keep up with my blog reading, but I've never had anything where it's all in the same place.

Bloglovin' works in a similar way as Google Reader but I'm already finding it much easier to get on with. The design is really simple as it gives you a main picture and a little intro to the post. When you click on the post link, it takes you directly to the blog (so that the owner gets those important hits and you can see their lovely blog design) and you can also mark posts as read AND favourite a post to come back to later.

Surprisingly, after that long winded praise you will be pleased to know that I was not coerced into saying any of that!

I've already added all of my favourites (and found a couple of new one's too!). It's very easy to sign up, so go check it out! If you want to add my blog to your reader list, just add the link - or you can click on the link on the left!

I should also mention that if you do have a blog, it let's you "claim" it as yours so you can see how many followers you have!

Dolly Love!

2011-01-12T21:45:00.012Z

So about a year or so ago I was introduced to the world of Blythe. I was in love from the first moment I saw them. I'm not sure why this feeling overcame me so quickly, but it did. So I obviously had a look for one online and was devestated to see how much they were.

However, all was not lost as I also discovered their Petite counterparts so I quickly started collecting those. It was this that encouraged me to start making my own dollshouse!

Anyway to cut a long story short, as a special treat after Christmas, I decided to take another look at the larger Blythe's to see if there was one in my price range (cheap as possible!) and there was. Huzzah! And here she is!

I've named her Cupcake and she's already had her own little photoshoot. :)

P.S. You can blame this on me not having any dolls when I was little!!

Giveaway Time!

2011-01-10T19:50:00.001Z

It's time for the first big giveaway of 2011! I've put together 3 lovely little packages of handmade goodies and I'm giving you the opportunity for lots of entries. Please read further down for more information on how you can enter!

Package 1 contains; Fawn 2011 diary, 2 x Pinwheel Brooches, Tree Brooch, Polaroid Brooch, Orange Bow Brooch and 2 x Mushroom Brooches.

Package 2 contains; 2 x Pinwheel Brooches, 1 Mushroom Brooch, 1 Tree Brooch, 1 Polaroid Brooch, 2 x Bow Brooches and 1 I Love You giant magnet.

Package 3 is the Christmas bundle! It contains; 1 gingerbread man, 2 stockings, 2 birds, 2 baubles, a Christmas pudding and a gingerbread house ornament!

How To Enter:

For each entry you MUST leave a separate entry. Doing all of the following options in one comment will only give you one entry!

1. Tell me what package you would like to receive! If you want to be in with a chance to receive all 3, please let 3 separate comments!

2. Promote the giveaway on Twitter, Facebook and your blog. For each bit of promo please leave a new comment and provide a link.

3. Follow my blog and let me know via the comments!

That's 7 different ways to enter!! There will be 3 DIFFERENT winners, 1 for each package.

The contest will run until the 17th and I will announce the winner on the 18th!

Good luck!

Treating Myself

2011-01-08T13:32:00.000Z

I haven't bought any new fabric for ages. Mostly due to the manic Christmas season and having a lack of creating time. However, now that things are slowing down a bit I've been really itching to work on some new handmade goodies for the shop.

I really want to work on my machine skills this year so a lot of this fabric will lean towards projects involving that. Over the last year I've really discovered what sells well and what doesn't in my shop regarding handmade so I'm going to focus that into what I make this year and even then, if I come with something brand new, well that just makes it more interesting!

This is by far my favourite fabric of the bunch. Not only is the pattern just delightful but it feels and looks just like corduroy! I can't wait to turn it into something!!

Sew Hip Feature!

2011-01-07T21:56:00.000Z

My mini felt bundle is featured in the new issue of Sew Hip magazine! What a great way to start the new year. :) I love seeing my goodies in print, it's so exciting opening a magazine and seeing something that is yours.

If you want to check it out, it's on the "Things We Love" section on page 15!

Post Office Fun

2011-01-05T22:05:00.000Z

Yesterday was the biggest post office run since I started the business! That right there is 19 parcels that were sent all around the world! In fact it was so big I had to go twice. Luckily I managed to get there both times when the queue was short.

If you've ordered from me before you will know that I like to write the address on cute paper, however to save on time, I just used some plain white sticky labels which I think I'm gonna keep using. Though I did add a bit of cute by adding some elephant stickers to all the parcels. :)

By the way, I have been keeping up with my photo-a-day challenge so far. If you want to keep track (because I don't intend on posting all of them here on the blog), you can check them out on my flickr!

Presents!

2011-01-03T14:40:00.000Z

Here's a selection of some of the goodies I got for Christmas. I got some bits from Gorjuss, Twinkie Chan's book, a photo finish Blue Nose calendar, Doodle Stitching and some kawaii plasters!

Happy 2011!

2011-01-01T23:08:00.000Z

I hope you've had some lovely New Year's celebrations. We never do much but we always go out to watch our local firework display at the end of the pier. The picture above is one I took - I'm clearly not very good at capturing large explosive pretties!

I've been thinking about some new year's resolutions and instead of just thinking about them this year, I've already taken steps to achieve them.

1. I want to lose weight. I'm not overweight, but I am getting to be quite the podge. Me and my mum have already made a date to go swimming next week and while we're there I'm going to check out the gym and any classes they might have that I could possibly join.

2. I want to take more pictures! I definitely lacked in 2010 so I really want to make up for it this year. I plan on taking 1 picture for each day. The picture above is from today and I really hope I stick to it, even if it's just various views of my garden!! I'm going to set up a folder on my flickr for these so you'll be able to see my progress.

3. I want to travel to new places! I already have a booked trip to Copenhagen for February to see friends, and 3 trips already planned for London for various adventures. Georgia and possibly Florida is also on the cards for later in the year!

I obviously have lots of different goals bubbling in my head for the business - things I want to achieve and introduce but for now I'm gonna keep them all a secret until I sort them all out and make an action plan.

Have you got any resolutions this year?

Crochet Gingerbread House

2010-12-31T14:53:00.000Z

Well I managed it! I finished the crochet gingerbread house. Not until Boxing day unfortunately but I'm very proud of it! I went a bit photo happy but I hope you like looking at it!

Such a happy little house!

The tree. Took me about 3 tries to get it started but I got there in the end!

The side. I decided to use regular pom poms instead of crocheting them. Saved a bit of time and I loved how cute they look!

It took me a while to glue it all together. In the end I sewed a lot of it together first so it would hold, especially when connecting the roof to the main house.

Another look at the side.

The back.

And the roof! This was the hardest part and took the longest. The pattern said to do french knots in red but as I had a lot of tiny red poms I thought I'd sew those on instead!

I feel a bit lost now not having a project to work on! Though I did get Twinkie Chan's crochet pattern book for Christmas so I will be making a start on some of her awesome scarves in the new year!

End of Year Sale!

2010-12-27T23:15:00.000Z

The sale has started early in the shops! I'm having a massive blowout sale at both titchables.etsy.com and titchables.co.uk!

To receive 20% off your entire order, make sure to include the code "2010BLOWOUT" with your order in the coupon section. You will see the discount straight away before you complete your order at both shops!

So go ahead and grab a crafty or handmade bargain for the new year!

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T00:54:00.000Z

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! Hope you have a lot of fun, and get everything you wished for! Don't eat (and drink!) too much!

Christmas Baking

2010-12-22T17:18:00.000Z

My favourite part of Christmas is probably all the food you get to eat. I also love baking at this time of year. I've had a lot of fun planning what I wanted to make.

I love home baked goodies. You get such a huge sense of achievement when you're done and you hear the lovely comments by those enjoying them!

I've still got some cupcakes and biscuits to make tomorrow but here's what I've made so far.

Apple Crumble Cupcakes

Middle: White Chocolate & Bailey's Truffles dipped in dark chocolate

Outside: Cherry Crunchies

I will be sharing the recipes soon! They all came out seriously yummy! Are you making anything for Christmas?

Posting Days

2010-12-19T22:22:00.001Z

I thought I would give you guys a heads up on the days I am planning on doing post office runs over the Christmas and New Years Holidays.

You should already be aware that time has run out to get parcels in time for international customers - however, you are very much free to continue to order as they will be dispatched in the same time as before. They just won't arrive before Christmas.

The last posting date for the UK is the 22nd. However, due to the snow I am bumping that up to the 21st.

So here's the days I am willing to go to the post office (I'm sneaking a few days off here and there!):

Monday 21st

Tuesday 22nd

Thursday 23rd

Edited: I have decided to have a week off, sorry for any inconvinience but I really could do with a bit of a break.

Normal posting duties will resume on Monday January 3rd.

All the shops will remain open for the duration of the holidays, and I will be responding to all enquiries on most days (except Christmas Day!!). Thank you guys so much for your continued support for Titchables!

Christmas Makes

2010-12-18T15:16:00.000Z

Seeing as there are a lot of fab tutorials out there for Christmas makes, I thought I would share some of my favourite's I've come across recently.

Peppermint Swirl Trees by All Sorts

Doily Garland by Candace Todds

Gingerbread House PDF by jcCrafTing

Glitter Village Houses

This one is fantastic, because there's a whole host of different tutorials available in the PDF which you just download. The houses were definitely my favourite though!

I hope to have one more Christmas tutorial of my own up this week for you so be looking for that soon!

Something accomplished

2010-12-16T23:37:00.000Z

Sorry for the lack of recent blog posts. I've been under the weather, working or been preparing myself for a jolly Christmas so haven't had a lot of time for writing anything. I have some good news today though - I finished my tree skirt!

I really love how it turned out! I changed the colours from the one in Crochet Today and I also adjusted the length a little bit (which worked out well because it would have been too big otherwise!).

I don't very often complete crafty projects for myself on time so I'm really excited that I did it. I can't wait to bring this out every year!

I'm still hoping to finish my crochet gingerbread house. I have a bit left to do on it though so I need to get a crack on with it.

I hope you're all enjoying the run up to Christmas!

New Product: Felt Balls

2010-12-09T20:30:00.001Z

So let's be honest right now. Who loves felt? I know I do! Ever since I started this venture of selling handmade I have fallen head over heels in LOVE. And ever since I began selling supplies of felt, I have been DESPERATE to locate a felt ball wholesaler. The last few months I have trawled Google with a million different search terms and come up handy everytime.

I was on such a quest a few weeks ago, and nearly giving up after page 20-odd of search pages, I FINALLY found JUST the right one. I immediately whipped off an email of enquiry and within the week I had chosen the colours I wanted and paid, and within another week they were MINE, all MINE.

Best of all, these little lovelies are all handmade and are 100% Fair Trade products - isn't that fab???!

I bought in 20 different colours which complement my felt squares and they are now all available on the Titchables Online Shop! You can buy individual colours in packs of 10 for just £1.20 and I've also put together several mixed themes too! There's also a big grab bag where you can sample all the colours!

I am going to be slowly rolling them out onto Etsy too but I won't be selling the individual colour packs there I'm afraid (at least not at the moment!).

Hope you like them, and as always if you have any questions, feel free to send them my way!!

P.S. If you are in the US/Canada, you need to get your orders in ASAP as tomorrow is the cut off date for getting parcels out in time for Christmas - so don't delay!!

Trains

2010-12-08T12:33:00.000Z

I seem to spend a large amount of time these days hopping on and off trains. It's definitely a fun way to travel (unless there's snow - the UK apparently can't deal with the white stuff, even just a sprinkling!). Anyway, the other day me and my family took a little day trip to Great Yarmouth (just for somewhere different to go shopping! We were bored of going to Norwich all the time.) and the sun was still rising and there was snow and it was just very pretty.

And the best part? I found a shop (not Starbucks - though we did discover one after!) that did Gingerbread Latte's, my fave!

More sales!

2010-12-05T21:20:00.000Z

Normally it's custom to mark down Christmas stock after the festivities are over, but this year, I've decided to do it before! All Christmas handmade goodies have reductions and you can check all their new prices out on the etsy shop. This sale is exclusive to etsy for the moment so check it out!

Tonight is the last chance for people in Central & South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and the Middle East to get their orders in for dispatch tomorrow in time for Christmas! I will of course still dispatch to these places after tomorrow but Royal Mail recommends the 6th as the cut off date (of course, that implies still no 100% guarantees unfortunately!).

I'm off out for a day trip tomorrow so the last bit of Christmas shopping will be done. Looking forward to going out as I've been stuck in all day making cakes (no bad thing though, of course!).

Buttons Galore!

2010-12-03T17:04:00.000Z

These have been on order for a while and they finally arrived this week! Button deliveries always make me happy, but this one was extra happy inducing because these are just so bright and colourful!

Flowers! Available in mixed bags of 50. $$$ and £££

Hearts! Available in mixed bags of 50. $$$ and £££

Tiny Round Buttons! Available in mixed bags of 100. $$$ and £££

I also have bags of 50 of individual colours (red, pink, purple, yellow, green and blue) available exclusively at http://www.titchables.co.uk/!

As if that wasn't enough, I have reduced loads of mixed button bags at both shops. Check out the sale section on etsy or the clearance buttons section at titchables.co.uk!!

Tree is up!

2010-12-01T21:06:00.000Z

Well my Christmas tree is up! I'm so glad I went with a white tree this year, it's so pretty! If you've got a good eye you'll see all the Titchables ornaments on there, plus my usual jingle beanie babies. I bought some new round baubles from Paperchase too which are perfect!

I spent a couple of days in London to go to a concert (Adam Lambert! Amazing performer!) and I also went to see Harry Potter 7 again but this time we saw it at the imax in Waterloo which was incredible. Loved the film even more the 2nd time. And yes, I also got stuck in the bad weather. The train broke down and I didn't get home until 11pm last night. Luckily, Norwich train station put on taxis for the people who missed their connection (me!) so I got dropped right outside my door. Not bad!

Some Christmas Makes

2010-11-26T21:42:00.000Z

As I completed a lot of Christmas back stock early (I highly recommend this!) it has given me a super opportunity to work on a few bits for myself. Along with sewing, I also love crocheting and have really gotten into it in the last year. Last Christmas, I purchased the Nov/Dec edition of Crochet Today in the hopes of making a few bits in it but never got around to doing so. This year, however, I pulled out the magazine and decided on two I really wanted to do.

Gingerbread House - I've done the front, back and one side so far. Still lots to do but I can't wait to see this finished! So cute!

Tree Skirt. I'm doing mine in different colours - blue, pink, white and sparkly blue. It's coming along nicely and it's going to look fab under my white tree this year (which uh, I have already put up!).

Do you have any plans to make anything for yourself this Christmas?

Don't forget, you can get yourself 15% off on everything at http://titchables.co.uk/ and http://www.titchables.co.uk/ until Tuesday, just quote "jinglebells" when going through checkout (make sure you put the code in the coupon bit otherwise there may be a delay in getting your discount)! The sale has gone down a storm so far and I am trying my best to get things re-listed as quickly as possible.

Christmas Posting Dates and SALE!

2010-11-24T21:21:00.000Z

Well as hard as it may be to believe, Christmas is fast approaching so it's that time of year again where I let you know the last posting dates so you can get your goodies in time for Christmas!

Australia/Asia - Dec 6th

USA/Canada/Europe - Dec 10th

UK - Dec 20th

As a special treat, for the next 6 days I will be running a BIG SALE, a massive 15% off on all orders up until November 30th. All you have to do is enter "jinglebells" when going through checkout at either http://titchables.etsy.com/ or Titchables.co.uk!

Make sure you take advantage of these massive savings as this includes EVERYTHING in the shops!! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment and I'll get back to you!

Blossom Plush + Harry Potter

2010-11-23T23:57:00.000Z

I have been wanting to make a tree plush for ages and ages and have been sketching ideas for the past few months but nothing has really urged me forward to actually creating anything. Finally, I had a brainwave and this blossom tree was born!

I'm really proud of how this one came out. It took a bit of time to put together as all the flower petals are sewn on individually but it was definitely worth the effort!

I decided to make the back a bit cute as well by sewing on a heart. :) The tree is now available at my etsy shop!

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In other news, I finally saw Harry Potter today and I loved it! I won't spoil anything for you but I did adore the re-telling of the Deathly Hallows bit (hopefully those that have seen it will know what I mean). So inspiring! Bit of a depressing movie overall but I still really enjoyed it. I'm going to London next week and while there, I'm planning on seeing it on the imax so can't wait for that! Roll on June for Part 2!

White Christmas Trees

2010-11-20T10:45:00.000Z

This year I have purchased a brand new (fake) Christmas tree. I've been wanting a white one for 2 years and I finally got my dream tree! I'm currently sorting out my living room (it's a funny shape so things needed to be moved around a bit!) so I have the perfect place for it but in the meantime, I thought I would share with you some white Christmas tree inspiration!

1. christmas tree and my red & white pleather reindeer!, 2. colorful white christmas tree, 3. White Christmas, 4. christmas tree 2009, 5. Christmas Tree 2005, 6. White Christmas Tree, 7. Day 337 - white christmas (tree), 8. my tree., 9. Christmas tree, 10. Mini Tree '08, 11. Ceramic Christmas Tree, 12. Our Christmas tree, 13. Vintage Retro Shiny Brite White Christmas Tree Shabby Chic, 14. White Christmas Tree, 15. Christmas Tree 2005, 16. Pretty For Christmas

So what kind of Christmas tree do you go for? Green? Black? Real? Fake? Upside down?

Sewing time!

2010-11-18T14:50:00.000Z

It's been a bit quiet at the day job now that the tourist season is over. I work in a little clothes shop which is tucked away so it's perfect opportunity to sit by the heater and sew the day away. Don't get me wrong, I do occasionally have to serve customers, but that is becoming a rare occasion.

Either way, this is what I managed to finish last weekend. A bit of back stock, re-stocks and new stock! The newest items are some needle cases and 2011 diaries and a brand new plush which I am so pleased with - a cute pink blossom tree! All will be going in the shop over the coming days. :)

New Spotty Buttons

2010-11-16T19:06:00.000Z

I received these lovelies over the weekend. Little spotty buttons in 9 new colours. These are a bit smaller (12mm) then what I've stocked before as I've had to change supplier, but just as cute! You can now buy them individually for 10p each over at the Titchables Online Shop!

Also on that page, you can purchase the remaining stock I have of the old spotty buttons which are now reduced in price to clear!

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Coming soon: Prepare yourself for lots of Christmas inspiration! I have declared it time to get excited about the festive season and I'm getting lots of pretty blog posts ready for you in the run up to Christmas!

Advent Calender Tutorial

2010-11-13T21:47:00.000Z

Introducing the Titchables advent calender tutorial! I've been working really hard on this for the past month - designing, making and writing it up and I'm so excited to share it with you. So without any further delay, here it is!

Materials
- 2 x White Felt Sheets (9"x9")
- 6 x Coloured Felt Sheets (9"x9") - I used Red, Leaf, Turquoise, Electric Blue, Pistachio and Hot Pink from my range.
- Interfacing
- Ribbon
- Ruler
- Scissors
- 6 x Coloured Embroidery Threads (I used similar colours to the felt)
- Craft Glue
- Sewing Needle
- Embroidery Pins

Step One
- Cut 24 2inch squares. 4 per colour. You then want to arrange your squares - 4 across, 3 down. This is just so you can sort out what colours you want your numbers.

Step Two
- Cut out your numbers! I did the colours at random, but tried to give as much contrast as possible. I cut all the numbers freehand, but if you don't feel confident to do that here's a tip: Go into any word processing program, pick a nice thick font and put the font size up to 72 (you may need to adjust this depending on the font). Type out numbers 0-9, print and there you have your number pattern!

Step Three
- Grab your craft glue and stick all your numbers on to the squares. This is a bit of a cheating way of doing it, so if you do want to sew them on, go for it!

Step Four
- Now you want to arrange your squares properly on your white felt. There was nothing technical to this, just get them as level as possible and centred. When your happy with your positions, get your embroidery pins and pin them to the white felt sheets.

Step Five
- Time to sew. I used a back stitch, which is a bit time consuming so make sure you get yourself comfy with a cup of tea (or whatever your favourite drink is!). And a bit silly pointing this out, but remember to leave to top edge. Whichever way you sew your squares on, make sure it's a nice secure stitch so nothing can fall through.

Step Six
- Now's the time to attach your two big felt sheets! You'll need to put your lower white sheet just below the bottom coloured squares on your top white sheet. Pin in place. I used a sewing machine to attach, but if you don't have one, hand sewing will work just as well!

Step Seven
- Get your interfacing and place your calender on top. Cut around the edge, but leave about an inch extra around all sides. Turn your calender over so the back is on top, place the interfacing over the top (the rougher edge should be facing down) and iron over well until firmly attached to the felt. You then need to cut around the edge so it's nice and neat. (The interfacing is for giving the calender a bit more strength and shape).

Step Eight
- You're now going to attach the ribbon so you can hang your calender up! Cut 2 bits about 6" long. Important bit! When attaching the ribbon, make sure both sides are level. I attached the ribbon by putting in a running stitch, but as long as you make it secure any way is fine. Now you just need something to hold the whole thing up! I used a long wooden dowel, but you could use anything you have to hand.

And your done! All you need to do now is put something lovely in your pockets. Sadly the chocolate I bought is a smidge too big so I'm going to have to go out and get something else (which is just terrible - extra chocolate, yuck!!...) but you can put whatever you fancy in there - messages, sewing bits, activity cards (great for the kids!) - the possibilities are endless!

I really hope you enjoyed this tutorial and if you do give it a go, I would love to see the results! I have set up a flickr group for you to share your final pieces, or you can even share your in progress shots! If you need any help or any encouragement feel free to post something in the discussion section!

Christmas @ Titchables

2010-11-12T16:21:00.001Z

Christmas @ Titchables
Originally uploaded by titchables

All these Christmas items (and more!) now all come with FREE SHIPPING over at the etsy shop!

So head on over and grab yourself some festive lovelies for your home this Christmas! :)

New Business Cards!

2010-11-11T22:56:00.000Z

I recently designed some brand new business cards for me to send with my parcels and they arrived just in time too, as my old one's had ran out! I really like how clean and simple these look, and the fact that the back in blank for me to write a personal thank you note to the buyer.

It's been really busy in the shops the last couple of weeks which is fantastic! I had a felt delivery on Monday but I've had to order some more today to replenish. I've also ordered in some brand new spotty buttons which should be arriving soon.

I have decided to cancel the ornament exchange as there wasn't a lot of interest. Maybe I'll try again next year! Sorry to the people that did sign up.

The sneak peak which I showed you earlier in the week is on the way, I just need to put the finishing touches on it! So excited to share it with you!

Q&A with me!

2010-11-09T19:43:00.001Z

I was recently honoured to be asked to take part in the Gnovember celebrations over at the Gnome Angel blog. The interview has now gone live so you can now check it out right here!

This was my first time doing a Q&A and I had a blast. I hope it gives you the opportunity to get to know a bit more about me and what makes me tick.

Sneak Peak

2010-11-06T21:11:00.000Z

Here's a little sneak peak of an upcoming project that I'll be posting on the blog. I've been working on this for about a month and I'm excited that it's nearly ready to share with you all. I hope you'll like it too when it goes live!

More Mini Wreaths!

2010-11-03T21:08:00.000Z

Two more Mini Yarn Wreaths are now available at the Etsy shop. All the wreaths for this season are exclusive to etsy, and will not be available at my other shops. All are unique so once one has gone, that is it!

Mini Yarn Wreath - Hot Pink

Mini Yarn Wreath - Sparkly Blue

You can check out the Christmas section at the etsy shop and the online shop. I am happy to do any custom quanities of any of the handmade ornaments (except the wreaths) up until about the 20th of November. If you are interested, feel free to email me. :)

Thrift Finds!

2010-10-29T13:53:00.000+01:00

There is a really awesome charity shop right by my house and I love walking past it because there's always lots of lovely new things in the window display. Quite a few months ago, a GORGEOUS owl tapastry appeared and I had a major case of "wantsies" then I saw the price and got a bit put off, not that it wasn't worth the money because it was beautiful and had been framed properly.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I was in there for a browse and the owl was still there, and I just had no choice but to claim it as my own. I LOVE IT. I finally got around to putting it on the wall in my living room and it's such an amazing piece of work.

Also, while at the last car boot sale of the summer, I stumbled across another beautiful long stitch piece of Mount Figi in Japan. As you know, I love anything Japanese so I quickly forked over the £2 and brought it home. Again, I've just gotten around to putting it on the wall. Aren't the colours gorgeous??

New Fabric Button Sets

2010-10-27T21:38:00.000+01:00

Four new fabric button sets have now been added to the online shop and my etsy. The Little Red set has been out of stock for quite a long time and I finally found some more fabric! New are black cats, robots and cupcakes! Hope you like them!

Atlanta

2010-10-26T17:17:00.000+01:00

This is a very brief review of my trip to Atlanta, GA earlier this month. I went with 2 very good friends and we started off by staying in Alpharetta for the weekend which is just beautiful. The weather was gorgeous the entire time we were there, around 80 degrees! Lovely to get some sun in October! After the weekend we headed to downtown Atlanta. Anyway, onto the pictures!

This was the view from the hotel car park. Not too shabby right?

So pretty, fall/autumn is my favourite season and one that is perfect for GA!

We had lots of yummy smoothies while we were there, but this one was by far the best! Strawberry, Banana and Haagen-Dazs icecream. Yum!

Visit to the Cheesecake Factory. This was desert. Most delicious cheesecake I have EVER had. Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake. Nom nom nom!

We had lunch at Hooters! Fun!

This is the olympic park in downtown Atlanta.

We visited the CNN Center. Interesting to go around and see them filming!

Shot of downtown.

America goes epic for breakfast. So much food.

World of Coca Cola. This was lots of fun!

We then went to the zoo. I'll do a post about this another day because the animals are adorable and they have Panda's!!

A church in downtown.

On the way home. :(

Overall I had an amazing time. I definitely want to go back sometime! Hope you enjoyed looking at the pictures!

Felt Delivery!

2010-10-22T23:14:00.000+01:00

Well my felt order finally arrived this afternoon. I had to delay it by a few days because I had family visiting and I didn't know when I would be home this week. It's all been a bit tiring and stressful since I came home from the US and I really could do with another week to get my barings - luckily I have just that as I am only at the day job tomorrow then I'm off again for a few days. Can't wait to catch up on some much needed sleep!

The picture shows some of the felt bundles I made today, I like to get a few ready just in case I am short on time. That way I can grab them and package them quickly! The rest of the felt is in a giant pile next to my dolls house, which I have shown you before. Hopefully this lot lasts a couple of weeks at least!

Now is an excellent time to buy felt for all your Christmas makes this year. I have completely updated the stock numbers on the felt page at the website so you can easily purchase felt by the square. And of course you can always buy them in the pre-selected bundles at etsy! *sorry for the plug, felt like I hadn't done that in a while!*

Phew

2010-10-18T22:22:00.000+01:00

You see, the problem with going away is that you have to eventually come back. And coming back means that you have to get back into the swing of normal life things, which at the moment, I am finding hard to do. *sigh*

I had an amazing time in Georgia and once I can piece together some words and my pictures I will show you all from my trip. I will reveal that I saw a panda for the first time ever, and I am in love! But more on that later in the week.

This is a quick post to just let you know that any outstanding orders were dispatched today. It was quite exciting going to the post office with a big bag of orders to send! Also, another fyi - if you order felt this week there may be a very short delay in dispatch (1-2 days at the very most) due to me being out of stock of a few colours. The order is on the way though! Hopefully it'll come tomorrow!

I'm Home!

2010-10-15T20:15:00.000+01:00

Hi all! Just a quick message to let you know that I'm home from the US. I'm exhausted but I had an amazing time and I can't wait to share with you guys!

It's my birthday tomorrow so no work for me but Sunday I will be packing all orders to be dispatched on Monday. Thank you for your patience! :)

Holiday Time!

2010-10-04T17:01:00.000+01:00

You're probably going to start thinking I go away too much, and this year that might be true. My next holiday is a biggie though as on Friday I'm going to Atlanta, GA for a week! I'm extremely excited about it and nervous at the same time as it's my first flying trip away from my mum (aww bless!) but I'm going with two fabulous friends and I'm sure we're going to have a blast.

So I wanted to let you know what's happening with the shops while I'm gone. As before, I've decided to keep them open (all except Folksy which will be put in holiday mode). Any orders made between October 7th-16th will be sent when I get home. I do actually get home on the 15th but I'm pretty sure I will have epic jetlag, plus the 16th is my 25th birthday so I think I deserve that day off, yes?

Anywho, if you do want to order anything urgently, I will still be sending parcels Oct 5th and 6th, so do get your orders in ASAP!

London

2010-10-02T20:42:00.000+01:00

So this past week I took a trip to London for a couple of days with my parents. No reason in particular, just nice to get away and do something different! I like visiting London, but I'm not a big city girl so the crowds do get to me after a few days - but it was great re-visiting some places, hopping on and off the underground and being a tourist!

When we got there we headed for our hotel, then set off in search of Fortnum and Mason - which if you're not familiar is a fancy shop. It was okay, but perhaps a little too pricey for me. Then we headed to Harrods, which again is on the expensive side but I do like walking around there, especially the sweets/cake area. I ended up buying cupcakes for everyone. I had Red Velvet (I wish the rest of the country would catch up with this flavour of cake!!), Mum had Carrot and my Step dad had double chocolate. :)

Later on that day, we headed for Westminster and went on the London Eye. I'm scared of heights so it was an interesting experience but I focused on taking lots of pictures which kept my mind off how high we were!

And then the next day we got on the train and headed to Hampton Court. We went to the Tower of London last year which was great (and I would love to go around that again!) and as me and my mum both love the Henry VIII era this was a really great day. It rained, but other than that we had a great time wandering around the palace and gardens.

Christmas is here!

2010-09-28T10:00:00.001+01:00

I have been busy the last few weeks getting lots of Christmas sewing done. I wanted to be able to get a good range of back stock ready because I know how overwhelmed I felt last year sewing all those pom trees at the last minute.

I'm thankful because working where I do, I get the opportunity to spend a lot of it sewing. And with the tourist season winding down, it means the shop is even quieter, a little boring for me, but at least it gives me the chance to do a lot of Titchables work.

Anyway, this post is a bit of a show and tell on what I am offering this Christmas!

Christmas Mini Yarn Wreath - Soft Green - Available at etsy

Christmas Mini Yarn Wreath - Soft Red - Available at etsy

Felt Feathered Bird Ornaments - Available at etsy and Titchables.co.uk

Felt Spotty Button Stockings - Available at Titchables.co.uk

Rudolf the Reindeer Ornament - Available at Titchables.co.uk

Christmas Pudding Ornament - Available at Titchables.co.uk and etsy

Pom Tree Ornaments - Available in Pretty Pinks, Traditional Greens or Cool Blues, or as a full set of nine. All available at Titchables.co.uk and etsy

Eventually, everything will be available at both shops, as well as a few select items at Folksy. If you are interested in bulk ordering I encourage you to contact me ASAP, same goes with any shop owners interested in wholesale for this Christmas season. :)

New Felt Bundles

2010-09-26T22:40:00.001+01:00

New Felt Bundles
Originally uploaded by titchables

With the changing seasons I have revamped the felt bundles. You can now choose from 5 new mixes, that's 10 squares for £5!

We now have Autumn, Christmas (great for your festive crafting!), Winter, Cupcake and Brights.

I really love the new mixes and I hope you do too!

They are now available on the etsy shop and I'll be loading them onto the folksy shop shortly.

Tomorrow I'll be working on the felt section at titchables.co.uk. I'm hoping to make it easier to buy the felt on there which I've been meaning to do for the last few weeks!

Tutorial: How to make cover buttons

2010-09-23T20:29:00.000+01:00

I've had a few requests over the past couple of months for some tutorials and I've finally found the time to work on a few. One that I get asked the most for is how to make cover buttons, which is what I'm going to show you today. I've taken lots of photos to illustrate the instructions, but feel free to use the comments to ask any questions you may have. :)

1. First, get your materials. You'll need fabric, scissors, cover buttons, cover button tool and a fabric pen.

2. Okay, find a design on the fabric that you want to make into a button and take the top cover button piece. Draw a circle around it about 1.5cm from the edge as shown.

3. Repeat how many times you like and cut out the pieces. Word of advice, it is better to have a bit too much fabric around the design, than too less.

4. Right, again take the top piece of the cover button and one circle of fabric. Position the fabric so that the design is in the middle and hold tight. (Sorry there's no photo of this, it's a two hand job and taking a photo would prove difficult!) Keeping a tight hold of your fabric, you then need to push this into the cover button tool. If you flip the rubber bit over you can see how your fabric is positioned. As you can see, mine has stayed close to the centre.

5. The first picture shows what it should look like from the back. All you have to do is push all the excess fabric down into the button. If you have too much, just trim some of it off. (This is why it's good to have too much excess. Too little and you'll end up not covering the button properly!).

6. Next take the shank part of the button and position it on top of the folded over fabric.

7. Take the other part of the cover button tool and position it up with the shank. Press down hard (you'll need to do this on a hard surface and use a bit of force!). You should hear a soft click once it's in place.

8. And there you go, one button made! It takes a bit of practice but once you've got the hang of things (particularly when it comes to positioning your design) it becomes pretty easy to do.

9. Carry on with the other circles of fabric you cut out and tah dah - one complete set of quirky owl buttons!

Like I said at the start, if you have any questions, please do ask in the comments section. Hope you liked what is the first of many tutorials I have planned! :D

Sale!

2010-09-21T23:12:00.001+01:00

Sale
Originally uploaded by titchables

I have added a few new items to my sale section at etsy. Some of them are up to 40% off and once they expire they will not be relisted so now is the perfect time to get yourself some early stocking stuffers! :D

White Choc Chip Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting!

2010-09-20T19:06:00.003+01:00

Decided on a spur of the moment to bake some cupcakes this afternoon, sometimes you just feel the need for cake. :) I've never made anything with frosting before so I was really excited about using some! I did cheat and bought frosting from a can though! Either way if you want to give them a go (and they're very easy to make) the recipe is below!

White Choc Chip Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting

Makes 12 approx.
Ingredients:
3 1/2oz Butter
3 1/2oz Caster Sugar
3 1/2oz Self Raising Flour
2 Eggs
50g White Chocolate Chips

1. Mix everything except the choco chips with an electric whisk until smooth, then spoon in the chips.
2. Put mixture in cupcake cases and place in oven on gas mark 5/190c/375f for about 15-20 minutes.

The frosting I used was by Betty Crocker. I then finished the cupcakes off with some pink sugar crystals.

See? Simple! :D

Follow Up!

2010-09-18T19:47:00.003+01:00

Following on from my wholesale post yesterday I'm pleased to say the shop owner has received the items and they are now out on the shelves! The shop is called Not For Ponies and is located on the 3rd floor of Afflecks Palace, Northern Quarter in Manchester! The owner, Beckie, has kindly shared a couple of pictures taken in her shop today.

If you live nearby, I hope you can check it out! You can find out more info on Not For Ponies at their website!