EA LOVES : etsy

#ealmondaymaker, art, etsy, gold, handmade, silk, silk and gold

#ealmondaymaker Silk and Gold on Etsy

10:33 AM

Hello lovelies and welcome to a new #ealmondaymaker here on #eal! Today we are visiting the shop Silk and Gold on Etsy... Here is Gillys shop description:

I arrived in the creative world via sculpture and I have a small gallery next to my home in south County Wexford, Ireland.

In the past I have enjoyed many crafts including paperrmaking but then came upon a course teaching silk papermaking and I was completely enamoured.

Silk paper is made from raw silk which is the first stage of unravelling the silk thread from the coocoon made by the silkworm. This raw silk still has the sericin in the fibre (that's how the worm makes the cocoon) so by wetting the silk fibres and basically painting with them, I am able to make luscious silky artworks is any colour imaginable.
Such fun.!

Then I found some gold leaf that I had been using in a piece of glass sculpture and started to lay the gold leaf on the silk. Looking Good.

The sheen of the silk thread and the gold leaft so compliment each other I just had to start making more and framing them. . And here I am, opening a shop on Etsy and SilkandGold had to be the name. Enjoy x

So now that we have met Gilly lets pay a visit to her shop 'Silk and Gold' on Etsy HERE where you can buy a really unique piece of art made with the most beautiful of materials.

Aideens pick:

I really enjoyed looking at Gillys pieces and love everything really-the colours of the silk fibres are all very pretty and eye catching and at the moment I am loving anything that has gold detailing!! I have to share my fave item from Silk and Gold:

This framed blue silk fire piece is so cool-I love the layout of everything and the blue and gold €22 HERE

Emily's pick:

Ok, so I know its a little early to start thinking about the Holiday's… but I couldn't help it when I saw this piece in Gilly's Shop. The beautiful green and blue fibers intertwined with the gold is so elegant, and this unique piece would definitely add a unique twist of a holiday themed mantle piece display.

Deep Sea Depths $31.89 HERE

Another lovely piece that would make a gorgeous present for any bookworm are the Silk and Gold bookmarks which are only €5!!

Thanks so much to Gilly for inviting us for a look around her shop! We had so much fun-would you like us to come and visit your shop?? Message us here or on our Facebook page,

Emily & Aideen

#ealcraftyquestionnaire, #ealmondaymaker, badges, Emma, etsy, handmade, pins, pointy pins, sewing, the curious needle

#ealmondaymaker Emma from The Curious Needle & Pointy Pins!!

9:20 AM

Hello lovelies!!! So today it's time for another #ealmondaymaker who has taken on the #ealcraftyquestionnaire and it's the lovely Emma from The Curious Needle & Pointy Pins!!! Enjoy....

1. When did you start crafting?

2. What made you start crafting?

1 & 2 I first got into crafting in 2008. I was on maternity leave with my first child and needed a hobby to keep me sane! Initially, I was into papercrafting, mostly making cards, with a short lived venture into scrapbooking. Since then, my interests have changed slightly and now my main craft is sewing.

Cool Adventure Time case (Side note from Aideen, "It was seeing these Adventure Time goodies in Emmas shop that got us into watching the show and now we are all hooked" Available HERE €10.16

3. Where can we see your makes?

You can see what I'm currently working on at www.facebook.com/thecuriousneedle

4. Do you have an online store for your makes?

I have two Etsy stores. The Curious Needle (www.thecuriousneedle.com) is where I sell my makeup bags and pencil cases. I also sell badges for party bags, bottle openers, pocket mirrors and pendants/paracord necklaces in my other shop Pointy Pins (www.pointypins.com)

Emmas fun badges would make fun party gifts!! This fairy set is available HERE

5. Favourite embellishments?

I love buttons! Whether I'm sewing or making cards, I love to use them.

6. Craft tools you can't live without?

My best craft tool has to be my Olfa rotary cutter and mat. It's absolutely essential to me when I'm cutting fabric for my bags. I love it because it's both fast and precise.

7. Favourite craft companies?

My favourite stamp company is Papertrey Ink. I'm a big fan of their simple aesthetic. When it comes to fabric, I love Timeless Treasures for their novelty prints. They are super fun to work with!

8. Who is you main crafting inspiration?

One of my main crafting inspirations is Twinkie Chan. She mainly crochets (which is something I can't do at all!), but her creations are such fun! I also love Nichole Heady's blog for card inspiration.

There are lots of Make up Large size pouches too like this Sugar skull beauty available HERE

9. Favourite season or holiday to craft?

I love Halloween, but I use skull and gothic fabric all year round!

10. Favourite project you have made?

My favourite project was a quilt I made for my mum's 60th birthday. It was my first quilt, and it was definitely a labour of love. It's not perfect, but it felt like a big achievement!

11. Favourite type of project to make?

I like fast results, so any project that takes about 30 minutes is high up on my list! I guess my bags are something I love to make, which is lucky seeing as I've made about a 1000 of them in the past year!

12. Projects you are currently working on?

I always have a ton of WIP's lying around. Some things I'm working on at the moment are a Wonder Woman skirt, a new cross body bag design for my shop and a quilt for my daughter's room.

Glow in the dark skeleton mirror HERE

13. Any particular project or style of project on your to do list?

I need to make 6 blinds for my kitchen, which I've been promising to start for the past year. There's always something more fun to make though!

14. Favourite colours to use in projects?

I don't have any real preference for colours, but I love using novelty prints in my work.

Thanks so much Emma!!!

Emily & Aideen x

#ealcraftyquestionnaire, #ealfridayfeaturing, etsy, handmade, Paper cove keepsakes, Sandie Dunne

#ealfridayfeaturing Sandie Dunne!!

10:33 AM

#ealmondaymaker, bracelet, brooch, etsy, handmade, jewellery, necklace, swanky jewels, vintage

#ealmondaymaker Swanky Jewels on Etsy

8:08 AM

Hello lovelies today we have a fun share here on the blog-we are going to visit Swanky Jewels on Etsy! You can find Sues fabulous store HERE and this is the shop description:

"I started making jewelry many years ago. I have always been creative, and can turn my hand to most things, but because I love the creative jewelry process, starting with seeing beautiful beads, getting ideas in my head, and turning them into actual designs, and then making them up into the finished piece, I decided to take it further.

I started selling my jewelry alongside loose beads in my first shop on Etsy,www.etsy.com/shop/amazingbeads, and got such a good response from buyers that I decided to open a second shop, this one, just for jewelry, and keep my Amazing Beads shop for beads.

Additionally, I have a love for all things vintage. Anything vintage, clothes, furniture, you name it, but particularly jewelry (who would have guessed?), so I decided that I would combine my love of vintage with my love of creating and sell both types of jewelry in this shop, which, as you know I have called Swanky Jewels.

Do you know, I've always wanted to have a shop by that name, ever since I lived in London, and in Camden Town there was a shop called Swanky Modes (I wonder if it's still there - I doubt it!).

Swanky Modes was full of vintage and particularly retro clothes, and every single time I passed it by, I thought 'what a lovely name'. That is why, because I am selling vintage jewels too, I decided to use 'Swanky Jewels' as my shop name. I think the name rolls off the tongue well."

#ealpicks

Sue's shop is so much fun to browse through and you would easily find something nice for yourself or maybe as a gift for a special someone. I love that there is a large collection of all kinds of jewels and everything is so different making it a delight to peruse.

One of my FAVE pieces is this feather pendant necklace-the blue enamelling is so eye catching and adds the perfect touch to this fun piece:

Pale blue enamelled feather on gold chain €38 HERE

How cute is this vintage pearl and rhinestone bug brooch?? It's definitely a unique piece that would add a fun element to your outfit!!

Vintage pearl and rhinestone bug brooch €32 HERE

Also available in the shop are some really pretty handmade pieces like this bracelet set-perfect for someone who likes jewellery and does not want something from the high street that lots more people have. The gemstones used are so colourful and also the properties for each is explained in the items listing which is a really nice touch!

3 stacking gemstone bracelet set €52 HERE

Do pop over to Sue's shop for a looky at all her pieces and tell us your favourite!!

Emily & Aideen x

#ealsewingshare, #ealwantitwednesday, apron, etsy, handmade, pattern, ruffle apron, sewing

#ealwantitwednesday Patterns - A lovely Little Ruffled Apron

4:12 AM

Hello Lovelies,

Emily here today with a #ealsewingshare ! I thought it might be a fun little installment to add, since I have been making a real effort lately to start working my way through at least some of my current fabric stash! I don’t by any means have a HUGE hoard of fabric, but over the past two years I have definitely accumulated quite a collection. After doing a recent craft room clean up, it sort of just hit me… I need to start making some stuff with all this lovely fabric I have been collecting. So I had a little conversation with myself (is that weird?) Hope I’m not freaking anyone out, lol, but anywhooo -- I said, “Emily, unless you start making some projects with all this fabric you seriously need to stop buying more fabric. On top of that, you have a brand new sewing machine that you REALLY NEED to use more!” So, the outcome of this little conversation with myself is that for the next month or so I am going on a little fabric spending freeze, and I'm going to try and work my way through some of the beautiful stash that I already have. I think it's so easy to fall in love with all the latest and greatest collections and forget all the lovely bits you have hiding out on your shelf already.

So, the reason why I am sharing this little “ah-ha” moment with you is, in my effort to use my stash, I have been on the hunt for pattern and project ideas. Through my searching I came across this fab little Etsy shop called "I Make It You Make It."

“I Make It; You Make It" features sewing patterns for fun, fashionable accessories,things like vintage-inspired turbans, men's bowties, unique wallets, detachable peter pan collars and more!”

The shop owner, Stefanie Fail, has a nice selection of lovely vintage inspired patterns, so you are sure to find something that strikes your fancy. Over the weekend, I used her Reversible Ruffle Apron pattern to make the apron pictured above! Isn’t it adorable? The fabric just screamed apron to me. This pattern is very well written and super easy to follow. The pattern comes as an Etsy instant download (.pdf ) complete with loads of full color images to clarify the instructions. You also receive an additional pdf explaining how to make pockets. Though I didn’t include any on this first apron, it’s a handy little tutorial to have. I think the project took me a total of 2 hrs. to put together, with a little break in there, so it whipped up super fast! I actually picked up two more of her patterns the other day and am in the process of trying them out. If you are interested, I can certainly share a review of those patterns as well, along with my makes!

Be sure to stop by Stefanie's Shop to see all of her vintage inspired patterns!

Emily x

#ealthriftythursday, art, Chrishanthi, etsy, handmade, miniature woodblocks, Ppinkydolls

#ealthriftythursday with Ppinkydolls!!

8:37 AM

#ealfridayfunday, Chrishanthi, etsy, giveaway, Ppinkydolls

#ealfridayfunday we are celebrating with a giveaway!! GIVEAWAY EXTENDED

8:32 AM

#ealmondaymakes, Chrishanthi, crafting, digi stamps, etsy, handmade, Ppinkydolls

#ealmondaymakes with Chrishanthi's Ppinkydolls

6:21 AM

Hello lovelies, I originally 'liked' Ppinkydolls Facebook page HERE after I saw someone liking one of her pics and I just loved the look of her gals!

Then more recently I saw that she was selling digi stamp versions of her girls so I had to ask her of she would like to sponsor a digi for one of our #ealmondaymakes and here we are and we are very excited :)

You can buy this digi HERE and they are really great value at €2.28 and with even more in her Etsy shop HERE

Aideens make:

I made this monochromatic with a touch of pink aperture card using my cool grey promarkers-I also used the markers to colour some crochet lace and the grey flower (they were originally white). Isn't she just the cutest-I want ALL of the digis now. I also placed another Ppinkydolls order from her Etsy store including woodblock mini prints, cards and postcard prints! I think I will be making an area to create a collection of all these goodies in my craft room as they are so pretty and inspirational and just so cute!!

Emily's makes:

Here are the two cards I created using the Ppinkydolls digis. After trying out the first one that Chrishanthi sent us, I just had to pop over to her shop and pick up a couple more.

The layouts of both cards are pretty much the same. I wanted to keep things simple, so the beautiful images would really be the focus. I colored my digis up using colored pencils, as I thought the softer look suited the light and airy feel they have. As a final touch, I added sentiments using some stamps from my stash, along with some leftover gold rub-ons that just happened to be out on my desk.

I really enjoyed working with these images. They have such a unique and artsy look, which really makes them so fun to create with! I am thinking my next project with them will be some sort of mixed media piece ;)

Also available are amazing mini prints, and even one of a kind clay art dolls which are breath taking....