Name change!

Hello all,


I've been hard at work on my website, after finally deciding on my new shop name!  I've already changed it on Etsy, and designed myself a new banner.  My shop will now go by "Willowbrook Artistry"!  :)

I hope that it can incorporate jewellery, crafts and my photography eventually!


I'm planning to get my website up and running, and new business cards done before my next craft fair, on the 29th April in Leicester, I'll post some more details of that nearer the time - please do come along if you're local!


In the mean time, here's a competition for any of you based in Dorset.  There's a fab mobile beauty salon in the Blackmore Vale area run by Cassie Feist, and she's offering the chance to win a free spa facial for you and a friend, just by liking the Facebook group, and sharing the competition photo!  You can find the competition here, and you can like JAF beauty here on Facebook.  The winner will be chosen at random and announced on May 1st!

Product feature! Gorgeous Mug Cosy from Kozmic Dreams

I promised a product feature, and here it is!

This is my amazing mug cosy, courtesy of Laura Whitford at Kozmic Dreams.

Laura is a UK seller with heaps of experience in knitting and crocheting.  Her Etsy shop is fairly new, it has been open since September and features some gorgeous knitted animals, crocheted bags and a variety of tea cosy designs.  Here are two of my other favs, this lovely little pirate owl, and a musical notes cosy!

So, about my tea cosy.  I came across Laura's shop through the Etsy teams.  Her work is lovely, so I sent her a message about making a mug cosy with a treble clef, and she replied very quickly, saying she'd have a go.  I was very surprised by just how fast she got back to me - within 2 days she'd sent me a link to the completed listing!  Loved it, obviously, so I bought it and it arrived very quickly.  She offered to make it in a different colour if I preferred, but I think the black and white looks great :)


As someone who is always being told off for leaving my cups of tea to go cold (usually getting distracted by Etsy...), this is a brilliant buy.  It really does the trick.  The wool is lovely and soft and it's machine washable too.  Highly recommended for any hot drinks lover, as you can see in the top photo it even fits my music themed 'bucket-o-tea' mug!


Kozmic Dreams - Brilliant little shop, do go over and have a look!

I'm back!

Apologies for going a bit MIA!  I've been involved in a music project in Leeds for the last few weeks, so I haven't been blogging or doing much making.  Irony being what it is, I've had more orders in the last 2 and a bit weeks than any other time, but thanks to some help from home sending beads and tools up to me, I got them all done!


Also, some fun news!  To celebrate me reaching 200 likes on Facebook, I'm offering 15% off anything in my Etsy shop with the code 'Facebook15'.  Thanks to everyone who has liked my page :D


Currently I'm in Dorset again, more music making.  However, I have just listed one of my favourite new items on Etsy, this beautiful pink charm bracelet.  I know I'm a bit biased, but I just love it.  So much so that I immediately ordered a bunch more crystals to make one to keep, and I plan to make them in other colours too.  Let me know what you think!  I just think Swarovski crystals are stunning, they sparkle so much, but it's impossible to do them justice in photos.

The display on the right is a mini bust, I misread the eBay listing, but actually this size has come in handy for displaying bracelets, and will be useful for the craft fair I'm doing in a few weeks.

As I've just been paid, and had some more sales myself (yay), I also treated myself to some of the items I've favourited on Etsy, so as they arrive I'll be featuring some of them here.  The first one will be a gorgeous mug cosy that was designed and made for me by the lovely Laura Whitford of Kozmic Dreams, and I got the added bonus of being her first buyer!  Look out for that one in the next few days, and check her out on Etsy :)  I've also got some great books I'll be reviewing, 2 on polymer clay and one on jewellery stamping.