Christmas Tree decorations

I've always thought of the Christmas tree as being the focus of all festive decorations in the home - and when my kids were growing up, everything was flung on, regardless of colour schemes, or quality (I had to be strong and chuck out decorations that really had seen better days!)

Fashion trends can influence tree decorations - from pink and silver trees to black and white upside down trees (which, frankly, I think are a bit weird!  Each to his/her own.....)

I'm delighted to be able to show you some lovely decorations made by UK Sellers - and a few of our own too!

Kelly of FuNkTjUnK.etsy.com has some fun decorations made with pencils (the gift that keeps on giving! - how many of us scrabble about looking for pencils to score games at Christmas!)

She also has recently added some stunning rustic decorations, that will fit with any colour scheme (or none!)  The collage shows a few and she also has other colours - deep purple, burgundy red and silver, blue and white .....

                            

Gra of Crossstitchtheline.etsy.com is a talented designer of cross stitch patterns - and these are lovely!  She says:  'They can be embroidered in high count fabric and framed in small hoops or maybe using plastic canvas to hang from the tree.'

Click HERE for the link for these lovelies in her shop 

A quick search through Hobbycraft or Coleman's Warehouse - or any other crafting suppliers - should help you find the little hoops or canvases you would like to use - a great way of making your tree really personal!

And for a bit of fun - with a little gift at the end - Naama of Peculiaris.etsy.com has a couple of really cute keyrings with a festive theme 

At DunnCrafting, we have a variety of Christmas tree baubles available - here is a selection for a more traditional tree in gorgeous golds, red and silver

Come and browse through these great shops - and make your Christmas tree unique with handmade decorations!

FuNkTjUnK.etsy.com

Crossstitchtheline.etsy.com

Peculiaris.etsy.com

DunnCrafting.etsy.com

Happy Shopping!  

Christmas Shopping for the Family

There are three generations in this lovely picture of my family!  So this is the theme (more or less) for this blog post - baby's first Christmas, children, couples - how about newly-weds' first Christmas?

My dad, sadly, is no longer with us - but I would love to have given him this little treat from Kelly at FuNkTjUnK

and how about this for parents who say 'we don't need anything, dear'?

Gra of Crossstitchtheline.etsy.com has some great ideas for family gifts - I love this one for a child's bedroom - or even for a new baby's nursery.  So cute and cheerful!

How about these for loving couples - or from wifey to hubby?

                                               

At DunnCrafting, we have gifts for baby and nursery, the home and loving couples - and in our Wedding accessories section, some really pretty little baubles (with presentation boxes) that can be stocking fillers, or little gifts from kids to aunties and grandmas.... 

Have fun browsing through these great shops!

FuNkTjUnK.etsy.com

crossstitchtheline.etsy.com

DunnCrafting.etsy.com

Christmas Shopping - Home Decor

I love decorating the house for Christmas!  The kids used to make paper chains, and when they were at home, every room was decorated - except the bathrooms.  It was all gloriously over the top!  Now they have their own families so decorating is much more elegant and confined to the living areas - but I still have decorations that my folks used when I was a child (minus most of their silvering and glitter!) I do like to have a colour theme but haven't quite moved to the ultra trendy pink trees or the black and white upside down trees!  Red, gold and green do it for me - and sometimes blue and silver.

With that in mind, many of our decorations at DunnCrafting.etsy.com are in traditional colours

Gra Gacek of Crossstitchtheline (based in London) has some gorgeous cross-stitch designs that would add a unique touch to rustic decor at  Christmas time.

And for something merry how about this from Kelly from Nuneaton at FuNkTjUnK.etsy.com

 (dancing should be the norm at Christmas!)

Naama at Peculiaris.etsy.com (another Londoner) 

has this really cute tree decoration 

- that can also be a little stocking filler! 

And finally - a little montage of decorating ideas from these fantastic Etsy sellers - pop over and browse!

Crossstichtheline.etsy.com 

FuNkTjUnKetsy.com

Peculiaris.etsy.com

Happy Shopping!

Come and visit us at DunnCrafting.etsy.com

Christmas - shopping for HER!

I know, I know - we've only just had Halloween!  The trees are looking just gorgeous in their brilliant autumn colours - and kids are having fun kicking piles of fallen leaves

Still ...... the Christmas rush starts really quickly from now on (Harrods have turned on their Christmas lights!) - and some people are really tricky to buy for!  

Gra Gacek of crossstitchtheline.etsy.com is based in London and creates the most amazing cross stitch designs which are perfect for the crafty minded lady!  She has on offer two sets of festive designs, with a huge choice of options!  The link is here  http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/467805621
.....  to tempt you, here are some pictures of her work:

                        

What about the lady who likes jewellery - with a bit of a difference?

Breeshea Robinson of BooandLil.etsy.com has all sorts of  brilliant and sometimes quirky items to suit all sorts of tastes.  She hails from Dover, and here is a link to a stunning example of her work:  https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/487118155

and a couple of pictures of other treats for a lady ..... 

                                           
           

And for the girly girl, Amanda of TaylorTwoShop.etsy.com in Birmingham has some really pretty gifts.  I love her unicorn Christmas card - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/475703716 ....

and these accessories are really sweet for little girls .....

                                         

Last but not least, something for the lady who loves festive decor - from us at DunnCrafting.etsy.com

Happy shopping!

Reinvention!

Something I've learnt since we opened our Etsy shop is that what we think is stunning may not be terrific from a buyer's point of view!  We may invest time, energy, and love into our little creations but if they don't appeal they don't sell.  

Self evident?  Well yes... but how do you tell a mother hen that her chicks are less than perfect!

So.... deep breath..... these button baubles were not doing anything.... 

from a buyer's point of view they were just a tad ... well... boring .... 

So the only answer was to do a bit of jazzing up, add some glittery bits, add in a pretty gift box and .....

  Ta Da!

Reinvented as flowergirl or bridesmaid gifts - that could also be little gifts for Christmas

Now let's see what happens!

Come and visit us at DunnCrafting

Inspire Create... Share

One of the pleasures of being in networking teams for Etsy sellers, is coming across and getting to know such talented and inspirational crafters.

One such lady is Sharon Long, owner of Longstrands (click here)

Sharon learnt how to crochet as a lass of 12 years when struck down with a painful mystery illness - being bed bound the crochet was something else to do apart from read - and play compuer games!  Spinal surgery followed at 16
- and, as if that wasn't enough, she started to experience pain in her hip - and was found to have arthritis.  

She tells me: 'I had wanted to learn to spin for years so after my first hip replacement, I was feeling so much better my husband took me up to Wingham Wool Work in Yorkshire for a visit - and suggested I take a spinning course while I was there.'  (check out their blog describing their origins - a great traditional family concern)

'My husband has always been very supportive.  I couldn't ask for a more wonderful husband.  I had wanted to try dyeing fibre ever since Noro came to North America and Europe.  I love their colours.' (Eisaku Noro Company is a Japanese yarn manufacturer, producing yarns for handcrafting under the Noro brandname. According to Wikipedia, the yarn creates distinctive stripey patterns, and is partially spun by hand) 

'So after I had spun so much we were in danger of not being able to find our way to the upstairs bedroom, I cut back spinning and started dyeing.  Same problem, so Mr Wonderful bought me a shed last Christmas and turned it into a fabulous sudio and I spend most days there now.  This distracts me from the constant pain and I have started to sell some of the dyed fibre, which helps pay for supplies - and makes me feel really good about myself! '


I love the process of picking the colours and painting it on, then at the end of the process, picking two and druncarding them together to see what you end up with.  To pull the batt off the drumcarder and see what I have created is the part I love the best.  Sometimes the colours take my breath away.  They are so beautiful.

I love every day and it is by far the best pain management I have found to deal with the chronic pain I have to live with.  It used to be a chore getting up every day and finding things to distract me from the pain and just getting through the day.  Now I can't wait to get up every morning and get started.

'It's a Wonderful Life'

I am the luckiest woman alive!  I have a wonderful husband and I have found something I can do that I love (and will hopefully make enough to cover my costs).  Here is the bonus - not only has it increased my quality of life, but it also distracts me from the pain I put up with every day.

What's next for Sharon?

I have started experimenting with dying plant fibre, like bamboo, corn, seacell and milk.  I am going to card them into wool batts and see what happens - I find it very exciting.

** I love animals covered in hair I can dye, spin and crochet!  I would love to have a farm filled with hairy animals!**

Such an inspirational story from Sharon - and her wonderful skills are reflected in the lovely reviews she has received from her customers!

All photos of Sharon and her products have been taken with her permission from her shop page.

The angora goat picture (couldn't resist it) is from Wikicommons - By User Pschemp on en.wikipedia - Taken by Pschemp, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1100294

Come and visit us too at DunnCrafting - click here