Handmade Happiness

Friday, 22 September 2017

New things and new ideas in Handmade Happiness

Niloo brought in more beautiful pots she has made and these delicate ceramic plaques

These are Annie Sherburne's handmade bug brooches

Frank Higgins delivered more of his fantastic handmade kaleidoscopes. This is what it looks like when you look through one!

Must run to open the shop now.. will write this tonight!

Sunday, 10 September 2017

Sharing new things

These are a few of the paper bags I make for the shop frommagazine pages.

A sweet pair of baby bootees

My needlefelting and cashmere bunnies made for the shop

Bee Mellor's wonderful bird decorations.

Samantha Robertson has just re-stocked Handmade Happiness with her popular ceramics

It's a busy time right now with a new baby in my family and the shop and continuing house renovations. All a pleasure and I feel extremely lucky but I have forsaken this blog recently. I plan to get back to writing longer posts now and, if you have the Instagram app you can see many more pictures @jenny_handmade_happiness

Back soon!

Friday, 1 September 2017

Inside Handmade Happiness

Love this giant cup and saucer made by Justine Jenner. Seen with Pam Dew's quilt.

Clever embroiderer Ann Hutchins made these butterflies for a local exhibition

Justine Jenner's grey pots in Handmade Happiness.

I knitted this alpaca cardigan for my grandson born on Sunday August 27th.

Carol Smith has just made these colourful cacti badges. 9-50 each

Apologies for not having blogged for so long. I'm now back and thinking about Christmas, when Handmade Happiness makes most of its money!!

I hope makers are storing box loads of beautiful things to keep the shop well supplied!! It's hard to think about Christmas when the sun is shining brightly but I noticed when I went to Chichester recently that the charity shops already have Christmas cards on display!! I reckon August is far too early but by the end of this month, September, I hope to have lots of gift ideas and maybe even a few Christmas decorations available in the shop.

Now is the time to think about handmade gifts and handmade cards if you want to make things yourself this year. A gift made with love while you are thinking about the person you are making it for is so well received! If you haven't got time to make things the next best thing is to find beautiful things that someone else has made. First stop - Handmade Happiness in Petersfield!!

Friday, 18 August 2017

New in the shop

Lined purses, ideal for keeping jewellery in made by Carol Smith

Love Carol Smith's quirky big zipped bags new in Handmade Happiness

Paul Soden took this amazing picture of a hare locally. It's for sale as a canvas in the shop.

Karen Head's fine Nuno felted scarves with silk in Handmade Happiness

Handmade Happiness is full of the work of talented individuals! Right now it's holiday time and the shop is being visited by people from all over the world.
It makes me proud to be the custodian of so many desirable pieces. More pictures soon!

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

Nice things in the shop now

Large dried flower wreath made by Brenda Tilbury. Beautiful for above your bed or for a wedding.

Roxana Giles, artist, has painted this tile

Love this cup and bowl made by Justine Jenner

Do you look at these pictures and wish you could buy something?

I want to set up a website so you can. It's just that I don't feel very confident about the technology involved. I can cope with blogging, Instagramming, emails and Pinterest but setting up a website feels like a whole other level of expertise.

I promise I will look at one of these 'free' website sites before the next post.

If you ever want to comment please comment in another language. I lived in France so I can understand French even though I can't write in French very well.

I love to visit France- so close to get to but so entirely different to the UK.

In the UK all retailers like myself are suffering the effects of Brexit uncertainty and austerity. No-one wants to spend money if they don't have to. So many people love the shop and tell me how beautiful the things in it are. Then, as they leave they say,'We'll definitely come back to do our Christmas shopping here.' What I would like, and need, is for people to start their Christmas shopping now!!

Wednesday, 2 August 2017

Talented people

Fashionista cards drawn by Camilla Flint, for sale in Handmade Happiness

Pure beeswax candles made by Elizabeth Eveleigh, for sale in Handmade Happiness

Screen printed gift boxes by Sue Inglis for sale in Handmade Happiness

Small girl's Liberty print dress hand-smocked by Sally-Anne Dunn

Beautiful hand-smocking by Sally Anne Dunn

Monday, 24 July 2017

See what's in the shop now

Beautiful rag rug made by Ruth Ellacott

Embroidered brooches by Carol Smith and sparkly brooches made by Annie Sherburne

Felted wool brooches made by Karen Boller with fabric necklace with magnet clasp by Rosemary Roberts

Fantastic handmade kaleidoscopes by Frank Higgins

Turned wood bowl and turned wood pen and fountain pen made by Harry Butler

Tuesday, 18 July 2017

New in the shop

More beautifully made cushions by Tanya Williamson

Four little maids in a row - my latest 'Art' dolls

Paper bags made for the shop from the pages of magazines

Pretty artificial flowers that came in the post for m aking with and selling

Bunches of little flowers for sale at £2.50 each. In a pot made by Niloo

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. As well as being in the shop I have had a kitchen fitted in the last week. Really pleased with the way it looks so far. I'll show you some pictures soon.

How are you?

Tell me what other blogs you follow or if you have one of your own that I can look at. If you're on Instagram check out my page. I put more photos on Instagram than on this blog...jenny_handmade_happiness

Have a nice week and au revoir!

Thursday, 6 July 2017

Just thinking...

I started writing this blog eight and a half years ago and a lot has changed since then.

At first I was writing about my inspirations, making things and working in a shop I loved while longing for a shop of my own. Now I have that dream shop I used to write about and this blog has become about promoting the shop and the handmade items for sale in that shop.

I have stepped back and it's not about me, it's more about pretty pictures taken inside and outside of the shop. Now this blog gets 10,000 hits a month, which is not that great according to my daughter but seems pretty good to me.

But the big change recently is that nearly everyone reading this lives in France. Whether they are French nationals or British people living in France I don't know. But in terms of ever visiting the shop I am promoting .. well it's just not working is it? So we have a mis-match.

I need to work out how to make more money for the shop in austerity Britain and this blog is just not helping!!

I love Instagram ( jenny_handmade_happiness ) and Pinterest

( jennystacy17 ) but again they are pretty pictures, nothing to do with selling.

To bridge the gap between you, dear readers, looking at pictures and some of you buying the things you see, I need to have a means of selling online. I am not clever enough to set up a selling website nor can I pay thousands to someone else to do it for me so I'd be grateful for your ideas and as you don't like the comment thing this is my email address: jennystacy6@gmail.com

Meanwhile I'll enjoy being in the shop and meeting, and often chatting with the wonderful individuals that buy the cards and gifts they need from Handmade Happiness.