Thoughts and ideas

From my garden - a few years ago. Broad beans on a glass plate.

Yesterday I made some more hangers for the shop with the vintage crepe fabric, ready for when there are lots of handmade clothes to put on them. I'm playing the waiting game at the moment - waiting for womens' dresses and cardigans to be made, handbags to be constructed and jewellery to be brought in.

Yesterday I had good discussions with a couple of new makers and look forward to seeing their work in the shop. 

On Monday I popped in to a shop I've wanted to visit for a while called 'Haus' just outside Haslemere. It has a Scandanavian look - all white and clean with linen cushions, painted furniture and cotton clothing - some by Cabbages and Roses. A smart look and a very definite style.

The difference between a shop where the owner carefully selects everything to achieve a certain look (Haus) and Handmade Happiness is that I am offering the work of 40 makers each with their own individual style. The challenge for me is bringing it all together into one cohesive look so that the shop has its own personality, comprised, as it is of the personalities of 40 people. It's a struggle I don't always succeed with. 

I am conscious as people look around of the areas of the shop I am proud of and the areas of the shop that need attention. It's not perfect, it's an on-going, evolving project which I hope is getting better month on month. I hope in a way I'll never be able to sit back and feel, it's perfect now, I can relax, no more work to be done. That would be no fun at all.

Meanwhile, when you come in to Handmade Happiness tell me what you think. A bit of constructive criticism, ideas, opinions and good discussion is welcome always.