Thursday 29 November 2018

Rainy Days and Mondays

Charlotte Brightwell's dog portrait Christmas cards are in the shop now
Kate Box's colourful knitwear in the shop now.
Enormous Christmas tree and the Spinacker Tower at Portsmouth's Gunwharf Quays
New shop at Gunwharf Quays

It's a very wet week. That means people aren't out and about shopping. This time last year I was making the best money of the year. But this year what with the rain and b___ Brexit  not to mention internet shoppping, Handmade Happiness along with every other shop in the UK is struggling to survive.

  2018 has been the toughest year so far!
Every day visitors tell me HH is a beautiful shop. Every day people say they wish they could buy everything in the shop and every day people say they'll come back when they have more time. Oh yes and every day people say they are cutting back on Christmas spending this year. And the weather forecast says rain next week as well! Ok enough moaning! Today could turn out to be the best day of the year in HH and if I didn't always think optimistically I would have closed down long ago!!

On Monday afternoon I went to Gunwharf Quays and really enjoyed looking round the outlet stores there among the sparkly Christmas lights! Years ago when I worked at a Petersfield shop called Tricot Too it stocked a clothes brand called American Vintage. Soft cotton clothes I always admired in timeless styles. So I was pleased to see they've now opened an outlet store there.
Although, before you get too excited, the prices are quite a bit higher than prices at the nearby Marks and Spencer outlet store!!


If you want to see more of Charlotte Brightwell's brilliant artwork (she also does child and pet portrait commissions) go to studio85.uk 
Handmade Happiness has lots of her Christmas cards, each showing a different breed of dog.

Kate Box's lovely knitwear always makes well-received presents. Right now HH has a good selection so come in and have a look. 






Tuesday 20 November 2018

These are what I bought!

Made by Diane Higgins, I fell in love with these embroidered felt baby shoes!
Diane Higgins makes felt which she then embroiders.
And the other foot! Such beautiful work by Diane Higgins

Just occasionally I am utterly blown away by someone's talent!
I call it the Wow factor.
Diane Higgins works all year to produce enough of her exquisite designs for Sparkle at Teddington. Having taught textiles all her life, she now makes felt scarves, and embroidered Christmas decorations and baby shoes for this annual sale.
I had a hard job choosing what to buy! My daughter urged me to buy a Christmas decoration but I couldn't resist these baby shoes. As Diane said I could always fill them with chocolate coins and hang them from the Christmas tree. But today I will run a gold thread through each shoe and hang them in the window at Handmade Happiness for everyone to admire and say 'Wow! What a talent!'

Monday 19 November 2018

Seen in Teddington, London

All lit up! The Jenny Blanc shop
Christmas goodies inside Jenny Blanc's shop
Love these paper (?) animal heads in the Pop Up shop
The Collectorie window. Check out the mouse light!
Pretty decorations on the Collectorie shop tree

Yesterday I went to Teddington for the Sparkle fair at Landmark Arts. This has  an interesting selection of craft stalls and food stalls inside an atmospheric old church. 
I loved looking round and I found a few people whose work I'd like to have in the Handmade Happiness shop...
Kate Box, and her popular knitwear and Samantha Robertson with her green and cream hand thrown pots, both had stalls there, and, as you know, are already stocked by HH.
As it grew dark I couldn't resist taking some pictures of the shops along Teddington High Street. 
Tomorrow I'll show you what I bought at Sparkle! 


Thursday 8 November 2018

New in Handmade Happiness

New knitted stockings made by Rubecula Threads. 
A needlefelted Christmas garland I made this week
Kate Box has brought in some 'loop scarves' she has made. They are extremely cosy!
Handmade gifts for men. Keyrings and lanyards made from used gun cartridges.

After mentioning here that Handmade Happiness was looking for handmade items suitable as mens' presents, I was approached by J. Boult who picks up used cartridge shells and bullets while out walking... He hammers these out and binds them in leather creating macho-looking keyrings, lanyards and cufflinks. All are now for sale in the shop.

Friday 2 November 2018

A Lucky Find

100% cashmere bunnies I made yesterday.

Regular readers will know I love a bargain! Doing a 'charity run' in other words visiting all the charity shops in a town is my idea of a treat! Nearly all my possessions - clothes, crockery, decorative objects, even craft materials, have been lucky finds over the years at charity shops.

I was especially lucky to find a 100% cashmere tank top recently priced at £4.50. Carefully hand washed and dried it is Heavenly soft and just the right colour for little bunnies!
So yesterday I made these and stuffed them with lavender that my kind neighbour dries for me from her bushes each year. And the longer they are held the stronger the scent becomes.

It is tempting to make more today but paperwork beckons. Today will probably be all about doing figures and hopefully greeting and serving lots of customers who are buying for Christmas.

I notice from Instagram (jenny_handmade_happiness) how many little shops like mine are being forced to close down because people are not spending like they used to. The uncertainty of the future is making people prudent. Mostly people are only spending on food right now. However if enough people just bought the odd card from shops like mine it would help them to survive this horrible political climate for a while longer.