Frank and Janet Higgins make kaleidoscopes

Cathedralscope by Frank and Janet Higgins

A miniature tumblescope and wheelscope Sold by Frank and Janet Higgins

All these kaleidoscopes are works of art by Frank and Janet Higgins.Dreamscope sold.

Oil cell kaleidoscope by Frank and Janet Higgins

A leather bound teleidoscope by Frank and Janet Higgins Sold.

 Handmade Happiness is proud to be a stockist of these handmade kaleidoscopes by Frank and Janet Higgins. Frank, who has  a science background builds them with his wife Janet here in Hampshire.

Since Frank brought them in on Tuesday everybody who comes in the shop is invited to look through them towards the window and marvel!

  Handmade Happiness has nine kaleidoscopes, all different. You look through one and see an ever-changing richly hued stained glass window. You look through another and see a faceted precious mineral - coloured diamonds. 

And what about the simple leather teleidoscope? 
Through this you see everything in front of you broken down into swirling geometric pieces - a quilt maker's dream! And great for children to appreciate the world in fine and entrancing detail.
Come in and see them for yourself!

Here's one I made earlier

Collage card by Jenny Stacy sold yesterday

 First of all, apologies. I didn't take the photographs I promised to show you. I'll take them today instead.
Yesterday was busy. Dave Tull brought in more of his sell-out flower photograph little cards and Jenny Shutler brought in more, larger pieces of her popular jewellery made from vintage cutlery. I was shown some rather beautiful hand-printed wood cut cards which I hope to stock soon. The sort of cards you want to frame. And every customer was invited to pick up and admire the latest, special pieces that I really will show you tomorrow!!

Making 'string' necklaces

'String' necklaces by Jenny Stacy

 I used to make these necklaces for Tricot Too and they were very popular so on Monday I made 10, all different, to sell in Handmade Happiness. I use handmade and painted beads mixed with a couple of interesting beads and old buttons.

This morning I must get to the shop early to sort out the middle table after the late night opening last night. We painted with watercolour pastels; knitted and learned to crochet. And enjoyed the conversation. If you missed it this time come next week. Tuesday nights 7.30pm to 9.00pm.

I'll take some pictures of something very special that I'll be selling in the shop from now on. Show you tomorrow!

Wholesale priced fabrics

Aubergine linen and cotton mix floral at Fabriclands

 In this heatwave the train was deliciously cool with air conditioning on the way down to Portsmouth. 

I headed for Fabriclands which sells fabrics at wholesale prices and is in the Cascades shopping centre off Commerical Road. First I found a very easy dress pattern at half price. The linen above was the only 100% linen I could find but what a gorgeous colour! The pretty rose fabric I thought would be cool and was only £2-79 a metre!

I couldn't resist the glass headed pins - £1-99 a box. Now I am all set to make two dresses and with nil confidence in my dress making abilities I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

Tonight 7.30-9.00pm is the first Handmade Happiness drop in social gathering. If I don't know you're coming please bring yourself a fold-up chair! 

Today Portsmouth

Playing with the embellisher. The bit on the right is ok.

After paperwork in the morning and hopefully making a couple of necklaces, I plan to visit Commercial Road in Portsmouth this afternoon. There is a certain fabric shop there that I haven't been to in years but it used to have some real bargains. More later.

New pieces by Ali Cooper

Stoneware decorated with 24 carat gold. L to r: berry bowl; two jugs and large, incised bowl all made by Ali Cooper.

Ali Cooper's new large stoneware bowl.

Jewellery with porcelain pieces by Ali Cooper

Yesterday local ceramicist Ali Cooper brought in some beautiful new pieces. 
Her 'berry bowl' is particularly interesting; a colander jug to drain freshly rinsed berries for the breakfast table. I've not seen one of these before. 
Ali has also incorporated handmade porcelain charms into jewellery using Liberty fabrics. These are just right for summer.

Handmade Happiness was really busy yesterday. I am a bit worried there won't be enough chairs for people at the Tuesday night drop in. So please if you haven't yet told me you are coming- do come but bring your own chair.

Delphinium

When weeding my front garden last night I accidentally broke the stem on this beauty. So now I am admiring it in a vase on my mantlepiece. I think delphiniums are my second favourite flower after sweet peas. Such a celestial blue.
Enjoy the weekend!

What's in Handmade Happiness now

Samantha Robertson's mugs, bowls, jugs, storage jars. Love the colours.

New sheep cards from Sue Inglis are popular! £3.50 each.

Delicate porcelain pieces made by Ali Cooper

More shop views to come. 
Wednesday is usually the quietest day in the shop. Perhaps because it's market day in the town. But yesterday was really busy. The ups and downs of the retail world. There's no predicting it.
The day before yesterday I put up six posters advertising Handmade Happiness around the town so maybe they made the difference!

I was talking with the lovely mum of a new baby about an evening get together in the shop. A free drop in where we can work on what we're making or use the craft materials provided and chat and drink tea. Tuesday nights 7.30 to 9.00pm. I'll start it next Tuesday. If there looks like being a lot of us I might have to ask you to bring your own chair! 

Thoughts on linen

H&M Home department in Oxford Street has all this linen bedding. Sheets, duvet covers and table cloths all at very reasonable prices. The colours are nice too. Nice for clothes as well as bedrooms.

Yesterday at Handmade Happiness there was a conversation about making quilts between a quilt maker, someone who wants to commission a quilt and me.  The quilt maker said she sometimes finds a suitable sheet in a charity shop as the backing for a quilt.
So seeing a sheet as just a few metres of fabric can be useful. And if you are lucky enough to find an old white linen sheet in a charity shop - just think how many cushions and lavender-stuffed hearts can be made with it! 

So no, I didn't buy one of these sheets at H&M on Monday although now I am beginning to wonder if I should have! 

Fenwicks London

Nice clothes at Fenwicks

Really pretty top with chiffon on the back. 

At Liberty Marc Jacobs bags for everything in Liberty prints 

Carluccio's in Fenwicks for this antipasto verdure to share.

Love the colours in the coat in the top picture. Though personally I'd change the buttons from those mens' leather style ones to either mismatched vintage ones or handmade ones. 

Talking of branding as I was yesterday, doesn't Marc Jacobs do a great job with his enamelled metal name plates on all those bags? 

I'll take some pictures in the shop today. I want to produce a poster design to put on noticeboards round the town advertising Handmade Happiness. Time for a bit of free publicity. Several times a day people say to me,'I didn't know you were here.' I guess it takes a few years for a shop to become well known. Even a shop as unique as Handmade Happiness! 

Liberty, London

Approaching Liberty from Argyll Street. Never noticed those large chimneys before.

Christian Lacroix stationery

Letters on cards

Gorgeous children's clothes in Liberty prints.

A peg doll in her own box

I had such a good day off! We met in Liberty stationery department. I wanted to see the Japanese gift wrap again but they didn't have it this time. They did have letter cards which I had thought of making... But seeing the peg doll boxes made me think a letter on a box might be an idea. 
Liberty fabrics are everywhere. Quilted on i-pad covers, on shirts and childrens' clothes. It all looks lovely displayed together.

Liberty stock all the Merchant and Mills sewing notions. I had intended buying some pins but strict daughter talked me out of it. Her argument was that I could probably get glass headed pins at John Lewis for a fraction of the price. I pleaded the attractive packaging but then we got talking about packaging in general and more specifically why she wanted to know didn't I concentrate on producing lovely packaging for Handmade Happiness products?
This makes me think about Paris and all the lovely unusual items you can find there which could be beautifully packaged - buttons and little velvet flowers and pretty beads... Oh yes!

Fenwicks next stop. Pictures of things there later this week. We shared an 'antipasta verdure' and then shared a beautiful gooey chocolate pudding. Put the world to rights then Cos where my lovely daughter kindly bought me a dress - a late birthday present; Pull and Bear, Uniqlo - did you know Cabbages and Roses and Greengate and Celia Birtwell have all done ranges for Uniqlo? So darn pretty. H&M home wear - it's only stocked by the Oxford Street store. I love their linen bedding and velvet cushions. Then Marks and Sparks for clothes for my mum and exhausted onto the 7.00pm train home. 

Today London!

In my kitchen. Another old photo!

I was planning a quick trip to Portsmouth today to check out fabrics, but when my daughter rang last night to say she had the day off today the plan changed. Much more fun to check out fabrics in Berwick Street and go to all the places we want to go to together.

One of the great things about living in Petersfield is that London is only an hour away on the train. Easy.

Yesterday I drove my mum to see my brother and we had a happy time reminiscing about our early childhood. His memories seem often to do with cars. Ah yes, that was when we had the white Mini estate he'll say. He'll remember being in a car and the state of the roads.  From a very early age he could name every car on the road. He spent journeys with his nose to the window naming cars - are all small boys like that?

Busy Saturday

Reminder to self - make more of these. Fairy boxes by Jenny Stacy

It was really busy in the shop yesterday. Hurray! And lots of lovely comments. 

I am a bit obsessed about womens' dresses at the moment. I want some for the shop, haven't found anyone to make them so I'm thinking can I try this myself?

Last week I saw this great dress on a customer. Thick orange linen, simple tunic style with, as she pointed out a slightly smaller band of fabric at hem level which pulled it in and avoided a tent effect. She'd bought it nearly ten years ago from Tricot Too and had worn it winter (with jersey under) and summer (with t-shirt under) ever since. I looked up the make online and it appears they ceased trading in 2007.

  So this is the challenge: To cut a pattern, never having cut a pattern before and make a dress/ dresses good enough to sell. Unless anyone else is volunteering - but I don't think so - I've dropped enough hints to makers and customers and no response so far! Maybe not orange though. Orange doesn't suit everyone ...

New from Pam Dew

Pam Dew's 'View from Chilgrove' cushion

Here is the cushion I wrote about in a previous post. Love the tree bending in the wind! It's in Handmade Happiness now.£59-00.

Yesterday I was in an 'all change' mood and got some property details from an estate agents. 
In the evening I looked on line at what's available house wise in Petersfield and now I appreciate what I've got more than I did. Perhaps if I'd counted my blessings this time yesterday I wouldn't have been in such a bad mood when I wrote the last post! Today I'm looking forward to a busy day in the shop. Enjoy your weekend!

Sharing

A necklace I made for Tricot Too

Sometimes I wonder if I'm strange or normal. Like if someone says they'll do something on this day, or in this week I believe them and then feel let down if it doesn't happen. Perhaps in life you just have to accept that people try their best and life sometimes gets in the way of them doing what they've said they'll do.

Anyway what I wanted to write about is makers and Handmade Happiness. I love it when makers come in to re-stock or email if I need more stock and generally stay in touch. It feels like we're part of a good team.  I don't like it when a maker leaves their things and even though they live in the same town or even regularly pass the window, never come in again. I'm not that scary. 

 Two makers that fall into the last category popped in after long absence to tell me about new things they've made which they thought the shop might like to stock. These are people that don't look at the shop or ever buy anything, even a card. So excuse me for showing less than my normal enthusiasm to sell their newly made things for them. (I seem to be saying no a lot more than I'm saying yes lately. Wish I could get out to exhibitions. But I could do more online research...)

I rang Merchant and Mills (yesterday's post) and was told to send my website link and they'd consider me as a future stockist. Minimum order £200. If I really, really wanted to be a stockist I'd do it in the future when this age of austerity has passed. But not now. This week is shop rent week.

Making jewellery

Bracelets I made to sell at the Country Living magazine show

I forgot to take pictures of the new necklaces I made in the shop yesterday so I have to use this old picture. Apologies. The new necklaces are different. I used chain with fabric and charms and they're the kind of thing I will be comfortable wearing. Pics to come.

I am excited and thrilled to have an order for paper collage bunting. I will sooo enjoy making this. It's for a graphic designer, ex-animator and all round creative person who visited Handmade Happiness for the first time yesterday. I will start it today in the shop if it's not too busy.

Pam Dew bought in a new large applique cushion yesterday. Cleverly it's of a view she sees from her bike when she cycles to Chichester from Petersfield to work. Yes, impressive isn't she? I can't imagine cycling to Chichester once, let alone on a regular basis. 

Pam had visited Merchant and Mills in Rye the day before and I wanted to hear all about it. Merchant and Mills make the most beautifully packaged habadashery items including thick card dress patterns in cardboard tubes. I first saw their stand at Country Living and I was very impressed. Anyway this morning I'm going to ring them and see if HH could possibly stock them. Wish me luck! Check them out www.merchantandmills.com

Stress busting play time

Do you play? I mean do you ever sit down and amuse yourself by drawing, painting, making something or experimenting with some fun art materials you haven't tried out before? Or do you sew, knit, crochet, build with wood or throw clay?

Most people haven't time in their busy days for any sort of play. But just as children need to play I think adults need to play too. A bit of time to let go and focus on something pleasant and different.

I want to think of a way to provide a play opportunity within Handmade Happiness.
 A table and chairs somewhere with a pile of paper, paints and water, pencils, glue sticks and
magazines, a few stampers and stencils. A chance for anyone to just to take time out and play for a bit.

Don't hold back with your suggestions/ comments/ ideas/ reactions. My comment box has been a bit empty of late. 

Talking to mums of young children yesterday about how they play with their children I am left with two images. One of the mother who walks round the heath pond with her boys searching for feathers to include in art work back home and the other mum, blessed with a toddler who likes to climb up her and around her all the time she is trying to do art work with her older child.

 That reminds me of when toddlers like to cling round your leg when you are trying to do housework etc and you have this sort of human ball and chain everywhere you go. It's delightful and short lived but if you are creative and longing to do what you love to do it can be hard to make any time at all to do your own thing!

Glittering jars

Glittered jam jar with rose from garden

I like to take pictures in this window but a neighbour's parked car is in the way this morning

 Glittered jars are something my daughter wants for her wedding. They will hold tea lights or flowers on the tables. 

To make them you need any clean jar, glitter, glue (I used Mod Podge which is stocked by Hobbycraft) paint brush and plate.

Hold the jar over the plate and brush on the glue avoiding the top of the jar and the base. Sprinkle the glitter over the wet glue still holding the jar over the plate to catch spilt glitter. When all glue is covered in glitter it's done. Leave somewhere to dry. Wash brush.

When I do more I'll use masking tape on the jar to create a neat line of glitter and not to have the glitter cover so much of the jar. Ideally these should be done on site since some glitter will get rubbed off if they are transported.

You could use silver glitter or any coloured glitter to match the occasion. My daughter wants white, pale pink and pale gold as her wedding colours so these are just right.

Tricot Too inspiration

White cardigans by Lauren Vidal; blue tunic tops by ekta and ruched skirt and cut off trousers by Ultimate Mik's

 When I worked at Tricot Too I used to change the clothes on the dummies in the window, photograph them for this blog then carry them back into the window. Looking back through those photographs now I particularly like this one. These clothes look so summery and pretty. 

 When Handmade Happiness stocks handmade clothes fresh linens and cottons in soft shapes and timeless styles will be inspired by pictures like this. 

No time for making buttons today

My handmade buttons.

I am up early today to make the house ready for an important visit. The family my daughter is marrying in to is driving up from Somerset to meet me. Their son and my daughter live in London and the wedding takes place in September. 

When you think of all the times in the future we will be together - weddings, christenings (God willing), family parties etc. these are people who will hopefully become good friends of mine but right now they are strangers.

I often think of how different things are today with children travelling and choosing to live a long way from home. As my children were growing up I often wished I could chose their girl friends or boyfriends for them. And arranged marriages have a lot to recommend them! You want to protect your children from hurt. But you can't. You have to learn to let go.

Having said that I am confident Amy's chosen a good one and I am quite confident (but nervous) that I'll get on with his parents. 

Collage cards

Collage cards by Jenny Stacy

Collage card by Jenny Stacy

 I made these cards in the shop between customers. I love tearing pictures and painted papers and re-assembling them into cards. They cost £3-50. The same price as new knitted sheep cards from Sue Inglis which are brilliant. I'll show you a picture of Sue's new knitted cards soon.

Nice lamps

Pictured in the shop Haus in Haslemere

 Nice lamps are hard to find. Lots of chrome based lamps out there which I don't like. I like these ceramic bases. But what I really want is wood. I can picture some beautiful wood bases made from tree roots. So when chatting to a customer the other day I was delighted when he turned out to be a builder and woodsman who reckoned he could make just the thing. Also his friend is an electrician who could do the necessary safety checks and certification.

So many conversations in the shop. You never know quite where they'll lead to. But I do hope that conversation results in Handmade Happiness being able to offer some nice handmade lamps for sale.

Selling your work to shops

Covered hangers waiting for upcycled cashmere cardigans in Handmade Happiness

 In recent days several makers have offered Handmade Happiness their work and it reminds me of when I used to show what I made to shops. The first shop I ever approached, many years ago now, was Casa Fina in Chichester. I was a bag of nerves and once I'd steeled myself to approach the man at the counter I just wanted to get it over and done with and out from that shop as soon as possible. He said no and I was crushed. 

It takes guts to show your work to shops. It can feel awful if someone turns down your work in an insensitive, rude way. You've designed and created something original. It's feels like you personally are being rejected.

So how to prepare for showing your work to a shop? I think it is a good idea to ring the shop first. The times I've shown my work to a sales assistant only to find that this person cannot make any decisions and just tells you to come back on another day when the owner/ buyer is in. If you've travelled any distance this is frustrating. And a waste of your time.

Next a bit of market research. No point in offering say, jewellery to a shop that doesn't sell jewellery. Check out the shop online first. Then have a good look round and decide whether you think your work will fit in. Most people skip the market research entirely. But with my shop owners hat on I'd say this is important.

As I got better at selling my work to shops I'd visit a new town and choose which shop to approach. If you love the shop chances are it will love you and what you make.
Don't hold back from giving the shop a compliment by the way. Saying you like the shop before offering your work is a good ice-breaker. Also I prefer to think that would be sellers are interested in the shop they sell to. So looking round the shop before talking to the person behind the counter about what you make is polite and makes a good impression.

Decide before talking to a shop about how much money you want for your work. It's very difficult to discuss prices with makers who don't know how much they want to sell for. Don't be afraid to be business like. Have a pen and notebook or better invoice book with you. And don't agree to anything you aren't happy about. You have half the power remember. And it's important that you leave the shop happy.

Lastly, listen. Your work is lovely to you and to lots of other people but the shop may turn it down for a reason. What is that reason? Does the shop have any suggestions for you using your unique skills to make other things? Listen and enjoy talking about your work.

Cutlery jewellery by Jenny Shutler

Earrings made from cutlery pieces by Jenny Shutler

Bracelets made from interesting pieces of cutlery by Jenny Shutler

Handmade Happiness  stocks Jenny Shutler's jewellery made from vintage cutlery. It is one of the most popular gift items. On Saturday Jenny came in with some interesting and unusual earrings (see above).

Have you noticed lots of For Sale signs on houses near you? Here in Petersfield it seems to be house selling season. Following the quick sale of two houses in my road (both within a fortnight of going on the market) lots of other houses have sprouted signs. It kind of makes one feel restless. To move or not to move that is the question...

Hair decorations

Some hair decorations on collaged card by Jenny Stacy

Close up of hair decorations by Jenny Stacy for Handmade Happiness

 Yesterday I decided not to go anywhere. I sorted out my collage boxes and decorated some hair grips (US bobby pins) to sell in the shop. To display them I cut up some old collage. Looking at them now, I could have put them on greetings cards and maybe I'll do some like that. The price is £3-50 each, for sale in Handmade Happiness today onwards.

I am grateful to Melanie - see yesterday's comment - for reminding me that people like to see things being made on this blog. So I shall describe how I made these hair decorations. (Stop reading now if you aren't interested!)

You need fabric, cotton batting (that patchwork makers use), buttons and hair grips. 

Sandwich the cotton batting (I've used two layers) between two rounds of the same fabric and hand sew in a circle about half a centimetre from the edge. Sew another piece of smaller fabric and a button with small bead on top through all layers attaching it to the hair grip. To ensure it holds for ever keep sewing round middle of top of hair grip through all layers. Display by opening hair grip and sliding on to rectangular piece of card. 

This blogging thing

Peonies in the garden

 I've lost the USA. For a short and heady while I had as many readers in the States as in the UK. Then I had a three day blogging break if you remember and since then America has not come back on board in anything like the same numbers. I wonder if I've lost my spark - am I boring now? 

Am I blogging for me, for the shop, keeping in touch with friends or do I want to get some message across to as many people as possible. And if I don't know what the message is how the hell should other people?!  
I notice that the most popular posts are about felt incidentally...

I'll hang on in there and see what the statistics do over the next few days. It probably only matters if you carry advertising...

Meanwhile back in the shop I feel terrifically grateful to Sue Inglis, knitter extraordinaire, who suggested on Saturday that I put a long table in front of the under stairs area just for me to work on.

 We had been talking about collage and how I can't do it on my shop counter as it takes up too much room (ditto button making and jewellery making). I can knit and crochet at my desk and do small things on the sewing machine but it's frustrating not to have the space to be more productive while in the shop. So yesterday in East Grinstead with my mum we visited Wickes and I got a pasting table (which can fold away under the stairs when not in use) for under £10. Excellent.

Happy Fathers Day

Collar stiffeners made by Kirstie Turner. £24 a pair

 A pair of these would make a great present from children to their Dad today. Even if he doesn't wear stiffeners in his collars I imagine any Dad would be delighted to keep them in his wallet as a token of his childrens' affection for him. Kirstie Turner also makes silver rings and silver necklaces for Handmade Happiness.

I remember my Dad's assortment of boxes on his chest of drawers containing collar stiffeners, collar studs, a papier mache lidded pot with cufflinks in - he had some gold ones with his initials my grandfather had given him and big square boxes that came from the laundary with his detachable white stiff collars in. All a long time ago now.

My Dad worked in the city. He was up and on the train before we children were awake and just about home in time to read us a bedtime story. Then one night everything changed when he came home from work and announced that he had been offered a post overseas and we moved far, far away.

Nuno felt making experiment

Two layers of wool tops, chiffon scarf then two more layers of wool tops 

Washing up liquid and hot water, start rubbing layers to felt

Using the wash board to finish off 

Ironed 

This is why it's worth the trouble - nuno felt drapes beautifully

Nuno felt looks great used for jackets and coats but why not just use ordinary felt? 

Wanting to see the difference for myself I pulled out two layers of wool tops (looks like candy floss) on the kitchen sink metal draining board. Then laid a chiffon scarf over the top and pulled out two more layers of wool tops - each layer at right angles to the previous layer.

I squirted on washing up liquid then poured on hot water and started carefully pushing the layers into one another. As the material started to thicken into felt under my fingers I rubbed it more roughly. And kept turning it over. Because I wanted the layers to felt through the chiffon - especially round the edges I used the wash board but a wash board isn't necessary, you can just use the ridges on the draining board. When satisfied the piece was well felted I rinsed it well.

Then I ironed the felt on both sides. Again, not necessary, but I wanted quick results! (Don't let the iron touch the chiffon!
Then I saw how well the nuno felt draped over my arm compared to a normal piece of handmade felt. Many felters use silk instead of chiffon to create nuno felt. That will be experiment number two. Comparing chiffon nuno with silk nuno.