This week

New jewellery made by Annie Sherburne including this large dragonfly brooch

I've knitted these leg warmers. Knitting shades of blue ones now.

More of these appealing cards from beach glass originals came in yesterday.

Macho keyrings and cuff links made from spent bullets gathered on walks in the Scottish Highlands.

This is the first week when people have been trying to find Christmas presents in the shop. It makes sense to buy the perfect gift when you see it. People who say they'll come back nearer the day itself are often disappointed when the thing they've fallen in love with has sold.

That's the thing about handmade. Everything is designed and made by the maker him or her self and it is a one-off - unique. 

Another thing about handmade is that it takes time.  For example I was asked for a special handmade card for a 30th birthday. I said No because I'm aware of how long this takes. Planning the design takes longer than actually making the card as you want it to perfectly suit the recipient and obviously you can't charge the customer for all that thinking/ sketching time... And at this time of year there are so many other things to be made!

I'm making lots of fairies in different styles at the moment and this is what you will see me doing in the shop. I knit in the evening. My next project is cushions using needlefelted fabric I've made combined with richly coloured velvets. Wondering whether to include some knitting in the patchwork cushions too.

Handmade gifts for men are few and far between so I was pleased to find these leather and spent cartridge pieces pictured above. The maker scours his local Scottish landscape for the metal litter left by hunters and shooting parties which he puts to good use in these attractive gifts.

By the way the smooth English ash wood bowl pictured is made by Harry Butler whose work is also for sale in Handmade Happiness.

Gold paper

Gold paper after washing

Drying

Pencil pots on my desk I bought ages ago

This week I was excited to get an email from the Eternal Maker in Chichester saying they are now stocking this unusual gold paper.

A while ago I bought a couple of bags I use to store glue sticks and pens from a shop in Midhurst. I really like them and have also bought them as presents. But I didn't think it was possible to buy sheets of the actual material.

So late afternoon Tuesday after being in the shop I went to the Eternal Maker  on Terminus Road and guess what? They had sold out. They are expecting new supplies next week but I wanted some now!  Luckily they found me a roll of it behind the counter and I went home happy!

The paper looks flat and shiny like gift wrap. It comes in three colours, gold, silver and rose gold. Eternal Maker found rose gold the most popular. The magic happens when you wash it when it becomes softer and wrinkled, looking like old leather.

I cut it in half and washed both pieces in the kitchen sink and hung them out to dry. In the shop I experimented on a small piece to test it out. You can paint the reverse which is like a thick brown kraft paper and you can hand sew it. You can cut it and glue it and if your machine needle is strong enough (mine isn't) you can machine sew it.

There are so many possibilities with this stuff. All I've done with it so far is to cut out oak leaf shapes and dangle them in the shop window in honour of Autumn. But I can imagine using it for a host of other makes.

So before my local readers go dashing off to the Eternal Maker, ring them first otherwise you may find they have sold out again.

11 years old today!

First ever blog post 11 years ago today!!

Tiny fairies I made this week

Six hats I just knitted.

Jenny Stacy made this tiny fairy

New gorgeous pottery from Niloo that came into the shop yesterday

New cards that came into the shop yesterday

I like painting faces. Even on wooden teaspoons! Now to dress them!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU BLOG!!!!

ELEVEN YEARS OLD TODAY.

I wonder if anyone reading this has actually accompanied me from the very beginning in 2008?

Then I was busy making stock for the Country Living magazine show in Islington which I used to do regularly. I frequently day dreamed of having a shop of my own. But that's all it was, a dream. 

I made jewellery and cards for various shops then and shared trips to London and sometimes abroad with my readers who were all in the UK. 

Then in 2011 I saw a small shop in Petersfield with a sign in the window saying To Let. What excitement as that shop took the name Handmade Happiness and became the fulfillment of my dream!

 This blog has become the shop blog ever since. 

Apart from a brief break when I visited India and wrote another blog called seeingindiawithjenny.blogspot.co.uk  I have consistently posted on this blog once a week, twice a week, sometimes every day. I occasionally think about stopping but then something wonderful appears in the shop or I see something inspiring in London and I have to share it!

This week

Making felt

Three pieces of finished felt

Made jewellery gift boxes from matchboxes

You know those wood teaspoons you get free?

New in Handmade Happiness. Jewellery made by Pat Gude. 

My dolls on display in the shop

Genius idea for grandson's birthday cake! He loves trucks!

It's been a week of bits and pieces. Pieces of felt I've not made into anything. Pretty gift boxes that will be given away free. A mad use for wood teaspoons (that I'll be charging next to nothing for). And all in the week I swore I'd make loads of Christmas stock! 

I was pleased to meet Pat Gude who makes necklaces and earrings from pearls and semi-precious stones. Great Christmas gifts at very reasonable prices. Pictured above.
 I look forward to having more sparkly colourful jewellery from Annie Sherburne soon. Her jewellery always sells well at Christmas.

Yesterday I went to a large family gathering to celebrate young grandson's second birthday. We had a picnic in Bushy Park where the deer are only feet away from you. Such glorious weather. Such nice people. Cyclists and runners that I fancied might live in one of the large detached houses in Park Road. Games of hide and seek with the little ones. Laughter and conversation and renewing friendships. What more could you wish for?

London Inspiration

In a window behind Oxford Street

Gorgeous glass

Cake counter at Selfridges

Beautiful flower display

A stunning bit  of floor tiling

Ho Ho Ho? Oh No No No! Bit too early?

It was my daughter's birthday so my other daughter and I met her in Argyll street off Oxford Street. It was 9.45am and we hadn't realised that the shops don't actually open now until 12pm.  So we wandered and put the world to rights over a coffee or two.

Lots of homeless asleep in sleeping bags on the pavement. It's probably safer for them to sleep during the day than at night. But what really distressed me was a young girl, clearly out of her head on drugs, sitting slumped forward. Clearly in need of help. Back here in Petersfield the Salvation Army give practical help to so many people and hopefully one of those kind souls will get her back on her feet again.

It is quite mind blowing to go from crowded pavements into that bastion of all things luxurious that is Selfridges!! I bought a magazine because I think Selfridges stock virtually any magazine you could possibly think of! Nearby the Christmas packaging caught my eye and would you believe it, people were already buying it! I can't think of red and green while the sun is still shining!

I'm sorry I can't tell you who made the glass plates pictured. I'll try to find out and then let you know.

Our favourite place to share some food is Carluccio's but its Fenwicks branch was closed for re-furbishment and will re-open in about a month. So we walked back to the original cafe. I noticed that hemp seems to be the food of the day. More seeds anyone?

Seen in Guildford

It's cold at night and this fluffy display at Zara Home looked very appealing 

Very comfortable soft leather shoes for little ones at Cos

Love the painted leaves backdrop in Anthopologie

Papier mache flamingoes in the Anthropologie window

An interesting assortment of door and drawer knobs at Anthropologie

I appreciate nice things. Guildford has some great shops and I went up for a wander. Anthropologie, home of unusual gifts, is hosting a Kaffe Fassett exhibition in it's King's Road, London store until the middle of next week. I'd love to see it. I still think of him as the 'King of Colour'!

Inspiration can be found everywhere. You don't have to travel. I'm noticing the beautiful turning colours of hydrangeas in neighbours' garden at the moment. I'll post photos of those next time. 

Enjoy your Sunday!

Who can we believe?

 'Poor air quality'  posters . Fake news?

The poster that alarmed me . Who put these up?

The stink across town together with those posters made people like me worried

Vague poster that must be upsetting if you live along Southern Rail routes.

When I spotted the poster telling me to take an alternative route because of high levels of pollution I believed it. For a couple of days there had been an unpleasant smell hanging over the town and I linked the two things together. I had to carry on breathing of course but I took my photo of the poster to the tourist information office as we have no police station in Petersfield.

No one knew anything about it and I felt like I was in a science fiction zone.

Now the Petersfield Post is telling me that the town council did not put out that poster. Someone has done a clever cut and paste job with their logos. But whom? Who would want to alarm the population with lies? 

Also this week I noticed the poster above. If I lived in Chichester or worked in Chichester I would be upset by that poster. It's too vague. When exactly will I be unable to travel? 

It reminds me of the old questions journalists are taught to answer : What? Who? Where? When? Why? How? (Not necessarily in that order.) In these days of pre-emptive text on our computers have we forgotten to ask ourselves some basic questions?

With the government appearing completely chaotic right now. Who can we believe? If we have another election right now, who can we trust to be earnestly trying to make this country a better place to live in? 

I am reminded of the old saying and wonder if it is correct:

'Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'

But I still believe that the vast majority of people are good and can be trusted, it's just a matter of picking out which ones we can believe and which ones we shouldn't believe...

This week

NEW!  Shibori indigo dyed cushions and pieces of fabric by Penny Munro

Night time moth picture embroidered by Ann Hutchings

'Day' embroidery by Ann Hutchings

Continuing to dress my painted peg dolls this week. I'm also selling them without clothes if you want to dress them yourself.

I feel privileged to have two of Ann Hutchings lovely embroideries in the shop this week. She is so clever.

Penny Munro who uses dyeing techniques with indigo dye also brought in her work this week and I am pleased to be able to offer her cushions and pieces for patchwork for sale. The cushion seen behind my dolls is also from Penny.  Just a warning. Although these pieces have been washed the dye keeps on bleeding so do not put indigo dyed fabric into the washing machine. Wash it separately by hand.

Penny gave a very successful indigo dyeing workshop to members of Phoenix Stitchers recently. Phoenix Stitchers are running a coach up to the Knitting and Stitching show on Sunday October 13th. If anyone wants to join us it's £30 each to include entrance to the show, with cheques made payable to Phoenix Stitchers you can hand in to me at the shop from now onwards to book yourself a place on the coach.

Next week sees the start of the Sewing Group at the library. It's on Friday night September 6th from 5pm to 6.30pm. Maximum of 12 people. If you want to join in email me in advance please so I can keep an eye on numbers. This friendly group is completely free of charge for people to sew in good company. I felt that women who work and can't attend creative sessions during daytime may be able to come to this.

Art exhibition - last day today!

Eileen Higham's watercolour of bottles 

Ann Hutchings' embroidery

David Lawrence watercolour 'To the Mountains'

Eileen Riddiford's ice-dyed silk scarves.

Today is the last day to see the PACS show at the Festival Hall, Petersfield. I visited again yesterday and pictured above are some art I like. But there are hundreds of paintings and craft items to look at. I really think that this year is a particularly good year and if you can, get along before it closes at 5pm.

Fidget dolls

I just finished these dolls with their tactile velvet, bobbles and knitted tassels. Jenny Stacy design

If you are one of those people who has a relative with Dementia I think one of these dolls would be a good gift for them. I was thinking of my mother as I made them. I wish I could give her one now. The bobble braid and dangly knitted strands and especially the velvet pieces (some on the backs of the dolls) would be great to fiddle with. I've also seen that sufferers sometimes love to have a 'baby' to hold. 

We don't talk about dementia much in my country (UK) just as we rarely talk about death. I think it would be better for us if we did discuss these things more openly.But it seems to me that with advancing age dementia is a trap that more and more people are falling into. Just as allergies and 'special needs' seem to be increasing among the young...

 This arguably could be the result of things like more air-borne pollution, the chemicals we put on our fields to make them fertile enough and stuff that gets  into the water supply. I'd love to know exactly what is the root cause of all our problems... From personal experience, I know that the black specks and black dust that I wipe from the outside of my shop windows every day from car exhaust pollution can't be doing us any good at all!

 But life is what it is at this moment in time and we have to make the best of it. At the same time we can join together to try to ensure a healthier planet for our children and our childrens' children.

PACS Art Exhibition on now

Exquisite moths made by Ann Hutchings

Love the soft hues of this painting by Wendy Larken

Another lovely Wendy Larken piece with handmade paper and gold leaf

Meditative painting by Niloo Wickramasinge

Niloo's pots won an award

Statement furniture made by Martin Romanowicz

Petersfield's artists annual exhibition preview was packed last night. As I've mentioned before, this area  boasts a large population of artistic people and the work at the exhibition is as varied and individual as ever. I couldn't resist taking photographs of some of the pieces. And I'll visit again before it closes on Sunday to take some more photographs.

Long time readers of this blog will recognise the name Ann Hutchings. I've showed her embroidery before. She works with just one thread of silk and her work is amazing. Why isn't she famous?

Niloo Wickramasinge is another very talented lady. She makes things for the shop and is multi-talented, excelling at painting,  pottery and needlecraft. Again, in my humble opinion, she should be famous.

Wendy Larken's paintings are so special. These convey a serenity and would be lovely to have at home. Another very talented lady!

Martin Romanowicz is exhibiting his furniture for the first time at this exhibition at the Festival Hall. His work is so tactile it was all I could do to restrain myself from smoothing it and opening those drawers!! This piece is made from maple and walnut. Terence Conran would love this I think!!

I recommend visiting this exhibition if you don't live too far away. Your favourites might be very different from mine...