Get an extra 30% off for Black Friday

I feel a little sad writing this as it is my last blog post (at least for quite a while!). I have four more journals to make up before I officially start maternity leave - though it should really be called 'tidying leave' since my workroom has some way to go before it can become a habitable space again!

There are a few sale items left and my Folksy shop is staying open until Monday. To celebrate the start of maternity leave I thought I'd also give you lovely lot an extra discount for the Black Friday weekend. To get an additional 30% off all stationery in my shop simply use the code BLACKFRIDAY at the checkout. It will give you totally mad prices as everything is already at least half price. Valid until midnight on Monday.

One week left to buy made to order items

Got your eye on a personalised travel journal or some vintage map stickers? You had better get your order in quick...

There is just one week left to buy made to order items from the say it shops on Folksy and Etsy. This will be your last chance to place an order with me before I go off on maternity leave. So make sure you have purchased everything you would like by midnight on Sunday 22 November.

And there's still plenty of bargains to be had in my massive clearance sale too. Why not stock up on some super cheap handmade birthday cards or map notebooks that would make great stocking fillers. Shop the sale now.

Last order dates and a massive sale!

Firstly, I have exciting news to share with you - I'm going to become a mummy! Unfortunately though, my new little helper is going to take some time to train up, so the say it shop will be closing at the end of November. I'm starting maternity leave a little early as I have to tidy up and pack away everything in my work room. This is no small task (I currently can't see the floor...!) but apparently babies need somewhere to sleep!

The good news for you is that all the stock I have left needs to go, which means it's sale time. Head over to my Folksy shop and grab yourself an absolute bargain. 

Birthday cards less than half price

65% off - great stocking fillers

Notebooks just £5

The sale will stay open until 30 November (if there's anything left by then!) but personalised and made to order items will only be available until 22 November. So if you have your eye on a personalised doodle book for you niece or a map journal for your brother make sure you don't miss the last order date of 22 November.

I'm back... but not for long

Well that ended up being a much longer break than I anticipated... Sometimes life is more important than work. Sadly when it's just me running the shop that means it has to close when I'm not around, so I'm sorry if you were looking to buy something and couldn't.

The good news is that the shop is open again. However, it's not going to stay open for very long, so if you want a personalised birthday card or some of the new map stickers it's best to buy them right away.

I'll be back soon with more news about the future of say it and last order dates for the year (likely to be mid November). In the meantime, I'm afraid you won't find many blog posts from me. As I have less work time available I've decided to concentrate on making up orders, so you'll find that my blog, facebook page and twitter are rather quiet. I'm a little sad that means no Christmas gift guides this year as I love putting those together but sometimes it's important to prioritise.

New in the shop - map stickers

I love making things from vintage maps, like these notebooks and these birthday cards. I save every little bit of map that is left over and now have quite a pile. The maps just seem too valuable to throw away, so I have been trying to design products that use them up rather than wasting them. I little while back I added these map notecards, but I have plenty of scraps of map so decided to think about other things I could use them for.

Introducing the new vintage map stickers! I am so pleased with these and what a wonderful way to show off the little bits of map.

Each sticker is completely unique, made from real maps over 50 years old. These aren't your bog standard printed stickers, these are little pieces of history!

There are two sheets of stickers in each pack, with 40 stickers in total. You could use them to decorate your journal, or as envelope seals, or on wedding favour packaging. And they would make a lovely gift for anyone who likes maps or travelling.

Available now on Folksy and Etsy. Really hope you like them as much as I do!

Friday Folksy Favourite

I've been choosing my favourite handmade item from Folksy every Friday for quite a while and popping them on Facebook, but I thought it was time to bring them to the blog. There are some truly amazing shops on Folksy with lovely handmade products that deserve to be shared. Pop back each Friday for more!

A porcelain custard cream! This little beauty is handmade by Delphine and Max and inspired by a love of British tea time. It would be brilliant as a quirky gift for a biscuit lover.

Behind the scenes - July

This month, running my small business has mostly involved taking a break! I closed the shop for three weeks and had two full weeks off work. This can be hard to do as I always worry that I will annoy customers and I'm obviously losing out on sales, but it was so worth it. June had been such a busy month and I was pretty exhausted. I was reaching the point where I really didn't want to make yet another travel journal; I don't want making up orders to become a chore, I'm keen to ensure that I continue to love crafting and am glad to create products for customers. After a refreshing break I'm back with renewed enthusiasm and a lot more energy!

And my lovely customers haven't forgotten me - as soon as I reopened the shop I started getting sales again. I'm hoping August will be a bit quieter than June though so that I can get some prep done for Christmas!

In the little bit of working time I had in July I have been designing another new personalised journal which I hope I can share with you soon. I also ordered 750m of double sided tape - there's a photo below if you want to see what this looks like! It's unbelievable how much tape I get through.

Before I went away I sent out the monthly greetings card subscriptions. I put together these little bundles of three cards every month and I enjoy designing new cards, many of which are exclusively for the subscriptions. If you fancy getting your hands on a regular delivery of stationery you can sign up here.

On the blog I posted the third in my series of nursery rhyme Folksy Fridays with a collection of interesting sheepy items and came up with 10 reasons you should send happy mail.

Here's the month in pictures.