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!

An extra special wedding gift

I've been working on this month's new product for quite a long time and I'm so excited to finally add it to my shop. If you've got any weddings coming up this summer and you're looking for an extra special wedding gift you will love it!

This new wedding journal is personalised with the names of the bride and groom and the date of the wedding making it a unique gift. It is entirely handmade - I cut the pages to size, stitch them together and make the covers.

Use it as a journal to record all the special memories from the big day, or a wedding album, or a scrapbook, or a honeymoon journal or a wedding guest book. Fill it up with whatever makes you happy. Or, at 120 pages, there is plenty of space for everything! You could start it off as a guestbook, add some photos, then take it away on honeymoon to record your adventures. One big book bursting with memories.

You can buy the new personalised wedding journal on Folksy or Etsy. Just allow up to 2 weeks for me to create yours.

New in the shop: Handmade notecards

Every month I like to make sure I add something new to my shop. This month, there's two new packets of notecards.

I've been designing some new cards for my greetings card subscription. Once a month I send out packages of three cards, with some designs taken from the shop, some new designs that aren't yet available elsewhere and some cards designed exclusively for subscribers. These two notecards were made for subscriptions, but I liked them so much that I thought I'd offer them in my shop too.

First there is a pretty set of cards made with washi tape and die cut butterflies. They would be perfect as thank you cards, or for sending a little note to say hi.

And these map notecards are made from real vintage maps. I have so many little pieces of map left over from making journals (like this one) and I've been saving them all because they are just too nice to waste any. So this is the perfect use for all my little scraps! These notecards feature 9 circles cut from a wide range of different maps and atlases all over 50 years old, so each card is unique.

Both sets of notecards come as a pack of four, presented in a kraft brown folder. They'd make a lovely gift for anyone who likes stationery. Pop over to my shop now for more details.

New range of papercut cards

New range of colourful papercut cards in the say it shop

There's a new range of cards just added to the say it shop. Perfect whether you want to say thank you or happy birthday, or welcome a new baby to the world. Don't like my colour choices? Mix and match your favourites instead - just drop me a message when ordering and I'll make the card up in custom colours of your choice. And add a name to make the cards an extra special gift.

Now available from just £3 in the say it shop. 

New notebook packaging

Packaging can really make a good product. I like to keep mine pretty simple, but I know that it is really important to get right. I had been thinking about how to improve my notebook packaging for a while, then I won a giveaway by Claireabelle Makes and bagged myself 100 business cards from Myprint247. I already had plenty of business cards so I decided to be more creative and use my prize to update the packaging for my handmade notebooks.

I wanted to use a long thin label, so designed my business cards to be cut in two across the middle. So each business cards makes two notebook labels. I kept the text very generic, so that they are suitable for all the different notebooks I make.

After cutting each business card in two I punched a hole on each end so that they could be tied round a notebook. I decided to use a bright orange ribbon to match my branding.

What do you think? I love it, and it's just that little bit different and more creative than a simple paper band that I had before.

Want a notebook? Shop here.

Personalised honeymoon journal wedding gift

If you're looking for an extra special wedding gift you'll love the new journal I've just added to the shop. It would make such a personal present.

This journal is personalised with the bride and groom's names and the date of the wedding. And you can choose the location on the map heart, whether that's where they met, where they are getting married or their honeymoon destination. Each journal is made to order and is a really unique wedding present.

The pages are made from a beautifully thick 100% recycled paper that is made in the UK. They are stitched together and trimmed to size by hand for a truly handmade journal.

  

Special memories from the honeymoon could be jotted down in this journal, along with photos and mementos such as plane tickets or restaurant receipts. Or it could be used as a wedding guest book or album. Pop over to my Folksy shop if you'd like to buy one.

Personalised copper wedding card

Two of my favourite trends at the moment are script fonts and copper. So I've combined them both in my latest design! This gorgeous personalised wedding card is now available from the say it shop.

I've been playing around with this idea for a while but simply printing the words was too plain and I wanted to give it a touch of luxury. Then I found some shiny metallic vinyl and put my silhouette portrait to work cutting it out and I love the result.

This card is for my cousin who's getting married this summer. I love being able to send personalised cards that are so much more special than ones you can buy on the high street. If you know a happy couple who'll be tying the knot soon why not take a look at my range of personalised wedding cards. 

New cards in the shop

Since I got back to work after Christmas I have been busy designing a new range of cards. They're all made from a lovely thick kraft brown card and a gorgeous script font.

I got my silhouette portrait electronic cutting machine out and the more I use it the more I love it! For some of the cards I cut the words directly out of the card so that the colourful insert inside peeks through. 

Other cards were made from stencils I created and a chalk white ink which I think goes really well against the kraft brown card.

All the cards are available to buy from my Folksy shop. I quite like this style so I might add a few more designs to the range.

PS. There are still a few items left in the sale if there's anything you'd like. 

Notebooks for everyone this Christmas

Notebooks make great Christmas gifts. They can be used for so many different things that there can't possibly be many people who wouldn't appreciate receiving one. And as all stationery lovers know, you can never have too many notebooks!

So I thought I'd show you my range of handmade notebooks, including a couple of new ones that have only just been added to the shop. Who will you buy a notebook for this Christmas?

Recipe book with pockets    Personalised travel journal    Vintage sheet music notebook

Family tree research notebook     Personalised notebook         Personalised list jotter

Personalised travel journal    Square personalised notebook      Vintage map journal

See my full range of handmade notebooks in the say it shop. And if you can't spot one that's quite right why not get in touch and order a custom notebook designed just for you.

New in the shop: greetings card subscription boxes

Do you love sending snail mail? Are you addicted to stationery? Would you like to have a regular stash of birthday cards? My new greetings card subscriptions give you a bundle of stationery every month, so you'll never run out of cards.

I like to be organised and have a box of blank cards and a box of birthday cards ready to choose from at all times. You never know when you might want to write someone a little note and I'm trying to send more happy post this year. But sometimes making sure the boxes of cards get topped up can be a little tricky! Wouldn't it be great if that just sort of happened automatically...

So I've created my new greetings card subscription package for people like me who love to have cards on hand at all times. You can choose to sign up for three months to try it out or subscribe for a full year of happy post. Each month you will receive three beautiful handmade cards and you can choose whether you'd like birthday cards, blank cards or a mixture of occasions to create the perfect bundle for you.

Interested? Pop over to my Etsy shop to find out more and sign up to get your greetings card subscription box.

Handmade birthday cards

This month I've been making some new birthday card designs. It's hard sometimes to find time to sit down and work on new designs when I have lots of orders that need posting asap. But it really is my favourite part of my job. I have so many ideas in my head and I love trying them out and making something new.

I got a fantastic new silver ink pen from stamping up that gives the most wonderful shiny finish. You're meant to be able to stamp with it, but it didn't give a strong enough print so I tried stenciling and I think it looks fab on this new card.

Cards with ages on seem popular so I've added another one to the shop. This is made using my silhouette portrait electronic cutting machine. I think the purple pearlised card is my absolute favourite at the moment!

And a new range of birthday cards made from maps and a vintage dictionary print. I'm planning on adding a few more different shapes too, so check the shop soon for more designs.

All these handmade birthday cards are available to order from the say it Folksy shop. 

Family tree notebook

Researching your family history is becoming quite popular and finding out about your ancestors can be fascinating. If you're beginning to research your family tree you might like one of my new notebooks. The perfect place to gather together all your family research and make notes on your ancient relatives.

The family tree notebook has a personalised cover with one or two names and a matching silhouette, either male or female. So you could have 'Stephen's family tree' or 'Jane and Ben's family tree' or 'The Clark's family tree', making it a really special and personal notebook.

If you've ever tried writing out your family tree and kept wishing you could have a bigger piece of paper you'll appreciate the giant fold out page in the centre of the notebook. Unfolding like a map, the centre page opens out to an enormous 8 times the size of the notebook. So there is plenty of space for all your great great great aunts and second cousins twice removed!

If you would like a family tree notebook pop over to my Folksy shop where they are available for £14 plus p+p. It would make a unique gift for all budding genealogists. 

Say hello with personalised notecards

How often do you get happy post? I mean proper nice post brought to you by the postman and pushed through your letterbox after travelling across the country from someone who has spared a few minutes of their day to think of you. Doesn't it just make your day to arrive home and find a handwritten envelope waiting for you?!

If you want to receive more happy post perhaps you should try sending some? You could make someone's day by choosing to write them a note instead of popping what you have to say in an email or text. And you could make it extra special by sending one of my new handmade notecards.

Each notecard is personalised with the name of the sender, saying either "hello from" or "a note from".

They are made with my new silhouette portrait machine, which makes me so happy every time I use it. I can cut anything. Amazing.

If you'd like a pack of 4 bright and colourful papercut notecards personalised with your name pop over to my Folksy shop and I'll get ready to start cutting. Or perhaps you could buy a set as a gift and hope they send one back to you!

New designs with my silhouette portrait

I have wanted one of these electronic cutting machines for AGES. I kept bidding on a few on ebay to try and get one a bit cheaper as they are pretty expensive, but always got outbid. I wasn't sure I could justify spending the full cost. But now my wonderful husband has surprised me by buying me my very own brand new silhouette portrait. I am so excited!

What I particularly love about the silhouette portrait is that as well as being able to download fab designs to cut out straight away, you can also cut out any design of your own. So it's perfect for me as I can create and cut my own designs for the shop.

Hence a couple of new cards have just been added to the shop! I'm still playing and have so many ideas to try out, so expect to see more soon.

Personalised cut out wedding card
£2.75

Personalised papercut birthday card
£2.50

And another new card not made with the silhouette portrait but equally nice!

Personalised children's age birthday card
£2.50

If you'd like one of these new cards (or anything else!) get your orders in by Wednesday as the shop is going to be closed 10-21 July whilst I'm off on holiday. Why not pop over to the shop now?!

I'm linking this post up with Handmade Monday so if you fancy checking out what other creative peeps have been making this week why not pop over for a browse.

Wedding card back in stock

My most popular wedding card from last summer is now back in stock. Personalised with the couple's names and date of the wedding it makes an extra special card the happy couple will treasure forever.

One of the things I find most difficult about running a shop selling my own handmade products is sourcing supplies. I spent a lot of time at the beginning finding the best places to buy all the different materials I used. When I design a card or notebook I try and ensure that I have a good supply for everything needed to make it, so that I'm not too limited in the number I can make. Keeping an eye on the stock of supplies and reordering in plenty of time is a little challenging at times, but not too difficult.

What really annoys me however is when I can no longer get hold of the materials I need. I've been happily buying x material from y store, reordering as needed, then suddenly with no warning you go to reorder and you can't get it any more.

This poor wedding card suffered a triple blow as I could no longer get the same ribbon, background paper or cotton for the name and date tags. It's been out of stock for quite a while as I've had to slightly redesign it using new supplies. It's looking fabulous again though and is back in the shop if you'd like to buy one.

Reworked design now back in the shop

Original design