I'm back...with a new adventure!

Well...it's been a while! I've been a very busy girl over the last few months and am very pleased to announce that I have finally set up my own little online shop, where I will be selling various handmade bits and bobs... It's still early days but please go check it out: www.etsy.com/shop/GirlGotHeart

So far, one of my bestselling items has been my Stag Silhouette Cross Stitch Pattern - which is ideal for those who love the current heritage-inspired trend and old curiosity shop style decor, but maybe aren't so keen on having actual mounted taxidermy in their home! The finished product is also available to purchase for £38 here.

Stag Silhouette Cross Stitch Pattern - £3

Another bestseller is my Crystal Heart Necklace, which I have so far only sold via the GG<3 Facebook page, at a special price of £5 to friends, family and 'like'-ers of GG<3 based in the UK. The shrink plastic heart charm is cut-out by hand (scalpel skills!) before heating, shrinking and attaching onto a necklace with the addition of 3 sparkly Swarovski crystals in lilac and plum tones.

Crystal Heart Necklace

I'm taking one small step at a time, but I'm so glad I finally took the plunge and started selling - such a rewarding feeling when you find out someone likes your design enough to buy it! Thanks to all of my customers so far, and welcome to any potential new ones in future... 

Please follow @GirlGotHeart on Twitter and like GG<3 on Facebook for all of my latest designs, and even the occasional offer :) Thank you!

DIY Jewellery Tree

This time last year, I was developing decorative slot together constructions at work. Since then, I've noticed how several high street chains have implemented various cardboard masterpieces in their store window displays, including Next, John Lewis and Marks and Spencer...not to mention Muji, who were ahead of the game in 2011 and can probably be held partially responsible for introducing this innovative style of product in the first place.

I always appreciated the smart concept - combine a simple material with a simple process, but carefully calculate the shape and size of each creative puzzle piece in order to achieve something that appears rather impressive. I decided to make a cardboard jewellery tree (painted with white acrylic) which utilizes the same idea. 

I kept the design fairly basic as I don't have access to laser cutting and was therefore reliant on a single sharp scalpel and patience in abundance! I'm happy with the result though and for once, it was nice to spend a bit of time creating something for my bedside table, as opposed to waving goodbye as it gets shipped away to a manufacturer or client.

Pattern Wrapped Jars

Following on from my last post, I wanted to do something more colourful with some neat little air-tight jars I’d saved. These sweetie jar styles are so ‘in’ at the moment and are great for storing small items like cotton reels, ribbons and buttons.

The way I decorated these old coffee jars couldn’t get any simpler! I took a few of my print designs, cut strips that were plenty long enough to wrap around the jar and then secured with a strip of double-sided tape.

DIY Heart Candle Votive

At work, we’ve been enjoying the current trend for cute clusters of glassware within wedding floristry and home accessories. I particularly like the simple Scandinavian style etchings and printed detailing seen on a lot of jam-jars and bottles, which have a homemade, upcycled appearance. This gave me the idea to have a go at giving some old candle votives a bit of a makeover.

As it was my first attempt at anything to do with glass painting, I decided to keep it simple by using a ‘Porcelain Painter’ pen to trace over a dotted heart outline which I quickly drew to scale on Illustrator. I masking-taped the template to the inside of the glass and drew onto the outside…et voila!

The pen was a little temperamental as the ink did not flow continually (it may actually be easier to use a paintbrush and glass paint, but this creates more mess to clean up after!) However, it only cost about £3 from Hobbycraft, providing a fairly inexpensive way to customise a few pieces of old glassware and have a bit of fun!