Easter and all things gorgeous (and not a chocolate in sight!)

Easter is a very important time in the Christian calendar but many others, believers or not, enjoy Easter time too.  It is a time of new beginnings - bunnies, chicks, lambs and of course chocolate, whether it's in the form of an egg or not!

The shops are full of Easter eggs and other tempting goodies as are many of the online craft sites.  If you're thinking of choosing a gift a little different and special this year there are many to choose from on the Folksy site.  

I made some little white bunny brooches last year for my nephews who loved them so much that I decided to make a couple to sell at Ellie's Treasures.  There's one left - free P&P too!

Little white bunny brooch at Ellie's Treasures


Here's a few other fabulous Easter goodies all available from Folksy.  As always, click on the photo to go straight to the relevant shop.

Patchwork Butterfly


Jings Things


Pink Amaryllis


Mrs Moo Designs


The Cats Whiskers Jewellery

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Woollie ponies and fairy toadstool brooches

The little Woollie "Barry" that I made for my nephew was so well received that his brother decided he'd like one too, this time in pale green and to be named "Tiny".  I was a little worried that I wouldn't be able to package "Tiny" up in the hard cardboard business box that I'd been using for all my other Woollies.  When I bought the batch of boxes from Hobbycraft I took all that were on their shelves (there weren't that many) and when I rang to ask if they had more they told me they no longer sold them.  Internet searches didn't lead to much either, so I was extremely pleased to find that there were two of these boxes left at Hobbycraft when I decided to pay a visit, just to see for myself.

Katie makes the Woollie ponies and I put the rest of the package together.  I think this one's very sweet, she has such a lovely face.  I wonder if I'll get any more requests for Woollies - perhaps their friends will see them and make enquiries!



I recently purchased three packs of tibetan silver charms which I knew immediately could be used to make pretty brooches for the shop.  I have fairies, curled up cats and toadstools.  I think the toadstools are my favourites (I've always believed in fairies!) and I have loved using them.  The first brooch I made I decided to keep, but have since made another which is now for sale in the shop (and pictured below).  The blue felt used for the background is a gorgeous colour, very striking against the embroidery silk flowers.  I hope I can find more of this colour felt as I only have scraps left which initially came from a recycling store. 

Another toadstool brooch I made was for my daughter's friend as part of her birthday present.  They are just the right size to accessorise handbags (which is where I've put mine), as well as scarves or clothing.  This one has two different mauve hearts, deep purple front and back and lilac sandwiched between.


So, what's next for Ellie's Treasures?  Well February has been kind for sales which means my shop is feeling a little low on goodies!  I've started cutting out more Patchy Pockets to sew using some fabulous materials.  I'm hoping to include a proper little coin purse into some of these new Patchies, just to update them a little.  I'll see how I get on!  Also, can't wait to use more of my new charms, certainly on brooches but perhaps also to decorate a couple of Patchies too.

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I can now reveal ...

the little hand sewn table pressies I made for my family.  We all got together this last weekend for our Christmas celebration and I wrapped these and hid them next to the crackers on the table as an additional surprise!


Keyrings for the gentlemen.


Little brooches for the ladies.


Mini funny "Blobbols" for the children, each with a different name secured to the reverse.


A special two photo holder keyring for my sister as she's photo mad and I knew she'd love it to keep a couple of special photos close to hand!

The photo keyring is a new item that I'd like to sell at Ellie's Treasures but I can't guarantee when!  It took me many weeks to get just right, hand cutting and sewing something so small is very fiddly, but very much worth it in the end. 

Happy New Year to you all!

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Decorating the Christmas tree

So, it's now 5th December and how many readers out there have already put up their tree festooned with Christmas decorations?

With the early snow fall, Christmas appears to have started very early.  I know for sure that I'm more prepared and more excited about festivities this year that I have been for many years.  Pretty lights and big plastic Santas have been seen around our village from the last week of November, and as the months seem to whizz by so quickly these days why not enjoy the fun of the season for longer than the usual a few short weeks?

I love all the decorations, gorgeous present ideas and stocking fillers online and in the shops (but mainly online for me this year) and I think we too may put up our tree and decorate the home a week or so earlier than we normally do.

With decorations in mind, I thought I'd show you some that are available to buy at Ellie's Treasures.  I'll kick start with Mr. Snowman as he is very appropriate for the weather we've all be experiencing.  No wet, freezing gloves and mittens needed to make this fella, he's ready to sit happily on the shelf, mantelpiece or windowsill this Christmas.


Now, howabout something cute for the actual tree?  I've been making dolly peg ornaments for the winter season for a few years now and each time they sell so well.  This year we have dolly peg angels, pixies and Santas.  The little Santas have an added bonus of helping you count down those all important last six days to Christmas.  All the dolly pegs sit perfectly on the tree, or perhaps on a banner, bunting or thick tinsel.  They could even be used to hold Christmas cards in place on a thick piece of string!







Finally, how about a little hand-sewn stocking which comes complete with two mini felt heart brooches - a great gift for brooch lovers everywhere and perhaps ideal to share with a friend?  Fill the stocking with lovely goodies and hide it on the tree branches for Christmas morning. 



Oooh, Christmas, I'm getting excited now!

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Stocking fillers

These brooches and my (so far) one and only key fob will make perfect stocking fillers this Christmas.  Here's my selection, all hand sewn and all with a silver safety bar pin secured firmly to the back.  Just click on the photo to go to relevant brooch/key fob in my shop.







Just thought I'd mention (don't scream) - here's a mini countdown to Christmas just to make you panic!


Make your own Countdown Clocks

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Brooches - how to wear them

There's a new brooch in my collection at Ellie's Treasures.  It's another from the "Patch" series - this time he's looking for love with a little purple heart beneath his paws.

Brooches make brilliant accessories.  Not only fabulous for dressing up your clothing, but wonderful too for adding style to your hat, scarf and even your handbag.



Here's my Ben modelling my fat cat brooch which has been clipped to the lovely burnt orange hat my hubby purchased from Folksy for me earlier in the year. 



and here's Patch again clipped to my handbag looking very smart indeed.

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Things I've made or finished this week:

I've been busy finishing a beautiful Patchy Pockets for my friend who is getting married on the 18th September.  It's a surprise little gift and I hope she will find it perfect for keeping safe all her little momentos from the special day.  I've personalised this one too, which makes it extra special, and I'm happy to do something similar for any of my keepsake wallets listed in my shop should buyers request it.

This Patchy is very similar to one I sold quite recently.  As I've mentioned before, the materials are gorgeous and very bridal in my opinion! 





I've also made a new little pussy cat brooch, as promised.  Again, I'd made one like this just a few weeks ago for my sister as a little gift.  I thought the colours of the cat on the purple background looked lovely, so I just had to make one for the shop too!

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Been busy on the sewing front ...

and made a cute little pussy cat brooch as a small gift for my sister.  It took everything I had not to keep this one, I think the purple is spot on and shows off the ginger furry body just perfectly.  I've just bought another couple of cat face buttons so will be making a some for the shop in due course.



I've also had a rummage in my materials bag, buttons and ribbons box and made a new keepsake, Patchy Pockets, fabric wallet.  I love making these as each one is unique and the finished product always puts a satisfied smile on my face.

Feedback from recent Patchy sales have been great - it's always lovely to know my items have made someone happy:

"Thank you so much! The item is GORGEOUS and arrived beautifully and safely packaged 2 days after ordering ~ you are fantastic! x"

"So cute, thank you! Perfect for keeping little pictures of my kids and other bits and bobs."

These little wallets are fabulous for keeping so many small things in one place.  Photos, notes, plasters, headache tablets, phone numbers, sewing items, memories from special occasions - the list is endless.

Here's my latest one, now available to buy at Ellie's Treasures:

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Patch plays ball ...

My new little collection of cute dog face buttons arrived and, being a little smaller than my last ones, sent me back to the drawing board.

With Katie's help I bought a wad of gingerish coloured furry fabric which we both thought would make a fabulous dog body for the new button faces.  Not only does it moult terribly, leaving ginger fluff absolutely everywhere, but, once cut into a small body shape, looked just a little ridiculous!

After much cutting out of our various shapes and positions of doggy bodies to fit the doggy heads, I settled on good old felt and added a couple of brown patches which seem to turn my newly formed hound into an adorable little pooch.

My dog, Poppy, loves playing ball.  As you can see from Poppy's blog post, she has a small collection of tennis balls.  Most are split, chewed or dented (and many, many more are strewn around the garden and probably in the house too), but she loves them all!  With this in mind, and knowing how dogs do like to play fetch, I added a little yellow ball to the brooch too.

"Patch plays ball" a new brooch is born and looking for a new home.

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Pussy cat brooches ...

seem to be quite popular at Ellie's Treasures.  My last cat brooch went to a fellow Folksy seller, Paulaz Jewellz.  I think she was very happy with it - in fact she even blogged about her new brooch (see her review here).

I have to say I love making these little felt brooches.  Each one is unique - no two could ever be the same as, apart from the actual button cat head or cat, all pieces are hand cut and hand sewn.  Each brooch slightly padded and stiffened, and each one has a sturdy catch bar pin secured to the back.

Brilliant for cat lovers and equally wonderful for the fashion conscious who are looking for something just that little bit different.

I have two little heart brooches available at Ellie's Treasures at the moment.  My first is similar to the one sold to Paulaz Jewelz - a darling little cat with its button face, fluffy curled up body and woollen tail.  I love the way it watches the butterfly!

My sister bought me a pack of ceramic pussy cat buttons (and a mouse) which inspired my second brooch.  "Cat peeking through the long grass" comes to mind when looking at this.  It has a lovely smiley face - perhaps seeing the pretty flower and tiny hearts puts it in a wonderfully happy mood.

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Brooches and hairslides

Continuing with my brooch making enjoyment and having run out of cat and dog face buttons for the time being, I found a flower shaped template just begging to be used. Using felt, home tie-dyed t-shirt fabric, a flower shaped button and a selection of seed beads I came up with this pretty little flower brooch. It's the perfect size for wearing on clothes this summer, or even to brighten up your accessories like your handbag or perhaps a belt. It's available in my shop at Folksy and Dreamaid.

I made another just for my daughter Katie, and she found a new use for it - a fashionable flower hair decoration (although you'd have to be careful with not to hurt yourself with the pin). Used with a hairgrip to keep it securely in place, I think it looks really attractive.

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Woof and miaow

Still on my brooch roll and seeing as how my little puss brooch sold so quickly I took another trip to Hobbycraft to buy a couple more gorgeous cat face buttons to make some more. Whilst there I spotted cute dog face buttons too; they were so appealing I just had to get them. So, there's a couple of new brooches just listed at Ellie's Treasures, hope you like them.

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Swirly Wirly heart brooches

Still into making fun brooches at the mo but do feel another Patchy Pockets is on the cards very soon!

The idea for these "swirly wirly" hearts actually came from Katie, my daughter. Before Ellie's Treasures was on the scene and even before we'd move to our current house, I remember commenting on how pretty the wound up pieces of felt looked that she and her friends had made one afternoon. The idea stuck in my mind and last week I had a few scraps of felt left over just perfect to winding up to make these little swirly spirals.

I think these little heart brooches are really cute and ideal for sharing with your bezza (sorry, I love that word, Katie's friends use it all the time!).

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Another pretty brooch

I really enjoy making brooches at the mo. This little heart one was a "thank you" sent to my hubby's aunt who very, very kindly knitted him a fabulous Aran jumper.

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Take a cute cat face ...

and turn it into a sweetie of a brooch.

Saw these little cat face buttons in Hobbycraft on my last visit and couldn't resist them (although they were a bit expensive). I wasn't too sure what to make with them to start with and then I remembered some fluffy furry material in my big bag of scraps and decided to use that as a puss-cat body and turn everything into a brooch.

I think my little cat is carefully watching the butterflies while he doses! Have started making another to see in my shop.

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Bunny faces

I wanted to make my nephews a little extra something to package up with their Easter eggs this year and seeing as how I'm quite into making brooches at the mo, decided to make them each a little white bunny face brooch. Cute don't you think?

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