Handmade with love

 Handmade with love

I love this from Zazzle on pinterest. Anyone who knows me, knows I love to buy handmade and support small businesses. I feel so happy supporting the makers and the artists, buying from independents and adding original pieces to my home. In turn, I know the people I have bought from are very happy too. As shown in this pinterest quote.

It is a massive passion of mine. And now, I have not only been a loyal customer of handmade, I have actually worked for a lovely, small business that produces gorgeous, eco friendly and conscious skincare, handmade in Yorkshire. I am so proud to have worked for such an amazing company and when I worked there I would go home smelling absolutely divine! They have so many lovely things at The Pretty Little Treat Company but two of my faves are their Handcream and Matchbox Perfume in the same fragrance, Number 22. 

I love to always have a little box of things I can use as little prezzies, for a Get Well or a Thankyou and their little treats are perfect for these moments. Everyone always comments how fabulous the treats are. Handmade with love. I can vouch for that!

Their pretty treats are great for special occasions and last year, I bought a lovely gift box, filled with treats and the added gin miniatures and choccies for our lovely friends who just got married. Such a lovely keepsake with their names and date on! I did similar for two lovely friends for their Christmas prezzies the year before. One box even had a book to read in it!

Their little shop opened last year in Denby Dale and it looks lovely. It also smells lovely too! I was very proud of being part of the team and it was only time before I worked there really, being one of their biggest customers! I can recommend everything as I have tried everything! I love the vintage feel of the packaging and how the treats complement each other on the gift boxes.

In addition to Pretty Little Treat Co, which has a special place in my heart, there are a few other small businesses that I am especially fond of. Anyone who knows me, knows I love jewellery, especially earrings. I love upcycled jewellery in particular and one of my faves that I have bought for a few years now, having found it in The Cooper Art Gallery in Barnsley, is the wonderful Brownfish Designs. I love everything about these pieces. The colours, patterns and shapes as they are made from old tins. I buy them for family and friends and they are sold in many shops but my main port of call is Created in Yorkshire in the Ridings Centre, Wakefield. I went once and the lovely lady behind the earings was there. I was pretty star struck!

When I joined instagram on my blog, I could not believe how many fab jewellery accounts there were! I have bought some lovely pieces from a few and even met one of the lovely ladies who came to my book club, with a box of jewellery I had ordered! Hiddentreasuresjewellery on instagram and facebook, is so lovely. Their pieces are so original and quirky. I love their Bohemian range. I also love how they wrap up and present the pieces. 

They now sell special Mystery boxes with jewellery in which look gorgeous. I bought a box for my friend who was so happy to find a pair of bee earings in the box. Such a lovely idea!

On facebook, they have games and competitions. I have just won in their fab raffle. Here is a prize from before. I love it! 

I also love the earings I have bought from Fortheloveofnicnac on instagram. Again, such bright and cheery jewellery made by a lovely lady.

I also love handmade crafts and love visiting different craft, gift shops and galleries such as Newburgh Gallery in Barnsley. They hold special events and I have been to their lovely Autumn and Christmas events. Here is a photo from an event a few years ago I found on facebook. So many lovely vases, candles, decorations and special things! Such a gorgeous photo!

I love visiting Made and Found in Yorkshire which is full of handmade, small businesses. They are all so lovely. The Yorkshire blankets are amazing and so warm and the handmade chocolate is so tasty.

I know the lovely lady Heather G Designs with the fabulous glassware as we met through work and I recognised her Brownfish Designs earings! See, bonding over earings! This is a post from Heather G at Made and Found in Yorkshire. 

Their window displays are lovely and on my last three visits, I have bought a fab frame from the wonderful Life's little blessings handmade,  now known as Audrey that caught my eye in the window! This lovely company are on Etsy and I have bought many gorgeous gifts for family and friends from them.

I also love visiting Created in Yorkshire in The Ridings centre and buy a pair of Brownfish earings on my visit. She has a lovely vintage cupboard filled with gorgeous jewellery. This is a facebook photo of her recently stocked cupboard in the lovely shop!

Kemp Arts is in this fab shop. I love their ceramic hearts frame I bought. So gorgeous in my front room window. They have a stall at Wonderfully made in Yorkshire in Silkstone church and I bought some broaches as presents last time I was there. This photo was taken from their facebook page. Tjey are also for sale in the Fabrication shop in Leeds.

The wonderful Utterly Made in Yorkshire in Denby Dale is full of gorgeous, handmade, local products. So fab that I asked them to make a hamper for my blog giveaway and a hamper for my sister in law! This fab hamper had such lovely, homemade gifts. I love the Dialectable Ltd cups especially. Well, she is a Yorkshire Goddess!

Meadowhall has some lovely handmade, local shops too. The Sheffield shop is so lovely and when we were there last, we could not decide which Yorkshire Candle company to buy.  My fave is the Coffee candle, that Pretty Little Treat co sell too.

I love personalised crafts and I have had some fabulous pieces from the Welcome to Hello craft page on facebook. Even been on a macrame workshop held the lovely lady! My faves are my framed doggy picture and my Not so grim up North eco friendly bag! 

I am really impressed by the marvellous handmade talent on instagram and the lovely community of makers, supporting each other. 

I was so pleased when I won this fabulous pumpkin on instagram from michellelovestosew! When I opened their box, the pumpkin was cinnamon  scented! It is so bright and cheery!

I love frames and my walls and shelves are full of framed art. I love this wooden one from behindthetimesonline. Gorgeous!

I love visiting little gift shops and craft fairs for individual art. This blue art work was from the Holmfirth art week last year and the white frame was from a lovely lady, Gill Morris who has a cabinet at Cawthorne Antique Centre. I met her there once and we had such a lovely conversation. I have many of her beautiful pieces.

I do have an obsession with Cornishware and Emma Bridgewater. I love the artists who have been inspired by both. Cornichecards is one of these. I came across them when I entered, and won their fab competition. I love their coasters especially! 

Another fab artist who I love buying from us heatherandhome on instagram. I am so in love with her lavendar hearts and I am collecting her stripy hearts in particular. When I share photos of my pottery shelf, or shelfies, I am always tagging this lovely lady as her hearts are always on my photos! The same with the lovely livingdeadgirl74 who creates pieces inspired by Emma Bridgewater! I love their work so much!

I do love the Emma Bridgewater hearts design and love this Emma Bridgewater inspired artwork from cottagecreationsuk. So pretty! Oh, and the rabbit and hare are livingdeadgirl74. They get everywhere!

Another clever artist on instagram is sourceandinnovate. I love all of her saucers she cleverly paints to create new saucers and give them new life. I now own two but want more! How fabulous and inventive!

I also have another saucer, that I fell in love with straightaway, from the lovely touchyfeelytextilesjill. It is me, walking my doggy! Jill creates amazing creations. Her recycled bags are fantastic! Like the beer mat bag! My Katie Almond Ceramics jug is on this photo too. I love the patterns inside her pots!

I love these lavendar bags also. My home does smell of lavendar now! These little houses are lovingly made by mysisterlovestosew. A team of sisters who create gorgeousness with material and their needles!

This lovely lady thedovecotestudio is so talented and I have bought some lovely bags as gifts. I love this hope frame too. So gorgeous!

I really enjoyed meeting the lovely ladies from Barnsley's  yarnintarn the other week as they had a craft stall, raising funds for the Ukraine. I loved chatting about what they did and went away happy with my purchases, especially the framed felt flowers. 

I love looking over my photos on facebook and instagram of everything handmade. I love looking at the art on my walls and the handmade pieces on my shelves. I don't buy designer, never have. My most expensive item of clothing was probably a pair of dockers! I am of the school of thought, 'Buy the books and wear the old coat!' My home may be full of books, cups and handmade pieces but these things make me smile. 

I do love buying needlework, embroidery and felt pieces. I appreciate the effort of everything made. I really do! I loved teaching basic sewing as a teacher but did get frustrated re threading the needles! I loved knitting with my grandma too but never progressed past a scarf! I recently tried crocheting but struggled using only the one needle! I have done some sessions on felting too and made a lovely bird. I also had a session of making your own bracelet but my fingers found this too fiddly. I was very proud of everything I made but it reminded ke to stick to my writing! It did, however, make me see how much time, effort and talent goes into every piece. Handmade with love and created by the heart. 

On a funny note. I do remember loving pots as a teenager. I even took Pottery as a GCSE. I even made the biggest coil pot. I never knew when to stop, uou see! Only it got broken in the kiln room. Two occasions in the kiln room. One, a cleaner knocked some pots over. Two, a disagreement broke out amongst two pupils, resulting in broken pots. My pots were involved both times! I do understand the amount of thought, planning, time, effort and love that can go into each individual piece. I know artists who have said they are so happy knowing the person who bought their work appreciates it!

My lovely sis in law and best friend have shared many handmade gifts on my blog. I love this  cupcake that my sis in law got as a present. The Yorkshire heart was a present from me from Moorland pottery. I do love sending handmade cards and gifts. I love spreading the word of small businesses. I hope you are inspired by some of these fab businesses, gift shops, instagram pages, artists and makers.