If, like me, the best thing about going back to school was shopping for stationery, then rejoice! May 16th-22nd is National Stationery Week! Yes, really – well, they have National days & weeks for everything, why not stationery? Because stationery is awesome.
My Etsy customers are the best! Reviews like this make my day.
Launched back in 2012 by the Stationery Show, it started life as just a day, gaining momentum and building into a full week. It’s used to celebrate the joys of writing by hand; whether you’re writing in your own notebook, sending someone a letter or postcard, or just a quick note to stick on the fridge.
What’s your style when it comes to stationery? Understated? OTT? Cute & colourful? Plain & simple? I love the fact that you can get stationery in so many different styles to match your mood or personality.
Making from waste materials means I’m kept on my toes a bit in terms of what I can make in what size, but it means it never gets boring! These pencil cases were made from leather from a furniture samples booklet, and would’ve otherwise been thrown away. Find a selection in my Etsy shop.
Favourite stationery brands
When it comes to looking at stationery shops online, my favourite is Present and Correct. The whole look of their website is just *chef kiss*; every detail is a stationery lover’s dream, down to the graph paper backgrounds. I highly recommend checking out their Ephemera section – all those things you need without really knowing why. They do have a physical store too, in London, though I’m yet to check it out.Do you have a favourite pen? I’ve got a set from Kikki.k that I use all time, I love them! Think simple pastel sets and stationery essentials from this Swedish brand. While they currently don’t have UK stores anymore, you can still peruse their online shop for inspiration.
Bring on the trumpets, my Folksy shop is open once again! You can find my range of hand bound leather journals and mini book necklaces there, plus… something completely new for me. Origami jewellery is something I’ve been thinking about doing for a long time, but couldn’t really think how to get the results I wanted. Paper is so delicate and needs reinforcing or coating if you want to make it durable enough to wear repeatedly. After going through a few different options, I finally hit upon the answer – setting the origami in resin is the perfect way to preserve it!
I’m so pleased with the results. To start with, I’m doing 3 animals, just to see how they do. I’ve chosen a crane, a butterfly and a fox. Which is your favourite? Are there any other animals you’d like to see?
You can find these in the jewellery section of my Folky shop and they’re also on Etsy, too.
Next up something not quite new, just a little improved: ‘Once Upon A Time’ book necklaces.
These are made, as always, from upcycled leather – the section used for the cover was rescued from a shoe factory. For the insides, I’ve used ivory paper; I think it just goes with the whole feel of the mini books. I’ve also added an extra stamp at the bottom, a kind of swirly flower – and of course there’s a little key charm.
Well that’s about it for news. Let me know what you think: anything new you’d like to see? A particular origami piece or a certain style of journal? Let me know! As always you can get in touch at ahoythere@thecraftfantastic.co.uk or via the contact page.
Hey stationery fans! Thinking about spring-cleaning your desk/hoard? Then you’ll need some shiny new products. I’ve been searching the internet for the best new stationery for the new season.
High Street Finds
Over the past few years, high street shops have upped their game in the fun stationery stakes. Unicorns everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Which is fine, because who doesn’t love a unicorn? I’m starting off in Paperchase with the all important storage.
Look at all those compartments ?? For £10 you get a pretty home for sooooo many pens and pencils. If you don’t have desk space for something this size, you’re going to need an epic pencil case. WHSmith has the answer.
Squee! Bit too ott for you? They have plenty of subtler options to suit.
Ok, time for the filling!
£12 for a set of 12 coloured pencils (Paperchase), with a different mood or emotion stamped on the bottom, associated with that particular colour. You even get a little booklet on the psychology of colour.
For perfectly pretty pastel pens, head to John Lewis and check out the kikki.K range.
Marvellous, if you simple HAVE TO peruse your stationery in real life; but this brand has a pretty awesome website – trust me, you’ll love it. And with that, let’s head online for the…
Best of the Web (OK, Etsy)
As always, I began my search over on Etsy, and to be honest after much searching elsewhere, I headed back and stayed there. Being a maker and seller myself, I know how much hard work people put into their creations and love to buy handmade. If you weren’t aware, you can now purchase as a guest, so you don’t have to sign up for an account. Huzzah! You’ll have to click the links to see these beauties.
Is that enough to keep you going? I hope so! Don’t forget, you can head over to The Craft Fantastic Etsy shop for hand bound notebook and journals to go with all your new stuff.
Well, that’s it for another year in terms of fairs. I’ve now attended the last of the craft and wedding events for 2017. However, I’ve already got things in the pipeline for 2018, including alternative wedding fairs and papercraft workshops – watch this blog for details! You can also follow me on Facebook for up to date info on future events.
I count 2017 as my first full year of business aboard The Craft Fantastic. While I set up properly at the start of 2016, that year was spent getting things off the ground. I’ve been really pleased with how the year has gone, taking bookings for an awesome range of weddings, producing custom orders, developing new product ideas and taking part in local craft and wedding fairs. Phew! I’m so grateful to everyone who’s supported me this year and for every single purchase, no matter how small.
During the run up to Christmas I am of course still taking orders via Etsy but you can also contact me here for queries on wedding flowers and custom orders. My last UK posting date is December 18th; if you order after this date, your order will still be processed, but it might not make it before Christmas.
To finish off, here are a few of my favourite makes from 2017!
There’s nothing quite like getting a handwritten letter through the post. They seem so much more personal; reaching out and staying in touch through putting pen to paper, we think more about what we’re going to say than when we email or text. It really helps to have something nice to write on and send your letter off in, so I’ve been looking around to see what letter writing sets are out there. Here’s what I’ve found.
One of the main reasons I love this one is because it comes in a gorgeous box. It’s simple but extremely pretty. Containing 20 A5 sheets and 10 envelopes, you can pick one of these up for £8.
There’s almost bound to be a WHSmith on your high street, so you can be sure of being able to find a pretty stationery set in town! They don’t have a huge amount of choice, but this bird and flower adorned set is all you’ll need. It’s a great budget option at £5.99 for 30 sheets, 15 matching envelopes and a sheet of stickers. Stickers!!
Over on Etsy you can find The Crafty Red Button. With so many pretty sets to choose from, you’re bound to find something to suit and inspire you to get writing! This set with the blue envelops is my personal favourite; the colour and design is gorgeous. The lined envelopes are handmade and the paper is high quality – 120gsm – so no pen bleed through to the other side of the paper. This set is £13 for 6 sheets of A5 and 6 envelopes, which come in a beautiful box.
What are you waiting for? Get yourself a set, grab a pen and write someone a letter! It’ll be just as much fun to write as it will be to receive.
If there’s such thing as a natural bullet journaler, I am one. Long have I been a lover of lists; a maker of orginised notes; an extravagant underliner; a margin doodler.
What is a bullet journal? Well, it’s pretty much whatever you want to make it. Start with a notebook, something to write with, and get creative. A completely blank notebook is my personal favourite, as it’s the most versatile; however some people prefer gridded or lined paper.
Though it may have started that way, it’s actually not just lists of bullet points. There’s a trend for people using notebooks to create a personal space for them to write and draw and catalogue. Layouts and doodles. Headers, banners and frames. The best thing to do is to try a few things out – just get going and you’ll soon get a feel for how you want to go and what you’ll use your journal for. A few bullet-pointed lists and a few doodles to go with them. Take inspiration, but have a go at making your own systems so that they work for you. What to put in it? Lists, logs, plans, charts, dreams, goals… I actually started with a list of the lists I wanted to make.
Leaving enough space for bigger projects is essential, so think about what you need in advance. A new one for me this year is a garden plan; I’ve laid it out so that I’ve got space for each month, and within that month space for a list of jobs that need doing and things that need planting. I’ve a small garden, so I didn’t need a huge amount of space:
What else is there? Pens? There are so many! Sharpies are good for bold, solid lives. Stabilo fineliners are my favourites for a wide choice of colours and a slim line. And the Uniball Eye in black is the best I’ve found for your everyday black pen.
As for blank notebooks, head on over to my etsy store to browse handmade notebooks, sketchbooks or journals in a selection of covers and sizes – there’s bound to be something to fit your bullet journal needs, and if not, email me for a custom order!
A slightly belated Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fabulous festive season. Craft Fantastic HQ is all go for 2017, with new products and new fairs. Here are just a few things in store for this year:
This will be my first time exhibiting at one of these events. They’re hugely popular and always full of fantastic handmade goodies and vintage finds. I can’t wait!
For the second year running, The Craft Fantastic will be at Castle Ashby. Crossing my fingers the weather will be as good as last year.
Brand new for 2017 are more origami gifts. I’ve framed ‘Lover’s Knots’ – perfect for a Valentine’s Day or 1st anniversary gift. Alongside the frame is a small, simple paper flower arrangement.
I’m in the process of adding them to The Craft Fantastic Etsy store. These are available in different colours, and I can do custom orders – email me for details.
Ahoy there! December 3rd is small business Saturday and I’m running a little pre-Christmas promo: 10% off at thecraftfantastic.etsy.com. Find festive home decor, gift wrap, stocking fillers and more!
I’ve been busy with fairs for the past couple of weekends, but now I’m done for the year. My best fair was a small Christmas coffee morning in Great Brington; a lovely collection of quality makers and lots of customers!
Currently, I’m working on keeping my Etsy shop stocked in the run up to Christmas. My newest makes are up there, these beautiful cherry blossom A6 notebooks:
As well as these, I’m trying out some of my slogan notebooks. I’ve sold my prototype ‘GOOD IDEAS’ notebook, but plan to make more of the same, plus some personalised versions:
Etsy store aside, I’ve started planning for 2017! I’ll have a full plan in the New Year; look out for my post with dates of fairs, promotions and events.
Father’s Day is Sunday 19th June – that’s THIS SUNDAY people – and if you haven’t got anything yet, there’s not much time left!
If you’re thinking of ordering something handmade made from Etsy or Folky, I’d say you’ve got until Wednesday 15th to guarantee delivery in time. And if you’re not sure what to get, never fear! The internet is here to help!
Any online store will have a search facility, and of course that’s the ideal place to start; but head on over to Esty and they have a Treasury section. This is where lovely Etsy members have done the hard work for you and hand picked a selection of relevant goodies. For example:
Last of all, what kind of craft business woman would I be if I didn’t plug my own shop a wee bit? I’ve got a range of compact hand-bound notebooks in my Etsy store, perfect for the back pocket of your dad’s jeans. My favourite is this one here which fastens using a pencil – so you’ve always got something to write with to hand:
I hope that’s given you last-minuters some good ideas! And if you really leave it too late, take him out for ice cream 😀
Lately I’ve been working on my wedding stock and I’m pleased to announce that I’ve got the first handmade guest books up for sale on etsy!
These have both been covered in beautiful paper, with lovely open-view hand stitching and ribbon fastenings.
These ones are A5 and are £18 each – P&P is £2.50. You can order these ones from my etsy shop, or contact me directly for custom orders if you would like a particular colour/style.
