What I love this week...

Turquoise... it has to be one of my all time favourite colours - especially as it seems to have so many personalities:

Quirky but Sophisticated
Bright
Unexpected
Elegant but also Fun & Funky
Calming but Energising
Happy
Warm landscapes and Cool Waters

OK, so maybe turquoise has a bit of a split personality! But I find it's a great colour to add a bit of pepper into a project - whether it's decorating a room, designing a new print, choosing a nail varnish, whatever and wherever.

Which is one of the reasons I was so drawn this week to a page I found on Facebook - The Turquoise Hare. It is packed to the rafters with the beautiful ceramic work of Jan Ellen, based in Poole (a town synonymous with the world of stunning pottery and ceramics). Working mainly in turquoise, but also dabbling in other vibrant shades, her work has a wonderfully simple and very British feel. Ranging from jewellery to wall decorations, each piece is inspired by either the English countryside or seaside (which, being in Poole is no surprise!) and prices start at below £10 (bargain-licious!).

"To take a lump of raw material and form it into a piece of art is very satisfying. Whenever I have a spare moment my studio calls me, (the shed down the bottom of the garden) and I am off to wedge up some clay or glaze a piece calling for colour. My inspiration comes from many sources for the most part it is the sea, what’s on it, in it, and around it, all are captivating and give me endless ideas."

I've selected just a few of my favourites from her Folksy shop, but to be honest her work is such a visual treat that it was very hard to pick these few!

I urge you to give Jan's shop a visit - and if you're on Facebook do give her page a like. You won't be disappointed!

Sarah

Friday Facebook Finds: a treasury of handmade gifts and goodies

There's no denying that Facebook is a fantastic site for networking and keeping in touch with friends and family - but there's also a wealth of fabulous small businesses on there offering completely unique hand crafted work just waiting to be discovered by you!

Here's a small round up of some of these independent British makers and designers, who are busy creating with a passion:

1: 18cm Shabby Chic Freestanding Letter, £16.99 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/kenzocrafts

Website: www.kenzocrafts.co.uk

2: Personalised Fine Silver Footprint Keyring with Message Tag, £70

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LoveLilyRose

Website: www.lovelilyrose.co.uk

3: Bespoke baby booties made from handmade felt, all hand crafted from native wools, from £9

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ffolkyffelt?ref=hl

4: Handmade Fabric Doll, £35
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BonnieBuddiesShop
Website: www.brightstargifts.co.uk

5: Cupcakes from the "Vintage and Elegant" range, £10 for 6 cakes
Facebook: www.facebook.com/enchantingcupcakesbyrebecca

6: 'Home Sweet Home' personalised canvas print, from £16.95
Facebook: www.facebook.com/photofairytales
Website: www.photofairytales.co.uk

7: Hand crafted and safety tested 'Guardian Angel' breastfeeding necklace, £12
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Originalbabybeads
Website:  www.babybeads.co.uk

8: New Baby Greeting Card, hand appliqued and embroidered cotton fabric on linen with beads, £3.75
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lavender-Heart/123517267715259

Website: www.lavender-heart.co.uk

9: Marlene - a little handmade rescue fairy, gift packaged in a fairy travelling case and complete with adoption papers, £13
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fairysanctuary
Folksy Shop: http://folksy.com/shops/TheFairySanctuary

10: Handmade Button Bracelet, available in any colour you can imagine, £15
Facebook: facebook.com/trinkettreecrafts

11: ‘The Giraffe in a Scarf’, beautifully illustrated by a Norfolk based artist, £6.99

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BearTails

Website: www.beartails.co.uk

Sarah :)

Pssst, let me tell you a secret...

Just a quick question for you today - do you follow my PhotoFairytales page on Facebook? If you haven't discovered it yet, it's a great place to discover exclusive discounts and offers - and occasional freebies and giveaways too!

Thanks to the powers that rule Facebook though there is one important tip I need to share with you - when you give the page a 'like' don't forget to check that 'show in News Feed' is ticked. And after liking the page just hover your mouse over the 'Liked' button and choose 'Add to interest lists'. Why is that all necessary? Well unless you interact with the page (eg, leaving comments on my posts, liking posts, etc) there's a good chance Facebook will decide to stop showing the latest updates in your News Feed and you'll miss out. I'd definitely recommend you do that for any other Facebook pages you really care about and enjoy too.

And do leave a little comment on the page when you join - I'd love to hear from you and wave a virtual 'hello'!

Find the page here: www.facebook.com/photofairytales

Sarah :)

Follow these Facebook pages for great offers!!!

I've got some sneaky insider information for you on some forthcoming discounts for five online retailers...shh, don't tell anyone...well, actually no: do tell everyone you know because I'm sure they'll appreciate being told too!!

The following five websites all have pages on Facebook, and next week (from October 25th) they are going to be announcing some fabulous exclusive discount codes and freebies to their fans. If you don't follow them already, do get following them now and suggest the pages to your Facebook friends too so that they can find out about these amazing offers.

Remember, if you're not following you won't find out about these offers:

Best Baby Shower
Got a baby shower to host or a baby gift to buy? Join us on Facebook where we will be making an exclusive £5 discount offer to all UK fans on 25th October.

Menus 4 Mums
To show our appreciation to our Facebook fans we'd like to offer you 4 free easy recipe cards for cakes children love. Look for the update we'll be sending to our fans with details of how to claim your cards.

Lila's Party
Whether you are organising a childs party next week or next year, win ALL your party essentials in our competition - exclusive only to our UK Facebook fans. Join our page now to be included in the prize draw starting 25th October.

Ebabee
We're going to be announcing details about a special sale with a chance to buy some uber-cool baby and toddler stuff - and even postage will be free!

Ohana Moments
An exclusive offer will be announced to all our Facebook fans next week: 15% off and free delivery! Join our Facebook page now to find out further details next week...

PhotoFairytales
Get following PhotoFairytales on Facebook now because next week all fans will be offered a fabulous Buy One Get One Free discount code. Plus, once the page reaches 500 fans there will a prize giveaway worth £15, plus runner up prizes!

So just click on the links to these pages and make sure you're following them all!

Sarah x