Brand New: Bespoke Wooden Shelf Blocks & Wooden Signs

I'm so excited to tell you about this new range of personalised wooden shelf blocks that I've just introduced - I think you're going to love them!

These are all designed and created in-house by me, and I think they look great mounted on the wall or popped on a shelf (we've got a 'Tickety Boo' one on a shelf in the kitchen: and people always seem to smile when they spot it!). Each wooden sign is created to order, and the text is available in 7 different colours - including gorgeous sparkly, glitter colours.

These personalised wooden shelf blocks are available in my shop on Folksy - and all have free UK delivery, just like the main PhotoFairytales website.

No Riff Raff - bespoke wooden shelf block sign plaque

Here's a little glimpse of some of the designs on offer, but to see all of them head over to the PhotoFairytales Folksy Shop now:

Beware of the Dog - fun personalised wooden sign for dog owners!

Everything is Tickety Boo - bespoke personalised wooden sign

I love it! What is it? Bespoke personalised wooden sign

This is just a small selection of the designs available - if you want to see them all head over to my Folksy shop to browse them all.

The bespoke wooden signs are chunky enough to be freestanding, measuring 2cm thick. They're made from real wood, washed with an ivory paint and are a generous 32x10cm. Each plaque also has pre-drilled holes on the reverse if you wish to hang it on the wall. The blocks are hand finished and have an attractive irregular rustic ‘shabby’ finish, with some light sanding of the paint in places, and there are variations between each one. After creating your text they are finally painted with 2 coats of matte varnish to protect it from dust and marks.

There are designs for all sorts of occasions: weddings and anniversaries, designs for dog and cat owners, housewarming gifts, and fun designs which would make a great birthday or Christmas gift. And of course, the wooden signs make a great low cost finishing touch for your own home - so why not treat yourself to one?!

Sarah :)

Theme of the Month: Celebrating Britishness!

Did you have a lovely Easter? Hopefully you managed to snaffle a chocolate egg or two and indulge in a slice of Simnel Cake! This month seems to have a lot going on for the Royal family and all things British, so it seemed a good time to celebrate the slightly eccentric spirit that us Brits proudly have in our souls!

Here's a roundup of some key dates this month:

• Hallaton in Leicestershire celebrated it's annual Hare Pie Scramble & Bottle Kicking on Easter Monday, and Great Finborough in Suffolk is marking the day with their annual Race of the Boggmen
• Bideford Sheep Grand National (complete with knitted 'jockeys') takes place on April 14th 
• The Queen's (actual) birthday on April 21st
• The Royal Baby is due this month!
• National Tea Day is also on April 21st (maybe time to invite the vicar round...)
• St George's Day arrives on April 23rd, and the day also marks William Shakespeare's birthday (and death, rumour has it he died on his birthday)

And of course, the Royal Wedding is happening next month too, and little Princess Charlotte will be celebrating her 3rd birthday on May 2nd!

So I thought I'd round up a few items from the PhotoFairytales website that would fit in rather well with all this British frivolity and celebration... (if you've been invited to the Royal Wedding I think No.4 in particular would make a great gift for the happy couple!)

1) Ticket to Love, personalised print part of a range of designs - £15.95
2) Personalised Newspaper print, range of articles to choose from - from £15.95
3) Practically Perfect personalised canvas, choice of sizes - from £18.50
4) Ding Dong personalised wall sign, in a range of colours, other designs also available - £17.95
5) Queen personalised canvas, choice of sizes - from £18.50
6) Royalty personalised mug, other designs available - £13.50
7) Garden personalised embroidery hoop print, other designs available - £19.95
8) Personalised Garden Fork & Trowel set - £17.95
9) Blue Heritage Plaque, personalised with your own wording - £17.95

Have a lovely month everyone!
Sarah :)

Theme of the Week: Back to Nature

September... it's a funny old month... according to meteorological types the 1st of September heralds the first day of autumn, but the shift from one season to the next is always tricky. Not least in the wardrobe department: what to wear!

Is it going to be cold? Hot? Can I wear a jumper yet? Do I still wear my shorts? Yes, us Brits often find that transitional time a bit hard (she says, wearing a summer t-shirt and fluffy slippers).

So let's not say goodbye quite yet to summer - let's enjoy those last few warm days (possibly wet, yes, but at least vaguely warm), and postpone moving indoors completely for a little while longer.

My theme this week is all about nature: except spiders, they're a nightmare at this time of year!

Here's a few of my picks for this outdoor/indoor time of year:

1: Bee's Knees canvas design, from £18.95 - part of the new canvas collection

2: Bespoke Wooden Plaque, from £10.95 - add any wording of your choice, choice of bow styles

3: Berries personalised mug, £13.50 - lots of other designs also available

4: Farmyard personalised board book, £25 - handmade to order, other designs available

5: Forty Winks fantasy photo portrait, from £24.50 - created from your photo, other designs available

6: Garden personalised embroidery hoop print, £19.95 - handmade, other designs available

So, which is your favourite season - summer or autumn? Are you looking forward to cosy nights in and frosty lawns, or will you be missing the long hot days and lazing in the garden? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear from you!

Sarah x

Spotlight on Wow Thank You - the British marketplace for crafters and artisans

It might be the height of summer right now, but the weather has a determinedly 'British Blighty' feel to it this week! I'm heading off for a couple of weeks' holiday next week, so it looks as though it'll be windy trips to the seaside trying to stop our chips or ice cream from taking flight!

Oh well, I prefer the seaside when it's good and blustery, and a bit damp - it's character building!

Before I head off though, I wanted to show you a few things I've discovered this week on wowthankyou.co.uk. It's a British online marketplace for UK designers, crafters and artisans and there's a huge range of items there waiting to be discovered - here's just a few:

British handmade gifts at wowthankyou.co.uk

1: Gin Chopping Board, from DaleWood Craft Designs - engraved and personalised solid beech chopping boards, ideal for chopping your lemon when you're fixing that perfect British G&T!
2: Personalised Pudding Dessert Spoon, from Impressions to Keep - a vintage silver-plated spoon personalised to order - a stylish way to eat your Eton Mess this summer...
3: Beefeater Felt Name Garland, from Fuzzy P's Crafts - handmade to order, these gorgeous garlands add a fun finishing touch to your child's bedroom or the baby's nursery.
4: London Bus canvas print, from PhotoFairytales - created to order and personalised with your chosen name and date, a lovely gift for a new baby or child's birthday.
5: Calming Lavender Gift Set, from Just Be Natural - luxury handmade treats created using Carshalton lavender, a heritage lavender favoured by Queen Victoria herself!
6: Handmade Chocolate Buttons, from Cocoa & Heart - yes, these really are chocolate! Stunning handmade Belgian chocolates lovingly created by hand in Kent.
7: Bicycle Basket Garland, from Anne's Floral Gifts - fun, quirky and quintessentially British: who wouldn't want a handmade flower garland on their bike!

Have a browse around the site, I'm sure you'll find some new discoveries you'll love!

Sarah x

Beside the Seaside

Throw your head back and take a deep sniff: can you smell holidays on the horizon...? Beaches? Ice creams? Hint of donkey on the air? Salt on the wind? Not long now...

1: ‘Fish in the Sea’ personalised print, £14.50

2: Great British Holidays canvas, available in a choice of colours, £29.95

3: ‘Whale’ personalised canvas, from £16.95

4: ‘Kiss Me Quick’ canvas, available in a choice of colours (other designs in this range also available), from £16.95

5: ‘Pirate Treasure’ fantasy portrait, (part of the 'Role Play' collection), from £15

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 :)

Spring Greens!

There's a bit of debate about when spring officially get's sprung in the UK: some say March 1st, some say March 20th or 21st... Whatever, let's just agree on one thing: if spring was a colour it would be green. Purest green..!

1. Punk Bands, Great British canvas prints (5 other designs and colours available), £29.95 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/greatbritish.html
2. Camper Van handpainted gift plate (part of a range of designs available), £21.50 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/personalisedgiftplates.html
3. Family Tree print, £16.95 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/familytree.html
4. Fantasy Photo Portraits (over 100 themes to choose from), around £15 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/fantasyportraitgallery.html
5. Personalised Family Nest print, £14.50 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/familyprints.html
6. Personalised 'My Message to You' prints (part of a range of designs), £14.50 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/messagetoyou.html
7. 'Personality' canvas prints, from £20 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/personalitycanvas.html
8. Personalised Football Gifts (13 teams available), from £9.95 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/chooseyourteam.html
9. 'On This Day' birthday prints, £25 - http://www.photofairytales.co.uk/onthisday.html

Sarah :)

Great new personalised gift for kids!

If you haven't had a minute to visit PhotoFairytales recently, you should head over now - there are lots of brand new goodies I've just added that I think you'll like!

Amongst the new items are these "Happy Face" personalised prints - lovely pictures that feature your child's likeness, including hair and skin colour - even freckles!

The pictures include your chosen name and date of birth, along with your own personal message. The message can be anything you like - something personal, an inspirational quote, perhaps something about their characteristics or likes/dislikes?

Printed onto quality paper stock and presented with a mount and backing board, these pictures make a fabulous gift for a child's birthday. Contemporary and stylish, they'll look lovely in the bedroom and children will love seeing themselves as a cartoon!

For more details just click here...

Hope you like them!
Sarah x

WOW Wednesday!

My latest new discovery this month is a fabulous site: wowthankyou.co.uk - a great place to find unique gifts for the family and home, the site represents around 750 independent UK makers and designers. I've just signed up too, and you can now buy many of my own creations on there - and some exclusive, not available anywhere else, lines too!

If you haven't seen wowthankyou yet, I thought I'd do a little round up of some of the great gift ideas you can find on there - and with today being such a lovely sunny day for us here in Norfolk, I thought I'd have a garden/outdoors theme. Here are some of my favourites:

1. Gothic Shed - what every discerning gardener will require for their patch this year!

From The Posh Shed Company

2. Handmade Gardeners Soap - a super scrubby soap, fragranced with rosemary, cypress and sweet orange essential oil.

From The Somerset Garden

3. Tree Design House Sign - custom made from powder coated steel and personalised with your house name and number.

From Iron Profiles

4. Union Jack Bunting - perfect for that garden party or street party to celebrate the Jubilee!

From Sew Recycled

5. Good Morning Campers Dog Collar - the ideal collar for holidaying pooches this summer!

From Woof and Meow

You can find the PhotoFairytales shop at Wow Thank You here - keep checking back as I'll be adding to it regularly.

Sarah x

Support British Designers, Creators and Crafters...

When you give a handmade or personalised gift, it says so much: "you're a unique and special person, and so I am giving you a unique and original gift you won't get from anyone else..."

That's what I've got on the home page of my website - and I was prompted to write this piece today following a discussion taking place amongst members of UK Handmade on the Linked In site. The question posed was: "Do you think its important to support local designers and why?"

As a supporter of their "Buy Handmade" Campaign, I feel so strongly about the reasons why it is important to encourage everyone to buy from independent crafters, designers and creators. Why?

When you make a purchase from one of these talented and highly committed people, you are supporting their family and their talent - not a faceless corporation with shareholders and company Directors. You're not funding a new yacht, or another holiday home - you are making a difference to someone's day by buying their work and you are gaining a totally individual and unique item. When you think of the term "handmade" this doesn't mean knitted toilet roll holders or macrame pot hangers by the way - there is an extraordinary amount of British talent out there creating modern, contemporary (and traditional) work that you will love.

Not only that, but you'll probably receive amazing service and customer care too. So many of my own customers comment on the fact that it is me that answers their emails personally and that despite the fact that I'm a small business I look after them too - old fashioned good service is what I'm all about. And I know I'm not alone in this, there are thousands of us out there waiting to make or design something wonderful for you! Plus, you are also supporting the UK economy by buying from independent British designer-makers. It's a win-win!!

So what do you get when you "Buy Handmade"? Something that has been made with love and care, and probably created individually to order just for you. A truly bespoke item! It won't have been assembled on a production line in a factory, and you won't be buying into child labour or exploitation issues. And if you're buying the item as a gift, it will show the recipient how much care and thought you've put into the purchase.

So when you start your Christmas shopping this year, or next time you fancy something new for your home or need to find a great gift for someone - think "buy handmade"!

Sarah x

PhotoFairytales in the Movies (kind of...)!!

As you may know, many of my designs are available via Gift Wrapped & Gorgeous - they have put together a great little video highlighting some of my gifts, so if you'd like to see it just click on the frog image here to play it.

Enjoy!

Sarah x

Gorgeous Things...

A little while ago I joined Folksy.com, and listed a selection of my own work on the site. The idea of course was to sell some of my own items, but in the meantime I've also been rather tempted by several other goodies for sale by other designers and creators! If you haven't discovered the site yet, do take a look.

Here are a few of my favourites (it's an eclectic bunch, but that's what Folksy is all about!):

1. Moustache Necklace, Tara's Arts, £6 - mad, utterly mad, love it!

2. Handstitched Leather Satchel, Bespoke Leather, £140 - yum, yum, yum...

3. Floral Storage Basket, A Crafty Hen, £9.50 - pretty and useful

4. Hand Bound Notebook Journal, Kate Bowles, £20 - love the exposed spine on this very pretty book

5. Vintage Bee & Glass Bead Bracelet, Josephines, £15 - this is sooo me!

6. Vintage Button Beauty Bag, Natalie Farrell, £15 - I was hard pressed to choose just one of these bags!

If you want to visit the PhotoFairytales shop you can find it by clicking here.

So, when you start your Christmas shopping don't forget to take a look at Folksy for something both hand made and different that has been created with love.

Sarah x

Arghhh - Valentine's Day!!!!!

Does this feel remotely familiar?..: You've been together for a while now and Valentine's Day is approaching. You take a look around the shops and are confronted with a range of items that are "sexy" (shudder) or "cute" (blurgh).

You've been through the edible knickers and penis-shaped pasta stage - and come out the other side. You don't want to give houseroom to something that is fluffy and red and, quite frankly, naff. You can't afford Tiffany's. You did the 'chocolate heart with their name on' from Thorntons last year - and possibly the year before that...

Hard isn't it? How do you find a present for the person you love (and who only this morning was squeezing a spot in the bathroom), that sums up what you feel?

Well, I might not have hit the nail on the head for everyone, but hopefully I've managed to come up with some ideas that might help. Take a look at my personalised Valentine's Day gift ideas and hopefully you'll find something that will fit the bill. Oh, and prices start at around £10, so no silly Tiffany-type prices either!

Now, if you could just give me your suggestions on what I can get I'd appreciate it (seems not quite right to give him something from my own website!)...

Sarah x