What I love this week... Folksy Friday & Friendship

Happy Friday morning! Today is National Make A Friend Day so I've been having some fun picking out a few gorgeous finds on Folksy to celebrate friendship... 

“Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer” – Ed Cunningham

Folksy (the British answer to Etsy - except all sellers are based in the United Kingdom AND everything is genuinely handmade) is a truly friendly place and one that I very much enjoy being a part of. The site is absolutely stuffed with really unique and wonderful makes from designers and makers that are all completely dedicated to their work. 

The makers featured in my Friendship Gift Collection are:

Fused Glass Best Friends Allium Hanging - Blue Design Shed

Scented Ceramic Heart - Park Ceramics

Pinks Card - Jane Crick Cards & Gift Wrap

Hand Embroidered Hoop - The Flossy Stitch

Ceramic heart trinket dish - Cornish Cottage Crafts

Rose Geranium & Lemon Soap - Trawden Soap Kitchen

Sending you a great big hug card - Hannah Banks Jewellery

Good Friends Personalised Print - PhotoFairytales

Sarah x

Valentine's Day 2022 - it's almost here!

January - that month that lasts for a year - is finally almost done. I do try very hard to think positive thoughts and not get the hump, but oh boy it can be a gloomy month sometimes! 

But the end of January means a new date on the calendar to look forward to: Valentine's Day! It doesn't matter if you're an ancient-married (points at self), a newly loved-upper, or single-and-content: this isn't just a day for couples, it's simply a day for love. Love for others, love for yourself, whichever and whatever. So on February 14th, I'd like to suggest that you treat yourself to a little of what you fancy!

If you are looking for a special Valentine's gift for a loved one though, I've got some gorgeous ideas for you - here are just a few highlights, but you kind find more over on the website (including some fabulous personalised Valentine's Day cards)!

Monochrome Valentine Gift Ideas

Top Left: Family Wall Plaque, range of colours & designs

Top Right: Personalised Hexagon Wood Plaques, range of colours

Bottom Left: Personalised Poem Print, range of colours & designs

Bottom Right: Wooden Circle Plaque, range of designs

Personalised Wooden Valentine Gift Ideas

Top Left: Engraved Photo Cubes, range of designs

Top Right: Personalised Wooden Picture Block, range of designs

Bottom Left: Wooden Storyboard Plaque, any wording, various colours

Bottom Right: Mini Wooden Plaque, gift boxed, range of designs

Unusual Personalised Valentine Gift Ideas

Top Left: Valentine Love Gift Box Hamper

Top Right: Personalised Timeline Print, range of colours

Bottom Left: Family Wall Sign, range of colours & designs

Bottom Right: Personalised Vintage Art Print, other designs available

Romantic Personalised Valentine Gift Ideas

Top Left: Personalised Wooden Picture Block, range of designs

Top Right: Waves in the Sea personalised print

Bottom Left: Written in the Stars personalised print

Bottom Right: Personalised Blue Heritage Plaque, any wording

Thoughtful Personalised Valentine Gift Ideas

Top Left: Personalised Rocking Chair Print, range of other designs

Top Right: Personalised Wooden Picture Block, range of designs

Bottom Left: Rustic Wooden Photo Blocks

Bottom Right: Love Grows Wild Print, other designs available

And finally, if you're looking for some ideas for Valentine's Day (either as a couple or family), you can find some inspiration and ideas over on my Pinterest board:

Have a very happy Valentine!

Sarah x

Waving goodbye to 2021

 

Well, that's another (weird) year done with! It feels like 2021 didn't quite end the way we all thought it would (thank you Mr Omicron), but there's no reason why we can't all still look forward to 2022 and hope it shapes up better than the last couple of years. 

I'm closing up for my Christmas break in about 30 minutes, so just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Even though you may not be able to meet up with everyone that you hoped, you can still have a wonderful, resting time (and blow a mental raspberry to 2021). Let's hope next year is better, eh?

Thank you, dear reader, for all your support over the last 12 months - old customers, new customers, still-thinking-about-it customers: each and every one of you. 

Have a great time, stay safe and well, and see you all in January! 

Sarah x

In With the New! A roundup of what's new at PhotoFairytales...

It's been all change on the PhotoFairytales site this week - the autumn colours have gone, making way for a festive Christmas feel (well, it is nearly Christmas)! So, I thought I'd take a few minutes to give you a brief glimpse of the new goodies that have recently arrived...

Personalised Handmade Christmas Gifts 2021
- new at PhotoFairytales

This fun personalised Christmas Countdown plaque is made from natural slate, and features flecks of fools gold. It comes complete with chalk too, so you can write down the number of sleeps left until the big day! Children (and excited adults) will love marking off the days, and this lovely sign will become a real family tradition every year. Only £15.99, including P&P. Click here for details

'Winter Wood' is one of three brand new Fantasy Portrait designs that I've introduced this season. A gorgeous wintery setting, I can recreate this artwork for you using your own photo. Perfect for babies and children. From £24.95, including P&P. Click here for details

Since introducing them earlier this year, my personalised Newspaper prints have become one of my most popular lines! So it seemed only right that I bring in one that's designed just for Christmas... this fun print is personalised throughout, from top to bottom. You can add your own photo too. There are lots of other designs available, so if you're looking for a special gift with a difference, take a look! Only £18.50 including P&P. Click here for details

My new wooden room signs look lovely on a bedroom door or wall. Available in a choice of colours and sizes, they're a stylish addition to a youngster's room. Made from real wood and super smooth, the signs are really light and easy to fix to a smooth surface (fix them temporarily with command strips or blue tack if you don't want a permanent fixture!). From £15.95 including P&P. Click here for details

Another new winter-season Fantasy Photo Portrait - 'Starlight' features soft gentle blues and silvery greys, and is a lovely design for younger children and babies. (If you wanted something less 'Christmassy' I can remove the Christmas tree too). From £24.95 including P&P. Click here for details

The wooden personalised Christmas Eve boxes are back this month - and prices have been held the same as last year! There's a range of truly lovely designs available, from flat topped boxes to gorgeous engraved heirloom chests. A delightful family tradition for Christmas eve. From £23.50 including P&P. Click here for details

The last of my new Fantasy Portraits for this season, 'Snowglobe' is undeniably festive! A charming design for Christmas, it's absolutely perfect for younger children and babies (a lovely idea to celebrate baby's first Christmas!). From £24.95 including P&P. Click here for details

My personalised wooden Christmas Family Signs are back again this year - and one of my favourite personalised decorations. Available in black, grey, white or red and a choice of sizes, there are three striking designs to choose from. Easily fixed temporarily onto any smooth surface using blue tack or command strips (or do what I do, and lean it on top of your cooker hood for a festive touch in the kitchen!). Featuring a lovely natural wood grain, you'll find lots of places in your home for this lasting personalised Christmas decoration. From £15.95 including P&P. Click here for details

And last but not least, my personalised wooden Christmas Star decorations are back this year too! Incredibly popular, this stylish natural wood stars are available in lots of different designs and colours. Strung with satin ribbon in a choice of colours, these gorgeous wooden stars will look fabulous hanging from your tree, a hook - or anywhere you fancy! Also available beautifully gift boxed, perfect for gifting. From £9.99 including P&P. Click here for details

Well, that's it for the new (for now)! Don't forget to sign up to my VIP list if you'd like to hear about exclusive offers and discounts - including a free welcome gift worth £10 when you place your first order worth £15 or more. Click here for more information or to sign up.

Sarah x

Personalised Santa Letters & Telegrams - 2021

It's now less than 7 weeks before Christmas, how can that even be?! To help you get firmly into the festive mood, I'm delighted to let you know that the 2021 Santa Letters & Telegrams are now on sale!

I'm so pleased that I've been able to keep prices the same as last year too - with all the doom and gloom about prices going up recently it's lovely to be able to keep them the same.

I've got my gorgeous Santa Letter Gift Packs available again - and as with previous years, these are limited edition so I only have a certain number available. They sell out every year, so if you'd like one I really advise you to get your order in right away. They have three fun mystery gifts inside this year, as well as all the other lovely goodies!

In addition to the Gift Packs there's also Santa's personalised Telegrams, which are available in three different versions: Nice List, Baby's First Christmas, and of course, Naughty List! So if you know a child or adult (adults are usually the naughty ones) who needs a bit of help and encouragement from Santa to get back on the Nice List, one of these fun telegrams would be perfect.

After being such a huge success last year, the very special personalised Christmas Day Letters are back too! These are truly special letters that Father Christmas leaves behind when he visits on Christmas Eve - so your little boy or girl will have a really exciting surprise when they wake up on Christmas Day!

As always, these Santa Letters & Telegrams are a wonderful keepsake and absolutely magical. They're created individually (no automated computer-generated nonsense here - these are the REAL THING!), and Santa genuinely writes and signs each and every one. 

He handwrites the envelopes, he signs all the letters and telegrams individually, and he works really hard at making sure the letters are all unique and special. If he wrote to your child last year then his letter this year will be different - and if he's writing to more than one child at the same address he will write a different letter for each child.

I'm absolutely delighted that Santa and I will also be donating 50p for every single Letter and Telegram sold to Adoption UK again this year. 

This wonderful charity does amazing work in support of adopted youngsters and adopting families, and it's fantastic to be supporting them again this year. So make your purchase count this year - when you buy a Letter or Telegram you'll be helping me (and Santa) to support a brilliant UK charity too.

You can find full details of all the Santa Letters & Telegrams over on the website by clicking here. Orders close on December 14th (UK deliveries). Don't delay - especially with the limited edition Santa Letter Gift Packs!!

Ho, ho, ho,

Sarah & Santa xx