the green gal

fashionABLE – a fantastic find

I've posted before about Monica Lee's fascinating interviews on her website Smart Creative Women but today I just had to tell you about an interview with a wonderful business I just watched.

fashionABLE is a business designing, producing and selling beautiful cotton scarves, they ship worldwide and the prices are very competitive. All sounds good, doesn't it? It gets much better.

fashionABLE is a non-profit organisation which is helping vulnerable women in Ethiopia earn a decent living and every scarf purchased contributes to these women improving their own lives. As founder Barrett Ward says: "your purchase of a scarf creates jobs, so that the women are not dependent upon charity, but instead are a vital part of a developing economy." Sounds positively brilliant to me!

Each scarf is accompanied by a note hand written by the woman who made it in which she describes what difference your purchase makes to her and her family. 

I absolutely love the ethos behind fashionABLE and the beautiful scarves, I'm already having trouble choosing my favourite! There's also a video showing 27 ways to wear a scarf, brilliant for someone like me who wears scarves all the time but only two different ways. Do check out the fashionABLE website when you get a moment, and Monica Lee's interview, I guarantee you'll come away feeling very inspired.

 

Lovely links

This week's favourite blog posts are all on a DIY theme, after all, you can't eat chocolate for ALL of the long Easter weekend, can you?!

I love this cute and stylish DIY animal jar by Torie Jayne, it's an update on a previous tutorial using pastel shades.

I've never had cherry limeade so I figured I may as well start with this grown-up version by Blacksburg Belle! I also think it might make me feel summery while it's still freezing cold outside.

I've read several egg decorating blog posts this week but I like this one from How About Orange particularly because of the use of decals.

And to keep those pretty eggs warm how about a tutorial for making little egg cosies from Patchwork Harmony?

Finally, a lovely post about starting off sweet peas by Yvestown, I'm finding it hard to believe it'll ever be warm enough to grow flowers and veggies but I live in hope! And I'd love to see sweet peas brightening up my garden.

Happy Easter, everyone, see you next week!

Adventures in lino printing

So, last weekend I had a go at lino printing. My friend Lottie and I spent Saturday afternoon with tutor Claire Palfreyman at her lino printing workshop and after four hours we were both smitten. I took along an illustration I drew of a vintage radio and carved two linos, one as a reverse print and the other as the original line drawing. I liked how the reverse print looked on the coloured paper but I think I'd have liked it more if I'd carved thicker lines. I was really taken with how the other print turned out, I especially love the little imperfections, somehow that makes it a lino print for me, a completely clean print wouldn't have looked as good in my opinion. It took me much longer to carve, and I had to be so careful carving between the lines but I'm thrilled with the result.

Lottie carved two images of her gorgeous cat, Vincent, both beautiful and very like the handsome pusscat himself. As well as teaching us to lino print Claire also fed us lots of tea and homemade treats, Lottie and I practically rolled out of the studio after scoffing the tasty scones, cupcakes and chocolate millionaire shortbread! It was lovely to spend a few hours learning a new craft, I could almost feel the synapses in my brain firing! If you fancy trying your hand at lino printing, or another new craft, I recommend finding the time to do so, I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

Claire Palfreyman teaches a number of creative workshops in west London, you can find out more on her website, We Make Here.

My favourite business books

When I was setting up my business, the green gables, and since it's been up and running, I've pored over a number of books to try and take in as much business info as I can. Being of the classic creative not business mind I need all the help I can get! So, I thought some of you might be interested in a few of the titles I've found most useful…

The Handmade Marketplace by Kari Chapin

This book is great for the artisan who wants to sell their crafts as a business, not just as a hobby. It's written with the creative in mind and so doesn't bamboozle you with businessy jargon. It covers everything around selling your crafts so not just pricing, selling online and approaching retailers but also blogging, connecting with craft communities and other creative ways of selling such as teaching classes and holding parties. 

Craft Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco

Craft Inc. is an American book, like The Handmade Marketplace, but the vast majority of it is relevant to creative entrepreneurs wherever you are. The sub-title of this book is 'Turn your creative hobby into a business' and that's exactly what it helps you with. This book gets into the real detail of preparing your crafts to sell, dealing with customers, marketing yourself, your products and your business, and, most importantly Meg has interviewed a number of successful creative business people whose real-life experience is invaluable ro read. And anyway, how can you resist a book with rounded corners?!

Your Ethical Business by Paul Allen

This may not be a book that you've come across before, or feel is relevant to you and your business. It's more of a businessy type of book and discusses different types of businesses such as charities and co-operatives. But it goes into a lot of detail that I'm not sure you'd find elsewhere, like ethical funding, finding green options for practicals like packaging, stationery and energy, sourcing Fairtrade supplies, avoiding greenwash, with loads of advice from successful ethical businesses in the UK. 

A book about Innocent by Richard Reed and Dan Germain

I love this book. I have an enormous amount of respect for Innocent and its three founders – Richard Reed, Jon Wright and Adam Balon. This book is written in the fun, informal, enthusiastic and inspirational tone you'd expect from a brand that's known for all those things, along with producing v tasty food and drink, of course. It's not a traditional business book, instead it tells the story of how the Innocent company was set up and the brand built, all the while keeping to their core values and principles, no matter how many times they were told to ditch them if they wanted to be successful. When it's suggested to me that I should compromise my ethics if I want to be successful, I point the doubters in Innocent's direction. Whenever I'm having a bit of a stressful day I dip into this book and surface feeling inspired and uplifted. And right now Richard Reed is looking for entrepreneurs to take part in a new TV show called Be Your Own Boss… PS I have no affiliation with Innocent, I just think they're fab.

The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Book by Dee Blick

And last but not least, this is a cracking book for getting into the nitty gritty of getting your business and your brand known out there into the world. It's a hefty tome and there's a lot packed in there with input from experts in different areas of marketing. There's a lot of info to take in so I like to dip in and out of it to get help when needed.

So, those are five of the books I've found, and still finding, most helpful with running and growing the green gables. Let me know if you use them too or if you have others to recommend!

Season's greetings

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Happy 1st December, everyone!

Getting sticky with it

So, remember I said in this blog post I'd tell you when my new finishing touches products would be available on my website? Well they are! You can now find the marvellous twig colouring pencils, mini wooden pegs and colured twine at the green gables.

But that's not all! I am very excited to reveal a brand new product I have designed – decorative bunting sticky tape!

red heart bunting sticky tape

Available in red heart or blue star bunting designs this tape will perk up any present, package or envelope.

blue star bunting sticky tape

The tape is 25mm wide and comes in 30m rolls so you can glam up a lot of gifts. (And a lot of order packages if you're me!)

As well as the pretty tape I've also added a few more things to my web shop, including sets of doily-edged brown paper gift tags…

set of five tags

twig pencils (similar to the colouring pencils but a bit more grown-up)…

twig pencil

and sets of occasion postcards with envelopes…

occasions postcards

So, I hope you like my new additions, I'd love to know what you think. And don't forget you can still get £5 off when you spend £20 at thegreengables.co.uk before the end of November with code NX5!

The yarn is chosen

So, there's progress on the crochet blanket plan! Following the v helpful advice I've been given, including the comments on my last blog post, I've chosen my coloured yarn and found a pattern to follow. I went for shades of green and blue because they're my favourite colours and a blanket in these shades should always co-ordinate with a bedroom in my home.

Once I've got the difference between a UK and a US double crochet stitch figured out I'll get going! 

BTW, if you didn't see yesterday's post about my fab offer at the green gables for the whole of November, check it out here now! 

The crochet hour

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So, I'm thinking about crocheting a blanket. I'll need to find a 25th hour in my day as, quite frankly, I don't have the time, but I rather fancy giving it a go anyway. 

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As you know, I run my own busines, the green gables. It takes up most waking hours, and the odd sleeping one, and I really love it. I get to be enormously creative in my work but there's a little part of me that thinks it might be a good idea if I did something creative for the fun of it, and in the evenings, to help me relax and switch off before bed. 

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I seem to be incapable of devoting my full attention to most TV shows but rather than spend every evening on the laptop I think crocheting could be a good alternative occasionally. I'm not in a great hurry to complete a project (don't think I need to give myself any more deadlines), I just like the idea of crocheting of an evening, and eventually ending up with a pretty, cosy, useful blanket.

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Have you crocheted a blanket? Do you have any tips or advice for me regarding pattern, yarn or timescale? I've dabbled in crochet but I'm not very experienced so any thoughts you have I would love to hear! Or read!

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Tutorials from around the www

Here are a few DIYs, how tos and tutorials that I've happened across on my web wandering and thought you might find them interesting too…

:: Make tissue flowers

:: How to wallpaper with fabric

:: Make glue-free book page bunting

:: How to update suitcases with fabric

:: Make a wallet

:: How to print on wooden coasters

Tutorial: How to make an envelope

I've been meaning to post a tutorial on how to make a paper envelope for a while but a comment from a twitter friend this week gave me the push I needed! When you've gone to the trouble of making a card for someone special it's so much nicer to present it to them in a handmade envelope too. So, here's how you do it…

1. To make an envelope that will fit an A6, postcard-size card you will need: an A4 or US legal size sheet or a piece of paper measuring 21cmx21cm, ruler, pencil, scissors and double-sided sticky tape.

2. The piece of paper you're going to use needs to be square and measure 21cm each side. With the sheet best side down, the easiest thing to do is fold one corner of an A4 sheet over to the opposite edge and then cut off the excess strip to leave you with the square.

The only drawback is that you'll have a crease showing on your finished envelope.

3. Turn your square so you have a corner pointing down. Measure 9cm up from the bottom corner and mark the point. Measure 7cm in from each side corner and mark these points. You are going to fold the corners in at these points so to make it easier you can draw a line across each mark so you can see exactly where to fold. 

4. Fold the three corners in along your fold lines.

5. With the side flaps folded in, add double-sided sticky tape to their bottom edges so that the bottom flap can stick to them. You only need a thin strip so cut a piece of sticky tape down the middle lengthways before sticking onto the edges. Fold the bottom flap up so it sticks to the side flaps and you now have something that looks a lot more like an envelope. I like to tuck in the little point you have sticking up from the bottom flap but you can cut it off if you'd rather. 

6. On each side edge of your envelope, measure up 11.5cm and make a small mark. Using the ruler to make a sharp crease, fold the top flap over. In creating the top flap you've folded over the top corners of the side flaps and so the envelope looks a little 'unprofessional' with this little bit of excess folded paper. So you can just snip it off to leave clean edges.

7. And there you have it, your finished envelope! You can seal it with regular sticky tape or double-sided tape, or a sticker or glue, or whatever takes your fancy :)

I used a plain sheet of white recycled paper for this tutorial but you can use any paper or thin card you like. How about an old map or a magazine page? The options are endless!

I hope you liked this tutorial and found it useful. I'm very happy for you to share this tutorial but please name this blog as the source and post a link back to this post rather than give the full instructions. 

I plan to make tutorials a bit more of a regular feature so I'd love to hear what you think of this one. And if you want to share pics of envelopes you make do leave links in the comments box so I can take a peek!