Claire Hurd Design

Online Shop Closure

2011-07-06T22:52:00.000+01:00

Just a quick note to let you know that my online shops will be closed for my Maternity leave as of midnight Saturday (9th July).

My stock clearance will continue via my blog and I shall be adding more items soon.

Claire x

Stock Clearance Sale (Part 2)

2011-07-03T17:28:00.001+01:00

Here is your next installment of handmade goodies all at reduced prices in my stock clearance sale. Again, simply email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk if anything takes your fancy. Cx

Tea Time Bunting (The total length of the bunting (excluding ties) is approx. 148cm.) - £20.00

Green Christmas Stocking personalised with an 'L' as shown (height 57cm, heel to toe 38cm) - £30.00

Ice Blue Christmas Stocking (height 53cm, heel to toe 36cm)- £16.00

Baby Blue Wash Bag personalised with a 'T' as shown (approx. W.21cm, H.19cm, D.4.5cm) - £14.00

Christmas Robin Hanging Decoration - £4.00

Love Heart Brooch - SOLD OUT

I love Cake Brooch - £5.00

Stock Clearance Sale (Part 1)

2011-05-09T22:34:00.002+01:00

In preparation for a shop overhaul in order to refine my product range I am having a stock clearance sale. All products are available with free UK P&P and payment can be made by PayPal.

If you are interested in purchasing anything you see listed here then simply drop me an email at studio@clairehurd.co.uk and I shall send you details for payment and arrange prompt delivery to you by Royal Mail 1st class post.

House Card - £2.50

Wedding Card - £2.50

With Love Card - SOLD OUT

Baby Chick Card - £2.50

Mushroom Make-Up Bag (approx. W. 19.5cm, H. 18.5cm, D. 5cm) - SOLD OUT

Cupcake Make-Up Purse (approx. W. 15.5cm, H. 14.5cm, D.4.5cm) - SOLD OUT

I shall be adding more products over the next few days so do keep popping back for more reduced items. Claire x

I'm Back!

2011-05-09T22:12:00.000+01:00

Hello! It is lovely to be back in blog land - I have missed sharing my creations with you. It has been a very long absence, I do apologise. I have a good reason for not being around though ........

I am currently expecting my first baby!

It has been a difficult start as I suffered quite badly from nausea and sickness for the first 21 weeks. What with feeling so under the weather and getting used to commuting to London again for work I am sure you can appreciate that I have been left rather exhausted in the evenings and at weekends. A break from online life was unfortunately necessary. Thankfully my sickness has now passed and I am feeling fit and creative again!

I have so many things that I want to make - new products for my online shops and lots of lovely things for baby. I look forward to sharing all of my makes with you as I finish each project.

A Busy Start to 2011

2011-01-18T22:33:00.000Z

A belated Happy New Year to all of my lovely blog followers!

The Christmas period was rather overwhelmingly busy here at Claire Hurd Design. There was many a time when I wondered whether I would be able to keep up with all of my orders but happily I managed to get them all sent out in time. In between the moments of worry about whether I could keep up if orders continued to arrive at the same rate this year were the more pressing moments of worry where I wondered what I would do if the orders stopped completely after the Christmas rush. I am very pleased to say that the orders have slowed down to a manageable pace and have not stopped arriving! I have also had quite a few baby gift commissions this year which are always lovely to do.

In addition to running Claire Hurd Design I am delighted to share with you the news of my fantastic new in-house furnishing textiles designer role at Jane Churchill which I began in the new year. It is such a wonderful opportunity to develop my design skills further with a well established and very well respected brand. I am loving it! I really couldn't have asked for a better working environment and lovelier team to begin 2011 with. A big thank you to everyone at Jane Churchill for making me feel so welcome.

Another lovely surprise this new year was being awarded the 'Stylish Blogger Award' by Emily over at Emily Parkes Vintage Textiles and Illustration. Thank you so much Emily, what a great start to the year! I shall have to think of seven facts to share with you and seven blogs to pass the award on to (that is going to be difficult as I read a LOT of blogs!). I will update you in my next post.

Well that is all for today. It is lovely to be back online. I shall be writing blog posts for you whenever I can and look forward to sharing lots of lovely textile goodness with you over the next few months.

Claire x

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T15:55:00.000Z

I want to wish all of my Blog readers a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

It has been an exciting year for Claire Hurd Design with lots more planned for 2011. It has been wonderful to be able to share my goings on with you all and I look forward to blogging even more next year.

All of your custom, support and comments have meant the world to me and have helped Claire Hurd Design become what it is today as I sign off and put my little business to bed until the 5th of January. Thank you so much for everything and have a wonderful happy, healthy, family holiday.

Best Wishes, Claire xxx

And the winner is ........

2010-12-06T18:27:00.001Z

Helen Ruse!

Congratulations Helen, I hope Father Christmas brings you the craft supplies you have wished for!

If you could send me your address to studio@clairehurd.co.uk I shall put your goodies in the post for you.

Thank you to everyone who entered, both here and on my Facebook page. You left some lovely comments. The overwhelming wish was for families and friends to be together this Christmas. There were a couple of entrants with poorly family members so I wish them a speedy recovery and hope they have a fit and healthy festive period.

Claire x

(winner selected using random.org)

Christmas Giveaway Update

2010-12-05T19:57:00.000Z

Unfortunately Facebook are no longer allowing competitions to take place on business pages. I am therefore transferring my competition to my blog. All existing entries will be included and anyone else wishing to take part can leave me a comment below this post.

Simply tell me what is at the top of your Christmas wishlist this year.
Competition closes at 5pm tomorrow (Monday 6th December) - good luck!

Christmas Giveaway on Facebook!

2010-11-30T00:19:00.000Z

I am having a Christmas giveaway on Facebook. Pop over to the Claire Hurd Design page to join in.

All you need to do to win the handmade Christmas goodies below is leave a comment under the giveaway post telling me what is at the top of your Christmas wish list this year. A winner will be selected at random next Monday.

I look forward to hearing your Christmas wishes, good luck!

Framed Artwork Commissions and a Cake!

2010-11-19T17:45:00.001Z

I have just had some lovely feedback regarding a framed artwork commission I did earlier this month so it is now safe to share it with you without spoiling any birthday surprises.

I was asked to produce a customised version of my Boating Artwork to sit alongside a customised version of my Afternoon Tea Artwork that I was commissioned to do earlier this year. Both artworks were to celebrate 60th birthdays. It is always so lovely to be asked to produce gifts for such special occasions.

'Love of the Sea since 12th November 1950'

'Loving Tea since 13 May 1950'

If you would like to order one of my personalised items or would like one of my products customised to suit you then please email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

Now, on the theme of Birthdays; Having received lots of lovely cake making goodies as wedding presents I have been eager to do a bit of baking. The perfect occasion came up with my Husband's birthday so I made this..........

A real chocolate feast! A true 'boy' cake with homemade chocolate Lego men and Lego bricks. I really enjoyed making this. My next cakey makes will be cupcakes so a bit easier to ice!

Winchester Handm@de

2010-11-17T12:09:00.000Z

I had a lovely day on Saturday selling at the Winchester Handm@de Christmas craft fair. The fair took place in the Guildhall which has been refurbished since we were last there in the summer and is now looking great, much more light than before.

My products sold well and it was lovely to have a chance to meet my customers face-to-face and get their feedback. It is so nice when people have the time to stop and chat. People had such lovely things to say about my work and were so encouraging about where I am heading with 'Claire Hurd Design'. Most of all people admired the quality of my work which I was really pleased about. It is so important to me that everything I produce is manufactured to the highest standard. I want to show with my products that 'handmade' means made with love, care and attention to detail; making it stand out from mass-produced goods.

As is always the case with the Handm@de craft fairs the other stall holders were all really friendly and there were some beautiful products for sale. In particular it was really lovely to catch up with Meninafeliz again. I first met Meninafeliz before I had taken part in any craft fairs and when I was still new to online selling. They have always been so friendly and encouraging and full of advice. We had such a lovely catch up and I was even treated to one of their lovely products (I won't know what until Christmas day!) by my Husband. Take a look at their beautiful work HERE.

My neighbours at this fair were the lovely 'Quercus Silver' and 'Jude Allman'. It makes such a difference at craft fairs when you are positioned with people that are producing beautiful that captures your interest and that are nice and friendly! Quercus Silver were selling silver and resin handmade jewellery and Jude Allman was selling beautiful ceramic pots, buttons and decorations. Do check out their work as I am sure you will love it as much as I do. Quercus Silver can be found HERE and Jude Allman HERE.

A Trio of Christmas Decorations

2010-11-10T15:03:00.000Z

My handmade Christmas decorations are now available to purchase as a mixed set of three; consisting of one Christmas robin, one Christmas pudding and one Snowman.

Click HERE for more details.

Personalised Christmas Stockings

2010-11-10T12:07:00.000Z

I am rather late with these this year, many apologies. Thank you to all of those that have enquired about these and placed your orders already.

My handmade personalised Christmas stockings are now available to purchase from my Folksy shop!

A generously sized handmade Christmas stocking personalised just for you. These bright and festive Christmas stockings are handmade to order making them a truly special gift that can be treasured forever. This Christmas stocking measures approx. 59cm tall, 37cm from heel to toe and 22cm across at the opening. The hanging loop measures approx. 9cm and is stitched downwards inside the stocking hiding it from view when not in use.

Click HERE or contact me directly at studio@clairehurd.co.uk to place your order

Christmas Robin Brooches

2010-11-04T14:29:00.000Z

I really hate to give up on a project or throw anything away. This has resulted in many half-finished projects and test samples for new designs around my studio. I recently came across the Robin test sample I made for my Christmas decorations last year.

This first sample really didn't work, it was much too small, tiny even. Tiny but very cute! So, I have tweaked it slightly and turned my rejected sample in to a cute little Christmas Robin brooch to wear at my upcoming Craft Fair (Winchester Guildhall, Saturday 13th November, 11am-5pm!). I was so pleased with the results that I have created templates for the design and am producing it for sale in my online shops.

This cute little fellow has a bead and sequin eye, a foam beak and a lined felt wing. He has been lightly stuffed and the wing has been secured half-way so it stands proud. The brooch is fastened on the reverse with a silver-coloured brooch bar with safety catch. The robin measures approx. 8cm from tip of beak to tip of tail and approx 4cm tall.

This festive little bird would be a great addition to a Christmas outfit or snug Wintery coat and can be purchased from my Folksy shop or my NOTHS shop.

Christmas Snowmen

2010-11-01T18:02:00.000Z

Things are really busy here at Claire Hurd Design at the moment. Online orders are gaining a festive momentum, private commissions are flooding in and I am preparing stock for the Handm@de Craft Fair at Winchester Guildhall on Saturday 13th November.

With Christmas in mind I have made a new decoration - a Christmas Snowman. I am pleased with this one - I think he looks rather cute! He is now available to buy in my online shops.

New Products Official Photographs

2010-10-20T18:02:00.000+01:00

At this time of year there seems to be just a half-hour slot on sunny days between 10am and 10:30am where I can take photographs in the garden. At this time the sun is high enough in the sky to avoid too much shadow and has not yet gone behind the trees and become dappled. Therefore when I saw the weather was good yesterday morning I dashed out to get my new photos taken.

I now have images ready to list my new Personalised Liberty Print Make-Up Bags online, I have been able to list my Christmas Pudding Hanging Decoration, and I can give you a preview of this year's personalised Christmas Stocking design.

So, firstly here are my Make-Up Bag/Make-Up Purse photos ....

This is my new Christmas Pudding Decoration ....

And, this is my new Christmas Stocking to be listed in my online shops soon ....

If you would like to pre-order a personalised Christmas Stocking as shown above please email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk. Cx

New Products

2010-10-15T18:15:00.000+01:00

Firstly, please forgive the quality of these photographs. I have had to take them indoors using flash, it has been so dark here today. I shall be taking proper photographs and listing these items in my shops next week but wanted to share them with you before the weekend.

My Personalised Liberty Print Make-Up Bags have been hugely popular recently and I now only have enough fabric for two more. For these make-up bags I buy a length of Liberty Print fabric and then work my way through it as the orders come in, the fabrics are seasonal therefore effectively making my bags 'limited edition'. Once the fabric is gone, i'ts gone!

I am therefore introducing two new colourways for the winter season. The first is berry cordurory / olive pin-cord teamed with a bright and cheery pink and green ditsy floral Liberty print. The second is a lovely chocolate brown pin-cord teamed with a contemporary Liberty floral print in shades of brown and teal.

I shall be introducing a new smaller make-up purse size that is personalised with a lower case initial (my make-up bags are personalised with an upper-case initial).

I shall also be adding a handmade Christmas pudding hanging decoration to join my existing Christmas Robin decoration already available in my shops. The pudding is made from felt and brushed cotton and embellished with a button and tiny black bead currants.

Must get on with completing more orders now. I hope you enjoyed having a little sneaky peak at my new products. Cx

Crafty Details from my Hen Parties

2010-10-12T11:29:00.001+01:00

I blogged about my Papered Parlour Hen Party back in August. Here is a little reminder of the bags we made.

I really wanted to add some fabric and stitch detail to my design but was out of action following my hand operation at the time. The wedding then took over and I didn't have the spare time. I have now finally finished my bag by adding some appliquéd fabric bunting flags to my printed ones, some appliquéd fabric leaves on the tree and some simple stitch lines. I have also stitched some text and the date on the reverse.

With two of my bridesmaids being children (aged 5 years and 20 months) I felt I had the perfect excuse for a second hen party! I therefore organised a Bridesmaid's Tea Party and invited all three of my bridesmaids and their families. We had a wonderful time playing in the garden, eating cakes and ice lollies and making imaginary cups of tea with our new tea set!

(Handmade mini muffins - we soon polished these off between us!)

I handmade the invitations for this tea party based on our sage green and chocolate colour theme adding lots of pink and flowers to make them suitably girly. The images below show details of the face and reverse. I hand-embroidered the design and added appliqué detail before scanning it in to the computer and creating a design for the reverse. The final invitations had a printed version of this embroidered design on the face and a personalised reverse all mounted on a chocolate card base. My finishing touch was to hand-stitch tiny buttons on as the cherries on the cupcakes.

(Face)

(Reverse - Fanchesca's Mum had her own invitation as my chief Bridesmaid!)

Back to Blogging and Lots to Share

2010-10-12T10:50:00.000+01:00

I am back! Sorry for staying away so long. It has taken me a little while to get back into the swing of things and to get photographs ready for sharing with you.

In the time I have been absent from my blog I have got married! (so happy - we had such a beautiful day). I have also been on honeymoon to St. Lucia. Now back to reality and normal crafting life I have been preparing products for Christmas.

I shall try and blog about all of the handmade details of our wedding in as close to chronological order as I can. These wedding posts will be interspersed with details of new products and Christmas preparations.

Right now I am going to leave you with one of my favourite sunset photographs from our honeymoon (I took rather a lot!). The colours of the skies were amazing and we spent a long time each evening, cocktail in hand, looking out to sea and watching the sun go down.

Shop Closure

2010-09-09T21:52:00.001+01:00

My online shops will now be closed until the beginning of October in preparation for my new season collection launch. I shall be taking a break from blogging too and look forward to sharing lots of news and inspiration with you when I am back.

Take care, Claire x

* Edited to note that my shops have now re-opened *

Handmade Boating Artwork now Available

2010-09-01T18:37:00.000+01:00

The sun has finally come out and I have managed to take photographs of my new Handmade Personalised Boating Artwork. I am relaunching my design from last year in a new larger size with more space for text (personalisation now available with up to 30 characters).

The centre boat can also be personalised with three initials of your choice.

This artwork would make the perfect gift for a new born baby boy, for boat lovers of all ages and would be ideal as a Father's Day gift. For more details please visit my shop.

Yep, it has definitely been busy round here!

2010-08-27T16:33:00.000+01:00

Gosh, things really have been busy here at Claire Hurd Design these last few weeks. And as if I needed proof, look how many cotton reels I have got through recently! I have been collecting them so I can make chunky necklaces with my little Niece. They really do serve as a good indicator of exactly how much sewing I have been doing.

I am a little torn at the moment. I have so much I want to share with you but also so many surprises that I cannot spoil by revealing things too early. I want to keep you all updated straight away with what I am working on but am just going to have to be patient.

Alongside my design work I have also been creating lots of handmade details for our wedding. Again, I have really had to restrain myself from posting everything straight away but I do want these details to be a surprise for my family and friends on the day so they will have to wait. I shall be busy relaunching some of my most popular items and doing some work on my shops soon so once that is all done I shall schedule a series of wedding posts for you (currently pencilled in for the first week in October when I can really spend time picking the best images).

In the meantime, something I can show you..........

I have finally finished my little bridesmaids' handmade silk roses! They are a combination of ivory silk, dusky pink silk and ivory satin (matching the little bridesmaids' dresses). They all have tiny bead detail and half of the roses have fine netting detail layered in and half have been left plain. I am certainly glad to finally have these finished!

Shops now Open!

2010-08-10T10:42:00.000+01:00

I am pleased to announce that my online shops have re-opened and I am ready to begin making again. Thank you for your patience whilst I recovered from my operation.

I am also pleased to let you know that my wedding cupcake card is featured on page 22 of the UK Handmade Wedding Gift Guide. Do take a look at the guide as there are some really lovely handmade products featured.

A 'Papered Parlour' Hen Party!

2010-08-03T13:01:00.000+01:00

Thank you to all of those that sent me get-well-wishes both prior to and following my operation. I am healing well and despite not quite having all of the feeling back in my hand yet hope to be well recovered by the time I have my stitches removed on the 12th. I can't wait to get full use of my hand back!

I have been feeling rather poorly following the anaesthetic so what better distraction than a 'Papered Parlour' Hen Party!

My wonderful bridesmaid Sophie organised a great day for me and my friends screen printing calico bags at 'The Papered Parlour' in Clapham, London. We had such a great time and it was lovely to see everyone enjoying creating their own designs and doing their own printing.

We were looked after by Helen who was a great teacher getting us quickly familiar with the printing process. She guided us with hints and tips for motifs and colours as we used the books provided for design inspiration and oversaw our printing giving a helping hand where needed.

Everyone got the hang of the printing quickly and did a great job. The photo above shows Helen and my friend Clare kindly printing my bag for me. I would like to say an extra big thank you to Helen for making sure I had a beautifully printed bag, something that I couldn't do myself with my hand still healing.

I was the last to finish the template for my bag design but I am not sure this would have been any different if my hand was okay! I always do like to make the most of every working second ;0)

Here are our finished bags! Aren't they great, I love how different they all are. Each so personal to the maker.

After all of our hard work we were rewarded with some very delicious tea and cakes in the beautifully decorated parlour.

I had the perfect crafty hen party so a big thank you to Sophie for organising it and for all of the lovely personal touches she added to the day.

Many thanks also to Claire, Louise and Helen at 'The Papered Parlour' who were so friendly and helpful and made our day truly enjoyable. I cannot recommend them highly enough and urge you to check out their website for details of all of their other classes and parties.

A Short Break

2010-07-23T18:21:00.002+01:00

I am having to take a short break from making as I am due to have surgery on my hand (thankfully my left hand!) at the beginning of next week.

I shall be closing all of my online shops on Sunday night so if you would like to place an order please do so ASAP. I hope to be opening my shops again after a week or so, I will see how well I recover and keep you posted.

I plan to catch up with my blogging whilst I recover and will be doing some one-handed posting for you (!) and hope to create some lovely inspiring treasuries. This will give me a chance to continue being creative whilst I am waiting to get back to making.

Have a lovely weekend and I shall be back as soon as the grogginess of the anesthetic has passed! Cx

A Quick Catch Up and an Exciting New Customer!

2010-07-12T21:30:00.000+01:00

I have not been very good at blogging lately, sorry. I have been so busy designing and making but the end is in sight and I look forward to having a bit more time for wedding makes and online shop revamps very soon.

One thing that was keeping me busy was preparing for a big meeting in London. All of the hard work was worth it and I am pleased to say that Jane Churchill have purchased some of my design work for their Nursery Collection. I can't wait to see how they develop my artwork to become part of their range. It is really exciting to be working with such a wonderful brand.

Whilst in London I was finally able to make it to the V&A Museum for the Quilts Exhibition (shortly before it ended) and thought it was great, so inspiring, I really enjoyed myself. My Mum has the accompanying book so I shall have to have a read of that next time I visit. My Mum visited the exhibition before me a kindly bought me these two quilting fabrics from the exhibition shop:

After looking around the exhibition I added to this little selection with these:

I look forward to making use of them all. I shall have to think of something really special to make with them. I have always wanted to make a patchwork quilt with fabrics and embroidered and appliquéd pieces that bring back happy memories. Perhaps having visited this inspiring exhibition is my prompt to make a start.

I have a few customer meetings this week too so am busy working towards those at the moment.

Whilst I am here I also wanted to point you in the direction of the delicious blog 'Cakes I Create'. They recently featured my Cupcake Wedding Card in amongst all of their tasty looking cakes and recipes.

Thank you for featuring me 'Cakes I Create'!

Claire Hurd Design in 'Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms' Magazine!

2010-07-12T19:54:00.003+01:00

I am really excited to share these pictures with you today. I was approached by 'Kitchens, Bedrooms and Bathrooms' Magazine a short while ago asking for one of my Liberty Print Make-Up Bags. They were putting together a feature on denim entitled 'All in the Jeans' and wanted to include my make-up bag, of course I jumped at the chance!

The feature is in the August edition of the magazine, available to buy now. And here is my make-up bag on page 34!

Handmade Baby Goodies

2010-07-06T16:36:00.002+01:00

My handmade personalised elephant baby bibs have proven to be very popular so I have added a new boys design and made my cupcake bib personalisable too. These bibs can be found in my online shop HERE.

I have also listed two one-off appliquéd and embroidered textile artworks in my NOTHS shop. There is only one of each artwork available making them a truly unique gift to welcome a new baby in to the world. I am offering these artworks to my Blog followers and Facebook fans at a 15% discount (with free P&P). Payment needs to be by paypal. As there is only one of each artwork available they are offered to you on a first-come-first-served basis. If you would like one of these artworks then please email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

For full details on these artworks click HERE for the baby blue bear and HERE for the baby pink bunny.

Handm@de Winchester Summer Craft Fair

2010-07-06T16:05:00.000+01:00

The Handm@de Winchester Summer Craft Fair took place on Sunday and it was my first time having a stand there. The guildhall in Winchester is a lovely venue but rather dark so I apologise for the quality of my photographs. The organisers did a great job of getting people through the door and the fair was significantly more busy than the Cambridge fair I was at last November.

If you are visiting my blog for the first time having picked up my business card at the fair a big welcome to you! I hope you enjoy reading about all of my crafty goings on. Thank you to all of those that showed an interest in commissioning personalised items. Do have a browse around my blog and my online shops to see my full range and contact me on studio@clairehurd.co.uk for more details.

As always at the Handm@de fairs it was great to meet the other sellers and share experiences and advice with eachother. A special hello to the lovely Louise of Lolly & Boo who I met for the first time and had a lovely long converstation with about selling on Not on the Highstreet. Also a big hello to Cath of Emerald Framing who is a familiar face at the Handm@de fairs and always full of encouragement and smiles. It was great to see you again Cath!

So Busy, Busy!

2010-07-01T14:16:00.000+01:00

I just wanted to pop by to let you know I haven't forgotten you, my lovely blog followers. As always happens in life everything has come at once!

My trusty Bernina and I are working hard towards preparing for the Handm@de Craft Fair in Winchester this Sunday, making hand-crafted personal touches for my Wedding and creating artworks for my portfolio.

I haven't really talked about my portfolio work much here on my blog but I shall share more with you as soon as I can. I had an important meeting on Tuesday and am pleased to say that I sold some work and have gained a very exciting new customer. I also have a few more meetings coming up so will be very busy for a little while longer. As soon as all of my appointments are over I am going to treat myself to a few days dedicated solely to wedding makes before I run out of time!

Thank you for bearing with me, I shall share more exciting designs and makes with you soon. Cx

My Latest Purchase and Even More Purses!

2010-06-15T23:00:00.000+01:00

I am currently busily preparing for the Handm@de Craft Fair at Winchester Guildhall on Sunday the 4th July. I wanted to be able to display my handmade greetings cards neatly and also have the option to include some of my framed embroidered and appliquéd artworks in the same display. So, yesterday I treated myself to a proper five tier display stand and it arrived this morning! I am really pleased with it and think it is going to look really good on my craft fair table. It frees up some table space and displays my work clearly, I can't wait to use it now and am busily making cards and artworks to fill it up.

I have also been making even more purses for the same craft fair. I am really enjoying churning out a few of these each time I have a break in my other work. They sold really well for me at my last craft fair so hopefully the same will happen this time.

Baby Pink Wash Bag and a Surprise Parcel!

2010-06-09T16:54:00.001+01:00

I managed to nip outside today during a brief 5 minutes of sunshine and photograph my pink personalised Baby Wash Bag. I have had the blue version listed online for a while but had to wait a bit longer to get hold of suitable fabric before being able to make a pink version.

You can find both the pink and blue versions listed in my online shop HERE.

I also had a lovely surprise parcel in the post today. Sam from 'Incy Wincy Stitches' very kindly sent me an unexpected parcel of buttons. It was a lovely mixture of coloured buttons, which I look froward to using, and three handmade buttons she embroidered herself. I think I shall be treasuring these beautiful buttons for a while (how cute is that little sheep made from French knots?!) and may consider using them in the future when I find the perfect project.

Thank you so much Sam, you brightened my day!

More Fabric Purses

2010-06-08T15:43:00.000+01:00

I have been making more fabric purses today. I still have lots of fabric scraps waiting to be used but is is satisfying working my way through them and piecing these little purses together.

Which is your favourite so far?

Another Folksy Friday Feature

2010-06-04T21:39:00.001+01:00

Gosh, my Folksy shop really is popular today! My Cupcake Make-Up Purse has been featured in the very first Folksy Friday treasury to appear over on the 'Pirate Treasures Jewellery' blog. The treasury has a Cake theme so do pop over and take a look at the other delicious items on show.

Fabric Roses Update

2010-06-04T15:58:00.000+01:00

Remember back in April when I showed you my attempts at making fabric roses? Well, since then I have been tinkering with them whenever I have had time. Now, with my deadline looming, I am trying to get them just right.

The idea is that they become a small posy for my young bridesmaids to carry at my wedding. They are only little (the youngest will be coming up to 20 months) and it doesn't seem fair to give them fresh flowers to carry and then have them spend the afternoon being told to be careful! I wanted to give them something that they can fiddle with, can hold any which-way and can drop without doing any harm. They can also have them afterwards as a little keepsake.

I have now added a stem and additional leaves to my rose. The fabric I went for in the end is a raw silk and I have added tiny beads to the rose centre for a little bit of sparkle.

I shall share pictures with you again when I have completed the posies - this could take some time! Cx

Another Blog Feature and De-Stash Purses

2010-06-04T15:37:00.002+01:00

I have been featured in another lovely Folksy Friday treasury today. Kate from 'Buttercup Boutique' featured my Personalised Framed Cupcake Artwork in her Pink themed blog post today. Thank you Kate x

I am continuing to create de-stashing projects in an attempt to reduce the amount of fabric scraps, ribbon, off-cuts and odd reels of cotton that I have. This is clearly going to be an on-going activity!

I have been making 'De-Stash Purses' to sell at the upcoming Handm@de Craft Fair in Winchester (Sunday 4th July, Winchester Guildhall). I have lined them all with the same acrylic coated linen/cotton lining that I use in my make-up bags making the finished purses really durable (and also using up my lining scraps!).

Boating Artwork

2010-06-03T17:40:00.000+01:00

My boating framed artwork has once again been featured on another blog. This artwork is proving to be rather popular! Follow this link over to 'Booties by Dannie' to see my artwork and the other lovely boating themed products she has chosen for her treasury. Thanks for the feature Dannie x

Click here to purchase your own framed handmade Boating Artwork.

I shall be placing a new frame order soon and once I have received my supplies I shall be relaunching my three boat framed artwork from last Summer.

This artwork is suitable for personalisation and is also one of my favourites so I look forward to getting it back in my shops!

Handmade Wedding Cards

2010-05-24T15:48:00.001+01:00

With my mind very much on weddings at the moment and having just gone through the arduous task of cupcake tasting (someone had to do it!) I thought it was about time I introduced a wedding version of my cupcake greetings card.

This card is blank inside making it suitable for wedding congratulations, wedding acceptance and also wedding invitations.

It is now available to purchase from my online shops including my new Facebook shop.

If you would be interested in me designing and making a personalised version of this card for you as wedding invitations then please email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk and we can discuss your requirements.

Cx

More New Fabrics

2010-05-24T15:36:00.003+01:00

Remember my new fabrics which I blogged about way back at the beginning of April?

Well, I now have two more gorgeous fabrics to add to my collection. My Mum kindly bought me these two beautiful limited edition Liberty print fabrics back from the V&A with her. Aren't they lovely? I will make good use of them ..... soon. But first I think I will just treasure them for a while!

Aqua Baby Bibs

2010-05-18T16:20:00.000+01:00

My personalised appliquéd elephant baby bibs seem to be going down well. In response to this I have created a new soft aqua version suitable for both boys and girls alike.

I have also introduced a new size so the bibs are now available in small and large. I have noted the measurements online and shall be doing some baby testing this weekend to be able to suggest age ranges for these two sizes.

New Baby Cards

2010-05-17T17:06:00.001+01:00

Due to customer interest I have created pink and blue versions of my baby chick card. These new cards would be perfect for birth announcements or new baby congratulations. These cards are now available in my online shops including my new Facebook shop.

This little fabric baby chick has been carefully appliquéd to a polka dot fabric base. The chick has been finished off with a bead and sequin eye and hand-embroidered legs before being mounted on to a co-ordinating coloured paper square. The completed motif has been applied to an off-white card base with a pale ivory paper insert. The card is blank for your own loving message.

The card measures approx. 13.5cm x 13.5cm and comes cellophane wrapped with a matching envelope.

Button Heart

2010-05-12T13:56:00.001+01:00

I had seen button hearts similar to this when out and about and thought it would be the perfect way to show off some of my much treasured inherited buttons.

It was really simple to make with thin coated wire simply threaded through the buttons and then shaped. The hanging ribbon at the top is just looped through the wire at the back.

It is now hanging on the bathroom door in our house and makes me smile each time I see it.

Personalised Baby Wash Bag

2010-05-11T17:34:00.001+01:00

I have just listed this lovely baby blue personalised wash bag in my shops.

This carefully handmade wash bag is decorated with an appliquéd elephant motif and personalised with the initial of your choice. This bag is perfect for packing away baby's toiletries for a trip away or for putting in your changing bag to keep all of those everyday essentials to hand.

Click HERE for more information and to purchase your own baby wash bag.

With no children of my own I was a bit short of appropriate accessories to include in my product shot. Then I remembered my lovely knitted bunny - isn't he gorgeous! He was made by the lovely Louise of Boo-Biloo, check out her Folksy shop for more beautifully handmade toys.

Facebook Shop now Open

2010-05-11T10:23:00.005+01:00

I have just set up a shop on my Claire Hurd Design Facebook page. I have had a few enquiries recently about purchasing my designs and products without having to create a Folksy account. I hope that customers will find this new shop easy to use and will enjoy having an simpler way to buy direct from the maker.

I would love you to take a look (by clicking here) and let me know what you think. My next step is to get a shop up and running here on my blog. This will be a little more involved to set up and may take me a little while. Please bear with me and I hope to share it with you soon.

Claire x

Exciting News!

2010-05-06T16:22:00.005+01:00

I am really excited to share my news with you today - Claire Hurd Design has appeared in print!

Turn to page 6 of the current issue of Popular Crafts magazine and there is my personalised cupcakes artwork! As you can imagine I am very happy. It is a great issue too with some of the designers I follow online also featuring - I am in very good company.

Hopefully there will be more of this to come in the future. It is great to see that all of my hard work is worth it and my designs bring enjoyment others.

Handmade Teatime Bunting

2010-04-29T17:46:00.003+01:00

I have been making cheery teatime themed bunting recently and finally listed it in my Folksy shop today. This perfect addition to any party or picnic has teatime themed appliqué motifs, ribbon, ric-rac trim and hand-embroidered detail.

There are nine carefully handmade and decorated flags on each length of bunting. The flags have been secured 3cm apart creating a lovely fluttering of colour on the sugary pink tape header. Each flag measures approx. W.14cm by H.15.5cm. The total length of the bunting (excluding ties) is approx. 148cm and the generous ties at each end measure approx. 38cm.

De-Stashing!

2010-04-28T18:14:00.003+01:00

'De-Stashing' - I love that term! I had not come across it until I got engrossed in the world of crafty bloggers. It always makes me smile to read it. It seems all of us arty crafty folk are the same; hoarding fabrics and papers, trims and ribbons, anything in fact! More than we will ever need but materials we cannot bear to be parted with. Every now and then comes a 'de-stash' moment when you realise that if you ever want to buy more gorgeous materials you are really going to have to use up some of what you already have.

Okay, so this is going to make very little impact on the space I have available on my fabric shelves, but I have been hoarding this wool felt since University! It was a small pack of wool felt samples just 3" by 4". I love the quality which is why I have kept them all these years. Today I finally decided to use them up and I have been making floral brooches with hand-embroidered detail. It has been good fun and I still have a little of the felt left so I shall be making a few more soon.

Claire Hurd Design products featured today

2010-04-23T13:23:00.002+01:00

Today is a good day for Claire Hurd Design!

My personalised Elephant baby bib has been featured on the Cuteable blog for Flickr Friday.

My framed boat artwork has been featured on the Quite Contrary Crafts blog as part of a seaside themed Folksy Friday treasury.

My framed personalised cupcakes artwork appears in 'Today's 40 Favourites' on the Not on the Highstreet website.

Thank you to everyone for featuring me, I am so pleased that you like my designs.

Claire x

Fabric Roses

2010-04-23T12:43:00.002+01:00

I have been experimenting with making fabric roses with the idea of using them as decorations at my wedding. The roses I have made are based on a pattern from the book 'Sew Pretty Homestyle' (ISBN-13:978-0-7153-2749-4) which I have tweaked slightly.

I have been experimenting using fabric scraps from my stash to help me decide what quality I want to use for the final flowers. The cream roses above look nice but are rather tough to sew by hand. The roses below are softer but the fabric frays badly making the seams less secure. I think I need to try a softer fabric with a fine Vilene backing and see how that looks. I altered the pattern more for these silver roses making them easier to gather and giving the leaves a more rounded appearance.

I have added brooch backs to these samples. The silver rose will be appearing on my grey jacket very soon!

I am rather enjoying creating these and think I may be listing fabric rose brooches in my online shops very soon!

Handmade Baby Bibs

2010-04-20T17:47:00.005+01:00

I have been designing and making new baby bibs recently to appear in my online shops. I have had some great feedback from Facebook fans regarding their preferred fastening method for baby bibs (velcro) and have a bib sample I am sending to a friend to do a user trial for me. I want to be sure that all details are right, such as does the bib wash nicely (I have washed it a couple of times already but only from clean and not after a baby meal!), does the amount of velcro I have used hold well and is the size good?

As soon as I have some more feedback and have secured a plentiful supply of the base fabrics I shall be listing these. I have used a soft cotton jersey for the face and a brushed cotton reverse for both designs. I used 'anti-snag' velcro for comfort and have made the bibs nice and wide to keep baby as clean as possible.

I have also been experimenting with making my own baby blankets and am quite pleased with the results. I shall share pictures with you as soon as I have some. At the moment my little niece has the blanket to see if it gets her seal of approval!

Bunting Bag Feature

2010-04-20T16:09:00.005+01:00

My Bunting Bag was featured on Amanda Lincoln's creative blog today. It seems she has a thing for bunting at the moment; it must be the lovely sunshine we are having bringing cheerful thoughts of summer fêtes and garden picnics!

Thank you very much for featuring me Amanda x

Delicious Fabrics and Buttons Galore!

2010-04-07T14:23:00.003+01:00

Here are the lovely fabrics I bought whilst in Truro. It was very difficult to narrow my purchases down to just these as the shop had such a wonderful selection. I also bought some more base fabric for my personalised embroidered artworks and a gorgeous new Liberty print fabric which I am not going to show you as I want it to be a surprise when I launch a new colourway of my personalised make-up bags in the summer!

These ditsy floral fabrics were bought locally before Easter. Along with the lovely selection above they will make great appliqué fabrics for my artworks and baby blankets.

I recently inherited my Grandmother's button tin and her china tea set. These are really precious items to me and I have loved looking through the buttons again, enjoying all of the happy memories they bring. We used to play cards for buttons with my Grandparents and the tin also has other little surprises in it from our game playing such as plastic counters, homemade dice and even a tiny plastic jockey!

Looking through all of those buttons (the photo shows just a few from the tin) also reminded me that I haven't shown you my handmade buttons yet. I recently took part in a button swap organised by Feeling Stitchy. I have long intended to make embroidered buttons for my shops but these were actually the first I have made for someone else. The embroidered details were taken from my existing design work with summertime in mind. I am really pleased with how these have turned out and thoroughly enjoyed making them. Watch this space, handmade buttons may well be my next crafting obsession!

Fabric shopping in Cornwall and New Cupcake Make-Up Purse

2010-04-06T14:37:00.005+01:00

I hope you have all had a lovely long Easter weekend break. I went away to Cornwall for a lovely weekend of fresh air, good company and good food!

I took the opportunity whilst there to stock up at Truro Fabrics. If you are ever down that way you must pop in, the shop is huge! It was very difficult to come away with just a few fabrics as I wanted a bit of everything! The fabrics I finally chose are in the wash at the moment so I shall share them with you later.

I am running low on some of my favourite fabrics but I do still have some pretty ones that need using up. I have added the above make-up purse to my online shops to make use of that cheery pink floral fabric. I also love to use gingham, it is such a simple but fresh and pretty fabric.

This cake-lover's make-up purse measures approx. W. 15.5cm, H. 14.5cm, D.4.5cm making it perfect for keeping in your handbag for every day use. You can purchase it HERE.

Giveaway Competition!

2010-03-26T10:33:00.004Z

I have a giveaway competition running on my Facebook fan page to celebrate reaching 200 fans.

For the chance to take part simply pop over to my fan page and leave a comment on the competition post letting me know what your favourite product is from my shops. I shall randomly select a winner next Wednesday. The prize on offer is a selection of handmade greetings cards, a handmade fabric cupcake brooch and a surprise Easter treat.

I look forward to seeing you there. Good luck xxx

EDITED 31/03/10 - This giveaway competition is now closed. Congratulations to the winner, Alex Broadbent - your prize will be on its way to you this afternoon x

Personalised Bunnies!

2010-03-16T18:10:00.004Z

I have had a lovely sunshiney afternoon designing and making a new product for my shops. This cute little personalised hanging bunny decoration would make a great Easter gift or a unique keepsake to welcome a new baby in to the world.

The bunny is made from soft grey wool felt and has a fine cotton knit aqua stripe tummy and ears. Take a peek behind and you will see a matching striped bunny tail. The features have been hand-sewn and the hand-tied bow has been secured with a few stitches. The bunny measures approx. 13.5cm tall and has an 8cm hanging loop.

To purchase your very own little happy bunny please click HERE.

Claire Hurd Design Facebook Fan Page

2010-03-15T10:58:00.002Z

I have almost reached 200 fans on my Facebook fan page! As soon as I do I shall be celebrating with a giveaway open to all of my Facebook fans.

If you are not already a fan please join me here to keep up to date with all of my latest design work and for a chance to be entered in to my celebratory giveaway.

Looking forward to seeing you over at Facebook, Claire x

Handmade Easter Cards Now in Stock

2010-03-11T15:58:00.005Z

I have just added a new Easter card design to my online shops.

The card features a cute little Easter chick delicately appliquéd in springtime cotton fabrics. The little chick has hand-embroidered legs and a tiny sequin and bead eye. The chick has been appliquéd on to a pretty green spot fabric which has then been stitched on to a co-ordinating green textured paper. This has all then been applied to a pretty lemon yellow textured card base and has been signed.

This card measures approx. 12.5cm x 12.5cm and comes cellophane wrapped with a matching lemon yellow envelope. The card has been left blank for your own personal Easter message.

Please visit my online shop to purchase this card at either Folksy or Not on the Highstreet.

New Design Now Available in M&Co.

2010-03-11T15:39:00.005Z

Last year I did a freelance project with M&Co creating design artworks to be produced as printed textiles for their home department. My leaf print design is now part of their Spring/Summer range and is available as tea towels, table cloths, napkins, placemats and seat pads.

Save the Date Cards

2010-03-04T15:43:00.004Z

Alongside my 'Claire Hurd Design' work I am also currently organising our wedding. I want to be able to make it a truly personal wedding and am adding my own creative touches wherever I can.

My latest achievement is to have completed all of our 'Save the Date' cards. I used a calender page in the style of those that we used to use at school when making Christmas presents for our parents! My Fiancé and I had seen them in a craft store before Christmas and were reminiscing about how much we enjoyed using them as children. We decided that they would work really well for our cards.

The colours used hint at those we hope to have at our wedding. The time and place details are all on the reverse of the cards. Now to design and make all the invitations........

New Mother's Day Card Design

2010-02-24T10:57:00.004Z

I have just added a new Mother's Day card design to my online shops (both Folksy and NOTHS).

This elegant handmade Mother's Day card has a detachable fabric heart brooch. The brooch has been lovingly handmade and embellished with lace, satin ribbon, button detail and hand-embroidered 'Mum' text. The perfect card for Mother's day with a gift that can be treasured forever!

The heart brooch measures approx. W.5cm, H.5cm. The card itself measures approx. W.10cm, H.15cm and comes cellophane wrapped with a matching pearly white envelope.

I have more new designs and some personal projects to share with you soon. Cx

Cupcake and Heart Cards now Available with Text

2010-02-15T21:42:00.004Z

My Cupcake and Love Heart cards are now available with the options to have no text, an elegant 'With Love' ribbon threaded through the card face, or with a pretty 'Congratulations' ribbon threaded through.

Take a look at my NOTHS Shop for details.

Mother's Day Cards

2010-02-15T16:26:00.003Z

Now that Valentine's Day has been and gone it is time to concentrate on Mother's Day (14th March). I discovered some lovely 'Special Mum' printed ribbon whilst out shopping for materials last week so I have added it to a couple of my card designs to create something especially for Mum.

My 'Special Mum' appliquéd cupcake and heart cards are now available to purchase in my online shops (Folksy and NOTHS).

Archive Afternoon Tea Artwork

2010-02-09T14:07:00.003Z

I had been intending to frame this afternoon tea artwork from my portfolio archive for a long time. There were just a couple of details on the design that bugged me though and I kept putting it off. This weekend I finally got around to amending the details that bothered me and this artwork is finally mounted and framed.

I did blog about this artwork previously after its first few tweaks in July 2008 but out of curiosity I looked up the details I had filed regarding this design (I keep dated patterns and templates for all of my artworks). Would you believe I made this design in July 2007?! Certainly about time it was finally amended and framed! And surely a clear sign that I am not likely to tire of the theme of afternoon tea and cakes!

I have a few more archive afternoon tea designs that could do with reinventing. I have had a few suggestions and requests from one of my stockists so lots to think about. I will keep you posted on what I come up with.

Valentine's Cards

2010-02-08T17:51:00.004Z

Due to the popularity of my appliquéd love heart card and limited availability of the materials used for this design I have run out!

No panic though, I have taken the opportunity to update my love heart card and also re-introduce my cupcake cards. Cards are still available to order for Valentine's Day right up until midnight on Thursday 11th February.

I shall also be making these cards available soon with ribbon messages reading 'With Love', 'Congratulations' and 'Happy Birthday'. Details will be featured here once they are available.

My Folksy Friday - Tea Time

2010-02-05T11:01:00.004Z

The tea related products featured in my last post were created upon request by one of my stockists. I have had really positive feedback on them and have been given the opportunity to expand my range further and potentially begin creating some exclusive items for sale by this stockist alone. The potential for growth of my business is very exciting and I am really looking forward to creating more designs.

In celebration of all things 'tea' I thought I would do my first Folksy treasury today. There are so many gorgeous items for sale on Folksy produced by some really talented designers/makers it was difficult to narrow down my selection. However, here they are, my favourite handmade items found today by searching for 'Tea'.

1. I love this bright and cheerful tea cosy by Vintage Town.

2. This cute little pin badge by Nikkimade makes me think of my tea loving friend Ruth, I can see her wearing this one!

3. This glam necklace from MishaMakes would be a great gift for any tea-lover, I love the elegant text.

4. You can find this great card at StoreyShop. It has been machine cut so has beautifully clean lines and also comes in different designs (the cake version is most appropriate to me!)

5. This cute little bracelet is from Fluffsstuffs. I love the quirky tea print fabric that has been used and the gingham ribbon detail.

6. This beautiful hand-stitched card is by Sew Lovely. The pretty design and delicate embroidery makes me think of traditional tearooms with tasty tea and chatter.

7. This hand-cut card is by Quite Contrary Crafts. I love the teapot shape and the care that has gone in to hand-making this design.

8. This wonderful teacosy is by Andrea Lesley Crochet. It comes from a great range of different floral designs and just shouts summertime and afternoon tea to me!

I hope you enjoyed sharing these great tea themed products with me. I have enjoyed creating my first treasury and hope to do another again soon. I think next time my theme may have to be cakes!

New Tea Time Themed Goodies

2010-02-02T17:59:00.004Z

I have just added two new tea time themed goodies to my online shops (both Folksy and NOTHS).

The first is a new embroidered and appliquéd framed teapot artwork. This artwork combines linen, lace and printed floral cotton and has lace trim, satin ribbon, a mother-of-pearl button and hand-embroidery detail.

The second is a cute little make-up purse with an appliquéd teacup motif. This purse has been made in the same style as my make-up bags and thus has a sponge-clean acrylic coated linen/cotton fabric lining making it easy to keep it clean.

If you would like to purchase one of these designs in another colourway or with a personalised message please email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

A Peek at My Studio

2010-01-26T22:01:00.003Z

I love seeing design studios featured on craft and design blogs. It is always lovely to have a sneaky peek at how other designers have set up their work space, have stored all their materials and have surrounded themselves with inspiration. I took some photographs of my work space today to send off to be featured in a 'craft zine' later in the year so I thought I would also share them with you.

I love my little studio! It is where I can escape to and be creative. I am surrounded there by everything that inspires me and everything that is precious to me.

I have a creative Mother and both my Grandmothers were skilled at sewing and knitting too; there are many bits and pieces in my studio that I have inherited from them. These precious items range from fabrics in my stash and yarns on old wooden cotton reels to my Grandmother's little sewing table which was made for her by my Grandfather. When I use these items it reminds me of them and makes me hope that they would be proud of my work and how my little craft business is growing. My large pinboard by my desk was made for me by my Dad and is covered in postcards, fabric swatches, magazine cuttings and trinkets that inspire me. It is always a great starting point for new product ideas.

Claire Hurd Design featured in the UK Handmade Valentine Gift Guide

2010-01-26T13:07:00.004Z

My appliqué heart 'With Love' card has been featured in the UK Handmade Valentine Gift Guide 2010.

Take a look, it is a lovely guide, beautifully put together with lots of wonderful handmade gift ideas.

Personal Project - 1st Birthday Gifts

2010-01-26T12:36:00.004Z

I have been working on a personal project alongside my other work this past week. My gorgeous niece turned 1 on Sunday and I wanted to make some truly personal handmade gifts for her.

I created some personalised birthday bunting which was used at her party and now hangs in her beautiful little bedroom. I also made a personalised Cupcake Brooch for her with 'I am 1' embroidered on it.

My main gift was a rag doll which I made from a combination of different patterns and with a little creative licence! My Mum made me a similar rag doll when I was little with removable clothes and a vast wardrobe of handmade outfits. I want to do the same for my Niece and will be making new outfits and accessories for her doll to be given as regular treats. I am really pleased that she seems to love her doll and has been cuddling and playing with it lots.

60th Birthday Artwork Commission

2010-01-20T17:30:00.004Z

I was recently commissioned to design and make an embroidered and appliquéd framed artwork to celebrate a 60th birthday.

This was a really enjoyable commission and I created the artwork based on the recipient's favourite subject matter, flowers, and the colours she will soon be decorating her living room in. The customer had seen my previous designs for Mother's Day cards and particularly liked my Aqua Flowers design, I therefore based the flower motifs and layout on this card design.

I built up the background using a white pigment print floral fabric and a beautiful lilac silk stripe fabric. I added lace trim, miniature ric-rac and satin ribbon to disguise the join. The flowers were appliquéd on and then detailed with beads, sequins, miniature buttons, lace trim and a combination of machine and hand-embroidery.

The recipient was really pleased with her present and said that she was very impressed with the quality and detail of the artwork and looks forward to putting it on display in her living room.

Handmade Fabric Cupcake Brooches

2010-01-18T17:53:00.003Z

The latest additions to my range are pink and aqua handmade fabric cupcake brooches. These brooches have been designed to sit alongside my heart brooches which I blogged about previously. All brooches can be found in both my Folksy Shop and my Not on the Highstreet Shop.

I have not listed these brooches as suitable for personalisation but if you would like one personalised with a name or (short!) message of your choice then please email me with your requirements and I shall see what I can do (studio@clairehurd.co.uk).

Claire x

New Handmade Make-Up Bags

2010-01-13T14:13:00.004Z

I have been busily listing new handmade make-up bags in my online shops today.

I have several designs available at the moment but will only be continuing with a few of them long-term. Additional designs will appear seasonally and in preparation for craft fairs/shows but I feel it is better to only have a few that are constantly in my shop to keep my product range clear and defined.

Here are my latest additions which are currently limited availability, with the exception of the Matryoshka Doll bag which I intend to stock permanently.

All make-up bags are available in both my Folksy shop and my Not on the Highstreet Shop.

Handmade Valentine's Love Heart Framed Artwork

2010-01-09T17:05:00.003Z

My latest addition to my online shops (Folksy and Not on the Highstreet) - a lovingly handmade embroidered and appliquéd Valentine's Love Heart framed artwork.

The fabric heart has been teamed with gingham ribbon, cotton lace trim and a natural mother-of-pearl button. The motif has a soft grey printed heart tag and hand-embroidered 'Love' text. The artwork comes framed in an off-white locally made textured wooden frame with stand and hanging hook. The artwork has a pale cream mount with a red border and is signed and dated with the year. The frame measures approx. W.16cm, H.16cm, D.1.5cm and has a glass front.

If you would like to order one of these artworks with a personalised message then please contact me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

Valentine's Love Heart Brooch

2010-01-05T16:47:00.004Z

I have just added a new product to my online shops. My new handmade fabric Love Heart Brooch is now available both on Folksy and NOTHS.

This love heart brooch has been delicately handmade with satin ribbon, lace trim and button detail. The text 'Love' has been carefully embroidered by hand. I have used a sturdy vilene on the brooch reverse to give a clean finish and keep the fabric heart in shape. There is a brooch bar securely stitched to the reverse. The heart measures approx. W.5cm x H.5cm.

If you would like a personalised Love Heart Brooch made to your own specifications then email me your details at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

I shall be adding more fabric brooches in this style to my shops over time based on my favourite motifs from my existing products - cupcakes, teatime, boats etc. Watch this space ....

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T10:57:00.003Z

Happy new year! I hope you have all had a wonderful festive season and are feeling fresh and inspired ready for the new year.

I have had a lovely family break and am now eager to get back to work and start filling my shops with new products. I have all sorts of plans for 'Claire Hurd Design' this year and I look forward to sharing them with you.

I have pictures to show you of my final Christmas stocking commission for 2009. This stocking was extra special to me as I was making it for my gorgeous niece's first Christmas. She is an absolute bookworm and has already discovered a love of Fairies (a girl after my own heart!) so I personalised her stocking and added a pretty Christmas fairy for her. The embroidered 'Christmas 2009' text is on the stocking foot-arch reverse.

Just before Christmas I was lucky enough to win not one, but two blog giveaways. I have been extremely lucky recently with giveaway wins as I really do not enter many, only those where I am a real fan of the products!

My first was a lovely festive package from Monda Loves. I received some beautiful handmade tree decorations, some lovely handmade cards, a little stash of red and white fabrics and buttons and some of my favourite chocolates. Such a lovely surprise - thank you very much Monda!

The second was from Ruby Wren Designs. I received a lovely assortment of Ruby Wren handmade greetings cards including the 3D butterfly one below. I now have lots of lovely eco-friendly cards to send to my friends, great motivation to send more hand-written letters. Thank you Hayley for my lovely prize, I look forward to using them.

A Few of my Favourite Things

2009-12-22T18:15:00.010Z

Well, things have finally slowed down for Christmas. My final last-minute orders were sent out yesterday and my online shops are 'on holiday'. I have some new designs and products to share with you in the new year but in the mean time I thought I would share a few of my favourite things with you. I plan to do a post like this every now and then to share my favourite textile designers with you and am starting with the following three as designers I have admired for many years.

First up, Belinda Downes. Belinda produces beautiful embroidered, hand-painted and appliquéd book illustrations that I have long admired. Such wonderful attention to detail and delicate images that work really well in print. This summer I also came across her fantastic greetings cards under the label 'Paper and Cotton Ltd'. Of all the textile illustrators I have come across Belinda is definitely one of my favourites.

Next up is Poppy Treffry. I love Poppy's relaxed hand-drawn style and have been a fan of her work for many years. It is wonderful to spot her products in so many fabulous stores such as Liberty in London. There seem to have been lots of textile badges around this year at the various craft fairs I have visited but my firm favourites are still those by Poppy Treffry which I first discovered several years ago on one of my many visits to the Eden Project in Cornwall.

And finally, Clare Beaton, another of my favourite textile illustrators. I am not sure exactly when it was I first stumbled across Clare's work but I have been enjoying her gorgeous children's book illustrations for quite a number of years now and must admit I have a growing collection of her books! Clare's embroidered and appliquéd illustrations are always so cute with lots of lovely trims used for texture and detail. I love all her little finishing touches.

Well I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my favourite designers and look forward to discovering more in the new year.

Merry Christmas to you all and thank you for all of your wonderful support this year.

Claire x

Christmas Giveaway on Facebook

2009-12-10T19:24:00.005Z

I am having a Christmas giveaway on Facebook. Pop over to my page for a chance to win one of my cute little Christmas Robin decorations and a Christmas Pudding card.

Claire Hurd Design Facebook page.

AMENDED 13th Dec. 2009 - We have a winner!

Congratulations to Julie Davis who was randomly selected using 'Random.Org' as my Christmas giveaway winner. Your prize will be on it's way to you very soon.

Thank you to everyone who entered. The kind comments and messages you sent were lovely and a real boost.

Handm@de Cambridge Christmas Craft Fair

2009-12-07T15:14:00.005Z

I am back! It has been a while as I have been very busy keeping up with online orders and preparing for the Handm@de Cambridge Christmas craft fair.

The craft fair took place on Saturday and I am really pleased with how it went. It was my first craft fair and I was not really sure what to expect so went along with the attitude that as long as I covered my costs I would be happy. It turned out that despite being a relatively quiet fair I easily covered my

costs and made a healthy profit on top.

It was lovely being able to chat with my customers and I received lots of really positive feedback on my products which was very encouraging. I was also able to catch up with some familiar faces from the Winchester and Oxford fairs. Through the Handm@de craft fairs I have met some really lovely fellow designer/makers and it was wonderful to chat about crafty things and share hopes and dreams with people working in similar fields.

I particularly want to introduce my blog readers to the following people - all truly lovely, very friendly and creating beautiful products.

Julie of 'Little Button Nose', Karen of 'Chalk Hill Studio', Karen of 'Hodge Podge Arts', Cath of 'Emerald Framing', 'Twinkly Spangle', Natalie of 'Nat's Nest' and Alice who organised the event. It was wonderful to meet you all and sorry if I have missed anyone!

New advert on Shop Handmade UK

2009-11-28T15:45:00.003Z

A while back I won a blog giveaway and my prize was to have an advert on the Shop Handmade UK blog for the month of December.

The lovely Belinda of Shop Handmade UK has been working on it for me using images I emailed over to her and has made it live a few days early. Follow this link to take a look, you will find my advert top left. It looks great - many thanks Belinda x

Bunting and Butterflies!

2009-11-28T15:23:00.005Z

My bunting is finished! I am really pleased with it so thanks again to Mum for doing all my cutting for me and getting me started. I have made it in three sections so it can be hung in one long strip or in three sections one above the other if space is limited.

Please excuse the quality of the photos, they were taken in the evening and would really have benefited from some natural light!

Keep your eyes peeled for bunting appearing in my online shops (here and here) in the new year. If you would like to place an order before then simply email me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

I also wanted to share my butterfly badges with you. I shall be selling these at the Handm@de Cambridge Craft Fair on Saturday the 5th December (not long now!). These floral butterflies have been hand-stitched to their fabric base down the centre only so their wings stand forward and reveal a contrasting geometric fabric reverse. The butterfly shown has a bright pink gingham on the reverse.

My lovely Jo Heckett giveaway prize!

2009-11-23T16:09:00.004Z

I wanted to share a photo with you today.

I won this lovely clip-on peg by Jo Heckett in one of her Facebook giveaway competitions. I shall now be packing it away carefully ready to attach it to a special note to my 'husband' (!) on my big day. It will make a lovely addition to the handmade elements I am introducing to my wedding decorations.

Do take a look at Jo's website and also check out her Facebook fan page for more beautiful ceramic gifts and household accessories.

Craft Fair and Google Maps

2009-11-18T22:13:00.003Z

I have now received all the promotional material for my upcoming craft fair and wanted to share the details with you. It would be great to meet some of my blog followers on the day so if you are able to pop along do come and say hello.

I also wanted to show you this great Google Map. It has been put together by Sharon of Ravenwolf Design and shows the location of Folksy sellers in the UK. The idea is that we can get in touch with others nearby to form friendships and organise craft fair table shares together. It is a work in progress but is looking fantastic already. Many thanks to Sharon for all the hard work she has put in to this map.

What I am Working on Today

2009-11-16T17:11:00.004Z

Just popping my head in to say a quick hello.

I am busy, busy, creating Christmas goodies for my Craft Fair stall whilst keeping on top of my online orders and commissions.

Here is a quick glimpse of what I am working on today.

My Handmade Christmas Robin decorations have been selling as quickly as I can make them so I have been working hard these last couple of days to produce a bulk quantity in preparation for further orders and for my craft fair stand.

I also have some 'Claire Hurd Design' bunting cut and waiting to be embroidered which my Mum has very helpfully started off for me (thank you Mum!). I shall do a proper reveal as soon as it is finished.

The Christmas Craft Fair I shall be exhibiting at is the Handm@de Cambridge Craft Fair at the Guildhall in Cambridge city centre on Saturday the 5th December between 11am and 5pm. Do come along and say hello. There are some great designers exhibiting and it will be the perfect opportunity to do some unique handmade Christmas shopping.

Shop Handmade UK Giveaway

2009-10-29T16:44:00.004Z

I have taken part in the Shop Handmade UK giveaway and boy what a giveaway it is! The winners will receive one of two prize packs worth over £200 each. My contribution was one of my pretty pink coin purses and can be found in prize pack one.

For full details and the chance to enter this fantastic competition click here to be taken to the Shop Handmade UK competition page and follow the instructions there. The deadline for entries is 11:59pm (UK time) on Friday 4th December 2009.

Good Luck!

Tea Cups and Fairy Cakes

2009-10-26T18:02:00.006Z

Apologies for not having updated my blog in a while. I have been very busy with orders recently and have been spending my time in front of my sewing machine rather than my computer.

I had a large bag of parcels to post today, a combination of online orders and commissioned orders. I wanted to tell you about one parcel in particular - framed embroidered artworks destined for my new stockist!

I am so excited about my design work now being stocked in the 'By Jove' tearoom shop. I was introduced to this delightful tearoom when hunting for wedding venues and my fiancé and I celebrated booking our wedding over tea and cakes there!

I am a huge fan of tearooms and home made cakes so could not believe my luck when I was introduced to this tearoom. It is beautiful, quaint, truly delicious and has a fabulous little shop alongside the tearoom. I could not have hoped for a better setting for my framed embroidered artworks. 'By Jove' will be stocking my 'Fairy Cakes' and 'Afternoon Tea' framed embroidered artworks and my cupcake themed greetings cards.

Please click here to be taken to the 'By Jove' website. I cannot recommend this tea room highly enough and suggest that if you are anywhere near Burwell (Cambridge) you should pop in for tea and cakes, enjoy the atmosphere and marvel at the quirky handmade tea-cosies covering each delicious pot of tea!

Wedding Invitation Commission

2009-10-16T18:19:00.004+01:00

Now that these invitations have all been sent out and received by the wedding guests it is safe for me to blog about them.

I received an order for wedding (and evening) invitations a short while back from one of my lovely baby blanket customers (remember my Dylan and Ava blankets?). This was the first time I had produced wedding invitations so I welcomed the challenge. My brief was simply to include the text Wedding/Evening Invitation, heart motifs and if possible tie them in to the colour of the dress.

The fabric swatch for the dress proved very difficult to match a craft paper to so I created my own by pasting a textured paper to a black base and painting it with titanium gold paint. I then handmade a heart motif using the fabric swatch I had been given and photographed it. I used the heart motif and chosen text to create a printed ribbon by arranging it in Photoshop and then printing on to t-shirt transfer paper. This was then applied to cotton tape and threaded through my painted paper on the card base. The invitations were finished off with some co-ordinating machine embroidery stitch lines.

I am really pleased with the results. Now I just need to start thinking about designing and making my own wedding invitations!

Handmade Make-up Bags

2009-10-16T16:53:00.006+01:00

Whilst working on an order for one of my personalised handmade make-up bags from my NOTHS store I decided that it was about time I made some in the lovely new Amy Butler and Tanya Whelan fabrics I bought recently. The result is this Contemporary Handmade Make-up Bag now available in both my NOTHS and Folksy Shops.

I thought I would also take the opportunity to re-photograph my personalised make-up bag with the bag filling more of the frame.

Claire Hurd Design on 'Craft Juice'

2009-10-15T19:04:00.002+01:00

My Fairy Cakes artwork is on the 'Craft Juice' website today voted as one of their top crafts!

More Christmas Goodies

2009-10-14T20:30:00.005+01:00

I have been listing more Christmas goodies in my online shops today including my personalised Christmas stockings in my NOTHS shop and a cute little Christmas robin decoration in both my NOTHS shop and my Folksy shop.

As always, feel free to contact me at studio@clairehurd.co.uk if there is anything you would like to order directly.

Claire Hurd Design on Cuteable!

2009-10-13T15:10:00.002+01:00

My 'With Love' heart greetings card was featured on the Cuteable website today. Do pop over and take a look, it is a wonderful site and a real treasure trove of beautiful designs.

Christmas Robin Card Design

2009-10-12T22:50:00.003+01:00

My latest Christmas card design shows a cute little Christmas Robin. It is available now from my online shops here and here.

Christmas Listings

2009-10-11T18:37:00.003+01:00

I have been trying to hold off listing my Christmas items online as it still feels too early to be admitting that Christmas is on its way. However, browsing online this weekend and also receiving my copy of the Not on the Highstreet Christmas catalogue in the post made me realise that I had better get listing ASAP or risk getting left behind! It seems that the beginning of October is the time to list Christmas items and not mid-late October as I had imagined!

I have now listed my Christmas Pudding card on both Folksy and NOTHS and have plenty more Christmassey items lined up to join it. The only problem with this time of the year is having enough daylight to take sharp and bright photographs. Hopefully I will get a chance to photograph a couple more items tomorrow and list them too.

I shall keep you updated as I add each item and remember if you would like to place a custom order based on something you see here or simply wish to order direct you can email me a studio@clairehurd.co.uk and I will be happy to help.

New Fabrics

2009-09-30T18:32:00.005+01:00

Today I paid a quick visit to John Lewis (my favourite department store) and could not resist these few fabrics to add to my collection!

The spot is an Amy Butler fabric from her 'Midwest Modern' collection. I shall team this with the lovely 'Darla' patterned fabric by Tanya Whelan, and the soft blue gros-grain ribbon to make more cosmetics bags for my online shops (here and here). I shall also use the raspberry pink for cosmetics bags, teaming it with the last of my lovely Japanese sweet treats fabric.

I shall post images here once the cosmetics bags are completed. Before I can start with those I have a couple of commissions to complete and some more Christmas designs to do so for now I shall just admire my lovely new fabrics and look forward to using them as soon as I have time!

Christmas Cards Now Ready - Early Bird Special Offer

2009-09-25T16:04:00.006+01:00

The first design from my 2009 Christmas card collection is now ready.

I have created a small Christmas pudding motif in felt and appliqued it on to a festive red gingham base. I have decorated the pudding with felt holly and sequin and bead berries. The card base is a lovely pearly white, as is the matching envelope.

The card measures approx. 10cm x 15cm and has been left blank for your own message. The card comes in a protective cellophane wrapper and will be listed in my online shops for £3.80 each.

However, my Christmas goodies will not be listed in my online shops until mid-October. For an early-bird 10% discount and free P&P please email me directly with your order at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

Claire Hurd Design featured on the Handm@de Cambridge blog

2009-09-22T16:20:00.004+01:00

Today I have been featured on the Cambridge Handm@de blog as one of the makers that will be exhibiting at the Cambridge Handm@de Christmas Craft Fair being held at the Guildhall in Cambridge city centre on Saturday the 5th December.

I took part in a 'Meet the maker' interview so if you wish to learn a little more about me then pop over to the Cambridge Handm@de blog and take a look.

Claire Hurd Design Featured on Glamglass Gifts Blog

2009-09-19T18:52:00.005+01:00

I was featured today on the Glamglass Gifts Blog created by Rachel Boyd, the winner of my 100th blog post giveaway. Click on the image below to see Rachel's crafty goings on at Glamglass Gifts.

New Card Design now Available

2009-09-16T14:44:00.006+01:00

I have just listed a new greetings card design for sale in my Folksy shop.

This design has been created in a similar style to my cupcake, heart, and boat cards mentioned in my previous post so they sit together as a small greetings card collection.

This appliqued house card has been left blank for your own message but of course lends itself beautifully to be a 'New Home' card. This carefully handmade card combines pretty blue and purple cotton/silk/linen fabrics and has been finished off with a tiny bead and sequin door handle.

If you would like to have one of these cards made especially for you with personalised details or text then email me with your requirements on studio@clairehurd.co.uk.

And the Winner is.........

2009-09-16T13:12:00.004+01:00

Thank you so much to everyone who entered my blog giveaway - I had over 40 entries and was so pleased to hear all your lovely comments. It is great to have more people to share my work with and I hope you all enjoy keeping up to date with my latest creations at Claire Hurd Design.

And with out further ado, the winner is ........ Rachel Boyd of Glamglass - many congratulations to you! If you could email me your postal address to studio@clairehurd.co.uk then I can get your goodies sent out to you ASAP.

To select who would receive my goodies I numbered all your comments and names as you became fans of my facebook page and followers of my blog. I then used an online random number generator to select my winner. My draw took place at 1pm GMT as promised although the snapshot of the number generator result below is not showing UK time!

It has been so wonderful to hear from you all, I shall definitely be doing another giveaway in the future. Keep your eyes peeled for details. Claire x

100th Blog Post Giveaway and Small-Scale Bulk Production!

2009-09-09T15:35:00.006+01:00

Today I am celebrating my 100th blog post! To thank you all for joining me and for your lovely comments and messages I am having a celebratory giveaway.

To be in with a chance of winning one of my 'With Love' appliqued heart cards and a handmade coin purse (as seen in my Folksy shop) you simply need to follow the steps below.

Either become a follower of my blog and a fan of Claire Hurd Design on Facebook via the links on the right hand side of this page,

Or if you are already a follower and fan of Claire Hurd Design just leave me a comment below this post telling me which of my products is your favourite and why.

I shall number each member/comment as they arrive and use a random number generator to select the winner. The closing date for this giveaway is 1pm on Wednesday 16th September. I look forward to your entries.

I also wanted to share some new greetings cards with you. I have been doing my own small-scale version of bulk production (!) this week and producing stock for my Folksy shop and for a gallery in Yorkshire that also sells my cards.

If you would like me to make a special card for you based on any of my designs then please contact me directly at studio@clairehurd.co.uk.