First Birthday GIVEAWAY Winner is no. 1 who entered the competition which is Kathryn Philips! CONGRATULATIONS Kathryn you are now the proud owner of a £20 ‘Odds & Soxlets’ gift voucher to spend as you wish from my website! I have sent you an email with the details of how to claim your voucher and shall look forward to hearing from you soon!

Congratulations Kathryn x

Handmade Toys – CE Marking

UPDATED POST – 10th May 2012

The law regarding children’s toys and CE marking changed back in July 2011 and the new Toy Safety Directive 2011 came into force. This meant that all products designed or intended (whether or not exclusively) for use in play by children under the age of 14 are required by law to have a CE logo.

This includes handmade products that also look like toys even if you have specified they are are for decorative purposes and not suitable for those under the age of 14 years. The only exception to this is Christmas/novelty products. As this is a legal requirement now for any toy which is manufactured and sold in the UK and EU you can be fined £5000 or even receive a prison sentence if you are making and selling toys without the CE mark.

I have put together a variety of information and links together regarding this subject for any fellow artisans who make knitted / crocheted / felt or other fabric style toys (including sock toys) on how to obtain a CE logo for there products.

You will need to get in touch with your local Trading Standards for the specific details required for your individual products and I would highly recommend this is your first port of call. It is useful to research the New Safety Directive 2011 and find out how this affects you and what handmade products you produce, Business Link and BSI are a very useful resource for finding out the basics and CE for Toys do a downloadable PDF of the new toy directive.

The most obtainable way for handmade toys to gain CE marking is to self certify your products. This is the least expensive way and I would recommend a company called Conformance, they currently do two packs which I believe to be very useful and ensures you are following the correct route to self certification. They are also very helpful if you contact them and can point you in the right direction if you are unsure of anything.

They have recently added a pack ‘CE marking for knitted toys’  which is specifically designed to help home toy-makers to meet the legal requirements of the Toy Safety Directive. They are in the process of updating this pack to include the flammability testing along with notes on what you should ask manufacturers regarding material testing. Even though the pack is designed for those making knitted toys, it can also be used for simple felt or fabric toys too (including sock toys). You can also download the CE logo from Conformance for free and to add to your products as required.

The process may seem very daunting and although there is a great deal of paperwork involved in self certification it is now a legal requirement so please do not think it is just not necessary.

 Along with ensuring your final product comply with the new toy directive you also have to ensure the materials used to make your toy do too! The standards they all need to comply with are BS EN71 (parts 1-3),  you have to ensure all materials and the finished product pass BS EN71 parts 1-3 – part 1 torque and tension, part 2 is flammability, and part 3 is migration of chemicals.

You will need to contact the manufacturer of you materials to ensure they comply and ask for certificates of compliance to the BS EN71 (parts 2-3). If you are unable to obtain certificates of compliance from your manufacturers you may wish to use a 3rd party testing house to test them for you such as Bureau Veritas or MTS  or you may prefer to test your fabrics yourself. It is best to seek advice regarding this from your local trading standards as they will be able to advise you which process is best for your product.

In regards to socks, they unfortunately do not already conform to the BS EN71 (parts 2-3) toy safety standards as they are an item of clothing. This means that if you make and sell toys using socks then you have to ensure that every single type/pattern/colour of socks you purchase conform to the new toy safety directive. This can be achieved by either testing them yourself or getting a 3rd party involved to do this for you as I previously mentioned above. I personally only use a few manufacturers of socks, and I also buy each design in bulk which I then use on a variety of products. This makes it possible for me to continue with my sock creations without breaking the bank and keeps my testing down to a minimal. If you prefer to do one off designs and buy your socks from a variety of different places then you may find this is not a viable option for you. It would be best to discus this with your local trading standards to find an alternative angle such as making art creations or collectables instead.

Once you have obtained all this information and your product complies with the BS EN71 (parts 1-3) you will be able to add the CE logo to your product. Which can either a sewn in label on your handmade product or a tag style label around your product which ever if more suitable. The design and information of this label is also very important. This will cover any products you offer for sale in the UK and Europe ONLY! If you want to sell your products worldwide then you must check out the laws on toys for those countries too!

You will then be required to compile a Technical File and Declaration of Conformity to show that your toys reaches the appropriate standards with the BS EN71 (parts 1-3) and is safe for the appropriate age of child for your target market. Once you get the hang of it all it isn’t too complicated it does however just take time and needs to be kept up to date and then kept for 10 years of making each toy. There are many companies out there which offer advice and services in regards to CE Marking so it is best to talk to your local Trading Standards to discuss your particular product.

I have recently joined the Facebook group CE self certification support page which helps to support other artisans and pull together resources in regards to self certifying.

Please note: I am no expert on this subject, I only have personal experience from going through the process myself since early 2011. This blog post is intended to help other artisans find out further information regarding CE marking, please ensure you seek advice from your local Trading Standards to find out exactly how the new toy directive effects your handmade creations. ‘Odds & Soxlets’ takes no legal responsibility for the content.

For further information about ‘Odds & Soxlets’ toy safety please click HERE.

Today is the launch of 6 new digi stamps including two of my new collections ‘dinkie dollies’ and ‘The Peepos’! Click on each image below for further details or visit my DIGI STAMP page for lots more character stamps!

Make Your Own Sock Monkey

Have you ever fancied making your own sock monkey? Well if you are into sewing and fancy trying your hand at making a stuffed animal then look no further than my new ‘Make Your Own Soxlet’ Kits and Patterns!

My ‘Make Your Own Soxlet’ Pattern is great for anyone who already has a stash of sewing bits and bobs, stuffing and maybe even a spare pair of either matching or odd socks that fancy transforming into one of my sock monkeys! This pattern details everything you will need, a pattern guide for making your sock monkey and step by step guide.

Alternatively if you fancy treating yourself then my ‘Make Your Soxlet’ Kits, come with all the basics you will need all contained in a gorgeous small hessian bag with ‘Odds & Soxlets’ badge. These are also great gift idea for any of your friends and family that are into sewing!

I am currently working on a whole collection of patterns and kits in time for Christmas so there will be various other colours and other animals (including some sock cats and sock dinosaurs) coming soon! For further details pop on over to my Craft Shop – ‘Make Your Own Soxlet’ page!

© Erica Martyn – All Rights Reserved

Odds & Soxlets First Birthday

Where on earth has this past year gone to? I can not quiet believe that it was a year ago last May (the 11th) to be precise that I launched ‘Odds & Soxlets’. After not being able to go back to my job as an Illustrator and Graphics Designer for a Dorset based Art & Craft Distributor I decided that the best way forward would be for me to work from home so that I could be a full time mummy alongside developing some kind of business for our future.

I started with a few lonely sock creations and illustrated cards and one year on I have 3 character collections, a whole range of handmade and illustrated products, various crafts plus my design services too! With so many developments in the pipe lines ‘Odds & Soxlets’ focus will be set to change a little over the forthcoming year and this is a very exciting time indeed.

To celebrate ‘Odds & Soxlets’ first birthday I have created an extra special FREE digi stamp from my forthcoming collection ‘The Peepos’. Meet a few of my mischievous monsters Boogaloobie, Whoowoo and Booboos. To collect this digi just click on the image below…

Check out this beautiful monster project by Nikki Smith for a little inspiration!

© Erica Martyn – All Rights Reserved

Successful Potty Training – Part Two

By day four we were getting somewhere and Harry would go and sit on the potty all by himself for a wee, occasionally needing help with his pants and shorts. The problem remained with my son being reluctant to sit on the potty for a no.2 and after dancing around and holding his bottom for quiet sometime he would only just reaching the potty in time, he was still getting a little upset by sitting on the potty whilst doing a no.2 and afterwards he even asked me to hide it away as it was scarey. His sore bottom by this point was looking much better and shouldn’t have been causing any discomfort now whilst sitting on the potty so I knew the problem lay with the actual action of doing no.2 itself. I decided it was still best to no push the matter and hopefully in time he would become less frightened.

As we had spent the first 4 days at home it was now time for our first outing, I made Harry a special monster face cushion to match one of his favorite toys from my collection ‘The Peepos’ to fit in his car seat or pushchair, I made it an extra removable waterproof cover inside and and a removable outer cover too. From day five Harry was dry throughout the whole day including nap time and even during two car to and from his grandparents. Such a very proud mummy moment and Harry absolutely loved his cushion!

The downside of such success with his wee’s was he was now holding onto his no.2 and refusing to go during the day time. He would hold onto them until nearer bed time when nature took it’s course and he couldn’t hold any longer! He would dance around and hold his bottom for a good few hours before finally giving up and telling me he needed to go on the potty. We did have a few moments to get to the potty however we were so close to accidents a few times. Harry was praised for being such a clever boy and given an extra big star on his chart. Although we were now getting to the potty without any accidents Harry still struggled to have a no.2 comfortably through till day 8.

Harry eats at least 2 portions of fruit and 1-2 portions of vegetables a day so his diet is perfect for keeping him regular and although Harry had been getting big stars on his chart for a no.2 in the potty, I though perhaps a little treat may help him be more inclined to get there in plenty of time. On day 8 I introduced the chocolate finger! Upon getting up that morning I reminded Harry where the potty was and that if he got to the potty for his no.2 by himself that he would receive a chocolate finger! Well this worked instantly and by the end of the day Harry had two very successful trips by himself to the potty for 2 no.2′s with no near misses or upset at all.

By day 8 we have cracked the potty training during the day and no longer needed a treat to go for a no.2! Instead of getting upset and frightened of what was in his potty he got excited to see it and jumped with joy after going, which was such a dramatic change from the few days before! Since then I have continued to introduce the padded toilet seat for Harry to sit on instead of the potty, he will now happily use this when upstairs and is not at all frightened on the big toilet! He is still a little small to use it by himself as his legs are a tad on the short side to reach the stool so for the time being the potty remains his favorite!

I have decided to wait a month or two until Harry has a dry nappy more often than a wet one first thing in the morning and then tackle that one!  Although it has been a very long couple of weeks indeed I am no longer having to watch Harry with such intent during the day now and he comes to me when he needs to use the potty and hopefully over the forthcoming weeks and months we shall be back to our usual work-life balance! I am one very proud mummy and it just goes to show that it is possible to successful potty train a boy during the day in just over a week!

How to survive Potty Training Days 4 and onwards

• If you have stayed at home for the first few days plan a trip out for a few hours
• A special cushion for your child’s car seat and pushchair are a wonderful idea and if possible a waterproof cover instead rather than a plastic bag makes it much more comfortable for the child
• Make sure you take the child’s potty and a few changes of spare clothes just in case of an accident
• By this point let your child lead the potty training even if a few accidents occur it is best the don’t become dependent upon you for reminders
• If you are finding that no.2′s are becoming a problem I am assured this is a common problem, remain calm, clean any accidents with no fuss and ensure you still praise the child and remind them where the potty is so they can try and get there next time
• Patients is the key and being devoted 100% is especially important
• Continue with the star chart and your own notes until you find they are no longer necessary
• Once your child is clean and dry during the day why not give them a special treat to tell them how proud you are of them (As Harry loves Cars the movie I brought him an extra character to add to his collection, which is now proudly takes with him on his trips to the potty!)
• Resist the temptation to put your child back in nappies during the day, if you have managed 3 days with a few successful trips to the potty then you are well on your way and things will click into place eventually.
• If you find by day 4 there are far more accidents than successful trips then maybe your child isn’t quiet ready and it would be best to pop them back in nappies for a few weeks and then try again. Do whatever you feel is best for your child, after all you know them best!

If you missed the first part my potty training experience then pop over to Day One and if you would like to share you own experiences below then I would love to hear your stories too and any tips you also have would be wonderful x

Successful Potty Training – Part One

As a self employed mummy with ‘Odds & Soxlets’ I work from home alongside looking after my 26 month old son all by myself. I had to decide the best way for us to tackle potty training would be for me to devote one/two weeks during the day time and try a condensed method of potty training. As any working mummy, I firstly had to pick a time where I could manage my workload around the potty training and ensure my son was not only showing all the signs of readiness but was also in a happy place too. It would mean long days and working late into the night but I was prepared to do this so I could devote this time to my son.

I had a purchased stars, made a star chart for Harry and a note chart for me to note his progress. Harry had various sets of character pants which he had chosen himself and plenty of shorts which would be easy for Harry to pull up and down by himself. We had a potty downstairs and an identical one upstairs along with a padded toilet seat and step too. I had a bucket with a lid filled with detergent for any wet or soiled underwear. Plus a smaller bucket with a cleaning solution, sponge and towel for any accidents.

Day one as my son was happy to sit on the potty straight away after waking in the morning I decided this was the perfect opportunity to put pants on in place of the nappy and pj bottoms. Harry managed the first few wee’s on the potty successfully with a little help pulling his pants down and up and he was very proud of his stars! The first accident happened with he needed a no.2 and couldn’t get to the potty in time. With pants on this wasn’t difficult to clean and I just cleaned and changed him quickly, put new pants on and off we went again.

I had read that I should put him on the potty for 5-10 mins at a time every 15 minutes or so until I had worked out how often he actually needed to go…this in turn led to Harry having the most awful red/sore bottom from sitting on the potty so much! Although I began to spread out these practice sessions, the damage to his little bottom had been done and just got worse the more he sat on the potty. Harry did then begin to shown signs of getting distressed when needing a no.2 during the afternoon and with a sore bottom too was reluctant to sit on the potty. We managed to get to the end of day one with only 2 accidents and many successful attempts on the potty which was wonderful! That night Harry went to bed with his nappy on and covered in Morhulin nappy cream to help his sore bottom!

Day two and three were much the same, and with the sore bottom the poor little might wouldn’t even sit down in the bath. As Harry didn’t like the feel of nappy cream on his bottom with his pants plus it did have a tendency to mark the soft furnishings so I opted to use an aloe vera gel instead which worked wonders. A few friends of mine had suggested taking Harry to the toilet instead to use the padded toilet seat or if possible try and get him to stand and wee instead. We tried both options however Harry chose to still wee on the potty however was very reluctant to sit down for a no.2′s. Even with lots of praise and an extra big star he was still not happy and starting to get distressed. I decided it was best not to force the issue and just let him me if he needed to go and if an accident occurred to make light of it and ask him to try and get to the potty next time.  By this time Harry showed signs of needing a wee every two hours or so and needed two no.2′s a day so things were already becoming much easier and the signs of him needing the potty were obvious to me.

How to survive Potty Training Days 1-3

• Make sure not only your child shows most of the signs of readiness but you are prepared yourself to devote 100% of your time to your child during this time.
• Be prepared to have your first few days completely free and stay at home
• Let your child put there potty down where they want to (plus use a towel on the floor underneath in case on any near misses)
• A closed lid bucket is brilliant for wet and soiled underwear, and another smaller bucket for cleaning solution with a sponge and towel make it quick and easy should an accident occur
• Moistened toilet tissue is great for a little one’s bottom after no.2′s and can be flushed away
• Avoid long periods on the potty during days 1-2 and instead try to observe your child’s behavior to when they need to use the potty
• Make light of any accidents and do not punish your child
• A star chart works really well as a reward for every trip to the potty and a little treat at the end of the day after dinner works wonders!
• Tell your child how proud you are of them and give them lots of praise, encouragement and hugs too!

Pop back on Thursday 26th April for Part Two of my story and for more tips on how to survive potty training, if you would like to share you own experiences below then I would love to hear your stories too and any tips you also have would be wonderful x

Make a Hand Sock Puppet

Whilst I have been not working during the day this week due to beginning potty training with my two year old I decided to expand my collection of Children’s Craft alongside making fun projects for you to make at home with your little one’s!

With my love for sock creations I thought what better creation to start with would be a hand sock puppet! This creation isn’t too difficult to make however depending upon the age of the child adult supervision is advised. Project advised for those over 3 years of age due to small parts which may cause a chocking hazard.

You Will Need

One Medium / Large Colourful Sock
Two Large Googly Eyes
A sheet of Craft Foam
Coloured Pipe Cleaners
Needle & Thread / Craft or Fabric Glue

How To Make
Cut and fold section of craft foam to fit the end of your chosen sock.

Push the toe of your sock inside and slide the folded foam inside to create the mouth. Using either Fabric/Craft glue or a needle and thread secure the foam inside to the sock and if necessary leave to dry.

I have sewn the mouth area of this hand puppet and then glued on the two large googly eyes to the heal area.

Choose 4 of the coloured pipe cleaners, fold in half and twist around a pencil.

Add together to create some funky hair for your sock puppet.

These can then either be sewn or glued onto your hand puppet at the top of the heal area. If you choose to use glue then these will need to be left to dry before it can be played with.

Your project is finished – Well Done! I hope your children enjoy this project too I personally think it’s amazing how much fun can be had with this type of hand sock puppet!

I would love to see your children’s creations so please email me at ericamartyn@oddsandsoxlets.co.uk for the chance to have them feature in the ‘Odds & Soxlets’ Children’s Craft Gallery and on My Blog!

For more crafting products and activities for your children please pop over to my Children’s Craft page!

© Erica Martyn – All Rights Reserved

As I mentioned earlier this month in the post about April’s Free Digi Stamp I have a wonderful selection of goodies up for grabs by entering my craft giveaway! Drum roll please……. the prize is this gorgeous selection of ‘Daisy & Dandelion’ crafting products, including over 10 decoupage sheets, 3 sets of outline stickers, 4 sets of coloured stickers, a pack of clear stamps, A5 decorative papers, A6 card blanks, an original small Daisy Dog plush toy plus a chance to feature with your project on my blog!

If you would like a chance to get your hands on this crafting candy then all you have to do is create a SPRING TIME project using any ‘Odds & Soxlets’ digi stamp which you can either purchase from my Craft Shop here on the DIGI STAMPS page or collect this months FREE DESIGN.

Submit your entry via email with a photograph of your project to me at ericamartyn@oddsandsoxlets.co.uk by midnight BST Sunday 22nd May. The winner will be selected with the most imaginative project and will be notified personally via email. The winner, their project and feature will then be announced to the world on my blog once all the entries have been considered.

Last week I decided to create a co-ordinating gift set for a baby boy using my illustration of Waffles the Teddy! As I love this illustration so much I recently had the design made into cute little badges and keyrings to add to a few of my new products!

I used one of my small rectangular hessian bags, which after sketching out the design in pencil I then painted with acrylics. Painting such small detail onto this type of canvas can be quiet time consuming however it is well worth spending the time on as it looks rather splendid if I do say so myself!

I made a co-ordinating fabric heart keyring to add on the front with a small decorative pocket on the back which produly holds the special Waffles the Teddy badge! As I designed this painted bag with the intention of being a gift bag I thought a co-ordinating card would make the perfect gift set.

This is a one of kind gift set that is currently available in my online shop ‘Waffles the Teddy Bag & Card Gift Set’ and I also have a new line of custom Painted Bags in a variety of sizes too!

Pop over to my Handmade Shop for all the artistic creations I now produce and make to order x

As we are fast approaching ‘Odds & Soxlets’ first birthday and I have reached an amazing milestone of over 500 fans on Facebook I have decided to do an extra special **GIVEAWAY** to celebrate.

The prize for ‘Odds & Soxlets’ first birthday will be a £20.00 gift voucher to spend as you wish in my online store www.oddsandsoxlets.co.uk! All you have to do to enter my first birthday **GIVEAWAY** is to comment below with how you would spend the voucher, which of my artistic creations have caught your eye and why? Please Note: Only one entry per person! Anyone who is found to be making multiple entries or fake entries will be disqualified so please ensure you play fair!

Closing date for the **GIVEAWAY** will be on ‘Odds & Soxlets’ first birthday Friday 11th May. Everyone who has commented on this blog post will be entered into the draw and the winner will be picked by a random number generator and announced on my blog on Tuesday 15th May. The winner will also be notified by email.

Wishing you all the best of luck!
With Love
Erica x

With the news last month that Royal Mail were increasing there prices I have unfortunately had to make the hard decision to raise my postage & packaging for all my products too. As a small business I can not absorb the costs so the prices will now be as below for delivery to the UK for all tangible goods. Digital products are not affected.

As you shop on my website you can always view your checkout page prior to purchasing anything to check your postage and packaging. All of my tangible goods are posted first class recorded delivery (which requires a signature upon delivery). This ensures we can check on the progress of your package and if there are any problems they can be dealt with as soon as possible.

If anyone would like to view the new Royal Mail prices please pop over to their website HERE. My prices reflect the cost of packaging my products along with the trips I have to take to get your items safely to the post office! If any of my customers live locally to me then I am more than happy to take your order via email so that you can collect your order in person.

For further information about posting my products outside of the UK please email me ericamartyn@oddsandsoxlets.co.uk and for further details about my terms and conditions please pop over to my T&C’s page!

As my trio of owls free digi stamp during March was so loved I thought I should add it to my craft shop for those lovely crafters out there that missed the freebie!

To get your creative juices flowing below is a gorgeous project by Nikki Smith…

For further details on this project or for more creative goodies by Nikki please pop over to her BLOG!

April Free Digi Stamp
‘April Showers bring May Flowers’

After creating my first ever sock duckling during March I thought he would make the perfect digi stamp for April. This little fella absolutely loves splashing around in puddles after a spring rain shower in his frog wellington boots and matching rain hat!

One of my crafty DT Allison has created this gorgeous spring card below as a little inspiration to get your creative juices flowing…

To collect the FREE digi stamp pop over to my FREE DESIGN page and download instructions on the page.

Over the next few months I have some crafting goodies up for grabs so if you would like a chance to get your hands on this crafting candy then all you have to do is create a SPRING TIME project using any ‘Odds & Soxlets’ digi stamp and email a photograph of your project to me at ericamartyn@oddsandsoxlets.co.uk by midnight BST Sunday 22nd May and the winner will be revealed on my blog on Tuesday 29th May 2012. The prize will be revealed in the next few weeks so keep popping back to take a peak!

Wishing you the best of luck!

I decided to change today’s scheduled blog post to talk about the down sides to Facebook Business Pages after noticing yet again another business on Facebook reporting a lady who is blatantly pouching her costumers and trying to get them to visit her page to buy her products instead.

This is unfortunately not the first case of this kind of behavior I have heard about in recent months! It is very sad to say that along with the above I have also heard of of people targeting various businesses and invoicing other people’s customers for goods they are not going to supply, some people have been caught using other businesses photography to sell their own products alongside others re-creating the designs or handcrafted products of others to sell themselves.

As with any kind of social networking Facebook is an amazing tool for promoting your business and the interaction you can achieve with your customers is second to none however from either a business prospective or as a consumer are you ensuring you protect yourself to the full?

Here are just a few tips I have picked up along the way…

• Never leave your personal details on a business page, use the new message button on the new Facebook Timeline or email the page directly.
• For businesses it is best not to sell directly on your page, it is much better to have your own website or to use an appropriate selling site that you can direct your customers too and use your email address for custom orders.
• • Many business use Pay Pal as a method of payment, you don’t need to have a pay pal account to make a payment, they accept most major credit/debit cards and you are protected as a consumer if their are problems with any payment made.
• • A genuine business will either have payment options directly on their website/selling site or will be able to email you an invoice with their full business address and details on. Be sure to check your invoice has come from the correct business email address and you are paying for the goods you have ordered. If in doubt don’t pay and contact the seller first.
• • Do not send businesses money as a gift on Pay Pal as you do not get the same protection and this means the business is not paying the appropriate fee’s they should be!
• As a business page be aware of the laws regarding copyright and intellectual property and do your best to protect your work from copyright theft. Add watermarks or the copyright logo to your images and photo’s, have a copyright policy on your Facebook page alongside your website or selling site, make your work individual to you and your style.
• Although I could go on and on these are the most important things I wanted you all to know and here are some useful links to help keep you safe on Facebook!
• Privacy for people who like Pages
• Privacy for Page Admins
• Report Abuse or Policy Violations

  I hope this information has been or use to you, if you have any further advice on how to keep safe on Facebook then then please feel free to comment below…

This weeks project inspiration is from one of my DT Pandy. She has used my Baby Waffles the Bear digi stamp to create this gorgeous new baby card.

”The layout is very simple really, the only trick is a very fine line of double sided tape around each block of pattern paper, then covered with glitter. Really pretty.  Oh and I added wobble eyes just for fun” – quote from Pandy

If you would like to see more projects by Pandy then visit her blog: www.princesskitten.co.uk

I have been keeping a whole selection of my new products under wraps for months and I am now so excited to introduce my new painted bags by ‘Odds & Soxlets’!

These natural hessian bags will come in 3 sizes (some square, some rectangular) and can either be purchased as a painted bag on their own or can be co-ordinated with any of my handmade products! Each bag can be personalised with an individuals name or wording of your choice for no extra cost.

As standard each bag has a painted illustration on the front, bag charm, small badge and personalization, then on the back a matching fabric pocket with an ‘Odds & Soxlets’ large badge.

Medium and large bags can have a soxlet bag charm added for a small extra cost and as with all my handcrafted products co-ordinating cards and character creations are available.

I have also designed a whole collection of badges, keyring and magnets to be used on a whole variety of products alongside being sold separately so watch this space for further details in the not too distant future!

To order please visit my new PAINTED BAG page or email me at ericamartyn@oddsandsoxlets.co.uk for further details.

Copyright: All of my hessian bags are painted with acrylics to my own original design with my unique handcrafted look. Each bag is the copyright of Erica Martyn and may not be copied or reproduced by others. For further details please visit my COPYRIGHT page.

My latest addition to my ‘dinkie dollies’ collection of rag dolls in this adorable bunny girl dressed in a beautiful yellow with pink flowers fabric dress, matching bunny girl ears and even a fluffy white tail!

This gorgeous little girl has been made to my own pattern and design and  would be a perfect gift for anyone over the age of 3 years and is looking for a loving home, so just click on the picture above to take a more detailed peak of this pretty yellow bunny girl!

© Erica Martyn – All Rights Reserved.

After my first ever Christmas craft fare back in November last year I have been pondering about what future fares to do with all my new character creations… I had intended to have a stall at a rather large event here in Dorset in the summer months however the date clashes with my forthcoming wedding plus the fee’s are very expensive and it left me wondering how others choose what craft fares to do and what not to do?

I have recently met a whole range of lovely crafting ladies through a new group set up on facebook ‘Crafting Cafe’ by one of my DT team Nikki Smith and what better opportunity to tap into their different experiences and gain some advice on the subject which today I am sharing with you all. Some ladies give there advice in taking there craft to sell at fares and a few others share what they are looking for when they go to fares to buy gifts and so forth…

• ”Well in my experience is not good I’m afraid, but then I don’t know if it was lack of advertising or venue. When the word craft is in an event I feel people think that the prices are going to be high and don’t come, however gift fairs with crafts and that a different matter. When you do craft fares you do meet a lot of like minded people. What I will suggest is check out the venue if its an ongoing one. Ask the stallholders how they do and
  if its one they would come back to. Ask the best places usually they are only to happy to share” – quote by Fran Mansfield-Clark

• ”I’m drawn to lots of bright colours and a good display. Of course as a mummy (they are too old to class me as a mummy now but Ive had the experience) the cost. I’m always looking for things that I know the child or person I’m buying for will like (in their favorite colour) and something that will last. Oh, offers….they always get me over cause I’m always looking for a bargain” – quote by Donna Watson
• ”I’ve done a few Craft Fares and find the positioning of the stand is quite important i.e. not first in the door or last by the exit as customers will have spent their money by the time they leave. The display matters too – eye catching colours. I also did a small demo to entice the customers into purchasing product from the stand and had Workshop details so I could take names and addresses of interested parties” – quote by Christine Saunders
• ”In my many years as a crafter I have found myself taking part in a few craft fairs. The big shows are fine for buying stock etc but craft fairs are the place to go for the crafter who then wants to sell their finished items. The first hurdle I had to cross was actually finding where the craft fairs where to be held (at times it seems that this is a very closely guarded secret!). Setting up nice and early was great – it was wonderful seeing all the different crafts that people had been busy making. The day was long and hard work but it was great fun! Most of the customer were friendly but there were a couple who thought as the cards I had were homemade I should be selling them for next to nothing or just giving them away! Most people were very nice though and told me that I wasn’t charging enough! Packing up at the day was sad – only because I had had so much fun I didn’t want it to end but I was sooooo tired too!

  I would tell people who wanted to take part in a craft fair,

  • make sure you have plenty of stock to sell
  • try to think of eye catching ways to display your stock
  • price everything before hand so that people know how much everything is
  • have an offer on – buy 3 get one free or similar
  • enjoy yourself!!!!
  • make sure you take some bags for people to use
  • have plenty of change
  • take a seat, jumper and flask of something hot to drink”

  Quote by Nikki Smith

• ”Have offers for buying 2 or more. Or get a matching free card ? People love a deal! But sadly never want to pay for your hours of work!” – Quote by Janna Gay

Many thanks to all these lovely ladies for their input some wonderful advice and it has most definitely given me some food for thought! I hope this advice has been helpful to you too, if you have any advice of your own to share then please comment below…

Recently I have a number of lovely crafter’s review a few of my digi stamps all with various experience with this type of craft. Although Janna has been an avid crafter for a number of years this is the first digi stamp she has ever used. Here are two of her projects using my digi stamp ‘Lilliana the Fairy’ from my new collection ‘Lilliana & Pickallie’.

”I loved using this little digi stamp Lilliana. She is very versitile, this is the first digi stamp i have used and can see the advantages already! You can re-size and make perfect prints over and over. To make the project above I printed her in brown ink and made it look sort of sepia colour and I think she would also look nice in bright colours too” Quote by Janna Gay

You can view further photo’s of Janna’s card above over in my craft gallery and make sure you pop over to Janna’s BLOG to see all her other crafting delights!