I have 2 more craft fairs coming up within the next 2 weeks, so I’ve had a busy few days preparing for the first of those (Saturday) – mostly packaging, packaging, packaging! Of course, I’ve still found time to squeeze in a couple of new collages, as well (like this one, right). 😉 Continue reading Not fair! (A November special offer)
This great list has been stolen (more borrowed, really) from Alex Wrekk’s Stolen Sharpie Revolution blog. Join me in celebrating International Zine Month, albeit a week late! (apologies – I’ve had a hectic few weeks…)
As a little IZM bonus for you, please use these coupon codes when placing an order in the TangleStore, throughout July (although offers apply to everything, not just zines!):
Enter coupon code at Etsy checkout & discount will be applied automatically to your order.
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(Offer valid until July 31st. )
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…and here is a little sampling of the zines currently available in the TangleStore, to whet your appetite (but there are more!):
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It’s been a couple of years since I last tabled at a craft fair. I planned to get back into it last summer, but circumstances prevailed and after my dad passed away I did lose creative impetus a little. This year, though, I’m itching to get out there and get back into the fray and have already booked into two markets, with hopefully some more a little further down the line. I love to see what other people are making, and chat with (potential) customers in person – it’s such a different experience than selling online!
I don’t expect a high volume of sales – I know a lot of people just like to browse – but having changed focus since my last craft fair, I’m interested to see how my collage notebooks go down. The zines & upcycled badges will still be there, too, of course! I’m also considering branching out & making some framed collage art – something I have so far baulked at attempting on Etsy due to the extra cost and worry about potential damage when shipping bulky-but-fragile frames…
I’m looking forward to all the ‘boring’ preparation – planning different packaging, deciding on labelling etc. There are lots of ideas bubbling around inside my head, now I just need to work on organising them into a format I can put into practice!
Are any of you out there in or near to Derbyshire (UK)? I’d love to meet you at one of the craft fairs! I’ll be giving away small goody bags to anybody who spends £5 or more, but if you mention this blog post, I will find a little extra something for you, too. 🙂 I have added a link to the mainpage sidebar with further details of forthcoming fairs & markets, but here’s a shortcut for you. New dates will be added as I book them. Hope to see you soon! 🙂 (But if you can’t make it to an event, you are always very welcome to browse the online TangleStore, instead!)
Just a quick word of warning that the Royal Mail are raising their prices on March 31st, so my own shipping costs will have to increase accordingly. Prices within the UK should not see any dramatic changes, but the changes for airmail may be more noticeable (depending on overall weight of package). In almost all cases, you will get a better deal on postage by ordering 2 or more items together (& I’m not just saying that!).
As a little sweetener for you, I’m offering a 15% discount until the end of March, when you spend £5 or more (excluding P&P) in the TangleStore. Just enter coupon code MADMARCH at Etsy checkout, and the discount will be calculated for you automatically. 🙂
Just a quick note to alert you to the £1 Summer Sale just launched in the TangleStore – head over now to pick up a bargain (or two)! Some of these items will be entirely discontinued once the sale ends, and some will revert to their original higher selling price, so don’t miss out.
Following on from the recent TangleWeed explosion, the ideas have been flowing fast & furious, so watch out for all-new lines coming soon, just as soon as time allows me to move a little further along the path of actualisation. I’m getting there! I’m going back to my TangleCrafts roots for one of these projects, but recycling an old idea by wrapping it up in a completely different concept. Can’t wait till it’s ready to show you!
Another special offer for June can be found in the ETPrintworks Store which is currently offering the No New News Notebook (fairy tale zine, diary & notebook all-in-one) absolutely free when you spend £5 or more (excl. shipping)…
Until end of February, you can save 15% at the TangleStore, using coupon code GOODTOBEBACK at Etsy checkout – help me celebrate!
Well, I suppose the New Year just wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have the prospect of moving house (again) on the horizon… I did announce several months ago that we planned to be moving, but actually we had recently decided to stay put. Never mind that, it’s all on again! We managed 2 whole years at the current property (a record for us), but we have high hopes that the next one we will manage even longer. Wish us luck, though, because by historic evidence, the property gods are clearly not on our side!
The TangleCrafts & E.T.Printworks stores (etc) will be closed throughout February, but back in March. The packing ‘festivities’ do not need to begin in earnest quite yet, though, so please do take advantage of the coupon code NEWHOME at Etsy checkout, for a 25% discount until the end of this month. (If you prefer to order through Folksy, drop me a line with or immediately following your order, and I will apply the discount retrospectively, as a Paypal refund.) Your help in diminishing the quantities I will need to pack is truly much appreciated! 😉
Are you a Friend of the Borrowers? The Society for the Preservation of Borrowers has revised its Membership Packet, which now has transparent cellophane packaging, and a mini magnifying sheet, for ease of reading your copy of Borrowed Time! Throughout April only, The Membership Packet will be available at the previous selling price – please see Etsy listings for further details & additional pics. Individual Borrowed badges will also be available soon – watch this space!
Please also note that Royal Mail postage prices are due to increase at the end of April, and so TangleCrafts shipping costs will have to increase accordingly (this will vary according to weight/bulk etc). 😦 I will try to keep increases to a minimum, but thought it only fair to warn you!
The TangleClub has undergone another minor makeover, with a new design for membership cards. Existing members will receive an updated card with any order placed; but the club discount code is the same, so you won’t miss out, if you don’t place a new order straight away! The biggest change is that freebies will no longer be issued on a strictly monthly basis, BUT TangleClub Members will still have access to all the freebies in the TangleClub Archive, and new freebies WILL still be added, just at slightly more irregular intervals. This is mostly to ensure that the free stuff shared is good stuff, and not just random stuff I have scrabbled to put together with a monthly deadline looming!
If you are not currently a member of the TangleClub but want to join us, click here for all current membership options, and remember, if you spend £5 or more in the TangleStore or TangleStore UK you will qualify for TangleClub Basic membership absolutely free!
We also have a brand new Offer of the Month: for March only you will receive a set of 3 Behind the Times badges when you place an order for the latest issue of the Enchanted Times (#4). (But if you were quick off the mark & pre-ordered your copy of ET4, don’t worry, you don’t have to miss out! The Behind the Times badge set is also available separately. 🙂 )
There’s definitely still much more to come this month, so please check back for updates!
Following a week consisting almost exclusively of upcycled postage stamp badge sales, it was interesting at the (very quiet) craft fair yesterday, This is Bazaar, to find that my bestseller of the day by far was my brand new Truth-Be-Told Mirrors. These proved very popular as stocking fillers & Secret Santa gifts, with several people unable to decide between the 2 designs, White Liar and Bold as Brass. In celebration of this success, I have added a new twin-set of mirrors so that you don’t have to make that difficult decision (I’m so selfless!), and can explore the duality of your nature with impunity. Or give one to a friend (with a sense of humour). Or give one to an enemy (sense of humour optional)… 😉
One of the best things about being a vendor at This is Bazaar is seeing all the other cool stuff that local creative types are making (This is Bazaar is always very good at highlighting quirky and original makers rather than traditional/cutesy crafts).
Here are a few of my favourites:
the gorgeous mosaics of Julie Vernon. Yes, I fell for the bird motifs again – I couldn’t find a pic online, but what I really fell in love with were some bird mosaic ‘pebbles’. I say pebbles in inverted commas as the term feels slightly insubstantial for items which were large/heavy enough to use as very sturdy paperweights…;
the chunky and colourful resin & silver jewellery by Natonia Pickup. We had a good long chat & I discovered Natonia also dabbles in bookbinding (amongst other things), so I’m holding out to see some unique hand-bound books at the next Bazaar… 😉
…and I also had an interesting conversation with my ‘next door’ vendor, Steve Brown of Rusty Spoons. He writes comics(/graphic novels) by creating characters based on emotions & I felt like I got a great deal when I traded an Enchanted Times Mini for the Vanity mini comic! (In retrospect, I think my subconscious decided I should choose this one because of the mirror connection…) The mini comic is produced on top quality glossy paper for vibrant colour reproduction, but just as importantly, it’s really a great story. It made me laugh, but the stories are definitely on the darker side, so don’t say you haven’t been warned! I can highly recommend the Rusty Spoons book, for a compilation of 13 tales which has rather wonderfully been reviewed as “delightfully devoid of hope”. Love it!
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