Business in the Spotlight: A Treasured Something

                                          All about: A Treasured Something

Susan created  a small business called A Treasured Something. I spotted the gorgeous creations on Twitter and offered to do a blog post to showcase her business.

This is in Susan's words with some comments from me.

                                         Starting Out ....

Whilst I was at school I took Foundation Design and really enjoyed it. 

At the end of the school year, we were able to do exhibitions of our work and I put on one dedicated to The Teasle Family.  These were very much in during the early 1980s they were like little pompoms with a dress on and then a teasle head.  I then decided to make some stories with them and took photos on my old basic camera, had them developed at the chemist and put them in a book and wrote a little story about them living in my garden.  

I really enjoyed this and so did everyone who came to see my exhibition.

For many years then, art kind of fell by the wayside as work and gaining qualifications became more important. It wasn't really until about 10 years ago now that I started to pick it back up again, by looking into mixed media canvas paintings and decorating wine bottles and wine glasses.

                                                 My First Media Art Painting ....

I love this one so much because it reminds me 

of the sea with its wonderful colours and textures. 

I used a variety of mediums including broken 

jewellery, stamping and snow effects to give 

depth and texture to the painting.

It now hangs pride of place in my lounge to 

remind me of what I have achieved.

ME: I love the colours on this beautiful piece, it reminds me of the sea on a sunny day. 

Love the textures too, it's fabulous.

                

                              My Work Today .....

Over the past 10 years I have done a lot of different art and crafts, mainly for myself.  

                                     

One of the more unusual ones was making ornament goblets.

                                                                                

As a few of my friends were into Game of Thrones, I decided to get a few ordinary wine glasses and transform them into ornate Gothic style goblets.

ME: Aren't these fabulous? They really look the part. Such a great idea.

I enjoy diversifying into a variety of different mediums some have been pebble art, creating greeting cards and one of my loves at the moment is making miniature teddy bears and furry animals.  

As an artist and crafter I have found it very important to diversify in my work as it gives me ideals and inspiration.

 One of my favorite pieces has to be this little teddy bear and that is because I lost my little Pekingese in March this year and I popped some of her fur inside the teddy bear I had made so I could remember Hetty as she was my soul mate and will always be close to me.

ME: Such a wonderful idea, 

I am sure others would love something like this to remember a beloved pet and feel that they are still close. 

Susan's LINKS: 

ETSY: A Treasured Something

Ko-fi.com: A Treasured Something

Twitter: A Treasured Something

Facebook: A Treasured Something

Instagram: A Treasured Something

What do you think?

Did you enjoy this post about this lovely business? Do go and have a look, there are many beautiful pieces. Check out the social media pages. Why not follow to keep up to date with new products?

I love everything but especially the gorgeous Teddy bears, such glorious colours and so cute. They are not toys but fabulous collectables for adults to enjoy.

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Your business:

If you would like to have your business in the spotlight contact me. 

You need to write out why you started your business and what your inspiration is. Your first creation, your favourite piece and why. Add pictures and all links.

Its a Pay It Forward because starting out I had help from other crafters.

10 Most Popular Crafts in 2021

 

What are the most popular crafts? Any ideas?

Most people would come up with the things they enjoy doing. Why? Because they look for articles, websites, blogs and anything that is to do with what they enjoy.

We tend not to notice anything we aren't interested in. So obviously we don't ask those we know as this would probably be biased. 

Why are crafts popular again?

The interest in crafts seems to ebb and flow. In recent years, with people's lives becoming so busy, stuck on a treadmill of work, eat, sleep, hobbies didn't factor into many people's lives. 

What changed? 

The Pandemic! People were stuck at home. If they went out there were only food shops open. So of course people went online. They were bored, if they weren't working from home. Children were bored. So crafts amongst other things became more interesting. 

Hobbies became businesses

Some people discovered how much they really enjoyed their new hobbies and that others loved what they made. Before long new businesses sprung up online.

My granddaughter was one of those and her business, started last year, is going from strength to strength. Read HERE

What are the most popular crafts in 2021? 

Where do we go to find out? 

First Stop, Google

The obvious place to begin is Google. 

Results:

I had 2 choices. The most popular crafts and the most popular crafts to sell.

I selected the most popular crafts and all I got was the most popular crafts to sell. Hmmm. Clearly this is a popular question.

Searching again

This time I went for crafts trending in 2021.

So up came:

Crafts trends to look out for.

Craft trends to try in 2021.

The craft trends to watch.

And so on. Similar themes to go with.

It all depends which blog you look at as far as the order of crafts. Everyone looks at information and sees it from their own perspective.

My list

Resin: A very popular craft that seemed to really take off in 2021.

It was used mainly for jewellery at one time. Now there are keyrings, I had one in the letter of my name.

Trinket boxes, coasters, bowls, paperweights and I also saw an amazing wine bottle stand with holders for glasses too. Oh and a chess set and board that looked stunning, not to mention the brilliant paintings..

Starter kits are available, like this one: 

Orimath Epoxy Resin Crystal Clear Resin Kits for Beginners

Macrame: Now this made a comeback, I believe, because of the programme 'The Chateau'. The chatelaine,  Angel, a woman of many talents, made so many brilliant pieces for decoration in a variety of places, that inspired so many to try it for themselves.

Knitting: This has always stayed fairly popular but has had an increase in popularity in recent years.

There are so many wonderful things you can make with knitting. In the news recently is an elderly lady of 92, who has made many magnificent pieces with knitting. The latest is of the Sandringham Estate, the Queen's residence in Norfolk, where it is now on display. 

I suspect this wonderful lady has inspired many knitters. 

Crochet: This too has remained popular, with the usual ebb and flow of crafts. It too has had a resurgence of interest over the pandemic. It is easy to do and you can make things like blankets and scarves without requiring a pattern. 

I loved crochet and used to make up my own patterns. 

Candle making: A popular craft over the pandemic. Why? It's fun to do and you have something you can use at the end of it.

There are kits to try to see whether you like it before buying more, like the one shown here: 

Candle Making Kit

There are different types of wax: The usual paraffin wax. Soya wax, very eco friendly and much less carcinogenic and bees wax, another natural and eco friendly wax.

When made they make lovely gifts.

Baking: I have included this as it seems many people have become interested in cooking again and not just meals but actual baking too. Stunning cupcakes, cookies and cake designs that are so beautiful it seems wrong to eat them.

Programmes such as Bake Off had inspired some but the Pandemic seemed to bring out the srtistic flir in many.

 Pottery: Interest in pottery increased a lot in 2020 thanks to The Great Pottery Throwdown.

It's an interesting craft and very therapeutic. I had a couple of sessions that were a gift. It was interesting, fun and very calming shaping the clay onthe wheel. 

The pottery kit shown is for creating by hand without a pottery wheel. Its a good idea to find someone who gives lessons or does taster sessions, in your local area before buying expensive equipment.

The kit is called:

Pott'd Home Air-Dry Clay Pottery Kit for Beginners.

Sewing: Sewing has become popular because of the Great British Sewing Bee on television. Seeing how its done and the end results is inspiring and encouraging. Plus many have no idea what a variety of things you can make when you sew.

I did a blog about a man starting a sewing business. Read it HERE!

Painting: With time on their hands more people were exploring their love of art. Taking lessons online, getting outdoors with easel and paints as well as exploring the different mediums of acrylic, oil and watercolour.

Painting can be very absorbing and enjoyable, hours can pass by in a flash. I have often heard people say they cant draw or paint. It doesn't have to be perfect or even recognisable as anything, you just have to enjoy it.

Embroidery: Such a beautiful craft this is.

Embroidering pictures onto hoops is a very popular pastime.

The finished pictures make lovely gifts.

Of course embroidery is used on clothing, tablecloths, 

runners, chair backs and so much more.

It can be very absorbing and interesting to watch the picture emerge.

There are a variety of embroidery kits available

 includng this one:

4 Sets Embroidery Starter Kit

Starter kits are a good way to try a new craft.

I think 

that crafts are fun, enjoyable, they help with focus and we learn as we go. Learning anything new is very good to keep our brain sharp. The saying 'use it or lose it' is as true for our brain as for our bodies. It is important to keep both active.

It's really enjoyable spending time crafting and great fun trying out different crafts. It's also good to gain more skills and to have wider interests. 

It can help you to connect to other people who have similar interests. I have always found crafters to be a friendly bunch in the main.Ready to offer help and advice too when needed. It's a good commnity to be part of.

Are you a crafter or thinking of trying out a craft?

What is your favourite craft?

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