Etsy Front Page action!

I have recently had the pleasure of joining an Etsy team, created with the aim of bringing together like minded types to promote and help each other out on Etsy. Anyway, one of our Treasuries (Etsy members own curated list of lovely things!) was on the front page of Etsy today and I was featured! Hooray!

One of my goals for the new year is to work on my online activity more, and with all these supportive Etsy peeps it should be made all the easier!




Love Ailsa x

Christmas Fair Fun this Saturday!

Hi

As mentioned below, I will be trading this Saturday 11th Dec at the Oakfield School Christmas Fair in Dulwich. Sounds like it will be a lovely Christmassy day, so do come along if you get the chance!

Ailsa x

Collectormania madness

With all the excitment of the snow, I realised I hadnt put some pics from the Collectormania event last weekend on here. It was fun as ever, but seemed a little quieter than some of the similar events I have been to. I was excited though as Mercedes McNab from Buffy & Angel was there - I love love loved those shows!

Had some lovely customers as usual and saw some excellent costumes - the Star Wars fans were out in force! (no pun intended..) As you will see from the pictures, I decided to dress up a little too and was sporting a very long pink wig - if you cant beat them, join them!

Stay warm people,

Love Ailsa x

Snow is falling....

Well, I looked out of the window this morning, and this is what I saw! Lots of snow - so luckily I have no good reason to needto leave my house. I love the snow, but hate being cold, so hope it will clear up soon.

I have been working on editing photos and facebook / Twitter etc today as they have been a little neglected by me lately. Need to get them sorted as I have quite a few events coming up that will be needing my attention:

9th - 16th Dec, daily from midday until 11pm - Christmas Exhibition / Fair at the Tank Gallery in Ladywell, London SE13.

Sat 11th Dec, 12 - 4pm - Oakfield Prep School Traditional Christmas Fair, 125 Thurlow Park Road, Dulwich se21.

Sat 11th Dec, 10pm - 2am - Festival Of Sins Alternative Club night, featuring performance from Steampunk band "The Men That Will Not Be Blamed For Nothing". I will be trading with the other alternative stalls in the band performance room http://www.festivalofsins.co.uk/

Tues 14th Dec, 5 - 10pm - Farnham Maltings Christmas Market, Farnham, Surrey. An evening of gorgeous Christmas shopping, mulled wine, and mince pies!
http://www.farnhammaltings.co.uk/news/festivals/490/447/145/christmas_market.aspx

Also, every Sunday, 10am - 5pm I will be at my regular stall in Backyard Market, Brick Lane, London E1. http://www.backyardmarket.co.uk/cgi-bin/web/index.pl

So as you can see, December is shaping up to be quite busy - especially the weekend of 11th / 12th when I seem to have something on for 48 hours solid!

I'm off to snuggle under a blanket, so bye for now,

Ailsa

Welcome back me!

So, I realise I am probably the worlds worst blogger - I have been away from the blog page for ages, with no good excuse other than I have been v.busy and am not great at getting my thoughts down online!

Anyway, I am trying so hard to get my "online presence" increased, (actually have my own website now!!) so here I am, back again dear readers.

It has been a busy few months - trading at Steampunk and Gothic events, as well as the mighty MCM Expo in London. The business has been going well and growing slowly but surely - I am so much happier doing this for a living rather than trotting off the the office every day! Being you own boss is hard, but so rewarding - expecially when you look back at what you have achieved. I have only been trading since Feb this year, and have learnt so much along the way - cant waitto get on and do more.

As I said, I now have my own website, as well as the Etsy and Folksy shops. It is fairly new, and I am in the process of getting stock uploaded, but you can buy through this site now so please take a look!

http://www.coucouheart.co.uk/

Thanks to all the amazing people I have met recently who have helped me along and supported me in my business - its been more like fun than work!

Bye Bye for now,

Ailsa xx

Upcoming Events

Hi,

Am busy making lots of stock for my upcoming events that I will be trading at:

Dark Mills Festival - gothic and alternative culture at Merton Abbey Mills in South London. This is on weekend of 4th & 5th September and I will be there both days.

http://www.darkmillsfestival.com/

Steampunk Asylum - fantastic steampunk weekend in the city of Lincoln. I will be trading in the Bazaar Eclectica, which will be in the old Victorian prison at the castle! Weekend of 11th & 12th September.

http://steampunk.synthasite.com/

Lots of new stock listed in my Etsy shop too - this is one of my new pieces:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54118501/silver-steampunk-pocket-watch-and-key

Hope to see you at one of the weekends,

Love Ailsa xx

Time is flying!!!

Steampunk Sizzler event is 2 days away and my outfit is nowhere near finished - aarrghhhhhh!!!

Have just spent ages listing new items in Etsy shop and still only have 31 items listed - boooo!!!!

Have now got to go and do some cleaning as house is v.messy - NOOOOO!!!!

Anyway, I am sure normal service will be resumed soon,

Bye bye for now lovely blog readers,

Ailsa xx

Vintage finds.

Got some lovely vintage "treasures" which I will be selling at the Steampunk Sizzler event on Sat 31st July in Bethnal Green http://steampunksizzler.eventbrite.com/. Managed to source some amazing old binoculars, more glass valves (excellent for adding to your raygun!!) and one of those cool old cameras that concertinas out (you know what I mean..!).

Also have some parasols, which are made of wood and paper, but are surprisingly robust. Hopefully all those Steampunky ladies out there will find these useful! This pic is of some of the similar bits I had for sale at last weeks Comic Con - new items will be photographed and up soon!

Love Ailsa

London Film and Comic Con last weekend

LFCC last weekend was excellent - I met some really lovely people, and made some good sales! There were lots of Steampunks there, who I will hopefully meet up with again at the Asylum event in September (http://steampunk.synthasite.com/) and also got to meet Robert Rankin! In addition to the Steamy set, there were lots of Cosplayers - some interesting pictures below!!!




Robert Rankin and some Scary Girls!!!


Cosplayer + Doll!


SH Creations gorgeous hats. Dragon Dreads corsets
http://www.shcreations.co.uk/ http://www.dragondreads.co.uk/

All in all, a great weekend. Now, I will be knuckling down and getting some stock listed on Etsy - a few new pieces have been listed today, so please take a look! http://www.etsy.com/shop/coucouheart

Bye for now,

Ailsa

Busy weekend ahead!

I have been super busy making loads of lovely items for my stall this weekend. I am trading at the London Film and Comic Com at Earls Court on Sat & Sun (http://www.londonfilmandcomiccon.com/ ) which should be great fun. Loads of Sci Fi type stars there - cast of Being Human and William Shatner himself are the ones I am going to look out for!

I am also trading every Sunday (except this one of course) at the Backyard Market in Brick Lane, London. This is a really vibrant, exciting market with loads of great vintage stuff and really cool handmade creations.

Lastly, I have also been trying to get more things listed in my Etsy shop - more to follow soon! Anyway, will report back on the weekends events next week,

Love Ailsa

PS - please become a fan on my new Facebook page - search for Coucou Heart.

New Items from Coucou Heart!

Hi

Just listed a few new items on my Etsy shop - nice pics above! I am really trying to get my online shops filled up, but I do find it takes quite a while to list things! I think I spend too long trying to write descriptions, and then am never happy with them anyway!

Well, hope you like the new things - more to follow soon. Follow the link to Etsy on the left!!

Love Ailsa

xx

Coucou Heart does Expo!

Hi everyone!

I am back from an exhausting couple of weeks preparing for, and then trading at the London Expo. It was a fantastic weekend - my first time at one of these events, and it was a real eye opener, I can tell you! There were some amazing Steampunks there, as well as all the Cosplayers in their vast array of costumes, Japanese lolita girls, superheroes, and more wigs than you could shake a stick at!!!

I met some really great people, and I am glad to report that they all seemed to like my jewellery - I had a very successful show so I am very pleased! Got to get myself moving now and get some more stock listed in my Etsy and Folksy shops now I have fininshed making stock for this weekend. Thanks to all the lovely people who chatted to me - here are some pics from the show

Where am I now???

So, it has been some time since I last blogged - and since then a lot has changed in the world of Coucou Heart!

The market where I was trading, Stuff Marketplace in Croydon, has closed down. Unfortunately there were not enough tenants or customers in that location to make enough money, so the owners of the market were forced to close it down, All of us traders from the market are now speading far and wide, looking for somewhere to sell our lovely creations!

At the moment you can find me in Piccadilly Market in central London on Tuesdays (in the courtyard of St James Church http://www.st-james-piccadilly.org/market.html) I will hopefully be trading in some other London markets soon - updates to follow!

You can also still find me on Folksy and Etsy, and I will also be trading on 29th & 30th May at the MCM London Expo at London Excel Centre in Docklands. Hopefully, a few select shops will also be stocking my jewellery too!

Speak to you all soon!

Love Ailsa

PS - hope you like the pic of one of my recent necklaces featuring a vintage bug charm!

Hand Sewn Hearts

Hello everyone!

I love hand sewing little things out of felt, and my little felt charms are very popular in my shop. So, I have now started listing these on Folksy, so please do take a look! http://www.folksy.com/items/442498-Felt-Button-Heart-Charm?shop=yes

More creations to come soon!

Ailsa x

Fairytales

I watched Heston Blumenthal creating his Fairy Tale feast on TV last night - it was fantastical! I love all things Grimm and a little macabre, so I found it very inspiring. I want to go off into the deep, dark woods and see what I can find there......

Looking forward.

Hello!

Like these little cuties, I am feeling all dressed up and ready to go this week. I have so many things I want to work on though, it is difficult to pick one and just start! So, I decided to start with ordering supplies, and have managed to spend a fortune already and it's only Monday lunchtime - oops!

Anyway, have a lovely day all - if you get chance please check out my Folksy shop as I am listing lots of new loveliness in there.

Bye for now,

Ailsa xx

Happy Sunday!!

Sorry I left you alone for so long, loyal readers of my blog! I have been busy making things as usual, visiting people over Easter, and taking photos of my stuff so I can list them online! I am not a great photographer, and it takes me ages to get a good enough pic to use - I have a new camera though which is helping a little! So, here are a few pics I have just taken:

These lovely creations can be found in my online Folksy shop! www.folksy.com/shops/coucouheart

Speak to you again soon, dear readers! Until then, I must get back to my camera....

Ailsa xx

Oh, Monday...

I am always so sleepy on a Monday! Despite this I had a good rearrange of my stock in Stuff today, so things are looking freshened up. Good news also for me - I just started listing my jewellery on Etsy last week and I had my first sale today! Very pleased - below are some of my little felt birds I have made; I think they express my happy mood today!!!

Love Ailsa xx

Chihuahua Inspiration

Sometimes when the creative muse leaves me, I turn to my 2 little helpers for some inspiration and assistance. Bonnie finds that sitting on the laptop really helps her think - however as yet, we have had no creative breakthroughs!

Apparently lying on all my stuff on the worktable also constitutes "helping" - I beg to differ, but they insist on doing it anyway!

Have a happy Friday,

Love Ailsa

Through the looking glass...

Sorry I have been absent from my blog for 2 weeks now - must try harder! However, I have been busy making, selling, filing, photographing etc so I have a good excuse.

Went to see the new Alice in Wonderland film the other weekend which I had been looking forward to for ages. I have loved the Alice story since I was little - it remains one of my fave childhood books. The film was excellent (apart from very silly dance by Mad Hatter at the end!) with some amazing imagery. Very inspirational!

As you will see from the pics, I have some new additions to my shop - loving setting little weird things into resin! Please follow the link to my Folksy shop to have a look at all the items.

If any of you are ever in Croydon, do come along to my actual shop in Stuff Marketplace (www.stuffcroydon.com). In addition to finding me there, I will also be at the following events:

Sun 21st March - Craft Fair at Fairfield Halls Croydon. 10am - 4pm

Sat & Sun 29th & 30th May - London MCM Expo, Excel London (www.londonexpo.com)

Anything else comes up, I will post asap! Bye bye for now!

Ailsa

Its supplies buying day...

Have been online all day ordering jewellery making supplies. Have ordered some amazing vintage watch mechanisms from the US to make some Steampunk necklaces. Cant wait for these to arrive so I can get the soldering iron out and start throwing cogs and stuff together!

Here is a watch style necklace I sold recently - hope to get more like this listed in my shop soon:

Its been a bit quiet in the shop today, but it's so cold I'm not surprised. Hopefully the weekend will be a bit more springlike!

Bye for now,

Ailsa xx

Lazy blogger / busy crafter.

Havent put anything on here for a week which is very naughty of me! However, I have been flat out selling and making things. This week I have been sewing Easter gifts, soldering jewellery, making cards, and colouring my hair!!!

Anyway, here are a few pics of the lovely things that have emerged from my workroom; I am a long time fan of all things vampiry, so decided to celebrate this in a necklace. Also, love Alice in Wonderland (no, not just because of the new film!!) and all things kooky - below are some of the greetings cards I have made, with an Alice necklace.

Anyway, hope you like them - promise to update again soon. By the way, the hair colour is now a dark scarlet!

Love Ailsa xx

Ooh La La - I love vintage style

Finally managed to take some pics of my new vintage style stock that I am selling. Its been really popular and fits in very well I think with my hand made items. My own personal style is really influenced by vintage and "found" items so you can tell why I love these lovely photo album / memory boxes:

Vintage photo chalk board:

Just listed some new pieces of jewellery on Folksy - take a look!

Love Ailsa xx

Its all happening in Croydon!!!

Having a good day in Stuff Marketplace (http://www.stuffcroydon.com/) selling lots of lovely jewellery. I have made some more pieces this week which I now have for sale. Hopefully get these into my Folksy shop over the next day or so.

I am also going to be stocking some lovely French Vintage style home & gift items in my Croydon shop photos to follow! They are all really pretty and unusual and I think they will really complement my handmade pieces really well.

On a different topic, I notice the daffodils are starting to peep through the ground - Bring on Spring!!! I am so fed up with the cold, I can wait for some milder days and some lovely flowers!

Bye for now!

Saturday sales...

Its a very cold day in Stuff Market Place today (http://www.stuffcroydon.com/) but still lots of customers in. Have just sold a lovely pair of earrings which is great, and am about to start making some more new items. Listed some great new stuff on Folksy, like this little Kooky Face bracelet http://www.folksy.com/items/277433-Kooky-Face-Charm-Bracelet?shop=yes

Hope everyone is well today - Spring is just around the corner!

Vintage Postage Stamps

Just listed a lovely new necklace on Folksy, made with a vintage Italian postage stamp. I love using old pieces of ephemera like stamps, and maps - they have always been a fascination for me. I love thinking about who may have originally put that stamp onto a letter.

You can buy this necklace at http://www.folksy.com/items/262589-Vintage-Italian-Postage-Stamp-Pendant?shop=yes

I'm in my shop at STUFF Market Place (http://www.stuffcroydon.com/) today hoping for lots of lovely customers!!!

First week at Stuff

Well, we have been open for nearly a week now in Croydon, and have had lots of lovely comments from our new customers. Everyone agrees that the new market place is just what Croydon needs - a place full of unique and unusual finds.

Please come down and visit if you get a chance - we need to spread the word! Here are some pics of the little felt things I make - little critters, and some mobile phone cosies!