This year I have been mostly learning new things

Much the same as everyone else, my 2020 started well, then took an unexpected turn in March. Whilst it was tough being on furlough it did mean I was able to get stuck in to lots of new crafts. Now, heading into November, my thoughts naturally turned to Christmas and I have been making more sparkly and shiny items recently to reflect this (no pun intended). Friends are still gifting/giving me stuff to upcycle and my dining room is slowly filling with stock.

I did my happy dance two weeks after opening my online MadeMe shop when I got my first sale on the platform. It is all going well so far and I am also getting to grips with promoting the shop. Having been informed by my social media guru (aka teenage son) that “Facebook is for old people, you should do other media stuff as well”, I have started to use Instagram – I know, right, a bit late to the party but I am only 52 and still have all my own teeth so I figured it was still worth a shot. I am slowly building my profile (and adding followers) – And guess what? After just 3 weeks I have half the followers that my teenage son has, and have had some nice convos (getting the lingo now) with some of the craft experts on Money For Nothing and The Repair Shop, two of my favourite programs right now. Oh honestly, I have just been informed that saying you like these programs means you actually are old. I may need to remind him how impressed he was that I managed to create and upload a video (IGTV) to showcase the products. I am getting the hang of hashtags (I think), my Facebook posts are getting more reach and the analytics on my shop page shows I am getting visitors. So I think I have learned a lot about Social Media.

Some of my latest makes have involved using resin to create coasters with vintage buttons and some sparkle. A friend loved the blue/silver and red/gold ones listed in the shop so much she asked me to make her a set in her favourite yellow colour palette. So I can now say I also got my first commission! Carrying on the sparkly theme, I have re-purposed some pre-loved glass jars into pretty tealight holders with faux silver and gold mercury finishes.

And finally.. What do you do with 450 vintage matchboxes you bought on Facebook Marketplace? Make some creative artwork, I thought. Lots of different colours and styles crammed into such a small space. – check out my video to see more. Just mounted up a few to see how they looked (nice). Popped them into a simple black 4×6 frame (even nicer). There are lots more to play with, and I will gradually start listing them in my MadeMe shop. Oh and I learnt a wonderful new word too – a Phillumenist is a collector of matchbox related items.