My love of handmade has grown, from the very first day I discovered Etsy, into a lifestyle choice. There’s just a magic about buying and wearing handmade, especially if you make items yourself and know how much love and tears go into each and every item. It’s almost like every piece sings it’s own story when you wear it and not only do you get many more questions and compliments for a handmade piece, but it’s such a conversation starter when your reply to, “where is that from?” isn’t just *insert high street store here*.

I bought my clutch from my lovely Etsy friend, Curious Miss Clay. I love Vicky’s work so much and she has such a great eye for fabrics. Curious Miss Clay shared this fabric in a ‘lot’ on her Facebook page and put out an announcement for any requests before she cut into the fabrics and made up stock for her shop. I immediately earmarked this for her lovely, simple clutch purse; I just love that she offers this as an option, allowing her customers to have a real customised item for such an affordable price. In the past I have made Curious Miss Clay entirely responsible for protecting my gadgets by buying a pre-made iPhone case from her and also requesting a fully customised iPad case. I highly recommend you follow her on Facebook to snap up new designs before anyone else does!

My collar ruff was hand-knitted by one of the gorgeous wives and girlfriends of my boyfriend’s band. I was so excited to hear about The Unraveling and immediately set about putting some money together to get a custom coloured ruff for this winter. I’ve had this cream/toffee coloured knitted ruff collar in my wardrobe since the Summer and I’ve been desperate for Fall to arrive so I could wear it to death! Not only is the design so unlike anything available on the high street, but it has such a luxurious soft feel and fit and oozes with quality in contrast to it’s mass produced cousins. Next on my list is this unusual lace snood.

Rounding out my handmade accessories is this adorable ring by Claireabellemakes, another super talented Etsy shop owner (her bicycle bracelets are adorable!) and my very own handmade button earrings. These are new to my shop and are made from left over fabric from a project I did on Havana, Cuba at Art College. Like I said, handmade always has a rich history.

Lace Dress | Ark  //  Black Cardigan | Oli (now at Freemans)  //  Rope Belt | H&M
Boots | H by Hudson  //  Havana Floral Earrings | Onetenzeroseven
Aztec Ring | Claireabellemakes  //  Knitted Ruff Collar | The Unraveling
Clutch Purse | Curious Miss Clay

Loves x xx