Thursday 26 November 2009

Christmas Fayre

Been a bit busy this week as the shop has been on the move to a local Christmas Fayre at St Richards School in Bredenbury. It was hard work and involved selecting the products on Monday, packing up on Tuesday, setting up Tuesday night and tweaking the stall Wednesday morning before the buyers arrived at 10am. It wasn't easy how do you fit 12 peoples work from an entire shop onto a 6 foot tressle table ? not easy believe me but the result was a very pretty very colourful jam packed stall. We had some great comments and feedback and hope to have found loads of new customers. Thank you all who came to see us and hope to see you all in the shop in the future. Despite all the stress & hard work we had a really enjoyable day !






Thursday 5 November 2009

Perfect £20 Gifts for The Perfect Person

This week we are focusing on gifts around the £20 mark. In previous weeks I have listed single items in the price bracket but believe it or not we don't actually have many around £20. Our aim is too offer value for money and considering every item is handmade we really achieve that. So why not forget the high street this year and call in and see the unique and individual products we have on offer. We have a huge selection of things catering for children, friends, colleagues, family there really is something for everyone.

Please also remember we have a great range of handmade cards and the Christmas ones are now on display.



For A Little Girl Who's Got Too Many Toys

Knitting Kit in a Bag £10.50, Little works of Art Plaque £7.00, Flower Hair Bobble £3.50 = £21


For A Little Boy Who's Got Too Many Toys

Superhero Cape £7.00, Pencil Roll £7.50, Coat Hanger £5.50 = £20


For A Girl Who's Too Old For Toys

Handbag & matching Hair Bobble £12, Heart Trinket Box £6, Flower Soap £2.50 = £20.50


For Someone Who loves 'me' Pressies

Basket of Soap, Candle & Bath Melts £7.00, Necklace £15.00 = £22


For Someone Who Loves Their Home

Tea Cosy £16.00, Selection of Candles £1.60-£2.00 = £22


For Someone Who Loves Their Kitchen

Bake Wall Hanging £7.00, Cooking Plaque £7.00, Fridge Magnets £6.00 = £20


For Someone Who Loves Pretty & Dainty Things

Wash bag £16.00, Porcelain Bowl and Candle £6.00 = £22


For Someone Who Loves Fun & Funky Things

Button Necklace £9.50, Fluffy Socks £11.00 = £20.50



We hope this has enticed you to call in when you are next in town, remember we open Thursday and Friday 10-3pm and Saturday 10-4pm.






Thursday 29 October 2009

"Around a Tenner"

For those of you wanting to spend a little more than the products featured in our last post "Around a Fiver" this one is for you. I have focused on items in the shop for around the £10 mark. We have loads of choice here for old and young alike and everyone in between.


Raggedy Revival have beautifully made pencil rolls on sale at just £7.50 including the pencils! These are great and will appeal to a wide age group. They come in different fabrics that suit boys and girls and toddlers and teens. I have placed an order for a 3 year old and an 8 year old. They also have Superhero Capes for £7.00 great for any little boy or girl who never stops running around and has a great imagination !

Made for you by Rosemarie Yardley we have these great button necklaces that come in a range of colours. They come in short length for £8.50 and long length for £9.50. These are truly unique as no two are the same.

Plain Jane Textiles have a range of pretty products for the home and children in this price range. All products come in more patterns & colourways than those photographed so please pop in and check out the full range. Girls Handbag and matching hairband £12, Kids Apron £12.50 (boys version available), Laundry Bag £13 (boys version available), Small wash bag £14, Small Doorstop £15.

Jenny Cross has made a great selection of necklaces for you to choose from for just £12 each. They are really well made and she uses quality unusual glass beads making them a truly lovely gift.


Muddy Puddle Crafts have a range of dotty products for the home all around a tenner. Most products can be made in red, duck blue, green, plum, coffee, dark red and pink. Peg it Forget it Plaque £7, Door Wedge £7, Script Hanging £7-7.50, Teardrop Heart £9, Tissue Box £12.

Mary O Grady from Leominster has made a range of necklaces and matching jewelry all of which are packaged in boxes making them a special gift. The necklaces range from £8.50-£9.50 and the matching bracelets are £7. Featured last week were the co ordinating earrings from as little as £3.50.

Recycled Hippies have been busy knitting these unique funky fluffy socks for £11. Great for chilling round the house or in bed we have 3 colours in the shop to suit different tastes. They also have some pretty scarves with great detail for £15.

Pink Gem from Tenbury Wells have a wide selection of scarves on offer for just £9.50. They are a great size and are really versatile and come in loads of colours. They also have a huge selection of fashion jewelery starting from £7.50 for bracelets and £12.50 for necklaces. All styles and tastes are catered for.

I hope you come in and check these products out further they would all make a great christmas pressie for someone. We hope to see you soon on Thursdays and Fridays 10-3pm and Satudays 10-4pm.




Thursday 22 October 2009

Have you got a "Fiver" to Spend ?

You may or may not have realised there are only 2 pay days before Christmas ! Quite a scary thought for those of you who have loads to buy and even more scary for those of you who haven't given Christmas a second thought. But fear not the Hope Emporium are here to give you an ongoing suggestion list making the whole Christmas shopping process alot simpler. Over the next few weeks we will be posing gift suggestions for you. We will be doing it by price, starting this week with "Around a Fiver', so sit back and enjoy and be sure to keep up to date with future posts.

"Around a Fiver" We all have someone to buy a little something for at Christmas time, just a token gift nothing too expensive but something worthwhile. It may be for a teacher, a school friend, a work colleague, a friend, a neighbour. Lots settle on some random Christmas gift set, some sweets, a box of chocs, a tin of biscuits or a bottle of wine, well forget all that this year and go for a unique handmade item from the Hope Emporium.


VOTIVE CANDLES 60P, FLOWER ON A STICK £1, MICKY & MINNIE SOAP £1, FELT BROOCH £1.25, 2 BATH MELTS £1.50, SOAPS IN A CRACKER £1.50, PILLAR CANDLES £1.60-£1.80, JAR CANDLE £1.75

KEYRINGS £2, BOOKMARKS £2, SOAPS £2.50, RAGGEDY HEART £2.50, SHEA BUTTER £2.95

6 TEA LIGHTS £2, FELT FLOWER PIN £2.50, FELT HANGING FLOWER £2.50, HEART BROOCH £2.50, TREE DECORATION £2.50, GIRLS BRACELETS £2.50

DOTTY HEART £3, FLOWER HAIR BOBBLE £3.50, GIRLS NECKLACES £3.50, ROBIN £3.50, BEAD BRACELETS £3.50-4.00, EARRINGS, £3.25-3.95, 5 BATH MELTS £3.99

BROOCH £4, HANDPAINTED PLAQUES £4.00-£4.50, BABY BOOTIES £4.50, BASKET OF SMELLIES £5

COAT HANGER £5.50, PORCELAIN BOWL £5-6.00, FAIRIES £6, EGG COSY £6.50

PORCELAIN BOWL £5-6.00, TRINKET BOX £6, FELT BROOCH £6.50, BABY HAT £6.50, TISSUE POUCH £6.50, EGG COSY £6.50

GIRLS ARM WARMERS £5.50, BABY HAT £6.50, WEAVING KIT £6.50

I hope you have found this interesting and it has given you a few ideas. Alot of the products featured do come in other colour ways so do pop in the shop to see even more items like these.

Finally please tune in next week for our next feature on "AROUND A TENNER"

Thursday 15 October 2009

This Weeks New Products

As Christmas approaches our crafters are busy creating some lovely unique products to entice you all. We are pleased to share with you the new products that have arrived this week and are now on sale. Watch this space as more new lines will be added weekly.
Heavenly Soaps have introduced new flavors to their collection. Soaps range in price from £1.75-£2.50 and now come Aloe Vera, mango Swiss roll and a very cute duck. They have added Apricot and Mango bath melts to their current flavours these are very popular and selling fast. If you have sampled the Shea Butter it now comes in Aloe and in 2 new sizes, Pump Style £3.75 and Large pot £4.50.

Plain Jane now have Ladies Bags at £16 which come in black and plum cord fabric with beautiful appliqued flowers.
Plain Jane have also added a cute Christmas tree to the robin and fairy Christmas decorations already in the shop and are £2.50 each.
I have been busy making painting pretty flower hair brushes a must for any little girls stocking at £3.50. I have also painted a set of script hangings perfect or the home and priced at £7.00 for Cook and Bake and £7.50 for Bathe and Home.


Molly Pepper who makes our popular embroidered cards has tried her hand at jewellery and made 4 lovely bracelets. They are the kind that spiral round you wrist and are priced from £5-£10


And finally today I got a sneak preview at the funkiest socks I have ever seen ! Jane from Recycled Hippies is busy knitting these amazing fluffy socks great for in bed and round the house and priced at £10, these will be coming soon !


Monday 12 October 2009

Christmas is coming and a BAT has landed !!

For those of you who came in the shop last week you may have noticed a bit of Christmas sneaking in, yes its here even though its only mid October. You may be like me and think Christmas before Halloween that's madness ! but not in the world of retail I'm afraid. Yes 5 of our crafters have made Christmas stock an its there for you to buy, and believe it or not some has already sold !



Clare Beale had made a batch of cute and colourful reindeer cards, Molly Pepper has been busy on her sewing machine running up some embroidered Christmas cards and I too have made a dozen cards. Jane from Plain Jane has made lovely robins and some red and green dotty Christmas fairy's to hang on your tree, the detail on them is great and that hair is just fab ! I too have made tree decorations, hand painted red and white dotty hearts and stars combined with wire, rusty bells, gingham and Cinnamon sticks. Heavenly soaps have packaged mini soaps in Small Christmas boxes and silver cracker boxes. All the items mentioned start from as little as £2.00 so come and take a look. More tree decorations are due by the end of the month by Recycled Hippies and Raggedy Revival.



Now for the bat............ If you have walked or driven by since Saturday you cant miss the pumpkin and bat cape hanging in the window. These are the latest capes by Sana of Raggedy Revival from her 'superhero cape' range. They are great and any little one will want one. My little boy has already put an order in with Santa for a blue superman one and a batman one ! They are very well made and machine washable and priced at £7.00. We only have 2 of each so if your little one still needs something for Halloween come and see us. I must just add if you don't come quick Sana's son will be in with the contents of his money box to buy the lot as he would rather they were all kept and home for him as opposed to mummy trying to make a
living !!

Ttfn, Jo (Muddy Puddle Crafts)



Saturday 10 October 2009

Thankyou Sana

Just wanted to say a big thank you to Sana of Raggedy Revival for getting this group blog off the ground she is the techie one amougst us. A month ago I didn't even know what a blog was but I am learning fast, this week I have created my own for Muddy Puddle Crafts and now I will be adding posts to our group blog, we really are making progress !

We will add some photos very soon and the full story of how the shop began, aswell as introducing our 15 crafters who are a part of this very new and very exciting business.

Watch this space.


Welcome one and all!!

We are getting very technical now... A group blog for the shop!
This will be added to by some of the (slightly) more technically minded crafters who supply The HOPE Emporium.

Hopefully we will add to this regularly with information on new lines added by current crafters, any new and guest crafters we have at the shop, extra opening hours for Christmas and local events and much more. 

*watch this space for opening hours for the Christmas lights event in Bromyard next month*

P.S. If you are one of our crafters and you wish to post here, please leave a comment and we'll be in touch!!

Raggedy Sana