Personalised butterfly name plaque, in memory of an angel.

When we were asked to make one of our hanging butterfly plaques for a mother who had sadly lost her child at the age of 2, we were really touched and hugely honoured to be asked to make something so special and with such significant meaning. 

At the customer's request (a friend of the mum) we were asked to keep the butterfly as white as possible but still personalise it with the name.   This was the result - both our customer and Sammy's mum were really pleased with the butterfly plaque, which was simple, but beautiful.

Thank you for letting us be part of something so special. xx

Personalised Dinosaurs and Giraffes... finally!

In one of our recent posts we shared our new designs for wooden name plaques.  You may recall that we mentioned they were the first of a new series of designs - with many more coming.  This is still the case, but it's taken a little longer than anticipated, following what I can only refer to as a creative block!

We were so pleased with the owls, birds and elephants that we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to make sure that the next part of our project - i.e. the giraffes and dinosaurs - came out just as well. 

It took a couple of weeks to get this far:

We had selected the potential colours that we liked and then....... nothing.......

.......until now. 

Hurrah!

Personalised Dinosaurs Gifts / Name Plaques

Keeping in theme with our dinosaur wooden wall letters, we thought it made sense to stick with green and beige and spots!  The look just as cute on their own as they do together.

Personalised Giraffes Gifts / Name Plaques

We thought we'd try out the giraffes in beige and cream - but they can of course be painted in blues or any other colours. We love the small splashes of colour on them that really brighten them up.  The giraffes would make fab gifts for new babies and christenings.

Well, after such a long wait, we hope we didn't disappoint....!

FKS x



Happy 1st Birthday to Archie!! Handmade Monday 87

Well, I wasn't sure I was even going to make it this week.  Things have been busy as usual and this last week included the 1st birthday of a gorgeous little boy called Archie. 

With it being such a big birthday and the fact that his parents are very close friends of mine, I wanted to give him something special and of course something that he could keep.  So needless to say, I made his birthday presents ;o)

Archie's dad loves football and is a fireman, giving me two themes. Archie's mum and I opted for the Fireman / Transport theme - for what seems like obvious reasons to us.  (Football.....bah!)

This is what he got:

Fire Engine Name Plaque / Door Sign

Fire Engine Name Plaque

 

A fire engine name plaque for his bedroom door.   Slight confession.... I actually made this a couple of months ago for him, but ended up holding onto it to show at a couple of craft fairs we attended (the shame....!).  It was definitely time to hand it over!

 

 

Transport Themed Wooden Wall Letters

 

I also made some transport themed wooden letters for his bedroom wall.  The letters are 20cm high (size of the capital letters) hand painted in royal blue and decorated with individually hand painted wooden vehicle shapes - including a fire engine, of course!

 

 

Personalised Wooden Trains

 

Finally, we've wanted to add trains to our new free standing personalised plaques / ornaments so this was a perfect time to come up with a design.  As with the other plaques, there was a small and large train - which can be bought separately, but for Archie I wanted to use them as a set to spell out his whole name.  The thing I love most about these is that they can sit almost anywhere in a room; on a shelf, bookcase, windowsill or chest of drawers.  I also loved the bunting used on the fire engine and thought it would look cute on the trains too.

 

 

Realising that Archie is 1 and way too young to appreciate / notice (!) any of these gifts, I also bought him some weebles - so that he still had something to open and throw around the floor!   These were his favourite, of the gifts!

 

I opened the door to the postman on Thursday and was presented with this:

 

 

You'll be able to spot the trains in there, as well as some new and old shapes.  The new ones have kept me busy (and messy) all weekend.  Will be showing some pictures in the next post.

So now we're at the beginning of another week that is likely to fly past as quickly as the last, I'm going to visit handmade Monday to see what else has been happening in the crafting world! 

FKS xx

Box of Delights!! And the next projects!

When I opened the door to finally see the postman standing in front of me with a large parcel, I knew it could only be one thing.  The box of wooden shapes that I had been waiting, not so patiently, for. 

Since launching our new range of personalised name plaques (shown at the bottom of this post) and personalised Christmas decorations, we've been dying to get our hands on more shapes so that we can come up with even more designs, in time for the busy festive season!

So here it is..... and there is more to come!!  I can't wait to get working on these and have a feeling that my hands / hair / clothes will be covered in splashes of paint all weekend!!

 

These are four of the next designs that we will be working on. 

 

 

We have set the standard with our owls, elephants and birds - and we are hoping to achieve the same with all of our new designs....!

 



Personalised Name Plaques - For Keep's Sake

 

 

Wish us luck!! Will post pictures as soon as they have been completed.

 

FKS xx

www.forkeepssake.co.uk

How are Memory Quilts made and Tips for choosing the right quilter

Memory quilts are a fantastic way to cherish and preserve pre-loved clothes and other fabric items that hold a special place in your heart. 

There will undoubtedly be some clothes that you want to keep in one piece, but there may be a number of other items that you want to keep but are just collecting dust in the attic. 

This is where memory quilts and blankets offer the perfect solution.

What are Memory Quilts?

Memory quilts are created using a range of a customers' pre-loved clothes.  In most cases, mainly baby clothes for a child that is growing up, but we also get asked to make them for families in memory of a loved one.


Styles and designs will vary according to who you buy your memory blanket from, but at For Keep's Sake they are all patchwork quilts, that are carefully designed using separate blocks from your items of clothing. 

They come in a variety of sizes and make a great keepsake as well as special item with an everyday use!

How are Memory Quilts Made?

As I said, this does vary depending on where you get your quilt made.  But we believe that the clothes should be an integral part of the blanket pattern, rather than looking as though they've been thrown together and sewn on. 

We carefully cut blocks from the clothes to create a stunning patchwork quilt that not only looks fantastic but maintains its' special sentiment.  

We can also add extra detail to the blanket where we use different sized blocks of clothing and traditional patchwork patterns, as well as lots of extra details such as modified necklines, buttons, frills and re-applique of small motifs. 

Quilts and blankets can even be personalised with a name and a photo.  Each memory quilt is a true one-of a kind keepsake.

 

 

 

Having given such a high level of detail and attention to the front of each memory quilt, we also consider the backing to be an important part of the design.  

Our customers can either choose from a plain coloured backing or one of 6 beautiful fabrics.

Things to consider before purchasing a Memory Quilt

If you are looking into getting your own memory quilt or blanket made, here are  a few things it may be worth considering, to make sure you are pleased with the end result:

• When looking for a company, it's important that you like the style of the quilter.  Not everyone's style will suit yours, so it would be a good idea to see photos of their work and make sure it meets your expectations.
• Consider the price.  There is no need to pay over the odds, but if a company is charging a lot less than other competing companies - consider the quality of the materials they use when creating their quilts and also the time they tend to spend on designing and making them.
• You are choosing to cut up your favourite pieces of clothing to create a special keepsake that you want to last.  This is another reason why your quilter will need to use good quality materials to create the quilt.
• It's also important that you find out if the fabrics will be stabilized, the type of wadding that they use and how the quilt will be finished (i.e. is it properly quilted) as these factors will all have the biggest bearing on the life and quality of your quilt.
• Make sure you know exactly what you are getting.  Are you getting a patchwork quilt or a quilt that features whole pieces of baby clothes within in?  What do you want?
• Finally, most quilters will understand how important this purchase is to you and will make themselves available to you to answer any questions or to discuss any questions you may have.  Make sure you find someone that is happy to do this, so you are left confident that the end product will be just as you desire! 

If you would like more information on memory quilts or if you are interested in purchasing one, then feel free to visit the links below.


In the meantime, if you've had a memory quilt made or have any tips for anyone looking to get this done - please feel free to comment below.



Love FKS xx




Memory Quilt FAQ's | How to Order Your Memory Keepsake Quilt
See our complete range of memory keepsake quilts, blankets and other items here.

Project Playroom - The Plan!

When we moved into our new house earlier this year, the girls decided to share a bedroom which was perfect as it gave us a spare bedroom that we could use as a playroom.  This meant that after years of having toys littered everywhere, we could finally look forward to reclaiming our lounge and closing the door on the mess.

6 months on.... and despite my best intentions to create a wonderful space for the kids, where they can relax, play and enjoy time with their friends, we / I haven't got very far.  All I've done is throw their toys in the room and lost hours pondering ideas on Pinterest!

In all fairness, they've spent most of the summer outside so we've not had much need for it, but now the weather is turning it's time to crack on.  Here are some pics of how it looks now..... and I'm really hoping to be able so share some photos of the finished room in a few weeks time.



As you walk into the room - this is what you see.... not
particularly pleasing to the eye!! 



Messy cupboard behind the door - the aim is to create an organised
storage space where they can easily see and reach their toys!



And this is the wall on the left as you walk into the room.

 

The Plan

 

I am fortunate enough to have a very good close friend who has a natural flair for interior design and an excellent knack for making the most of the space in a room.  She kindly sketched a proposed plan of the room - after I told her how I wanted it to be used. 

 

My vision is a 'little peoples' lounge / den with a small sofa and TV and a comprehensive storage system that would organise their toys in a way that they could see what they had and actually want to play with them. 

 

The plan:

 

In place of the ridiculously large dolls house that
has barely been played with, will be a small sofa

 

 

We have different options for the cupboard but it will more
than likely become a cubed storage area with dedicated
space to all the dress up clothes, shoes, bags etc



And on the wall as you open the door, there will be yet more storage as well
as space to have the television, dvd etc.  With even more storage behind the door.

I can't wait to see how it's going to turn out.  I'm going to paint it white, to keep it fresh, bright and feeling spacious - and will accessorise with lots of gorgeous colours.  No doubt, I'll end up making the odd canvas and some wooden letters for it too!! 

 

So now I've talked about doing it, I'm going to have to get a move on! Will post some pics as / when (if ??) progress is made :o)

 

xx

3D Displays - Fixing Keepsakes to a Shadow Box Frame

If you have something special that you want to display in a deep box frame, you may be wondering what you should use to fix the item(s) to the back of the frame.

There are a number of options, which we've listed in this post, but depending on what your keepsake is, it may be worth further research to ensure that it won't get damaged or eroded by your chosen method.

• Sticky Velcro can generally be used for lightweight items and some heavier items - the back of the packet should give you an indication of the weight that it can carry.  The Velcro can be pulled apart - using one part to stick to the back of the frame and the other part to stick to the keepsake - allowing you to fix the two bits of Velcro together.
• Sticky fixers are a simple and effective way of securing lightweight items in place. Again you should get an indication of the weight they will hold from the packet and you will find a whole range including permanent and non-permanent fixers. Have a look around to see which is best for your item .  We use permanent sticky fixers to hold our chunky wooden letters securely on walls and they can hold a good weight.
• Glue - there is an abundance of different kinds of adhesive on the market - it may be worth visiting a craft shop to see what is available and what is best for your keepsake. Glues will range from normal PVA, paper glue, hold melt glue to many more.
• Strong or permanent glue such as superglue may be best for heavier items, such as baby castings.  You may even find that a builders’ adhesive works well for really heavy items - but if you are not looking for a permanent solution or are framing a precious or valuable item, this is not the best option.
• Screws can be used if you want to hang something from inside the frame, such as a medal or necklace.  Try to use a small screw to avoid going through the back of the frame. You can always cover the strew head with a button or embellishment such as a bow.  
• Sewing items is an option if you are looking to add fabric to the back of the frame. This could be another option for medals or perhaps displaying spoons. You would need to sew the item onto the fabric before fixing the fabric to the back of the frame, as the mdf back will already be stapled to the box of the frame.

Creating a shadow box frame is a great way to display cherished keepsakes that remind you of those special moments in life.  If your looking for a deep shadow box frame - we have lots of colours and sizes available on the website.

Keepsake frames - Baby T-Shirt and Trainer

Wedding Keepsake Frame - Pictures, Table holder, rose petals
used on the tables and mini version of brides flowers

Good luck with your project!  Please feel free to comment with any other ideas you may have or any experiences you have had when creating 3d displays.

FKS x

All kinds of Christmassy....... Well it is October!

Now that October has arrived and there is a chill in the air, it seems a litte more acceptable to mention .... Christmas!!  It didn't back in August when we were getting our initial ideas together and it still didn't last month, probably because I was finding it difficult to let go of Summer (an annual ritual for me!). 

But now..... it feels right.  And I'm quite excited!!

We sourced some gorgeous free standing wooden shapes that were perfect for the job and with a splash of paint and a touch of For Keep's Sake sparkle, we have come up with some very festive personalised Christmas Decorations.



Free Standing Personalised Reindeer - Christmas Decorations



Free Standing Personalised Snowman - Christmas Decorations



Free Standing Personalised Christmas Tree Decorations



Free Standing Personalised Sleigh - Christmas Decorations

 

Free Standing Personalised Gingerbread Man - Christmas Decorations

 

It may have taken until now to write a post about our christmas decorations, but I couldn't help showcasing them at a Fundraiser last Friday morning, where we had a stall (and even sold a few!) :o)

Other Projects

As well as getting festive, last week was also spent creating some bespoke wooden wall letters for some very special little people in my life (one of which has not been born yet - let's hope they were right when they confirmed the sex!).  I'll be featuring these in next Monday's post as I'm hoping to get some photos of them on the walls of their new homes.

Craft Fairs

We have a few craft / christmas fairs coming up over the next couple of months but we're also looking into getting a regular stall for a local artisan market.  In hindsight we could have picked a much warmer time of year to get a regular spot - something to note for the future!

So lots going on, as usual.  I'm off to visit Handmade Monday and see what has been happening over there.  So until next time.....

FKS xx