Georgiana May now boasts a growing number of gifted craft artisans who sell their beautiful items through our online shop.

Having become a stay at home mum to two small children, I started dabbling in various crafts, which is something I’ve always enjoyed.  I started putting together framed baby names (my one and only creation, despite trying to find inspiration for more!) and selling them in a local baby shop.  However, it was while researching how to sell online that I found it’s very difficult for a crafter with just one product to find a suitable outlet.  Either my repertoire is too small or the cost of joining some sites, especially with a product in a competitive market, was prohibitive.

This prompted me to consider starting my own online shop where crafters could sell their single (or more) items at a reasonable rate and only pay a fee if their item sells.  So, Georgiana May was set up and I began to market, primarily using Twitter and then by adding a facebook page.  The response was fabulous!  Initially I was only able to send my artisans descriptions of the site (along with terms) and screen shots while the site was under construction but the positivity I received was great and many artisans were happy to add their products so that I was able to open the “doors” on 7th July with a number of artisans all set up ready for selling.

Meeting members of the crafting community has been a fantastic experience.  I have found everyone I have dealt with, regardless of whether they have proceeded with Georgiana May, to be absolutely charming.  There is an enormous amount of support between everyone in the community with a truly strong desire to get British crafts “out there”.

The Georgiana May artisans that I feature are all delightful and their support has been fabulous.  There are, of course, times when I become dispirited (as anyone starting a business does) but I have received such encouragement and enthusiasm from my artisans, to quote Sarah from ‘The Highland Cosy Co’ “Rome wasn’t built in a day” that it really spurs me on.  I am so delighted when I am able to tell one of them that they have sold an item.  I want to make them feel really pleased and proud to be part of Georgiana May.  The relationship that I have with my artisans is really important.  I take the time to get to know each of them and also make it clear that I am open to all suggestions, good or bad.  We are, after all, all trying to achieve the same thing so any feedback and advice is readily accepted.  I also take the time to keep them all up to date with the marketing approaches I am taking so that they can feel assured that being with Georgiana May was a good decision to have made.

What our Artisans make!

Some of the most popular items on the site so far have proved to be cushions.  We have a range of cushions available.  Amy of The Long Collection sources some fabulous fabrics and adds embellishments to give her cushions real personality.  We also have beautiful lavender scented hand-painted pillows by gemmaclarkhome, beautiful appliqué and patchwork cushions by Gillyjam as well as our most recently added personalised cushions in gorgeous floral printed fabrics by Kittys.

Wall art is very fashionable at the moment and we have some fabulous pieces cleverly made using different mediums such as buttons and keys by Echo Designs.  Gillyjam, once again, puts here talent for sewing to good use creating stitched designs.  We also have some incredibly striking little lovebirds made with different patterned papers and little gems by Creative Fairy.

Of course we stock jewellery!  There are some fantastically unique designs and methods for producing jewellery, including anodising aluminium by Splash of Colour and beautiful silvered leaves by Garden Shed Silver.  Creative Fairy also has talent for jewellery and makes beautifully delicate butterfly pendants.  Auli’i Beads creates delightfully feminine charm bracelets.  We have recently added Argentum Designs with her wonderfully named “You’re Winding Me Up!” collection, which has received a lot of attention on Facebook.  Not forgetting the men, we also have some great fabric covered cufflinks for men by Jessie Jumbles.

Georgiana May aims to bring a wide range of crafts to our customers so we also stock some more unusual/individual pieces such as the glorious and characterful tea cosies and shelf sitters by The Highland Cosy Co.  Dolly May designs make some unique cake stands to beautifully adorn a tea table and Cowslip Designs make some really great drawstring bags that come in a variety of colours and are of a beautiful quality.

Probably our most unusual item is the handmade dolls made by Veronika Lavey Designs.  These highly individual dolls can be bought as seen on the site or even made to order using special fabric pieces supplied by the customer for a truly sentimental result.

Many of our artisans have qualifications in degrees such as Textiles and these have been put to good use in creating their own fabric designs to work with.  Gemmaclarkhome hand paint flowers onto the fabrics they use to create unique cushions and scarves, while Alexia Claire prints her own fabrics and makes them into delightful storage baskets.

Finally, what shop would be complete without handmade cards!  The multi-talented Amy of The Long Collection creates special ranges of very romantic cards.  We also feature Cards with a Difference who produce a great range of stunning, attention grabbing designs.

We are always looking to extend our range so would be delighted to hear from new artists and craft artisans in all fields.  We’d particularly love to extend our “Children’s” category and also feature some glassware and artwork.

Our customer service is, of course, paramount too.  We take great care to make our customers feel appreciate and to offer them a great experience.  They are kept informed of the progress of their orders and when purchases arrive they are delightfully wrapped up so that the customer feels like they’re having a birthday!