Join the Pearls & Scissors Etsy shop send-off party!

It's time to wave goodbye to my Etsy shop and celebrate the beginning of a new chapter in Pearls & Scissors' history. Fill up your Martini glass and join the dance-party!

I've poured my heart and soul into the Etsy shop and now it's time to re-direct my creative energy to a new venture. So, let's give it a proper send-off.

Use the coupon code ENDSALE to get 50% off on all items in the shop AND get a very special gift from me with your purchase. 

The virtual doors to Pearls & Scissors' Etsy shop will clos at 2am CET tomorrow. So, you'll have 11 hours to crab what you want for the shop and receive an awesome secret party-gift in the mail along with your purchase.

Shop right here and keep the dance-party going!

Thanks so much for your continues support! It truly means so much to me.

xo. Hanna

The end of my Etsy shop // Closing SALE!

It's time to say goodbye! At the end of March I'm closing the virtual doors to my Etsy shop for good. But, it's not a sad goodbye. It's a happy farewell. It's been a journey I'm grateful for, but one that I won't continue anymore. I've simply realized I want to redirect my energy to this blog and other creative endeavours.

So, it's time to kick off the end of shop mega-sale! I've decided to offer all of you a 50% discount code to my shop. Everything's half off, people! Just enter the code ENDSALE at checkout to receive the 50% discount.

The sale ends on the 31st of March or once the shop is empty, whichever comes around first. So, if there's anything you've had your eye on, now is the last chance to snatch it up. And since most of the items are one of a kind, I suggest you make your move fast.

Happy shopping!

xo. Hanna

Introducing // Hanna's Little Book of Nesting

I can't believe I made it through this week. I've been working day and night to finish this e-book, and it's finally here. I'm so excited! 

Putting together this book has definitely been one of the most challenging assignments I've set myself, but it was also one of the most amazing learning experiences, and so rewarding. Seeing this come together was the realization of a goal I've had for a couple of years now. There was never enough time, or resources to make it, but now I think that maybe this idea, along with many others I've had, was just waiting for the right moment.

Maybe it was waiting for our first home, our biggest adventure, our move to unknown territories to help us feel like home here. It seems to me that this was the perfect time to turn this idea into reality, and I'm beyond thrilled to share it with you!

Here's a little sneak peek of some of the projects in the book.

The book includes 10 DIY home decor projects with step by step instructions and lots of pretty pictures of course. Most of the projects don't require any previous crafting skills, so it's doable for a beginner as well. 

All the materials used are easily found in a nearby supermarket, craft store, or hardware store. I've tried to make these projects both budget-friendly, and easy to source.

In addition to the projects, I share ideas and tips to customize each project and play around with different techniques. And, of course, I'll try to motivate and inspire you along the way.

I struggled to price the book. How to you but a price on all that labour of love, right? Ultimately, I wanted this to be something all of you could afford. So I set the price at 9.90$ - that's less than a buck for a project.

You can buy the book right here!

Thank you so much for being on this journey with me, and for inspiring me to keep going!

xo,

Hanna

A Lovely discount for your Valentine's weekend!

Happy Friday, friends! As I'm spending Valentine's weekend home alone, I thought I'd share a little love with you guys. Will you be my Valentine?

I'm having a special only-for-blog-friends sale in my Etsy shop all through-out the weekend. Just enter the code "LOVE4U" (all capital letters and no quotation marks) at check-out and receive a 30% discount on your whole order. The code is valid until Monday.

In other news, I'm so close to being done with the new blog design. I'm positively kiddy about giving this space a makeover! My goal is to get it up by tomorrow night, so you may see odd things happening on the blog in the next 24h, as I try to transfer everything from the test-blog to the real one.

And finally, I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU! for being here, reading, and commenting! You're the best!

Happy Valentine's and I'll see you soon!
xo. Hanna

Upcycled Bow Tie Belts (shop update)

Let's talk about bows, and ties, and belts for a second, shall we? Not only does today mark a shop update (woohoo!), but it also marks the end of a very long journey from an idea to an actual product. Some of you might remember the original bow tie belt form the fall of 2012 (oh, how young I look back then). Hint, it's the grey with red stripes. I made it, I loved the idea (as did you), but the construction method wasn't sturdy enough and it didn't feel right to sell them when they weren't a 100% there yet. You know what I mean?

I new there had to be a better way to make these cute belts, but I couldn't figure out back then, and so I just let that belt sit with 5 of it's tie companions for 2 whole years waiting for a solution. I'm sorry ties! The good news is that I finally figured it out and now I can sell them with confidence. These are a bunch of awesome belts, I tell you! I considered keeping them all to myself for a split second, but finally talked myself into putting them up in the shop for sale (a girl's got to eat, you know). You're welcome!

Needless to say, since these are made from vintage men's ties, they're all unique. I'm especially in love with the two above. So pretty! I have a thing for bows (see here, here, and here). I guess it's not such a big surprise considering how much I love other cute things like having lace on absolutely everything. Case in point, the black lacy dress I'm wearing in these pictures. I also have a Wardrobe Reinvention post planned on all the ways you could wear these belts in case you're lost on ideas, so stay tuned for that!

If you're wondering about the size (since I'm the one modeling all of them), the ties are a vary slightly in length, but they all fit a range of sizes - longest one fits a waist up to 100cm, and the shortest a waist up to 80cm. They are pretty accommodating.

A little bit about the construction of the belts as well, in case you're interested. As I mentioned in my original idea post, I did manage to make these leaving the ties intact, meaning I didn't cut into the tie. When you pick open all the stitches, you could use it as a tie again. I sewed these mostly by hand, which was a nice change to all the machine sewing I've done lately. I really love how these turned out.

Although I have a lot of shop updates planned in the coming weeks, I promise I won't make all my blog posts about them. But, since my Etsy shop is something I really want to develop and grow this year, there's bound to be more shop-talk on the blog as well. I hope it's fun for you to follow along, and who knows, one day I might make a t-shirt or belt or brooch that's just up your alley.

If you'd like to see more photos of the belts, and maybe even get yourself one, go HERE.

As always, huge thanks for being a part of this blog and for letting me share!
xo. Hanna

A Workshop I did and some Shop news

Hey, guys! Today I thought I'd share some of the gorgeous creations my students made in a workshop I taught at the beginning of October. I would've shared sooner, but I had somehow misplaced the photos, and only found them again now.

The workshop was held in Tartu, the university town in Estonia, and the students were all part of a great Estonian organization called Naiskodukaitse. The organization gathers women, who want to participate in protecting our homeland. One of my friends is part of it, and she's the one who organized the event.

I, for one, had lots of fun teaching the ladies how to make their own unique upcycled flower brooch. Some even managed to make matching earrings. How rad is that? And, I hope everyone left with a sense of accomplishment and a good mood.

Update from my friend: The organization is called Women`s voluntary defence organization in English. And we were superglad that Hanna came to teach us. There are a lot of women who are doing different handicraft projects and this upcycling project Hanna taught was a nice addition to our skills. We are hoping to make some more upcycled brooches and earrings for a charity lottery in the summer. Thank you once again, Hanna, it was a fun night and you should deifinitely do some more teaching!

I was re-affirmed once again, that I truly love teaching. I had never considered teaching as a profession I'd love, but this year has proved me wrong.

I'd love to teach more similar workshops, so if you know a place in the Leverkusen or Cologne area that offers workshops, please let me know, so I can reach out. Or, if you and your girlfriends would love to get together and craft, just send me an e-mail (here's the contact), and we'll make it happen.

Oh, and one last bit of news. I'm now offering gift certificates in my Etsy shop. So, if you've been on the fence about getting a loved one something from the shop because you couldn't choose, you could give a gift card instead.

xo. Hanna

Free Shipping Weekend

Hey, guys! It's Black Friday, and we all know what that means, right? You guessed it. I'm here to give you a sweet deal to my shop you can use all throughout this weekend.

I'm offering free shipping worldwide with the coupon code "FREEFORU" in my Etsy shop. Just enter it at check-out, and you're good to go. The code is valid until Monday, so you'll have plenty of time to use it.

TGIF, right? Have a happy weekend!

xo. Hanna

Giving Back

Well, guys, the collections is finally in the shop and it's time for me to reveal a little secret I've been keeping. Or, rather, a small side note to my last post.

I do believe that true happiness comes from giving rather than getting, so I've decided to donate 5% of the proceeds from my shop to an Estonian non-profit organization called Lahendus.net.

Lahendus.net consists of volunteer psychology students who offer anonymous and free online psychological counseling to people who need it. I was one of those volunteers for a few years during my studies, and I know how valuable their work is. I also know how much of their time and effort they give to serve others.

I've always wanted to someday be able to somehow support this organization, and now seemed like the perfect time to do it. I hope you'll join me and together we can give back this season.

xo. Hanna

Introducing // Pearls & Scissors' Limited Collection (and a Giveaway!)

Drumroll, please! Pearls & Scissors' limited edition accessories collection is finally ready to hit the shop, and I couldn't be more excited! It's something I've been daydreaming about for months now, and to see it come to life is such a gratifying feeling. But, I'm getting a bit carried away with my feeling here. Let me introduce you to the heart-made creations that this collection consists of.

My main aim when creating this collection was to make items that would be sustainable, versatile and timeless, and at the same time beautiful, elegant, and unique.

I made 10 unique flower brooches/hair clips. Each and every flower was hand cut and sewn together by yours truly. Each flower is a one of a kind item. There was never and will never be a duplicate. Each and every one of you is a one of a kind individual, and I really wanted to create a collection of completely unique accessories that would compliment you in a very special way. Like I made that flower specially for you. Because I did.

The flowers were cut out of old t-shirts, making this a very eco-friendly accessory. Giving new life to discarded items is a passion I've had for years now. It's my way to give back to Mother Earth. Now, you can also be a part of this.

Five of the 10 flowers are dip-dyed to create a unique color palette. I love how the new color mixes with the base of the fabric to create a beautiful pattern of subtle color variations.

In addition to them being the perfect addition to any cardigan, jacket, sweater, or hat, all of the brooches also double as hair clips - so, they have a needle pin and a hair clip attached to the back. I love to re-invent my wardrobe, and this inspired me to add a second function to this brooch. I think it looks so pretty in the hair, and the hair clip also makes it really easy to attach the brooch to a thicker jacket collar.

I hope you love these colorful brooches/hair clips just as much as I do. It was such a joy to create these for you.

The 4-bead necklace was inspired by my statement necklace DIY I shared a couple of weeks ago, and is a simple yet versatile piece. I was really drawn to different shades of neutrals and metallics - I wanted this to be equal parts fun and elegance. This is the type of necklace I'd wear every day - it goes with most everything.

To balance the color and romance of the brooches, I created a collection of elegant and practical bags with a modern geometric design. Each bag was handmade by me using reclaimed leather and vintage fabrics. There will only be 2 of each design available.

The small sling bags come with a metal chain strap, which gives them just a bit of extra flare. The small bag is perfect for a date night or party, fitting just the necessities. I made 2 designs - one from orange velvet, which gives it a more luxurious feel, and the other from a vintage floral cotton fabric, which gives it a more toned-down, elegant look.

These fold-over clutches are the perfect everyday bag - you can fit all the things you need on the go comfortably inside one of these. And since versatility is a virtue in my eyes, these also have the option of attaching a chain strap.

They come in 3 different designs. The first is made of a vintage floral cotton with blue and black leather details. The second one is made out of a vintage forest green synthetic blend fabric mixed with bright blue and black reclaimed leather. And, the third (pictured below) is made of a fun subtle green vintage polka dot cotton mixed with brown and black reclaimed leather. All of designs are lined with vintage cotton. I'm in love with all of them!

I truly hope you love this collection as much as I loved creating it! The whole collection will be up in the shop tomorrow at 8pm Central European Time. If something caught your eye, be sure to act fast, because once it's gone, it's really gone. 

As a thank you for being such awesome, honest and supportive readers, I'm giving away one extra polka dot fold-over clutch. Just leave a comment below with your e-mail address, and you'll be entered to win. The giveaway is open until Sunday 12pm CET, and I'll announce the winner on Monday. Good luck!

xo. Hanna

Behind the Scenes: Making of a handmade collection

For the last few weeks, I've been toying with the idea of a handmade, limited edition accessories collection. You can read my first report on it here. And the idea of creating a collection again, of designing and making, and filling my shop once again has really sparked me to work towards this goal.

It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Crazy. Busy. Yet, I keep sneaking in hours to make these gorgeous fabric flower brooches, and fold-over clutches/sling bags with geometric design. I'm not always great with goals. Sometimes I make it till the end and sometimes I don't. But, I always love the creative challenge of pushing towards the finish line.

Did you know my small bedroom is also my little studio? Well, you might imagine what a mess it's been the whole time. Every inch of space is covered by fabric scraps, scissors, pearls, thread - you name a crafting supply, and you could probably find it on my floor.

These are the bead necklaces I've created for this collection. I made only 4. After I posted this DIY, I was so inspired to create more similar pieces. And then, just the right beads just stared at me in the craft store. What was I supposed to do?

Oh, and the flower brooches (which double as a hair accessory). You know, these are all unique. I made only one of each, and I love them all. These would make a great gift for Christmas. I know my Mom would love one. I can't wait to make someones day a little happier with one of these.

And now I have no other excuses to postpone packing. Packing is no fun, let me tell you. It's almost like cleaning - everything is neatly put together, but you can't for the life of you find what you need. And, to think I have to leave at least half of my fabrics here in Estonia. Sniff. My family will most likely have to drag me away from my beloved fabrics kicking and screaming - it's not going to be a pretty picture. Oh well...

I hope you enjoyed this little update!
xo. Hanna