Berrylicious Buttons

Hello,
I appreciate you dropping in and hope you find something that interests you in my little blog.

My name is Susan and I am a 37 years old mother of one. I simply love beautiful handmade things and was delighted when i discovered etsy! I spent a long time relishing in the delights of etsy as a buyer and admirer before opening my own Etsy shop called Berrylicious Buttons.

I have always been a crafter (of many types and forms), and was a full time graphic designer before being diagnosed with terminal cancer approx 2 years ago. I turned to craft for relaxation and to make beautiful things for my son to keep as life treasures after I am gone .. I love making other people happy and thought perhaps others may like some of my treasures as well and Berrylicious Buttons evolved.

I was given a button box of my grandmas after she passed away and my son and I have had an obsession with them ever since! we would sit and play with them for hours, first sorting colours, then shapes and then Joshua would keep his "precious" ones to the side ... I love the history they have to offer, the pretty designs and shapes, where have they been and what have they seen in their life? The colours are endless and they remind me of a treasure chest of gems and jewels!

Pictured Above: I made this lovely pencil roll for Joshua from Grandmas buttons sewn on the cover in a wave of colours backed with a lovely piece of ruby red velvet from one of her dresses. The internal fabric were upholstry fabrics that grandma had in her fabric stash. The pencil roll is extra special to Josh as he had a special bond with grandma and he always loved her button box.. often as a young toddler he wanted to play with her buttons and i was worried they would end up getting lost or misplaced. This is now a treasure he can keep without the buttons disapearing!

I live on a beautiful rural property just south of Hobart in Tasmania (Australia) where I spend my days dreaming, creating, designing, gardening, baking, and breeding alpaca with my lovely family .. (I have gorgeous 'raw' fleeces available in both Suri and Huacaya for sale every year in December/January for those that may be interested). I love to surround myself with animals, and some of my lovely furry or feathered friends may pop up here and there in my blog from time to time!
This is my 20 year old cat "Weegie" (her real name is Megan but my nephew could never say her name properly when he was little so she ended up being called "weegie")

Pictured Above: This is what i wake up to every morning out of my bedroom window - Bliss!
We are so very fortunate that on our gorgeous property we have an abundance of local birds and wildlife that come to visit us and delight us with their antics! There is a river that runs through our property where you can sit and enjoy the natural beauty and ponder the days events ... and if you are lucky enough, you can watch platypus play ...


Pictured Above: Monet Silhouette and mum grazing happily behind


Pictured Above: Shura (our gorgeous German Shephard) pictured with Princess Irina the alpaca baby (baby alpacas are called "cria") .. Princess Irina was born 5 months premature and we are very blessed that she is still with us and doing very well.



Whats going on behind the scenes at Berrylicious at the moment? ... As per usual, I have a million and one projects on the go! (and a million more in my head!) at present im really enjoying making my 'Little Treasures' Range of hair accessories, I am finding myself obsessed with pretty designer papers and papercrafts .. and cupcakes! ...(stay tuned for some new Berrylicious treats there) and I am working on some beautiful hand pieced and raggy quilts for my etsy shop! ..


Pictured above: Some of my memory quilts that i have made .. I love creating fabric memories for people to treasure! (these particular two were wallhangings) They are made with old photographs printed onto fabric and sewn together with snippets of lace and buttons ... they really are scrapbooking in fabric! My mini memory quilts are made the same way: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28279921

I have recently made a beautiful pre wedding memory quilt for a customer and it turned out simply gorgeous! . It included their names, a wedding vow quote written in fancy text and their photo!

Pictured Above: This was my first attempt at quiting (quite a grand project for a beginner - its a double!) I made this for Joshuas bed as a birthday gift a few years back. All the appliques were hand stitched and little wizzard and medieval type buttons were sewn on here and there. It is backed with a lovely soft sage green chenille. This project was so rewarding and got me totally hooked on quilting!

Please drop me a line to say "hello" .. I would love to hear from you!
Warmest wishes and may all your days be Berrylicious

♥ Susan