A very cute shop

Yesterday, I received a very pretty parcel in the post.

I have taken part in a few swaps with swap-bot and this is by far the best!

For those of you who don't know about swap-bot, it's an on-line community where you can swap all sorts of things, loads of 'crafty type' swaps going on.

I entered a Shop Swap - you get to find 2 new online shops and the people behind them and this parcel was from the lovely lady behind the first shop -Esther, who owns Essie's handcraft cuteness, this is currently only in Dutch at the moment but she also has a DaWanda shop for the rest of us.

Esther lives in the Netherlands and the name for her shop comes from her nickname, Essie.

Having always been a creative person, Esther likes to paint, draw, sew and design, and loves using cotton fabrics, wool, beads and felt.

Check out some of her beautiful products - this very talented lady makes t-shirts, bags, wallets, purses, bracelets and more!

I was lucky enough to receive a beautiful felt bracelet, a really well-made little purse and an Ipod Nano cover in such gorgeous fabrics and my favourite colours.

You can tell a lot of time and effort has gone into these with their professional finish and Essie clearly loves what she does - as she says:- 'Sewing is a kind of relaxation for me. When I sew I only have to think about the product I am making, while listening to the radio. It's fun to have a picture of something in your head and then make it into a product.'

Esther's handmade business began a few years ago when she started sewing little purses and wallets as gifts for friends. After getting many requests for more, Esther decided to open an online shop and Essie's handcraft cuteness was born.

And for the future? Esther says:

'I hope to spend more time designing and making new products and work a little less at my current day job. Ideally, I would work at my everyday job for 3 days and have 2 for my own business.' I'd say it won't be too long before she can do this!

If you like Essie's work as much as I do, then take advantage of the 10% discount Esther is currently offering - just leave 'Shop swap & blog' in the comment field.

So, even more delicious online browsing!!!

P.S. If you would like to take part in a swap, just visit Swap-bot and join in the fun!!