Meet Betty the octopus and Phyllis the owl

Betty Octopus is the “tentacled brainchild” of crafter Jess Byrne. Her hand-made, felt accessories are intricate, quirky and bursting with colour. Flora and fauna are a huge theme, including flower brooches and wristbands featuring characters called Betty the Octopus and Phyllis the Owl. There’s also a vintage Pac Man phone case and a Vampire Love Brooch.

Originally from Bristol, Byrne lives in Limerick with her Irish husband and daughter, who is the inspiration for her creations. “I based a lot of the designs on things my daughter likes. She loves sleepy animals and fairytales.” Other brooches include depictions of classic bedtime stories such as Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel and Little Red Riding Hood. She plans to expand the range to include baby headbands and decorative mobiles. Betty Octopus crafts has been up and running since October and you can buy one of these gorgeous trinkets on Etsy.com. Byrne is also available for commissions – provided you don’t ask her to make you a house of felt. €1 from the sale of every product goes towards irishprematurebabies.com. For more details, see bettyoctopus.wordpress.com.