If I had my own office I would buy a set of Treaclezoo's crocheted biscuits for meetings. Everyone is on a diet anyway so it would be doing them all a favour. I love the detail on the custard cream and the inclusion of the controversial pink wafer. They come in a very pretty presentation box, available from Folksy or Etsy, where there is also some neat plush sushi and amazing tartlets for sale too.
I like this Tunnock's Teacake Shopper from Gillian Kyle, a textile designer from Glasgow who has a great range of products based on typical Scottish foods (and Scottie dogs). Also available as an apron.
Ink Posters is a collaboration between British designers Joff and Ollie and Zoot. They've got some lovely designs - very simple, but stylish and colourful. My favourite is the British comedy-inspired Nice To See You print above. Numbers are limited, so get in quick.
Those of you looking for an alternative Easter gift might enjoy these lovely chick purses from Sarey Poppins. The fabric is adorable and they're really sturdy. Mine came crammed with golden mini-eggs - hooray!
When not making fab purses, bags and lavender doggies Sarey Poppins is Sarah Martin from Belle & Sebastian, so they're a little piece of pop memorabilia too.
I stopped posting all the Keep Calm and Carry On variants because it was getting done to death, but I like this one by Matt Jones. Says it all really and the spanners in the crown really make it. Now available as a t-shirt from Howies.
Mr PS (aka Megan Price from Manchester) takes her inspiration from "vintage signage, eating and drinking, and the great British seaside" - excellent work. She has a lovely line of products like mugs for tea lovers and delightful tea towels.
I like this one in particular, with its reference to classic cafes of yore. Available from various stockists and the Mr PS shop.
I couldn't help but buy these Funny Food tubs from Paperchase. They had me with the mushroom but there are 3 more bonus containers. Look - a happy apple! I only expected 3 and then out popped the cherries. It's part of a range, aimed at kids presumably, but why should they have all the fun?
I only went in for a notebook...
We Live Here (of the prints and greasy spoon mugs) have a nice new project. Wee Miniatures are tilt-shift postcards of Sheffield. £7.50 for 12. Nice, I like 'em.
How are you all doing with Christmas? Done your shopping? Waiting 'til Christmas Eve? Sick of the whole thing? I am almost done so normal non-Christmassy service should be resumed soon, but until then let's get down to the business of Christmas decorations.
Above: Hand-painted bird Christmas decorations from the RSPB. £9.99 for six (via Wee Birdy).
Next up, felt Christmas pudding decorations from Lupin. $12.75 for 2.
And finally, cross-stiched decorations from Fluffplanet, available in a few different designs. 3 for £2. Total bargain. I bought loads of these, they're great.
From Feel Fuzzy (again), floppy disk gift tags. I bet Maurice Moss uses these for his Christmas presents.
I was at Made in the Shade again yesterday and have a new favourite stall, Feel Fuzzy. They sell delightful things made from old children's books and games, plus some other bits and pieces (like very handy gift tags) made from vintage paper products. It reminded me of Lark and all their lovely things.
I also got a button bag from Asking for Trouble (for my niece, to keep her crafting things in), a notebook covered in vintage embroidery from Leah Halliday and some more of Clare Nicolson's lavender birdies because I can't resist them. Overall, I was a bit disappointed because some of the stalls I liked last time weren't there. Still, it's a grand day out and it's on again today from 12-5 at The Lighthouse.
More from Made in the Shade. First up, this fantastic purse made from an old cassette tape by the stellar Librarian Barbarian. The tapes are split down the middle and turned into a sturdy purse. In the spirit of recycling, the tape is turned into brooches that are also for sale, as were some bags made from records. Lovely stuff.
Next, the wonderful work of Clare Nicolson who makes a number of delightful things, like cards, cushions and lavender birdies. I was going to buy one of these but got it free in my lucky bag. Result! It looks great and smells superb.
I went to Made in the Shade on Saturday, which is a showcase for local crafty types at The Lighthouse. I was hoping to do a bit of Christmas shopping but ending up buying more for myself. First up, little R2-D2 here, made by Ding Dong Designs. They specialise in knitted finger puppets and have a great selection of Muppets, Beatles, and cartoon characters. The Star Wars ones were the most popular and had sold out in around half and hour.
I also got this little fella, now called Barney but can't remember the name of the people who made it. Anyone? I'll blog the rest later in the week when hopefully my computer is behaving itself better than it is tonight.
British Cream Tea make typical British foods out of felt. Their vanilla slice is a thing of beauty but it's this stick of rock that really won my heart. What's ever better is they're all custom made so you can have anything you like written through the middle (within reason). That's going straight on my Christmas list.
Some of you might know Folksy already as the lovely chaps behind it have been appearing here and there for a while. It's now up and at 'em online, selling wonderful hand-made goods, like a Great British Etsy. There's some lovely stuff in there and it's in beta so they're looking for new buyers/sellers to test everything out. Might I recommend these fab 'I love you more than mix tapes' greetings cards from Lucy Player, Lupin's tea and cake-related felt wondrousness and Miso Funky's Emobroidery.
Present & Correct who made the wonderful Alphabet of endangered species have done it again with a really smart set of classic cafe notecards. 4 different designs celebrate great British dishes in a fitting old-timey way. There are other items to coo over in their new shop.
The Billy Liar House, from the 1963 film shot on the outskirts of Bradford is the subject of the latest print from We Live Here. This is a slight departure from their usual brutalist masterpieces but it's just as lovely and a steal at £20.
The second set of I like postcards are ready. There's cafe action and seaside fun ahoy. It's like a little holiday in your hand. A thousand thanks to davidthedesigner for working his magic once again.
Order now for Christmas.
Flensted have been making supercool mobiles since 1954. They've got various ranges: kids, Bauhaus and Calder-inspired abstract ones, even some styllsh Christmas decorations (including Santa, above). My favourites are the Danish ones, with vikings, viking ships and the delightfully mournful Puffing Troll (above right) who will take all your troubles away. They're lightweight and pack flat so make great gifts for kids overseas. Buy from Danish Design and shops worldwide.
Clare Nicholson is a Glasgow-based designer specialising in vintage patterns and textiles. I like her matryoshka Christmas cards. She also does cushions, tea towels and lavender birdies. Available from her online shop, Miso Funky markets around Glasgow (there's one on Sunday in Sloan's) and soon, from Paperchase's Tottenham Court Road store.
More postcards, more George Square. Nothing To Write Home About is a collection of John Hinde postcards, put together by Susan Beale and Michelle Abadie. The messages on the back are included, so it's like dawdlr from 40 years ago. Designed as "a photographic album, a social record, an historical document, humorous tourism, a celebration of Britain, a trip down memory lane, it celebrates the exquistness of the everyday". Part of the proceeds go to Carers UK and there's a celebrity postcard auction at the start of December. Available from Amazon and other good bookshops.
Belle & Sebastian have made a great 2008 calendar featuring all their favourite places in Glasgow. They've chosen well - some of my favourite places are in there too, like the Queen's Cafe on Victoria Rd with its wonderful ice cream cone window display and that great little 1930s street in the Transport Museum. It's a picture of the real Glasgow, not the tourist version and brings together a great city and a great band. Yours for £10 from the B&S Shop.
Pete Fowler, he of much sterling work for the Super Furry Animals, has made some lovely little pets. There are 8 different ones with an owner to look after them. Hard to tell who's the cutest. They're a very reasonable £8 per pair (in a pet food-style can) or £60 for the set. Order from Playbeast.
There's a bit of a tea/cake theme emerging with the Christmas shopping list. Bugs and fishes from Gloucerstershire makes wonderful felt brooches. Many are cake/biscuit-related but there are others like acorns and conkers for autumn and a fine array of felt moustaches. She also makes recycled stationery from old magazines and maps. All available on Etsy.
More stylish gifts - K8 Telephone Box tea towels from The Twentieth Century Society. £12 the pair, plus a brief history of the phone box by Gavin Stamp. Order today! (PDF).
Bruce Martin’s K8 was the last red, cast iron telephone box ever to be constructed in the UK. As such it represents the final stage in the lineage of a design that has become nothing short of a global icon, a symbol of Britain. In the same manner that Gilbert Scott modernised his K2 for his 1936 K6 kiosk, so Bruce Martin reworked Scott’s classic K6 ‘Jubilee’ kiosk for a new era – responding to the most complex brief ever issued for a piece of street furniture.Vandal-proof, weather-proof and easy to maintain– the K8 should have been the modern equivalent of the 1930’s K6. But when BT began de-commissioning boxes in 1984 – K8’s were the first in the firing line and at the time, were too young to be protected by English Heritage’s 30 year listing rule. - 60's icon faces extinction.
Proceeds help the K8 campaign to preserve the phone boxes, and develop the Twentieth Century Society's website. I was their web administrator for a while and can confirm that they're doing a difficult job on a shoestring. Phone box fiends may also enjoy Kiosk Korner.
Every year, I peak too soon for Christmas. I get really excited around now (or October, usually), feel guilty because everyone's moaning about it coming earlier every year, don't do any shopping for fear of social stigma and then when it's a respectable (last minute) time to shop I don't feel like it. So I thought I'd start thinking at least, and tagging anything that catches my eye (with the word Shopping). This year I'd like to support small traders and independent shops, particularly British ones. If you can buy online, even better. I've got a few to mention but would like tips. Something lovely and unique please, and not too pricey.
So following on from Present & Correct and We Live Here comes All The Fun of The Fair based in London's Kingly Court. They make brilliant hand-knitted creations like the festive paper chain above, or supercute knitted cupcakes. The Knit Your Own Bunting kit is an all-year round festive must have.
We Live Here from Sheffield make wonderful art prints, t-shirts and accoutrements featuring risky modern buildings. The prints feature Owen Luder's Get Carter car park in Gateshead, soon to be demolished apparently, Sheffield's Egg Box, New Roxy Disco and Cooling Towers, remaindered from a long gone power station. If you like these, wait 'til you see the memorial Sheffield Castle Market Greasy Spoon Mug.
Deep joy. Thanks Simon James for the tip (via Creative Review blog).
Here's a lovely thing. An ABC of endangered species in the British Isles arranged in a very beautiful A2 wallchart. This is the handiwork of Present & Correct, a design company from Kentish Town. £1 for every one sold goes to The National Trust, for new hedges and dormice boxes.
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