Celebrate creativity with Just a Card Week 18 - 22 JUNE

I first heard about the 'Just a Card' campaign via Twitter about two years ago. The campaign came about when Artist & Designer Sarah Hamilton saw the quote "If everyone who'd complimented our beautiful gallery had bought 'just a card' we'd still be open" by store keepers who'd recently closed their gallery.

This prompted a call to action! Designer/Makers and independent shops and galleries need a voice. People seldom realise the considerable costs involved in exhibiting at design shows or keeping a shop open. Stand fees, power, materials, wages etc need to be met before even a penny of profit can be realised. Running a shop is often a labour of love. Without dedication and passion, and crucially sales, it would be another boarded up eyesore.

The 'Just a Card' campaign has gone from strength to strength. It brings designers, artists, shop owners and the wider public together to create a truly thriving creative community. Despite the name, the campaign is about more than buying just cards. Every single mug, pin, cushion, print or book you buy from an independent shop or designer makes a huge difference.

To celebrate and build on this success, Just a Card is inviting everyone to participate in JUST A CARD week on 18 - 22 JUNE!

JUST A CARD week will include an Instagram challenge, business advice, giveaways and much, much more...

Head over to their website to find out all the details

Everyone passionate about creativity and independents is invited to share their stories on Social Media, and their work places too. People are asked to celebrate the contribution independent shops and creatives make, plus post images of the hundreds of JUST A CARD stickers, encouraging people to support independents, which are popping up in shop windows all around the country.

I used to be a Features Writer for UK Handmade Magazine and have interviewed a number of designer makers. I know how much dedication and hard work goes into running an independent business. We need to celebrate all the people who put so much effort into keeping their creative dreams alive.

I think the JUST A CARD initiative is wonderful and I urge you to join in and spread the word.

Keep up to date with all the latest JUST A CARD news on their Twitter and Instagram

10 of my favourite Mother’s Day cards created by Independent Designers

Every year I buy my Mum a card created by an independent designer. There are loads to choose from, many raise a smile and all sing the praises of Mums, Grandmas, Nannas and Grannies. We’re all busy people & sometimes it can seem easier to bung a card in the trolley when we’re doing the weekly shop. But I urge you to either visit a local gallery or independent shop in your area or get online & purchase a card from someone who designs & creates in the UK.

We have such a wealth of talent in this country. Independently designed cards can often be personalised, many are hand drawn and lots of designers use techniques such as screen printing, mixed media and papercut skills.

By choosing a card that hasn’t been mass produced by a large card manufacturer you are helping to support home grown talent. You may also like to read about the “Just a Card” campaign started by Sarah Hamilton and supported by Mollie Makes and The Design Trust. The campaign aims to encourage people to appreciate just how valuable every purchase from artists, designer/makers and independent shops are. Take a look at their website to find out more about the “Just a Card” campaign

Alongside lots of cuddles and a cup of tea in bed, I'd be happy to have any of these cards handed to me on March 15th. The following is a list of 10 of my favourite cards created by independent designers from the United Kingdom.

First up is 'Tea Rrific' Mother's Day Card from Tee and Toast

Custom Illustrated Portrait for Mother's Day Character Card by Calico Skies

Mother's day card - elephants - handmade card by Sally & the Freckles

My Fingers May Be Small But… Cute Mummy Card by Cloud 9 Design

Happy Penguin Mothers Day by IvoryMint

Funny Mummy Poetry Card by DogAsPony

Mums things mothers day card by mrs L cards

Thank you for being so lovely - handcut custom papercut card by House Of Alphonse

Personalised 'Best Mum' Family Tree Card by Peardrop Avenue

Personalised 'Loveliest Grandma' Certificate by Eskimo Kiss Designs

“It is more important than ever to support our local independent shops. To keep our High Streets peppered with interesting galleries and indie shops we need to be mindful of our buying choices. So whether it’s just a card, a print or a piece of jewellery, support your favourite makers, and show us your purchases using the hashtag #justacard.”

This blog claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this blog are copyright to its respectful owners. I have asked permission from each of the designers featured here to use their images on my blog.

Linking up with Brilliant Blog Posts,My Best Post of the Week #MBPW over on Britmums and The List link-up on youbabymemummy.com

The Great Interior Design Challenge

I've won a prize! After taking part in a Twitter competition, my copy of the "The Great Interior Design Challenge" arrived last week. A few weeks ago I saw a tweet posted by @HabitatUK offering a copy of the #GIDC book if you could correctly identify the sofa featured on the front cover. I had a look through the

Habitat website (no great chore, I could look at it for quite some hours) and found the right sofa & posted my answer. I didn't think anymore about it & was extremely pleased to get an email saying that I'd won.

I really enjoyed the series and it has inspired me to be more adventurous and stamp a more individual feel on our home. It was also a great lesson in transforming a room on a very tight budget. Most people usually think "expensive" when they think of interior design, but the #GIDC series proved that with a bit of imagination & elbow grease, you can have contemporary and interesting design for minimal expenditure.

The book couldn't have arrived at a better time for us. We've lived in our house for just over a year & we've been redecorating virtually every room since we moved in. We've finally made a start on the room I was dreading the most...the kitchen. We've lived with the previous owners grubby, wonky & very dark tiles for the past fifteen months. It was time for them to go. The tiler who removed the old tiles said it was the worst tiling job he'd ever seen...so we were glad to see the back of them. The previous owner had tiled all the way to the ceiling and used a combination of lopsided white tiles above jet black tiles at the bottom. We don't have a big kitchen and the black tiles sucked all the light our of the room.

We've had fun choosing some beautiful new tiles. Whilst we loved the vivid yellow of the Mexican rustic wall tiles, we decided to go with a glossy sea green colour. I can't wait to see them on the wall...although bare walls are an improvement on the tiles that were there before.

I've already read the chapter on sanding wood floors in the #GIDC book and I'm hoping to make a start on the dining room and conservatory floors once the weather warms up & we can have some windows open. It looks like incredibly dusty work. We're toying with the idea of painting the floorboards white, but I think I prefer the warm tones of natural wood with a clear lacquer or varnish.

The #GIDC series also introduced me to chalk paint. Lots of the contestants used drab, second hand furniture and transformed it with a coat of paint. I am now a chalk paint convert & have painted an antique wardrobe. It now houses my vintage fabric collection out in the hallway. I've also bought a dresser to house my vintage china collection. Currently it is in the dining area, it remains unpainted whilst we complete the kitchen. But as soon as I get time, I will get the chalk paint out. At £46, it was a absolute bargain on Ebay. It just needs some TLC and it will look amazing.

I've also moved my computer down to the dining area next to the kitchen. This was partly out of necessity because my broadband signal wouldn't reach upstairs to my office. But, I'm happy with the way it looks and I'm going to hang a "Tiger Who Came to Tea" print on the wall above my desk. It is one of my daughter's favourite books and as I have aspirations to be a children's author, I hope it will inspire me every time I look up from the computer screen.

The Great Interior Design Challenge

Habitat

The Great Interior Design Challenge book

Vintage love: draw leaf dining table

We moved into our 1930s home back in November 2012 and we've been settling in over the past six months. This is the oldest house I've ever lived in and it has lots of period charm with picture rails, original doors and wooden floors. As I am a vintage addict, I can indulge my addiction and furnish the place with older pieces of furniture.

We needed a larger dining table and we did the usual thing of looking at newer pieces of furniture from the usual suspects such as Ikea. But I was really hankering after something older and stronger and dare I say, better made. I trawled ebay and there were lots of lovely pieces on there, but many were too far away or the auction price went too high for me.

A few weeks ago my husband was looking in the classified section of the local paper and saw 'Barley Twist Draw Leaf Table and dining chairs for sale'. Well, I only need to read the words "Barley Twist" and I'm sold. We rang them immediately and bought this beatiful table and four chairs for £50!

As a keen recycler and I like to buy pre-loved items as often as I can to reduce the strain dwindling natural resources. Obviously the table isn't in its first flush of youth, and there's obvious wear and tear to the piece. But I've always loved that about vintage items, they have a history.

Vintage love: fabric finds for November

I have been behaving myself recently and I have not given in to my addiction. I haven't bought any vintage fabric for, well, at least four weeks, maybe even five...

But I just had to buy this floral fabric, it's just the stuff I like to use to make my lavender owls and rabbits. I find it has the perfect texture and thickness for making my plush animals. I can't wait to get snipping and making with this lovely lot. It will have to be in 2012 though as I am pretty busy with Christmas orders at the moment!

The other 'zig zag' fabric was given to me as a gift. After doing a bit of googling, it turns out that this Margo International fabric designed by Anna Caldwell dates from 1972. I've found a link to some of her work here, her "Brix" fabric won a Design Council Award in 1975. So, I am very happy that it was gifted to me! I'm not sure what to make with it yet. It is lovely and thick with a nice weave to the fabric.

Eco Design Show

Above:
Pouch's display of vintage and recycled fabric totes, peg bags, lavender owls and clutch purses

I blogged a few days ago about appearing at the Eco Design Show
I have revisited the venue and taken some pictures of a selection of the items on display at the Eco Design Show for you to take a look at!
There are lots of innovative ideas and designs on display, so if you live nearby, it's worth checking it out. You can also grab some lunch and visit the eco-home at the Create centre at the same time.

Junk Male made by Trash to Treasure


Mosaic of images featuring work by Trash to Treasure and Re-collect


Some more shots of the Pouch display and the lovely warehouse venue in which the show is being held

Pouch appears at the Bristol Design Festival

Pouch is delighted to be taking part in the Eco Design Show as part of the larger Bristol Design Festival. The Bristol Design Festival is an annual celebration of creativity design and innovation talent from Bristol and the South West. The festival has a much wider appeal than most, as it is not restricted to just one type of design but aims to celebrate all aspects of the creative spectrum including:
Industrial & Product Design, Graphic Design, The Crafts, Digital Design, Animation, Architecture, Sculpture, Fashion, Furniture, Illustration, Graffiti and more...

The Eco Design Show will be held at the Create Centre in Bristol and will showcase a selection of the best sustainable and eco-friendly designs from companies and individuals in the South West.

The Bristol Design Show runs from the 5th to the 11th June
The Eco Design Show runs from the 8th to the 28th June and can be found in the Gallery on the Ground Floor of the Create Centre



photos of our exhibit to follow...

Remade Fashion Fair: some photos

Pouch attended the first ever Remade Fashion Fair on the 21st of February.

The event was held at the unique industrial venue called the 'Custard Factory'. Partly government funded, the Custard Factory is designed to protect and nourish small arts and media businesses. Soon it will take its place as the largest and most exciting concentration of artistic and creative activity in Europe.

The Remade Fashion Fair bought together designer-makers and alternative labels who produce clothing and accessories in the UK using recycled materials.

Everyone who stopped for a chat at Pouch's stall was interested in the work we do and the items we create. Vintage fabric seems to evoke lots of memories for people and take them on a nostalgic trip back in time!

It's good to see that people are continuing to support recycled fashion and more importantly, UK-based designer-makers. Over the past few years, imported clothing has given people a 'throwaway' attitude towards clothes, not to mention the environmental impact of fast-fashion. Hopefully events such as Remade will help to raise the profile of ethical and sustainable fashion being made in the UK.

The following are some photos of a selection of designers who took part in the event.



Trashblooms



Hole Button Jewellery



Helen from Helen Woodward Jewellery



Mosaic of images of Hole Jewellery, PennyDog Jewellery, Helen Woodward Jewellery and last but not least Pouch's stand.