Back in Blogging Business!

So, we've been rather quiet over the last few months here on this little corner of the internet... Apologies for that. The craziness of Christmas, coupled with staff changes, has meant that we have neglected this ol' blog for far too long.

But no more!

We've been busy here at the Shop with exhibitions to install, events to organise, and exciting new stockists to find. Since Christmas, we've taken on quite a few new designers, some discovered through our application process, others at craft fairs, some via social media. I think an introduction is long overdue...

Rolfe & Wills

Rolfe & Wills are a Bristol based screen-printing company run by Alice Rolfe and childhood friend Chloe Wills. Producing a range of textile accessories and homewares, they use organic ink to produce colourful, geometric pieces. All the items are printed in their purpose built Bristol studio, using responsibly sourced ethical materials. We particularly love their laptop sleeves (£30), which prove something can be both stylish and practical (and also come with a drawstring bag for your pesky charger), and their  enamel mugs (£12) which are perfect for camping or a festival.

We first heard about Rolfe & Wills through  Paper Plane Bristol, a fantastic shop and gallery which also happens to be a cooperative- run by 7 permanent artist members, they all take a turn working in the shop, whilst working on their own business the rest of the time. We stock work by several of the permanent members, including Alice Shields and Boodle Boutique, and also have work by guest member Pirrip Press. We’ve also taken on another permanent member Ruth Broadway in the last few weeks!

We then met the lovely Alice at the Renegade Craft Fair and had a look at her products in person before placing an order. We’re currently waiting for another Rolfe & Wills order any day soon, so keep your eyes peeled for more laptop cases, tote bags, mugs and tee-shirts!

Emma Caplin

Emma Caplin is an artist from Leamington Spa who produces colourful collages of everyday objects, such as fruit, flowers and vegetables. These are then digitally printed to produce a range of cards and A3 and A4 prints. We have a range of Emma’s cards (£2.10) and A4 prints (£35) in stock, with the cards proving particularly popular.

Emma is a graduate of Central St Martins, and had a successful career in theatre, film and television for 15 years before making the transition to artist. She worked designing costumes, sets and props, including working on Nanny McPhee! She now works as a gallery guide in Compton Verney alongside her own art practice.

Rosa Pietsch

Rosa is another artist who we discovered at the most recent Renegade Craft Fair back in April. We are always on the lookout for new jewellery designers and Rosa’s unusual resin designs caught our eye! Her designs incorporate laser-cut acrylic and her own hand-cast resin, which she dyes using Indian inks, as well as adding holographic flakes and gold and silver leaf. Her resin rock pendants (£15) were inspired by a trip to Nepal in late 2014, where she collected small stones and rocks whilst trekking in the Himalayas. Once back in the UK, she created silicone moulds from these rocks, which she then uses as the base for the pendants. Each rock is individually hand-cast and unique - no two can be the same. We are a little in love with these in the Shop- the team has 3 between the two of us! We’re also eyeing up these equally gorgeous paisley inspired teardrop designs (£25), which will be great for the summer.

We’ve also got plenty of other new artists and designers to tell you about, but to avoid overwhelming you with too much beauty those might be best left to another blog post!