Have A Gander at Spirit of Summer Fair 2012

Some tea-towels from Have A Gander

Lush Designs in Greenwich

Lush Designs have a range of homeswares decorated in fantastically characterful images of large beetroots, sprouts, carrots, foxes and foxcubs, warthogs and horses, as well as Royal Dressage to celebrate the Diamond Jubliee and Olympics.  The shop is located at 8 College Approach, a hop and a skip from Cutty Sark DLR station - with lampshades piled high, and every surface covered in their products it is as though you have stepped onto the page of a beautifully illustrated children's book (I think I was not the first person to be reminded of Rosie's Walk by the fox).

Tea towels printed in Lincolnshire

Lampshades made in Deptford, London

handsome foxes on Staffordshire made mugs

Bedding (made in Wiltshire, I think)

warthogs

cushion covers printed in Lincolnshire

Tea towels - Repeat Repeat, Angel, Angie Lewin, Lush Designs, Lisa Jones

At this time of year, the washing up mountains can be somewhat overwhelming - these cheery tea towels will make the task fun. Oh who am I kidding - I hate washing up, having done it from the age of 5, so small I needed a chair to reach the sink.

'Why did the chicken cross the road?' tea towel by Repeat Repeat

Angel linen Stag head tea towel

Elipse tea towel by Angie Lewin

Beetroot tea towel by Lush Designs

Also very nice, but printed in India (Fairtrade): Lisa Jones Love Birds tea towel

All found at One Brown Cow, a shop which sells goods designed, manufactured and supplied from within the British Isles.

FOXY!

Feeling foxy today at Osborn HQ.

Mibo's Fox Tea Towel (£11.50 plus £2.95 p+p) which can be turned into a soft toy - with the right proportions of needle, thread, stuffing and patience. A good project for a rainy summer afternoon.

Becky Crow works with sheet copper and silver - the flat pieces which are pierced out of the metal and textured and finished with different techniques to give them dimension. 

These fox cufflinks are part of The Forest collection which includes pheasants and oak trees. Contact Becky via her website to buy her jewellery.

One of my favourite foxy necklaces is this one from Clara Francis made from thousands of tiny glass beads woven together (£140).

Lucy Palmer's necklace is of an urban fox taking a walk (£205) - Lucy uses sheet silver, and gold foil to embellish the surface, layering the metal to create a 3D effect.

Thornback & Peel Royal Wedding tea towel

I'd like to dry the dishes with this Thornback & Peel tea towel

Charlotte Farmer Royal Wedding tea towel

 I spotted this Charlotte Farmer tea towel at the Selvedge Spring Fair

- thanks to Charlotte's blog for the pics - there were so many people crammed round the stall, I couldn't get a good pic myself.

And these neatly illustrate some of my current biscuit obsessions, namely the pink wafer and those wicked Tunnocks Teacakes.

Oh yeah custard creams

Emma Bridgewater tea towel - Buy British!

Emma Bridgewater tea towel.  Like it!

tea towel (lovely enough to frame)

I do a LOT of washing up. This Rob Ryan tea towel makes the tiresome task a whole lot better, designed with totally awesome attention to detail.  Available from To Dry For, the one and only place to buy your tea towels.

The text reads: 'Everything that is supposed to be here in heaven is already here on Earth'

although I would question this statement just a teensy weensy bit: what's missing from my heaven is someone else willing and able to do the washing up, seeing as I do all the cooking...

The Shop Floor Project

Isn't this brilliant?

The Shop Floor Project, a one stop internet shop where you can buy a range of designers, many of them British made... open the red front door, and follow the signs to your favourite department.

Get yourself some tea towels for the inevitable mountain of washing up this Christmas - these are by Megan Price, who is based in Manchester.  Designs are inspired by vintage signs, packaging and seaside cafes.

Or how about these ceramics by Nottingham based Katrin Moye - the designs are influenced by traditional Eastern European folklore:

which are rather reminiscent of the German-made ceramics we used as children featuring chickens (which used to be available from John Lewis but alas no more).

Zeller Keramik chickens