Saturday 28 May 2011

Featured in the Oundle Chronicle!



The Emporium is featured in the Summer issue of the Oundle Chronicle! Many thanks to the lovely Poppy Rai, the Oundle School student who interviewed me and wrote such a lovely piece.

Wednesday 25 May 2011

Perfect Patchwork Summer Bags



Looking chic for summer couldn't be easier with our gorgeous handmade bags by Liz of Rosehip! New in stock - her range of 'New York' shoulder bags in a patchwork of gorgeous designer linen squares.



Each bag is completely unique - a one of a kind piece created in rare, high quality fabrics. They make a wonderful everyday bag, light and beautiful.



Looking for the perfect picnic bag? Look no further with her 'Weekender' bag - a very stylish larger bag in Japanese linen, with a 100% cotton inner lining, strong cotton twill handles and metal protective feet on the base.

Inside can be found a lovely set of pockets for your mobile phone and pens, and the bag closes with a zip with a ribbon loop. It is fabulous as a stylish sports bag, a picnic bag, beach bag, or just a larger bag for all the essentials!



Finally, don't forget a new purse for your new bag!
These sweet little half moon purses make a lovely gift and are perfect for popping into one of our Rosehip bags, too!

Each purse is cotton, with a matching cotton lining, plus a sweet little button on the side. It closes with a zip, with a lovely matching ribbon loop.

Visit us today at The Emporium by clicking on any of the links, or via http://www.theemporiumoundle.com/ and shopping on our secure, easy to use web-store. Our items are unique, UK handmade and one-of-a-kind, in stock today and will be shipped within 24 hours of your order.

Sunday 22 May 2011

New to the Emporium - Yuris Good Luck Origami



I love it when I find a crafter that does something really different and special!

Yuri was born in Tokyo, Japan, but now lives in Peterborough, here in the UK, with her husband and three children.
She creates handmade Japanese dolls with high-quality authentic Japanese paper, called 'Washi'.

Each doll is designed along the lines of 'Good Luck Dolls', known as Kokeshi Dolls - they are full of good luck and each is completely unique, with the paper hand cut and folded and their enigmatic faces drawn by hand.




These dolls are then gently attached to high quality card, blank inside for your own message. They can be removed for use as a lovely bookmark or luck token - they are sturdier than they look!

We have doll cards to wish you luck, happiness, a wish come true, congratulations and more.



Take a look at the lovely dolls we have available by clicking any of the images or here - none are duplicates and each is completely unique and original. I'm sure you'll find one perfect for someone special.

Wednesday 18 May 2011

Go Unique and Handmade!



I started my business shortly after getting massively frustrated over birthday presents - I love giving presents and always try to make them a bit different. Of course, if a friend has been kind enough to make a wishlist, that saves me a bit of trouble, but finding something special for those who don't was such a pain.


Of course, you could go for the latest thing - but then you risk duplicate presents. You can try clothes, but if you get them in the wrong size you can cause offense, mass produced smellies contain lots of irritants and colourants that can upset even the hardiest of skin types - even buying a birthday card can be dangerous as you'll find the perfect card which suits the person down to a T, but so will everyone else - the curse of the high street.


So I went online and searched for handmade gifts and to my shock found the sites that sold them either :


1: Sold 'handmade' gifts from abroad, where the only handmade part was someone sewing on a button.


2: Was a massive warehouse style craft-fair esque site where you had to wade through hundreds of listings of similar or poor-quality items just to find something.


This, I thought, isn't right - surely there needs to be a place online where you can easily find a selection of high-quality, completely handmade gifts made by UK people?


So I made one! (http://www.theemporiumoundle.com/)
We have a varied pool of items, but only one or two crafters for each - each of our items are in stock with us, tried and tested for quality and can be gift wrapped or customised. From cards to jewellery made from silver and seaglass, from handmade cold process soaps (made from UK honey and beeswax with absolutely no artificial colours, preservatives or scents) to gorgeous bags.


Everything is made in limited amounts, I can tell you the name of exactly who made each item so you are guaranteed to give something unique and wonderful - our testimonials page is a tribute to that! (http://www.theemporiumoundle.com/pages/Testimonials.html)


Pop over to our website to see for yourself! We offer wishlists, gift wrapping, custom orders and wedding favours - a fully personalised service where we strive for the very best.


If you are a local crafter and make something you think we'd love, please get in touch, too! We are always looking for unique, UK made crafts with something a bit special.