Dear Decemberists,1
I know I only arrived in your inbox a few days ago, but I’ve been meaning to share some of my favourite independent makers and shops, and if I leave it too much longer last-posting dates (and possibly the whole of December) will have come and gone and it will be too late to be of use for Christmas shopping. If you’re overseas, it may already be too late, but perhaps this might be a source of good things for the new year, at least.
But first: If you’re one of my children, or if you are my husband, or my mum (their numbers are limited, so you really can’t mistake yourselves), you should stop reading right now to avoid spoiling some of your Christmas presents ⛔️🙏❤️.
For everyone else, onwards…
Emily Maude - I really love Emily’s beautiful prints and cards and have a few on my walls. Emily’s artwork takes inspiration from The Bloomsbury Group and her compositions look like they’re imagined straight from the mantelpieces at Charleston farmhouse. Gorgeous.
Soodle Street - I’m quite obsessed with recreating architecture in my own work, so love seeing how others approach this too. Caitlin’s collages are totally gorgeous - she’s captured so many places I know and love (and also places my children love, so they’ll each have a set of her postcards in their stockings for Christmas :).
Sculpt Glass - Based on the Isle of Wight, Sculpt Glass make especially good penguins and robins - I’ve bought my husband a penguin and it’s even more lovely in person with the gorgeous flecks of gold on its chest.
Hilda Carr Pottery - I have a few of Hilda’s gorgeous vases and have also given them as gifts to friends in the past - her work has a lovely earthy look I always love in pottery. Taking styling inspiration straight from Hilda, I’ve put Billy Buttons in mine (which also go by the less appealing name of craspedia…🤷🏻♀️) - they look good for years if you occasionally give their heads a gentle dusting.
Jarrolds Department Store - Jarrolds is based in Norwich (founded in 1770, so older than Selfridges and Liberty) and does Christmas better than any department store I’ve ever visited - I had no idea what magic was possible until stumbling into their food hall one December a few years ago. I remember emerging with a warm glow and some Rita Fahri confectionery pots for my husband and our friend Ben and I still think they’re some of the best presents I’ve ever given - they just feel so special and the papier-mâché pot can be kept for years to come (and in this way, the gift for my husband was also a gift for myself ;). Jarrolds also support the work of local artists with their huge Store Folk range - this is actually where I first discovered Soodle Street (mentioned above). Such is my loyalty to Jarrolds, that when I can’t visit in person they’re the first place I think of when I need to order random things online like make-up refills. Also of note: I think relatively few department stores have an excellent bookstore within, but Jarrolds does, so they really do win on every front. Nb. I don’t think it’s a cult, even though my level of devotion may suggest otherwise.
If you’re shopping for someone with an interest in any kind of needlework (from sewing to knitting or embroidery), I can’t imagine a better place to find something unusual than Beyond Measure. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a shop so good at sourcing beautiful-quality goods that I haven’t seen elsewhere. A total treasure trove.
The Old Haberdashery in Ticehurst is possibly one of the smallest shops in the world, but it’s also got more stock than many that are twice its size and, despite the name, not just haberdashery. A visit rarely takes less than half an hour and you’ll find yourself doing laps around the central table as it’s so easy to miss things on the first, second, or even third pass. I always go with my daughter in December and at the very least we buy wrapping paper and paper tape (we also bumped into her old primary school teacher there this year which was an extra treat). Follow them (The Old Haberdashery, not the teacher) on Instagram here. Also in Ticehurst, the very lovely Greenfinch gallery, which is full of local artists’ work and is an excellent place to hunt for unusual gifts. And closer to home, Pincushion is another treasure trove, with a dedicated focus on stitching.
Talking of paper tape (several sentences ago now, so you’d be forgiven for wondering when we were talking of paper tape), Cascayde has a brilliant range of paper tapes and brown kraft papers for gift-wrapping and it’s nice to know that every last bit can go straight into the recycling basket once the presents are unwrapped. For the last year or so I’ve used thick paper tape for packaging up my own shop orders too, so can attest to its good sticking power - it really is no longer a compromise (for a while the alternative was a gummed tape that you had to wet with a sponge and that really did feel like an exhausting compromise. This is not that. It’s just normal paper tape that sticks well).
One of my favourite things my husband has ever given me are bowls from Brickett Davda (I have one big and one small). They come in the most divinely pleasing organic shapes and colours and I leave mine out on the dining table because I can’t bear to put them away (or to store them in the regular ‘plates and bowls drawer’ where they might get chipped as my son unloads the dishwasher at high speed - he has exactly the same approach to dishwasher unloading as I did at his age 🙈). I very occasionally think to fill the bowls with sweets or clementines, but mostly I just enjoy them as they are. I’ve no idea where my husband gets them and Jo Davda’s own website doesn’t allow for easy ordering, so here’s a link to a random shop called Black Bough that stocks her wares. And oh my goodness, it is the best random shop. I actually finished off most of my Christmas shopping there on Sunday evening after stumbling across it while writing this newsletter - such an amazing selection of interesting books and homewares. Note the unexpected focus on watches if you have someone in your life who loves those (they are super-expensive, but I noticed there’s more budget-friendly watch-related reading material and paraphernalia available, too). The curious watch detour makes it seem like the owner is filling the shop with their own passions and I really like that - it’s nice when online shops don’t blur into one amorphous blob. The clock-face fascination suddenly reminded me of a graphic novel I read with my children years ago called The Invention of Hugo Cabret, later made into a film that I remember being beautifully shot - both worth revisiting. It also made me think of a guy I sat next to at a ball2 who was a watchmaker/dealer - hearing about his path into that, I could totally see how someone could become obsessed with the beauty of all those little cogs working with such precision, metering out something we humans seem to hold so dear (I read Oliver Burkeman’s Four Thousand Weeks earlier in the year and he was really interesting on the subject of time and why it matters to us so much - I underlined about half the book, so must go back and reread those bits so I can remember exactly what he said beyond it being interesting). And now I seem to have taken you on my own watch-related detour...
Finally, just in case you have someone in your life who would appreciate this gift as much I did, a few years ago my daughter gave me this tiny crocheted pea-pod complete with removable peas! It is still one of my most treasured possessions. Despite its diminutive size (or maybe even because of it), I’m pretty sure this would gain ‘favourite present’ status with anyone you might choose to give them to. Available from Lybo’s shop on Etsy, here.
Please do share your own favourite makers or independent shops in the comments if you’d like to - it’s always so nice to discover new places to source gifts.
With love, Florence x
Ps. If you’re thinking of making gifts rather than buying them and are still in need of a few ideas:
Several years ago I posted a tutorial on how to make rope bowls. I was actually stitching some coasters using the same technique last night and it reminded me how much fun they are (although the problem with coasters is that the fun is over too soon - it’s so tempting to just keep going and make massive placemats instead…or maybe even a whole rug).
These are some of the loveliest things I’ve seen and Maarit offers a free downloadable template to make some just the same. Totally gorgeous. I’d love to give them to friends (or for friends to give them to me ;). I just need to get some black paint and then propel myself into action…which may or may not happen as I’m already slightly overwhelmed by the gifts I want to make this year.
Not free, but a goodie if you have young children with beloved creatures to sew for - I’m guessing I must have made at least thirty of these over the years.
More coasters, but this time made from fabric and with a trick for self-bound edges - there’s a free tutorial on my old blog (old because I don’t really write there anymore, but it’s still a good place for hosting patterns etc).
As above - if you have any ideas for wonderful things to make, please do post them in the comments. x
Pps. Apologies if this newsletter is full of typos and incomprehensible sentences - I’ve typed at speed and then not spent enough time checking for errors. But better littered with mistakes than not at all (I hope). Fx
Although we’re all The Decemberists right now, there’s also a band who permanently go by that name - here’s a link to one of my favourite tracks by them.
Literally the only ball I’ve attended since being a student, just in case that passing comment had you imagining a whole different life for me as ‘regular ball attender’.
Dear Florence, thank you for taking the time to put together this collection of gorgeous things and the introduction of new suppliers. Rochelle x
So nice to see someone else in love with Jarrolds. I've visited, and bought online for many years and it is truly delightful. Now I must look at your other suggestions - whilst craving a Jarrold's cafe toasted teacake!