Good news if you’re reading this in Germany, Sweden, Spain or anywhere in Europe…we have just updated the online shop so we can now process and post orders to lovely customers all over the place.

Following some recent mentions on some great blogs we noticed visits to our online shop from Europe and beyond were increasing so it seemed only fair to let those visitors get some British made goodness.

We’ve already posted parcels to beautiful Italy…it’s all very exciting so we just wanted to share the good news and say Ahoy There Europe, welcome to Ink & Thread http://shop.inkandthread.co.uk/

We’re working on the rest of the world so keep your eyes peeled for further information.

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Inkandthread and Twitter https://twitter.com/British_Made

Stocked in Liberty London, Fortnum & Mason and now Ink & Thread…what a nice list to be in. We are very proud to stock the beautiful ceramics of Carly Dodsley.

Carly is a designer who is as passionate about British manufacture, its heritage and all things ceramic as we are. Must be why we get on so well.

Her award-winning plates, mugs and jugs are made from creamware and manufactured using traditional underglaze printing techniques in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. The designs evoke a mid-twentieth-century feel with a modern twist, they look stunning on our favourite G-Plan sideboard in the shop.

It’s definitely been very popular with our customers and we have very proud to stock such wonderful designs…British Made useful & beautiful things indeed.

Our shop is all about clever, thoughtful design and bold, bright colour. It is also all about British Made.

Everything we sell has been made in Britain; we think this is important for lots of reasons.

We want to support small creative businesses that produced well made and well designed things rather than buy from big companies that mass produce stuff thousands of miles away.  We also believe it’s better for the economy and for the environment.

More and more this is becoming important to other people too and we were really excited when we heard about a family called The Bradshaws who are attempting to spend 2013 only buying British Made items. You can follow their progress here http://britishfamily.co.uk/

Hopefully we can help them when it comes to buying British Made gifts for their family and friends.

Best of luck James, Emily and Lucan we look forward to following your adventure.

Just so you know…after a very hectic Christmas period (thanks to all of you) we will be closed during the first week of January.

You can of course still shop online but orders will not be processed or posted until Saturday 5th January.

So no Ink & Thread from Sunday 30th December until Saturday 5th January 2103.

We would like to thank all our lovely customers for supporting us during 2012; it’s been a great year for Ink & Thread.

We launched our online shop at the end of October and celebrated our first anniversary in November.

Thank you all for your feedback and encouragement. Wishing you all a very, very HAPPY NEW YEAR.

See you in 2013 x

Open late & on Sundays in December

In order to make your Christmas shopping a little bit easier and hopefully less stressful our shop on The Strand has extended its opening hours.

During December on the run up to Christmas we will also be open;

On Sundays from 11am to 3pm and until 7pm on Thursdays for late night shopping.

Don’t forget you can shop online any time, day or night at our new online shop.

Wishing you a very Merry, British Made, Christmas.

Not a bad venue for a Christmas fair

Built in 1609 by Francis FitzHerbert, Tissington Hall  at the south of the Peak District is the perfect venue for a festive evening of live music, mulled wine, mince pies and a bit of Christmas shopping.

We were thrilled to be invited to take part in their Christmas shopping evenings on Wednesday 21st & Thursday 22nd November.

It’s the only Christmas fair we are taking part in so we thought we’d better make sure it was an extra fancy one; just check out the venue, it’s pretty beautiful. Really looking forward to seeing it all decorated for Christmas, imagine the tree is going to be pretty impressive.

Visit their website http://www.tissingtonhall.co.uk/exclusive-shopping-evenings/ for all the details and tickets; all ticket proceeds are going to the NSPCC.

Let's get things wrapped up

The thought of wrapping presents can fill some people with dread but at Ink & Thread it’s one of our favourite things to do.

So if you’ve bought a gift from us or even from one of our lovely Cathedral Quarter neighbours we are more than happy to gift wrap it for you.

Just pick a sheet of paper from our wonderful range, some co-ordinating ribbon if you want to make it extra special and then leave the cutting, folding and taping to us.

Go and have a coffee to celebrate the fact you’ve bought a present and got it wrapped in one quick trip into town then pop back and collect it. Job done.

So what’s happening at Ink & Thread HQ…

Well we have been busy working with the wonderful Holly Booth to get images ready for our online shop which is coming very soon; so if you’re not Derby based you will soon be able to experience the British Made delights at Ink & Thread.

We’ve included a little sneak peek of one of the scenes we created. We’re thrilled with the photos so thought we’d tell you a bit more about Holly Booth.

A professional photographer based in Derby, Holly has worked with some very exciting people. Up and coming fashion brands such as Beatrix Brown http://www.beatrixbrown.co.uk/ and Little Peche Jewellery http://littlepeche.com/ to name a couple.

Have a visit to Holly’s website for more fashion, beauty and product photography http://www.hollybooth.com/

Not only this but Holly is also the founder and editor of Hatch’d Magazine; a http://www.hatchdmagazine.co.uk/ a non-profit online magazine and network, celebrating and promoting the creative arts and artists operating throughout Derbyshire. The magazine & events are run voluntarily by a young and enthusiastic team, including photographers, artists, illustrators, film makers and writers, in their own spare time.

We’ll keep you posted on the online shop and our first birthday celebrations which we’re busy planning for early November.

Well what a Great British summer it’s been so far…positively Jubilympic!

We thought this wonderful ‘Going for Gold’ tea towel is the perfect souvenir and a stylish way to remember the cheers and tears of the Olympics.

100% cotton, screen-printed by hand at the Mr PS studio in sunny Salford.

There’s never been so much patriotic spirit in the air so surely there has been no better time to support British made and buy British.

Working from a converted cowshed in rural Worcestershire, Chase and Wonder are a wonderful design duo whose products are stylish, elegant and beautifully British.

We couldn’t resist their wash bags, pencil cases, tote bags and greeting cards, instantly falling in love with the ‘ride above it’ design in particular. Dapper ladies and gents drifting away into the clouds on their bicycles underneath beautiful Phileas Fogg style hot air balloons; it makes us want to escape to a time when the pace of life was a little slower and men wore top hats.

As with all our the stock, which we handpick just for you, the time and effort which has gone into designing and making the range is clear and that’s why we love them…pop in and have a look.