HAND MADE TILES IN STOCK AND IN HOMES & ANTIQUES!

You may remember that we tempted you with a glimpse of these hand made tiles a few weeks ago and many of you asked when they'll be arriving - well they are here and BBC Home & Antiques magazine have done a lovely photoshoot with them. They are £1.50 each and available here.

Great advice from H&A!

Tiles available here...

In Vogue

Its always a real treat to find that an object from our collections has found it's way onto the pages of Vogue, so imagine how thrilled we were this month to find two of our pieces are featured.

First is the Tribal Silk Necklace by COOKED - our in house design team which is named after The Raw and the Cooked by anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss and refers to the creative process - from initial idea (the raw) to the final product (the cooked).

Each necklace is made from fragments of silk and various braids and are based on the Sun Ray necklaces worn by the ancient Mayans. Perfect for summer worn with a simple t-shirt.

Second, is the ever-popular Gold Lined Quails Egg Necklace by jewellery designer Stephanie Simek.

It looks unbelievably fragile but in fact is very tough, having been lined in 24c gold leaf and sealed within a protective coating. Perfect as an alternative Easter egg!

A Gift to Celebrate the Magic of the Leap Year.

As we know every four years we have a leap year, giving us this magical extra day, 366 days instead of 365. What do you do with your extra day?

The very reason we have leap years is because seasons and astronomical events do not repeat in a whole number of days, a calendar that had the same number of days in each year would, over time, drift with respect to the event it was supposed to track. By occasionally inserting an additional day or month into the year, the drift can be corrected (what would we do without Wikipedia!).

This special event I think demands that we do something special with our day on the 29th, of course many of us will be at work, but how about having an extra special lunch in a different cafe to the one you'd usually visit, walking a new way to work, finding out if there is an event in your area that evening - on this extra day who knows what chance meetings you might make...

To celebrate this free day we are giving away one of our beautiful new ethically handmade tiles with each order placed from now until midnight on February 29th 2012.

visit www.theshopflooproject.com

A Love Blanket for Valentine's Day

It's that time of year again when shops fill their windows with red heart stickers, giant cards with two teddy bears cuddling and balloons seem to be everywhere. It may sound a bit miserable but I don't buy gifts for Valentine's Day, I seem to always forget and then it passes and the moments gone.

But there is one item that we sell which makes me think 'oh, maybe this year I should treat someone special'...

So a question, what would be the perfect object for:

1. a Valentine's Day present (that you can take as much, if not more, joy in)

2. to brighten a cold, grey February day

3. something to cherish for years

4. and support the British craft industry in the process

And the beautiful object is.....

The cashmere Love Blanket by Holly Berry

Hidden in the weave and pattern of each Holly Berry blanket is a message of love and comfort created using a Morse code pattern which is woven into the cloth’s double layered structure.

Holly’s uplifting colour pallet is inspired by vintage textiles and her own drawings and photography. She carefully sources natural yarns such as cashmere, lambs wool and merino from UK suppliers to create a striking colour pallet and support UK makers.

Holly works very closely with an established mill in Scotland to manufacture her blankets, offering her an opportunity to celebrate and promote traditional UK manufacturing, something that is very close to Holly and The Shop Floor Project’s heart.

Holly describes what she loves about the ancient art of weaving

“Weaving and all of its processes speak strongly to my ideals of time, storytelling and sustainable practice, taking the time, effort and skill to produce special work with a unique sense of value. Each piece that I make is a colourful and contemporary interpretation of a craft which used to be a common industry in many towns throughout the UK. I celebrate the traditions of this craft and community as well as honoring my long standing belief in slow textiles, responsibility and emotionally durable design.

I am currently undertaking a residency in the North of the Shetland Islands to further enhance my practice, absorbing the traditions of the local crafts and celebrating this unique place full of history and skill. I am inspired by the local materials and subtle colours of the islands and will be producing work directly influenced by Shetland.

My luxury woven cloths and wearable blankets are to be used continuously. I am proud to create pieces that will remain with a generation or family for a lifetime. They provide the warmth of wrapping yourself up in a protective layer, preparing you for the world and enriching your experience with colour, warmth and love.”

Click here to view/buy the blanket