tea & cake
Julianna Grove has received some interesting feedback from the newsletter that we sent out last week; some people were concerned about the amount of times we mentioned tea and cake. Now it’s been a long, cold and dark winter here in Scotland and our philosophy is – ‘what ever gets you through’ and this year tea and cake seemed to be what did it for us. Looking back on the winter we’ve realised that the months can be sub-divided into cake categories – there was ginger cake week, a splendid battenberg week and a delicious homemade chocolate cake couple of days (it tasted too good to last any longer). We’ve also got a very fond memory of a joint birthday celebration when we went to the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh for afternoon tea. Cake stands, china tea sets, a harpist, art deco surroundings and the most delicious cakes, scones and sandwiches (with no crusts on) – scrumptious and worth every penny.
We appreciate your concern but we believe it’s merely a passion not an obsession. Now I’m off to put the kettle on for a cuppa, fair-trade of course, and maybe a cherry bakewell….
wee stories, great night
Here at Julianna Grove Presents we are big fans of story telling, it’s one of the reasons we’re passionate about art, craft and design. Well we’ve been working very hard, setting up the new site so we thought we’d celebrate last night. We went to the King’s Theatre in Edinburgh to see ‘Wee Stories’ latest offering - ‘The Emperor’s New Kilt’. Now Wee Stories is thought to be theatre for children but our collective age was over 100 and there were less than five of us and it was some of the best storytelling we’ve ever seen. The play was engaging and funning and the production was beautiful and cleverly designed.
The show’s touring for the next couple of months, check them out to see if they are coming to a theatre near you:
Wee Stories
Spring has sprung
It’s been a long cold winter this year but here at Julianna Grove Presents, we’ve not been hibernating, in fact we’ve been very busy. Now it looks like spring has sprung at last and we wanted to let you know what we’ve been up to:
Cheaper delivery~
Postage and packaging on UK deliveries over £50 is now free. We thought about it for a long time, walked in the hills, drank some tea, thought some more and decided to give it a go. Oh also we’ve changed our International delivery system and it is now cheaper, prices start from as little as £1.85. It’s now cheaper for all our customers to buy anything and we feel quite good about this – in fact we had some afternoon tea to celebrate.
Eco & Ethical Icons~
Our customers asked us why we didn’t shout about our eco and ethical principles a bit more so we listened, we had a cup of tea, we made a plan and now were shouting about it a bit. We’ve always believed that style and beauty can still be environmentally friendly and have ethical principles and our customers were right that we didn’t really advertise this. So we created some categories and assessed each product in terms of environmental and social impact of its raw materials and method of manufacturing. Now each product has icons letting you know which criteria it fulfils.
We appreciate that it is difficult for every product to be greener than green and whiter than white and therefore a product may only belong to one category. However, we believe that each of these categories has value and now you can make your decision based on what is important to you.
Departments~
Our collection keeps growing and the last site was getting a bit unruly so we’ve created a whole new system of departments and collections. It’s now easier to find products and easier to browse.
We’ve also been out searching and collecting and will have some more lovely things on the way very soon.
We’ve made a couple of more changes so pay us a visit and check them out when you get a moment. You can reach us at the old address or the new shorter one: www.juliannagrove.com
Eco Valentines
We’ve got a great range of Eco cards and presents for Valentine’s day including:
so that you can love your beau and still love the planet!
View the full collection here: Julianna Grove Presents, the handmade collection
New beautiful things in Santa’s Grotto
It’s officially Christmas here at Julianna Grove Presents, something we’ve been preparing for since the summer and so far we are enjoying every minute of it. We’ve found some amazing new things and have created such a great Christmas collection that we’ve created our very own virtual ~ Santa’s Grotto on our home page. It’s divided into handy categories as well, just to make things as easy as possible.
Amazing new things for Christmas include:
Vintage ~ Shoppers & Purses handmade from organic cotton by Showpony
Boxed Felt Chocolates and Hanging Chocolate Decorations by Suzanne Smith.
A new range of ~ exquisite prints by Stephanie Mitchell
A series of beautiful handmade ~ Christmas Cards
Visit the on line shop by clicking here: Julianna Grove Presents
Why buy handmade?
There is a small revolution underway, it’s quiet but effective and it’s easy to get involved. With grace, dignity and a little humour there is a back-lash against mass produced gift buying this Christmas and to show your support you can actually take the pledge by clicking on this button.
In the meantime here are 3 very good reasons why it’s a good idea:
Buying Handmade makes for better gift-giving.
The giver of a handmade gift has avoided the parking lots and long lines of the big chain stores in favor of something more meaningful. If the giver has purchased the gift, s/he feels the satisfaction of supporting an artist or crafter directly. The recipient of the handmade gift receives something that is one-of-a-kind, and made with care and attention that can
be seen and touched. It is the result of skill and craftsmanship that is absent in the world of large-scale manufacturing.
Buying handmade is better for people.
The ascendancy of chain store culture and global manufacturing has left us dressing, furnishing, and decorating alike. We are encouraged to be consumers, not producers, of our own culture. Our ties to the local and human sources of our goods have been lost. Buying handmade helps us reconnect.
Buying handmade is better for the environment.
The accumulating environmental effects of mass production are a major cause of global warming and the poisoning of our air, water and soil. Every item you make or purchase from a small-scale independent artist or crafter strikes a small blow to the forces of mass production.
Julianna’s 1st birthday
Julianna has just had her 1st birthday and we can’t quite believe how quickly those first 12 months have flown by! We’ve made some lovely new friends, been on some great adventures and generally had quite a lot of fun. Being the ethical and eco aware people that we are, this week we are hosting a clothes swapping party to celebrate. We’ll let you know how it goes and what goodies we have managed to get our hands on!
Thank you to everyone for making the first year so memorable.
All at Julianna Grove Presents
New ceramics from Hugh
We’ve just received some new stoneware from Hugh West. Handmade at the wheel in Hugh’s studio in France, his work is both stylish and functional and is an ideal Christmas gift for a man. The range includes:
espresso bowls,
wine goblets and carafes.
Julianna goes live
We will be at Alderley Edge Farmers Market on Sunday 11th November and Sunday 9th December, from 10am - 1.30pm at the Festival Hall in Alderley Edge.
Come along, say hello and have a look at all the lovely things; including unique Christmas presents and beautiful decorations.
New range of paintings
Lisa Derevycka has been part of Julianna Grove Presents the handmade collection, since it started and this month we received her new range of paintings. All the work in this collection is created from natural pigments, such as stone, chalk, ochre, saffron and gold leaf. Using the natural resources around us Lisa is truly an environmental artist, creating inspiring and beautiful work from nature. Her work would make a beautiful addition to any home, an ideal gift or a unique wedding present.
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