Wee Birdy

Christmas shopping nights in London – part 1

It’s that time of year again when I round up my favourite spots for Christmas shopping in London. There’s a plethora of events, markets, and shopping nights on offer this time around, from candlelight shopping on Cheshire Street to buying direct from the artisans at Cockpit Studios. With a focus on the hand-made, design-led and independent shops, here are my top picks (part two is coming tomorrow)...

26 November: One Night in November Xmas
This East London shopping night boasts an excellent line-up of designers including byGraziela (retro-style kids’ bedding), Studio Special (cool clocks) and Share the Feeling (stocking fillers handmade in Hackney). There will also be extra Christmas cheer by way of champagne, cupcakes and raffles. 7-10pm, Thursday 26 November, 20 St. Philip’s Road, E8 3BP.

 

26-29 November: Made in Clerkenwell at Craft Central
Buy direct from over 70 designers at the Craft Central studios, and take your pick from a variety of jewellery, fashion, homewares, ceramics, accessories and traditional crafts. Don’t miss The Design Pop-up Shop, which features Esther Coombs’ distinctive ceramics (see below). Click here for all the details. Adm £2.50.

26-29 November: Homeworks
This collective of designer-makers, including the likes of Made with Love by Mrs Booth, Petra Boase and Lou Rota (see below), will be holding a Christmas sale at the Twentieth Century Theatre in Notting Hill. Click here for all the details. Adm £1 for the Special Yoga Centre.

 
27-29 November: Hidden Art London Christmas Fair
Setting up shop at the Old Truman Brewery, the fair will offer up some great alternative gift options from around 60 UK designer-makers. Take advantage of a sustainable gift-wrapping service by Fabrications, and there will also be drop-in craft workshops for children. Click here for all the details.

27 November: Cockpit Arts Open Studio
Buy direct from the artisans at this open-studio event, held at both the Holborn and Deptford locations. Nosey around their studios and consider your purchases over a glass of mulled wine or two. Click here for all the details.

A week of Kent: Frank

I’ve been meaning to post about the weekend I spent in Kent earlier this summer, when my parents were visiting the UK for a couple of weeks. It was by far one of the easiest breaks I’ve ever organised, mostly due to the fact that there was little to no organising on my part. My parents arrived with a well-researched itinerary, and I was also inundated with some extremely good tips when I called upon the UK Twitterati for advice and help (thanks to @circeplum, @cassandracastle, @indiaknight, @maggieA, @I_Like, @LibertyLndnGirl).

On Saturday morning we headed to Whitstable, a seaside village most famous for oysters. At just 80 minutes by car from London, it’s the perfect destination for a weekend break or day trip. The New York Times visited earlier this year, so if you’re thinking of doing the same, you may want to look up their  suggestions on where to eat, including the “obligatory” Wheelers Oyster Bar, as well as The Sportsman, which was awarded a Michelin star.

But I’m here primarily to check out Frank, a former oysterman’s cottage on Harbour Street housing all manner of gorgeous British-made crafts, design and homewares. I’d heard some exceptionally good things about the shop, which is the brainchild of illustrator Mary Claire Smith and photographer Rob Weiss.

It’s the type of place that crafty-peeps only dream about, and people on a gift-buying mission will not be disappointed. On my visit I was greeted by a (very appropriate) bird display in the window, featuring Hannah Turner’s retro-style ceramic birds (from £28), Hannah Waldron’s vibrant canary prints and Abigail Brown’s super-sweet Matchbox Tweeters.

There are goodies crammed into every corner and hanging from every nook, but it has an overall feeling of space and airiness, befitting its breezy harbour-side location. It’s hard to pick favourites, but you might like to keep an eye out for Becky Crow’s copper fox brooches, Claire Fletcher’s handpainted children’s tambourines, and Cornelia O’Donovan’s softies made from Whitney vintage blankets.

If you’re after some locally-made handcrafts, make a beeline for Kate Erbe’s handknitted angora dogs (£19.50), Keith Brymer-Jones’ milky-toned hand-thrown ceramics (from £7.70 for a jug), and Heidi Butter’s laser-cut jewellery.

There are more surprises to be found in the garden out the back, where you’ll find potted succulents in teacups amongst a range of outdoor decorative items.

And upstairs there’s a very cute holiday flat for rent – ideal for a sunny weekend or mid-week getaway by the sea. But if you can’t make it to this lovely wee corner of the world, some of the loveliness can be found on their online shop.

Frank
65 Harbour Street
Whitstable, Kent CT5 1AG
Tel. +44 (0) 1227 262 500

Opening hours:
Monday-Friday 10.15am-5pm
Saturday 10.15am-5.30pm
Sunday 11am-5pm