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.

Wee find: Nathalie Lete puppet theatre

 

Here's the latest in French artist Nathalie Lete's painterly goodness: a children's puppet theatre from Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop. I'm just re-discovering this marvellous Covent Garden-based independent toy boutique, which also has a brilliant new online shop and blog.

It's so easy to forget about some Londons' speciality shops, particularly if they're located in the touristy part of town. Pollock's is a real little gem, with all sorts of traditional toys for kids and puppet theatres for less than a tenner. Nice antidote to all the mass-produced, high street tat around.

I'm also a little bit in love with this miniature puppet theatre (below), which at £6.50 is a very good buy AND (wonders of all wonders) it fits in the palm of your hand! Super-sweet.

Benjamin Pollock's Toyshop
44 The Market
Covent Garden
London WC2E 8RF
Tel. 020 73797866
Nearest tube: Covent Garden
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday 10.30-6pm
Sunday 11am-4pm

London's Christmas lights and windows

London was all a-glitter tonight with Carnaby revealing a super-retro Christmas lights display, but first up was Liberty and its brilliant Christmas windows.

 

It was a bit of a creature-feature with a giant birdy in one window (complete with a raft of bird boxes) and Mr and Mrs Foxy (and baby Foxy) sitting down to Christmas dinner in another, but I particularly love the Coronation/Rule Brittania set-up, which features the most incredible collection of royal memorabilia.

 

The next window transported us to a rather nostalgic suburban scene with the Quality Street scattered under the sofa, fruitcake piled up on the occasional table, and kitsch toys under the tree. Aaaah…so cosy.

The British heritage obsession combined with all the witty foxy-hunting-lodge references is of course a nod to Luella Bartley, who has stepped in to ‘guest-edit’ Liberty’s Christmas collection this year.

It’s celebrated in Luella’s Christmas Grotto (on the Carnaby Street side of the store), and it’s really difficult not to love all of her special picks, from the badger egg cups and goldfish hankies to the Shepherd’s diaries and Liberty-print hair bows. All of the Rubbish finger puppets are there, too. You can look at Luella's picks online here. Such a genius idea.

And then just outside Luella’s Grotto awaits Carnaby Street and its kitsch-tastic super-sized pink deers and lights…

It's beginning to look a lot like a (very retro) Christmas...

Shopping in London: Broadway Market

I finally paid Broadway Market a long overdue visit recently to re-discover some old favourites (Violet has some of the best cupcakery in London), as well as stumble across some exciting new finds. Since we moved to South-East London it's a bigger effort to 'make the trip' to what was once my little local market. It's more of an event than just nipping out to stock up on veg (and uh, cake) for the week. Can't wait til they open up the new rail line next year...

But first, I need to indulge my Violet obsession with a pic of their incredible chocolate devil's food cupcake with marshmallow icing (no wonder this stall was one of the first things I blogged about when I first started Wee Birdy)...

And I loved the look of these apples sitting in the sun...

But it was Karin Andreasson's jewellery that caught my eye this time: a mapgie's nest of vintage-style hairpieces, pendants and jewels. She's a local East Londoner and I love how she's used old ballerina jewellery boxes and mannequin busts to display her wares. It all adds up to a rather charming little stall...

I really love the '20s-style single-feather hair pins embellished with antique lace and vintage diamantes, which are perfect for tucking into a bun or chignon for a special occasion. And if you like quirky pendants, keep an eye out for Karin's re-purposed watch-faces, miniature hand-mirrors, keys and crocheted-edged charms. 

(You can also pick up some of Karin's gorgeous pieces online from Wee Birdy sponsor Cerise.)

Broadway Market, every Saturday
Hackney, London, E8
Nearest rail: London Fields
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

Click here for more Wee Birdy reviews of stalls and shops on Broadway Market.

Tatty Devine update: new Covent Garden shop

This just in: Tatty Devine Soho is moving to Covent Garden and will officially open for business on Saturday 7 November. Sounds like a great move to me - as much as I loved the Soho store, it did feel a little removed from the bustle of neighbouring shops. I think they'll have a much stronger presence in their new Monmouth Street premises. 

Along with the full Tatty Devine collections, the new shop will showcase an ace selection of products by the likes of Eley Kishimoto (keep an eye out for their flash print purses and hosiery), Mimi (luxe leather bags), Alexander Wang and Jeremy Scott (cool sunglasses). There will also be a collection of pieces designed especially for Tatty Devine by Rob Ryan (hurrah!)

And in true Tatty style, the girls have organised a raft of activities to celebrate the grand opening, including a "carnival-style parade" on the evening of Thursday 19 November, with a line up of performers, artists, fans and friends making a procession from the Soho shop to the new Covent Garden space. Customers will also be treated to some surprises and treats on Saturday 21 November, where every visitor will be entered into a competition to win a limited edition White Tiger Necklace.

Tatty Devine
44 Monmouth Street
London WC2 9EP
Tel. 0207 836 2685
Nearest tube: Covent Garden
Click here for a Wee Birdy map.

All jewellery featured here is from the new Tatty Devine 'Button Up' collection.