Wee Birdy

Welcome new Wee Birdy sponsors

A big warm festive welcome to One Boutique, Bbel, Makers Online and Scribble House who are joining the Wee Birdy nest this month.

One Boutique
A relatively new addition to the online shopping landscape, One Boutique allows you to shop for clothes and accessories from some of the UK’s best independent boutiques, like Mya Rosa in Somerset, Prettyful Things in Norton and Chameleon in Carlisle. Keep an eye out for quirky finds by small designers, as well as pieces by the likes of Alex Monroe, Vivienne Westwood for Melissa and By Marlene Birger.

Bbel
Every single element of UK-based independent jewellery label Bbel is made by hand, right down to the hand-formed clasps. Inspired by the natural world, there’s an abundance of flora and fauna and in the current collection, including a charming ‘fox stole’ necklace and delicate lily necklace. The prices are also very good, with a silver personalised heart necklace with 14kt gold for £39.

Scribble House
Boasting a wide collection of luxe leather gifts and stationery, UK-based Scribble House is a family-run business – and a great place to shop for gifts. Look out for their luxury leather-bound notebooks that come in a myriad shades (and start at a very reasonable £24), as well as the London A-Z books, which features an underground map insert. Perfect gift for London newcomers and visitors.

Makers Online
Bringing together a raft of small designer-makers in the UK, Makers Online is a new online boutique for hand-crafted products. Unique contemporary jewellery is its forte, with a wide range of bracelets, brooches, earrings and necklaces. Keep an eye out for the very affordable delicate silver jewellery, like these sweet silver daisy earrings for £8.99 and oxidised sterling flower studs for £39.

Welcome new Wee Birdy sponsors

A big warm welcome to Caroline Gardner, Hunkydory Home and Sugalily, who are joining the Wee Birdy nest this month. Here are my top picks of the bunch from my lovely new sponsors...

Caroline Gardner
Using traditional printing techniques such as letter press and die stamping, Caroline’s distinctive and quirky designs have attracted a strong and loyal following in the UK. As well as greeting cards, notebooks, ribbon and wrapping paper, she also specialises in high-quality personalised stationery. Look out for her new-season Christmas collection, which features a rather lovely line-up of Advent calendars, wrapping paper and gift tags.



Hunkydory Home
Launched in 2005, Hunky Dory Home is the antidote to boring beige interiors, with a vibrant range of own-brand lampshades and cushions. All pieces are hand-made, and they also offer a made-to-order service if you’re after something completely unique. They also stock a handpicked range of design-led products to accompany their own designs. I love the hand-silk-screened sausage dog and Brit-themed cushions (1 and 4), crown teapot (2), and Brown Owl lampshade.

Sugalily
A very sweet one-stop design boutique, Sugalily specialises in luxe hand-finished, vintage-inspired stationery, greeting cards and wedding invitations. This is no cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all operation, with each product featuring a signature vintage embellishment, like cream daisy-lace edging, diamante buttons and ribbons. Sugalily also offers a bespoke design service for everything from business cards and logos to re-branding and social stationery.

Sponsored post: Kitty and Polly

Check out some of the latest handmade lovelies that have just arrived at Wee Birdy sponsor Kitty and Polly’s online shop.

 

The new collection of handbags and clutches, all handmade in the UK, feature super-sweet details like ric-rac trim, corsages, flower buttons and vintage fabric linings. The jewel-toned satin bags with big flouncy bows are also perfect for summer parties and evening dos!

There’s also a really lovely line-up of hand-made hair accessories. Each petal is individually cut and sewn by hand, and come in a variety of colour combinations. I've spotted quite a few hair accessories on the high street and these are just a snip at £14 each. You could also pin them to a cardie or a hat for an extra pop of colour and texture.

Kitty and Polly are currently offering a 10 per cent discount off all purchases placed between now and the end of June, with all orders going into a prize draw to win goregeous handmade hair accessory. Click here for all details.

Sponsored post: Kitty and Polly

Vintage screen-printed purse, made using organic Fair Trade cotton, £8, from Kitty and Polly.

I hate to nag but it’s Mother’s Day in the UK on March 22, so now is the time to make a considered purchase well in advance. Whatever you do, don’t leave it ‘til the last minute, or you’ll end up freaking out and buying a plastic-wrapped box of toiletries foulness.

I may be predictable but handmade is best, and Wee Birdy’s newest sponsor, Kitty and Polly, is just the (online) place to find the perfect gift.

Vintage “Clarissa” screen-printed shopping bag, left, and "Viola", right, hand-made using organic Fair Trade cotton, £10.

Kitty and Polly specialise in gifts and accessories handmade in the UK, with a heavenly range of jewellery, bags, bath products and homewares. The prices are extremely reasonable, too. And they’ve just had a delivery of brand new products, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Here are more of my favourite picks:

Handmade tea cosy, £20.

Wheat and lavender screen-printed hottie, made using organic Fair Trade cotton, £22.

Handmade brooch, using recycled materials, £20.

Sign up to their newsletter now, and get 15% off your next purchase.

Sponsored birdy post: Hello!Lucky

Three cheers for the newest addition to the Wee Birdy nest, Hello!Lucky. As regular readers may recall, I’m quite a fan of their endearing retro-inspired designs and stunning letterpress invitations, which have also captured the attention of U.S. glossies including Martha Stewart Weddings, InStyle, Real Simple, Marie Claire and InStyle Weddings.

 

Based in San Francisco - with another office in London - Hello!Lucky offers some of the very best stationery available online, including the most unique wedding invitations, greeting cards, personalised stationery and baby announcements.

Founded by sisters and best friends Eunice and Sabrina Moyle in 2003, (that’s them looking gorgeous below) the company is ultimately renowned for its unique personalised letterpress stationery. Read all about their letterpress process here. But if you're on a tight budget, their new digital printing line is a more affordable option.

Eunice and Sabrina, sans-moustache


Eunice and Sabrina, with moustache

Hello!Lucky just launched a unique range of destination wedding invitations featuring exclusive designs by another Wee Birdy favourite, Lab Partners. Naturally, the London invitation featuring the Routemaster, scooters and Eros is my pick of the bunch, but other fabulous wedding destinations include New York, Hawaii and San Francisco.

 

The website is also the go-to for the most adorable range of Valentine’s Day cards. I love the brilliant Simpsons-inspired “I choo-choo choose you” card designed by Kate Sutton (a reference to the card Lisa gave a rather lovesick Ralph Wiggum).

If you’re more of a crafty type and like making your own cards, you should check out their new-ish DIY book Handmade Hellos. Giving naff paper-crafting QVC-style a wide berth, the book is packed with loads of cool card projects to inspire a “wardrobe” of your very hand-made designs. And while you're at it, you might like to have a peek at Hello!Lucky's crafty and design-inspired blog - it's quite addictive reading.