Thank you
Thanksgiving is currently rolling out on tables across the US (and around the world as well), so here’s a timely thank you to some of my favourite vendors. Without this lovely lot, my gift collection, jewellery box, kitchen cupboards and comfy sofas would not be the same. I say vendors, but these women are all good friends, hence listing them by name as well as company. So without further ado, here they are in no particular order.
• Karen from Good Wash Day – these organic cotton jersey hair towels have found their way to 27 countries (and 37 US states), so you can imagine how many heads they’ve covered. Karen is committed to driving a sustainable and ethical business, and her products (towels, pouches, wash cloths) are genuinely lovely. The soft, reusable towels aren’t just for curly girls, and they make great gifts. I have three so far, all doing a great job of drying my flyaway locks. Plus they pack down small for holiday use. Thank you Karen!
• Kate from Kitty Holmes – I can never have enough of these sustainably fab, cotton-luxe gorgeous cushions, wash bags, quilts and napkins from another of my favourite small businesses. Kate creates all designs, which are then made in a worker-friendly company in Bali. You can easily wash the covers, interchanging them for different looks (mine change on rotation depending on the season, and the amount of cat-hair that needs de-fluffing). Soft napkins always get a nod of approval from guests: again, a great pressy option. Thanks always, Kitty.
• Sophie from SPbySophie – over on Etsy and Amazon, Sophie’s greetings cards come out at this time of year to deck my friend’s halls with brilliant designs. Choose from Rudolph, a wreath, a tree or a sprig of holly, and note how the baubles are different colours from card to card. My favourite? Hard to say, and depends on the recipient. If you share my silly sense of humour you’ll probably get a reindeer. Otherwise, can’t beat a colourful wreath.
• Pam and Rob from OliveOlive – these two produce olive oil products from Pam’s family’s farm in Cyprus. I’ve always got a bottle of their chilli oil handy, and several packs of halloumi in the freezer for quick snacks and last-minute barbies in summer. Catch them during farmer’s market season, or order online. Prompt service, beautifully packaged and so yummy. Thanks, you two!
• Morena from Kodes – not just because she’s my Italian namesake! Morena’s jewellery has seen me through several leopard-print-themed days, one gorgeous Chelsea wedding, and several other events where only a stunning bit of acrylic or silicone jewellery will do. Plus she ran such a clever workshop last month that resulted in us all making our own oil-diffuser bracelets. Grazie mille, Morena!
• Martha from The Colour File – colour colour colour! If you haven’t yet found her on Insta, then get your shades on before you go looking, because this page is ALL about colour. I’ve just framed one of Martha’s stamp prints, I adore my bus ticket tea towel, and I’m always stocked up with a year-round supply of greeting and Christmas cards from her collection, which is as far from generic as you can get. Thanks for all the rainbows, Martha.
• Isabelle from XV Stripes – my table runner from this gorgeous homewares company is on a rolling boil between guest feeds, because it’s the only thing I want to put out in terms of table settings (that, and my Kitty Holmes napkins, obvs). It’s equally lovely with my posh Murano glasses or as a cornflake-catcher. Izzey is based on the Isle of Wight, but look out for her at pop-ups on the mainland. Thanks for the beautiful bits, Izzey.
Footnote: While we’re on the subject of Thanksgiving I’m adding a mention of my ex-colleague and now firm friend Jason, whose book Made You Look! came out this summer. I was one of his readers and it was great to get a little mention – thank you, Jason.
The birth of this great coffee table tome was a process. Jason had moved to LA from the leafy enclave of London’s Chiswick several years ago, and was struck by the inventive billboards lining the roads. He developed a billboard blog, which attracted a lot of attention, swiftly became a business, and in turn led to this book. The wording is as clever as the advertising hoardings, perfect captions matching great graphics.
Well done Mr M on getting all that signage into one big book, and thanks for always keeping in touch across the miles.
Main image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay (thanks, Ryan). Oh, and if you can help me caption these pictures (Squarespace 7.0 Native template, FYI) then I’ll be extra thankful.
