Gifts by DesignedMade ...

DesignedMade was launched in 2009 by Product Designer Jonathan Krawczuk. The intention was to create products that were simple, striking and 100% designed and made in Britain. Committed to supporting the UK's craft and manufacturing industries, DesignedMade combines modern designs with the skills of traditional manufacturing. Today's post showcases some of the their exciting new designs.

The Tarantula Tea Light was first launched in 2009. A unique design, each one creates a stunning sunbeam-style shadow when the candle is lit. With a little grouping of Tarantula's the effect becomes even more intricate as the shadows mingle together. Originally available in black, red, yellow, green and blue the Tarantula's are now available in a classic white - the perfect elegant touch to set off the strong sculptural lines.

These next images are from DesignedMade's Steel Molecular range. Custom designed bowls and coasters, which are punched from mild steel. The pattern is a graphic representation of iron and carbon atoms that join together to create the molecular structure of steel. The Steel Molecular collection is available in red, yellow, blue and green; a fun yet elegant design that is educating you and looks good.

I love how much care and attention has gone into creating these products. From unusual and quirky inspiration Jonathan has created a collection of stylish homeware gifts. If you want to see more or purchase directly you can find all you need at the DesignedMade website. Prices start from £15 for your very own Tarantula. Click here to go straight there.

Children's Designer Shoes by Vevian ...

Vevienne is a shoe designer crafting the perfect children's shoes for special occasions. Since designing her first pair of shoes for her daughter's first birthday, Vevienne has gone on to create an entire collection for her company Vevian. The shoes are wearable on special occasions and provide a unique, personal memento from that day forward. Each pair of shoes is designed and handcrafted in the UK from locally sourced materials ... butter soft leathers that are supple enough to protect tiny feet, finished with high quality ribbons and ruffle embellishments. The collection contains both classic and fashion forward designs for girls and boys. Each pair of shoes is presented in a wooden box lined with beautiful fabric allowing the shoes to be treasured forever.

Jessica in pink, £85.

Jessica in white, £85.

Leo in blue, £85.

Salame in pink, £84.

Leanne in red, £84.

Jacob in blue, £95.

To see the whole collection of designer children's shoes by Vevian pop along to the official website. Click here to go straight there.

If you're a designer / maker and would like to see your cards or gifts featured here please get in touch (there's a contact tab at the top of the page or you can email me directly). I promise to be friendly and as punctual as any unorganised person can be.

Gifts: Uncommonly Beautiful ...

Today's post is a bit special as we've got a sneak peek at some gorgeous new jewellery from Uncommonly Beautiful. The pieces are straight from their new autumn / winter collection and will be available to purchase online soon.

The collection utilises quality wood and leathers reclaimed from the furniture industry, combined with vintage chains and beads. Prints and patterns decorate the jewellery pieces with baroque inspirations and shapes are derived from architectural and art deco forms. The colours provide a varied palette with rich berry tones against mustard and grey; bright blues and reds with vibrant green and grey accents. Each of the designs is finished with quirky industrial touches in the form of brass rivets and hinges. Take a look ...

More information about Uncommonly Beautiful can be found on their website. Keep an eye on the online shop so you can be first in line when these new pieces are launched. To give you an idea of potential prices all the designs in the current collections are under £50. Click here to visit the Uncommonly Beautiful website.

Gifts: Oryx and Crake Designs ...

Oryx and Crake is the work of designer Jee Bundy, an industrial designer and crafter based in Rochester, New York. Today's post features some of her beautiful, handmade clocks; a collection of intricate silhouette designs that have been screen printed or laser cut using beautiful bamboo wood. Take a look ...

A 10" clock printed matte white with an elaborate pattern to signify the hours and minutes. Retails at $50.

This clock explores the beauty of positive and negative spaces found in nature. Measuring 8"the clock is $40.

A minimal, modern design this clock measures 10" and is laser cut with numerical silhouettes. This design retails at $50.

The final image in an oval design measuring 12" x 14". Available to ship worldwide the oval clock is $65. Like all of the Oryx and Crake designs the clock is finished with a clear stain to protect and enhance the natural look of the wood. These clocks really stood out the first time I came across them and I think they make a lovely homeware gift. To see more from the collection check out the Oryx and Crake online shop.

Gifts: ToDryFor ...

Hi All, I thought it would be nice to start the week with a fun gift idea. 'ToDryFor' is husband and wife team Dave & Sally who run an online boutique that specialises in designer tea towels - perfect for brightening a home, displaying as art ... even drying up spills.

Launched in 2008, ToDryFor has sourced over 100 tea towels from numerous designers as well as commissioning their own collection of artists to create special ToDryFor designs. Through these cute tea towel gifts Sally & Dave promote established and 'up & coming' artists and illustrators. With so many designs to choose from you're bound to find one or several that will make a fab, fun & original gift.

All of the range are available to purchase online and range in price between £7.50 - £12.00. Towels measure approximately 48cm x 76cm and are printed on 100% cotton. Click here to take a peek at all of the designs available.

To find out more about ToDryFor and pick out a tea towel or two pop over to the official ToDryFor website.

Apologies ...

Hi All, Apologies for missing yesterday's post; unfortunately I'm a little under the weather at the moment. There's been lots of lying down with a hot water bottle and not much time devoted to blogging I'm afraid. I hope to be back in the next few days. I have been on a bit of a gift-gathering exercise recently so there are lots of brilliant designers to show off as a result!  If in the meantime you want to get in touch please use the form on the contact page. I will get back to all enquiries as soon as possible. For now I'm going back to have another go at the R&R option. See you soon. Charlotte x

Gifts: Linda Bloomfield ...

It seems like a while since we last had any ceramic gifts on the blog so I am really pleased that today we have some beautiful homewares ... a great gift idea for pottery fans. Linda Bloomfield makes hand-thrown porcelain tableware with colourful satin Matt glaze on the outside and fresh colours on the inside. 

Linda's collection includes cake stands, teapots, jugs, bowls, cups and saucers. Previously Linda has created tableware collections for Liberty and David Mellor.

All of Linda's work is created from her garden studio in west London. Pots are hand-thrown and decorated with hand made glazes to create subtle textures and variations in the colours. In 2011 Linda has been creating a new collection of colours to be used in the range.

I love the shapes and form that Linda uses in the collection. Many of the designs are created with their own 'dimples'; highlighting the handmade style of the pieces and giving them a tactile quality.

All of the items shown on today's blog post can be purchased online from Linda's website. The images show: pouring bowl, £20; cup and saucer, £38; teapots £50 - £70; dimpled bottle, £20 and cosy mugs, £25.

Click here to take a wander over to Linda's website to find out more and feel free to leave a comment below - I'd love to hear what you think.

Gifts: JHill Design ...

I thought we could start the week with some bright and bold prints that would make great gifts for fans of design and pattern. JHill Design is a small design studio located in Boston, MA, behind the prints is Jennifer Hill creating rich, vibrant, multi-layered patterns. Jennifer trained in graphic design and art history at the Massachusetts College of Art and went on to establish JHill Design in 2005. Today we've got some images from Jennifer's collection of prints. 

Animal Alphabet is a series of 26 designs from 'A is for Aardvark' to 'Z is for Zebu'. Inspired by modern quilts and illuminated manuscripts the layers of pattern give each of the designs a sophisticated look that raises them above normal alphabet prints. Designs use archival inkjet print on a photo matte paper. Measuring 9" x 9" the framed prints retail at $50 and are available to be shipped worldwide.

The City Prints collection has used vintage travel posters as a starting point; each has then been given a historical twist. The print includes details an interesting year from the history of the state or country depicted. The Alaska print for example commemorates the year when gold was first found in Alaska. Buzz words are weaved into the print including nugget, panning and sparkle - perfect for a gold rush! All of the prints also contain a longitude and latitude point. There are currently 14 designs in the collection; you could choose a home location or go with a far flung place you've always wanted to visit. Prints start from $20.

If you like what you see, you'll love the collection. Grab a cuppa and go see the whole collection. Click here to go straight to the JHill Design online store.

Calling All Designers!!
If you are a designer / maker or work in the card or gift industry and would like to see your work featured on Card & Gift Blog get in touch. Go to the contact page at the top of the site and leave me a message ... you can even load pictures to show off your fab card and gifts!

Cards: Milk and Cookies ...

For fans of greetings cards and illustrators we have some really cute and charming designs today from Milk and Cookies. The artist behind the designs is Tali Gal-on an illustrator, designer & animator based in Melbourne, Australia. Take a look, see what you think & don't forget to leave me a comment (I do like a good comment) ... 

I think the elements that first drew me to the Milk and Cookies range were the characters Tali has created and how they work on different levels. The illustrations are fun and sweet for kids and at the same time are sharp and modern for an older audience. Many of the designs could easily be used for a variety of occasions from birthdays & thank you to hellos & I love you.  

The greetings cards are beautifully printed on heavy weight 300gsm textured card. Blank inside, there's plenty of room for your own message you could even use them to write a letter to a loved one - much better than plain writing paper! All of the Milk and Cookies cards are A6 in size and have been matched with a bright red envelope.

Milk and Cookies greetings cards are available to purchase online priced $5.50 each, 3 for $12 or 6 for $22. There are lots of fab art prints too. Click here to go to the online store.

Gifts: My Salvation Jewellery ...

Today we're featuring designs from My Salvation Jewellery. Designer Dana Valente is passionate about finding a new use for once loved treasures and creates organically inspired jewellery from recycled, salvaged, vintage or antique materials and treasures. The designs feature a variety of materials carved from real bone or horn, deer antler sheds, leathers, feathers, sea shells, insects, natural crystals, stones and much more. The designs are incredibly unique often showing the signs of their former lives in tiny imperfections, which add to their stunning look.

It was this statement necklace that first drew me to the My Salvation range and made me want to see more. Dana has combined together a collection of discarded trinkets and natural materials to form an amazing necklace. The back of the necklace is made from a large links of steel chain, which are secured at the front with a vintage brass lanyard hook. $88.

This necklace uses reclaimed materials to create tri-colored graduated pendulum spikes in distressed colors of brass, copper and matte silver. The spikes are hung on a vintage brass chain, which is also aged and discoloured in places adding to the mix of beautiful colours. $62.

Five egg shaped quality Rainforest Jasper stones are the focus of this design. Primarily green with speckles of other colours they have been teamed with dead-stock vintage chains in gold, gunmetal, silver, brass and copper. A unique bracelet that would make a gorgeous gift. $48.

These earrings mix together rustic silver arrowhead charms and elements of vintage brass chevron chain; the result is an ornate design with the charm of a vintage piece yet retaining the modern feel you get with upcycled designs. The earrings are just under 3 inches from the top of the brass ear wire to the tip of the arrowhead. $36.

The last image from the collection is a gathering of found items, inspired by the items you may pick up on your travels. A vintage skeleton key, one perfect clear quartz crystal and one rough lava stone nugget. Components are hung from gunmetal plated brass chains graduated at 16, 18, and 22 inches that have been layered to make a standalone design. Combined together it's a wonderful statement piece that retains a simple, modern look. $42.

All of the pieces from My Salvation Jewellery are available to buy online & ship worldwide from their home near Pittsburgh, PA. Click here to go straight to the online store.