Easter Weekend

The new year starts and we talk of Easter as a date in the future that we work towards when the season for shows and markets starts to get busy. There are always plans, great and small of what we are going to do this year, how the stall will look, what we will change...... but guess what, Easter is next week and..... . Well there are some new additions to the business, we have a small collection of fabric fat quarters and patchwork squares cut from vintage materials, beads and buttons for your own craft projects. Plus all the favourites new and old for you to browse through.

Easter weekend is also the Watchet 'Festival of the Sea' with loads of fantastic activities around the town. We are having a stall at the craft market in the West Somerset Hotel on the Easter Saturday and Sunday. Come along and enjoy the fun in the beautiful coastal setting of our great little harbour town of Watchet in Somerset. We look forward to meeting you there.

Dare we say SPRING is here!

What beautiful sunny days we've had the past week or so. Our first market day of the year in Taunton was wonderful. It was lovely to meet up with old and new customers. It's still a bit chilly, but here in Watchet the clear skies have been gorgeous. Days like these can be infuriating though. I want to do everything at once and end up not knowing where to start. Loads of new ideas and designs keep making their way up to the top of a big pile of ideas already in the process. At least I can't say I've not got anything to do.

Rubbish Ideas

One of the first policies we had for Keepers Makers when we first started the business was that we would not use plastic carrier bags for customers purchases. That was in 2005 when it wasn't so in 'vogue' so to speak and we have never given them out to this day.

Some paper bags we had did look a bit like chinese takeaway bags and it was difficult finding something that looked a bit different. We then came across recycled newspaper bags that are made in India by an NGO that supports children who make their living around Dehli railway station, providing education and somewhere to stay. These bags are really popular and everybody likes them.

Some customers keep them for a gift bag, which is fantastic as secondary use from a recycled product extends the sustainability even further. We've also been testing how they biodegrade by using them as our compost collectors. All our teabags, peelings, apple cores etc all go into our worn out newspaper bags and when full the whole lot go into the compost. No mucky containers to scrape out.!!

The only problem was that we had to sit it in a container as the bottom might not stay intact if we took to long to fill up the bag. They break down quite happily in the garden compost and also help to stop the compost getting too sludgy.

Happy composting!!

What a load of rubbish!

I don't know if you managed to catch a glimpse of a news item last week which mentioned a brilliant family who managed to reduce their yearly rubbish to just one dustbin full, ( and it wasn't jam packed full either.) news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8483404.stm

They had worked really hard to achieve that goal and full credit to them.

Even though I've held recycling workshops I haven't reduced my waste that much.

I agree that consumer pressure should make our large companies supply their goods in more environmental packaging, but I don't believe it is entirely our responsibility.

Design is not just the pretty bits!! It's not just about making money!!

This family's goal is to have no rubbish next year, and we should all follow their example, but wouldn't it be nice if we were all given the help that our hard earned money to buy these goods, deserves.

2010 Turn Around

Well even though the news today says that the country is officially out of recession, just, I think there are many positive factors that should not be overlooked when times are hard. Frugality and thrift have been high on many agendas and it has made people rethink unsustainable habits.

I've been running small workshops, showing ideas of how to recycle textiles and materials that would otherwise been thrown out. Many have enjoyed learning a new craft such as crocheting, and there is something quite satisfying making something out of nothing.

It also struck me having textile classes has given a very strong message for Fair Trade. I've been involved for some years promoting the Fair Trade message, but nothing has given a greater impact than when learners realised the length of time a bag or craft project takes to make. It certainly re-establishes that value for Makers, and treasures for Keepers are qualities that we cannot lose and that when times are good we cannot go back to 'buy it then chuck it'. The turn around this year means new paths for all of us to follow.