Thoughtful Gift Bundles

If you have finished your Christmas shopping, please put your feet up and scroll on. Perhaps you are struggling through your list and trying to find a present that is useful and meaningful. I enjoy building up a present bundle and try include something homemade, local or from a small business. Many handmade businesses have closed their order books, however a few will have still have some ready made offerings available for Christmas delivery.

The Foodie Gift

Start with a beautiful mug. I particularly like these from Harlie Brown Studio and Florence Mytum. Hand turned mugs feel lovely to hold and drink from. You could then add coffee from your local roaster (Yallah and Forty One are our local favourites) or some homemade biscuits (these are an alternative to gingerbread). Throw in some Poppy and Honesty linen napkins and you have built an excellent present bundle.

The Bedtime Gift

A handmade pillowcase from Poppy and Honesty is a real treat. Liberty Tana Lawn Cotton feels like silk but can be thrown in the laundry with everything. Add an essential oil such as a lavender blend and choose in a nice book. These are very personal and can be difficult to get right, however everybody loves a classic with a beautiful jacket. You cannot go wrong with Virago Modern Classics and I would be delighted if I was given these limited edition novels by E.M Forster illustrated by Luke Edward Hall.

The Traveler’s Treat

Whenever I go overseas, I like to take a guidebook, a map and a notebook. if you have a friend that is planning a trip why not get them the latest Lonely Planet Guide and a little moleskin to write down notes and recommendations. These will make lovely souvenirs ,long after the holiday is over. Add a linen storage bag which can be used for laundry and you have the perfect gift for your traveling friends.

Have you got any tips for Christmas shopping? Especially for people with ‘all the stuff’?

Sending you festive energy.

Sophie xx

FREE UK SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING WITH THE CODE : LASTSLEIGH2024

Linen Storage Bag in Granny Smith

The Ups and Downs of running a small business

I’ve been running Poppy and Honesty for over 11 years and it has certainly been a fairground ride, specifically the ‘spinning tea cups’, which is supposed to be sedate but actually makes you feel a bit wobbly at times. Who would have thought that tinkering with beautiful fabric combinations and turning them into life long treasures could actually have a downside?

To be honest there are many fantastic aspects of running this gig. It’s very exciting when a new fabric arrives from Liberty of London and designing our own linens is a fun and creative process. I also get to hang out with my adored spaniel in our Sail Loft and generally choose my working hours. Our little corner of Falmouth is bursting with nice cafes and people always ready for a chat which makes the solitary nature of my role more fun. Our sewing team are all local, but choose to work in their own spaces and on their own timelines to fit in with other commitments. Flexible working keeps the team happy which reflects the quality of their work.

The scary part of running Poppy and Honesty is getting through low sale periods and trying to maintain some sort of equanimity. I am not very good at this and tend to spiral into a panic of ‘what ifs’ and googling dead stock outlets. Covid was booming for Poppy and Honesty and gave us a false sense of high productivity and sales. Inevitably when the furlow funds dried up, it wasn’t so great. To get us through hard times, I need to cement the fact that there will always be people who appreciate good craftsmanship and will support local, sustainable and small businesses.

I am truly grateful to you all for supporting Poppy and Honesty. All your sales, words and messages of encouragement keep this little boat bobbing along.

Sophie x

Oh We Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside!

Poppy and Honesty is based in Falmouth, Cornwall on the far west coast of the UK. Our studio is a sail loft and I can see the waves lapping at the quay as I type this post. We receive so many messages asking us where we have a shop front or offer wholesale, however for the time being the only place that you will find our lovely products is by the sea here in Falmouth. We love to welcome visitors for a look around our studio, have a chat and a cup of tea. Please contact us for an appointment first (so that we can have a bit of a tidy up a bit and make sure we are actually here).

Photo : Sarah Jane Humphries

Falmouth is a vibrant town during all times of the year. In the summer the streets are crowded with pasty eating holiday makers or enthusiastic shanty singers, however for the rest of the year Falmouth hosts university students who bring creativity and fun to an otherwise sleepy town. My preference would be to avoid the crowds and visit Falmouth out of season. Here are some of my top recommendations,

Eating

Stones Bakery : The towns finest bread and pastries. Carb-load in their cosy cafe until 4pm.

Espressini : The all day breakfast menu is always creative and the coffee is superb.

Nude Canteen : For healthy poke bowls and not-too-naughty cakes head to Nude Canteen up on the Moor.

The Star and Garter : This pub has a gorgeous view over the harbour and serves food that is sourced locally for lunch and dinner. One of our favourites,

Shopping

Love and Honor : Beautifully curated homewares shop with treats from Amuse La Bouche and Casa Cubista. Marie Clare also pours her own candles and there are often beautiful bunches of flowers for sale outside.

Willow and Stone : If you are looking for a gift for a tricky person, this is the best place to go. They also have a fantastic range of front door furniture and their Christmas window always rivals those on Regents Street.

Bosuns Locket : This outdoorsy sailing shop for ruggedy types, offers high quality goods and I love their Scandinavian jumpers and backpacks.

Things to Do

The Poly : Our independent Arts Centre hosts local artists and regularly shows films and bands. The Poly Shop offers a gorgeous selection of handmade treasures by local artists.

The Cornish Bank : This vibrant venue is the place for fun in the evenings. As well as pop up food vendors, they host a range of bands and stand up artists.

Morgans : Art and Design gallery in a beautifully restored Georgian building. Stunning selection of contemporary art and ceramics from local craftspeople.

Obviously the best thing to do in Falmouth is walk along our beautiful harbour and discover the pretty coves. Please come and visit our Cornish town and say hello to us at our Sail Loft.

Sophie xx

From top to bottom.

Ruffle Cushion in Florence, Ruffle Cushion in Liberty Fabric Wiltshire and Ruffle Cushion in Granny Smith.

Small Shop Directory : Home

Ceramics

Marigold and Lettuce create beautiful chunky white china. I love the way you can see the potters’ thumbprints in each piece. Best of all you can throw everything in the dishwasher which is a massive win in my book.

Florence Mytum. If you are a fan of wobbly china you will love Florence Mytum’s mugs and candle holders. I have the gorgeous wiggle mugs in the studio, they are robust and everyone admires them. Florence is a ceramic artist based in East London.

EOT Ceramics are all handmade in Cornwall. Emily’s designs are perfect someone who favors a paired back Scandinavian aesthetic. We particularly love the dimple mugs. Keep a look out for EOT’s winter collection launching on 13th November

Textiles

In Casa by Paboy : Paboy crafts the most beautiful cushions, towels and other accessories from vibrant cottons expertly patch-worked together. Each piece is a work of art. Paboy has the most astonishing and inspiring story and this is definitely a fantastic small business to support this Christmas.

Sunday and Story : Alongside sourcing amazing rugs from around the world, Josephine has a lovely selection of smaller pieces such as wool pouffes, pretty jute placemats and Kilm Cushions.

Poppy and Honesty : From pouches to huge scalloped edged quilts, we have a gift for almost everyone. All of our textiles are handmade from start to finish in Cornwall from Liberty fabrics, our exclusive linens and velvets. Please check our lead times for bedding sets and quilts.

Cards and Art Prints

Mimi Dickson : Mimi is the queen of beautiful tiny illustrations featuring little nostalgic joys such as Penguin Classics and jars of Marmite. Mimi makes beautiful cards and personally I would rather send x5 of her special creations that x50 generic Christmas cards from Tescos.

Charlotte Farmer : Bold coloured screenprints and wild designs (some even glow in the dark). These prints would be the perfect gift for someone with a sense of humour and a colourful home.

Rosie Harbottle : Gentle watercolour and pastel prints of still life compositions and more stylised images. Based in Dartmoor, Rosie’s beautiful paintings and prints are so pretty and nostalgic.

Other lovely things

The Appreciation Project : Natasha stocks the most beautiful selection of dried flowers which will look lovely and delicate on your mantlepiece even when the fire’s roaring and the heating’s wacked up. The Appreciation Project also sources the most exquisite marble vases.

Folie Chambre : Alongside beautiful bobbin mirrors and lamps, Natalie also makes candle holders and christmas decorations. Folie Chambre is known for amazing British craftsmanship as beautiful antique treasures.

I totally understand that shopping exclusively from small brands is not budget friendly for most families, however I hope that there is a small way you can support little independent businesses this Christmas. Please add your favourite small brands to the comments below, we’d love to know where you find your treasures.

Sophie xxx

Meet The Maker - Eddie and Bee

As part of March Meet The Maker month, Poppy and Honesty is celebrating some of our favourite crafty businesses.  We can testify that all the makers (movers and shakers) featured here, have excellent products and come highly recommended. These blog post give you a little window into the livelihoods of small business owners. Frequently they are mothers working at kitchen tables, snatching a moment to make something beautiful and some much needed dosh. Small businesses frequently offer women the opportunity to work flexibly at home as other professional doors are sadly closed to them after having a family. Although your goodies may not arrive at the click of your Amazon prime fingers, small businesses offer a much more personal service, a better product and you will in fact get more bang for your buck. 

Today we meet  Jo, the life force behind Eddie and Bee, a beautiful handmade children's clothes company based near Winchester.  Eddie and Bee is also part of the Lobella Loves platform, a website that makes donations to mental health charities with every purchase made. 

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Eddie and Bee Cotton Organic Leggings in Enchanted Unicorns

Growing up I always knew what I wanted to be. I wanted to be a fashion designer and I wanted to train at Central Saint Martins, because that’s where John Galliano and Hussein Chalayan studied. So I did. I studied women's wear fashion design and then went on to work a design and production assistant. 

Eddie and Bee Embroidered Frieda Dress

The reality of being a designer was very different to the 3 years of creativity I experienced when training ( and I fell in love and followed my now husband to the south coast) so I left London to become an Early years teacher.

What sets our clothes apart are the carefully selected unique prints and high quality natural fabrics and simple design.I make sure that all of our leggings are made from organic cotton jersey and use low impact dyes. All of our other fabrics are sourced from a high quality producer of Japanese printed fabric and are printed in small volumes which adds to the rarity and uniqueness of the fabric and helps to distinguish our clothing from mass market, high volume competitor. 

I know I speak for makers everywhere when I say that every time you guys place an order , we have a little flutter and a new spring in our step.

Thank you

Sophie xxx

Fairy Tale

Talented stylist Selena Mitchell from Iggy Mint London created a beautiful fairy tale photo shoot for Poppy and Honesty. The photographs include our bespoke quilt in Liberty of London classic print 'Betsy' with the softest washed linen and a pom pom trim. We hope you enjoy this dreamy series of fairytale images. 

Handmade Liberty Print Moon : Just Acorn

Handmade Lamb : Just Acorn

Canopy : Sebra Interior Furniture : Habitat Cuddly Hippo Jelly Cat  Handmade dolls and Liberty Print Moon  : Just Acorn Bespoke quilt and cushion : Poppy and Honesty

Photography and Styling : Iggy Mint London

There's no business like small business

This blog did not quite make it in time for Small Business Saturday, however it's never too late to support awesome independent shops.  I'm as guilty as the next person of loading up my e-basket in  Amazon or John Lewis; and ticking everyone off my list with one big self-satisfied click (JL is infact my spirit home). However, supporting local businesses not only boosts our local economy, but makes your Christmas booty so much more interesting and unique. Independent shops generally offer a much more personal service and you're more likely to find something for those folk who seem to have it all.  So even if the bulk of your loot comes courtesy of the big green lorry, make sure you snaffle up some goodies from a lovely independent. There are way too many to mention here, but if you haven't done all your christmas shopping have a little look at these guys....

Lady Bakewell Park

Lady B is a self taught baker of the most FABULOUS biscuits that you will ever see, along with lots of other yummy pastry things. Her original marbled iced biscuits feature brilliant, nostalgic and sometimes hilarious lyrics from your favourite hits, as well as witty dittys for engagements, new mamas, Christmas and other occasions. You can gift someone a biscuit subscription (hint hint), order personalised biccies or selection boxes. Biscuits definitely bring comfort and joy in my house and these ones are the shizzle. Last orders for Christmas, Monday December 12th.

Willow and Stone

Willow and Stone is not your average knocker shop. Specialising in front door furniture they sell beautiful fittings in brass, bronze and nickel as well many other home accessories. From the sweetest Maileg bunnies to antique door bells, this is a well curated independent shop where you are sure to find something for everyone.

Little Leggies

This is the place for luxury kidswear. Little Leggies offers gorgeous cashmere baby and children's clothes. However if (like me) you are way too self centred to buy the good stuff for the little nippers, they have GORGEOUS cashmere jumpers for women. I have one and I am very in love with it; no bobbling and it has remained soft and sumptuous after lots of wear and tear, jumpy puppies and me being generally slovenly with tea and dunking activities. Send their link to your nearest and dearest. They are quite a treat so you'd better start grovelling, it will be worth it.

Thank you for supporting our small business and to my fellow small bizz folk, keep on rocking. I have tagged a selection of my faves below.

Sophie xxxxx

Kids stuff: Eclectic Bambino  Beautiful Botanical Illustration: Sarah Jane Humphrey 

Home accessories: The People Shop  Biscuit cushions: Nikki Mcwilliams

Plants and their accessories: Toro Studio  Cool kids toys: The Kid Who

Little girls hair bows: Willow and Ivy 

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