STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: hen & hammock

The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

Just before I leave the country for a summer break I would like to put the stockist spotlight on Hen & Hammock, a succesfull online gardening, home and outdoor lifestyle shop. They are based in Moreton, Oxfordshire (UK). I love their honest concept, their well chosen assortment, their style...

Owner Andrew Jones, mowing the lawn together with his daughter Katie.

Hen & Hammock: webshop - blog - twitter

When did you start your webstore and what made you decide to start it?
It was a time-of-life thing. Time to stop commuting to the big city and time to spend more time in the garden. The former was achieved very early on. The latter is still an aspiration!

What choices do you make when you purchase new products?
When we look at new products we have two priorities. The first is that the product needs to look good and be practical. Beauty alone is not enough, neither is functionality. We search for nice looking products that serve a purpose.
The second is that products should make the world a better place. This can’t always be achieved, but we should try by asking the right questions and by favouring producers that share our values.


What is the most beautiful part of your work and what part just ‘comes with the job’?
There are lots of rewards in what we do. Helping producers by buying their products is enormously rewarding. We also donate 10% of our profits to causes we feel strongly about, which is very satisfying. This year we gave £500 to the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which is striving to reverse the decline in the bumblebee population
The biggest challenge for us is getting products from some of our producers in a timely fashion. We don’t like letting our customers down with the words ‘Out of Stock’.


Which Hen and Hammock products would you like to show to us?

Kettle watering cans, because they show what fun practical gifts can be made from recycled plastic.

Picnic blankets, made from new wool waste. There is something very appealing about having a unique colourway. And they are a good excuse for a picnic!

Seed trays. These simple trays are made locally from waste wood and make germinating seeds all the more satisfying.

Paper maché bowls. The cooperative which makes these bowls is inspiring, as are their designs.

Is there any article that is produced almost uniquely for your shop?
The scarecrow kits are unique to Hen and Hammock. We collect the coffee sacks, which would otherwise go into landfill, and assemble the kits in house.

What are the items you took home from work?
Every day at this time of year I use one of our recycled tyre trugs for collecting weeds.
And later in the year, one of our Sussex trugs for collecting vegetables.


What do you expect to be a real trend for the future in your business?
I think product provenance will move to centre stage. It is already important for food, and will become increasingly important for the gift market. A gift is so much more if you can show who made it, where and how.


What will you be doing in five years? What is your ultimate dream?
We are living the dream already. I hope to be doing the same in 5 years!

Thanks so much Andrew, for this little peek in your green paradise!

I wish you all a wonderful summer, with nice relaxing garden work. And of course: For tools and other great stuff, made with love go to Hen & Hammock and use the discount code on the coupon below. Enjoy!

DIY rope swirl tapestry

This morning my heart started beating faster when I visited Handmade Charlotte's blog and discovered this amazing rope swirl tapestry. It is handmade by the display team from the Free People store in Philadelphia US. Untill the 5th of July you could list for the give away of this piece of art. How could I have missed this?
Hooray: Free People has written a clear tutorial for making this tapestry. And I think it is even more fun to make one (in your own style) than to win one!

just wandering

Oh, how I missed doing this on a quiet Sunday morning. I have been working so hard lately - even in the weekends - that I almost forgot what a relaxing joy it is to just wander a bit through the internet, looking for colourful food for the soul.
I adore the above kind of hip Waldorf (Rudolf Steiner) style: organic geometric shapes (wooden chrystals), soft pastels, and natural materials. Necklaces and pendants by the designers of the Italian Studio Fludd, who call these gems 'simple but not dull'.

The pots above haven't been in the ceramics oven, they are made of 100% biodegradable cellulose and are air dried! I love innovative use of materials. Ett la Ben has created a wonderful lampshade in the same material as well.


High on my wishlist: the tea towels Scholten & Baijings designed for Hay.

NEW shine - reversible lanterns

I actually came up with the idea last winter. I wanted to design a second series of lanterns, and the task I had set myself was this: they still had to be made of paper, still had to include a slight DIY factor and of course they still had to be eco friendly, but they had to be COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from the first series! I realised I had set myself a tough assignment: to create an entirely new shape and totally different style whilst retaining my own ‘signature’…

Now, at last, after endless sketching, printing, cutting, folding, looking and choosing, a set of 3 completely new lanterns is ready to shine! “
Shine lanterns shimmer in the twilight of every season, lighting up your garden in summer and your stylish Scandinavian interior at Christmas.

For those who like to dabble in DIY, Shine asks for a touch of creativity. Push the flaps inwards or outwards – whatever you like best – and simply choose the side you like most, because these lanterns are reversible! Once lit up, the inner side of the lantern becomes slightly transparent, giving it an enchanting look.

Each Shine set contains 3 lanterns. The pop-out cards are size 31 cm x 15 cm. The lanterns are large enough to fit over most drinking glasses and jam jars. Recommended retail price per set: EUR 7.95

From today the Shine lanterns will be available for my retailers. Please consult the stockists page on my website to find a salespoint near you.

And thanks to Irene from Bloesem for lighting my SHINES so lovely on her blog today. I feel honoured!

Ladies & gentlemen!

Came across this little crowd of wooden ladies and gentlemen via an old post written by Kickan & Conckers. They are designed by UK artist Chrissie Mac Donald. Love them!

STOCKIST SPOTLIGHT: winter's moon

The shops, the people who sell my work worldwide...who are they? What are their dreams, their inspirations, what made them start their own businesses? A feature in words and images with a little surprise-coupon at the end...

This month the stockist spotlight is on an extraordinary webshop/studio, that was actually one of my very first retailers in the UK. When I met Julia and Becky in London last week it felt like catching up with old friends, although we had never met before.

Winter's Moon: webshop - blog - twitter - facebook

owners Julia Grant (left) and Becky Joy (right)

What kind of shop is it?
We sell mainly online but also through occasional sales at events and from our studio.

What do you sell?
We sell furniture, ceramics, textiles, and items for children. Mostly vintage but some handmade pieces too, and our range is quite random – but that is partly what appeals to our customers as they never quite know what they will find.


Our studio is in a builder’s yard built in the 1950’s in our home city of Chichester (we had always loved the original typeface above the entrance). It functions as a storage, photography and workshop space. We moved in last year and it has liberated the way we are able to work, and we haven’t managed to fill it up yet - but have come close a couple of times.


What made you decide to start your own business?
Winter’s Moon started out very much as a hobby shared by two friends. There was nowhere selling vintage furniture in our small city of Chichester, we loved scouting fairs and auctions and friends often asked us to find pieces for them, so we decided to take it a stage further. It has grown very slowly and has to fit around other commitments and family. The business is named after Becky’s house as that is were we started holding open-house sales.

What are your Winter’s Moon ‘classics’?
Our stock changes all the time and most pieces are pretty one-off. However we love getting chairs reupholstered as they are completely transformed and usually go from a sad saggy chair to a very lovely piece of furniture. We really like the work of Annabel Grey and use her fabrics whenever possible.


What are your favourite items?
Other favourite items are vintage toys…They were so well made, have stood the test of time and just are so much more appealing than their modern plastic counterparts.


Do you take your own webshop photographs?
We do our own photography and styling and have learnt through trial and error what works and what doesn’t. For small items we often use a vintage fabric as a backdrop and sometimes add quirky elements to add some humour…we like laughing!


For larger items the focus is using daylight to show the piece at it’s best, plus we add a few extra props usually, but not so many that it overshadows the product.


Can you describe your style?
We do have a strong sense of what our style is, which is due to the fact that we have VERY similar taste. Over the past four years there have probably only been three items that we have not both loved, and this is what has helped us develop our style….it’s tricky to put into words what that style is though!
We definitely have a particular colour palette, greys, yellows, plums and teals often feature.

What articles did you buy for the shop recently?
We recently stocked up on more lovely paper lanterns by Jurianne Matter as they work so well for summer parties, and contrastingly we recently bought several vintage Parker Knoll chairs….they have a strong shape and small footprint so make really useful good-looking chairs that don’t take up too much room.


What do you expect to become a real trend in your business?
Obviously we all are instinctively aware of trends and are influenced by them, but our judgments are based more on just what seems aesthetically right to us.

Any future plans?
We are developing some fabric designs to use on our vintage furniture and also have a couple of new furniture designs up our sleeve…so I suppose we don’t want to be entirely about offering vintage pieces, but more about offering ‘Winter’s Moon’ pieces.

Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
YES! We are holding our first sale in our new studio and hope you are able to come and say hello. On Saturday 25th June & Sunday 26th June, from 10am – 5pm. Check our blog for location details.


Thanks so much ladies, for this little studio tour!
If you are near Chichester, do visit these remarkable women, they not only have a beautiful style, they are great fun to meet as well! Blogreaders who stay at home: don't forget to use their coupon code when you go online shopping at Winter's Moon!

Sunday morning window shopping

Above left a pendant hanger from German Dawanda shop Laurencia. A cute and square needle felted rabbit by Etsy-seller Felt Jar
The ceramic bowl as well as the grey jug (below right) is from Chimalaya, a fair trade designer brand from Denmark. The clock I came across at the lovely Twentytwentyone store.



A classic: Topan pendant lamp designed by Verner Panton, via Twentytwentyone store. And I found soap for DAD on Etsy, at Karen's Soap Co.