BBC London radio show 28th July

It all began with Clara Francis. Under no circumstances are we to call her a 'bead weaver', because this gives entirely the wrong impression. Such a title might imply, she protests, that she is an old lady with a beard. She is not. Once this is established, we discover that Clara spends many hours of her days and nights threading the teeniest tiniest of little miniature beads together to make very beautiful things.

Reindeer necklace, £140

She regaled us with tales of her unlikely introduction to weaving beads - Clara was an actress who beaded in her downtime, and then realised she was having much more success in her downtime than her up time - and her times in Spitalfields Market, which speedily led to her jewellery being worn by A-listers and featured in the V&A.

 Hummingbird earrings, £130. There are cheaper things than the two pictures above, but I do like these ones.


All in all, a very charming customer. For more things of wonder, have a look at her beautifully constructed website. And I must at this point, on fear of death, say a thank you to my sister who pointed me in Clara's direction. (For more such interesting tips and thoughts, have a look at my sister's site Hawk & Fallow.) 

 ***

And then on to The Secret Arcade. It's a new enterprise, launching on 1st August, and promises to be just as good as The Shop Floor Project, which I've long been a fan of. Denise and Sam Allen, the creatives behind both, are a mother and daughter team (we've spoken to them on the show before) who sell wares from independent designer/makers. As well as their careful choices of designer, it was always the layout of the website that attracted me to The Shop Floor Project. It looks like a little shop! I'm afraid that sort of thing appeals to me.

Here it is, an online shop that looks like a shop. Satisfying.

They've branched out now, creating The Secret Arcade, which looks similarly pleasing. 

 

The design, they say, is taken from Parisian shopping arcades from the 19th century. So when you visit, there will be eight passages leading off from the main entrance, each enticing you to some sort of fabulous collection of uniqueness. The actual retailers are shrouded in secrecy until opening day, but we do know they will be independent, British, and will include hand printed wallpaper and textile designers, perfumeries, jewellers, and an antique children's furniture shop. 

I anticipate virtual queues of shoppers this weekend!

***

Speeding along, and we discarded all things technological (aside from a computer) so that we could embrace an Analogue Life. Or at least have an online peek at how life could be if we were all minimalist and able just to surround ourselves with beautiful accoutrements. The shop is Japanese, and stocks very beautifully crafted everyday objects. This sort of criteria, by the way, makes it mostly out of my financial reach, but I like to look at such things and imagine.

 Copper scissors start at $62.79

The scissors above are produced, for instance, by Tajiki Haruo Ironworks. Founded in the Showa Period, this company has been making them by hand for over four hundred years.  I think it would be quite a nice thing to cut with those instead of the virtually disposable ones emblazoned with my local supermarket's logo. But, again, I appreciate the whimsy this represents.

Crashing on, they also do a great selection of wooden items. These mugs - despite not being allowed in a dishwasher - would fit nicely into my idealised existence:

Kami Mug Cup, $37.67

                                    

 And so on. Just a selection of beautiful things from another country, worth googling at for their form and function.

***

We obviously couldn't go through a whole show without mentioning the words du jour, Pop Up Shop. So that's where I headed next, this time in Clerkenwell.

 

From 5th - 7th August, 97 Clerkenwell Road is hosting a temporary shop that will sell interesting goods from new talents. With the list of sellers the have, the organisers don't need to bribe us to come, but luckily they're bribing anyway, with the allure of free makeovers from The Chapel salon and make-up artist Anne-Marie Simak. (There's also going to be food from cordon-bleu trained Rachel Davies.) But cash in brown envelopes aside, it looks like a good place to rummage around, find interesting handmade products, and discover designers you didn't know about.

At the Christmas Bust Craftacular (we talked about the summer one a couple of weeks ago), for instance, I bought a great t-shirt from the independent designer Pureharte. Pureharte is actually Katie Harte, and - pleasingly - she'll be at Pop In. 

 'Mia' strapless summer dress, $55 from Etsy

The dress above, available in the Etsy store Pureharte, comes with a poem:

Mia is tiny

She floats like a bubble

but don't be deceived 

as she often brings trouble.

'Chloe' skirt $60. "Chloe loves parties / She throws one each night / Her outlook on life / Is eternally bright."

All of the clothes do, in fact. Which is a boon, in my opinion.

Other sellers to look out for include EaK design, who do a cute range of prints, cushions and bags:

Twit Twoo print, £15 unframed

Foxy Tote, £8

Many other talents will abound there - check the website for a list.

***

I then careered on to The Food Room and Library just round the corner from Victoria station, where a lady called Jane Lunzer Gifford has one of the most comprehensive cookery book libraries you could hope to find. If you're on the hunt for something, you can be assured she will have it, or find it for you.  Just a thought, in case you want the tactile experience of walking somewhere to hand purchase something, as opposed to click clicking online.

And if you're interested in cooking generally, Jane's Food Room is primarily designed to host cookery classes. What is novel about her business, though, is the nature of the courses. All short - they're only for an hour, maximum; some are only 45 minutes - and reasonably priced (£25), they're organised so that whatever your level of culinary skill, you should find something that interests you. From the howtoboilanegg sort to 'Advanced and Ambitious - you know what you're doing but perhaps don't experiment as much as you should'.

Oh! And the bookshop also sends cookery themed cards, which fits in nicely with my and Robert's obsession with stationary.

***

From Victoria to just off Brick Lane, and to Shelf. An old favourite haunt, I haven't spoken about them since I returned to the show, and since then, they've totally revitalised their website. 

Sheet of 12 printed tin bird badges, £9.50 

It used to be that you could only use the website to buy the plaster letters they're so famed for, but now yahooo there's a whole host of their products up there. I'd still urge you to go to the shop, but it's good to know they are in the ether as well. 

There's a little sale going on at the moment, which includes Moomin mugs reduced to £13 and - I hesitate to put this up here, because I really want it - this stationary set, only £5:

Shinzi Katoh Lion stationary set: 10 sheets, 5 envelopes, stickers.

I also like the bumper Vintage stationary gift set, which at £25, may seem a bit pricey for bits and pieces - but to one such as I, those bits and pieces are a source of joy. Must add that to the birthday list along with some Clara Francis jewellery, I feel (I wonder which one I'm more likely to get). 

 Includes a card of French brown darning wool, coffee bags from the Old Spitalfields Market, assorted tickets, a tiny wooden lucky black cat from Germany, and more completely odd delights.

***

And then... a summer sale from Goodone, a small ethical fashion business that has one awards for its recycled clothing. Starts on 1st August, and with 20% off, it would be a good introduction to the collection if you don't know about them. 

...Peter Jensen's sample sale this Saturday (10am-6pm) and Sunday (12-4pm), which promises 20% off menswear and womenswear, as well as bargain bins with £5 goods. It's at his studio, 18-24 Shacklewell Lane E8 2EZ; look on the website for more.

...private sale website Koodos is selling Ray Ban sunglasses at sale prices (25% off) from 9am today until midnight on Friday. Sign up for free, and buy from £85.

...new clothes store by Liam Gallagher will be opening in Carnaby Street on 30th July. Pretty Green will be investigated, but given that the opening page of the website has said owner wearing a Union Jack, maybe that says it all...

So long until next time!