Cornwall’s new cultural playground
13 May 2012 1 Comment
in General, Great Places, Interesting stuff Tags: cornwall, days out, fun with all the family
It was my little nephew’s 2nd birthday this Saturday and as luck would have it the sun was shining and a full day of outdoor based activities was actually allowed to go ahead unhindered by gale or squall!
First stop was a big meet up of friends and family at Heartlands, Cornwall’s new ‘cultural playground’ (don’t worry we didn’t know what that really meant either!) It opened towards the end of April so is all brand spanking new, there are still areas of scrubland, porta cabins and inadequate signage a plenty, but once past this the sprawl of out of town superstores and derelict mining sites of Pool (the area between Camborne and Redruth) gives way to a vast, landscaped garden of fun!
From the car park the first thing you come across is the fantastic adventure playground. With plenty of wood and sand, a massive log pile climbing frame, a giant shallow ‘puddle’ (don’t forget to bring wellies and a change of clothes!) loads of unusual swings and slides and willow tunnels which will be amazing once they’ve grown a bit.
You can then lure kids toward the red river which is sculpted from red granite (we think!) and if they’re anything like Biba they’ll be down to vest and pants within seconds and splashing up and down, running from one end of the river to the other (it’s very shallow and looks crystal clear)
Then hopefully they’ll be tired and ready to sit nicely in the lovely Red River Cafe which is housed in a converted mine building with lots of high ceilings, wooden beams and bits of machinery. There’s a nice menu and plenty of seating indoors and out. Beyond the cafe we hear rumour that there are more things (things like art exhibitions and craft workshops, that don’t involve any water or climbing or sliding) but we weren’t allowed to go to those!
The park has a big party this coming weekend to celebrate the Olympic Torch coming through Cornwall. It looks like it’ll be a good bash! I’ll be busy teaching a stitching course at Bedruthan Steps so won’t be able to make it – ho hum!
A nice day out in St. Ives
29 Apr 2012 3 Comments
in Great Places, Interesting stuff, Jolly Good Tags: days out, St Ives, things to do
Biba and I had an unexpected Saturday all to ourselves this weekend so we decided to have a proper day out to St. Ives (yes I know it’s only 7 miles away and I know I needed to visit our little shop there but it still counts!)
We took the train from Penzance which is my favourite way to go. You skip the nightmare of parking and the view from the window is amazing as you curve round the bay. You can spot herons, egrets, oystercatchers and plenty more in the Hayle estuary. Biba was more fascinated by the other passengers though- especially one dressed up as Yoda! (now don’t forget your light sabre said his mum as he got off the train!)
The estuary quickly opens out to the beautiful golden sands of St. Ives Bay and then through the trees and St. Ives is suddenly there bathed in sunlight and surrounded by glistening sea (well it was this Saturday anyway!)
We had a tasty lunch at Cafe Art which is the cafe at the entrance to the Drill Hall where our little shop is. Great coffee and very reasonably priced lunch, nice people and a programme of art exhibitions and events (including knitting group on Tuesdays which sounds fun) and a quirky hotch potch of tables and chairs.
Then a bimble along the sea front where we saw a seal catching then teasing a fish – very David Attenborough! And on to Barbara Hepworth’s garden which I hadn’t visited for years. It was just the same. A beautiful oasis right slap bang in the middle of the bustling town. Biba loved climbing on and touching the sculptures and really enjoyed drawing a postcard for Barbara (part of their garden trail,for kids) I was able to sit and draw quietly for a good 20 minutes whist she pottered about (and yes 20 minutes is good going!)
A spot of shopping afterwards to buy presents. Though it’s a very touristy town it has some fab clothes shops, books shop, gift shops and galleries and some great kids shops too so, unless its really chocca, it’s a great town for a spot of shopping.
Then ice creams and home, chuff chuffing back round the bay full of sea air and tired out…lovely
Barbara Hepworth’s workshop
Browsing the British Craft Trade Fair catalogue
22 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in Crafty Friends, General, Gossip, Interesting stuff, Jolly Good Tags: British Craft, trade fairs
My partner, Jeweller Justin Duance made his way back from a a successful show at the British Craft Trade fair in Harrogate this week (he won a prize for excellence in jewellery which is really exciting!). The show is the biggest trade show for exclusively handmade products in the UK and it’s where, back in 2004, the stitching whirl wind that is Poppy Treffry was launched!
I was definitely a bit jealous of his trip as I love Harrogate and love the buzz of the show when us crafters are finally allowed out of our workshops, allowed to wear our best clothes without getting covered in clay/fluff/sawdust/ etc and able to step back and look at what we’ve made because we’ve actually stopped making for a few days!
So I’ve made up for not going by having a good old browse of the catalogue and I’ve put together a little collection of my favourites below….
Jessica Hogarth has some fantastic designs on her website http://www.jessicahogarth.com/ I love the houses prints.
I’d never seen Jade Devall’s work before but it’s really cute with some lovely drawing. I love this bicycle mug and quite a few other things on her site too! http://www.jadedevalldesigns.co.uk/
Kirsten Jones was another new one for me. Her drawings are gorgeous. From her site it looks like they are actually really big. She also runs weekend workshops aboard a beautifully restored old boat more details on her website http://www.kirstenjones.co.uk/
Treefall design are twitter buddies of ours and they had a gorgeous stand at last years Country Living Christmas. They have a curious and quirky collection of products which I love! http://www.treefalldesigns.co.uk/
I love these mugs and love the company name ‘Death By Tea’ – ace! I couldn’t get their website to work (probably an ipad/flash thing) but found out a little more on their Facebook page
I’ve known Becky Crow’s work since I first exhibited at the fair 8 years ago and it just gets better and better, more intricate and enticing. You can see all her collections on her website http://www.beckycrow.co.uk/
Rachel Eardley is another artist whose work I’ve admired for a long time. Her current collection includes jewellery, textiles and lithograph prints like the map above. Her website is really pretty too…http://www.racheleardley.com/
Twiggd are a new one on me but I had fun browsing their site and their lovely wooden creations I love the brooches and the furniture!
http://www.twiggd.co.uk/
And of course Justin Duance my feller! www.justind.co.uk
The new camera earns its keep!
01 Apr 2012 1 Comment
in General, Gossip, Jolly Good Tags: cornwall, new products, Photography, Poppy Treffry
Just a little blog this evening as it’s been a long and lovely weekend and I may have had a glass of wine or two with my roast!
This week was a very busy one at work with big orders going out to America, designing a new summer range for Fortnums and a new website due to go live next week!
My main job in all of this was getting our lifestyle photography ready for the new site. It’s a job that I still do for the company and I do really, really enjoy it once I get going. But it’s quite challenging gathering all the props, finding a location, making sure you have all the products ready and then waiting, waiting, waiting for the light to be just perfect!
So this weeks glorious sunshine came right on cue. As did our lovely work experience student Grace who was a very useful photography assistant and even did a bit of modelling…
Here are a few sneak previews of the shots that made it through. It’s amazing how many you have to take before you shoot the perfect one (it’s also amazing how many props we found in the back of Sara’s van!)
Sewing at Bedruthan Steps Hotel
25 Mar 2012 1 Comment
in Crafty Friends, General, Great Places Tags: Activity holidays, Bedruthan Steps Hotel, cornwall, freehand machine embroidery, Poppy Treffry
Sara and I are back from Bedruthan Steps Hotel tired but happy! We’ve had a wonderful weekend teaching 12 lovely people (some who’d tried it before, most who hadn’t) the fine art of freehand machine embroidery.
The hotel run a series of weekend breaks of which stitching with Poppy Treffry is just one. You stay for two nights have all your meals, a beautiful view over the Cornish Coast, time to relax in the gorgeous Ocean Spa and two days learning a new skill or craft! They offer everything from baby yoga to shoemaking!
So all our old Singer sewing machines made the journey from Penzance in one piece along with a few suitcases of fabric and we had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend sewing. Everyone managed to complete a project from start to finish, working from their own inspiration to make tea cosies, bags and cushions and, in some cases, coming up with their own new products (like a Fulham Football Club camera bag and a Dalek MP3 case!)
The images below show just a few of the amazing things the group put together in only 2 days. It never ceases to surprise me when I see what other people come up with…enjoy! (and tell us what you think in the comments – didn’t they do well?)
To find out more about breaks at Bedruthan click here. To find out more about our day stitching courses (and our first residential course at Trereife House) visit our website
Our shop has had a little re-vamp
18 Mar 2012 1 Comment
in General, Gossip Tags: Poppy Treffry shop, St Ives
It was all hands on deck on Friday as we got the shop spick and span for our little party. We’ve been busy over the last few weeks painting the picture wall a gorgeous dark grey ( or is it brown?!) and painting our lovely haberdashery dresser a nice clotted cream colour.
I’ve also been working on some one off pieces based on my drawings of St Ives. I picked them up from the framers just hours before the ‘opening!’ but with the help of some lovely customers who advised on spacing we got them hung in time and I’m really pleased with them. It’s nice to finally have the time to work on these more in depth pieces and nice to have somewhere to display them too.
I’m really pleased with how the shop is looking after its little revamp. The new cushions, both printed and stitched look amazing and we have lots of lovely vintage bits in at the moment. We have some gorgeous ribbons that I found in the states and our fab new bicycle tea towels.
The images below are just a few quick shots of the shop in all it’s it’s glory! Do come and visit soon…
Just a little trip to Paris
04 Mar 2012 4 Comments
in General, Great Places Tags: Paris, Poppy
I’m writing this from Germany where we’re visiting my brother in law. But unfortunately the quickest way to get to his house was via Paris…. What a shame!
So once we’d navigated our way out of Charles de Gaulle airport – no mean feat with three suitcases a pushchair and a toddler! – we found our little apartment on Rue des Martyrs and went out for steak, chips and a well earned beer.
Rue des Martyrs and the streets around are full of quirky boutiques, fine food shops, patisseries, dark cafes and tabacs (with crowds of people smoking outside) merry go rounds and fancy restaurants. Needless to say the new camera was working overtime.
As it was Justin’s first trip and Biba’s too we did the touristy thing, visited the Pompidou centre, paid too much for coffee, tried to talk French, climbed the Ifle tower (which Biba did almost all of by herself!) went the wrong way on the metro, pretended to be statues outside Sacre Coeur, ate late and spent a lot of time on street corners head in map.
The photos are just some nice bits and bobs really. We weren’t there long enough for me to come up with a theme and as we were just bimbling I didn’t really note the names of shops or areas but maybe my theme was colour as it was very grey everywhere so I tried to capture a bit of colour where I could…enjoy and any top tips for our next trip do share!
(the padlocks are something I’d heard about on a world service podcast about a bridge in Rome. Young couples fix the padlock to the bridge and throw the key into the river and that means their love will last forever…..Bless!)
Better Old than New…
26 Feb 2012 2 Comments
in General, Great Places, Interesting stuff Tags: Beaten Green, Boudoir Penzance, Poppy Treffry, Steckfensters, The Vintage Store ST Ives, Things I saw and liked
I’ve been having lots of fun over the past few weeks collating vintage pieces to sell in our shop alongside the textiles, ceramics and haberdashery. I love finding something really unique and beautifully worn, or something that seems bang up to date but is actually 40 or 50 years old.
I have my favourite haunts which shall of course remain secret upon pain of death! But I wanted to share some of the other amazing vintage shops that we have down here in West Cornwall as a bimble around them (as well as a trip to ours of course) is definitely as good way to spend a day – especially if, god forbid!, it’s a bit drizzly!
Steckfensters – this overwhelming bazaar of the bizarre fills a gorgeously grand window on Penzance’s ancient Chapel Street. With unusual nick-nacks spilling onto the street you’re as likely to find a moose’s head as a 50’s coffee pot or a tractor seat.
Open Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays (I think)
Boudoir - Then over the street just at the entrance to the antiques market on Chapel Street (and next to the lovely tea shop Dishotay where you can find lots of PT goodies!) is my friend Sarah’s lovely vintage clothes shop, Boudoir. It’s much more girly than Steckfensters and great for picking up something floaty and gorgeous that no one else has. She also has a good stash of shoes and bags!
Open Tuesday – Saturday (I think!)
Beaten Green - Now hop on a train to St Ives and on your way into town you can visit the fabulous Beaten Green (I’ve heard rumours of queues outside before opening time) A large granite building filled to the brim with vintage finds from furniture (including some pieces with lots of small drawers….my personal fetish!) to fabrics and the odd enamel colander!
Open rain or Shine every day (I’m pretty sure!)
The Vintage Store - Carry on along the seafront into town and keep an eye out for the stylish A-board for The Vintage Store. It’s up a little flight of stairs and houses a beautifully curated collection of mainly 50’s and 60’s pieces including letterpress posters, tin cars, small drawers (again!), angle poises, factory lights and a lovely bit of Ercol. Their website is well worth a peek too!
I’m not sure of opening hours – check the website or call ahead
I’m off to Paris on Thursday (hurrah) so the hunt will be on for some Parisian gems (aided by my friend Natalie over at Things I Saw and liked )
Be great to know your favourite vintage haunts and what you just can’t help buying…
Craft business heroes (like Poppy Treffry) and a little competition
21 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Crafty Friends, Find us elsewhere, Interesting stuff, Offers Tags: Alison McNicol, cat, Competition, cract business heroes, craft business advice, kindle cosies, kitchen table businesses, Poppy Treffry
When we first started, down here at Treffry Towers, we had to do a lot of learning ‘on the job’. We made mistakes (and mostly we learnt from them) and we talked to lots of people in lots of places to get advice and tips on running a business, cause nobody knows like those who’ve been through it. So when we were approached by Alison McNicol (founder of stitchclub) to be involved in her book of craft business tips and advice we were really pleased to be able to give a bit of advice back! And we were very excited when we found out that Alison was producing not one but two books, and we were to be considered Craft Business Heroes, it’s got a certain ring to it don’t you think?! And now both books are out and about for you to buy and peruse, Available at Amazon and also in our little shop in St Ives.
If your feeling super modern you can also buy both books for your kindle! (Which of course you can keep warm with one of our kindle cosies!!)
If you fancy a chance to win our lovely cat kindle cosy and a free download of both of Alison McNicols books you can enter our competition here http://eepurl.com/iX4qj but do be warned, it’s a tricky one!!
We need another shop assistant for our St Ives shop
21 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in General, Staff Tags: holiday job, Poppy Treffry, shpo assistant needed, St Ives, work in St Ives
Hurray, we have another opportunity to work with us! We’re looking for a shop assistant for our shop in St Ives for the summer season. We’re looking for someone to cover Mondays and Tuesday from April 2nd 2012 to September 25th 2012 and to also cover some Sundays during school holidays (Easter, half term and Summer hols).
We’re looking for someone keen to act as an ambassador for Poppy Treffry ltd who can enthuse over pretty things and provide super wonderful customer service in our shop!
If you think this could be you then we’d love to hear from you. You can drop Faye a line to faye@poppytreffry.co.uk and she can then give you all the details. We’ll be looking to interview on Friday March 9th 2012.
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