stockholm

I've just spent a few days away in beautiful Stockholm. A big thanks to my good friend Pip for shop-sitting on Saturday!

a wee break

boo vake is taking a wee break .....

This week we will be open:

Tuesday 10-5.30

Wednesday 10-12

Thursday CLOSED

Friday CLOSED

Saturday 1-3

Back to normal next week!

showpony

New purse designs from Glasgow based Showpony at boo vake. Emma has used her insect soup and seasons fabrics to create these flipside purses. With the insect soup purse you have flowers, birds & butterfies on the nice side, then flip it over to see withered plants, spiders & loads of creepy crawlies on the nasty side. The seasons purse has lush & leafy trees in summer and on the flipside stark & leafless winter trees. These come in four different colourways and, as with all of Emma's fabrics, are hand printed in water-based inks onto organic fair-traded cotton.

Also from Showpony we have fabulous alphabetti badges and some great d-i-y bunting kits using an assortment of Emma's hand-printed fabrics.

alphabetti badges £1, bunting kits £19, flipside purses £20

the black rabbit

The return of knitted delights from The Black Rabbit! Lavender bod keyrings & media mittens back in stock and joined by Stripey Pipey and knitted stripey tea cosies - courtesy of Lindsay from The Black Rabbit.
These always remind me of an interesting 'conversation' I had with a visiting English gentleman a while back when he picked up a lavender bod and brought it to the counter to ask about a price (the price was next to it but never mind). Having been away from the west coast for quite some time my accent has pretty much levelled off but there are certain words that the lilt comes back a bit - one of them being four. I said £4 to which he said sorry? I said again foe...ur. He looked at me rather strangely like I was speaking a foreign language. This went on backwards & forwards for a long while and since I was desperately wanting to be understood it had become foeee.....uurrr. I was fully expecting him to say speak properly girl! Finally I had to write it down for him. He said something like humph! and put it down very quickly as if it was the most extortionate thing he had ever heard (well.. ever seen) and him and the group he was with trooped out of the shop as fast as they could - leaving me stratching my head! Aahh ...the unappreciation of the time and effort put into a handmade item is a topic for another day.

suzanne devine

More accessories - this time from newly married Manchester based designer Suzanne Devine. Suzanne works in different leathers to produce these fabulous purses, keyrings & butterfly wing brooches in lots of glorious colours.

She also sent me this as a freebie - a lovely black colorado hide purse. Thanks Suzanne - and congratulations!

prices from £12-£25

katherine emtage

Some new bags and corsages by Edinburgh designer Katherine Emtage - now in the shop. Katherine works with both Harris & Border tweeds and makes the most beautifully made bags & accessories. I only wish I could do them justice with my camera - the colours are much deeper and richer in real life.

For anybody interested in Harris Tweed BBC4 have been running a series called Tweed (Tuesday nights) following the recent upheavals in the 'industry'. The commentary is a bit heavy handed with the stereotypes but it's interesting all the same. I think there is one episode left to go.

corsages £17, bags from £60-£125

new things...and chrysa koukoura

Lots of new things have been arriving in the shop in the last wee while from the likes of The Black Rabbit, Suzanne Devine, Katherine Emtage, Showpony, t- boo & Rachel Sim. I'll get some images up eventually but meantime some beautiful bird cards just in from newly graduated illustrator Chrysa Koukoura.

a daytrip westwards

home- Dalwhinnie-Spean Bridge-Fort William-Port Appin-Connel-home. Missing the sea.

perthshire open studios

The second annual Perthshire Open Studios kicks off this weekend (sept 5-13th) with around 80 studios, workshops & galleries taking part. Here at boo vake we will be celebrating our Perthshire artists and makers with new work by ceramic artist Ceri White and driftwood artist Garry Brown, brooches & purses by Roobedo, ceramics from Glenshee Pottery and lovely handmade soap by Barony Crafts.

Ceri has kindly (on boo vake's request - thanks Ceri!) added a majestic stag to her ceramic 'flock' tile range (which she imprints with intricately cut flock wallpaper).

We also have a new batch of driftwood clocks by Perth based Garry Brown. Thanks Garry for getting them here on time!

Ceri White will also be participating in the Open Studios event on her own behalf and you can visit her in her own studio near Dunning throughout the week. Highly recommended! You can also visit soap maker Claire from Barony Crafts & the maker of the 'wee bothies' Diana at Glenshee Pottery. You can see all the participants on the Perthshire Open Studios website or if you are in Perth come and pick up a copy of the brochure here at boo vake.

artists studios in perth....please!

Exciting news if you are an artist or maker in or around Perth.....there is a possibility that WASPS (Workshop and Artists Studio Provision Scotland) will open artists studios in Perth.... well, if there are enough interested bodies. WASPS is a charitable organisation which provides affordable studio space for artists & makers and currently has many studios around Scotland.

There is now a small group of artists in Perth who are pushing for a Perth venue and need other artists and makers to declare an interest as WASPS has a policy of only acting on demand. So PLEASE if you are a professional artist or maker in the Perth area (or know somebody who is) and are searching for affordable studio space or have a studio space which is less than ideal and would be interested in re-locating to a more creative environment (or one closer to home) get in touch with WASPS head office (contact details below) and declare your interest in a Perth venue.

WASPS head office, 77 Hanson Street, Glasgow G31 2HF

tel: 0141 554 8299 or e-mail: details here

ps. news about Perthshire Open Studios soon!