new blue marmalade...

We've had quite a few new arrivals at boo vake this week including a new batch of 'hollow' lighting and 'polyrap' bins from Edinburgh based designers Blue Marmalade.

image from Blue Marmalade

'Hollow' is a versatile two-tone light that can either stand on it's edge, lie on it's side or can be suspended from a hook. We currently have a few in orange/yellow and white/red. And like all Blue Marmalade's products are made in Britain and designed with a strong consideration for the environment - both in using as few materials as possible and in making sure that those materials are recyclable at the end of their useable life. And the best bit - you put them together yourself! Actually they are incredibly easy to assemble, and come with an energy saving bulb included!

image from Blue Marmalade

And this is the new style 'polyrap' wastepaper bin in zingy yellow, newly folded into 3d form (from one sheet of recycleable plastic) by yours truly! Hurrah!

hollow light £34, polyrap wastepaper bin £24

last sunday.....

Last Sunday we had glorious weather here in Perth (like everywhere else in the country I imagine) so myself and the other half got the bikes out and had a run up the Tay and Almond, via popping into his work at Inveralmond. On the way back to Perth we stopped off along the river opposite Scone Palace, plonked ourselves on the grass and shared a bottle of Ossian in the sun. Bliss! And then he asked me to marry him. Which was a bit of a shock.-----------------------------------

---------------------------------- the man in question

Now, we've been together 8 years now so some may say 'what took you so long?' but half of us has never really hankered after marriage and the other has been there before in a past life in another land so any reference to marriage has only ever been discussed with the prefix 'hypothetically in a parallel universe.....'

So after initial bewilderment, followed by much giggling, quacking of ducks and a little wetness around the eyes, I found myself saying a big old yes. The 'ring' was a beautiful brooch by Sarah Spalding that I had been admiring a couple of days before at the re-opening of the Tayberry Gallery.

But don't worry, I won't be filling this blog with wedding(y) things, for aswell as not having the shoes, clothes & make-up genes, I seem to be missing the wedding one too. We'll just try to keep it as simple as possible and get there in our own way at some time. But here are some old photos I dug out at home.....

My parents wedding in the 60s, flanked by my Gran Irvine on the left and my Gran Uist on the right (both grandpas absent, Grandpa Uist because he and my gran would take it in turn to leave the croft to go to their 6 daughters' weddings, can't remember where Grandpa Irvine was). Strangely enough they got married in Perth, even though neither had any connection with here, and had their wedding 'do' on the same street as boo vake is now.

My aunt & uncle's weding (also in Perth I think) with my mum (on right) and her twin sister as bridesmaids. Grandpa Uist's turn, that's him looking dapper in the hat. I think the pipers are great uncles.

robin & mould tea cosy

This is our new screenprinted Owl Tea Cosy by the brilliant Robin & Mould. Made totally by Amy's & Christian's own fair hands in their Wiltshire studio. He follows these guys into the shop. He would brighten up any table for sure. -------------------------------screenprinted owl tea cosy £20

i miss/like/love/adore/admire/fancy you

This is our new 'I like you' cushion from Swedish born illustrator & printmaker Karin Åkesson. It has been hand-screen printed in dark grey ink onto a thick natural linen (with the same fabric front and back), a concealed zip at the base and a woven label at the front saying "Made with love by Karin Åkesson". Karin studied illustration at Brighton University before going on to do a MA at the Royal College of Art, and now lives in London. We like/love/adore! ---------------------0 -------------------------------------'I like you' screenprinted linen cushion £45

new ceramics

skipping (5cm x 19.5cm), sun & sea (9cm x 27cm), fish for the cats (5.5cm x 22cm)

We have a new batch of ceramic reliefs from Fife based artist Hilke MacIntyre in boo vake! I'm sure I've said this before but I do love Hilke's work (she's also a very talented painter and printmaker as well as ceramicist) and it's so great to have some new pieces in the shop. Each one comes from a numbered edition of 50 and can be hung on the wall or propped on a shelf (the smallest ones can quite happily stand up on their own).

Please note: the images here are not to scale - please refer to the measurements given underneath.

dog & rabbit (7cm x 12cm), picnic (12cm x 15cm), dinner (11.5cm x 5cm), fish & angler (11.5cm x 6cm)

under the fir trees (27.5cm x 13.5)

skipping £55, sun & sea £75, fish for the cats £65, picnic £55, dog & rabbit £40, dinner £34, fish & angler £34, under the fir trees £85