cycling in islay & jura

A few pics from our wee cycle/camping trip to Islay & Jura last week. Despite the much wetness, damp camping, brain freeze, and looking like a midden for 3 days, this is what made it all worthwhile.....

waiting for the ferry at Kennacraig

the 8th century Kildalton Cross

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Islay is all about the whisky so of course we had to visit some of Islay's eight whisky distilleries (and Jura's one).

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Debbie's cafe in Bruichladdich

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Finlaggan

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Port Askaig

looking over to Jura

The Paps of Jura coming into view

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ferry over to Jura

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the walled garden at Jura House

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Had a really nice time, lovely scenery and met some lovely people (between the wetness). The final night we gave up on the camping and got a room in the Port Askaig Hotel.....

.....but just to show you it ain't all glamour this was our first night's camping. Tent put up in the dark in the Kennacraig ferry terminal carpark. Four tent pegs and tied to the car!

robin and mould

I try not to act on impulse (too much) when looking for new things for the shop but that all went out the window when I saw these screen-printed owls & cushions by Amy & Christian from Robin and Mould. And they certainly don't disappoint - beautifully made and even more lovely in real life!

Everything is hand screen-printed in their Wiltshire Studio using water based inks on a heavy linen/cotton mix. The owls come in either mustard yellow or teal (with teal or purple felt wings & feet) and are printed on both sides. The 'dream big little one' cushion comes in teal with a pure linen dark navy blue backing.

Come and see them for yourself!!

owl £20, dream big little one cushion (with pad) £24

mini mcghee

Had a great few days in Islay earlier this week (despite the damp camping and midges) but now back to a bit of catch-up.....

We now have some lovely woollen baby blankets by Mini McGhee here at boo vake. Mini McGhee is Glasgow School of Art graduate Nicola McGhee who, after a time in New York as a designer for Gap, has returned to her roots and is growing her range of contemporary baby blankets & nursery accessories. All are made in Scotland from supersoft pure new wool making them that bit special - and as such, Nicola is especially keen that they be handed down to future generations (and it says just that on the label!).
grass/grey baby blanket & pink/ruby baby blanket, £42

a little interlude (aka a day off)

The wee shop will be closed on Tuesday 21st next week. Back open as normal on Wednesday.

perthshire open studios

On Sunday we headed off to visit a few of the studios/workshops open for this year's Perthshire Open Studios. In the end we only managed a tiny bit of the orange and blue routes (as the area covered is so enormous) - which luckily included the workshops of woodturner extraordinaire Angus Clyne (no 84) and nearby sculptural ceramicist Shona Leith (no83), both of who do the most amazing work, and are lovely people to boot.

Beyond POS, for those wanting to benefit from their expertise, Shona holds regular ceramic classes at the Birnam Institute and Angus offers woodturning tuition in his workshop.

POS runs all this week and continues into next weekend (some are open in the evenings too). For more details check the website, or pop into the shop and pick up a brochure.
ps. Special mention also to boo vake favourite Ceri White (no75). Well worth a visit!

donna smith

These are some of the fabulous new brooches, purses and notebooks we have in from Shetland designer Donna Smith.

They are beautifully made in 100% wool felt with great attention to detail - what we've come to expect from Donna. Really lovely.

brooches £9, purses £20, notebooks from £14-£20 (with removable Windsor & Newton hardback notebook inside)

new shop designs!

Apparently life began for me on Monday (why do I still feel about twelve?!) - and to mark this coming of age I decided to ask much admired designer & printmaker Alison Hardcastle to come up with a design especially for boo vake. The brief was pretty loose (one colour, simple shape, orange or turquoise) and in the end I found it so difficult to choose just one of Alison's designs I went for two!! And here they are! Hope you like.

Over the next wee while one or other of these designs will be popping up on our signs, postcards, business cards and other shop paraphernalia. Thanks Alison!

the 'things i like' book

Resurrecting the old boo vake 'take a hint!! 'service we now have the 'things I like' book! Aimed at all those customers who are forever buying all their favourite boo vake things for everybody else but whose friends/family are frankly clueless when it comes to them.

And it works like this - you write down you favourite boo vake things in our wee book and we just carelessly leave it lying around the shop for anybody to see! Yep, that could be your partner, friends, family, workmates.... Who knows, it might just work!

And if you're a bit further afield but would like a page of your own you can always get in touch (mail [AT] boovake [DOT] co [DOT] uk) and we will fill it out for you!

new(ish) things

Now that August is out the way (and more importantly the boo vake computer is no long in danger of shutting itself down in the middle of writing this) time to get back to showing off some of our latest offerings. First up some of Alice Melvin's delightful Cut Out & Dress Peg cards. Sailor Peg is currently hanging out in our window, ever hopeful of a last gasp of summer in his rather fetching swimsuit.

Also from Alice we have some of her really lovely little booklets of bird stamps.

And still with lovely paper things - new cards from printmaker Alison Hardcastle.

And again from Alison - a little bit of positive thinking in the shape of 3 fabulously packaged mini screenprints in an optimistic theme.

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More Alison Hardcastle news next week. We've been doing a bit of collaborating.......!

cards £2/£2.50, bird stamps £4, mini prints £20

this saturday...

This Saturday (28th) our opening hours will be from 1.30pm until 4.30pm (sorry in advance for anyone who can only make it by in the morning).

perthshire open studios 2010

Back again after some computer troubles (thank you wonderful brother Andy for getting the machine back from the brink (once more!)) and while there's still time.... a first mention of this year's Perthshire Open Studios event which takes place from the 11th - 19th September. You can pick up one of the brochures from boo vake or browse it online at www.perthshireopenstudios.com. This year you can also follow it all on the POS blog, Twitter & Facebook.

day off

We will be closed on Tuesday 3rd August (to accomodate some extremely early big birthday shenanigans). Back to normal on Wednesday though.

dandy star mugs

Some more mugs we have in boo vake - these ones are by Cornish design team Dandy Star.
bone china mugs £8

donna's cushions

Owl and Robin lambswool cushions by Donna Wilson are now back in stock in a variety of colours!

fancy goods

Overheard today from some ladies of a certain age outside the shop -"Oh look, it's a fancy goods shop". Love it. Have always been quite taken with the idea of the fancy goods shop.
And fancy goods we have indeed. What could be fancier for a fancy goods shop than a fancy lady with a fabulous fancy beehive.

Use my beehive to dry your dishes teatowel by Donna Wilson in the shop now. Use my beard teatowel back in too. £11

laurie's matchboxes

We have some great illustrated matchboxes in the shop at the moment from Edinburgh illustrator & printmaker Laurie Hastings. The backs of these matchboxes once went to make up one of Laurie's larger prints All I Want (below). Now you can buy one (complete with matches) for a bargainous £2.

Also from Laurie -As We Make Our Way Home postcard sets featuring her illustrations to poems by David Troupes.

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Sukie Dances purses also back in stock.

matchboxes £2, postcard sets £4, purses £10

cycling in Barra & the Uists

Our recent cycling/camping holiday in the Western Isles. We took the ferry from Oban to Barra, cycled over to Vatersay, back up through Barra, ferry to Eriskay, over the causeway and up through South Uist, around Benbecula and Grimsay, and finally around the west and north of North Uist before getting the ferry from Lochmaddy to Skye. Unlike most cyclists we met (who were getting from A to B the quickest route possible) we took in as many diversions as we could and had a fantastic time.

waiting for the ferry in Oban

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camping on Vatersay


over the machair to the beach on Vatersay

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Castlebay - with Kisimul Castle in background

in the north of Barra

Tràigh Mhòr, Barra. Just to the left - the famous beach airstrip.

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camping spot, Eoligarry in the north of Barra (on the longest day)

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Crossing one of the many causeways linking these islands together. This one links Eriskay to South Uist.

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Our Lady of the Isles, South Uist

wine & smoked salmon on the shore at Balivanich, Benbecula

Grimsay, lovely Grimsay

Eaval (highest point in North Uist). Didn't climb it this time but it has the most amazing views at the top

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Trinity Temple (Teampull na Trionad), Carinish

looking over to Baleshare (where my mother is from) - connected by a causeway to North Uist in the 60s

fat juicy Kallin scallops

the beach at Hosta, North Uist - camping spot for the night

tràigh Ear (from Grenitote)

heading out along the peninsula

Udal Peninsula

camping in Lochmaddy

Top tips for Hebridean cycle happiness....

1- Go with the wind if you can. We were very lucky to have the wind behind us up through South Uist. The week before it was coming from the north.

2- Let cars get past. Lots of single track roads so stop at the side when you see a car coming (or hear one behind you). You're on holiday, others have places to go.

3- Salar flaky smoked salmon, Kallin scallops, Hebridean Smokehouse, MacLeans oatcakes, Am Politician - Eriskay (don't be put off by the exterior), Polochar Inn, tea stops at Kildonan Cafe & Museum, Claddach Kirkibost Centre/Cafe, Taigh Chearsabhagh/Cafe,.......

And one for camping...

4- Whisky

ps. Big thanks to Fergus for giving us a lift to Crianlarich to meet the train for Oban (all for the price of a Lorne sausage roll), Ally & Suzie for allowing us to gatecrash their own holiday not once but twice in the space of a week, my Aunty Kate-Effie for the pit-stop of shower and cup of tea, and Mike from the Isle of Skye brewery for meeting us at the ferry and delivering our bikes back to Perth. What stars!