Jubilee Jubilation

Well with only a week to go the whole of the UK seems to have gone all Red, White and Blue! 

Our talented creative types here at Made in Newcastle have also been busy making and designing some beautiful Jubilee inspired items just for you. 


First up for your delectation is this truly stunning range of products from The Spotted Sparrow, which includes a whole host of wonderful greetings cards, invitations and my personal favorite, the gorgeous framed birth announcement, a perfect christening gift.

If you have a summer wedding why not dress to impress with this wonderful hat from Ashleigh.Pip.

Now you have the hat your going to need some fabulous footwear and a simply stunning bag. These fantastic up-cycled, one of a kind items from BoBu Couture will certainly turn heads. 

Time to add those finishing touches with some Jubilee inspired necklaces from G's Bazaar. The delicate key and crown pendant adds just a hint of royal flair and I'm sure there is going to be more than one or two tea parties over this long weekend, so how about this little porcelain teapot.

To finish off your outfit just add this chunky bracelet from Nancy Pants. Nancy Pants has also been adding the royal touch to some of her fantastic homewears.

If your looking for a Union Jack inspired gift then look no further then the brilliant cosmetic bags and phone cases from Boho Raspberry.  

If you would prefer something for your home then why not check out our good friend from Made in Newcastle, now Made in the Highlands

Hope you all have a joyous jubilee long weekend, why not drop us a line and let us know what crafty things you have made to celebrate, we really love to see what you have been creating. 

Much Love from MiN   

World Book Night Monday April 23rd

Last year Made in Newcastle were very proud to be a part of World Book Night. We had a fantastic day at our Grainger Street shop, with our makers creating items themed especially for the occasion. From bookmarks to canvas prints, we had a plethora off all things literary for our customers to enjoy. All washed down with tea and cake (from our good friends at Pet Lamb Patisserie) 

With tomorrow being World Book Night 2012, we thought we would show you just some of the things our makers have been creating on a literature theme.    

First up are two beautiful pieces for you and your home inspired by Alice in Wonderland from Nancy Pants.

Another piece taking inspiration both from Wonderland and the wider literary world, are these stunning necklaces by Gabby's Bazaar.

For all you budding authors out there, you never know when inspiration might strike you, so how about this gorgeous note book from Brittany Coxon.

Or if your more like me and can't remember anything unless it's on a list! Then brighten up your handbag with this great little notebook from Lucy's Happy Place. 

In need of a greeting card for a book worm friend or loved one? Then they will just adore this personalised vintage library card from The Spotted Sparrow.

All this talk of books has reminded me of two brilliant little projects that I really want to share with you. In fact the two marry together quite nicely. About two years ago a young man by the name of Luke walked into Made in Newcastle 1 (On Nun Street) and presented myself and my colleague with a bundle of books... bit odd we thought.. but all became clear, as he went on to explain that he was part of an initiative called Book Crossing.

The ethos behind the scheme is that you breath new life into once loved works, with the simple aim of connecting people through books. The idea is that instead of just letting your old favorites collect dust, you "Release" them into the wild to be found and loved by another reader. Be that giving it to someone you know, or leaving it somewhere for someone to find. Book Crossing is the act of giving a book a unique identity number, so as the book passes from reader to reader, it's journey can be tracked through the Book Crossing web site. There are currently 8995,204 book traveling through 132 countries. It's free to join and I have to admit I got a geeky thrill when I "caught" my first wild release whist on a day out in Wylam! 


With the increase in popularity of e-books and Kindles I was inspired to read about another "real" book loving scheme called the Little Free Library. Two years ago Todd Bol from Madison Wisconsin wanted to honor the passing of his late mother, a former teacher and book lover. So Bol built a miniature model of a library, filled it with books for anyone to take and placed it outside his home. From that simple idea hundreds of similar Little Free Librarys have popped up on lawns and in community spaces all across the globe.

Little Free Library website has some great examples of library's people have built, from simple crates to lavish log cabins. 


World Book Night 2012 is on Monday 23rd and Newcastle Library will have author Adele Parks reading from her latest book "About Last Night" and local actors "Spectrum Arts" will be performing "Shakespeares Greatest Hits"