Rachel Fearnley Designs
Running my Own
Gifts Business
By Rachel Fearnley
Rachel Fearnley has been running her sustainable gifts business for ten years. In our inspiring article, she tells us how she learned block printing, and how she makes her beautiful lavender gifts.
If, ten years ago someone would have told me that today I’d be running my own small business, creating sustainable gifts I would not have believed them. I was working in a very different role but then something happened.
For my 50th birthday, my partner took me away to learn how to block print. He came too and we had a wonderful two days being creative, learning a new skill and having fun. I was totally hooked with this new hobby and started printing fabric at every opportunity. The rest, as they say is history.
Here at Rachel Fearnley Designs, we are proud to create sustainable gifts that do not cost the earth. Our range offers sustainable options for people who care about the world, while still having unique, beautiful and lasting gifts that are made with care and attention to detail.
We use either vintage linen or 100% organic cotton as the basis for our work. Initially I used commercially bought blocks but as my confidence grew I started experimenting with other printing ‘tools’ and soon found my creative voice and style.
I now use either handcrafted wooden blocks, made by Mr F using recycled and rescued wood, or ‘objects of everyday interest’. These are household things that have the potential to become an interesting printing tool. These printing tools mean that my work offers something very different from commercially produced blocks. It also means that we are being mindful of the resources we use and are working towards being as sustainable as possible.
We offer a core range of products including our Lavender Pyramids and Lavender Bundles. We have a Wedding Collection which again includes the pyramids and bundles along with Ring Cushions, which keep the rings safe during the ceremony and afterwards become a special place to store them when they are not being worn.
It is important to us to create favours that are functional and sustainable. We want wedding guests to take their favours home and treasure them as a lasting keepsake from the wedding. In addition to the Wedding Collection, we also design and make fabric gift bags that are a gift in themselves as they can be used for storage afterwards.
Our final core product is our Printing in a Box Experiences. The Printing in a Box Experience gives people the opportunity to print something truly unique and individual in the comfort of their own home. The boxes are an introduction to our unique printing style.
Each box contains the fabric, blocks, paint and sponges needed for printing. We email detailed instructions, however, sadly we can’t provide the tea and cake that makes the printing experience even more enjoyable! Within the experience we hope people learn a new skill, have fun and let their imaginations drive their creation.
Our Lavender Pyramids are individually printed by hand using our unique printing tools. Because all of our products are handmade to order and made by me, we are able to offer a wide range of options when planning the designs.
There are no print runs and no mass production with our work and no two pieces will be exactly the same. There are different elements that determine the finished design. These include the amount of paint applied to the sponge and the amount of pressure I use when printing onto the fabric.
I never know quite how the design will look when I lift the block away from the fabric. Once the fabric has been printed I leave it to dry overnight and then iron it when completely dry. The ironing is an important part of the process as this fixes the paint making the fabric washable.
Once ironed, I sew the pyramids together and fill them with the customer’s choice of fillings. Along with our homegrown lavender, harvested from our garden, we also offer three different fillings – British wool, rice or our ‘no waste fabric’. This is small off-cuts of fabric that are not large enough to use for projects. Instead of throwing them away, I cut them into tiny pieces to use as filling.
The final part of the process for the pyramids, is to sew up the small opening and add in a hanging loop so that they can be hung, for example, over a coat hanger.
There are many benefits from using lavender, it is a natural insect repellent and so is great for keeping moths away from precious woollens while keeping clothes smelling fresh too. It is also a natural air freshener which eliminates the need for synthetic chemicals in our homes. This has to be beneficial for the environment and also our health.
There are many reported health benefits from lavender ranging from curing acne to warts! But maybe it is best known as a relaxant that can aid sleep. Our customers use the pyramids in drawers and wardrobes, by their bedside to aid a restful night’s sleep and in luggage when travelling.
Along with pyramids that are made to order, there is also the opportunity to print your own Lavender Bundles with our Printing in a Box Experiences. Within the box, there is everything needed to print and make your own bundles, including a small sachet of our lavender. These boxes are available from our website.
For more information visit the website at www.rachelfearnleydesigns.co.uk
Build Your Own Animals
Build Your Own
Magical Animals
Get crafty with your grandchildren with the creative world of Build Your Own Kits.
Discover a magical world of fun with Build Your Own’s new Unicorn kit. Perfect for the junior builder, little ones will love creating their very own mythical creature. The cute moving head action, stardust markings, and multi-coloured rainbow mane will delight unicorn fans of all ages.
Your majestic unicorn comes complete with grooming accessories, colourful gems, a miniature toadstool friend and more for a fun-filled, imaginary play experience. Plus, an adorable trinket chest for you to safely store your precious items.
Find the secret hidden heart as you build and make a special wish. There’s also a ready-to-colour unicorn picture inside the packaging for creative young artists to enjoy. Colour it in, then proudly display your masterpiece.
Easy to assemble using slot together techniques. There’s no glue, no mess, no fuss. Everything you need is provided in the kit. Follow the simple instructions: press out the pre-cut parts, build, and play.
The set includes a toadstool friend, trinket chest and key, flower wreath, bow, brush, gemstone, jewel collar, doughnut and cookie treats, and magic star.
Step into a fantasy fairy tale with Build Your Own’s new Dragon kit. Perfect for the junior builder, imaginations can roam free as little ones bring their friendly dragon to life. The cute moving head action, vibrant purple body, and contrasting brightly coloured jellybean detail create a whimsical, magical creature.
Your beautifully bold dragon comes complete with a mix of jellybeans, magic bean wand, a miniature snail friend and more for a fun-filled, imaginary play experience. Plus, a cute trinket chest for you to safely store your treasured items.
Find the secret hidden heart as you build and make a special wish. There’s also a ready-to-colour dragon picture inside the packaging for creative young artists to enjoy. Colour it in, then proudly display your masterpiece.
The Build Your Own Kitten kit is ‘purr-fect’ in every way and oh so ‘paw-some’. Ideal for young crafters, little ones will delight in creating their lovable, sweet kitten. The cute moving head action, striking tabby fur pattern, and gleaming eyes cleverly bring this cuddly companion to life.
Your playful kitten comes complete with grooming accessories, cat toys and treats, a miniature mouse friend and more for a fun-filled, imaginary play experience. Plus, an adorable trinket chest for you to safely store your kitten’s belongings.
Find the secret hidden heart as you build and make a special wish. There’s also a ready-to-colour kitten picture inside the packaging for creative young artists to enjoy. Colour it in, then proudly display your masterpiece.
Easy to assemble using slot together techniques, There’s no glue, no mess, no fuss. Everything you need is provided in the kit. Simply follow the simple instructions, press out the pre-cut parts, build, and play.
Create your own canine companion with the Build Your Own Puppy kit. Easy to assemble using slot together techniques, little ones will love creating their very own canine companion.
The cute moving head action, fluffy fur effect, and adorable puppy dog eyes really bring this furry fellow to life. Your playful puppy comes complete with grooming accessories, dog toys and treats, a miniature duck friend, puppy poop and more for a fun-filled, imaginary play experience. Plus, there is also a sweet trinket chest for you to safely store your puppy’s belongings.
Find the secret hidden heart as you build and make a special wish. There’s also a ready-to-colour puppy picture inside the packaging for creative young artists to enjoy. Colour it in, then proudly display your masterpiece.
Proudly designed in the UK using 100% sustainable cardboard, Build Your Own’s new Puppy is not only fun and engaging to play with, but also eco-friendly. It contains zero plastic, and both kit and packaging are fully recyclable.
The new range of junior kits are ideal for children aged 4+ and have been designed to introduce younger children to imaginative construction. Best enjoyed as a family experience, these kits are packed with creative play fun for you to enjoy together. Price is £9.99 for each kit.
For more information visit the website at www.buildyourownkits.com
CrimeFest Convention
CrimeFest Returns for 16th Year in Bristol
Denise Mina by Ollie Grove
The UK’s biggest crime fiction convention returns for the 16th year in 2024, with Laura Lippman and Denise Mina as its Featured Guests.
CrimeFest, sponsored by Specsavers, is hosted from 9th to 12th May 2024 at the Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel. Up to 150 authors will descend on Bristol appearing in over 50 panels.
CrimeFest attracts regular delegates from as far as Australia, the Far East, Canada, the United States and mainland Europe.
Scottish novelist Denise Mina is a seminal and multi-award-winning author, known for her DI Alex Morrow books, as well as adapting Steig Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy as graphic novels. She is also the first woman asked to write a new novel featuring Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlow; the paperback of The Second Murderer is out in April 2024.
Laura Lippman by Leslie Unruh
The acclaimed American author Laura Lippman and former reporter on The Baltimore Sun is best known for her novels set in Baltimore featuring reporter turned investigator, Tess Monaghan. Her novel, Every Secret Thing, was adapted into a 2014 film, starring Diane Lane, and Lady in the Lake was adapted into a series for Apple TV.
As a convention, CrimeFest is open to all published authors and known for its inclusive approach. The event is run by Adrian Muller, co-host Donna Moore, and a small team of committed volunteers.
The convention began in 2008 and features the annual CrimeFest Awards.
Cathy Ace, mystery writer
The Welsh-Canadian mystery writer, Cathy Ace will be the Gala Dinner’s ‘Leader of Toasts’, toasting the authors nominated for the 2024 CrimeFest awards. Cathy’s Cait Morgan Mysteries have been optioned for TV by the production company, Free@Last TV, which is behind the hit series, Agatha Raisin.
The convention will also feature a homage to PD James, known as the Queen of Crime Fiction, with the award-winning crime writer and lawyer, Frances Fyfield, the Sunday Times chief fiction critic, Peter Kemp, and the author, playwright, and producer, Simon Brett.
Vaseem Khan by Richard Frew
Other authors confirmed include chair of the Crime Writers’ Association, Vaseem Khan, the author of two award-winning crime series set in India, and the award-winning Janice Hallett, best known for her phenomenally successful debut thriller, The Appeal.
Janice Hallett, author of The Appeal
Some of the genre’s most established names descend, including the author, critic, and historian Martin Edwards.
CrimeFest welcomes the Times bestselling author of the Wyndham and Banerjee series of crime novels set in Raj-era India, Abir Mukherjee, and Ajay Chowdhury, whose first novel in the acclaimed series featuring Detective Kamil Rahman, The Waiter, is being adapted for television. His latest book, The Detective, was published in January 2024.
Dubbed the ‘modern rival to Agatha Christie,’ author of Murder Most Festiva, Ada Moncrieff, also appears.
CrimeFest is also known as a platform for new talent. It welcomes the Australian author, Brooke Robinson, who has had numerous plays produced in Australia, as well as at London’s Old Vic theatre. She heads to CrimeFest with her debut novel, The Interpreter. The CrimeFest co-host, the author Donna Moore, will also moderate a panel showcasing debut authors.
Specsavers is the long-running sponsor of the convention. Dame Mary Perkins, who founded the national and international chain of opticians in Bristol says, “I am an avid reader and fan of the genre, and I always look forward to CrimeFest, which is so friendly it feels like all who go are welcomed as part of a big family, connected by a love of books and reading. We are proud sponsors of the convention.”
The convention also continues its Community Outreach Programme. In partnership with the independent Max Minerva’s Bookshop and participating publishers, CrimeFest gifts thousands of pounds of crime fiction books for children and young adults to school libraries.
Also, with thanks to Specsavers, librarians, students, and those on benefits are offered significantly discounted tickets.
For more information about CrimeFest visit www.crimefest.com
Baking for Happiness
Roll up your Sleeves and get Baking
Trewithen Dairy and Matthews Cotswold Flour are encouraging everyone to roll up their sleeves and get baking after a study found that individuals who engage in creative projects such as cooking and baking are happier in their day-to-day lives.
When you’re focusing on kneading dough or whisking up meringue, you’re present with what you’re creating. This act of mindfulness helps you forget about worries in your life and reduces stress. There’s also a sense of achievement at the end of it that can help you develop self-esteem and establish positivity in your mind.
Matthews Cotswold Flour is Britain’s leading speciality flour producer with an unrivalled range of flours to choose from and plenty of recipes and support to get you baking.
Trewithen Dairy is a family-run dairy renowned for its exceptional dairy products with quality and sustainability at its core, providing a modern twist to delicious recipes. Their teams of baking enthusiasts believe transforming a few basic ingredients into something scrumptious is nothing short of alchemy.
Baking is a great way to lose yourself in a mindful, cathartic process, which inspires creativity. Making people smile by sharing a sweet treat or homemade loaf is a true expression of love and a great way to lift your spirits.
Plus, when you bake from scratch, you are in control of the ingredients, meaning you can produce far more nutritious and delicious treats for a fraction of the price you would pay to buy them in a shop.
Top 10 tips for baking success
♥ Always read the recipe through thoroughly before starting so there are no hidden surprises or processes, such as having to chill something overnight before you can continue.
♥ Preheat the oven before you begin. Some ingredients like egg whites need to be handled quickly before the air is lost, so will need to be popped into the oven without delay.
♥ Get to know your oven. There may be hot-spots, so you’ll have to rotate your baking half way through for an even result.
♥ Add full fat milk to sponge cakes. Milk adds additional protein and lactose (milk sugar). Opt for Trewithen Dairy’s 4% fat barista milk, which in turn creates a richer taste and softer crumb and a better bake.
♥ Clear the kitchen down before you start. And keep it clean! Work methodically, tidying up as you go – it’s much easier and leaves you feeling calmer.
♥ Practice makes perfect. Neighbours, family, friends and colleagues make for happy testers in the meantime, as you keep them well-fed with your baking results!
♥ Use the best quality ingredients you can afford. It makes such a difference to the taste and quality of your baking.
♥ Ingredients need to be at room temperature before you start. Depending on your recipe, you might need to take butter, eggs and anything else you need out of the fridge at least an hour before you start baking. If you’re making pastry, you will want to keep your ingredients chilled.
♥ Don’t forget to add a little salt! Salt reduces bitterness and increases sweetness. Using salted butter in your cakes is a great way to enhance the flavour of your baking.
♥ Have fun and get creative! Experiment with your favourite flavours, get inventive and enjoy yourself.
Top products for baking are Trewithen Dairy Cornish Clotted Cream. Available at Ocado and select SPAR, Tesco, Asda and Co-op stores. RRP is £2.45 for 200g.
Trewithen Dairy Cornish clotted cream has earned a Protected Designation of Origin Status; an indication of its authenticity. For more than just scones, use it for spreading over cakes, or as an ingredient in your bakes adding a fuller flavour to baking and imparting a rich creaminess.
Also recommended for baking is Matthews Cotswold All Purpose Regenerative White Flour. RRP is £2.20 for 1.5kg.
Traditionally stoneground milled in the Cotswolds from regeneratively farmed UK wheat and is the first of its kind in the UK. The flour is suitable for use in recipes that call for plain, strong bread or self-raising flour, if used with baking powder, which allows for more diversity of bakes from one packet of flour, making it great for baking on a budget.
And Trewithen Dairy Salted Butter which is available online at Ocado and from select ASDA, Tesco, Morrisons and SPAR stores. RRP is £2.65 for 250g.
A luxuriously smooth textured butter with a silky richness. It’s the high butterfat content in the Cornish cream that gives it such an exceptional mouthfeel.
For more information about Trewithen Dairy visit www.trewithendairy.co.uk
For information about Matthews Cotswold Flour visit www.cotswoldflour.com
Sixtyplusurfers Competition
Win a John Adams Sequins Collection Set
Sixtyplusurfers has teamed up with John Adams to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a bundle of Sequins Collection Sets.
Entertain your grandchildren with some delightful, hands-on fun with the Sequins Collection range!
This enchanting arts and crafts collection allows you to create a dazzling picture using sequins. It’s a wonderful activity that sparks creativity and focus, providing hours of joy for imaginative kids.
The Sequins Collection includes everything needed to bring your picture to life! Decorate the provided illustration by adding sequins with the included pins to the polystyrene base and let your artistic talents shine.
Choose from a variety of themed sets, including kitty, puppy, butterfly, and unicorn designs! The kitty and puppy sets feature a 22.5cm x 15.5cm picture to decorate, while the unicorn and butterfly sets feature a 22.5cm x 18.5cm picture.
Each sequin’s place is printed on the image, making it easy to identify where each coloured sequin goes. Kids can enjoy a fun crafting experience with a guaranteed result, while being creative away from screens.
Display your sparkly art in style with the included frame, perfect for showcasing your in your room to friends and family.
Each Sequins Collection set features convenient storage for your sequins. Keep your sequin colours organised and easily accessible with the handy sequin tray, making everything neat and tidy.
Sequins Collection is recommended for ages 8 and over. RRP is £9.99 for the Kitty and Puppy sets and £12.99 for the Unicorn and Butterfly sets.
Stay up to date with gift ideas for your grandchildren and families, exclusive competitions and news by following John Adams on Facebook and Instagram
For Your Chance to Win
Tell us what cute animals are flying around the
cat in the Kitty Sequins Collection set?
a) Owls
b) Birds
c) Swans
d) Butterflies
To Enter the Competition
Tell us what cute animals are flying around the cat in the Kitty Sequins Collection set? Then send in your answer with your name, address and telephone number to the Sixtyplusurfers inbox at sixtypluscomp@hotmail.co.uk
or click on the purple link below:
* Please label your entry
Sequins Collection Competition
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Enzo Mari Exhibition Opens
Enzo Mari, Italian Designer, Exhibition
Animals in wood, 1957, Danese Milano photograph by Federico Villa
The first ever UK museum exhibition devoted to one of the most significant designers of the 20th century will open at the Design Museum this Spring.
The 60-year career of designer Enzo Mari, a pioneer of post-war Italian design, will be spotlit in a major exhibition opening on 29th March. It is co-curated by Mari’s friend and collaborator, and artistic director of Serpentine, Hans Ulrich Obrist, with Francesca Giacomelli, Mari’s studio project assistant, designer, curator and researcher.
The large-scale retrospective will include the full spectrum of Mari’s prolific output, from his work as a designer, but also as an artist, teacher, critic and theorist. In total, more than 300 objects will be on display – most have not been seen in the UK before.
The exhibition will come to the UK after debuting at Triennale Milano in 2020. The original exhibition opened just before Mari’s death, aged 88. He is remembered as a “giant” of Italian design and a figure whose life and work has inspired generations of creatives around the world.
Enzo Mari by Ramak Fazel
The vast array of works that visitors will see spans the spheres of art, design, exhibition and graphic design. Hundreds of Mari’s projects will be examined, ranging from furniture to conceptual installation-based works, and from product design to graphics. Also on show will be his children’s books and games, which were an important aspect of Mari’s output as in his vast creative field, he considered the needs of children just as important as those of adults.
Archival material throughout the show will provide greater insight into Mari’s research process, and the key principles that guided and unified his work.
During his long career, many of Mari’s timeless designs went on to fill homes across the globe, as they continue to do to this day. They include his ‘Nature Series’ prints of apples and pears, perpetual calendars in injection moulded plastic, and timeless furniture and kitchenware.
The Nature Series, The Apple, photograph, Danese Milano
Mari had a firm commitment to creating designs that were sustainable in both their materiality and aesthetics, and that were accessible to everyone. This approach was radical for his time, and today he can be seen as a trailblazer for many of design’s and society’s most pressing issues. His seminal instruction booklet entitled ‘Autoprogettazione’ (Proposal for self-design), is one such example, predating open-source design practices.
Underlying much of Mari’s work was a belief that play is “the activity needed to discover one’s potential and to learn about the world”. After seeing his children playing, he decided to design new toys and games for them.
These went on to become some of his most famous works, and are highlights of the exhibition. ‘16 Animals’ – which he created in 1957 – is a wooden puzzle composed of the silhouettes of sixteen animals, including a camel, elephant and kangaroo. Its production by the Milanese manufacturer Danese, proved so popular that sixteen years later Mari designed another version, ‘16 Fish’, which featured silhouettes of fish, seals, an octopus and other sea creatures.
Both puzzles were intended to encourage children to discover through play. Other toys and games Mari created and on display will be ‘The fable game’, and ‘The apple and the butterfly’.
La Mela e la Farfalla, 1958-1969. Archivio E. Mari, City of Milan, CASVA. photo Gianluca Di loia, © Triennale Milano
Known for his uncompromising beliefs and subversive opinions, Mari has been described as ‘design’s conscience’. His stance was one of activism, calling for a greater social responsibility in design, and access to knowledge. His durable, low-cost and multifunctional objects speak to these beliefs, as do his broader installation-based works.
The exhibition has been curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist who worked closely with Enzo Mari on a series of interviews in 1990s and continued a dialogue and exchanges with him since. The exhibition is drawn from the final show Mari curated during his lifetime – Enzo Mari: L’arte del design at the Galleria Civica d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea in Turin in 2008. It has been expanded to include archival material assembled by Francesca Giacomelli to illustrate key projects resulting from Mari’s research.
The projects featured in the show can collectively be considered the most representative works of the nearly 2,000 Mari created during his career. The objects are displayed in chronological order, without distinguishing between disciplines, media, or types of research.
The exhibition also includes a number of tributes from contemporary international artists who reflect on Mari’s extraordinary life and legacy through site-specific installations and new, specially commissioned works. These pieces by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Mimmo Jodice, Dozie Kanu, Adrian Paci, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Nanda Vigo, Danh Vō and Virgil Abloh make up the final section of the exhibition.
Visitors will also see a series of video interviews by Hans Ulrich Obrist that illustrate Mari’s constant ethical tensions.
In a first for the Design Museum, this major exhibition will be accompanied by an additional free display on the museum’s balcony, allowing all visitors to be able to discover Mari’s enduring influence.
Enzo shelf, Livia Lauber, 2023
Thirteen London-based, contemporary designers will display select pieces of their work which demonstrate how their practice has been inspired by Mari’s thinking or his legacy.
The designers are Jasper Morrison, Studiomama, Martino Gamper, Industrial Facility, Andu Masebo, Michael Marriott, Special Projects, Jaclyn Papparlardo, A Practice for Everyday Life, Rio Kobayashi, Sound Advice, Livia Lauber and StudyOPortable, and a display, titled Grazie Enzo: Contemporary Responses to Enzo Mari, will open on the same day as the exhibition.
Studiomama, Offcut Animal, photography by Richard Davies
Enzo Mari curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli comes to London after its run in at Triennale in Milan in 2020, and at C-Mine in Genk, Belgium in 2023.
The exhibition is curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist with Francesca Giacomelli. It is curated for the Design Museum by Rachel Hajek. The balcony display is curated by Esme Hawes.
For more information about The Design Museum and the Enzo Mari Exhibition visit www.designmuseum.org