snowhome blog

LOVELY STUFF

2012-02-01T04:01:00.000-08:00

The shop is looking a bit bare. I'm in the process of buying new stock for the year ahead and am in a ruthless mood this year.
Instead of re-stocking with more of the same I think that it's time to have a little shake up. I want to bring in some new ranges to replace some of the things that lost their lustre. Of course, this is an ongoing process when buying for the shop, but this year were going to have a stricter policy. Less plastic, more passion. More timeless than titillating. I want to source items to enjoy daily and to treasure, I also want to find these things at a fair price - which is increasingly difficult these days.
So, to kick things off I received a box today from a supplier who fit our manifesto nicely. The box from All Lovely Stuff was beautifully packed and contained some nice new products.
Here's a little taster, we'll be adding these new things and others to our site soon.

LONDON WORD MAP - FREE DELIVERY !

2012-01-24T05:50:00.001-08:00

To promote and celebrate the launch of our new Word Map of London we are offering free delivery of the print for a short period.
The map was officially launched last weekend at the Home show and received a great response. There is a choice of bus red or smoke grey and the size is 60 x 80cm which is a ready made frame size.
The word entries on the London map include some rather bizarre references some of which may need to be Googled in order to understand them fully!
Click here to order your London map with free postage.

HOME 2012

2012-01-21T02:55:00.000-08:00

A quick picture of our stand from HOME - LONDON at Earls Court this week (the intense light and funny carpet made it a bit hard to expose the camera, sorry).

It was a great show for the snowhome wholesale side of the business, as we used the show to launch the new "Word Map of London" which was well received and we managed to pick up some great new stockists. The show was also a great place to look around and find some new stock for the shop for new year....if you've been in the shop lately you'll understand that it's needed!

John also exhibited at HOME (on the stand behind) where he also launched some great new products, soon to be stocked in snowhome. (See his stand below).

It's all so Quiet

2012-01-14T02:38:00.000-08:00

For the next few days I (Laura) will be running the shop while Angus and John are at 'Home' trade show in London. I thought I would like the time to myself, spring cleaning and organising (my favourite thing to do) but to be honest I feel a little lonely without the boys.

However I have a list as long as my arm so I am sure I will be kept very busy. As well as selling the Word Map at' Home' Angus will also be ordering lots of great new products for the shop. I love this time of year when we can start making plans for the shop hunting down new products and brainstorming new ideas. We will keep you up to date with what's happening in the coming month.

LONDON 2012

2012-01-10T09:29:00.001-08:00

A belated happy new year to all blog readers.

We are straight back with a new product which will be launched this weekend. The Word Map of London is our latest word map and has been made in collaboration with illustrator and friend Alison Hardcastle again.

It follows the same principals as our best selling Word Map of the British Isles but this time takes our capital city as the subject. The research covered each of the 32 boroughs of greater London plus the city of London itself and uncovered many fascinating facts which are woven together to create the new print.

We will add it to our site before the weekend and will be promoting the London map at th Home Show ( trade only ) at Earls Court from 15th to 18th January. More news very soon...

THE CHRISTMAS BREAK

2011-12-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

It's here again. The time of year when things can finally stop.

As much as I love being self employed and running snowhome I cherish the time on Christmas eve when I lock up th shop and take a break for 10 days. As usual the past six weeks have been very busy and I'm extremely grateful for that. Thank you to all who have supported Snowhome this Christmas and throughout the year,it's not possible to have a good shop without having good customers ( and good staff ). Our tenth year has been eventful and entertaining, never dull! I hope that next year brings more of the same.

The shop will be closed from 1 pm on 24th December, we won't be back until 4th January so no internet orders will be processed until then. To anyone who stumbles across this and takes the time to read it, I wish you happiness and good health for Christmas and the new year ahead.

PUCKET = FRANTIC FUN!

2011-12-18T07:44:00.000-08:00

We think we have found the perfect game for you and your family to burn off all of those Christmas callories. It's Finger Flicking fun for nearly everyone, and it's going down really well in our shop.

I'm sure that Angus wants you all to know, that he is shop champion..................so far anyway! Somebody may have been practising this Sunday.

Available via the snowhome shop, Click Here to buy.

LOVE DOVES

2011-12-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

Love Doves were born from a self initiated brief by John last year. As they proved such a success over the festive period last year, John has re-made us an exclusive batch. The Love Doves are laser cut from Birch Plywood and flat packed so they can be sent to your loved ones anywhere in world. Click Here to buy online.

HOLIDAYS ARE COMING

2011-12-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

I got a bit of a surprise this afternoon when the Coca Cola truck thundered past the shop, a sure reminder that Christmas is fast approaching.

It's been nice and busy for the past two weeks and I'm frantically re-ordering the bestsellers to keep the shelves full.

Our web sales have been really good since mentions in both the Telegraph and the Times recently. Our last dates for mailouts this year will be Friday 9th December for Europe and USA and Tuesday 20th December for the UK.

Finally, for those who missed out first time, the large Tux penguins are back in stock and available to buy online here.

TELEGRAPH - SHOP AWARDS

2011-11-27T04:01:00.000-08:00

Since last weekend, snowhome has received a healthy increase of both internet orders and footfall. A small percentage of these customers all have one thing in common.....they have read about snowhome in the Telegraph, where we have been nominated for 'The Best Small Shops in Britian Awards'. From this feature we have even had a few sales direct to celebrities, I would love to say who, but I better not....I don't want ruin any suprise christmas gifts now do I (you just don't know who's reading this blog).

Anyway, this is a competition, so now we've finished bragging we'd love to receive your votes. Please CLICK HERE to nominate us if you feel we are up to it. IMPORTANT scroll down to the BEST FOR INTERIORS section when voting.

TUX

2011-11-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Say 'hello' to TUX, he's a plywood penguin that has literally flown off the snowhome shelves this weekend. At only £4 we're sure he's going to be the perfect Christmas accessory. TUX flat packs into a standard C6 envelope (see Johns packaging design above) which makes him a perfect mail out gift.

Click here to purchase your very own TUX.

An even bigger success on the snowhome shelves over the weekend was TUX mini's. A set of 12 mini flat pack penguins for £10.90 (see in image above) unfortunately after one day on the shelves they were out of stock, but do not fear, we will add them to the snowhome website as soon as more stock comes our way.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

BEARD PACKAGING

2011-10-18T03:03:00.001-07:00

John worked on some simple packaging for the new knitted beards yesterday. Here are the prototypes.Everything should be ready by the weekend, in good time for the cold winter months ahead. The competition to win one will be announced early next week.

BEARDS ARE IN

2011-10-17T02:53:00.000-07:00

Here is the snowhome family modelling the first batch of home knitted beards. Very warm and very sexy.

We are working on some nice packaging for them and expect to have them available to buy on the website in a few days. There will be a post to let you all know when they are ready and maybe a competition to win one......

CHARDONNAY WITH BEEF ?

2011-10-13T04:58:00.000-07:00

Hot of the screen printing press and due to arrive in the shop tomorrow; A Guide to Pairing Wine with Food - The perfect tea towels for foodies.

Become the sommelier of your own kitchen with these comprehensive and easy to reference wine pairing tea towels.

Available in white and red wine versions, these organic cotton guides give pairing ratings for 34 whites or reds with 55 different food entries - that’s 3740 possible combos covered! Pairings are rated as excellent, good and best avoided so you’ll never make a food faux-pas.

Foods are grouped into 7 categories; Meat & Poultry, Seafood, Flavours & Herbs, Taste, International Dishes, Vegs & Vegetarian, and Dairy.

There’s also info. on grape variety, acidity, body, tannins and sweetness for each wine listed.

Well done to Stuart Gardiner for yet another clever and useful design. We especially enjoy the way that the knife and fork sit next to the wine in the logo....nice!

2 colour print on organic unbleached cotton. Made & printed in the UK and only £9.95 each. What more can you ask for?

SALE

2011-09-16T09:20:00.000-07:00

Buying for the winter season is in full swing here at snowhome, so we thought we'd get rid of a few old things to make some space for the new. The sale is in store only, so if your looking to get your hands on some design classics with as much as 70% off RRP then be sure to call in.

ANYONE FANCY A KNITTED BEARD?

2011-09-09T08:14:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Angus and I went down to Birmingham NEC to visit the Autumn Fair trade show. Now that summer is over : ( we were on the look out for some new products to stock for Christmas. One of our favourites were these Beard Beanies. They will be a bit pricey at £40 but we just loved them, What do you think? Should we stock them?

I think they're perfect for cycling around a cold city during the winter months, because if like me you can't really grow a proper beard then you will know all about that freeeezing cold chin.

FREE WORD MAP FOR LIKING US

2011-09-08T06:31:00.001-07:00

We want you to like us on facebook. We're even bribing you by offering a best selling Word Map of the British Isles to the 50th and 100th people who like us on facebook.

Like us by clicking here and then just click on the LIKE THIS button.

GRAZE

2011-09-02T02:21:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday the postman brings me a Graze box, it's a birthday present from my Mum.

The whole Graze concept is very nicely thought out right the way through from the website to the clever packaging. It's an exercise in very good branding and it works because all the details are consistent. To be honest , I'm more a fan of the cute box design and the little craft booklet than I was of yesterdays "love mix" but I can use the website to delete love mix from my future orders. One of the best things about the Graze experience is receiving a neat little present in the the post every week, when I'm used to bills and invoices a box of goodies is always a more than welcome delivery.

A POSTER DESIGNED LIKE THIS WILL PROBABLY SELL

2011-09-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

NEW PRODUCTS

2011-08-30T08:10:00.000-07:00

Last week we received a range of new and old favourites from Joseph and Joseph. Thought I would share a few of these with you as they make cooking and dining a less stressful experience. The Garlic rocker is a personal favourite of mine. it's beautifully designed, easy to use and is a treat to keep nice and clean!

And the Double dish is great for serving olives and pistachios. As well as hiding any waste from view, Double Dish eliminates the need for additional empty bowls on the table! Genius!

DECADE

2011-08-25T02:30:00.000-07:00

Last week saw our tenth birthday as Snowhome. It's hard to believe that it was ten years ago that I first tentatively opened the doors of the little shop at No. 38 with a homemade shop-fit and barely any stock.

Things have changed, we've got a bit more stock now and a lot more experience but many things have stayed fairly constant ( largely due to my resistance to dramatic change ). I still work with a few of the companies that I did in that first year, many of them have become friends as have the customers who have supported Snowhome. Without good staff I wouldn't have made it to 10 years, thank you to those who have been part of the team and made work not feel like work!

I'm not sure what the next ten years will hold, I hope that we will continue to evolve in our own haphazard way and attempt to turn some of the ideas we have into reality instead of just talking about them!

LONDON

2011-08-11T07:11:00.000-07:00

We had a quick trip down to London last week - just before people started misbehaving down there.

The reason for the trip was a meeting with a design company to pitch a couple of product ideas, the meeting went very well and hopefully something will come of it. If anything develops I will post news on the blog.

John and I also took the chance to have a snoop round some shops while we were in London, here's John almost asleep in an Eames lounge chair in Skandium, he had been up all the previous night getting presentations ready for the meeting!

I also took the decision to start a Snowhome wholesale business. I was in discussion with a couple of distributors regarding the Word Map but after a good deal of deliberation I have started to take on the distribution myself. I will be looking to sell it into a network of national design shops and specialist retailers so if you're interested or know a shop that might like to sell our best selling Word Maps please do get in touch.

The idea is to build a small portfolio of own brand products that we self distribute to selected retailers. It's a big step and wholesale is a business in itself but I like a challenge and I think the time is right. There is also an opportunity for some creative freedom which I find exciting, I have a few ideas up my metaphoric sleeve and am already working on a new Word Map which will be launched at the Top Drawer/Home show in January 2012.

As ideas become products the shop, website and blog will be the testing ground, thank you to all the customers who have supported our own brand products; I'm as big as... YouToDo, The Accumulator, Flower Grenades and of course Word Map over the last few years. You will be the first to know about our new additions.

STUDIO

2011-07-21T05:34:00.001-07:00

John and I made a studio visit the other evening after closing. Phil and Will are regulars in the shop,they are both are creatives and have made things that we've sold in Snowhome. They invited us over for a look at their new studio, it was inspiring to be there and took me back to a time when I spent most of my own time in my studio and visiting friends in theirs.

Studios are great, primarily creative working spaces but always full of quirky stuff and fascinating objects. Studios remind me of allotments, both share the same eccentric resourceful character and both possess a sense of potential. Check out the cardboard box light shade!

Thanks to Phil and Will for the relaxing couple of hours, we look forward to working on a project with them both over the coming months. You can have a look at their websites by clicking on the names at the beginning of the post.

CAR PARK

2011-07-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

I've never been a particularly political person. However, as I get older I find that I'm getting more involved especially on a local level, it's probably in direct correlation with my tax bill.

An issue has just come to light that I believe will affect a large number of independent businesses in our part of the city of York and in particular on Gillygate ( where Snowhome has traded for ten years ).

In their wisdom the new labour council has decided to sell the large coach and car park situated just a few hundred metres from our shop. The facility is a vital for drawing visitors and enabling locals to park and consequently shop in our peripheral street. The council are planning to sell the land for a cheap price to the University and without any form of public consultation, it has more than a whiff of fish about it and probably more back handers than Wimbledon fortnight.

The local businesses are going to do their best to make a noise and try to prevent the proposal going ahead, it feels a bit David v Goliath but it's well worth a go.

there's a facebook support page if anyone fancies adding a LIKE to support us just click here.

HOT POT BBQ

2011-06-13T05:21:00.000-07:00

Have a look at our new arrival. Black and Blum have come up with yet another great product. A herb pot that conceals a bbq grill. Genius! This is great for small gardens and balconies. No more bulky bbq's! I hope we have lots of warm summer evenings to look forward to just so we can enjoy the hot-pot.

PULSE, LOST KEYS, SEA SWIMMING + PIES

2011-06-08T02:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was one of those days that seemed to last for more than 24 hours. Because I somehow squeezed an extra few hours into the normal day I was rewarded with an extra helping of odd and memorable moments!

I headed down to Pulse at Earls Court in the morning and spent the day hunting out new things for the shop. The show contained the usual highlights and lowlights ( is that a word ? ). Both Alison Hardcastle ( friend, former Snowhome employee , illustrator and Word Map collaborator ) and Laura Vickers ( friend , illustrator and current Snowhome employee ) were exhibiting and their stands were right opposite each other. I have to say, not that I'm biased, but I thought both of their stands looked fantastic and wasn't surprised to hear that they had both been busy with orders. I also found some unusual ceramics from Yas-Ming , I'll be ordering some of the bowls this week.

I had lost my car keys on the beach at Fraisthorpe on Monday ( long story ) and needed to head back to the East coast to collect the car with the spare key, as ever John had offered to help out he had persuaded Big Johnny to give me a lift to the coast so after getting back to York in the early evening the three of us set off.

We were rewarded with an empty beach, a high tide and a setting sun . The decision to bring towels and trunks was well justified and the ice cold North sea swim was both exhilarating and hilarious. An old gentleman who was pushing a jack russell in a pram(!) along the dunes shouted that we were 'crackers' which I thought was a bit rich.

With the car rescued we stopped at a pub on the drive home, it was way after 10pm but they offered us their "pie menu". We got really tasty homemade pies and pretty good coffee, a far cry from the standard frozen junk commonly served at country pubs.

I was home in time for a cup of tea and catch up on emails, I slept well last night.

SHOP DOG

2011-05-24T05:54:00.000-07:00

This is Pip; she's almost a year old and the result of huge pressure to get a dog from my two children. She comes to the shop a few days a week now, eats a few price tags, chews paper balls and lounges on the sofa. She's not much of a guard dog but it's nice to have her around while the shop is so quiet. I can moan to her about stuff and she never moans back.

If you're ever in the shop on a Wednesday she'll probably come and give you a sniff.

HOT CAKES + HIGHLY COMMENDED

2011-05-11T02:47:00.000-07:00

Were back from Grand Designs Live after a week in London promoting Embrace and the new Word Maps. It's been a very successful week with John picking up a highly commended award for Embrace ( grainy photo above of Kevin McCloud announcing the award ). Sales of Embrace were very good in the second half of the show, John is now on his way to the International Furniture Fair in New York and spent last night without sleep doing paperwork and boxing up Embrace's for delivery.

The Word Map sold extremely well at the show, thanks too to Domestic Sluttery who saw the maps at Grand Designs and tweeted about them, their tweet and blog post has resulted in a steady stream of orders too.

There are interesting new possibilities for Word Map including commissions and wholesale interest. We may also be embarking on a new Word Map this summer showing another area, I don't want to give too much away at this early stage but if you read this blog you will be first to know.

GRAND DESIGNS LIVE

2011-05-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's 6.30am , so this is a very quick post with some news that John was shortlisted for the Grand Designs Product of the Year. He made it to the last three from 800 entrants and picked up the highly commended award from Kevin MacCloud at last nights award ceremony.

We're sharing a stand at the Grand Designs Live show at Excel in London which is on until Sunday 8th. We're just exhibiting two products; John's Embrace table and my new Word Map. The maps have been selling really well and I'm very worried that there's not enough stock to last the weekend!

I'll post with more details when we return from London on Monday.

WORD MAP OF THE BRITISH ISLES

2011-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

I used the cold, dark post Christmas months to research a new in house product and I'm delighted to announce that its now printed, packed, finished and ready to sell.

I had the idea for the Word Map about a year ago and have been chewing it over since then, the new year seemed like an appropriate time to invest some time into getting it past the idea stage.

The concept is straightforward; the map is created using selected text that has a certain relationship to its particular geographic location.

The words used range from regional specialities to historical fact, from local celebrities to indigenous species. Stereotypes, clichés and typecasts help to build a graphic hand crafted map of the British Isles.

For the Word Map project Snowhome has collaborated with former employee, friend and illustrator Alison Hardcastle. Her typographic skills have turned jumbled lists of words into a lovingly hand drawn map which is as full of personality as the landscape that it charts.

The map is available as a rolled lithographic print which is printed on uncoated 190gsm paper stock and packed in a tube.

There are two sizes available; 60 x 80cm and 70 x 100cm.

The 60 x 80cm print is available in grey, green or blue-black, the 70 x 100cm version in blue-black only.

Prices : 60 x 80cm - £25.00

70 x 100cm - £35.00

The prints fit standard ready made frames.

It will be launched at the Grand Designs Live exhibition at Excel in London this weekend and is available to buy in the shop and on our website from Thursday 28th April.

COMING SOON

2011-04-16T09:22:00.002-07:00

LIVE MUSIC

2011-04-14T14:52:00.000-07:00

I'm not a regular gig go-er any more but have been lucky to have seen not one but two great live acts in the last week.

We saw Faithless last Thursday at Brixton Academy followed more by Ben Howard at the Duchess in York on Tuesday. As events , probably as different as chalk and cheese or maybe as different as dance electronica and mellow acoustics. Both were uplifting and hugely enjoyable in very different ways ( one in a adrenaline rich, dynamic, dancy sweaty way the other in a warm, intimate , herbal tea kind of way ) it's good to be reminded again of the intensity of a live performance. I'll add to my list of things that I should do it more often!

Things have been a bit busy with a final push to get our new "product" ready to launch next week, if all goes well I'll be posting a preview next Thursday.

BIRD BOX

2011-04-06T06:12:00.000-07:00

Couldn't resist a quick post showing the very nice packaging for the new Qualy Sparrow key ring. Good packaging is always a pleasure, it helps to sell a product and brighten up our shelves too.

The little sparrow is also a whistle, and comes with its own wall mounted bird house where you hang your keys when you come home.

We will add these to our site soon along with a few other new things.

SOMETHING IN THE AIR

2011-03-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

An unexpected series of events this week ( nothing too serious ) have given rise to a little soul searching these last few days.

The first optimistic days of warm spring sunshine have coincided with the growing realisation that a bright and fulfilling future for us is more achievable through greater investment in our own ideas and creativity.

It's not a groundbreaking theory or even a lightbulb moment it's just makes good sense. It gives the news below a little more relevance too!.....

I've been developing a new product for the shop for the past two months. We will be launching it at the Grand Designs Live exhibition at Excel in London on 30th April. John and I will be sharing a stand to promote his Embrace unit together with new Snowhome item.

I don't want to give too much away at this stage but I've been working in collaboration with Alison Hardcastle ( friend, illustrator and former Snowhome employee ). I'm really pleased with the work in progress, the final results will be something very new for us. I will post news here before the end of April so you'll get a preview ( and a chance to buy ) prior to the official Launch at the exhibition.

BEN HOWARD

2011-03-11T02:40:00.000-08:00

Ben Howard. A bit of a favourite listen in the snowhome shop last summer and we've just heard he'll be playing in York on the 12th of April. See you there!

RICH TEA

2011-02-22T03:19:00.001-08:00

No.3 in an ongoing series of products that we believe deliver value for money ( first class stamp and paracetemol are previous suggestions )

Rich tea were developed up here in Yorkshire in the seventeenth century .

The budget pack costs 23p and never fails to deliver a nostalgic yet deeply satisfying dunking experience. I haven't calculated the exact cost per biscuit but it can't be much more than a penny and you don't get much for a penny these days.

LIGHTIN

2011-02-19T03:07:00.000-08:00

New light - tin from Thomas Stanley. Thomas is a recent graduate from Northumbria University and has since launched his own design practice, Lightin is his first product available commercially and it retails for £34.95.

Lightin utilises a very minimal CNC bent wire frame, which neatly wraps it's self around a standard beer can, the recycled beer can encases an LED spotlight bulb that is capable of lasting 50,000 hours if left on constantly, thats 5 years and 7 months or 20 halogen bulbs.

I think it's cool, although I'm sure Angus would much prefer it with a wine bottle on the end ;)

Also lightin has been designed and manufactured in the UK.

John

LAMINO

2011-02-18T09:17:00.000-08:00

We had a special delivery from SWEDESE this morning with the LAMINO chair we had ordered for a customer. As shop owner Angus took the privilege of sampling it, (I hope they don't mind). Angus described as "the comfiest chair I have ever sat on" followed by "I want one".

The lamino chair was designed by Swedese founder Yngve Ektrom in 1956, it's timeless. I hope I can design something like this one day.

PS. sneaked embrace in the shot (bit of shameless self promo)

FRANFURTERED

2011-02-15T06:21:00.000-08:00

Made it back from the city of Franfurt without eating a single Frankfurter. John had one and didn't recommend the experience. We don't recommend Lufthansa Airlines either after a booking mix up cost us almost £600 extra to get home on Sunday. The desk staff couldn't have played the unsympathetic bureaucratic , jobsworth role more effectively if they had spent three years at drama school perfecting the part.

The trade fair ( Ambiente ) is massive, a lot to take in and for once a lot of it was worth taking in! We saw some inspiring stands from suppliers who are under exposed in the Uk so hope to have interesting new items in the shop and on the site over the coming weeks.

Highlights included the +d stand and a fun and fresh collection from German designers @Loony.

We saw nice new things from established brands and suppliers that we already work with. I'm looking forward to getting in some of their new designs this spring.

We're working on some new ideas of our own too, we hope to collaborate with some of the companies that we met in Frankfurt; more details later on.

We'll be busy over the next few months as we will be showing off some of our things at the Grand Designs exhibition at the end of April. Lots to do but thats the way we like it!

BOBBLE ROAD TEST

2011-02-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

We've just got back from 'Ambiente' the design fair in Frankfurt.........what a great show! It was huge and filled with exciting and inspiring products, so I'm sure snowhome will have a few more best sellers to come as a result.

Whilst we were away Angus took his 'Bobble' water bottle (featured below) and everytime he slipped it out of his bag for a drink I was jealous. In total I spent 12euro's on bottled water over the 3 days we were there. Everytime I went to buy water angus went to the toilet and filled up his 'Bobble' saving him 12euro, so that's definately paid for itself.

On our first day back since the fair we have just taken delivery of 100's of Bobbles and replacement filters............................I know what I'll be buying after today's shift. Check out Karim's little chat about the design:

I'm sure Angus will be doing a nice big post about our trip to Frankfurt and some of the great finds, so I'll finish here!

John

PEN LOOP

2011-01-29T07:02:00.001-08:00

A great find for us at top drawer a few weeks ago. Pen Loop by the German company Leuchtturm. Leuchtturm have been around since 1917 making quality notebooks and diary's claiming to be as original as the moleskine, whether they are or not we're not sure but what we do know is that the pen clip is a great product.

Simply stick this self adhesive tab into the back of your notebook and leave the elastic loop protruding for your pen or pencil. They come in various vibrant colour which we think makes them perfect for archiving/identifying your black leather (identical) notebooks. Yellow could be used for your travel notebook, blue for your sketchbook and red for the notebook that has your plans for taking over the world.....blah blah blah.........you get the idea.

I thought I'd blog this as I think it fits the snowhome criteria for a perfect product:

Affordable: yep, only £2.50.

Functional: very easy to use, has made my pen easier to find ever since I took a sample from the show 2 weeks ago. Now, as soon as I pick up my sketchbook I have a pen in my hand, non of that rooting round the bottom of my bag for one anymore.

Aesthetics: Nice minimal coloured stripe hanging out of the plain black mundane notebook, that's pretty enough for us.

Packaging: very nice, explains the product instantly, and looks like an actual notebook and fits perfectly into the Moleskine merchandiser on our counter. Packaging image below.

BETTER WATER

2011-01-28T05:42:00.000-08:00

I've just placed our first order for Bobble. Bobble is a new self filering water bottle , I have to say that I'm excited about their arrival.

Bobble is a simple idea that aims to reduce the environmental impact created by the global bottled mineral water industry. In the UK alone there were over two billion litres of bottled water drunk last year , thats a lot of money spent and a huge amount of empty plastic bottles. Each year nearly 1.5 million barrels of oil are used to make these bottles, many of them up in landfill or floating in our oceans - not an elegant design solution.

The people at Bobble want to change the way we drink water; The bobble water bottle is made from recycled PET ( free from harmful phthalates and PVC )with a coloured carbon filter that filters tap water and can be used over 300 times before a new carbon filter is needed. You get great tasting healthy water each time you fill it.

It's curvy form is designed by designer Karim Rashid who has designed, among other things, the Issey Miyake perfume bottle and watches for Alessi .

We hope to get our delivery around the 10th February, the price will be £9.95. They are already on our site for pre-orders. Click here to order

DIRTY WORK

2011-01-08T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy 2011 to all blog readers.

As the year stretches ahead in all it's uncertainty we are planning out our ideas and goals.

The shop was hectic during December minus the lost days for heavy snow and it's now time to tidy up and have a mini sale. I always think the shop looks a bit scrappy for the first few weeks of the new year, the stock is low and we generally sell off some of our shop models and last of lines.

Things have a feeling of being in transition as we enter the buying season and head off in search of new stock at the trade shows.

Buying stock for the shop is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job, it does however seem to get more difficult to find interesting products that fit the snowhome brief.

So without asking you to do my dirty work if you are a designer or a shopper please feel free to get in touch with any product ideas that you feel may fit nicely into our eclectic range.

I'm very tempted by the wooden Magno radios, what do you think?......

CHRISTMAS BREAK

2010-12-22T14:00:00.000-08:00

There's a day and a half pre Christmas shopping left at Snowhome and the last web orders were packed and sent yesterday for Christmas delivery . I'm feeling a bit tired and a bit like I'm getting a cold.

So with whisky+ lemon + honey in hand I thought I would add a final post to say thanks to all who have helped and supported Snowhome this year. Although it's only a small business there's always something that needs doing and I couldn't do it on my own. A big thanks to John for his creative input, hard work and humour this year. I 'm looking forward to working with John on new ideas and projects in 2011. Thanks too to Laura who has been a great help since she joined us in October.

Without wanting to sound like a weepy Oscar speech ( it must be the whisky ) I want to thank all those who supply us with great products to sell and to those who support us by buying it from us.

I know from personal experience that there is a good deal of retail choice out there so I truly value those who choose to spend hard earned money at Snowhome.

As usual I will retreat to a remote cottage somewhere in the Scottish borders with my family over new year for long walks, fun,games and perhaps a little more of the whisky. We will close from 1pm on Christmas eve and re-open on Tuesday 4th July. Orders placed on the website will not be sent until we re-open and correspondence will be answered.

I wish everyone who takes the time to read this a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy year ahead.

THE ACCUMULATOR

2010-11-30T02:14:00.000-08:00

We have just received notification that our first delivery of Accumulators has been dispatched by Suck UK, we should receive them later today.

The Accumulator is a product project that I worked in last Spring and Summer as a proposal for the design/manufacture brand Suck Uk. The principle follows a similar idea to my height chart, this time it's coins that are measured in a tube and money based facts relate to the amount that you have saved. Suck have developed the design so that it can also be used for euros and dollars, there is a French language version too. The prototypes and packaging look great so I'm excited to see the shelf ready product.

250 pound coins can be saved in the Accumulator - you could have bought a 2 bedroomed terraced house in London in 1870 for that!

We will add the Accumulator to our site today, the retail price is £35, just in time to buy as a Christmas gift for those hard to buy for people.

SNOWY SNOWHOME

2010-11-28T08:09:00.000-08:00

We've had our fair share of snow in York this weekend.Unfortunately ( unlike the snow ) shoppers have been a little thin on the ground as a result. The fan heater has been on full blast all day notching up a scary electricity bill. Our website has been busy though, shopping from a warm sofa is sometimes more appealing than braving driving snow showers.

The website is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, we will be sending all UK deliveries for pre Christmas delivery out on all orders placed until 5pm on Tuesday 21st December. The deadline for overseas orders is Friday 10th December.

WINDOW

2010-11-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

A pic to show the Christmassy window as promised. It's a collection of logs, polystyrene, kapow lights and some rather nice ply wood shelving that John knocked up a couple of weeks ago. The Orla Kiely ceramics are selling like hot cakes.

Talking of cakes, we're doing a late night shopping evening tonight but things have been less than busy ( quiet ). I've eaten most of the mince pies that were destined for hungry shoppers.

CHRISTMAS WINDOW

2010-11-14T03:44:00.000-08:00

With only 41 days to go until the big day its time for us to put in our christmas window. Look out for a new blog post in the morning.

Above you can see a couple of snaps from last years window! It consisted of stag head hangers (designed&made by us) Mounted onto some unfinished rough cut timber mounts. Each stag head hanger was wearing a white-t with the names of the reindeer printed on in 72pt helvetica. The floor was lots of little polystyrene S's commonly used for packaging.

NICE!

FONICA

2010-11-11T03:49:00.000-08:00

Just a quickie to thank Richard, Harry, Dominic and Sam at Fonica for their very nice feature on snowhome in the second issue of their inventive magazine.

Fonica is a non profit organisation that is intended to inspire and nurture creativity. There is a bi monthly magazine and related website. The content is art and design led and is presented in a clean graphic style with creative photographic content.

Have a look at their site here

OPEN LATE

2010-11-05T05:22:00.000-07:00

We will be keeping our doors open late on Thursday 18th of November, to celebrate the start of the festive shopping period.

All customers that shop with us that night ( between 5 and 8.30pm )will be entitled to 10% in store discount. So if your heading into town for some late night shopping action on the 18th be sure to park at this end of town and visit us on your way in.

BROCCOLLI STILL IN SEASON (JUST)

2010-10-30T08:09:00.000-07:00

These are new in and we love them. Tea towels by stuart Gardiner that show which British fruit and veg are in season. There is also another design showing seasonality of British wild foods. Now is the time to be gathering sloe berries, field mushrooms and crab apples. The tea towels are £9.95 and are selling like hot cakes in the shop, we will add them to our web store very soon.

OCTOBER WINDOW

2010-10-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

NEW month NEW window. This is the last window display we will probably be having before the XMAS window and it's one I really like. The window is the creative work of Angus, but because I was in the shop late enough last night for it to get dark, I thought I'd take a few snaps for the blog.

Products in the window:

Book rest light - Sang Jin Lee - £40 (featured in previous blog)

I'm as big as... - snowhome - £9.95

Leaf - Orla Kiely - £7.90

Tunhock Teacakes - Gillian Kyle - £7.90

Apple&Pears - Lotta Kuhlhorn - £7.90

WELCOME TO LAURA

2010-10-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Two have become three. Laura joined our very small but perfectly formed Snowhome team last week. She will be helping to run the shop, process orders and generally keep on top of things.

We already stock her lovely cards - have a look at her website to see the full range by clicking here. We are looking forward to her creative input and are already excited about plans for the year ahead. The news is full of dark omens for 2011 but I think we can make our tenth year our most productive yet ( lets hope that positive thinking actually works ).

BOOKREST LIGHT

2010-10-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

We've been waiting for this for about a year since we first ordered it as a prototype. Designed by Sang Jin Lee for Suck the bookrest light is made from opaque white glass and is illuminated by an energy efficient bulb which generates a comforting glow. You can rest your open book on the top to mark your page and give the house a paper roof. John has already added it to the site. Click here for a direct link.

JOHN'S STAND

2010-10-09T07:42:00.000-07:00

A few snaps of Johns stand at 100% Design, Earls Court last week. If you look closely you can see a few new products. John was working on these the whole of last month!

Check his site for more details on the products and to see how his show went: www.johngreendesigns.co.uk

THIS TIME LAST YEAR

2010-09-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

I'm currently busy tidying up my desktop on the mac as it has just got crammed with stuff while I have been preparing for 100% design and now as you can imagine I have lots of people to get back to and I cannot find anything! As I was tidying up I found this image, it's from last year and it seems a shame just to tidy it away and probably never find it again, so I thought I'd share it.

WET WEDNESDAY

2010-09-29T02:11:00.000-07:00

While I was at 100% design this weekend I met a young designer, Neil Conley, who is undertaking the residency programme at Northumria Uni.

We swapped cards and I had a look at his site yesterday. He has made some drawings for an unsigned singer/songwriter from Manchester called Any Idle Clone. I've been listening to the him on myspace ever since. The songs are very mellow and suit this damp shift of season from summer into autumn perfectly. Give it a listen here.

21% OFF FLOS LIGHTING

2010-09-22T07:26:00.000-07:00

Flos lighting have teamed up with Elle Decoration and a select number of Flos dealers to celebrate Elle Deco's 21st birthday. We are offering 21% off all Flos orders for 21 days ( until 11th October ). If you have ever fancied a design classic now may be the opportunity to make the purchase at a tempting price. We can take orders over the phone for any Flos product, they are not on our website so browse the entire range on the Flos site here. Phone with any questions or orders on 01904 671155.

I'm a very big fan of the new Smithfield fitting(above) by Jasper Morrison and will be very tempted by the offer to secure a couple for our hallway...

TILT

2010-09-11T02:45:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple of pictures showing our new window display that promotes the tilting glasses and carafe by Sagaform. The display is part of a competition open to UK Sagaform stockists, first prize is a 4* trip to Stockholm so fingers crossed.

The glasses and carafe have curved bases making them almost impossible to knock over. We will be adding them to our site soon.

TIME OUT

2010-09-03T04:01:00.001-07:00

Apologies again for lack of posts over the previous weeks. I have been away from work on various trips around the UK. We attended our annual family olympic games ( a riotous affair held at my step-mothers farm. Ten teams of three in fancy dress competing in events such as cabbage curling and lawn darts. Highly competitive, a little bizarre but great fun. I finally bought back a gold medal after 5 years of spectacular failures! ).

We also visited friends on the beautiful north Norfolk coast and family up in rural Aberdeenshire. I'm feeling suitably recharged and looking forward to the coming trade shows where I hope to find exciting new stock to sell over the busy months ahead.

John is spending as much time as possible in the studio in preparation for the 100% Design show which starts on 23rd September. If you are planning to visit the show stop by at his stand and say hello. More news on this and his new products coming soon.

SIMPLE SHELF

2010-08-11T06:21:00.001-07:00

Its always nice to receive a new product from a designer that we respect. The Ledge Shelf by Domesticity is such a good example of of a simple, functional and affordable product. We have both the white and black ones in stock and they cost £20 each. They will be added to the site in the next day or two.

John is now back from his epic John O'Groats to Lands End bike ride, well done to the three of them for completing the trip in only 10 days.

I'm away this weekend for our annual family olympics. A weekend of highly competitive team sports such as carrot darts and a swimming egg and spoon relay. I fancy my team's chances of gold this year ( but I say that every year ! )

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW

2010-07-30T04:31:00.000-07:00

When I set up the blog I was told how important it is to blog regularly; to inform the readers of exciting events in newsworthy bite sized chunks of information three or four times a week. It's true that this was my intention.

I read the blogs of others in the design industry, they are filled with daily posts of fascinating foreign trips, insider information concerning the best tapas bar in Barcelona or the perfect espresso in Milan. I read with interest of visits to glitzy gallery openings and stays in boutique hotels.

To be truthful my week hasn't been very exciting, , I've worked in the shop each day so my horizons are limited! however, the new album by Cherry Ghost had had plenty of plays and I can recommend it.

At times like this I'm thankful for the community spirit that is so strong on our little street in York ( Gillygate ). There's always a friendly face, great independent businesses and I couldn't do without my coffee's from Ambience Cafe nextdoor or my treats from Tarts + Titbits.

I suppose the point of this post is to pay a little homage to things close to home which can often be taken for granted - I could do with a holiday though!

TOP2BOTTOM

2010-07-23T06:07:00.000-07:00

I will be in the shop on my own for the next two weeks so apologies if things run a little slower. John is off on an epic 10 day cycle trip from John 'O Groats to Lands End, you can follow his progress and the quest for the nations finest vanilla slice on the Top2bottom blog here.

He's raising money along the way for neurological research as his sister Debbie tragically died at the age of 22 due to a blood clot in her brain. There is a link to his Just Giving fundraising page on the blog.

I wish John, Andy and Jonny all the best for the trip, hope the weather is good, the midges don't bother you in Scotland and you don't get too saddle sore!

Any tips on vanilla slice stops along the route are gratefully received!

OBJECTIFIED

2010-07-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

A design that is not celebrated enough!

While swapping over some keys today, I have just realised what a GREAT design the split ring is. Angus and I are constantly discussing products that are just perfect, we have a big list of products we know are perfect in every way, Bic biro's, paper clips, the list goes on....in fact we will probably post a list on the blog sometime. Anyway I think this is something that is almost always forgotten but yet I can guarantee that everybody who owns a set of keys has one. How many people own a set of keys!?

THE FORT

2010-07-14T07:09:00.001-07:00

I was at the opening of The Fort with my children last night, Snowhome has supplied a few bits and pieces for the rooms.

It's billed as a boutique hostel - 4 star hotel style accommodation right in the heart of the city and for as little as £20 a night. Each room has been designed by a different artist or designer, our favourite was the log cabin with its flickering electric candlelights and vinyl stag's head. The Fort is quirky , unique and sure to be a big hit for those looking for genuine style on a shoestring.

PARACETAMOL

2010-07-08T06:10:00.000-07:00

Paracetamol are number 2 in an ongoing series of posts concerning value for money.

This is the reason why: I woke up feeling bad, with the kind of headache that means you cant open your eyes properly or move your head too fast. I purchased a pack of the above tablets for the price of 39p and took two, Within 40 minutes I was back to normal again. There are still 14 left in the packet - enough for 7 similar events. Less than 5p a time. I would have gladly paid more to relieve my symptoms so value for money in my pain free mind.

Number 3 coming soon....

BEAUTIFUL INFORMATION

2010-07-02T01:14:00.000-07:00

I ordered a couple of copies of the book"Information is beautiful" by David McCandless to sell in the shop. I have to admit to keeping one for myself - it's such a lovely book.

The concept is fairly simple: to visualise information and present it graphically. The results are so engaging. Text is kept to a minimum and colourful graphs, charts and modern day maps dominate. These graphics illustrate the relationship between facts and the the connections that give information true meaning.

Subject matter is varied too and includes rock geneology, carbon emissions, IQ in relation to job title ( hairdressers come out badly! ) and most popular Google search phrases.

David McCandless describes his book as " A series of experiments in making information approachable and beautiful." In my mind his experiments have been a success and wholeheartedly recommend the book.

It has prompted me to consider adding a "book" section to the website, in the meantime heres a link to the Information is beautiful website.

RARE BIRDS

2010-06-24T02:35:00.000-07:00

Some of you may already be aware of the concrete ducks that we began stocking last December.

They proved to be a big seller for us at Christmas. The ducks have been made exclusively for us by a company in Scotland that specialises in semi-industrial concrete installations. Our initial batch of ducks came in various shades of grey but with our new delivery last week are a few rare yellow concrete ones. They are now nicely packed in own brand mini tubes and yellow ducks have been added to the site as an option to buy on a first come first served basis @ £9 each. WARNING - these ducks do not float!

SWISS

2010-06-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

British designed and made. We've stocked the swiss door stop in the store for a while. I think its great, and the fact that it has been made in the UK makes me like it even more, so i've took it upon myself to add it to our online shop. Click here to buy it for only £4.

British desined +made and retailing for under £5. I want to see more products like this.

YouToDo

2010-06-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Here are the first pictures of our new product - the YouToDo wallchart.

It follows on the heels of I'm as big as.... the height chart which I designed two years ago and has proven to be a top seller.

YouToDo is a 140cm long wall chart and is very loosely based around a children's reward chart.

There are 66 tasks to complete and coloured stickers to mark your progress. The tasks are designed to encourage an adventurous spirit, creative thinking and a sense of fun. The YouToDo challenges include building a snowman, baking a cake and watching the sun rise. The tasks are aimed at anyone aged 10 years or older and there is space for up to four people to use each chart. I am currently working on a YouToDo kids chart which will be specifically for children under 10 years old.

the first batch is packed up and on our shelves and the early feedback has been very positive. It looks set to be a perfect summer holiday product.

We will add it to the website later today ( price £11.95 )

CLIMBING @ RATHO

2010-06-14T06:19:00.000-07:00

We are just back from a weekend in Edinburgh where our son was competing in the national indoor climbing finals. The EICA Climbing Centre at Ratho just outside Edinburgh is an amazing venue which is built into a disused quarry. It has recently undergone a £6 million refurbishment and the attention to detail and quality of finish is very impressive. The dramatic architecture and sheer scale of the place made for a memorable day. There were 187 competitors representing all the regions of the UK, the competitive spirit and genuine camaraderie was inspiring. Well done Hamish!

ALISON HARDCASTLE @ PULSE

2010-06-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

I was at Pulse trade show in London over the weekend and wanted to show you Alison Hardcastle's stand, which looked fantastic . Alison worked with me at Snowhome for four years, she kept me pretty organised and was a pleasure to work with . Understandably it was a sad day when she left last year to have her first baby. Alison has somehow combined motherhood and creative output and has managed to produce some great new designs to add to her growing range of hand printed cards. There are also lovely mini prints that come in a pack of three. We will be adding some of her new pieces to the "paper things" section of our website soon.

QUICK SNAP (NICE ICE)

2010-06-04T03:09:00.000-07:00

That's more like it......an ice tray that actually helps the user to get the ice out! Beats having to smash it against the breakfast bar only to drop all of the ice on the floor.

You simply Fill QuickSnap with water just like a conventional ice tray. When ice is needed, twist the tray to loosen the cubes and then push each switch on the reverse, in the direction of the arrow, to release one ice cube at a time – effectively snapping each out of its individual compartment.

With QuickSnap you only release the amount of ice cubes you really need, whilst the rest remain secure in the tray and can be placed back in the freezer.

Also perfect for serving ice straight into drinks, without touching the cubes.

The "Quick Snap" designed by Graeme Davies for Joseph Joseph is now available to buy from our shop. CLICK HERE for more info or to buy.

FLOWER GRENADE

2010-05-28T06:32:00.001-07:00

A delivery from Suck UK arrived this week, we were delighted to find inside our first batch of Flower Grenades. We worked on the design for this new product in the early months of last year and it's satisfying to see the ideas fully realised in a neatly packaged product.

The Flower Grenade principle is simple; the shell is made from natural unfired clay, inside is packed with nutrient rich compost and a selection on native wildflower seeds. Toss them into neglected areas of the urban jungle and wait for nature to take it's course.

They come in a nice box of three and retail at £12, we will add them to the site today.

3.37.31

2010-05-27T02:44:00.000-07:00

Edinburgh marathon time = 3hrs 37 mins 31 secs.

An absolutely baking hot day in Edinburgh made the going pretty tough.

Thanks to all the fantastic support through Portobello , Prestonpans, Longniddry and Musselburgh. The cold garden hose showers, oranges and jelly babies were greatly appreciated.

The beer at the end was probably the most welcome beer that I have ever drunk.

Experiencing slight marathon come down this week, there is no challenge on the horizon at the moment. I now have plenty of time to attend to all the DIY jobs and shop admin tasks that have mounted up over the past six months. Joy.

EDINBURGH MARATHON

2010-05-20T05:01:00.000-07:00

I'm off this afternoon on my way up to Edinburgh where I will be running the marathon on Sunday. My wife thinks that running 26.2 miles is a fairly pointless activity that may actually do you more harm than good. I understand that viewpoint to an extent but believe that the marathon experience is an affirming one. For me the marathon is not just about the 26.2 miles on race day, it encompasses the 5 months of training on frosty mornings and dark wet nights, the finish line recalls all of that. The experience will be shared with family and friends who are also running, a big meal and quite a few drinks are planned for Sunday night. I'll post how I do next week.

HOME MADE

2010-05-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a quick image of the home made cookie stampers that arrived today. They will be added to the website very soon.

They are from Suck Uk who we have been working with on two new products which are due to be released very soon - watch this space...

Each stamp comes with a recipe for homemade cookies ,try this recipe though it's really good and comes from the excellent British Larder website.

Chocolate and hazelnut cookies

350g dark bitter chocolate
200g roasted whole hazelnuts, lightly crushed
100g unsalted butter
350g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
300g unrefined caster sugar
4 eggs
1 vanilla pod, seeds scarped
icing sugar or cocoa for baking

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Break the chocolate in small pieces, add the butter and melt over a double boiler, let the chocolate cool slightly once it’s melted.

Add the sugar, vanilla seeds and the eggs in to the bowl of a mixing machine, insert the balloon whisk and whisk until the eggs become pale in colour and the mixture is fluffy. Add the cooled melted chocolate and mix lightly.

Sieve the flour and baking powder over the chocolate mixture and add the toasted crushed hazelnuts, gently fold the flour and hazel nuts in to the chocolate mix. Let the dough rest for 1 hour in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Place the icing sugar or cocoa powder in a small bowl.

Roll the cookie dough into large walnut size balls, roll these in the icing or cocoa powder to coat the dough completely. Place the covered cookie balls on the prepared baking trays; leave large gaps as they expand when baking. Use the palm of you hand to lightly press the cookie dough slightly flatter, preferred size about 2cm high and 4cm wide cookie dough.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12 – 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 3 minutes, stamp with home made stamper before transferring them to a cooling rack. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to one week.

Makes about 40 cookies

PINA

2010-05-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

I just opened a delivery from Alessi and unpacked the Pina espresso makers.

They are so understated and perfectly proportioned that I want to take one home even though I don't need one!

Pina was designed by Piero Lissoni in 2006 and is a masterpiece in aluminium and bakelite. Even the box and label are spot on. I'm not always a big Alessi fan but this is a real gem.

WALLSTORE

2010-05-08T06:51:00.000-07:00

We were both excited and proud to receive our first delivery of Wallstores from Seletti this week.

The Wallstore was designed by John last year after he started working at Snowhome. Its's a handy magnetic wall mounted storage solution and is distictively branded with the Pantone colour reference. We took some prototypes down to the 100% Design show last September and there was a very positive reaction .

They are now in full production through Seletti in Italy and come in seven colours ( purple not shown ). I put them up in the window on Friday and they've added a nice splash of colour to the shop. We will put them up on the website this week @ £40 + P&P.

WEST COAST WEDDING

2010-05-04T04:22:00.000-07:00

Just back from a great family wedding on the west coast of Scotland. The scene above was the setting for many of my childhood holidays and the beach was chosen by my cousin as the venue for her wedding. I met some interesting people, many of whom are climbers: a breed of people with an intense sense of adventure, a thirst for adrenaline and a healthy disregard for convention. I spent a little while chatting to a guy called Leo, it was only afterwards that someone told me that he does this for a living!

FLUORESCENT PROGRESS

2010-04-28T04:17:00.000-07:00

For some reason I gain great satisfaction in using a fluorescent marker pen.

I'm running the Edinburgh Marathon on May 23rd and the training started at the beginning of the year, my schedule has included three weekly runs of varying length. During these runs I visualise crossing it off my list when I get home, that single stroke of the small fluorescent pen has become a major motivator in my training. I'll be doing my best to break my previous time of 3hrs 48 mins. I'll let you know how it goes...

DESIGN ZERO

2010-04-22T06:45:00.000-07:00

Some things are designed so badly that I feel compelled to single them out and shame them.

One of my particular dislikes is badly designed door handles.

An object that is used so often and engaged with in such a physical way should be a pleasure to use. Our house (which we bought over a year ago) is full of cheap nasty gold handles similar to the one above. I hate looking at them and I hate using them. There have been so many other things to to in the house that these smaller details have not yet been addressed. I will make it a personal mission to replace them with handles that don't hurt your hand every time you open the door and don't look like they were designed by a bored monkey.

I like the series YK by Yoshimi Kono for Valli + Valli .

COURIER - YORK STYLE

2010-04-16T06:41:00.001-07:00

This is one of John's Embrace tables and an Artemide suspension light which were picked up by or friendly local courier this afternoon. Beats a man in a white van in our book, here's hoping for a safe delivery to their new owners.

ARE YOU SITTING COMFORTABLY?

2010-04-12T04:52:00.000-07:00

When we were deciding whether to branch out into soft furnishings, we realised a couple of things; firstly we don’t have a huge floor space and secondly, we wanted to offer a product that represented our design philosophies.

So, we digested the fact that we didn’t offer the square footage of a large retail chain and came to the conclusion that we would focus on a classic piece from the 1960's and now proudly made in Yorkshire.

The Robin Day club sofa is an iconic design and treasured item to many of its owners. It has solid eco credentials and comes in four sizes and a selection of materials and leathers.

Those with with an eye for detail and proportion will undoubtedly find this timeless classic appealing. If you are in our area why not pop in and have a sit down?

We will soon be offering the club sofa range to order online ( Uk customers only ), please check the website again soon if you are interested.

RELIABILITY

2010-04-02T00:01:00.001-07:00

I woke up early and couldn't get back to sleep this morning. My mind was full of the TO DO's and loose ends that need tying up before having a couple of days away over Easter. Morning coffee in the quiet kitchen while everyone slept above was the perfect solution.

It struck me how practical and satisfying the stove top espresso maker is. It never lets me down and the simple ritual of preparing the coffee is one I never tire of.

Snowhome wishes you all a simple and satisfying Easter break.

BLOGS AND COFFEE - BLOGS AND COFFEE

2010-04-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I know this has probably been blogged alot. But we like it.

BUSINESS AS USUAL

2010-03-26T03:03:00.000-07:00

For the past five weeks our street has been subject to severe disruption due to the replacement of the gas main beneath the road. The constant noise and general chaos has driven many shoppers away and I'm getting fed up with it. The pneumatic drill outside the front door this morning was not the best start to the day, the music has been turned up loud to compensate. We've been listening to City and Colour / Bring me your love, certainly a lot more uplifting than an industrial drill. The good news is that the work is scheduled to finish next week.

GIVEAWAY!

2010-03-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

Just in case you didn't know already, we are giving away some of our snowhome limited edition bag for life. They will be given to all of our internet customers who spend £30 or more ( excluding delivery charge ) until Thursday 1st April. There is a choice of four designs, each one hand printed by myself , John or Alison.

HOMES & GARDENS CLASSIC DESIGN AWARDS 2010

2010-03-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

Snowhome’s very own design protege John Green ventured down to the Home & Garden’s design awards for Young Designer of the Year and Furniture Design Award, last week. He had been shortlisted for the award for his critically acclaimed (and rather magnificent) ‘Embrace’ table.

After undergoing two selection processes and being narrowed down to six of the very best, John was invited to attend the ceremony in London at the V&A. Unfortunately he didn’t pick up the award this time ( won by Benjamin Hubert ), but coming runner-up can only have helped to raise John's profile and promote "Embrace".

As the only retailer of the embrace table, you can see and buy it on the website, or pop in to the store - you may have the chance to meet John and get to have a chat with him about his design.

Check out the award shortlist and winners here:
www.homesandgardens.com/events/awards/classic/2010

SPUDSKI WINDOW

2010-03-20T05:17:00.000-07:00

Another rainyday, another window display.............to celebrate the great Spudski design by Black&Blum we thought we'd remind our customers that MASH is the perfect comfort food to get them through the endless grey damp and cold months.

The window display shows a great recipe for mash, click on the image to enlarge it and have a good read. Spudski's are available in store and through our online shop for a great price of £11.50.Click here to buy online.

FIRST CLASS STAMP

2010-03-18T05:46:00.001-07:00

Petrol prices went up again yesterday to £1.20 a litre and it prompted a discussion about what constitutes value for money these days. As a result we will occasionally post our own ideas of products or services that we believe still offer good value for our hard earned cash.

My first nomination is the first class letter stamp, the price is currently 39p and will rise to 41p on 6th April. I know that there are moaners who like to knock the postal service and price that they pay for it but I guarantee they would be moaning a lot louder if they were hand delivering to Aberdeen, London, Truro, Hull or Cardiff ( or anywhere else ). I'm happy to pay the 39p, peel off the stamp, stick it to my envelope, pop it in a post box in the knowledge that it will be landing on the destination doormat the next morning.

SALES TARGETS

2010-03-12T05:03:00.000-08:00

As a result of some messing around in the shop one ( quiet )day we devised a magnetic darts game. John made little paper flights for some peg magnets that we had and we spent an afternoon chucking them across the shop attempting to land them on our notice board.

As a result of those fun filled hours we devised the Target board.

Basically a magnetic notice board with a target on it. We made some arrows using feather flights, the feathers being donated by prize winning york racing pigeons.

We have just a few left from the first batch that we had commercially made. Get yours before they go. Click here

CONCRETE DUCKS

2010-03-09T06:24:00.000-08:00

We have had a batch of cast concrete ducks made specially for us by a friendly company in Edinburgh . Each duck is hand cast and made in an assortment of greys and the occasional bright colour. We have now added them to the web shop .

NEW BLOG

2010-03-09T05:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome to our new blog.......just a quick note: Please don't expect anything too polished, the Snowhome blog may be a little rough around the edges and it may go a bit off on tangents at times, we may post about our favourite sandwich, what we're listening to in the shop, bikes, marathons, poached eggs, T-shirts, business cards, coffee, value for money, packaging or whatever else we are excited/annoyed about.

I think the above image sets the blog off nicely, If you spot the odd spelling misteaks please keep the red pen to yourselves!

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

2010-03-09T05:36:00.000-08:00

A few snaps of the bags for life in the window.

SNOWHOME BAGS FOR LIFE

2010-03-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Angus blasting out a quick screen print for the exclusive snowhome bags for life.