I don’t usually write about competitions, but this one is so awesome that you might actually abandon me if I kept this one all to myself, as tempting as it might be. Samsung is on the hunt for 100 global bloggers to send to London to cover the 2012 Olympic Games. It’s the most awesome of Once in a Lifetime Awesome Competitions. Got your attention now?
And it’s not just about the Games – they want bloggers who can share their unique experience of London and uncover the best the city has to offer. The winners will broadcast their experience to the world on a specially created Samsung blog, www.samsungglobalblogger.com.
I’ll let Jamie Oliver tell you a bit more about it.
If you would like to take part, you’ll need to record a 30 second video stating why you should be picked to come to London and submit it online at www.samsungglobalblogger.com. Hop to it – entries close 29 April.
You couldn’t call James Smith & Sons one of London’s hidden gems – after all, it’s been standing proudly on New Oxford Street with its handsome Victorian signage for 140-odd years. But there’s no way I could omit this veritable jewel from my ongoing project of collating the best shops in London.
James Smith & Sons is not only a London institution and one of its most esteemed heritage brands, it’s also a unique and wondrous shopping experience. But unless you’re on a bus heading down New Oxford Street, it’s easy to forget that it’s there.
Turn the brass handle, step over the well-trodden threshold and in an instant you’re transported to Dickens’ London, who incidentally lived nearby on Doughty Street in the late 1830s.* I like to imagine he glanced at himself in the mirrored panels on the shop’s exterior as he strolled down the street, cane in hand.
All manner of the most exquisitely crafted umbrellas, walking sticks and canes are tucked away in tall wicker baskets or displayed on the original cabinetry, which was custom-designed and made by a fitter to Mr Smith’s exacting specifications. If you dig a bit of London history, you could stand and gawk forever.
But enough about the impressive shopfront, let’s consider the wares on offer. This is the place to buy a quality brolly that will stand the test of time. The dodgy £2.99 plastic job you purchased in a panic would blush in shame compared to the fine examples on sale here, many of which are handcrafted in the basement workshop. The brand’s reputation for fine umbrellas is legendary, and James Smith was amongst the first to use the sturdy English Fox Frame structure, which has hardly changed in design over the years.
The umbrellas are charmingly divided between ladies and gents; pencil length and walking length; city and country. Take your pick from brollies with beautifully turned beechwood handles (a joy to hold), long leather handles with metal-tipped ends, and folding umbrellas with the most rustic of hazel root handles.
You pay for what you get, so prices aren’t exactly cheap, with a classic ladies city umbrella starting at £65. I love the wonderfully eccentric animal-head brollies – a beautiful ladies Fox Frame with a resin parrot handle will set you back £75. They also stock the most glorious ruffled French parasols by Pierre Vaux in myriad rainbow colours for £58.80 (not bad, considering I’ve seen them elsewhere for £100).
There is also an extensive range of walking sticks and canes, stemming back to those times when an English gentleman wouldn’t leave home without being properly accessorised with a hat and cane. The country collection includes some particularly wizened hiking staffs that Gandalf would have been happy to call his own. Don’t miss the collection of walking sticks with secret compartments for a pipe, dice, corkscrews or flasks. For £95 you can take home a maplewood walking stick which conceals two silver-plated cups and a glass flask for your favourite tipple. So very civilised.
My top five picks:
1. Gent’s traditional slim rolled umbrella with a ‘needle’ end and moulded resin Sherlock Holmes head handle, £75.
2. Smaller Sized Ladies Sun Umbrella, £65.
3. English ‘Fox Frame’ ladies umbrella with a resin parrot handle, £75.
4. Frilly Vaux umbrella, £58.80
5. Ladies classic city walking length umbrella with malacca cane crook, £65.
* Charles Dickens lived at Number 48 Doughty Street between 1837 and 1839. It’s the author’s only-surviving residence in London, and it’s since been restored and turned into The Charles Dickens Museum which holds over 100,000 items including manuscripts, rare editions, paintings and personal items. It’s on my to-do list the next time I’m in town.
Shop interior photo and product photos courtesy of James Smith & Sons. The rest of the photography is by Wee Birdy.
I’m actually a bit embarrassed that I’ve never mentioned Matt Sewell before on Wee Birdy. It’s a disgrace, really, considering that this British artist, like me, has been posting a “Bird of the Week” on his blog for the past few years. The only difference is that Matt’s birds are his very own watercolours. His passion for bird-watching is apparent throughout his quirky art, and his birds are infused with delightful details and character quirks.
So I was beyond delighted to discover this gorgeous new range of wooden birds he’s made exclusively for the sublime V&A shop. (Bravo to the V&A Shop, too, for snapping up this talented artist for their spring/summer 2012 collection.) Each bird is handmade and painted by Matt, and was inspired by the V&A’s archives. Little Owl, for instance, was based on an etching from the earliest hand-coloured book of English birds, The Natural History of Birds by Eleazar Albin (1731-8).
Matt’s sweet stylised versions are made using reclaimed wood and FSC accredited pine, and come packaged in a hand-printed nesting box. Swoooon.
I want them all, but if I had to choose one, I couldn’t go past the lovely little Strawberry Thief, who comes with his very own strawberry. Which one would you choose?
Now here’s another clever collaboration: British paper-cut artist (and Wee Birdy favourite) Rob Ryan and Victorinox. Have a look at the Vitorinox Tomo website: there are some cool interactive things to play with, including free downloadable Rob Ryan stencils (for beginners and advanced) and a lovely interview with the fabulous beardy-one himself:
They’re also running a special Twitter Christmas campaign at the moment. Just tweet someone with a message and #alphabunting and wait a few seconds. Your message will be turned into Rob-Ryan-esque Christmas bunting. Such good fun – have a go now!
I think we have a winner for Best Christmas Wrapping Paper of the Year! Incredibly beautiful stylised birds! Carrying letters and parcels! By air mail! Amazeballs! (Dear Father Christmas, please wrap all my presents in this wrapping paper. K THX BAI!)
This fantastical illustrated design by Lesley Barnes is a mere snip at £1.50 from Soma Gallery. I have a lot more to say about this genius Scottish illustrator/animator before the year is out, mark my words. Just consider this a sneak preview…
Remember that blog post I wrote about Christmas crackers a few days ago? Where I jumped up and down and swore that I had collated the ultimate top 20 list? Well, I just found one more. It only arrived yesterday. It’s a real little beauty. And it’s got my name all over it (OK, not literally). Introducing the exquisite Ben Pentreath Limited Christmas Crackers.
Disenchanted with what he found in London’s department stores last year, Ben decided there was nothing else for it but to create his own range. Made by hand in Dorset, these magnificent crackers are the Christmas incarnation of Ben Pentreath himself, handsomely wrapped with unique Judd Street and Pollock’s Toy Museum papers. Inspired (and oh-so-London)!
Novelties were hand-picked by Ben and include traditional favourites like wooden dice, pencils, marbles in a paper bag, pastry cutters and nutmeg graters. There is also a “terrible joke” (tick!), paper hat (tick) and it goes bang (tick! tick! tick!). Crackers are £40 for a tray of six, and they’re worth every single pretty penny.
Ben Pentreath(crackers are available on the online shop and can be shipped overseas) 17 Rugby Street London WC1N 3QT Tel. 020 7430 2526 Nearest tubes: Russell Square and Holborn Click here for a Wee Birdy map.
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