The mornings are too chilly to go without a coat, the clocks have fallen back an hour for winter and it’s beginning to get dark after lunch…
Yes, November is here and it’s time to reanimate one of my favourite traditions.
If you’ve been around these parts for a wee while, you’ll know that each year* I shout about some of the independent businesses that I regularly buy from myself, or that I am lucky enough to call friends, or both!
*The less said about 2023, the better!
Every order placed with a small business makes a real difference to an actual person and, now more than ever, we need to support our Indies. In return for your support, you receive beautifully packaged treasures created with love and personal service from the face (or faces) behind the business.
As with every year, remember to order early! Handmade takes time and the postal services are always much busier than usual. Be good to future you and avoid last minute delivery panic by getting started sooner rather than later.
Do you have a cup of tea?
Marvellous!
Let’s crack on…
Demons & Diamonds
Our first creative powerhouse this year is the wonderful Michelle of Demons & Diamonds.
She mixes gothic, witchy and whimsical vibes with a touch of celestial fantasy to create stunning resin art and homewares.
Explore and enjoy her vintage glass and incense décor collection. Each item is made using beautiful, thrifted vintage cut glass and crystal pieces to which Michelle adds her resin art, creating one off, unique homewares for you to use for years to come.
If you fancy something to spread some light and sparkle around your rooms, look no further than these beautiful sun catchers, ideal for adding a little magic to your home.
Or choose to vamp up your space with a stunning resin snake mirror. Not into snakes? Stars and moons are also available!
Michelle also designs stunning custom pieces, so if you have an idea that you’d love to see brought to life in resin, get in touch with her and see your imagination come to life!
You can find Demons & Diamonds here:
D R Miller
Come with me now to the dark and shadowy world of Victorian Gothic…
D. R. Miller’s career as an author began when some friends wanted to make a short film for their Halloween party, and he agreed to write it. The story was so successful it became an annual production. Following this he began writing for himself and was drawn to fantasy, with inspiration taken from pulp novelists like Robert E. Howard, the poetry of Edgar Allan Poe and the horror of H. P. Lovecraft, Bram Stoker and Dennis Wheatley.
The world of Victorian Gothic sees a demonic threat ravaging London in the late 1880s. As Christmas approaches, Katherine Kramer cuts herself on a strange book at a dinner party, falls ill and, despite desperate attempts to save her, she dies in horrific circumstances. An unlikely group of associates are bound together to fight a supernatural power unleashed by that peculiar book.
I loved reading Victorian Gothic Volume 1: The Uncanny Death of Katherine Kramer, and I’ve already put Volume 2 on my Christmas wish list!
If you can’t get enough of the world of Victorian Gothic and have already collected the whole series, fear not! You can feed your craving with puzzles, T-shirts and mugs which are also available to collect.
You can find D R Miller here:
Esh London
Bringing you back to present day London now, I have the joy of introducing you to Esh, an extraordinary jeweller specialising in bespoke, hand-crafted pieces, uniquely tailored to the wearer.
Esh has been honing her skills as a jeweller for over thirteen years, working as a bench jeweller for other fashion and fine jewellery brands. Amongst other things, she has made jewellery for A-list actors and musicians, BAFTA winning TV shows and academy award winning movies.
As Esh does not work on a collection basis, each of her pieces is one-of-a-kind. Alongside her beautiful earrings, rings and bracelets, are a host of exquisite necklaces including beautiful gemstone pendants and limited-edition black onyx coffins.
This bi-colour tourmaline silver necklace features blue and green tourmaline and chisel engraved silver discs and would make a never-forgotten gift for someone special.
If you’re really going for a knock-out piece, then my favourite is this white gold hexagon salt and pepper diamond geometrical necklace.
You can find Esh London here:
Gemma Beynon
We leave London now to meet our next fantastic artist, Gemma Beynon. Hailing from Wales, she creates works in acrylic, with an emphasis on revealing the unseen hidden magic in the everyday. Fascinated by people and philosophy she uses allegory and magical realism to explore our reality and loves to hide things within her paintings to surprise the viewer.
Take time to browse the paintings available from her Kintsugi Collection, a powerful series of five female portraits celebrating strength and resilience, as well as her Urban Faeries series which offers a peek at a little bit of magic in the everyday cityscape of urban living.
My favourite collection is, unsurprisingly, Gemma’s Moon Collection; a series of thirteen paintings featuring the full moon for each month of the year, plus the Blue Moon. You can see the Blue Moon here, surrounded by soft clouds highlighted at the edges by her luminous glow.
You can find the other twelve moons within the 2025 Moon Calendar, ideal if you can’t decide which is your favourite!
Many of Gemma’s stunning paintings are available as archival quality, giclee art prints.
You’ll also be able to grab some of them, as well as other illustrations, as stickers, art cards, and even as your new favourite mug! So, you’ll be able to admire the Welsh Daffodil Dragon as you sip your morning cuppa!
You can find Gemma Beynon here:
Hannah Kate Makes
Hello! I’m going to take a moment to blow my own Indie trumpet.
As ever, my Dark Christmas Collection is available this year, so you know exactly where to come for your festive folklore and Christmas demons.
You are covered for cards and tree decorations, with a couple of fae circus performers joining the ranks of Krampus, Mari and all their other pals. There’s even a new Fluffy Robin decoration for those who aren’t quite so enamoured with the darker side of the winter festivals.
Not sure what to wear for Christmas Jumper Day this year?
May I suggest a Naughty or Nice Krampus Tee? It’s traditional, asks the important “which list are you on?” question and comes in black. What more could a spooky soul need?
As always, I’m here to help with your stocking filler and secret Santa wants, so top up on stickers, bookmarks and mugs too.
You can find Hannah Kate Makes here:
Old Town Ceramics
Are you ready to discover the most beautiful ceramics you’ve ever seen? Well, wait no longer!
Tamsin is a Scottish potter based in Cambridgeshire and her pieces are inspired by nature, magic and the macabre. A lover of all things spooky, Tamsin works with a gorgeous autumnal colour pallet and handmakes everything on a potter’s wheel in small batches.
Make sure you check out her extensive range of mugs, tankards and tumblers. The colours and glazes will make you smile and warm you up just as much as whatever beverage you pour into them.
If you’re in need of new dinnerware, you’ll find plates and bowls and these magnificent soup cauldrons to bring something special to your table.
As you’re here, I’m guessing you have a good sense of the spooky, so take a look at her colourful potion bottles, sumptuous pumpkins and gorgeous ghosties.
I’m also quite taken by these hanging mushrooms ready to be added to your tree or seasonal decorations. Plus, if you’re looking for a gift for the green-fingered plant parents in your life, she has hanging planters too.
You can find Old Town Ceramics here:
Rokkall
Our next fabulously talented artist, Lucy, works from her studio in a Northamptonshire village creating one-of-a-kind pieces of dark, yet beautiful, maximalist animal bone artwork.
Her exquisite works are created from ethically sourced animal bones and framed in thrifted antique and vintage frames, with dried flowers and velvets, to make unique and unusual home decor.
The bones Lucy works with have been foraged or bought from trusted sources and she treats each bone as she would treat the animal, with the utmost respect, and each frame honours the animal inside it. Her artwork portrays the idea that death is not the end, but the beginning of another beautiful journey we will all take.
Old English folklore says that keeping animal bones in the house will protect the household from ill health and bring them good luck, so perhaps now’s the time to add a few to your own home?
Take a look at Lucy’s collection of stunning framed pieces. If you are a corvid lover, you can’t help but be enchanted by these beautiful skulls (crow, rook & jackdaw) in this vintage ornate frame, surrounded by an array of real dried flowers, fungus and vintage pearls.
You may also be able to find moth and butterfly wing pendants, forbidden teapots and statement domed pieces.
You can find Rokkall here:
Sew Sonja
Next up, we have the incredibly talented and kind-hearted Sonja. She's a wonderful event neighbour, a font of creativity and kindness, and always ready with a smile.
From her sewing room in Bedfordshire, Sonja hand-crafts unique gifts using new, reclaimed and vintage fabric and findings. You’ll often see her being ably assisted by her co-workers, Mrs Bobbins, Percy and Pendle – check out her socials for photos of the cutest furry assistants ever seen!
Fall in love with her primitive crows - earlier this year I was lucky enough to take one home and he now sits proudly in my studio. Each one is handmade and embroidered and you have a choice of sizes, with some displayed quite simply on sticks and others on vintage cotton reels.
If you fancy adding to your winter festival decorations, be sure to check out Sonja’s seasonal witches’ hats and mini wreaths. They are a firm favourite, and you’ll find new designs created for each season as the wheel of the year turns.
You’ll also be able to find scrunchies, gorgeous cushions and bespoke tarot card wraps, all created using fabrics with fabulous prints.
You can find Sew Sonja here:
Sophie Bartrip Art
It’s time to add some vibrant colours to our list, so are you ready to meet one of the most bright and radiant artists I’m lucky enough to know and call a friend?
Sophie is a disabled, neurodivergent artist from South London whose artistic journey started over 25 years ago. She has produced work in a variety of mediums, from digital collage to abstract painting via lino printing, sewing and watercolour.
Recently she has been exploring abstract art, from vivid floral paintings to urban inspired textural pieces, watercolours inspired by human connection and bird murmuration, and acrylic ink pieces exploring colour and line.
Around ten years ago Sophie began to collect images of the Queen wearing her statement style of single colour outfits, collecting as many as possible to make up a full rainbow. The resulting drawing became an iconic image which is now available as a greetings card and this fab tea towel, which was voted as the Number 1 Jubilee tea towel by the Daily Mail!
Since then, Sophie has also collected single colour outfit images of both Diana and Kate, which are now also available as both cards and tea towels. She is currently designing Queen, Diana and Kate tote bags, cushion covers and washbags, which will be available before the end of the year.
You can find Sophie Bartrip Art here:
The Creepy Cat
Meet Katie, Halloween enthusiast and lover of all things horror, who brings a little of the spooky to your homes throughout the year, not just October. As well as being an all-round fab human and lovely event neighbour, she is also the creator of my favourite wax melts!
All the alternative themed products at The Creepy Cat are handmade and poured using the finest quality soy wax, fragrances and cosmetic ingredients, sourced from the best and most reputable suppliers in the industry.
I recommend checking out the wickedly fun Bath Bombs and the range of Body Mists to make you smell divine! You can even find a section of spooky homewares to complement your décor and overall eerie vibe. I love this adorable cauldron egg cup with broom spoon!
As well as my aforementioned favourite wax melt scoopies, there is an array of wonderfully wintery scents to choose from, including the warm and cosy Crackling Log Fire fragrance which has a mystical blend of glowing amber, incense musk, leather, cedarwood, and guaiac wood. Even cuter – every pot has a mini scoop included!
You can find The Creepy Cat here:
I trust our whistle-stop tour of independent talent, treats and goodies has started to warm you up for the celebrations ahead.
Take your time, look around and explore the world of unusual gifts that others won’t have found. Shopping small is good for everyone.
Have a fantastic festive season!
You can read previous Shout Out blogs here:
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