Tweedmatters

2011-07-16T14:41:00.001-07:00

We have been enjoying a wonderful weekend of celebration here in Ullapool, all because of the magnificent tall ships passing through, en route to Shetland. There has been music and a market along the shore and the village has welcomed huge numbers of visitors. Most importantly, we have enjoyed the company of these lovely sailing ships and their crews.

There was a Tweedmatters stall at the market and Ralph , Ian and I enjoyed chatting to visitors about Harris Tweed and about our wonderful surroundings and the vagaries of the Highland weather - warm, continental sunshine one minute, rain and rainbows the next!

FAIRTRADE FORTNIGHT

2011-03-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

This year in Fairtrade Fortnight, groups all over the country have been encouraged to make bunting, as part of a world record attempt. Hopefully, when all of our contributions are joined together they will form the longest bunting ever made! Ullapool's contribution was huge, so I would think the world record is likely to be smashed easily if other groups have come up with similarly impressive contributions. Here's the little Tweedmatters contribution which was (rather hastily) thrown together using wonderfully colourful snippets of Harris Tweed kindly donated by West Coast Textiles, here on Loch Broom in Ross-shire. For more information on the world record attempt, go to
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/show_off_your_label/add_your_bunting/

2011-02-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

Winter Dark Ness

2011-01-26T14:32:00.001-08:00

26 January 2011

It's views like these which are the inspiration for the new Dark Ness greeting card from Tweedmatters. The Harris Tweed colours are lovely and the sky is starry. These magical winter scenes are as typical of the Scottish North Highlands as the heathery slopes and deserted white beaches of our long, summer days, so I thought it was about time to offer an evocative card depicting our lovely landscapes at this time of year. The winter might be long and dark, but the night skies are really beautiful.

The Dark Ness card is on sale at an amazing £3.99, including UK p&p

When I said "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.."

2011-01-11T02:26:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

Yes, it's been snowing and snowing and snowing. The good news is that postal deliveries seem, finally, to have got back to something like normal. We got an unusual number of cards after Christmas this year which had been posted weeks before. I think all our dispatched collages and cards made it OK. Either that or Tweedmatters' customers are such nice people that they don't complain, even when things don't go according to plan. If things took longer than usual, I'm sorry, but I hope everybody had a nice Christmas in any case.

Postal charges are due to go up quite a bit in the spring. In the meantime, why not stock up on cards and gifts? The prices currently displayed at www.tweedmatters.com will be pegged until the postage increases are introduced.

2010-11-02T04:21:00.000-07:00

2010-07-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Tweedmatters' newest stockist and by far the most southerly is the new Lazyhill Gallery in Chapel Lane, Abbotsbury, Dorset. The gallery only opened this month, so we wish them every success in this new venture.

Lazyhill Gallery is in a gorgeous part of the world and we're sure they will have lots of appreciative visitors over the coming months and years. Amongst all the lovely things they stock, you will find a selection of Tweedmatters framed collages and greetings cards.

Heat wave, what heat wave?

2010-06-28T05:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, so the temperature made it into the 20s yesterday. It hasn't been cold these last few days, so I shouldn't complain, but "heat wave?" Not for us, I'm afraid. On the other hand we're not threatened with water rationing so I really should be grateful for small mercies.
On 12th June we had a stall at the Victorian Day in Strathpeffer, for instance, and it's true we didn't get drenched, but the whole thing nearly took off once or twice. Ralph and I had to hang onto the stall frame for dear life. There's always a bright side, though isn't there? In this case it was the children in the fancy dress competition who were lovely. My favourites were the chimney sweeps, a blacksmith and the (very!) young mum with a perambulator.
Still, it is summer and whatever the weather, there is no better place to be than the northwest highlands of Scotland. The photo above is an unspoilt, beautiful beach near Durness in Sutherland. I rest my case.

The end of the BIG FREEZE?

2010-05-31T02:50:00.000-07:00

Dare I say we've reached the end of the coldest winter many of us can remember? We keep thinking that spring has arrived and then we get another freezing night or fresh snow on the hills. They're still on skis at Cairngorm, for goodness sake! We've had temperatures in the 20Cs one minute and then a few days later we're sitting around the fire in the evenings again. Surely, once June's here we can dare speak of "summer" at last.
Any way, as a last memento of the harsh winter, here's a fab photo taken at the mouth of Ullapool river on the shore of Loch Broom, by my daughter, Fiona. It was so, so cold...

Fathers Day, 20th June 2010

2010-05-31T02:06:00.001-07:00

Fathers Day is coming up on Sunday 20th June. With mums it's easy. Who doesn't love flowers or breakfast in bed? What do you get your Dad? Especially if he's had a life-time of your favourite sweeties and mass-produced cute cards and you're all a bit past that now. Maybe he's more of a helping-you-fix-your-lawnmower than a playing-with-your-lego-on-the fireside-rug kind of Dad these days. You want to give him something nice. (How about his own lego?). More seriously, how about a Tweedmatters card, to go with the lego or to go with a Tweedmatters framed collage, perhaps? The pictures are just wee and, if you won't be with him on Fathers Day, they can be posted direct to him with your chosen message written in the card, if you wish.

Have a look at www,.tweedmatters.com and www.notonthehighstreet.com/tweedmatters for more inspiration. Check out the Wee Creel Boats picture, for instance.

Sorted.

What a wonderful moon over Loch Broom tonight...

2010-05-25T16:57:00.001-07:00

...all golden and misty and smudged. Sometimes it's clear and pale and glints on the water like this...

Rosehall Community Day & Strathpeffer Victorian Market

2010-05-25T08:25:00.001-07:00

First of all, well done to the organisers of the first ever Community Day at Rosehall in Sutherland! It was all so friendly, well planned and efficiently prepared.On a lovely summery day last Saturday in an idyllic Highland village a bunch of people got together to raise money for the local First Responders group, to eat hot smoked salmon sandwiches and home-baking and generally celebrate what felt like the start of summer. The more energetic souls attempted the inflatable army assault course whilst others just sat on the grass chatting and soaking up the sunshine. I feel sure that if this event becomes a permanent fixture it will attract more and more visitors. Those who chose to stay on the coast certainly lost out, as Ullapool was cloaked in fog when we headed off to sunny Sutherland in the morning. So thanks to those who set it all up. How about some local musicians next time? A pipe band maybe?

On to the next one. Not a new one, but the first time Tweedmatters has done it. Any time after about 12.00 noon on Saturday12th June, if you find yourself in Strathpeffer, (which is just along the road from Dingwall in Ross-shire), you will experience the Victorian Fair. Why Victorian? Well, Strathpeffer is a rather charming spa which was built largely in the nineteenth century and you can still take the waters and visit the museum of childhood and shops in the station buildings and hear a band playing on the bandstand, (if you're lucky!). In this Victorian setting you will find lots of stalls and events to amuse and entertain you and if the weather is half as good as it was last Saturday everybody will be happy.

If you can't make it to the Victorian Fair, you can still pick up a Tweedmatters collage or card at the lovely Green Kite Fairtrade shop at the Victorian Station in Strathpeffer any time. If you're not going to be in Strathpeffer at all you can buy right here, right now.