Month: August 2026

Despite the gradual cooling of the temperature and waning of long summer days, it still feels very much like summer is not over yet. The slightly crisper weather beckons us outdoors to enjoy the sunshine and late summer colours. However, as craft business owners, it is definitely not too early to begin filling shelves with Christmas stock. It isn’t always easy to cast our minds forward to cold days and cosy evenings, so we’ve come up with a few ideas to be a springboard for further creativity. 

Both Advent and Christmas are steeped in tradition, and while some decorations are simply fads and are with us one year and gone the next, many have been a part of the celebrations for centuries … or at least since the Victorian era. Delving further back still, a few have been central to celebrating Christmas for much longer; the Yule log and candles in particular.  

In Medieval times, evergreens were gathered to decorate homes, and candles were lit each evening. While the latter was obviously out of necessity, as they were the source of light, the fragrance, colour and texture of dark green leaves, brilliant scarlet berries and softly glowing candlelight must have brought cheer to the darkest, coldest part of the year.  

The Advent wreath as we know it has its origins in nineteenth century Germany. A Lutheran pastor, when faced with a group of children excited for Christmas and continually asking how long until the great day arrived, repurposed a wooden ring from an old cartwheel and set candles all around its circumference. He then lit one of these each day during Advent, gradually guiding them through to Christmas. This tradition gained momentum, eventually evolving into the evergreen wreath with five candles which we know today. One candle is lit on each of the four Sundays in Advent leading up to Christmas, and the central one on Christmas Day. The circle of interwoven evergreens represents love.  

In past times, Advent was a separate season to Christmas, a time of preparation, much as Lent was to Easter. While it has now become more of a practical lead up to Christmas, an Advent wreath can offer a small window of time each week to stop as a candle is lit. Ceramic advent wreaths make wonderful gifts, not only as beautiful table centrepieces, but as a quiet reminder of what a great time of year Christmas is.  

Candles are a central part of almost all Christmas preparations, and festive themed candle holders bring delight as they are unpacked each year. When it comes to Christmas candle holders, there really is no limit to the bounds of creativity; from elegant candle holders for the Christmas table, to fun themed tea light holders. Why not create a range that will be irresistible for your customers?  

It’s not too early to start thinking about pottery insurance either. Whether you will be selling your gorgeous creations online or at one of the many bustling craft fairs and Christmas markets, you will need to consider the level of insurance you’ll be needing. Our basic package of pottery insurance is a combination of public and product liability insurance, and as a part of this also includes professional indemnity insurance.  

Public liability insurance covers you for any claims which might be made that injury or harm has been caused to a member of the public by an activity related to your business, whether on your own site or elsewhere. At the simpllest this could be a slip or tip hazard, but we have heard any number of other incidents. Most of them are accidents which have come out of nowhere…those ones you simply couldn’t have avoided, however many health and safety checks you do. Life happens and the unforeseen is, unfortunately, a part of it. However, with the appropriate pottery insurance in place you don’t have to worry about unexpected curveballs. 

Product liability insurance covers you for any harm or damage caused to a member of the public by a product of yours. Even if none of these are your fault, the insurance covers you for any compensation owed and/or for legal expenses. 

Professional indemnity insurance allows you to teach or demonstrate your craft, free from the worry of inadvertently giving incorrect advice. This opens the possibility of running pottery workshops or courses. If you have the appropriate space, why not consider doing this during the autumn, with the aim of creating a simple Christmas themed candle holder at the end? You might also consider holding pre-Christmas pottery evenings, as an option for small businesses who want to treat their staff to something more personal than the meal, band, and dance option. This enables a team to chat and have fun together in a relaxed environment, and they come away with something much more valuable and long lasting than a headache!  

You will find that most craft fair organisers will ask that you have public liability insurance in place. In addition to this basic package of potters’ insurance, you might want to insure individual items, especially if they are of high value and are such that without them you could not work, eg your potter’s wheel or kiln. With insurance in place, you can be free from worry about all the things that could go wrong and focus on what you do best; creating gorgeous ceramic products … especially candle holders for winter evenings, for a cosy, warm atmosphere in any home.  

After so many months of dry weather, it’s not just farmers who are looking forward to some good, soaking British drizzle (though with the vagaries of our weather, we may well be longing for blue skies by March next year!). The first rainfall after a prolonged time of dry weather brings with it a wonderful sensory explosion; the smell of the rain on the parched soil, the feel of the warm, wet drops on our skin, the sight of a sky swirling with deep, heavy rain clouds and the imperceptible sound of stillness as the earth is gently drenched with life giving water.

Although we most certainly need rain now here in the UK, for many countries around the world lack of rain is a yearly issue and means a poor harvest which then may often, tragically, result in famine, or at least food shortages. Hence, when the rains finally come, there is celebration all round, with many cultures and communities having their own special rituals or festivals, acknowledging water as a vital necessity for life. Some of these incorporate rain dances, seeped in a mix of agricultural rhythms, spiritual traditions and folk lore.

Others have a more modern take, as in Mexico’s “Fiesta de San Isidro”, where Catholic and indigenous spiritualities blend to form the basis of a festival extravaganza, including parades, the blessing of animals and dances to appeal for rain and a good harvest. In countries with a Christian heritage throughout Africa and even into Europe, prayers are often said for rain, with believers meeting regularly to pray or Masses being said.

In our own, usually, green and pleasant land, our vast expanses of sky and endless variety of weather patterns have been, and still are, an inspiration for many artists. Both Constable (1776-1837) and Turner (1775-1851) are known for their ability to capture not only the colours of the sky, but also the very atmosphere, with swirling clouds, whirling vortexes of wind and rain, piercing beams of light and heavy cloud formations.

Growing up as the son of a wealthy miller in Suffolk, Constable would have imbibed conversations about the wind and weather throughout his childhood, as it had a direct impact on his family’s work and income. As an adult, he had a comfortable familiarity with the natural world around him and, unusually for his day, often worked outdoors, rather than painting indoors from sketches. Both “The Hay Wain” and “Flatford Mill” portray the slow and steady rhythms of rural life, with the billowy clouds up above supplying the River Stour with a steady flow of water. His paintings have become a beloved part of our heritage, as he captured so much of the constancy and beauty of rural life in Suffolk, unchanged for centuries.

Turner also is known as a master of capturing light, and his paintings often have a more dramatic flavour than Constable’s comfortable depiction of pre-industrialised pastoral scenes.  He sometimes contrasted the old with the new, as in “The Fighting Temeraire”, where he portrays the aged grandeur of a wind-powered naval warship being towed into harbour on its last journey by a modern steam tug. The dramatic sky serves to emphasise the significance of this event. His aptly named “Rain, Steam and Speed” shows a steam train forging forwards amidst a summer rainstorm. The steam blurs together with the mist and rain, again accentuating the drama of this new technology.

Rain can also be an inspiration and a motif for artists and crafters today. The wild, windswept beauty of purple clad heather moorland, the crashing waves of the rocky Cornish coast or the heavy, rain filled clouds hovering over wide swathes of arable land are all rich in colour and texture. As well as original paintings, sets of note cards are often a popular buy especially if they depict a local landscape.

Raindrops can also be a springboard theme for jewellery; delicate rain drop shaped glass earrings or larger pendant necklaces. Blankets and cushion covers may reflect some of the colours evoked by rain; gentle blues and whites of a refreshing summer soaking or greys and purples of a dramatic autumn thunderstorm. You might like to create a weather blanket, with each line depicting a week’s weather type or temperature as you progress through the year.

With your stock of rain themed products ready to sell, you will need to look at buying the appropriate small craft insurance. Our basic small craft insurance package contains public and product liability insurance, with professional indemnity insurance included. Public liability insurance covers you for any claim made for harm incurred due to your business activities. This could be by you or one of your staff (including volunteers and family members), on your premises or elsewhere e.g., at a craft fair.

Product liability insurance covers you if a claim is made that your product has caused harm or injury. In both cases the insurance covers you for legal fees and/or compensation, even if the damage or harm is not your fault. The addition of professional indemnity insurance allows you to teach or demonstrate your craft without the worry of inadvertently giving incorrect advice.

We have been providing small craft insurance to businesses for over a generation, and we believe in the importance of delivering what our customers pay for; no opt out clauses or exceptions. We also communicate directly with each and every one of our customers. So, instead of a call queue, either Sam or Naomi will be here to answer your calls or respond to your messages.

We hope that with the coming of late summer and early autumn rains, energy levels will increase and creativity be renewed. As our crisp, brown countryside gives way to the green fields and patchwork gardens we know and love, we hope that the life-giving rain inspires many new ranges of products for Autumn.

The armchair. Let’s hear it for this unsung and often ill-used hero of most of our homes. After a long day at work what is better than to flop into our favourite armchair with a mug of tea and breathe a deep sigh before beginning on dinner prep. It is there at the beginning of the day too as we waken up and maybe take a window of calm before we head out into the day. It might be one passed down through the generations; memories of your own childhood might float back as you sink into its depths. Armchairs are a constant through changing seasons of life; maybe you cuddled your own babies from within its welcoming coziness or read numerous stories to eager little children snuggled on your lap within its reassuring confines. It will have held you in its familiar comfort throughout the stormy seasons of life and also been there as you’ve contemplated new joys and imagined fresh opportunities.  

What is your favourite armchair? It could be a family heirloom, overstuffed and gently sagging in all the right places. Maybe it’s one you purchased yourself, ergonomically perfect for your back. Perhaps it’s a rocking chair, adding an extra dimension of soothing movement to help regulate your over busy mind. Whatever it is, it will no doubt have a particular place in your home and life. While we all appreciate our dinner tables, bookcases or desks, armchairs alone have a peculiar propensity towards individual ownership. We have ‘our chair’, one we naturally gravitate towards. As we get older and the daily task of life becomes more difficult, the armchair becomes increasingly important. We may remember grandparents sitting in their own special chair, with a nearby table stacked with books, a newspaper, a mug of tea, plate of biscuits and all the other accoutrements needed to settle in comfortably for a while. 

So, what happens when our favourite armchair, or indeed any other favourite piece of furniture has been so well-loved and well-used that it is no longer fit for service? Do we need to replace it, as our throw away society would encourage us to do, or is there another option? Here at Craft Insurance, we would definitely opt for the “other” option and give a huge welcome to the many skilled upholsterers across the country.  

There are many advantages of reupholstering your furniture, rather than buying new pieces. Firstly, it means you can keep hold of that faithful friend and all the memories attached. Rather than discarding it after a lengthy time of faithful service, you can offer it a new lease of life. Choosing new fabric gives you the opportunity to freshen up the whole room, maybe as you transition from one season of life to another.  

The mass-produced furniture easily accessible today simply does not have the longevity and craftsmanship of older, hand made pieces. They are often made using environmentally unsustainable methods and materials. In contrast, joints made by a skilled furniture maker will last much longer than their factory-made counterparts and the actual process of reupholstering has a low environmental impact, has been practiced for centuries and supports local businesses and skilled artisans. By changing the fabric, you not only have a new look to your room, but also keep a solid, well-made piece of furniture which will continue to provide good service for years to come.  

It is, obviously, the most eco friendly choice. When the alternative is throwing a worn chair into landfill, choosing to reupholster seems a bit of a no brainer. You can also take this a step further and re purpose the old fabric, making it into cushion covers, lampshades or even a child’s pinafore, Sound of Music style! 

Reupholstering a piece of furniture is a highly skilled task, requiring time and skills honed over years. While upholsterers aim to offer competitive prices, it might seem at first glance to be quite an expense. It is, however, more cost effective than at first glance. By upcycling your older furniture, you will increase its value, as well as keeping the well made, solid wooden frames, build for longevity. Compare this with the cost of a newly made piece to replace your well-loved item and you will be ready to choose the fabric straight away!  

If you’re reading this and are an upholster yourself, you might be looking for upholsterer insurance. A basic package for upholsterer insurance will include product and public liability insurance, with the option to add on individual business items or employers’ liability insurance.  

Public liability insurance covers you for any claim made that you or your employees/volunteers are responsible for harm done either on your property or elsewhere eg when out and about demonstrating or selling. Product liability covers you for any claim made that your product has caused harm or injury. In both cases the insurance covers you for compensation and legal costs, even if it is not your fault. They also provide cover for you if you are demonstrating or teaching your craft, thus allowing you to hold workshops, from one day courses through to multi week programmes. 

And in addition, with our package for upholsterer insurance you will also be covered by professional indemnity insurance, thus giving you confidence to teach and demonstrate your skill, free from the anxiety of inadvertently giving any inaccurate information.  

As you compare insurance packages and prices, you’ll see that our cover is comprehensive and does what it says it will do. In addition, as a family-run business we answer all calls and emails ourselves; call queues. So, pick up the phone or send us a message from our website and either Sam or Naomi will be here to ensure you get a bespoke upholsterer insurance ideal for your company.