Candle Holders and Pottery Insurance
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.