Did you know that the part of the brain responsible for memory is right beside the part responsible for smell? This explains why smell, like nothing else, causes memories to come flooding back into our minds. We’ve probably all had numerous experiences of walking into a new environment and being immediately immersed in a scent which triggers a vivid memory. This could be the smell of a detergent ushering in a deluge of memories of school corridors and lockers; maybe it’s a type of food, submerging you for a moment in a warm, cosy world. Or perhaps it’s a complete blindsider, when a fragrance you’ve not smelt for decades suddenly transports you back to a childhood incident you’d completely forgotten. 

We all associate scents with different seasons. Crisp, light floral notes as new life bursts forth in spring; heady, full notes in summer alongside some classic holiday fragrances such as coconut or sea air; warm, earthy, vibes are what’s needed for the autumn such as vanilla and cinnamon; and rich spicy, scents for winter, with extra layers of orange and clove for Christmas. 

Christmas scents are perhaps the most evocative of all. The smell of freshly cooked mince pies or ginger spiced cookies wafting from the kitchen, the fresh fragrance of pine as Christmas trees are hauled into the house and the inviting aroma of mulled wine gently warming on the hob, all conjure up memories of Christmases past and dreams of Christmases to come.  

While perfect Christmases don’t exist, there is so much we can enjoy and appreciate about this season, not least some cosy evenings at home, with lights twinkling, a warm candle flickering and a mug of something warm and comforting cradled in our hands. What better to usher in these cosy Christmas vibes than a hand-crafted candle, wax melt or reed fragrance?  

These days we are all familiar with the busy run up to Christmas, however, in days gone by, the four weeks leading up to Christmas (known as Advent) were a time of preparation, reflection and fasting. While we generally don’t observe these four weeks in such a way now, in order to avoid losing our heads in a whirl of panic buying, it’s probably a good idea to pause and reflect and be thankful for all we have instead. A beautiful way to weave this into our daily lives is to light a candle and relax… 

Here at Craft Insurance, we are delighted to have a wonderful array of clients who create home fragrances and have shelves jam packed with irresistible products. Candles are particularly linked with the Christmas season, and their warm glow is assured to create a welcoming atmosphere. There is a plethora of mass-produced candles, less expensive than hand crafted ones, but we would obviously recommend buying locally made candles, crafted with love and skill.  

A candle from one of our clients will be made with artisan craftsmanship, using responsibly sourced raw ingredients. Many craft businesses try to use local suppliers, which supports the local economy rather than pouring pounds into big retailers. Their carbon footprint is much smaller than their factory counterparts as they use time honoured methods, relying on manual labour rather than energy consuming machinery, and all this generates less waste products. Thought is put into packaging too, with many wrapping their products in plastic free alternatives. In addition to all this, the raw materials will be of a higher quality and so the candle will last longer.  

We all love Christmassy fragrances, but there is more awareness now of the health risks associated with synthetic fragranced candles. The answer to this is obviously to buy hand crafted candles, made with natural products like bees’ wax, soy or coconut wax, with wicks made from cotton or wood. And, rather than manufactured scents, handmade candles use all natural botanicals, giving not only a much more defined scent, but a clean burn.  

If you have hopped onto our website to explore home fragrance making insurance, you are very welcome! Or you might be looking to renew your insurance and research the best deals. Our basic package for home fragrance making insurance comprises public and product liability insurance and also includes professional indemnity cover. Public liability insurance covers you for any claims made that harm of damage has been caused by yourself or a member of our team as a direct consequence of a business activity. For example, if something has fallen to the ground at a fair and a member of the public trips over and has a minor injury, this insurance would cover you for compensation and/or legal fees.  

Product liability insurance covers you for any claims made that your product has caused harm or injury. With both, even if it is not your fault, the insurance will cover you. While you will ensure risk assessments are up to date and common sense will avoid most mishaps, it is the unexpected incidents that we can’t foresee for which insurance is our buffer.  

Professional indemnity insurance is also included in our package, and this allows you to teach or demonstrate your craft. If you are not already doing this, you might consider holding candle making workshops or courses? If you have home fragrance making insurance with us, you will be covered to do this. 

As you research insurance quotes, you’ll notice that Craft Insurance aims to deliver what we say, with no exclusions and clarity and transparency. We are a family-run business and have the benefit of having learnt from those who have worked in craft insurance for decades; we have assessed the risks and know what craft business owners need. So, get a quote from our website, and if you need any help, pick up the phone and either Sam or Naomi will be glad to assist.  

Along with tea, Marmite, and Cadbury’s chocolate, the thing often most missed by Brits living abroad is our seasons. There is something both comfortingly familiar and invigoratingly new about our seasonal rhythms. CS Lewis explains this as providing just enough predictability to give us a sense of reassurance and just enough change for a sense of surprise.  

We know that snowdrops will appear in January and yet are still delighted to see them. We look with expectancy for spring blossom and are pleased and appreciative when it appears in all its delicate, frothy glory. We plan holidays with the expectancy of warm summer weather and are glad to exchange heavy winter coats and boots for T shirts and sandals. As the sun’s heat gradually wanes and the season of mellow autumn abundance is ushered in, we would be upset if there were no conkers to collect and our hedgerows were not adorned with scarlet berries. And then as the year reaches its conclusion in winter, we baton down the hatches and make the most of cosy evenings at home, knowing that it will not be too long before those tentative green spikes emerge through the sodden soil and the snowdrops will appear, bringing with them the hope of longer days and warmer weather.  

As well as the changing seasons of our environment, seasons also change within our own lives and the lives of our businesses. These do not follow a regular a cycle and indeed are not always welcome, but it is good to be aware of them. We will experience seasons when we’re full of energy, overflowing with ideas and excited about the future. These are very productive both personally and within our businesses; we’re metaphorically sowing seeds, making connections starting new ventures and relationships.  

Then we have seasons when we maybe don’t have much capacity to take on new projects or tasks, but we’re swinging along at a steady pace; nothing new, but just a stable everyday walk. We could call these our summer seasons. We associate autumn with abundance, but also with the falling of leaves, preparing for the winter. We could liken this both to seasons of harvest and of letting go. We have sown the seeds, worked hard for a sustained period and then a season arrives when we’re able to reap the benefits of the effort we’ve put in over the years. There also will be seasons when we are full to the brim; we simply don’t have capacity for anymore, and we need to consider letting go of some commitments. 

Finally, we come to the winter season, maybe the least understood. Winter is a time when everything looks dead and bare; no leaves, very few flowers, long, cold nights. It’s a time when many animals hibernate and birds migrate to warmer climes. Yet….it is also the time when the soil is prepared for next year’s sowing; historically it’s the time when tools were mended, and hedges and ditches were repaired and maintained and animals fed and kept warm. Days are short, so there was more time indoors and less time physically working the land. We all have winter seasons in our lives, and this can overflow into our businesses; times when we are bone weary, when we have no new ideas and see the future through very blurred lenses. Time worn habits are helpful to keep us gently moving forward through these seasons, but maybe they are also times when we genuinely need to rest and restore. Although the outlook may look bleak, these may well be times when when, while we rest, the soil is quietly being prepared for the next rush of creativity.  

As our businesses traverse through varying seasons, one thing we have to do with regularity but also need to evaluate for change, is craft insurance renewal. Every year, before you do your craft insurance renewal it’s worth checking through what has changed in your business over the last year to ensure you get the best package, ideally suited for your unique business. Here are a few things to look through. 

Have your contact details changed? Are there any updates in the crafts you are making, teaching or demonstrating? Our basic package at Craft Insurance consists of product and public liability and in addition we include professional indemnity insurance in this. Thus, you are covered to sell, teach or demonstrate your craft.  

What about tools and machinery? Have you purchased or updated any of these this year? If so, you are able to add business items cover for any individual items you want to insure. This is well worth considering if your business is reliant on the tools or equipment you use. You might also consider insuring your stock/raw materials. Our insurance covers you for any damage to these, both in your workshop/ place of storage and in transit to shows and fairs.  

Have your sales increased? If your annual turnover is more that £250,000 or sales to USA/Canada more than £25,000 …well done! You’ll need to note that on your insurance renewal.  

Is there anything else that feels different to last year? Are there any other ways in which you’ve expanded or stepped out into new ventures?  

If you’re looking for craft insurance renewal and haven’t come to Craft Insurance before, it’s great you’re here now! We are a small family business with decades’ worth of experience in working with craft insurance. We know the risks involved and have evaluated and built our policies around them. We almost certainly won’t be the cheapest in a search, but this is intentional. Our policies are clear and transparent and don’t have lots of exclusions. We communicate directly with each of our customers, either by phone or online, whichever is easier for you; no long waits in an anonymous call queue. As a family business we, like you, value each one of our customers. So, pick up the phone or drop us a line and either Sam or Naomi will be here to talk with you. We look forward to hearing about your unique business!  

A perusal through the history of quilting not only enlightens us to the engaging story of the twists and turns in the evolution of the quilt but also gives us a fascinating insight into the social history of certain time periods. The earliest mention of quilting in Britain was in the medieval era, when it was used to make bed covers, wall hangings and clothes. The padded nature of a quilt made it a comfortable option of clothing to wear under armour. We then see this technique emerge in the production of quilted silk doublets and breeches in the 17th century, and later being used in the creation of jackets and waistcoats. 

While we may associate quilting with the home, quilts were also made professionally in some larger towns and cities around the UK. The word ‘quilt’ stems from the Latin word ‘culcita’ which means bolster or cushion. Quilting involves two layers of fabric joined together, with a layer of wadding in between. 

Whilst creating a quilt was generally a solitary occupation in Britain, across the Atlantic, in the USA and Canada, it became a group task. Known as Quilting Bees, these gatherings emerged as groups of pioneering women congregated together to work on a quilt. Born out of the necessity to create low cost, warm bed coverings, women sewed away in their own homes over the winter and then in the warmer, summer months convened to assemble to quilt. Soon these became a vital social hub, an opportunity for women who were far from their homes and families of birth, to share stories, swap recipes and walk through the joys and challenges of life together.  

They were the ultimate in upcycling, using worn out clothing and scraps of material to make a new, repurposed item. The quilts they made were not just functional, but beautiful and personal, often telling a story for those who made them. Girls were taught alongside their mothers and neighbours and quilts were created for special occasions such a marriage or the birth of a baby. They often became a family heirloom, being passed down from one generation to the next.  

Quilts helped retain cultural memories across the continents too. For those fleeing from revolutions and uprisings in the twentieth century, the clothes they wore might have been one of the few vestiges they had left of the past. When finally, they were outgrown, some were made into quilts. These precious heirlooms were then passed down through generations. We can almost hear the stories that might have been told as children snuggled up under the family quilt that linked them to their heritage.    

More recent British history saw the resurgence of interest in quilting at the beginning of the twentieth century; out of this grew numerous quilting guilds and groups, a few of which still continue today. Then, with the craft revival of the 1970’s, a fresh interest in quilting arose, with the advent of more guilds and societies; here women met to exchange ideas, learn new techniques and enjoy each other’s company, alongside creating many stunning quilts.  

Quilting Guilds, groups and societies continue to this day, offering the opportunity to learn a new skill as well as hone and expand existing ones. There are many excellent teachers, and local guilds will often hold exhibitions to showcase their work or give talks or demonstrations which are sometimes open to members of the public as well as to guild members. So, if this is a skill you already have or you are looking to learn something new, you might consider joining a local group. This is a fantastic way to develop your craft, while also opening the door to a welcoming community of like-minded people to make new friendships over tea, quilting and conversation.  

If you are a skilled quilter and considering selling, demonstrating or teaching your craft, or are already doing so, you will need to think about quilters’ insurance. Quilters’ insurance includes public and product liability insurance. Public liability insurance covers you if a claim is made by a member of the public for damage to property or injury to themselves, which they believe is caused by you or one of your team in relation to your work. Whether it is your fault or not, it will cover compensation and/or legal fees.  

Product liability insurance covers you if a claim is made that one of your products has caused harm or injury. Again, whether it is your fault or not, it covers compensation and legal fees. In addition, here at Craft Insurance this basic quilter’s insurance package of ours also includes professional indemnity insurance. This allows you to teach or demonstrate your craft, and covers you if you inadvertently give wrong information, leaving you free to enjoy passing on the skills and expertise you have gained over the years.  

If you are a seasoned, artisan quilter, you might like to consider forming your own quilting group and teaching your craft. As all our budgets are getting tighter, maybe we can learn from the women of previous centuries and rather than taking our old textiles to the recycling centre, make use them instead to create a beautiful, warm quilt which could both stave off the need for heating for a little longer, and brighten up any room as an eye-catching centrepiece.  

As the days are getting shorter and the temperature cools, our focus pivots from outdoor adventures to cosy evenings at home, curled up in a chair in front of the fire, warm mug of hot chocolate and a good book at hand, wrapped in a soft blanket. This sounds pretty dreamy, but we could take it one step further, and that soft blanket could be a handmade quilt; maybe it would include scraps from old sheets, or children’s outgrown clothes, or a wedding veil, or a favourite but stained tablecloth. What story would you tell?  

Once again, autumn has drifted in, drawing us into its familiar embrace. Mornings are starting to feel cooler and, everywhere you look, the leaves are changing colour. For many of us, autumn’s glorious colours and misty, mellow qualities make it the best season of all. Putting on a jumper and a pair of wellies to enjoy the crisp air is a treat stored up for the days and weeks to come.  

For crafters, there may be another unmistakable sign of autumn: the calendar starts filling up! After the quieter months of summer, autumn heralds the beginning of a much busier period for craft people across the UK. A time when stock starts to build, new products are launched, craft fairs are booked, and thoughts turn towards the Christmas shopping season. 

If this is the first time you have steered a fledgling craft business into the busy autumn season, take it from us, it’s a good time to start thinking about protecting what you have created. 

When your craft starts to grow 

For many people, crafting begins as something you love, and there’s no reason why that should ever stop! 

Making jewellery at the kitchen table; discovering a talent for pottery at an evening class; sewing or making clothes for family and friends or filling a canvas whenever the inspiration lands. What flows out of doing something you love becomes a range of products that you can sell. 

First, someone asks if they could buy one of your creations. Then another person wants one. You book your first craft fair or open an online shop. Perhaps you start taking commissions or teaching other people your craft. And, without necessarily noticing it, your hobby changes and becomes something more. 

Autumn craft fairs provide opportunities to meet customers face-to-face. Seasonal shopping at this time of year creates demand for handmade gifts. Pre-Christmas workshops and demonstrations introduce your skills to new audiences. Online orders can increase as Christmas approaches. 

It’s an exciting time, but it also means there is more at stake. Your craft now represents an investment of time, money, equipment, materials, stock, and reputation. And that’s where insurance becomes part of the picture. 

Protecting what you’ve built 

When you spend your days thinking about what to make next, insurance probably isn’t at the top of your creative to-do list. However, the things that make your craft possible have value. 

Consider everything you might have accumulated: specialist tools and equipment, raw materials, finished products waiting to be sold, packaging, display equipment, and everything else you rely on to keep your craft going. 

Then consider what happens when your work leaves your home or studio: You might take your products to a Christmas market. A customer might visit you. You could demonstrate your craft at an event or teach a workshop. Your products might be sold online or through another retailer. The more ways you share your craft, the more situations there are to consider.  

Public and product liability insurance can help protect you against claims arising from injury, damage, or problems connected with your craft activities and the products you make and sell, subject to the policy terms and conditions. 

For crafters who teach or demonstrate their skills, professional indemnity can also be important. At Craft Insurance, professional indemnity is included as standard alongside public and product liability cover. 

For those who want protection for the physical things that make their business possible, optional business and stock cover can also provide protection for tools, equipment, materials, and stock, subject to the policy terms and conditions. The great thing is, we don’t differentiate between stock and business items, making things a lot easier for you in the event of a claim.  

It’s about protecting more than the finished product. It’s about protecting the work, investment, and effort that sits behind it. 

If my craft business is small, do I really need craft insurance? 

Many crafters ask this question, and the answer depends on what you do and the risks involved. 

You might only sell occasionally and consider yourself to be a hobbyist rather than a business owner who only attends a handful of craft fairs each year. However, even a small craft operation can involve valuable equipment, stock, and interactions with customers, and most craft fairs and other events require you to have appropriate crafts public liability insurance before you can take part.  

It’s also worth remembering that insurance isn’t only about how much you sell. A single incident can potentially result in a claim, regardless of whether you regard your craft as a full-time business, a side income, or a serious hobby. 

Is having home insurance not enough?  

Another common assumption is that household insurance will cover everything connected with crafting. But home insurance and craft insurance are designed for different purposes, and business or craft activities may not automatically be covered under a standard household policy. 

If you are selling your work, attending markets, teaching, or demonstrating, it’s worth checking exactly what your existing policy does and does not cover rather than assuming you are protected. 

The same applies if your craft has grown since you first arranged your insurance. Your circumstances may have changed even if you don’t yet see yourself as someone who runs a small business. 

Autumn is a good time for a check-up. 

With the busy season approaching, a quick insurance check could be a useful addition to your autumn to-do list. 

Ask yourself: 

• Have I started selling in ways I wasn’t doing last year? 

• Am I attending more craft fairs or markets? 

• Have I started teaching or demonstrating? 

• Has the value of my tools, equipment, or stock increased? 

• Am I selling through retailers or other businesses? 

• Have I introduced new products or changed what I make? 

• Does my current insurance still reflect what I actually do? 

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, it may be time to review your cover. 

Protect the craft you’ve worked so hard to build 

Your craft represents more than the finished item. It represents your time, creativity, skills, equipment, materials and years of experience. Taking steps to protect those things means you can concentrate on what you enjoy most: crafting. 

At Craft Insurance, we’ve been providing specialist insurance for crafters since 1986. Our policies are designed around the different ways people make, sell, teach and demonstrate their crafts. 

So, as the first signs of autumn appear, why not take a few minutes to check your cover? 

Get a quote. 

Something significant happened recently in the UK government’s approach to young people and social media. New, planned measures were announced to implement overnight curfews on social media apps for 16 and 17-year-olds, switching off access between midnight and 6am. Features designed to keep users scrolling, such as autoplay videos and endlessly personalised feeds, could be turned off by default for older teenagers next year. 

A pilot involving more than 300 teenagers and parents across the UK found that overnight curfews quickly became part of family routines and led to measurable improvements in sleep and concentration. The conclusion was clear: young people benefit from time away from their screens, even when they do not choose it voluntarily. 

Most parents would welcome these steps. However, there is a more interesting question, though: Isn’t it less about what we take away from young people, but more about what we give them instead? 

The difference between consuming and creating. 

Social media, when it is being used passively, can turn us into consumers. We scroll through other people’s lives, other people’s opinions, other people’s carefully curated highlights, absorbing content that someone else made, shaped and optimised to keep us watching for as long as possible. The algorithm is designed to maximise engagement, which, for young people, can mean maximising anxiety, comparison and the nagging sense that something more interesting is always just one more scroll away. 

The antidote to consumption is creation, and there is no simpler, more accessible form of creation than crafting. 

When a young person learns to knit, throw a pot, carve wood, make a candle, sew a piece of clothing, or work with resin or metalwork or textiles, something fundamentally different happens. They start with an idea and put in effort to turn it into something real. They make mistakes and learn from them, developing patience, concentration and skill. They experience the satisfaction of finishing something that exists in the physical world, that they made with their own hands and can be proud of. Unlike the dopamine hit of a like or a share, that satisfaction does not evaporate the moment it arrives. It lasts. 

Why crafting is the perfect alternative to passive consumption. 

Learning a craft builds practical skills such as the ability to make, repair and create things. These skills give young people a kind of competence and self-reliance that will be required at other times of their lives.  

Creativity is exercised not by browsing but by doing: experimenting, solving problems, making decisions and living with the results. The patience and concentration required to make something well are qualities that endless scrolling cannot provide. 

There is also the question of confidence. Completing a project, whether it is a finished piece of jewellery, a hand-thrown bowl or a batch of hand-poured candles, gives a young person genuine evidence of their own capability. That is a very different thing from the fragile, comparison-driven self-esteem that social media tends to produce. 

Craft can also become a career. Skilled trades and creative professions offer real routes into employment, self-employment and apprenticeships. Many of the crafters we work with at Craft Insurance started as young hobbyists who discovered they loved making things and gradually turned that passion into a livelihood. The craft community in the UK is welcoming, supportive and full of people who began with an idea, a passion and two willing hands! 

At Craft Insurance, we have spent nearly four decades providing craft insurance to makers of every kind and at every stage of their journey. We have seen first-hand how transformative craft can be, and we are proud to work with many skilled crafters who have built businesses they are genuinely proud of. If you are thinking about encouraging a young person in your life to pick up a craft, you could not be choosing a better moment! 

Can crafting really compete with the phone? 

The pull of social media is real, and it is engineered to be difficult to resist. But, as the government pilot proved, when there is a structure of an overnight curfew, for instance, it quickly becomes routine. The same principle applies to craft. The hardest part is starting. Once a young person has sat down, picked up the tools, made something and felt that satisfaction, the return visit becomes easier. And the more they make, the more they want to make – then they can use social media creatively to share their creations! 

Often young people need active help to step back from the features designed to keep them hooked. Craft provides that help in the most positive way possible, not by removing something but by replacing it with something genuinely better. Something that builds rather than drains and has lasting results. 

From hobby to business: we are here when they are ready. 

If the young person in your life takes to craft and starts thinking about selling their work, teaching others, or turning their hobby into something more, Craft Insurance is here to help them take that step with confidence. Our creative insurance is designed to grow with makers at every stage, from a first stall at a local fair to a fully established craft business. 

Craft insurance does not have to be complicated or expensive. We make it straightforward, jargon-free and genuinely affordable, because we want as many makers as possible to be able to do what they love with the peace of mind that they are properly protected. Whether your young crafter is just starting out or already selling, get in touch and we will make sure they have exactly the right creative insurance cover for where they are right now. 

The government is planning to take a step to protect young people from the worst of what screens can do to them. The craft community can offer the best of what hands-on creativity can do for them, and we are proud to be part of that story. 

Get a Quote Now   

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It’s something we use several times a day, without which no civilisation would be able to develop and central to several professions. Let’s talk about the humble knife. Whether it be a table knife for tucking into our dinner, a butcher’s or chef’s knife for preparing our food, or a pocketknife, reminiscent of those essential for our hunter gatherer forebears, we could not live without them. Here at Craft Insurance, we are proud to support clients who are traditional knife makers, keeping skills alive which have been honed and passed down through generations.  

While many of us may quote Sheffield as being the centre of UK cutlery manufacturing since the Industrial Revolution, there is evidence that steel production in the area dated as far back to the the 14th century, with a reference being made to knife production by Chaucer in the 15th century. Skilled craftsmen, known as ‘little mesters’ worked within their own homes to produce knives made of steel, collecting materials from the surrounding countryside which contained not only wood from the forests, but iron ore as well. With the surrounding hills of the Peak District being the source of a number of fast flowing rivers, their natural energy was harnessed to drive heavy stone wheels which could be used for the sharpening of bladed tools such as scythes and knives. Thus, Sheffield’s geographical location and natural resources nurtured its initial, unpretentious beginnings of a trade which was to make it the “steel city” of the U.K., with exports that would be off around the globe. 

It was two discoveries that happened in succession, the first by Benjamin Hunstman in 1742 and the second by Henry Bessemer in 1856, which really put Sheffield on the map as a global producer of steel cutlery. By the mid nineteenth century, steel was being produced in mass by heating coke, iron ore and scrap metal at high temperatures, producing liquid steel which could be poured into moulds, all at a cost which was financially viable. Thus, Sheffield grew into a major industrial city and global exporter of steel for items such as railway lines, armour plating for ships, construction and, of course, cutlery. 

The early twentieth century saw advancements in the manufacture of stainless steel, with a surge in cutlery makers alongside this; the area in which many of these were situated, Portland Works, still houses cutlery makers today. The second half of the twentieth century, however, saw a tragic decline in Sheffield’s industrial fortunes, with the closure of many furnaces and associated loss of jobs.  

Despite this decline of large-scale manufacture, it continued to be a centre for cutlery innovation and production and over the past couple of decades has seen a revival in specialist, high end knife production. Today it is home to many workshops, housing master craftsmen making artisan and bespoke knives, keeping aflame centuries old traditions. Some of these are located in the very same Portland Works as their forebears.  

With a heritage like this, it is unsurprising that knife artisans are passionate about preserving traditional skills and techniques, as well as about using locally sourced and produced materials in their products. And of course it is not only in Sheffield that they may be found. Skilled bladesmiths have set up workshops across the country, producing knives made using a variety of techniques and traditions.  

Hand crafted knives are obviously going to be more expensive than their mass-produced counterparts, so are they worth the extra cost? And, over the long term, how do the costs compare? 

When you invest in a handcrafted knife, you are not only purchasing an implement that has longevity and character, but you are also keeping alive long held traditions and artistry. An individually crafted knife will have a life span of around thirty years and can be sharpened and mended as needed. This compares very favourably with mass produced knives which have a shorter lifespan and if they break, often discarded. Knife smiths will use locally sourced materials and techniques which are sustainable, having been used for centuries. So, you know you are investing in an item with excellent eco credentials. In addition, when you consider the cost of one of these knives with the cost of buying and replacing several mass-produced ones over thirty years, the initial expense seems much more reasonable. So, we have a single purchase which will last several decades, which is not only environmentally sustainable, but keeps alive centuries old skills, so pours money back into the local economy and brings with it a slice of history; what is there to say no to? Maybe you might start thinking of Christmas gifts? Or is there a special birthday coming up? Or maybe you could treat yourself… 

A final word to any blade smiths reading this who are not yet a part of our Craft Insurance family. We too are a family run business with several decades of experience in craft insurance cover. Like your products, our craft insurance cover is unlikely to come up cheapest in a search, but this is intentional as we aspire to sell cover that does what it says it will. Our basic package of craft insurance cover comprises product and public liability insurance, as well as professional liability insurance. As a family-owned business we communicate directly with all our amazing clients, either by phone or email, whichever suits you best. So, if you’re looking to update your cover, or considering what cover to take out for the first time, why not check out our website, send us a message or give us a call. Sam or Naomi will be here to answer your questions look forward to hearing about your unique and history filled business!  

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.