Happy Christmas from Tea & Make

So, this time last year we were coming to the end of the two weeks of our Pop-Up Shop, and we have sooooo missed not having a little shop this Christmas!!

But on the plus side this has left us both extra time to get making ourselves this year – we’ve been making presents from scratch, as well as adapting and personalising local finds, like prettying up some chutney jars from the Farmers’  Market. Cannot wait to see what our friends and families think on Christmas Day! We’ve also contributed to a Daily Mail article on exactly this subject - we will be posting more details on this next week.

We keep in touch with all our wonderful Tea & Makers and they are doing amazing things, so you’re sure to spot some of their work out and about this Christmas on your shopping sprees!! They have also been asking us when we’re putting on our next event, but sadly 2011 has gone by without a ‘Tea & Make do’, as we have been hugely busy with our own projects (do check out our websites if you’re curious about the other things we do… www.pheasantmailorder.co.uk and www.interim.org.uk) and we have also both moved home this year (as you can imagine this is no quick thing for two women who LOVE styling up their homes!!)

We have also been working on a little sister project to Tea & Make, which we are really looking forward to telling you all about next year. In the meantime have a wonderful Christmas and keep enjoying making, as well as seeing and buying all the wonderful work that’s out there!

Love Sally and Esther xx

Support FINDERS KEEPERS RECORDS after the Sony warehouse fire

As you all know, we're all about supporting amazing little businesses, and one which has always been very close to our hearts (you may have bought one of their records at our pop-up shop over Christmas) is the wonderful Finders Keepers Records (based in London and Manchester).  One of the 3 founders, Doug Shipton, put out this open letter on Facebook this evening after 90% of their entire stock was burned in the the Sony warehouse fire on Monday night:


"As most of you are probably aware, owing to the tragic fire at Sony DADC in Enfield, PIAS UK's distribution centre, on Monday night during the rioting across London, Finders Keepers, Twisted Nerve, Bird, Battered Ornaments and our associated labels are among the countless other independent labels to have been directly affected. Early estimates indicate that approximately 90% of our stock has been destroyed leaving us with only a small number of limited titles in our office.

Firstly, words cannot describe how overwhelmed and grateful we are for all the support we've received in the past few days. As a fiercely independent label we have always relied on the passion and commitment not just of those who help us champion independent music but also those who support and buy our releases, enabling us to carry on doing what we love - a fact made all the more poigniant as we approach our 50th Finders Keepers release and 7th anniversary. So to all of you who have bought a record, a download, or have helped spread the word over the internet (ever!), THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

While we take stock of our losses and make plans for our immediate future it is important to remember that as we try to rebuild and while what has been destroyed can hopefully be replaced it is hard to quantify any material loss when people have lost their homes and indeed their lives in the past few days, but the sad fact is that a lot of honest and hardworking people's livlihoods (including countless friends and colleagues) are at risk as a result of what has happened.

We're sure that after the dust has settled there will be much debate over the past week's events but for now we need you to support your independent music scene in any way that you can - spread the word through social networking sites, buy from your favourite labels (many are still able to run mailorder services as well as offering their catalogues digitally) and don't forget your local independent record shops who will undoubtedly suffer in turn with the labels who have been affected.

Down but not out
The Finders Keepers family x"


We're pleased to see that they're already using their talents (amazing artwork by fellow label director Andy Votel) and contacts to release the loveliest fundraising series of CDs, where as they explain:


"a few of our close label mates have come together to compile some of their favourite moments from the Finders Keepers family discography. A series of 10 limited edition CD and MP3 compilations curated by the likes of Jarvis Cocker, Demdike Stare, David Holmes and Gruf Rhys including some exclusive and unreleased tracks are now ready to order directly from the website and like minded retailers in a bid to ease us back onto our feet releasing phantastic obscure and obselete music as soon as possible.
For the next five months we will present 10 limited edition albums (one every 2 weeks) kindly compiled by B-Music stalwarts and friends, including Jarvis Cocker, Demdike Stare, David Holmes and Gruff Rhys (amongst others) choosing their favourite songs from our expansive catalogue, as well as featuring exclusive songs, edits and remixes."

Buy yours here - whether it's a single volume, or you're signing up for the whole series, your purchase will help them to continue with their lovely business, to continue releasing amazing (sometimes crazy!) musical gems which they uncover from around the world, from dusty archives, artist's back rooms, and cutting room floors - and who would be there to do that for us if they weren't? x

Cakey Perry in New Cross!

We're really looking forward to popping along to Cakey Perry this weekend, an edible pop-up event based on Katy Perry’s ‘California Gurls’ video, organised by the devilishly talented Miss Cakehead and at the mo you can win tickets via Tatty Devine here

The Tea & Make launchpad!

We're very proud to see one of our lovely Tea & Makers, Zeena Shah taking her workshop skills one step further and teaching at a Printmaking Skill Share at Chesterton Community College later in the month.  Since encouraging her to put on her first ever workshop - Christmas cracker-making - at one of our first events in SE London in Christmas '09, we also asked her to take part in our Friday Late at the V&A last April where she led a super-successful collective patchwork open-workshop... and onwards and upwards she's gone from there. Go Zeena! If you're in the Cambridge area then you can find out how to book a place here

Lino Printing Tutorial

For all of you lovely people who came to our fun Lino Printing Workshop at the Pop-Up Shop just berfore Christmas, we are really sorry it's taken us this long to put a link to a tutorial up! All the hard work definitely meant our brains shut down completely over Christmas!! I know some of you had already bought your lino printing bits but for those of you who haven't had time, here is a really great little tutorial from Southampton-based photographer Angie Muldowney

See the tutotrial here!!

We went to the wonderful Atlantis in East London for our supplies, but most good art shops stock them, and ebay and amazon also have a good selection too.

Good luck and if you do any printing please make sure you email pics to us at esther@teaandmake.co.uk

xx