It can be difficult buying a special birthday present for your mum or friend this September, especially as money is tight and everyone is waiting for pay day.

But it doesn’t have to cost the earth to be able to treat your loved-one to an exceptional gift for her birthday.

A handmade present that requires a lot of effort to make shows you have gone above and beyond this year and that you really care for them. So why not make them some gorgeous new jewellery to wear this autumn/winter?

You don’t have to be a craft professional to make a necklace or bracelet as skill levels can vary from beginner, intermediate to expert. And often the jewellery can be made in as little as 15 minutes, so rest assured if you are short on cash this month that you can still give your auntie, niece or best pal a prezzie for her birthday without breaking the bank!

Jewellery making can range from simple heart pendants, to glass or wooden beads; just let your imagination flow using bits and bobs of buttons and ribbons. Personalise the charms and jewels by including her favourite colours and why not splash out and make a matching set of earrings and necklace to really make her smile?

Check out some of the brilliant ideas below that Ulster Weavers have found for you…

Heart Pendant

Make this simple necklace with seed beads of your choice and finish it in only 30 minutes.

 Instructions

 Turquoise & Lime Ribbon Bracelet

This project only takes around 15 minutes and is simple to make with buttons and ribbon. Why not get colour co-ordinating materials and make a matching necklace?

Instructions

Knitted Jewellery Collection

This collection includes necklace, bracelet and earrings. It is a little adventurous for the beginner, so perhaps practise on other projects and gain skill and confidence before trying this. It will take around 2 hours to make it all.

Instructions

If on the other hand you want to treat her to some gorgeous homeware that is also affordable; have a look at our gift ideas that consist of cute canvas bags, cosmetic bags and linen tea towels!

V&A Strawberry Thief Cosmetic Bag

V&A Golden Lily Small Canvas Bag

Marilyn Cotton Tea Towel

The leaves change colour in the autumn and go from lush green to yellows, oranges and browns.

As the summer ends and the days get shorter, the reduced amount of light triggers the trees to get ready for the winter and store their food.

Chlorophyll is a chemical which gives plants their green colour and as a result of the trees resting for the winter months, the green chlorophyll disappears from the leaves and therefore the bright green fades away.

Many leaves fall off the branches during freezing temperatures and rather than them going to waste, why not pop along to your local park with your children and collect a vast array of colours to create some natural art?

It can be hard to amuse the kids during the winter as the weather is so cold outside, so have fun indoors by picking up yellow, brown and orange leaves and taking them home to do arts and crafts.

Turn dead leaves into a colourful painting, drawing or sculpture and let the creativity flow! Just wear on of Ulster Weavers aprons to protect everyone’s clothing from being ruined.

There are lots of ideas to make including leaf stencils and mobiles, to collages and photo frames. Get imaginative and create autumn leaf name tags for the family meal- the possibilities are endless!

So pop on one of our PVC childrens aprons and have fun making arts and crafts inside this winter with the little ones; you don’t need to spend lots of money to have really expensive toys to entertain the youngsters this Christmas holiday. .

Check out Ulster Weavers gorgeous apron ranges for both adults and children today by clicking here!

Painting Child's PVC Apron

RHS Hooker's Orchard Cotton Apron

RHS Catalogue Of Seeds PVC Apron

Shiver me timbers, it is Talk Like A Pirate Day!

The recognised holiday encourages all Brits to inject some pirate-themed words and noises into everything you say and do today.

OK it may be taking it a little bit too far to go into work dressed like a pirate with an eye patch, hat and toy parrot; but you can decorate the home in swashbuckler textiles with Ulster Weavers Treasure Island ranges.

The kids can spend the day making each other ‘walk the plank’ and roaring ‘yarrrr’ whilst they dress up and play games. Go wild with creativity and create a treasure hunt for the children to do with the goal of some buried treasure. They can get excited searching around the house and garden solving clues, like a real-life adventurer!

After the kids have worn themselves out running all over the place, have fun baking pirate cakes and cupcakes in the kitchen with Ulster Weavers Treasure Island Child’s PVC Aprons.

All our childrens aprons are super cute to ensure the little monsters don’t dirty their clothes when cooking but our Treasure Island range is perfect for the special day. And our cotton apron in the range is great for any cheeky monkeys!

Finish off the whole pirate chef look with Ulster’s Treasure Island Child’s Chef Hat, so they really feel like the top buccaneer. So gather your hearties round to the house and have fun this Talk Like A Pirate Day with our fabulous homeware!

Treasure Island Child's PVC Apron

Treasure Island Child's Chef Hat

Treasure Island Child's Cotton Apron

A giant patchwork has been created by a team of knitters in Leicestershire, in England in support of the London 2012 Games.

The blanket is part of an exhibition celebrating the Olympics and Paralympics and you too can prepare for the most exciting sporting event of the year with the help of Ulster Weavers.

We have a vast array of products that are dedicated to the Games including Team GB designs, the Olympic museum historic collection and much more.  The Union jack range is perfect to showcase British pride and the Tourist Icons range is spending for the thousands of foreigners who will be travelling to the UK to watch the magnificent occasion.

And the kids can get involved too to celebrate the upcoming Olympics with the children’s mascots Wenlock and Mandeville ranges. The funky guard packable bags are super cute and the chef hats and aprons are perfect!

Whether you want to buy a memorabilia item to keep for years to come to pass onto your grandchildren, or just to use now, Ulster has a massive selection of Olympics homeware to choice from comprising of tea towels, oven gloves, shopping bags, tea cosies and more.

So as everyone around the country becomes eagerly anticipated for the biggest sporting event to come to Britain, make sure you are ready with Ulster Weavers fantastic giftware and textiles. 

Team GB Black & Gold Tea Cosy

Tourist Mascot Cotton Tea Towel

Union Jack Flag Pink Cotton Apron

Europe’s biggest festival is kicking off this bank holiday weekend in London’s Notting Hill Carnival 2011.

Held annually on the August bank holiday, the Notting Hill Carnival is the largest celebration of its kind on Europe.

Started since 1966, it sees thousands of people gather on the streets of West London to rejoice in the sounds and smells of a full-blooded Caribbean carnival. Twenty miles is covered in vibrant colourful costumes with hundreds of stalls and carnival revellers.

Astonishing floats procession the streets with traditional steel drum bands and massive sound systems bellow out Caribbean music. It is arguably London’s most exciting annual event; so why don’t you get involved too by making some arts and crafts for the floats by wearing gorgeous aprons.

Have fun joining in the festivities and parties and create wonderful arts with the help of Ulster Weavers and our PVC aprons. You can be as messy as you like with the assurance that your clothing with be protected from any paint damage!

The carnival kicks off around 9am on Sunday 28^th August and the day is dedicated to being a children’s day with child games and activities on offer. The Monday is the adults’ day, so why not pop down with the kids this Sunday and get them involved too with our childrens aprons.

Sorrento PVC Apron

Disco Butterfly Child's PVC Apron

Painting Child's PVC Apron

This Sunday is Senior Citizens Day!

People are living and working much longer these days due to being a lot healthier than the generation beforehand.

Better access to health care and improved technology is resulting in people dying older so it is important to support our OAPs and senior citizens within our society.

The nationally recognised holiday is a day to acknowledge the long-term contribution and dedication of older people and to ensure that we as a society as a whole, are doing our very best to give something back to older people.

And what better way to show appreciation for your gran and granddad than knitting cosies with them!

Grandparents would rather spend time with you to catch up and tell you about the good old days than anything else; so why not devote some quality time to them and get them to show you how to knit?

OK it isn’t the most exciting concept in the world but it shows that you care and that you are never too old to spend some time with your old folks.

Or if knitting isn’t quite your cup of tea, then simply just brew one and sit and natter the afternoon away instead with a piping hot pot of tea. But don’t worry about your brew going cold because Ulster Weavers tea cosies are perfect to keep a brew all lovely and warm.

So dedicate this weekend to the older generation and spend some quality time with your grandparents with the help of Ulster Weavers.

Bliss Muff tea Cosy

Musical Cat Tea Cosy

My Garden Tea Cosy

This week is National Allotments Week!

From Monday 8^th to Sunday 14^th August 2011 allotment holders in the UK will be rejoicing in how much fun allotments can be and opening them up to the general public to share.

Now is no better time than ever to gain first-hand experience of an allotment plot and to celebrate with Ulster Weavers My Garden range.

Fundamentally, an allotment is a plot of land made available for individual, non-professional gardening for one to enjoy growing vegetables, fruits and herbs.

Use this special holiday to sell the produce to citizens in the local area and show people what the allotment is all about; so they can learn how they can have an affordable supply of fresh fruit and flowers.

Owning an allotment isn’t easy work but is definitely worth the effort- so why not treat yourself to a Gardeners Calendar linen tea towel or a My Garden PVC Aprons so you keep your clothes clean and mud-free when sowing seeds.

Celebrate the unique recreational activity and be inspired to be green; it is the perfect time for all allotment holders to display all the hours of hard work. Demonstrate to the world what gardening is all about and how it can be a brilliant way to de-stress and relax after a stressful day at work!

Ulster Weavers has a vast array of cute garden ranges that consist of gauntlets, pot mitts, PVC bags and more. Become one with Mother Nature this week with the help from our fantastic textiles!

Gardeners Calendar Linen Tea Towel

My Garden PVC Apron

My Garden Gauntlet

From this weekend until the end of August is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the largest arts festival in the world.

For over 50 years Scotland’s capital city has seen a unique explosion of creative energy within the Fringe and it takes place for three weeks every year.

Thousands of performers take to a multitude of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste; from big names in the world of entertainment to unknown artists looking to build their careers. The festival caters for everyone and anyone including dance, comedy, theatres, musicals, exhibitions and music.  So get inspired to do your own arts and crafts and then let the creativity flow with Ulster Weavers PVC aprons.

HISTORY

The event started back in 1947 when the newly formed Edinburgh International Festival was crashed by eight theatre groups, who turned up uninvited to perform. The initiative was created to celebrate and enrich European cultural lift in the wake of Second World War. Year on year more and more performers crashed the festival until 1959 when the Festival Fringe Society was set up in response to the success of the growing trend.

So join in the celebrations of arts and entertainment at the 2011 Festival Fringe with the help of our gorgeous arts and crafts aprons. We have a wide variety of cotton, PVC and childrens aprons with just about every style you can think of; so if you want to express your inner creativity by painting or drawing you can do and protect your clothing at the same.

Tea Party Cotton Apron

Bliss Cotton Apron

Home Sweet Home Child's Cotton Shaped Apron

Today is Thread The Needle Day!

It is a nationally recognised day that gives Brits the chance to dust off their sewing skills or learn how to knit if they don’t already know how.

Can you sew? Why not organise a sew-a-thon with your friends this summer to raise money for charity; simply pop round to your gran’s house and get her to teach you some lessons?

Celebrate all that is great about needles and thread and have fun going back to the basics; just like the olden days before electronic games, iPads and mobile phones were invented.

Use the special dedicated day to spend time with the grandparents- they’ll appreciate the effort you make and you can use the opportunity to talk about the family history. Swap stories about the good old times over a needle and thread and a piping hot pot of tea.

Pass the afternoon time by brewing a nice cup of tea, chill on the sofa and gossip over funny family tales- it will definitely bring the two generations together.

And if you are a sewing beginner, be aware it may take a few hours to master the knitting skills. So make sure you have one of Ulster Weavers fantastic tea cosies to keep the pot of tea lovely and warm.

Our tea and egg cosies come in a galore of shapes and sizes with a mixture of traditional styles to quirky, shaped cosies. Ulster’s cosies come with matching items so you can put the pot of tea and cups on one of our cute trays, coasters and placemats. And if your gran loves them that much you can always give them as the perfect gift for her birthday!

Cakes Tea Cosy

Dog & Bone Tea Cosy

Cats In Waiting Tea Cosy

Kate Middleton painting, pity she's not wearing an apron

A celebrity doesn’t really have much spare time on their hands what with being a celeb and partying and working; but how do they relax when they have precious time off?

Some famous stars have openly spoken out about getting some down time by knitting, listening to music and hanging out with friends and family. So it may come as a surprise that a bunch of icons also enjoy doing arts and crafts.

Richard Madeley who is widely known as being a British TV presenter, who fronted the show This Morning with his wife Judy, reportedly loves arts and crafts. His daughter Chloe Madeley told Heat magazine that her dad hearts biros and bits of paper and that he loves making banners.

The Londoner’s big secret has been let slip that he makes his own banners with multi-coloured biros, not paint or crayons. Awww bet he got tons of practises in when Chloe was taking part in the ITV reality television show “Dancing on Ice”!

And even the royals have been publicly showing off their artistic talents whilst painting with school children on their visit to Los Angeles, America.

HRH Prince William and Kate Middleton promoted a visual arts and performance organisation during their royal tour by sitting down in a classroom and creating their own art pieces.

Will, the future King of England, painted an abstract square whereas Kate painted a red snail.

So express your inner imagination and have fun getting creative with the help of Ulster Weavers and our fantastic aprons. And get the kids involved too to pass the time on these hot sunny days with our cute childrens aprons- they are brilliant to protect clothing from paint splash backs!

Painting Child's PVC Apron

Domestic Goddess PVC Apron

Betty Shaped Cotton Apron