Image Courtesy of Bart Fields and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence.

We can hear the sleigh bells ringing and the singing of carol singers already and it is no surprise seeing as it is one month today until Christmas Day!

2011 has zoomed round the corner and it is now the time of the year for Brits across the UK to start pulling the dusty boxes down from the attic with all the Christmas decorations inside.

Brush off the cobwebs on the tinsel, baubles and mistletoe and begin ornamenting the home with some festive cheer. Put together the artificial Christmas tree, or go shopping for a real one, and install some sparkling spirit into the house.

After the house is decorated, you may want to start thinking about buying the perfect present for your family and friends. Ulster Weavers has a vast array of celebratory ranges to suit all ages, for men and women. So there is bound to be something to put a smile on a relative’s face when they un-wrap it on Christmas Day.

Avoid trawling down to the local shops to find a gift because we can only imagine that they will start getting hectic and super busy with Britons frantically trying to get organised. Instead, simply check out our site ulsterweavers.com and put your order in nice and early; and have peace of mind that your purchase will arrive on-time.

With everything from glittery vinyl bags and aprons to traditional linen tea towels, you will definitely find some great stocking fillers! And after you have found the perfect present idea, turn your attention to the scrumptious Christmas food and drink that comprises of mince pies, mulled wine and turkey.

Our themed gauntlets and oven gloves are ideal to carry all the hot plates to shun any nasty burns. And similarly, protect your clothing when cooking with our PVC aprons as they will transform a boring outfit into dazzling merriment.

So get started on your Christmas shopping for decorations, presents and food and let the jolly period set off!

Festive Bouquet Double Oven Glove

Enchanted Forest PVC Apron

Christmas Reindeer Gauntlet

Wrap the winter season up this year with sparkly aprons, festive tea towels and Christmas cosies!

Install some jolly spirit into the home and deck the halls with themed textiles to really put a smile on the little ones’ faces.

Top Decorations

• Tinsel
• Holly Wreaths
• Snowmen
• Robin
• Angel/fairy
• Lights
• Mistletoe
• Snowflakes

Go to town with snowflake décor, some colourful tinsel and let the creativity flow. Use your imagination to adorn each room with snowmen, robins and holly wreaths and don’t forget to put an angel/fairy on top of the Christmas tree.

Mistletoe is a traditional ornament to hang just above the doorway and you can spoil the kids by giving them an advent calendar filled with delicious chocolate to eat each day. Suspend twinkly Christmas lights at the front of the house and play old-style carol songs inside the home for the family to sing along to in the evening.

Many people just decorate the house but why not go the extra mile this year and purchase some merry homeware to serve alongside the Christmas grub?

Before you start cooking, protect your clothing in one of our enchanted forest PVC aprons so you can whisk the apron off when finished and look gorgeous on the special day without having to get redressed. And the youngsters can help you cook the feast too by mixing and stirring in matching kids aprons.

Serve your roast potatoes and vegetables with an Ulster Weavers festive bouquet gauntlet or oven glove to ensure your hands don’t get burnt, and wash down the scrumptious Christmas dinner with a piping hot pot of tea in a co-ordinating tea cosy.

However you decorate the home this Christmas, make sure you have a jovial holiday with quality homeware and textiles by Ulster. And as evidence to our commitment to quality, Ulster Weavers Ltd. has held the royal warrant as suppliers of kitchen textiles to Queen Elizabeth II since 1995.

Festive Bouquet Double Oven Glove

Enchanted Forest PVC Apron

Christmas Reindeer Tea Cosy

Image Courtesy of Lobo235 and reused under the terms of the Creative Commons Licence.

On 31^st October, all Brits will be celebrating the spooky holiday of Halloween.

As things go bump in the night with the superstition of witchcraft and cauldrons, make sure you are on-trend and decorate the house in fake cobwebs and ghostly homeware to conjure up a scare.

It is traditional to carve a menacing face into a pumpkin and light up the hallway and window with a candle inside.

But decorations can make all the difference to a party, so make your home stand out from the rest on the road and go all out with skeletons, ghouls and zombies.

Don’t just settle for a Halloween bowl at the side of the door filled with lots of delicious sweets and candy. Hang up eerie posters, banners and pop-up creatures and really set the scene to have fun with the whole family.

Dress the kids like witches with brooms and decorate the home with gruesome grim reapers. From the floor to the ceiling, deck the home with grisly and ghastly embellishments.

Halloween, also called All Hallows’ Eve, includes traditional symbols and images such as black cats, werewolves and vampires. So wear some costumes and get into the spooky spirit this year and decorate the home in frightening furnishings!

Check out Ulster Weavers black homeware to accessorise your kitchen when making magic potions, witches brew and toffee apples.

Black Plain Dyed Cotton Apron

Black Plain Dyed Gauntlet

Black Plain Dyed Tea Cosy

With everything from sparkly bags and aprons to traditional linen tea towels, you’re bound to find some great stocking fillers at Ulster Weavers.

Choose from any of our merry ranges including the Festive Bouquet, Christmas Reindeer and Enchanted Forest and with the designs varying considerably, you will definitely see something to suit your décor taste.

From Christmas cosies and Christmas tea towels, we have all you need to put a bit of festive cheer into the family home this wintertime. And many of the designs have matching co-ordinates so you can deck the halls (home) with gorgeous identical homeware. 

Our Christmas Pudding Tea Cosy is delightful to decorate the table with on Christmas day, to enjoy a lovely piping hot brew round after Christmas dinner. And our Christmas Reindeer range is just perfect for parents with little kiddies, as the characters are adorable.

Whether you want Christmas homeware that is quite classic and traditional, or fun and quirky, Ulster Weavers have it covered! If you prefer a simpler and chic style, our Festive Bouquet range is just for you; whereas the Enchanted Forest range by Linda Edwards is beautiful and sparkly to glitz up the festivities.

Every household should have at least one Christmas tea towel so add a bit of festive spice with a huge choice from our linen and cotton tea towels from sleeping santas and polar parade, to snow buddy and Christmas stable.

Check out the fantastic Christmas stock at Ulster Weavers now!

Enchanted Forest Cotton Tea Towel

Christmas Pudding Tea Cosy

Christmas Reindeer Gauntlet

Festive Bouquet Cotton Apron

Angel Folk Linen Tea Towel

Enchanted Forest Small PVC Bag

This weekend Music Day is taking place!

Saturday 8^th October has been founded and dedicated to encourage all people everywhere to rejoice on music.

It is one day set aside a year to inspire Brits to claim and reclaim in one’s ability to sing and make music.

Now if you are like us here at Ulster Weavers HQ and you cannot hold a note or even sing in tune, you can still celebrate the day with the help of our fabulous musical cat homeware range.

We have a vast collection of home essentials that are music themed so if music is a passion of yours install some rhythm into the kitchen. Look no further than our beating Musical Cat range that comprises of matching tea towel, shoulder bag, aprons, pot mitt, oven glove, gauntlet and tea cosies.

Create some soul into your cooking with harmonising homeware and get the complete set so the kitchen is nothing but singing in gorgeous textiles. Whether you like listening to rock and metal, opera, country-style or pop music when practising your culinary skills, make sure you look the part this weekend.

Sing along to your favourite song and hum to your much-loved tune and cook up a melody in 2011. Become the “singing chef” of your home, with Ulster Weavers. And rest assured, it really is common to cook and sing at the same time, as singing waiters and chanting chefs can be hired for parties, events and even weddings!

Musical Cat Linen Tea Towel

Musical Cat Tea Cosy

Musical Cat Cotton Apron

This month is National Dog Adoption Month!

The celebration aims to highlight the brilliant benefits of adopting a dog. In the UK, there are hundreds of animal shelters that are filled with homeless pooches, so use September to promote the advantages of giving a dog home.

Adopting a dog isn’t a simple notion and not one to be taken lightly. A dog is for life, not just for Christmas, so make sure you get all the facts and advice about caring for a dog before taking on the responsibility.

A four-legged pet is said to be a man’s best friend and having an animal in the home can bring huge amounts of joy; so why not share your love with a furry feline or canine and adopt this month. And why not go all or out and rejoice in the mongrel breed by installing some of Ulster Weavers dog ranges.

We have a vast array of doggylicious designed linen tea towels from Dogs Galore to Dogs Arrived and go barking mad for our Dog & Bone range that has matching homeware including aprons, pot mitts, oven gloves and PVC bags.

Ulster’s dog door stop is especially cute and could send the newly adopted pooch confused into thinking it is real!

So celebrate National Dog Adoption Month in the UK with the help of Ulster Weavers dog homeware ranges.

Dogs Galore Linen Tea Towel

Dog & Bone PVC Packable Bag

Dog Door Stop

Around 80,000 spectators are attending the Fáilte Horse Show this week in Ireland, in what has become a Dublin institution.

The international horse show has become one of the world’s best show jumping events since it was first held in 1864.  It is a celebration of Ireland’s affinity with the horse and the Dublin Horse Show showcases the Irish horse industry with the best show horses and the best international show jumpers.

It is one of Ireland’s largest events and is the highlight of the summer, so as the tens of thousands of people flock to the country from all over the globe; join in the festivities with Ulster Weavers horse homeware.

We have some gorgeous ranges that are designed all around the mammal with tea towels, canvas bags, gauntlets and tea cosies to choose from.

If you own a horse or simply love everything about the animal from its mane to riding, decorate the kitchen in some cute homeware that will definitely make the neigh…bours jealous! So stop horsing around (sorry, that was our last pun!) and purchase some Ulster Weavers fantastic horse ranges.

Horses Linen Tea Towel

Horses Tea Cosy

Horses Gauntlet

May has been officially declared Britain’s craft and design month!

Craft and Design Month has been nationally recognised to enhance the growing awareness and appreciation of fine art and craft; so what better time to get involved and have fun this summer than now.

Crafts are a fantastic pastime for the whole family to get involved that are perfect to amuse the kids for hours, as well as save costs on buying presents for birthdays or purchasing decorations for the home.

Celebrate and promote crafts across the UK for the entirety of May with the hundreds of events taking place up and down the country; or simply show your gratitude in the comfort of your own home by trying some of these exciting ideas.

So grab one of our funky Aprons and get those creative juices flowing; and get the little monsters aboard too with cute Childrens Aprons so their clothing doesn’t get ruined!

Sunshine Summer Bracelet

This craft looks quite complicated and complex but in fact it is really easy to make and it is the perfect accessory to any summer outfit this season.

The glass beads are bright and colourful but you can always use your favourite colour to suit your own taste.

And better still, it only takes 30 minutes to make!

Instructions

Summer Fruits Necklace

This craft is an ideal present for the female relatives in your family!

It can be a cute gift for your mum this summer whether it is for her birthday or just to show how much you care; or be a gorgeous accessory for yourself to embellish any fashion trend.

The design takes around 45 minutes to make but you can pick whatever coloured beads and style you want, so the piece will be individual to you!

Instructions

Fruity Tablecloth Weights

Add a touch of colour and flair to your dining garnishes this summer by making some fruity tablecloth weights.

Many Brits take advantage of the glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures this season by eating outdoors alfresco, so why not decorate the garden table with some fun and interesting ornaments.

And practically, they could really come in handy when a gust of wind flies by so the cloth isn’t swept off the table with all the content with it!

Instructions

Decorate your house for Halloween

Whether it is your home you are hosting a party at, or a friend’s house that you’re going to, this Halloween is sure to be a holiday full of scary encounters, family fun and party antics.     

Get the kids excited and involved this Halloween by decorating the home full of pumpkins, plastic spiders and cobwebs to make your house stand out in the neighbourhood.     

Invite the whole family round and have fun carving pumpkins into weird and wacky faces. Light some candles inside the pumpkin and leave by the front door window ledge to create that menacing face and creepy aura.     

But remember to extinguish all candles when leaving the room or going to sleep. Keep them away from items that can catch on fire such as clothing, curtains, books, paper or flammable decorations and always remind your children the dangers of flames.     

Make sure your party is the most ghoulish, ghastly, ghostly party of Halloween to remember! Have Halloween Balloons, decorations, life size gravestones, coffins, fog machines, hanging ghosts, costumes, halloween masks and much more.     

To give you a few ideas this Halloween we have put together some decoration ideas that you can get creative with your family.      

Decorate the buffet table in spooky sprinklings of confetti; of bats, witches and pumpkins.      

 

Don’t forget to send everyone’s invites to your grueseome event, or otherwise how else are they going to know!      

Fill the house with balloons galore, giving children hours of fun and amusing any pets. Why not get this eery black and orange cat style.     

Why not buy these Ulster Weaver delightful items to spruce up the decorative theme when baking or carving your pumpkins…    

Black Plain Dyed Pot Mitt

Curious Cat Black Unbleached Linen Tea Towel

Knitted Smartcar Tea Cosy

Twenty grannies have come together over two months knitting nearly 70lbs of wool into a trendy tea cosy for a Smart car.

The mastermind behind the whacky design was Zurich based company, the Swiss Senior Design Factory, who wanted young designers and older crafts people to join forces to create a masterpiece in knitting.

The giant car cover depicts a lace-up trainer and exposes the car wheel’s, making it into a giant roller skate.

The designers have now contacted the Guinness Book of Records to claim the official world record for the biggest hand knitted car cover.

If you have knitted any whacky tea cosy designs or any other crazy knitted accessories for that matter then let us know about it by leaving a comment below.

We at Ulster Weavers have some beautifully designed tea cosies covering a wide range of styles and shapes for your home. More of a practical product than a novelty design, our wide range of tea cosies can make the perfect finishing accessories for your kitchen.

You can view our complete range of kitchen tea cosies by clicking the link.

World's Largest Cup of Tea

And speaking of the world’s largest items, this weekend saw Sri Lanka brew the world’s largest cup of tea. A giant red mug was filled with 1,000 gallons (4,546l) of water, 141lb (64kg) of tea, 1,929lb (200l) of malted milk powder and 353lb (160kg) sugar.

The cup of tea is 33% bigger than the previous record last year.