This month Ulster Weavers are celebrating their 3^rd year of trading on the internet. It has been a busy but great 3 years, and here’s too many more! This Monday 5th March we will be launching a half price sale to celebrate our birthday, so keep an eye out for lots of aprons, tea towels and bags etc. at www.ulsterweavers.com/sale. Miss it, miss out!!!

2012 Is proving to be the year for celebrations. The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee was 5^th January 2012, although officially being celebrated on the first weekend of June (2-5^th June). Check out our official Jubilee Traditional and Contemporary range of tea towels, bags, double oven gloves, bone china mugs and aprons. Will you be celebrating in style with a street party with all your neighbours? Or how about a summer garden party/BBQ party? Our Jubilee apron and tea towel range would be perfect to brighten up the table and keep you free from any spillages from the BBQ. Ulster Weavers bunting will be perfect to decorate your outdoor gazebos during your BBQ’S or picnics.

Then later on in the summer between 27^th July – 12^th August the UK will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and 29^th August – 9^th September we will be hosting the Paralympics in London. Go online to Ulster Weavers and see our full range of official Olympic and Paralympics goodies. If you were lucky enough to win or buy tickets for some of the games why not turn up in style with a cotton bag from one of our many Olympic ranges.

Why not try this yummy cupcake recipe to help celebrate our 3^rd Birthday, and have it perfected in time for you Jubilee party:

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 100g butter , at room temperature
• 100g caster sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100g self-raising flour
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• a few drops vanilla essence
• 200g white chocolate , melted
• 200g dark chocolate , melted
• silver balls , to decorate

Method:

1. Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Cream the butter and sugar together, then beat in the eggs and flour. Divide the mix into 2 and add the cocoa to one half and the vanilla to the other. Add a drop of milk to the chocolate mix if it is too stiff.
2. Spoon into mini muffin tins lined with paper cases, making some chocolate and some vanilla. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.
3. Dip the vanilla cakes in dark chocolate and the chocolate ones in white chocolate. Decorate with buttons or sprinkles.

Enjoy!

The British Prime Minister has given an ultimatum to some of the biggest supermarkets to radically reduce their plastic bag usage.

David Cameron has issued a stark warning to stores to cut the number of plastic bags being handed out to shoppers- or to face a fee.

The amount of single-use carrier bags rose last year by 333million which is a 5% increase from 2010 and last month official figures showed that the numbers of bags had risen for the first time in five years. Last year, a staggering 6.4 billion single-use carriers were handed out in the UK.

Cameron has alerted the UK based supermarkets that unless the number of bags distributed significantly falls over the next 12 months, they could be either banned outright from giving them out or be forced by law to charge customers for them.

Shoppers do not have to hang their head in shame though because they can shop in style with our reusable canvas bags.

Environmental campaigners say that plastic bags take up to 1,000 years to degrade and are only used for on average 20 minutes. They cause serious harm to marine animals and birds and on average 70 bags are littered on the coastline every mile.

With Ulster weavers delectable ranges of packable and PVC bags, you can fit all the shopping into one bag as well as look fashionable.

It is reported that shoppers in Wales at checkouts, supermarkets and small village shops must hand over 5p for carrier bags with the proceeds going to good causes and any firm that flouts the law faces a massive £5,000 fine.

And in the Republic of Ireland they have seen a 90% improvement when they started charging consumers 16p for each plastic bag in 2002.

So do your bit to reduce your carbon footprint and purchase one of our gorgeous cotton or vinyl bags today and take it with you when you next pop to the shops!

Bliss PVC Shoulder Bag

V&A Omar PVC Packable Bag

New York Canvas Messenger Bag

This summer is jam-packed full of different festivals up and down the UK!

From Glastonbury, Leeds, T in the Park V, Download, Sonisphere, Oxygen and hundreds more, this season is set to be well and truly heated up in festival fever; so make sure you are looking bang on trend with the latest craze with the help of Ulster Weavers.

Look uber stylish whether the sun is shining or it is forecast for rain and take over the fields wearing wellys and hot pants and of course THE new festival fashion obsession.

It is of course the all-important headwear and festival junkies like Fearne Cotton have already jumped on the fad in a leopard print design. Some hippie-hard core types may prefer a ‘70s style daisy chain wrapped round their head but other fashionistas are turning their heads to the edgy fashionable headgear.

Some media outlets are describing it as an UGG boot for your head- which is extremely strange- but be rest assured when it is chucking it down this summertime and all you have is your tent in the middle of the field you will definitely be hatting it up in fun fur.

But make sure you rock your furry headwear with one of Ulster Weaver’s gorgeous Canvas Shopping Bags. We have some super cute “Cats in Waiting” PVC Bags in all sorts of shapes and sizes which would be ideal if you can’t fit everything into your backpack!

You can show a bit or irony wearing our “Musical Cat” bags or stamps some British style on the festival with our British Cats bags ranges. Whatever you choose to accessorise your outfit with, have fun jumping up and down to some of the world’s best headlining acts.

Cats In Waiting PVC Bag

Musical Cat PVC Shoulder Bag

British Cats Medium PVC Bag

This summer is all about the sun shining and the birds singing, so give your wardrobe that warm and sunny feeling by splashing the colour yellow into it.

It is the hottest shade of the season and all the celebrities are jumping on board the latest style by installing it into their outfits simply by accessorising. It can be hard to pull off the colour as it can be quite putrid and unattractive; with your ensemble looking more like a nicotine stain and acidic.

So instead, pop some yellow into your clothing and carry on the fashion craze by using accessories like nail varnish, belts, jewellery and bags!

Ulster Weavers has a charming array of fantastic bags in all sorts of shapes, sizes and designs to choose from. Whatever you are wearing it for, be it to carry lots of items or just the essentials, our Canvas bags are the perfect accessory!

Stay bang on trend with the latest trend, purchase one of our Canvas Shopping Bags and never again will you have to hang your head in shame by using a boring old plastic bag. The colour is sure to brighten up the greyest of days this summer and the best part is you are sure to radiate happiness.

Celebs like Marina & the Diamonds, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Mischa Barton wear the colour with a fashion punch, brightening up any dark dress.

Further stars who are showing how super stylish they are include 90210 actress AnnaLynne McCord who works the trend from top to toe. Gwen Stefani has been ensuring her nails sing with vivid colour as well as band front woman Florence and the Machine and Pixie Lott.

So splash some yellow into your wardrobe this summer with the help of Ulster Weavers and our gorgeous accessories.

These days’ celebrities are taking on more and more roles to make money. No longer is someone famous just for being an actor, or a singer, but to be a complete brand and versatile.

Models are becoming actresses, singers are launching perfume products, and reality stars are becoming authors. So it is no surprise that celebs are lending their hand to the fashion world and designing their very own shopping bag ranges.

Personalities such as Victoria Beckham, Natalie Imbruglia and even the Prime Minister David Cameron’s wife are jumping on board the accessories trend and lending their eye of creativity to sell bags; be it Canvas Shopping Bags, leather, cotton, or PVC Bags.

The Australian singer-songwriter Natalie Imbruglia designed her very own limited edition cotton bag range that was cupcake themed. Invented for the Notting Hill Shopping Bag Company, it was inspired for the celeb’s love of Portobello Road’s famous Hummingbird Bakery.

Another icon to draft a bag is Friend’s favourite Courteney Cox, who put her ingenuity to work to design a yoga bag to raise funds for women battling breast cancer.

The most famous celeb to show her fashion sense is none other than former Spice Girls member Victoria Beckham. She has been acknowledged world-wide for her sophisticated and chic style in the high-end fashion industry. Not content with designing beautiful dresses, the wife of footballer David has offered her own twist on classic upscale handbags.

Furthermore, the wife of Britain’s PM Samantha Cameron revealed her trend know-how and flair by creating her very own luxury handbags. They bags even got a seal of approval by other celebrities who have been donning the bags on their arms since they went on sale.

Samantha showed everyone she isn’t just the wife of the Conservative Party leader by can also make a must-have accessory. Hollywood actresses Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jennifer Connelly have ordered the bag and the website were inundated with orders.

Ulster Weavers has a delectable array of fantastic bags with dozens of designs to choose from in all different shapes and sizes for every purpose. Never again will you have to hang your head in shame by using a boring old plastic bag! Click here to check out the vast selection…

Although British summer time started on the last Sunday of March, you would never have guessed with the latest showers and cold temperatures. British weather has turned back around and instead of all the glorious sunshine and heat it is more like the wintry chills.

Brightly coloured clothing reflected the new warm season but with the weather still staying in the shadows, it is all about the blues.

Spring runways were awash with streaks of blue from electric and navy, to cornflower and cobalt. Designers all over the world sent spectrums and shades of blue down the catwalk; making fashion statements in bold hues and royal blues.

Designers like Diane Von Furstenberg and Prada featured collections with cobalt blue patterns and designs to install so freshness and nautical movement for the season.

Blue is the new and upcoming look and can be worn by anyone, in any way. But it isn’t the easiest colour to pull off so don’t overdo your blue outfit or you could end up looking like a Smurf! Keep things simple and minimal with blue Canvas Shopping Bags as accessories.

Furthermore, the colour was enhanced when Kate Middleton stepped out in a blue dress for the royal engagement announcement that made the dress iconic and on the map. It made the Duchess of Cambridge look glamorous and sophisticated and since she has been spotted wearing all shades of azure and sapphire to show she is bang on trend with the season’s must-have.

Look captivating in electric blue evening and cocktail dresses like all the Hollywood stars have been wearing. Celebs Blake Lively, Jessica Alba, Kylie Minogue, Paris Hilton, Olivia Wilde and more have all been capturing the blues in both short and full length dresses on the red carpets.

And you can make a statement too with Ulster Weavers’ fantastic blue Canvas Bags!

Silhouhette Pictogram Blue Canvas Shoulder Bag

La Dolce Vita PVC Packable Bag

Elephant Shaped Packable Bag

This winter’s catwalk and high street has gone wild once again in this season’s fashion trend of fur coats.

And reds, whites and blacks have been popping up all over fashion lines as the colours this Christmas time.

But stay bang on trend in this season’s instant glamour hit and invest in a fur coat…it will be furry nice!

The latest look is perfect for the forecasted snowy wintry weather conditions, to stay warm and snug on these icy mornings and combat the cold weather.

The shaggy cuts and shrug-on styles give this winter’s furs, whether real or fake, a laidback rock ‘n’ roll edge; meaning just because it is chilly style shouldn’t be compromised.

You don’t have to keep stylish in a fur coat though, wear chic faux-fur shoulder bags, hand warmers or scarfs instead.

Many celebs have been seen out and about sporting the fashion trend including Kylie Minogue, who performed in a fur coat at one of her latest concerts.

Other stars include The Hills resident Stephanie Pratt, Lindsay Lohan, Angelina Jolie, Kate Moss, Sienna Miller and Pixie Lott.

Why not stay fashion savvy and accessorise your outfit in this season’s hot red with an Ulster Weavers cotton shopping bag?

Buying a canvas or PVC bag to take shopping with you is the easiest way of being environmentally friendly and our wide variety of designs will leave you spoilt for choice and remember… a girl can never have enough bags!

Sorrento PVC Small Bag

We’ve all seen them dotted around our family and friends houses. Some are adorable quotes about the family household and love and happiness, while others are just simply hilarious.

As Bank Holiday weekend is approaching  with many of us planning to kick back and stay out of the kitchen, opting for some much need rest and relaxation time, we have found the funniest kitchen signs which you can post on your door to show that this cook is off duty!

1. Kitchen Closed – This Chick Has Had It!
2. Ring My Bell For Maid Service…If No Answer Do It Yourself!
3. Martha Stewart doesn’t live here!!
4. I’m creative; you can’t expect me to be neat too!
5. So this isn’t Home Sweet Home… Adjust!
6. I clean house every other day…. Today is the other day!
7. If you write in the dust, please don’t date it!
8. I would cook dinner but I can’t find the can opener!
9. My house was clean last week, too bad you missed it!
10. A clean kitchen is the sign of a wasted life.
11. COOK CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!
12. I came, I saw, I decided to order take out.
13. If you don’t like my standards of cooking…lower your standards.
14. You may touch the dust in this house…but please don’t write in it!
15. Apology…Although you’ll find our house a mess, Come in, sit down, and converse. It doesn’t always look like this: Some days it’s even worse.
16. A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen, and this kitchen is delirious.
17. If we are what we eat, then I’m easy, fast, and cheap.
18. A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
19. Thou shalt not weigh more than thy refrigerator.
20. Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.
21. A clean house is a sign of a misspent life.
22. Help keep the kitchen clean – eat out.
23. Countless number of people have eaten in this kitchen and gone on to lead normal lives.
24. My next house will have no cupboards, just vending machines.
25. Gardening forever… Housework, never!
26. Dull women have immaculate houses.
27. I am sorry your opinion wasn’t in the recipe.

Whatever you have planned this Bank Holiday weekend make sure that you aren’t working too hard as this is the last public holiday until Christmas and we all know that this festive holiday isn’t exactly a quiet one!

Olive Sandwich cotton bag by UlsterWeavers.com

Instead why not head out shopping or out for a day out with a trendy Olive Sandwiches cotton bags on your shoulder from Ulster Weavers.com. The fantastic collection of bags is great for those women who are making their stance in the kitchen and opting for a weekend of fun and relaxation instead. The adorable Olive Sandwiches collection has three fantastically designed cotton bags as well as some creative and fun linen tea towels which will certainly look fabulous in your kitchen.

For more information visit UlsterWeavers.com.