The National Storytelling Week is an annual event that takes place in the UK by the Society for Storytelling.

The celebration kicks off on Saturday 28^th January-4^th February and it will be the 12^th year that the organisation has aimed to encourage Britain’s in all areas of the community to take part in creating and enjoying storytelling.

Storytelling is the most ancient of communicative arts and last year around 17,000 got involved. According to the website: “The push is on to make 2012 an even greater achievement to give out to all cultures, tales long untold, tales told and forgotten, ancient and modern tales, and stories as yet unbegotten.”

Reading a story to someone be it your child, or a patient in a hospital, can really empower the listener and feed the imagination from one generation to the next. And what goes well with a good book? A nice pot of hot tea!

Everyone loves a good story whether it is a bedtime, fairy tale, or scary story; so sit back this week, enjoy a lovely cup of tea in one of Ulster weavers china mugs and get lost in the world of literacy.

Why not get involved in the event and gather all the family around on the sofa in the evening this January and read stories to each other from your favourite book? Or incite the imagination by making up your own tale!

Nothing sounds better than pouring a pot of tea, using some of our gorgeous tea and kitchen cosies to keep it warm and embarking on a narrative adventure with the clan. 

And after you have racked your brain with jumbling letters and words, gobble down some scrumptious cake to replenish your energy levels. Simply store it overnight in one of our cute cake tins that are perfect for storing cakes, buns and biscuits.

Lounge Cats Tea Cosy

Sorrento Bone China Mug

Rooster Set of 3 Cake Tins

With only three weeks to go until Christmas, everyone here at Ulster Weavers HQ is buzzing with excitement!

We have all started our Christmas shopping, trying to find the perfect present for the family and friends that we love…but have you?

Fret not if you haven’t already begun shopping for Christmas gifts because we have collated some brilliant ideas for you to suit all ages and genders.

Do you want something a bit special and unique? We have plenty of suggestions to help you purchase the ideal offering.

For Him

Ulster Weavers has a whole array of products when it comes to finding the perfect gift for all the men in your life. Have a look at our on-trend cotton and PVC aprons that the hubby can use to show off his culinary skills this Christmas.

And for the little guy, dress him up to look like his dad in a matching child’s apron and chef hat. Or alternatively, does he tend to walk round carrying little action figurines? If so, then help him to not lose any of the collectibles with a Robin shaped packable bag.

She Linen Tea Towel

Robin Shaped Packable Bag

Union Jack Flag Blue Cotton Apron

For Her

Whether you are shopping for your mum, girlfriend or grandmother, Ulster Weavers has a galore of treats available to put a smile on her face this Christmas. We’ve got an abundant of frills and bows, to cute animals and flower designs; so if your missus sees herself as a domestic goddesses and spends all her time in the kitchen, buy one of our latest aprons to protect her clothing when cooking.

Is she always cleaning and decorating the home to have it spotless and trendy? Check out some of our gorgeous table runners, placemats and bone china mugs. Or splash out on a pretty but practical packable bag to help store all her makeup, purse and keys.

And for little girls, dress her up like her mum with matching kids aprons and hat. Our Geisha child’s water bottle is perfect to put in a packed lunch box and the messenger canvas bags are ideal for girly teenagers to carry all their books to school. 

Geisha Child's Water Bottle

New York Canvas Messenger Bag

Enchanted Forest PVC Apron

We all have a friend who makes sure their home is kitted out with the latest gadgets and accessories. From the George Foreman Grill to the latest Henry Hoover you are sure to find that they have the latest high-tech equipment which puts your cheese toasty maker to shame.

To give them a run for their money, why not consider sprucing up your home with a collection of clever kitchen gadgets which is sure to make them go green with envy. And to give you a head start in the battle of the best gadgets, we at UlsterWeavers.com have found our favourite kitchen appliances out there on the World Wide Web which are sure to make you smile.

Corny Gadget

This cool gadget allows you to whip up some tasty homemade popcorn just in time for that film on Channel 4 you fancy watching. Just make sure that you add the right ingredient when whipping it together, you don’t want salty popcorn when you are a sweet tooth!

Herbs and Spice and all things nice

If you love your cooking with all your herbs and spices then you will love this Herb Keeper. It can keep herbs fresh for weeks and comes complete with a removable tray that suspends stems in the water and then drains the herbs when you are ready to use them.

Bendy Chopping Board

This makes preparing food easier to manage. Cut your food on the chopping board then bend it to pour into any container or pan.

Ice Cream Scoop and Stack

Be the hostess with the mostess by serving tasty and perfect ice cream treats. This clever twist and lift gadget scoops even the hardest ice cream into cylinder block shapes that fit into standard jumbo and waffle cones.

Little girls love to play make believe and dressing up. From princesses to fairies, little girls love to create their own little world where everything is like a fairy tale story.
And throwing a tea party for your little one is a fabulous way of combining all these interests. Together with their friends from school, you could host a fancy dress tea party that they would always remember.
And a great way to do this is through arts and crafts and the world of making their own little pretty accessories to take home to their family. Little girls love to create and make their own little treats so why not incorporate this into your child’s tea party.
When we think of tea parties we think tea pots, tea cups, tea cosies and plenty of treats and of course tea!
So why not get them designing their very own papier mache teapots and tea cups that they can take away as a reminder of their day at a tea party.
You Will Need:

This fancy dress was made from Papier Mache! Impressive!

Flour
Paper/Newspaper (lots of it)
Water
Balloons
Paints
Paint Brushes
Cardboard
Glue
Glitter, Stickers
Scissors
Colouring Pens, Pencils
Baubles/Bobbles little stick on accessories

TIP: To save a bit of time why not buy some party blowers and cut off the end for the spout of the tea pot!

7. Once it is all dried you are ready to paint. Give the children plenty of paints and glittery bits and pieces so they can make their tea pot come to life. Water-based acrylic paint is ideal however a variety of paints can be used. Get them to be as creative as possible.
8. Once dry let the kids show off their tea pots at the tea party to all the other children.

Finished tea pot made from papier mache!

If you are looking for childrens aprons then visit UlsterWeavers.com a home furnishings website that has a beautiful collection of aprons to suit your child’s taste.
PVC aprons are a great way to keep your child super clean when making their own arts and crafts to baking in the kitchen and the home furnishings site has some lovely designs that your child is bound to adore.

Geisha collection at UlsterWeavers.com

The Geisha range from Ulster Weavers is an adorable collection for any little girl. Available in PVC or cotton, the Geisha aprons are designed with bright reds and sky blues featuring little characters on the front. The full collection comes with an adorable chef’s hat too, for those times when your child fancies a cooking class in the kitchen!

For more information visit UlsterWeavers.com today.

We all go through those moments were we sit in our homes and wish that Grand Designs or 60 Minute Makeover would waltz in with their team, let you go out for the day while they transform your entire house into a modern, bright and beautiful home.

When in reality, you are sat in your home, with a cuppa, watching 60 Minute Makeover feeling rather green as yet another family get a whole new home at no cost!

We can all live in a dream world and wish that money grew on trees but unfortunately many of us don’t have the budget to change our kitchens and start from scratch every few years in order to keep up with the latest interior trends.

Red Double Oven Glove from Ulster Weavers

Many of us are trying to save money and get ourselves back on track from the recession and poor economical climate we have recently faced, which prevented many of us from making much needed changes to our homes.

If you are wishing to make changes to your home and don’t know where to start due to your budget being so low and every room in the house needing a uplift, then we at Ulster Weavers recommend you start with sprucing up the kitchen which can make a massive difference to your home environment and daily living. The kitchen is the main social area of the house where many families cook together, chat in the morning and at the end of the day, as well as the room you enter in and out of to make lunch, unpack the shopping, clean up etc.

And if your budget isn’t as big as you would like it then here are a few helpful hints from UlsterWeavers.com to help you make those small changes that can make a huge difference.

Cleaning – No we are not saying that your house is a mess, but simply giving it a good, thorough spring clean and removing all the mess and unnecessary clutter can instantly make a kitchen look bright and roomier. Make sure you get into all the nooks and crannies as well as mopping the floor tiles and bleaching the sink. Empty all cupboards of out of date food and free up space of bits and bobs that always seem to accumulate in a kitchen and are never used again.

Furnishings – If you have dark coloured curtains or blinds in your kitchen then drag them down and buy some lighter coloured window furnishings to allow more light to enter the room. Make your kitchen more airy by allowing natural light to come through and try and keep the windows open to allow fresh air to come inside. Maybe throw a table cloth over the table which can add a bit of colour to any room.

Kitchen cupboards – Changing the cupboards of your kitchen used to mean ripping the whole lot and starting from scratch. Now you can add a new lease of life into your kitchen by painting the kitchen cupboards if they are looking old and work as well as changing the door handles to add a different look.

Repair broken furniture –If you have chips or broken counter-tops, cupboards or tables then get your DIY kit out and get them repaired. Having these little fiddly jobs fixed can make a kitchen a whole lot nicer to be in and less of an eyesore to you who most likely notice it every single day. You could also repaint kitchen chairs and add cushion covers to add a bit of colour to the room without having to splash out on a brand new table and chairs.

Update your kitchen appliances – If you have some rather old kitchen appliances and know they are well passed their sell by date, why not spend a little money buying new appliances that fits in with the design of your kitchen. Try to match your appliances together so it all co-ordinates.

Duck Egg Tea Cosy from Ulster Weavers.com. An ideal accessory to add blocks of colour to your home

Decorate your kitchen –

One of the best ways to add a bit of colour to your kitchen is through home wear and textiles which can add those perfect finishing touches. From matching tea towels, aprons, oven gloves and tea cosies, you can create your very own theme that runs through all of your furnishings making your house feel more like a home.

Ulster Weavers is a home textile company that know all about finishing touches and have a wide range of kitchen

Plain Dyed Apron by Ulster Weavers.com

 collections which can completely add a new spin on your home. Their kitchen textile collections come in a range of styles to suit your kitchen design, tastes and style. From vintage collections to a variation of animal designs, you are sure to find a complete range that catches your eye.

A great idea would be to use block colours to help bring your kitchen to life. Bold coloured aprons, tea cosies and oven gloves are not only an additional feature to your kitchen but also a practical accessory allowing you to kill two birds with one stone.

Sprucing up your kitchen on a budget is possible providing you carefully choose the themes and styles that you love. You don’t need to splash out on expensive furnishings and appliances, and will see that just a few simple changes can make a whole difference.

To view the wide range of home textiles collections visit UlsterWeavers.com today.