H e l l o !
We’re Under the Stairs, a fledgling business collaboration between two sisters-in-law: Lorna (former midwife turned demon screen-printer, sewing ninja, & full-time mum to four) & Georgie (self-employed creative Jill-of-all-trades, verily sign-writing, mural-painting, graphic-designing and illustrating her way around the West Country). In a nutshell, together we’ve been designing, printing, sewing, and selling, a small range of future-friendly home textiles, inspired by the insects & animals who share our planet, and with a determined focus on environmental sustainability.
More and more people are looking to make better, more environmentally-conscious choices about the home furnishings, textiles & gifts they buy. Of course it's tough to be 100% sustainable or ethical, but...
We believe in making things that are both functional and beautiful, using methods & materials with a reduced carbon, water & waste footprint. Things that are designed to last, and that do a little bit better by the planet.
We would love to take our range of hand-drawn, hand-made, hand-printed textiles, prints & cards, to Bath Christmas Market 2019! If we can raise £10,000 we'll be able to cover the advance pitch fees & buy all the materials we need to fill the shelves with tea towels, pot holders, hob covers, & cushions galore!
W H O A R E W E
A N D W H Y A R E W E H E R E ?
(Yep, we know, that's a BIG question ;)
So, take one ex-midwife, desperate to get back to work now that the kiddos are all at school, but yearning to do something more creative with her hands. Add one small artist bubbling with bright ideas for her clients, but never quite finding the impetus to put her own art into action. Stir in a little encouragement from family & friends, a refresher screen-printing course (thanks Clifton Workshop!), some existential wrangling about the woes of capitalism, and a few YouTube instructional sewing videos (turns out she's a natural!)...and what have you got? BOOM! One hard-wearing, planet-caring, love-sharing range of linen tea towels, pot holders, hob covers & cushions!
We're a small operation at the moment...but we'd like to grow.
We love the concept of crowdfunding. We’ve invested in a few projects ourselves, and it’s amazing to see how a few relatively small acts of generosity and support can combine to help someone take a giant step forward.
But we know the warm, fuzzy glow of a good philanthropic deed, isn't always sufficient reward! So we're not asking for donations (unless you absolutely insist!) but through our rewards we're offering our products and prints at discounted rates (including some exclusive limited editions), as well as gift & discount vouchers (they make wonderful prezzies!), hands-on workshops in screenprinting & cushion-making, original artworks, and even the chance to win an ooh-la-lah-vely holiday in the South of France.
What we're really asking, is if you'd like to buy some of our lovingly handmade products, just a wee bit in advance.
(Imagine, all your Xmas shopping done by June!)
This way, we generate the funds we need to take our next steps ~ and you get some awesome stuff that you really love, desperately need, or would like to gift to someone else!
It goes without saying we would be immensely grateful for each and every pledge we receive (and every share of our campaign!) So a big THANK YOU in advance for supporting us!
We all love lovely things. We love to make our house a home, and to express ourselves through and within our personal spaces. As humans we have the most wonderful capacity to create and, it follows, a desire to surround ourselves with some of those beautiful and clever creations. But, we believe this just simply can’t continue to be at the expense of our planet.
Without wanting to put too much of a downer on things, complacent mass-manufacture, planned obsolescence, and a throwaway culture of consumption, are having a deadly effect on our planet. The fashion and textiles industry is a huge culprit. From the amount of pollution created during manufacture, and the enormous quantity of textiles that goes into landfill (350,000 tonnes every year in the UK alone), to the very real problem of plastic microfibres from man-made fabrics making their way into our rivers & oceans.
B U T, we feel a change! More and more people are altering their habits and taking personal responsibility ~ both as consumers, and as makers & manufacturers. We are part and product of these changes in thinking and behaviour, and we want to be able to offer our lower-impact creations to peeps who want to shop according to their environmental values. Besides, who wants to spend their hard-earned cash on things that are going to fall apart faster than you can say "didn't last five minutes"?! In days gone by, linens were handed down through generations, you know! (Just imagine your great grand kids' joy when they find out you've saved them a planet and an Under the Stairs tea towel!!)
E A R T H - C O N S C I O U S
P R O D U C T S
We refer to the things we make as “earth-conscious”. For us, this means we take an environmentally-aware approach to our business, with the intention of reducing our ecological impact as much as we can. From materials & supply; to production, manufacture & waste; to the life of the product; shipping, packaging...the list goes on. There’s much to consider, and to learn, and the landscape is changing for the better all the time. We’re certainly not perfect, but for now, we’re trying to be as earth-conscious as we can be, and we’re committed to being better.
We're proud to say that our products contain not one iota of new plastic! We are doing everything we can to minimise our use of single-use plastics, and we're vigilant about re-using and recycling as much as possible.
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R E W A R D S
If you have any questions about any of our rewards, please just drop us a line by email to: [email protected]
Each and every one of you kind enough to pledge will be entered into our prize draw to win 7 nights accommodation for up to eight people in a private family gite in the South West of France, between 24th ~ 31st August 2019!
(Please note, in order to keep within the bounds of the law, free entry into the draw will also be available via our social media, with all entrants having an equal chance of winning, regardless of entry route.)
And if you could really do with a holiday, but don't want to leave things to chance, check out our highest value reward ~ pledge £1,000 and you can save over £400 on a week's accommodation for 8! Plus you'll get some Under The Stairs goodies too AND, whilst we'd obviously encourage you to go by train, car or bicycle, let us know how you plan to travel and we will offset your carbon for you!
| Greetings Cards |
Pledge £10 for a set of 3 cards ~ just choose which set you'd like at checkout. (We have many different colours, so for simplicity's sake, if it's alright with you, we'll select three colours on your behalf!) 100% recycled card & envelopes.
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| Gift & Discount Vouchers |
Just a £10 pledge will get you a discount voucher giving you 10% off ALL purchases for a whole year. Valid from the time of your first purchase.
We also have £30, £50 & £100 Gift Vouchers that all cost you less than their value to pledge for. You'll receive a lovely high-res digital e-voucher that you can print or email ~ perfect as a present for someone to choose their own gift, or keep to use yourself at a later date. Valid for 18 months from date of receipt.
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| Limited Edition Prints |
Exclusive Crowdfunder limited editions of our trilogy of hand-lettered Alice-inspired Wonderlander illustrations ~ hand-finished with gold ink & signed by the artist, our George. (Depending on your feedback & interest, we may consider offering these in some optional colourways!) Rewards are available for individual A4 (£25) & A3 (£35) prints, and also for the full set of three: A4 (£55) and A3 (£85) - - Please note, prints are unframed - -
| New print available!!! |
Lots of you have been asking about our Bee illustration, so we have added a new reward! You can now get (unframed) prints of our "Plight of the Humblebee" artwork shown below. Pledge £20 for a 30x30 print, or pledge £40 for a 50x50 print!
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| Tea towels |
100% linen, fully hemmed & with a loop for hanging. Approx size 42cm x 75cm.
~ Our "Creature Comforts" set is adorned with either our Blossoming Bee, Handsome Hare, or Magical Moths, printed on white or natural linen, in 4 colours: Charcoal Grill Grey, Teal for Two, Berry Smoothie or Gold* (*available on white linen only).
~ The "Wonderlanders" set (pictured towards the top of the page) features three quirky hand-lettered quotes from Alice in Wonderland - available in 2 colourways, on white or natural linen.
Pledge £45, choose which set you'd like at checkout (you can have one each of the three designs, or three of the same design) ~ then we'll be in touch to confirm your choice of linen & print colour/s.
Or, take a lucky dip on one for a £15 pledge, and leave your fate in the hands of the all-knowing tea towel gods!
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| Aga Hob Covers/Chefs' Pads |
These are a BRAND NEW addition to our range ~ as they could be to yours! ;) Great for protecting your shiny hob covers, and also serving as pan grabs or a trivet. An awesome gift for AGA lovers! Made from 100% Linen, sandwiching three combined layers of recycled & heat resistant wadding, all beautifully stitched in place and finished with a complementary linen binding & loop hanger (also available without the loop if you prefer). 36.5cm in diameter (shrinking marginally to 35.5cm on first wash!) ~ the perfect fit for an Aga (and also Esse range cookers). Available in 3 designs & EIGHT colours (possibly for a limited time only, depending on demand!) Pledge £35 (RRP £40 excl. shipping).
(We also hope to be able to make these for 'square' Rayburn hobs at some point ~ and smaller versions as pot holders ~ so we'd love to hear from you if it's something you'd be interested in!)
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| Custom-Made Cushions |
Your cushion will be hand-made especially for you!
~ Choose one of our three prints ~ handsome hares, magical moths, or blossoming bee.
~ Choose one of 20 linen colours for your cushion front.
~ Choose one of 20 linen colours for your linen piping.
~ Choose one of 8 colours for your organic cotton velvet cushion back.
~ Finally, choose the colour of your print!
(We will email you with colour swatches & printing options once the campaign ends...but feel free to get in touch if you have any questions before you pledge.)
Cushions are 45cm x 45cm, fitted with one of our brilliant eco-friendly zips, and filled with an ethically-sourced real down cushion inner.
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| Workshops |
~ Make a Cushion!
Come and spend the best part of a day with Lorna at Under the Stairs HQ in Warminster, and learn to make a luxurious linen cushion (including all that fiddly stuff like zip fitting & piping!), before taking your gorgeous bespoke creation home with you!
~ Learn to Screenprint!
Spend a day at Under the Stairs HQ learning the magical pleasures of screen printing, before taking home a gorgeous set of 3 linen tea towels freshly printed by your own fair hands! (Please note, this workshop may be a shared experience with up to 2 of your fellow backers, depending on availability & preference.)
Both workshops will take place between 10am - 4pm on a mutually agreeable date between September 2019 & March 2020. Light lunch on us!
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| Original Personalised Portrait |
Not only is George a talented illustrator, she has more recently discovered a passion for portraiture. Working from a photo supplied by you ~ and happy to advise if you're having trouble choosing ~ she will produce a finished A2 portrait in either graphite, charcoal, soft pastel, acrylic or watercolour (depending on your preference & the photo provided.
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| Original "Blossoming Bee" Artwork |
The original A2 ink illustration. Wholly hand-drawn & full of fantastical detail, it's a celebration of these precious pollinators and their integral place in the world. George will lovingly hand-finish your artwork with real gold leaf, before signing and having it professionally framed for you (we can discuss frame colour & finish options). There's only one of these, so when it's gone, it's gone! AND GONE IT IS! Thank you, generous pledger!
| And don't forget that holiday in France! |
7 nights accommodation at a private family gite in the gorgeous village of Frayssinet, between the Lot and Dordogne valleys. Available between 31st August and 7th September this year, or for dates next Summer also if those dates aren't convenient for you. You'll save £400 on the usual price! The house sleeps eight, with private garden and a pool. You can find out more about the property here: http://www.webholidaysfrance.com/accommodation/lot/1124/
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O U R P L A N . . .
in a bit more detail.
Our £10,000 target might sound a bit hefty, but once we've taken into account Crowdfunder fees, and shipping & material costs for your rewards, the actual amount we'll have to invest is likely to be closer to £5,500.
There are two main things that money will help us to do.
1. Get our products into production
Currently, our biggest financial hurdle is upfront material costs, for which we need somewhere around £4,000. There’s no doubt that a higher quality, more sustainable approach comes at a price ~ especially as a small business producing relatively tiny quantities, using materials from smaller-scale suppliers. We’re hopeful that the availability and cost of more future-friendly materials will improve with time, but if for now we can buy things like fabric, zips, screen-printing supplies & packaging in larger quantities, it will make a considerable difference to our costs and, ultimately, the affordability of our products.
2. Take ourselves to market!
To apply for a stall at Bath Christmas Market, we'll need to pay up-front fees of between £1200 and £3000 (depending on the duration and location of the pitch we apply for and/or get offered). It will require plenty of planning, and many a late night printing, sewing & packing to make sure the shelves are stocked, but we're ready!
We don't expect Bath to be the answer to all our prayers, and it won't be the only event we go to, but as a well-attended, 3-week long market, it offers us a huge opportunity for greater exposure, and a level of sales that would provide for further investment in the business.
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If we can manage to raise our target, we'll have enough funds to activate Stages 1 & 2 of our plan, fulfil your pledges AND get our products onto the shelves ~ both physically and online.
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Which brings us to the future, Stage 3…(and well beyond our initial target).
3. Print studio & workshop space
So far, we are doing just about everything – printing, sewing, packing, shipping - from Lorna’s family home. From the utility room, to the bathroom, to the kitchen, to the cupboard ‘under the stairs’, virtually no space is sacred! But there is an outbuilding which, with a bit of work, could be converted into a designated print studio & workspace. Aside from the immediate benefits, with this extra space we could also accommodate a number of pieces of equipment that would make life a whole lot easier, more cost-effective, and energy-efficient; namely a heat press, mini exposure unit with fan drying rack, a 4 colour printing carousel, and a drying tunnel! Ok, we’re dreaming now, but…
Obviously, the sooner we can get a designated workspace up and running, the better, but ultimately it won’t stop us from going into production or getting to the market. And if we can just do that, then we have the potential to raise the capital to develop the print studio ourselves.
In the future, we would love to think that we might be able to use the studio as a space for young people and adults from the community to come and try their hand at screen-printing, sewing and illustration.
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M O N E Y I S N ' T E V E R Y T H I N G !
If you feel you could help us in some other way (maybe you run a business or organisation that fits with what we’re doing? Perhaps you have some invaluable experience you can share with us? Or you live in Bath and can offer us accommodation if and when we make it onto the market?) please do get in touch. We are open to and grateful for all offers of support, in whichever guise it comes!
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I M P O R T A N T I N F O
& Q U E S T I O N S . . .
Honesty and clarity are very important to us. We’ve set what we believe is a realistic financial target, and we’ve also made every attempt to set realistic timescales for fulfilling your rewards, amidst all the other tasks at hand. Wherever possible, we will aim to fulfil your rewards ahead of target, but we don't want to over-promise at this stage. If you're desperate for a gift before the expected delivery date of your reward, please make contact and we'll see what we can do. If you have any other questions about any of the rewards, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Q. How does shipping work?
For practicality, we have already factored shipping costs for UK & Europe into our pledge amounts. For international shipping on tea towel sets, Aga covers & prints please add a donation of £5 at checkout. For international shipping on cushions please add a donation of £8 at checkout. If you live locally to Warminster and wish to come and collect your reward in person, you are more than welcome ~ and we'll refund you the cost of shipping!
Q. How and when can I use my gift or discount voucher?
We hope to have our website fully up and running by September, at which point you’ll be able to use your gift and/or discount voucher online. If you wish to make purchases before then, please visit our Etsy store, or contact us directly. You can also visit our website to find out if we’re coming to a market, pop-up or shop near you.
Q. Can I pledge on more than one reward?
Yes! But you'll need to make each pledge separately. Rest assured we will refund you any costs saved on shipping more than one reward to the same address.
Q. Can I pledge anonymously?
Yes, you can choose to hide your name from other supporters ~ something you might want to do if you're planning on giving your reward as a gift. Just look out for the tick box when you make your pledge. We'll still be able to see all your details, so no need to worry about that.
Q. Why are you "Under the Stairs"?, we hear you cry!
Well, in these early days, the tiny, dingy cupboard that was once merely home to the hoover, numerous tins of old paint, and a few long-unopened boxes with no rightful place, is now “The Darkroom”, where Lorna can be found at strange hours of the night, partaking in screenprinting alchemy!
Of course, with your help, we hope to be able to move this process into slightly more practical surroundings, but we liked the idea that our name would forevermore pay homage to where it all began. Because, hey, everybody’s got to start somewhere…