As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, the winter witches of the north take to the sky. Meet Bente (above left). She’s a festive Halloween and Christmas witch. With her pointy red hat and a dress speckled with yellow moons and stars, she hovers mid air on clear line, holding tight to her broom stick.

And the distinctive little fellow on the right is Tobias. He’s one of the Nisse. The Nisse are household spirits said to exist in every Norwegian home. They are typically country dwellers and their preferred homes are barns and out houses, where they spend their time tending to animals and keeping track of the mischievous mice. However, sometimes they do venture into the towns and cities, especially where there are animals to look after. It’s said that if a farmer wants to get the most out of his crops for the coming year, he must pay his respects to the Nisse. According to tradition, he must leave a bowl of porridge in the barn or on the doorstep on Christmas Eve. Here it must remain until the following morning, so the Nisse may feast and party the night away with their family. In the morning when the porridge has gone, the farmer will know that the Nisse is happy and content for the following year.

These wonderful characters and their friends can be found at Colour of Norway, which is an intriguing and colourful shop bursting with Norwegian customs and mythology. Owner and creator, Katrina, is half Norwegian and inherited these customs and traditions from her parents. She now lives in the Yorkshire Dales, where she works hard to share this little known culture with us.

Wayne Charmer is passionate about colour and texture. His beautiful glass work is based on the power of colour, which he uses to stimulate or soothe the mind of the viewer.

We’re so used to seeing stark furniture and furnishings, that you can’t help but be drawn to Wayne’s bold, illuminated wall hangings. Each one consists of kiln formed glass panels mounted on stainless steel. The colours meld together as the light shines through and appear almost liquid. Marine life, stones and spermatozoids are recurring themes in Wayne’s work.

As well as the wall hangings Wayne also creates bowls, lights, pendants, coasters and tiles. The products depicted above are the Chromosome illuminated wall hanging and a selection of coasters.

Following on from yesterday’s ethical theme, Worn Again is another environmentally aware company that makes shoes for people who want good-looking feet, without a guilty conscience. Everything from old coffee bags, car seats, reclaimed jeans and raggedy old suits are given a new lease of life as hip, edgy trainers.

Worn Again explains that making shoes is one of the most resource-intensive, polluting and toxic industries there is. That’s why the company is committed to improving the social, economic and environmental conditions in the regions where they operate, while at the same building a profitable business.

The Bigger Shoe trainers above have been created to celebrate the Big Issue’s 15th birthday. Materials include firemen’s trousers, scrap car seat leather, jeans, men’s shirts and recycled rubber. £6 from the sale of every pair will go directly to the Big Issue.

British Summer Time officially ends this Sunday (29th Oct), so don’t forget to put your clocks back. For me this means an extra hour in bed on Sunday morning. However, some people have different ideas entirely. In a recent and bizarre conversation with my sister, she mentioned that she ’saves her hour’. When I asked her what she meant by this she explained that she doesn’t put her clock back when she gets up and starts the day an hour ahead. Then at some point during the day she uses her extra hour - when she can make the most of it.

I know, not really an indie-related post but it made me laugh.

Looking stylish and living a cruelty free lifestyle needn’t be mutually exclusive. Beyond Skin have proved this with their classic, yet unique collection of vegetarian/vegan shoes.

In 2001 owner Natalie Dean set out to create beautiful, handmade and ethical footwear, that was produced ‘in a manner that is non-exploitative to animals or humans and - wherever possible - the greater environment’. Each pair of Beyond Skin shoes is handmade in the UK by a small manufacturer in East London. The shoes are made from a variety of man-made materials including sumptuous satins, soft suedes and organic cottons.

And if you’re thinking that ethical shoes can’t possibly be aesthetically pleasing as well as cruelty free and kind to the environment, think again. They really are beautiful. Their latest collection ranges from Mary Janes to calf length slouch boots and they come in a huge range of contemporary colours and trims. And for handmade shoes they’re very reasonably priced from around £165 to £185. I’ve already picked out my favourites - the ultra feminine Dorothy shoes in black faux suede/brown faux snakeskin and the sultry 40s style Lorelei shoes in black faux suede with focal brooch.

I’ve got a thing about hair accessories. With some people it’s shoes, with me it’s hair slides (and handbags of course). Just look at these lovely hair barrettes from Little Something. They’re so cute. Each one has been handmade by Mara Greenaway.

My favourite is the Snowflake Barrette (above left). It’s made from white wool felt with blue stitching. The Cupcake Barrette on the right is by far Little Something’s best seller and I can see why. Made of felt with cherry and frosting detail it would made a great stocking filler for a little girl.

And if your tastes are more classic than kitsch, then check out the selection of lace barrettes.

Feeling sad today. Remember I told you a while ago that my sister is about to move to Scotland? Well, she leaves today. We said our goodbyes last night and I left to her finish the remaining packing (and repaper the wall that Monty the cat had scratched). So today’s post has a Scottish theme. The following indie designers/online shops are all based north of the border.

First up is Velvet Boutique. If you haven’t visited this site before you should definitely take a look. Velvet Boutique prides itself on showcasing new, innovative and award winning Scottish design. You can buy clothes, accessories, jewellery, cards and interiors.

I’m sure that many of you will be familiar with Miso Funky - crafty gals based in Glasgow who not only create a host of handmade goodies but have pioneered the Miso Market.

Planet Boo have a crazy range of quirky shirts, cards, badges, keyrings, mirrors, mouse mats and lots of other little gems, all of which are made in a converted coal shed off the north coast of Scotland. They’ve recently revamped their website. Take a look at www.planetboo.co.uk.

Andreea Florisca is based in Edinburgh. I’ve blogged about her gorgeous bags before and even have one of my own, which is currently sat in the hallway downstairs. Andreea’s work is really unusual as she combines knitting and crochet with luxurious fabrics.

Jewellery designers everywhere will be familiar with Hannah Zakari. The pink polka dot online shop has the largest range of jewellery by independent designers that I’m aware of. It covers everything from cute felted accessories to revamped vintage treasures. The site is owned and maintained by Rachael Lamb who sells her own designs through the site, along with a pretty range of handmade bags.

And not forgetting Stella my Star - keeper of crafty blog and creative jewellery designer. Check out her Etsy store at www.stellamystar.etsy.com.

And although this isn’t strictly indie related, I thought I’d mention a fantastic blog that I’ve recently discovered called Forever Amber. Written by freelance journalist, Amber McNaught, the blog is all about her life. Some of the posts are hilarious and it’s definitely worth a read.

Of course, these are just a few sites that I’m aware of. Leave me a comment or drop me an email if there are other sites that you would like me to mention. Have a good weekend!

Textile artist, Margaret Taylor has recently opened an online shop to sell her unusual handmade accessories. Margaret makes bags, wall hangings and journal/album covers, as well as working on individual commissions and running a number of workshops.

The bags and journal covers shown above have been created by the manipulation of a variety of fabrics, including linen, wool, cotton, net and synthetics. Each design is finished using machine and hand stitching techniques and then completed with embroidery and buttons.

I came across Margaret’s website by chance and was immediately drawn to the bags. They’re so unusual, both in terms of their shape and the minute detail that has gone into making each one. The bags and journal covers can also be made to commission, incorporating your own materials, perhaps as a memento of a special event.