Something a little bit different to round off the week. Deborah Moses is one of the UK’s most experimental and contemporary fused glass designers. Her family has a long history in commercial and art glass and Deborah began her own career after studying in London and Bristol.

Deborah’s inspiration comes from water, ice and rock formations, as well as her Cheshire surroundings. Her work includes sculptures, tables, chandeliers, wall art, platters and jewellery. My favourites are glass chandeliers. They remind me of my wedding day in Sweden. We stayed in the Ice Hotel where there was a chandelier made solely out of ice and lit with fibre optics - very similar to Deborah’s work.

Visit www.thesilverzebra.co.uk for more information.

Kristen Berge is an office administrator who dreams about pairing moonstone with garnet. She is also a talented, self-taught jewellery designer and self-confessed bead addict. Her designs reach a wide female audience and range from chunky and bold to delicate and understated. Materials used include semi-precious and precious gemstones, sterling silver, vermeil and pearls.

Shop online at www.coquitodesigns.com and look out for the brushed vermeil pieces which are particularly lovely.

We’ve just got back from spending a fabulous weekend in Scotland. During our stay we went over to Portpatrick, a beautiful harbour village in the south west and host to a regular indie craft fair. My sister, Cassie Oldham, has a stall at the fair where she sells a range of contemporary knitwear including bags, purses, brooches, beanies and tea cosies.

Each item is hand knitted in unusual wools and yarns. Bags are fully lined with matching fabrics including Laura Ashley swatches and pretty remnants and finished with button embellishments.

Take a look at the pics and if you would like any further info, please contact me here at Indie Quarter.

Brrrrrr. Button up, it’s cold outside. Typical, as I’m about to head off to Scotland for the weekend. But I’ve got just the thing to keep off the autumn chills. Phatsheep is a textile business based in Shetland. Designer Suzanne Shearer works from her home workshop to create a beautiful range of contemporary textiles.

The current range of scarves is inspired by the Shetland coastline, a few minutes walk from Suzanne’s home. As well as the scarves, Phatsheep also produces a range of hand drawn designs which are printed onto cotton and made into bags and baby t-shirts.

Buy online from www.phatsheep.co.uk.

We went to Chatsworth at the weekend, home of the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. We spent a good few hours wandering around the house and gardens, looking at the paintings and sculptures. And so today, with a head full of historical figures and Mr Darcy (Pride and Prejudice was filmed there a few years ago) I thought I’d blog about Ages of Elegance.

The beautiful costumes above are the creations of costume designer Dawn Wood. Dawn makes clothing for films, museums and weddings, as well as for individuals looking for something special and a little bit different. She specialises in historical styles from Roman onwards, whatever your taste. And in addition to the made to order service, you can also buy off the peg 20s, 30s, Victorian and Medieval lingerie, evening wear, 50s style beachwear and coats and cloaks.

Shop online at www.agesofelegance.co.uk.

Laura Marsden is a recycled textiles designer. During her MA at Chelsea College of Art and Design she developed a textile called Eternal Lace. The lace is handstitched and made from waste plastic bags. The lace goes through several processes which change it’s properties, making it supple, flexible and hard. Laura uses Eternal Lace to create fashion and homeware accessories like the ones shown above.

You can find Laura at www.lauramarsden.com and she will be exhibiting in week two of the Origin London Craft Fair (9th to 14th October 2007).

Her latest project is designing low energy lighting installations.

Calling all indie crafters / makers. The newly formed Manchester Craft Mafia has set out its plans for a new craft market to take place in Manchester city centre. The crafty gals at MCM are currently looking for stall holders.

Stalls cost just £20 per table or £15 each for a shared table, per event. The market will take place at Urbis on Saturday 3rd November and Saturday 1st December. The venue has been selected to provide an indoor city central location with full facilities and guaranteed footfall. Urbis core visitors are young, urban, culturally aware shoppers, families, students, and creative practitioners / professionals. An ideal market for contemporary urban crafts.

Places are limited and all makers must follow an application process. Full details can be found on the Manchester Craft Mafia blog. The deadline for applications is Friday 21 September at 8.30pm. So don’t delay, get your application in now.

It’s that time of year again. I used to hate going back to school after the summer holidays but on the upside it meant a brand spanking new school bag and lots of lovely stationery. Check out this Back to School clobber made by an army of talented indie designers:

1. Billy the Snowbird Pouch/Pencil Case by Coralea, to store pens, pencils and other bits and bobs.

2. Green and Gold Notebook by KelcieKreations, small enough to fit inside your handbag for everyday use.

3. Concertina File/Organizer by Coveted Creations. Get your paperwork in order with this pretty organiser made from acid free folders, recycled children’s book covers, decorative papers, ribbon and sometimes a little bling.

4. Animal Lover Mini Tote by Michymoo, made from cute Japanese fabric.

5. Dark Chocolate Mini Leather Journal by Kreativlink, for your private thoughts (the ones you can’t mention in your blog).

6. Laptop Tote Bag in Asian Cherry Blossom by Janine King Designs. Stylish case for your trusty laptop.

7. Lemon and Lime Reversible Bag by AP Creations. Use this way round or inside out, depending on your mood.