I hope you all had a good weekend. The following survey dropped into my inbox this morning and I thought I’d share. For anyone living, working or visiting Manchester on a regular basis, would you like to see an independent market in the Northern Quarter?

If you have an opinion on this please complete the survey. It’ll only take a few minutes. There are just 10 questions.

Link to survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s/KN9PK6Y

Thank you!

I don’t like Valentine’s Day. There, I’ve said it. It’s not the romance that I have a problem with. It’s the whole contrived nature of the day. I don’t like to be told that I have to be romantic on this day or that day. For me love and romance should be much more spontaneous.

But anyway, no doubt when the day comes I’ll get on board. And gifts are always good. Here are a few romantic presents that caught my eye.

All You Need is Love Hand Printed Card - £2.99 from Bonbi Forest

Antique Patterned Cold Enamel Bangle - $59 (approx £37) from Style River

Forget Me Not Dish - $17 (approx £11) from Prince Design UK

Limited Edition Blue Heart Print - $25 (approx £16) from Beeb Design

Set of Three Song Bird Ornaments - $20 (approx £13) from Anna Joyce Design

And you can wrap them all up in Love Little’s gorgeous screen printed button print wrap. It’s just £2.50 per sheet and comes complete with a matching tag.

If you like Babushka nesting dolls you’re sure to love these Bobo Babushkas with added attitude.  They come in a number of different themes including the Rocker Chic gals, the Triple Trouble ladies - ready to wreak some supernatural havoc, ‘Night at the Opera’ singers and Classic Lolitas, complete with parasols and pinafores.

They cost between $90 and $150 (approx £55 to £90) which is really quite reasonable considering they’re all hand painted, absolutely one-of-a-kind and are eager to travel the world.  They ship all the way from Australia for just $10.00 (approx £6).

To buy yours go to www.bobobabushka.etsy.com.

I’m dreading taking down our Christmas Tree and decorations. There’s the obvious hassle of the tree clinging to every available surface on its way out, shedding its needles with abandon. And of course the fag of trying to hoover them up and the inevitable picking them out of our socks for the next six months. But the worse part is that bare ‘January’ look you’re left with. It immediately triggers the ‘must decorate’ part of my brain.

Luckily there’s a one stop shop for all things interior. Hunkydory Home provides a great range of lampshades, clocks, cushions, kitchen accessories and home textiles. And as the slogan points out, Hunkydory Home products are ’something a bit different’. The colours are bright and funky and the patterns and icons bold. As well as their own beautifully made products they source from other talented makers from around the world.

Check out the website at www.hunkydoryhome.co.uk.

Products clockwise from top left:

1. Stag Clock
2. Pom Pom Ceramic Teapot by Hannah Turner £30
3. Graphic Green Lampshade £34.00
4. London Cushion £35
5. London Designer Dishcloth £3.75

All of the above are available to buy from Makers Online, a new portal championing designer / makers. There are no joining or listing fees; a small commission is taken on each purchase. Therefore, you don’t start paying until you make a sale.

Products are displayed prominently rather then being buried under several layers of navigation and there is a link to each maker on the home page of the site. Shoppers can find what they’re looking for quickly and with minimum fuss and there’s free shipping throughout the UK.

For further information go to www.makers-online.co.uk.

Pics (clockwise from top left):

Blue Vintage Ceramic Brooch by ItsAlchemy

Little Turtle Cushion by Simon Seabright

Betty Purse by Nicola De Cruz

Mine Stacking Rings by Kalicat

I’ve been smitten with Miso Funky for a while now. Ever since seeing their ‘In Case of Emergency Breakdance’ embroidery I’ve been hooked. They’re widely know for their humorous and sometimes subversive samplers which brandish messages such as ‘Make Tea Not War’, ‘Live Slow Die Old’ and my personal favourite, ‘Home Sweet Fucking Home’.

Miso fans will be pleased to note that the samplers are now available in kits. There are three to choose from:- ‘Sniff Glue Worship Satan’, ‘Scurvy Pirate Icons’ and ‘In Case Of Emergency Breakdance’. If you’ve always fancied giving cross stitch a go but have been put off by old-fashioned, twee patterns then this could be for you. Each kit contains everything you need to get started including instructions, charts, needle and thread and an embroidery hoop.

Check out the Miso Funky website for the full range and while you’re there take a peak at their Christmas Gift Guide.

Here it is. As promised. I thought I’d get the ball rolling and post some pictures of my office. It’s based in Heaton Chapel which is just south of Manchester. All of the Vanilla Storm web team are based here.

I moved into this office a few months ago. It’s teeny tiny, more of a large cupboard really but I like it. I’ve added a few pictures and photographs here and there. Oh and an armchair which you can see above. I figured that I spend enough time here I might as well make it comfortable.

The jute bag you can see is from a gorgeous apothecary shop in Haworth, called Rose and Co. The bag holds lots of magazines and work related books and travels back and forth most days, much to my husband’s annoyance. I think you can just about see a coaster on top of the table, which is from the fabulous interiors store Hunky Dory Home.

The armchair and table are both from IKEA.

This is my view.

I added some wrapping paper in between the shelving to brighten them up a little. The card you can see on the left is from Aurora Bloom. Underneath you can see various family photos and the lovely print is called Le the Suspendu by The Nebulous Kingdom.

More shelves with IKEA magazine holders.

You can probably see from the photographs that the wallpaper is woodchip. To brighten it up I added a collage of prints, photos, artwork and other bits and bobs.

1. Cat / Telepgraph pic - Boxbird Gallery
2. Super Bake Girl by A Fanciful Twist
3. Scruffy Moggy by David Oldham aka DJ Spiderman
4. Pic of Richard and Me by Claudine Hellmuth
5. Ballet Shoes - a print out of a photograph from the Scottish Ballet
6. Printed Blue Teapot by Studio Lyon
7. Wintersong by The Hermitage

Well, that’s me. If you have a work space, living room, shop or kitchen that you would like to share please get in touch at info [at] indiequarter dot com. And PS, Monday’s post involves a bath full of marshmallows!

I don’t normally blog about big brands here but I like this idea. It’s simple, interactive and above all very personal. ‘This Is My Habitat’ is supported by Helena Christensen (seen above) and Bjorn Borg who each share their distinctive style and what makes their home theirs. The campaign focuses on the importance of making your house into a home that works for you and your lifestyle and above all reflects your personality.

To coincide with the launch supermodel Helena Christensen re-created her own living space in Habitat’s Regent Street shop window. The results can be seen above and on the Habitat website at www.thisismyhabitat.net/en/helena-christensen, where you can ‘roll over’ the furniture and find out more about Helena’s choices.

So what makes your habitat? Send in your pics and a brief description and I’ll post them on Indie Quarter. Living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens, work spaces and shops all welcome. And it would be great to hear a bit about you too. Because I’m nosy like that. I’ll get the ball rolling and post some pics of my office tomorrow.