This year, rather than sending Christmas cards, we will be making a donation to a local charity. The Heatons Animal Rescue Group provides a sanctuary and finds new homes for homeless cats and kittens. For more information visit www.tharg.org.uk.

Please click here to view our Christmas eCard.

Please note that Vanilla Storm will be closing on Friday 19th December and will re-open on Monday 5th January 2009. During this time should you need to contact us urgently please leave a message with our receptionist (or on our answer phone during Bank Holidays). All non-urgent messages will be dealt with during the week commencing 5th January.

We would like to take this opportunity to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2009.

Vanilla Storm’s design blog, Indie Quarter, was delighted to sponsor BUST’s Craftacular last week.

Craftacular is a great opportunity for indie designers to sell their products and for shoppers to find something handmade and unique. And what an event it was! A crowd had gathered before the doors opened and inside was no different. Crafters, Christmas shoppers and their patient other halves laughed and chatted with stall holders, while bagging Christmas gifts and stocking fillers.

Indie Quarter is a UK based design blog. It features designers from a wide variety of different disciplines, with everything from up and coming fashion labels, ceramics and textile designers to contemporary art, photography and jewellery.

There are also a selection of podcasts featuring interviews with independent designers and a regular ‘Day in the Life of’ feature which follows designers through a typical day. Guest writers from PR companies and even CosmoGirl’s fashion editor have ‘popped in’ to offer tips and advice to today’s bright young things and tomorrow’s designers du jour.

To find out more go to www.indiequarter.com.

BUST is a US based magazine that is smart, fierce and funny. ‘BUST tells the truth about women’s lives and presents a female perspective on pop culture’.  For further information visit www.bust.com