Here’s what Clare says about the new additions to her range

‘A selection of brand new quintessentially English designs paired with Clare Gage classics makes up my new range. The collection tells the story of afternoon spent in an English garden sharing scrumptious tea and scones with friends and family. With the double celebration of the Olympics and the Queen’s Jubilee in 2012 I can’t think of a better time to celebrate in true English style!

I’ve always loved creating beautiful things in all sorts of different media (I expect that you can tell this from my collection). I’m having a love-affair with lace at the moment (seeing Kate’s beautiful wedding dress last year wasn’t the start of this relationship but it has definitely fuelled it!). You’ll see delicate lace in a range of colours on my new handbag mirrors.

Another addition is the new range of gift cards. We’ve taken some stunning pictures of my ceramics in beautiful surroundings which make ideal gift cards. The pictures mirror the English country garden feel with an afternoon tea scene and vases filled with lovely fresh garden flowers.

Because expanding my range with mirrors and gift cards wasn’t enough I’ve also been working in precious metal clay! Lace textured silver with pearls creates a range of modern classic necklaces, perfect presents for a loved one…or a treat for yourself.

I’ve often been asked about using colour in my work – after years of working primarily in elegant white I couldn’t resist adding a pop of colour for 2012. I’ve selected some of my textile inspired ceramics and added a flash of sumptuous colour to the interiors.

As a final flourish to my new range I have also developed a new candle cup. The ever-popular Lace Cup will be updated with a filling of pale pink Rose fragranced wax. A nose-full of fresh blooms makes for a lavish little luxury in a timeless design.’

The new products will be seen for the first time at the Country Living Spring Fair 20th- 25th March so call in to get the first look! The whole range will be availeble to buy online at www.notonthehighstreet.com/claregage after the show. But you don’t need to wait that long to catch a glimpse of them, here’s a sneak preview of the new products!

Visit www.notonthehighstreet.com/claregage for a look.

You’ll also notice an update of the prices for Clare’s ceramics. She was lucky enough to receive a grant from the Arts Council, which has gone towards new moulds for her designs. This has meant swifter and more efficient production and a better price for the customers- good news!

Maison & Objet is an international trade fair so it will be a change for more shops from around the world to find out about Clare’s designs.  Below you’ll see an image of Clare’s stand, tres chic don’t you think?

If you pop along for a look you should be able to spot a few of my pieces there. Open until January.
http://theartsmarket.blogspot.com/

You’ll be able to see these candle cups on Clare’s stall in the next few months and soon they’ll be available online at www.notonthehighstreet.com/claregage

The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair at Spinning fields, Manchester. 20th-23rd October

www.greatnorthernevents.co.uk

Holmfirth Arts Market, Holmfirth. Sunday 6th November

www.artmarkets.co.uk

Country Living Christmas Fair, Islington. 9th-13th November

www.countrylivingfair.com/xmas

Weekend Shopping Event, Christmas Event. Buxton Dome. 12th-13th November

www.theweekendshoppingcompany.co.uk

Fabulous Places Christmas Market. The Roundhouse, Derby. 19th, 20th November

www.fabulousplaces.co.uk/events

On Saturday I made my way down to London to go to Liberty’s Open Call. This is a chance for designers to show their products to the buyers from Liberty’s. If you’re lucky then they’ll place an order and you’ll see your designs on the shelves of one of our most famous shops! If your work turns out to be not quite what they’re looking for then you’ll still get some top tips from the buyers and really useful feedback from the people in the know.

So after registering for the Open Call a few months ago I headed off to London early on Saturday morning. There was quite a long wait in a queue, outside then inside the building. I had a looong wait (4 hours!) but luckily I had the company of my brother who now lives ‘down south’ so it was a great opportunity for us to chat chat chat!

Liberty’s had emailed me with some questions to be prepared for. These included questions about my trade prices, the RRP for the products, my ideas for where my products would sit in their store and who my ideal customers were. When the moment came for my 3 minutes with the buyers it seemed to rush by in a bit of a blur! Luckily I know the answers to the questions like the back of my hand as I’ve been selling my products for over 3 years now but for someone new to the business I would recommend making sure you really know you’re stuff before you go as there is no time to look things up or to hesitate over answers. Another top tip is to have a trade pack ready to leave with the buyers, I was told that not many people had prepared for this.

The feedback on my products was that they were great but not the style that Liberty are currently looking at, they are moving into contemporary, graphic styled designs for their ceramic ranges. Emily Simpson, the buyer from the Home department who spoke to me, recommended a few stores who might be interested in my designs and told me I was doing the right thing by attending the Country Living Fairs because she believed that was just the right audience for my products.

I was asked to leave my trade pack with them, with all the details of products, prices and how to order so they had the info if they decided it was a range they’d like in the future. Emily also gave me her business card and asked me to keep in touch with any new designs, or new ranges which I develop. So I see that as a success! Although there was no order on the day I did receive great feedback and now I have a contact at Liberty who is interested in my designs!

So it was a valuable experince for me with the only downside being the long wait, just take a good book with you (especially jewellers, there was a very large queue of jewellers) or take a friend that you haven’t seen for a while and have a good gossip while you wait!

I would recommend it to other Designer Makers as it’s great to get the feedback from the buyers, just make sure you’re ready for the 3 mins, it’s fast and you need to make the most of it.

http://www.liberty.co.uk/fcp/content/best_of_british/contentform

http://bit.ly/lMk5VO

Clare visited Paris for the opening of the exhibition and had the chance to explore Paris. Here are a few photos from her trip.