A label of love

So, what am I up to here at cuvcuv? I thought it was about time to update you as its been a few weeks, sorry! and theres lots to tell!

I have been embroiled in the task of sourcing eco friendly fabric, custom made cuvcuv labels in the UK which has proved particularly difficult to complete on time. 
I'm really quite shocked that no one (yet to my knowledge) is offering that service. If anyone does know of a source, then please share the details as I have had to take the job on myself! Equally, if anyone wishes to take it on, there's an obvious gap in the UK market to print on fabric other than polyester! I'm sure there's other companies that wish to use an alternative. 
In the end I sourced 100% organic grass hemp by the meter, exactly what I was looking for, from The Hemp Shop who were so prompt with their next day deliveries, thank goodness, as its all been a bit hair-raisingly last minute! Next was to create a cuvcuv stamp which was fairly easy thanks to the internet. 

materials at the ready

measuring 60mm x 30mm

pencil dotting in straight lines along the weft of the fabric

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working in a fabric shop post Uni came in handy when cutting 1000s of labels straight

100s and 100s

Really pleased with them!

that box was soon overflowing

packed to send to Indonesia

how it will look on a cuvcuv table runner

I have to say it was a fairly long and laborious mission to undertake; sizing up, stamping and cutting out 2500 labels with dimensions of 60mm x 30mm that my back ached and my eyes stung but to be honest, it was necessary and worth it. Luckily I get to see them in two weeks' time when I visit Lana's workshop. 

Athough my business planning has been in great detail, there's just some things you can not plan for. Which makes me now think my business plan is a bit like my birth plan - bears no resemblance to what actually happens...........ohhh noooooo!!!!

'Its all a learning' as they say and that saying assumes greater prevalence the older I get.

Truly Stylish Tapas Tasting

I flew off to Espagna with a huge spring in my step in the knowledge that there was an abundance of work to be done following cuvcuv's Big News!

Luckily, it was far too hot to do anything but sit at my computer in the afternoons in the muggy city of Valladolid yet relished the thought of taking a stroll down the river when tasks were accomplished to reward ourselves with a couple of tapas and a vino rosado.

I've been frequenting Valladolid since my sister moved there six years ago and I still can not believe how cheap it is for the most delicious food! from 1 euro to 4 euros for haute cuisine and you are literally in shock when its time to pay........!!! 

sliced gherkins filled with tuna topped with roasted pepper & an olive

lemon stuffed olives with pickled anchovies

chopped pepper & onion filled mussels

Russian salad on a big 'prawn' cracker!

oops! all 5 varieties of croquetas scoffed! langoustine, black pudding, goats cheese, jamon & chorizo  

the biggest freshest perfectly cooked squid rings

incredibly tasty seafood salad & tortilla

  

octopus, guerkin, sweet peppers & olives

vino rosado perfecto 

chipies - lightly deep fried squid n a hot chilli oil - to die for!

My sister lives in a great Spanish city where 'fashion tapas' is all the rage! There are two bars that I love to frequent  that serve up the most exquisite tiny plate food for very little dinero!

fashion tapas!

amazing shredded fish 'Angulas' translated as eels in Spanish but they're not actually!!

octopus

veal in a sweet sauce wrapped in courgette - unbelievable!

can you believe this is savoury?!!

I loved totting up how much the bill would have come to in London.......and I'm not kidding when I say sometimes it was ten times as much!!!

big news!

Happiness in the cuvcuv house is......

........finally being able to place orders with Lana and the factory in Yogyakarta!

I'm ecstatic that everything is now actually happening
I have been working so hard on the monster plan and through all the stress, blood, sweat and tears.......
someone is taking me seriously and I finally have the support necessary to launch

I cant believe it!

I've been imagining the feeling I'd have when I can push the button on production, book my flight to Indonesia to discuss what's next, plan my India trip to rediscover the bangle makers I found in a remote village in Rajasthan and as tears filled my eyes in Kings Cross St Pancras station at 11am on 5th July 2013, it hit me that when you challenge yourself to make something happen, your dreams really can come true.

As we conducted our meeting in a faux English garden setting sat in deck chairs, drinking tea, it became apparent that cuvcuv was about to be catapulted into its next development stage of life and as my heart pumped......my smile just got wider and wider! 

I've had my cuvcuv since I was born, I still have it...........I dont know what I'd do without it. It's the most personal item I have and that's why my company has taken it's name. It's not childish or silly but loved and cherished, incredibly soft still but now rather ripped, it's organic. 

I aspire to make cuvcuv global and to be in many many people's lives! 

Revolution Viv - I love you!

"The fight is no longer between the classes or between rich and poor but between the idiots and the eco-conscious"

love the strikingly bright colours

slouchy light and comfy

beautiful and sparkly

A VERY belated Clerkenwell Design Show shout out!

One of my favourite shows to go to is at the Farmiloe Building in Clerkenwell, its just such a fabulous building! Unfortunately I didnt have my partner in crime Polly Granville this time......boooo! so I didnt ponder and pontificate over extremely moderrrn furniture design that seems usually slightly too high brow for me, which was a shame as actually these guys know what they are talking about, have such skill and are hugely passionate about shape and form, structure and sculpture of their latest newby.
Clerkenwell Design Show is by far one of the more intriguing shows I've been to in my career and being fairly new and getting better for innovation every time, is a real buzz for me! 

So, ahem, a couple of gems came my way that I'd like to tell you about! 
Tom Housden at Hand and Eye Studios......such beautiful lighting! a really well curated and presented stand - with many different finishes, I particularly liked the terracotta with the organic dipping into the glaze.........

Think I just fell in love with the simple shapes yet potent colour palette and beautiful architecture of style - me thinks a project with them would suit cuvcuv - watch this space!

           
The other stand-out for me was a bunny chair and reindeer chair in the Detention Centre - I know, so great! Merve Kahraman 

Funny how researching her she studied Industrial design when wow! I thought she was some mad anachist who played around with humour and satire - or maybe I'm missing the point! either way she captured my imagination and made me wonder why! 

And finally, Sampling is a company from Latvia and fuse contrasting fabrics to create very simple and beautiful products. I just absolutely love the knitted woolly element with the wood, so soft and in very muted colours of grey and blue...CUTE!  

Thank you Miss Moss for the introduction of this brand, Samuji, not only do I love the style of the simple fashion pieces, and the fantastic model but wow! check out the amazing use of  splodgy paint graphics .......totally awesome and makes the photography look so elegant!! teehee! did, I just write 'awesome'??!! 

I think I am slightly delirious..........and the reason being is that upon the 7 o'clock chime of Lambeth Town Hall bells this evening, the monster mission was accomplished! I have finally finished my Business Plan for cuvcuv, the brand, and I now cant wait to approach the right people for investment......I feel so ready - armed with passion, commitment and a whole lot of determination! I just need to print and proof read and bind by Friday! Its been a hellova journey......and by no means over yet...

Which means I'm back into the swing of relaying lots more news and chewing the cultural cud and hope you continue to travel with me on my quest to get cuvcuv up and running this Autumn! 

Relax, sit back and enjoy a celebratory ditty from Steve Miller Band xx