Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Today is the last posting day for Christmas orders and so we would all like to take this opportunity to thank all our customers old and new for their wonderful support this season. It's been epic on many levels, from the weather to the sheer number of packages we've been getting out to you and it will definitely be a Christmas to remember for us - taking orders out by quad bike through the snow being one of the abiding memories! Things have slowed to a trickle on the ordering front and I imagine that you, like us, will be taking some time out to spend with family and friends - it just remains for us to wish you a warm, safe and happy Christmas and a very jolly Hogmanay.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010


We have mountains of snow here and haven't seen the postman or a delivery driver since last week. Given that yesterday was the busiest day yet for web orders Twice HQ has been overflowing with packages going nowhere - we're about 1/4 mile from the nearest public (and therefore cleared) road. Relief came today - thanks to Alan our local farmer and his tractor. He very kindly cleared our drive which means that we might get a collection soon - but we can definitely start ferrying orders to the Perth PO and Parcelforce sorting offices. This is our trusty 4x4 loaded up and ready to go a moment ago. Fingers crossed that the packages leave Perth quickly once we've got them there.

Thursday, November 25, 2010


Twice has hit the BBC! Our beautiful spurtles are being given out as prizes on Paddy O'Connells Radio 4 programme 'Broadcasting House'. The programme has been talking about the Golden Spurtle World Porridge Making Championships which were held in October at Carrbridge in the Scottish Highlands. In honour of the Championships the programme has decided to give out our spurtles as prizes in their weekly 'Spoon Competition' instead of spoons! We have branded them especially for the programme and they will be going out to the lucky winners over the next few weeks.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I've always been drawn to old fabrics and, as you may know, the nascence of Twice was in the old fabrics and blankets that I found when we moved into my husband's family house in Scotland seven years ago. I love used fabrics infinitely more than new ones, however beautiful the pattern, because of the wonderfully soft feel and dimming of colour that use has given them. I had always hoped for Twice to produce fabrics based on the huge archive of antique fabrics that I've built up over the years but, when we finally started doing just that this year, just printing fabric wasn't enough. I wanted to try and replicate the gorgeous 'lived-in' feel of old linens. It has taken a long time and a lot of perseverance by many people along the way but I think we really have cracked it. Our linens now go through several processes (which for obvious reasons I'm going to keep secret!) to achieve a wonderful softness and subtlety - but with all the strength of a new fabric.

At the moment, we have our beautiful Framboise linen alongside natural and bleached linen, all of which have been given our special treatment. Our next pattern is in the pipeline and I have plans for many more which will appear at Twice over the next year or so.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Here's the thing. When I started Twice what we did was re-use old things and give them a new lease of life, hence the name. I remember looking at a pile of pretty cups and saucers and thinking - those would make good candles. I made about 20 and took them down to the Country Living Fair and sold out. At the time I hadn't seen any anywhere else - but now, of course, they're everywhere. I'm not saying anyone got the idea from me - I'm quite sure it had been done long before I did it, but my problem is that now I find myself not wanting to make them because so many other people are and, yet, they are so quintessentially Twice. What to do? Not sure.

Friday, September 10, 2010


Just arrived! Our new notecard wallets have just reached us - it's always fantastic to see things that have been in development finally in the flesh. We're really pleased with these - showing two of our fabric designs, Framboise and Posy (fabric coming soon), the cards are of the best quality and come in a pretty wallet containing eight cards and envelopes. Wonderful.

Monday, August 30, 2010

We're finishing off some of our delicious merino wool hotty covers today - here's a pile waiting to be labelled and packed. Just in time I think as there's a definite autumnal nip in the air today.

Friday, August 27, 2010

It's full steam ahead here as we get stock ready for the autumn. We've got a photo shoot for the next catalogue in a couple of weeks and we're also stockpiling for all the autumn fairs, mail order sales and, of course, the new shop which opens in October. It's definitely time for list writing - endless, endless lists! This morning Sarah was preparing the leather bases that we put in our linen tote bags - the leather is wonderful deerskin tanned near Glasgow and then pressed to make it stiffer for the bases.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010


We were very pleased recently to be asked to join Discovering Life, a fascinating new website that aims to offer it's members the very best of what's on offer in Britain with many special offers and discounts just for members. As membership is free for 2010 I'd definitely encourage you to sign up - no cost and lots of money off, can't be bad. Our page on the site went live today - and we are offering all Discovering Life members a huge 15% discount across our entire range.

Saturday, June 05, 2010

Hmmm ..... Running a business is fraught with problems - just when you think you've got something sorted something else turns up to frazzle you. Our Summer 2010 catalogue went to print last week and was then shipped off to the fulfilment people so they could pop them in little plastic wraps and wing them off to you all, and then .... I received this photo showing me how they had turned up in Rotherham for mailing! I think someone was a little clumsy. This resulted in a bit of a panic as we had only allowed an extra hundred copies for the mailing and it looked as if more than that were unusable. In the end it wasn't quite as bad as we feared and we have managed to send the full mailing - but if your catalogue turns up with slightly dog-earred corners, you'll know why!

Monday, May 03, 2010

Harry Wallop sings from my hymn sheet in his forecast for shopping in the Noughties. I cut this out of the Daily Telegraph at the beginning of the year and a blown up copy hangs in the Twice office. Slowly but surely quality will outshine quantity in this mixed up world of ours.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Here's a little extreme ironing being done at the photo shoot for our next catalogue! We've been very hard at work for the last few days - and the results are fantastic.

With luck and a fair wind (which we had plenty of today as we were trying to put together the table scene above) the catalogue should be out towards the end of May. Amongst the many new things you will find is the first Twice printed linen - a pretty floral inspired by a beautiful antique French fabric that I found several years ago.

Big thanks must go to the lovely Shona, our model, who braved some very, very chilly weather on Friday to show off our summer tunics and wonderful new bags.

A huge thank you also to everyone who has worked so hard over the past few months to get all our new designs ready for launch and also to the photography team for being great fun to work with over the past few days and for producing such fantastic results.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010


A big thank you to our friends at From Britain With Love - our Goldilocks porridge bowls are one of their three featured products this month. Click here to visit their website to see all the best of British.

Wednesday, April 07, 2010

The latest issue of Period House has just arrived from the publishers - and includes a lovely feature on Twice. Aside from the fact that I hate seeing myself in anything, it is a great article which gives a really good flavour of what I am trying to achieve at Twice.

The only slightly sad thing is that so many of the lovely homewares and fabrics shown in the feature are from Twice but the two pages showing readers how to 'Get The Look' point them in every direction but us. It goes without saying that the easiest way to get my look is to visit our website!

Friday, March 26, 2010


Brrrr - still chilly enough to make a cosy eiderdown a great addition to your bed. Lots of 'new' vintage eiderdowns have just been added to the website today.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010


Thought you might like to see a sneak preview of one of our new Linen Lavender Hearts. This is a prototype but the finished hearts will be available in our next catalogue and should be on the website in a few weeks. I'm always looking for new ways to use the natural Scottish linen that I love so much - and I've been working hard to come up with lettering that works well. It took a ridiculous number of attempts to get the heart shape exactly right (actually I think this one was just before we finally managed that) but I think we've cracked it now.

Friday, February 26, 2010


SO pleased to be able to introduce this to the website - the classic Gluggle Jug is one of the new things going into our summer catalogue (due out in May). This perfect old design was first made in Staffordshire in the 1870's - and got it's name from the wonderful gurgling sound that the water makes when you pour it. The design was bought by the Wade pottery when the jug's original makes, Dartmouth, closed down in the early 2000's. Wade made the jug for the American market but this year it is happily available again in the UK. We are thrilled to have the jugs on board at Twice - they tick all our boxes!

Currently available in this pretty blue, click here to buy and cheer up your kitchen!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010


The blue skies and snow covered mountains of the Cairnwell Pass last Friday.

We are lucky enough to be under an hour from Glenshee, which has the largest ski area in Scotland and so, unlike much of the country, we are able to make really good use of all this snow! I took the children skiing and I have never known better conditions - the bluest skies imaginable with not a cloud in sight, no wind, sun all day and deep, deep snow in perfect condition and lashings of hot chocolate in the back of the car. We had a day of the best skiing - and felt really rather smug!