Mac & Ninny has launched an original range of bookplates (labels for your favourite books) and preserve gift kits (jam jar covers for homemade preserves). Motivated by their own struggle to find up to date labels and spurred on by the revival of all that is handmade, they set about creating a stylish and practical range of products. They are available to buy at The Wise House (www.thewisehouse.co.uk), a new shop selling original and quirly accessories for the home.

Bookplates

Mac & Ninny has brought an old fashioned concept right up to date with a beautifully designed collection of book labels for your most treasured books. Each pack contains a dozen sticky labels which can then be stuck into your favourite books to guarantee their return after being lent out. The outer packaging is made from 100% recycled post- consumer waste which adds texture and personality to the packaging.

A pack of labels makes a unique gift for people of all ages and stages; from gardeners and travellers to musicians and young children just discovering the wonder of books.

Preserve Gift Kits

Mac & Ninny has also launched a range of preserve gift kits in 9 different designs. Each kit contains everything required to turn homemade preserves, jams, chutneys and pickles into professional looking jars ready to give as the perfect gift or display on the shelf at home. Victoria, one half of Mac & Ninny, explains the inspiration for the kits;

'Our kitchen cupboards are full of jars, waiting to be filled with sticky preserves and pickled vegetables. We love making jam, chutney and pickle but couldn't find labels that were as lovely as the contents of our jars. So, we made our own' Victoria, Mac & Ninny

The jam jar covers are made from food safe greaseproof paper and include self adhesive labels and a generous amount of twine - enough to tie the perfect bow on each jar. There are also food safe elastic bands to secure the jar tops. Each pack contains enough for 12 jars.

Spotted by The Wise House

The Wise House spotted Mac & Ninny's new products at the Top Drawer trade show and was immediately taken with their potential to fill a gap in the market as well as the fabulous designs.

The Wise House owner, Lucy Taylor, is very much a bookworm herself;

'I have a strong emotional attachment to my favourite books. My bookshelves are filled with the books that I loved reading - if you look at my bookshelf, you can see a little bit of who I am. I completely support the revival of the bookplate concept; I can now give those books some extra special treatment and make sure they come home after being lent out.'

Whilst e-books continue to rise in popularity, so indeed do the number of bookclubs and individuals who want the feel of a 'real' book. As yet it isn't as easy to lend out an e-book and there is something to be said for the feel of a real book; the satisfaction of moving the bookmark through the pages, closing the book at the end and giving it a satisfactory pat.

At such a competitive price point and with such a variety of bookplates available they make a fantastic gift. The Wise House now sells 17 different bookplate designs.

The Wise House also saw the potential for the Preserve Gift Kits to fill a large gap in the market for modern, stylish jam jar covers. There is a rise in popularity of all things 'handmade', particularly among the younger generation. The Wise House saw the potential of the kits for both personal use and as a lovely gift. The Wise House sells all nine designs.

About The Wise House

The Wise House is a small online shop selling quirky and original gifts and things for the home. It is run by Lucy Taylor, a house-obsessed mum who loves a nose around other people's houses for inspiration.

They hunt high and low for unique and unusual items and only pick and make things that they truly love and think are different enough not to be found on every street corner. With a passion for real homes and the people that live in them, their product range grows organically as founder Lucy Taylor stumbles across new things via the world of social networking and regular trips to local village fair.

Lucy's love of all things homely comes from her mum, who she says; 'has a knack for putting together the right fabrics, colours and objects and finishing it all off with a display of flowers, sticks and foliage fresh from the garden, every day, all year round'.

This instilled the belief in Lucy that creating a home takes time, it isn't something that should be rushed. She also believes that the most comfortable and stylish homes are filled with a combination of old and new, handmade and bought; a collection of favourite things amassed over one's lifetime.

As a stay at home mum of two Lucy decided to indulge her passion and set up a small shop. She soon spotted her first product whilst on holiday in the Ile de Re; 100drine's timeless and incredibly quirky storage tins. Spurred on by a successful test market to local mums, The Wise House now sells an eclectic mix of over 100 products from 12 different suppliers.

The Wise House has just celebrated its first birthday. They are planning an even busier and more exciting 2013 with this introduction of exclusive screen prints and gorgeous handmade reversible cotton bags.

Lucy Taylor

lucy@thewisehouse.co.uk

07939374377