Great Bois Wood
Barry Philpott creates handmade wooden products including chopping, carving and cheese boards, doorstops and individual pieces, all sourced from timber in Great Bois Wood and chosen for the natural beauty of the wood.
Great Bois Wood is a privately owned 20-acre woodland within Chesham Bois, east of the Amersham Road adjoining the Woodland Trust, Parish Council meadow and Burial Ground.
The woodland, which has existed for several hundred years and is in part designated as ‘Ancient Woodland’, has a good variety of native trees and is rich in ancient woodland ground flora.
Situated on the edge of the Chilterns AONB it has also been designated as of ‘special wildlife intertest’, within Buckinghamshire. It is bordered by a public footpath and has several permissive footpaths through the wood.
There is evidence throughout the wood that it has been used over the centuries for many industries, including for the supply of timber, wood fuel and charcoal and for the extraction of clay, flint and chalk. The bridle path and hollow way, along the valley bottom, was the original drovers track between Amersham and Chesham.
Anna Smallwood Art
Anna is a Chesham-based, self-taught, animal portrait artist.
Anna started drawing horses and dog commissions for her clients in her day job as a riding instructor. After going on safari for her honeymoon five years ago, Anna was inspired to branch out into other animals.
Since then, her portfolio has grown, and she is fortunate enough to be able to spend more time drawing.
La Forge Designs
Sarah Clark at La Forge Designs creates unique and individual designs for the person who wants that bold statement, a timeless piece to be treasured or just simply to tell a personal story.
Designs are made with creativity, energy and passion.
Working predominantly in sterling silver, brass, copper and aluminium, the piece often incorporates movement, line and texture. Pieces are born from a strike of the hammer, a fold or curve of the metal, evolving organically through the making process, and lovingly made by hand in her small studio based in Berkshire.
Having studied and gained a 2:1 BA Degree in 3-D Design at the Surrey Institute UK, Sarah knows design is key in creating the final designs, from the initial concept, material and the scale chosen.
Influences derive from anywhere, from an architecturally abandoned spiral staircase, to the bark of a tree, right down to the tiniest forgotten pebble found on a beach.
Elaine Wells
Elaine Wells makes high fired wheel-thrown pottery.
Elaine had tried many art related hobbies over the years but clay took over in 2015 after 24 years of ‘dabbling’ in her studio.
A place on the second series of The Great Pottery Throwdown led to a short internship with Kate Malone one of the Judges and then a two-year full-time course at Clay College in Stoke which gave her the opportunity to really explore the possibilities of clay!
Elaine likes pots that have a purpose and that can be used every day in the home. Her work uses simplistic, contemporary forms and simple mark making which combined with gas fired glazes, shino, Nuka and ash, result in individual pieces.
Elaine aims for her work to be appealing, while remaining functional and her ongoing exploration of possibilities means there are always new pieces adding to her collection.
JHSGlass
JHSglass is designed and handmade by Hertfordshire-based glass artist Jenny Hoole.
Jenny’s inspiration is drawn from a fascination with colour, pattern and texture.
The decorative pieces are a modern statement for the home using colour and pattern to make functional designs including platters, coasters, dishes and wall art
Each piece of her glass jewellery is created to be elegant, simple and contemporary.
Edna & Jean
Edna & Jean is a local, sustainable, fashion brand selling accessories such as tote bags, head bands and dog bandanas, as well as children’s dresses and tops.
All items are lovingly handmade from preloved fabrics.
Ink and Paper Den
Stacey is an architect with a special interest in listed buildings.
In her downtime she creates whimsical illustrations for her Ink And Paper Den, inspired by the things she finds enchanting.
She makes handmade cards, prints and more. She has created woodland wedding packages, business illustrations and commissions for special occasions.
Kiss My Hide
Silke Stahl has been working with leather for approximately 17 years making bags, purses, jewellery and belts.
She has also undertaken commissions and repairs, restoring much loved items.
Leather is a long lasting material which has been used for centuries and Silke uses different types of leather depending on the product.
She uses both hand sewing techniques as well as machine sewing.
Silke lives in Chesham, but work can be further afield.
Wood Dude
The Wood Dude is also known as Stephen Madden.
Stephen only uses the local timber from the Chilterns for his work and UK-made dyes and stains that are eco-friendly, all the finishes are food/toy safe.
Coming from an area world famous for its woodworking, Stephen has incorporated those traditional skills into more contemporary styles and he’s passionate about only using local and sustainable materials to create his art.
Marie Jones Fibre Art
Marie is a self-taught fibre artist with a passion for wool crafts; she creates original artwork, combining wool felting, fabric collage, free motion machine embroidery and hand stitching techniques.
Marie describes her craft as “painting with wool”, because it lends itself to expressing textures and colours in the same way as one would use watercolour paints, oils or acrylics. It adds a warm, tactile element to the piece.
Katie Sarah
Katie designs and creates each of her greeting cards by hand using high quality textured papers and a miracle pair of scissors.
She also make framed art pieces in the same style and hand knit seasonal decorations.
Made to Scale
Ali started making jewellery out of chainmaille many years ago, but rediscovered her love of it during the pandemic lockdowns.
Her bracelets, earrings, necklaces and other accessories use both traditional and modern chainmaille and scalemaille techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces for both everyday wear and special occasions.
Chiltern Bee
Chiltern Bee is a small, low intensity bee keeping venture, with hives located in the South Chilterns, mainly between Henley and Marlow (the Hambelden Valley).
Chiltern Bee was founded by a beekeeper who is a biochemist by training (worked Pharmaceutical R&D for over twenty years).
Only the local native bee species is kept, and the focus is beeswax rather than honey. Product development is centred on effective skincare, and all products are unique and formulated by the founder. All have been independently safety assessed, undergone stability testing and are registered with the UK cosmetic agency.
The products behave completely differently from “High Street” products.
Skin Balms are made with the purified honeycomb beeswax, sweet almond oil and coconut butter. These three ingredients create an intensively moisturising balm where the oil and butter moisturise the skin which is locked in by the beeswax forming an occlusive layer.
Lipbalms are made with beeswax, extra virgin organic olive oil and shea butter. They work the same way meaning that one application should be sufficient for an entire day.
Soaps are incredibly mild, yet are still true soaps in they are of a pH to kill bacteria and cleanse. This is due to the properties of beeswax and “superfatting” of the soap, making it gentle on the skin.
“Naked Bee” only have the bare minimum ingredients to produce an incredibly simple yet effective product. There are then generally three variants: Mandarin & Grapefruit, Lime and Lavender. These are created by adding cold pressed essential oils to the Naked Bee base.
In addition to cosmetics, Chiltern Bee also produce honey, candles, bath-bombs and beeswax based homeware products (chopping board conditioner, leather conditioner and furniture polish) as well as Beeswax Food Wraps.
Product sales support our local bee population!
LJC Pottery
Laura has been working with clay for many years; a few years ago she bought her own kiln, and last year she decided to buy a wheel so she could practise her throwing more easily at home.
She loves the feel of the clay and the idea that it can be shaped into absolutely anything. Working with the clay is totally absorbing which is great therapy when you need to switch off from work. She doesn’t have a particular style, there are too many new ideas and wonderful glazes to experiment with.
Laura is really looking forward to being at Chiltern Made again this year showing off some new glazes, her favourite is called Magma!
She will also have her usual Christmas robins and other Christmas decorations.
Chris Edwards
Chris Edwards has had an interest in trees and their timber from an early age.
For the last twenty odd years, his work and hobby has involved the use of wood, and he’s still fascinated by its strength and beauty.
Chris enjoys sourcing timber that has natural interest and sometimes adding a variety of resins to hopefully make something that is interesting and unique. He also uses man-made materials such as plywood and acrylic sheet.
Further to using a lathe, Chris makes all sorts of bird boxes, bird tables, bat roosts, &c. He also makes slab/live edged tables all from local sources.
Wild Lotus Designs
Wild Lotus was set up by two friends who discovered a love of block printing and started giving their hand printed designs to friends as gifts. The feedback was lovely, with many saying: “Where can we buy them?”
And so Wild Lotus was born!
Wild Lotus. uses Indian hand-carved blocks to print on cotton, linen and card to make beautiful accessory bags, table linen, aprons, babywear, scarves, cushion covers and greetings cards that make great gifts or lovely treats for yourself!
They can personalise some of their designs to make them really unique. All their packaging is biodegradable, compostable or recyclable.
Chris Summers Sculpture
Chris Summers is passionate about creating art based on whatever scrap metal comes his way.
Metal sculptures, lighting and small tables are just a few of the items he is inspired to make.
Anidoodle
Kat is an illustrator, based in High Wycombe, working on all things cute and quirky, from pin badges and greetings cards to indie comics.
She is the creator of the adventure comic Dinos and Dice Rolls and the artist on the Tails of Mystery series.
You can find her weekly drawing project ‘#OnTuesdaysWeDraw’ on Instagram @anidoodle1 or Facebook @anidoodle.
Two Spoons Tea
Two Spoons is named after the tools of the trade – their tasting spoons!
For the taste-buds behind Two Spoons, Giles & Mark, their time has involved tasting over one million cups between them. They choose teas they love using their many years’ expertise and want to inspire curiosity in this amazing product.
Lets Be Cats Jewellery
Chesham-based Liz Turner is the face behind Lets Be Cats Jewellery – she loves to upcycle unusual materials into something new.
Book pages, maps, bicycle inner tubes, playing cards and more are refashioned into jewellery, accessories, cards and decorations.
Her custom made map Christmas Trees are a new line this year whereby you can choose two locations close to your heart and she will create a unique Christmas decoration to bring out each year.
You can also find her work at Little Wren Collections in Great Missenden and online at Etsy.com.
Chilton Ceramics
Caroline created Chilton Ceramics a couple of years ago; she makes stoneware animal sculptures from her home in Booker, High Wycombe.
Each piece is totally unique – no moulds are used. Caroline loves creating the pieces and giving them appealing expressions, which say: “Take me home!”
Caroline also takes commissions for pet portraits or any other animal that takes your fancy!
JG Resin
Jason and Gemma create resin products from their little home workshop in Chesham.
As a carpenter and perfectionist, Jason’s passion has always been to create his own products that are detailed and made to great quality.
When the couple moved and managed to set up a workshop, they found this an ideal time to start up the company; now they are creating the dream as Jason works with wood and resin whilst Gemma adds flowers and sparkles to resin.
The Sock Sisters
The Sock Sisters are a pair of sisters who knit pairs of socks on an antique circular sock knitting machine also known as “The Beast”.
The socks are knitted in merino wool in delicious, muted colours. They also knit long hot water bottles in alpaca wool.
The Sock Sisters love putting together the scrumptious colour combinations and the simplicity and pleasure the humble sock can bring!
Ellie's IPad Art
Having grown up in the beautiful countryside of the Chiltern Hills, Ellie has always loved nature. She draws what makes her happy, and she loves that her art may bring happiness to others.
All of her designs have been hand-drawn by her on an iPad Pro and are available to buy as prints, cards, gifts and homeware.
For regular updates about new products and designs, you can follow Ellie on Facebook and Instagram.
Yvonne Makes
Why not try cork? It was a great suggestion from a lovely lady called Sue, and Yvonne hasn’t looked back!
Cork fabric is not only vegan-friendly, but is also hard-wearing, liquid-resistant, sustainable and beautiful. Yvonne imports the printed fabric direct from Portugal – it is 100% cork on one side with a backing of cotton and a small amount of PU.
Yvonne’s designs for bags, pen cases, &c are very popular.
You can find Yvonne on Facebook and Instagram at Yvonne Makes.
Ember and Wild
Locally handmade natural soaps, bath salts, soy wax melts and room sprays all scented with essential oils only.
All vegan and eco friendly!
The Angelic Cake Company
The Angelic Cake Company can usually be found at Amersham Market on a Tuesday with cupcakes, brownies, loaf cakes and more!
At this event, there will be Christmas cakes and other cake related Christmas gifts too.
Vic's Wicks Creations
Each of Vic’s candles, reed diffusers & wax melts are handcrafted in small batches in her studio in Hertfordshire to ensure a unique quality.
Vic uses only cruelty free products, vegan soy wax & a natural base along with high quality fragrances to give a longer lasting aroma & a cleaner burn.
Polka Dots and Roses
Polka Dots and Roses is a small sewing business run from a garden workroom based in Stoke Mandeville.
Laura makes all her items from carefully chosen fabrics – items for your home and for those you love!
Items range from cushions to bunting, to hanging hearts.
You can also attend workshops where Laura will teach you and your children the skills you need to make your own project.
Cocoa & Paper
Cocoa & Paper was founded by Elisa back in 2013, whilst she was studying at university; back then, it was known as ‘Treats for Chocoholics’ as the business was started solely for making chocolate.
Elisa made chocolate in her spare time and attended many craft fairs to sell her products.
In 2017, Elisa took over and now runs her own card and gift shop. She spotted a gap in the card market and wanted to offer her customers something personalised and different – that is when the idea of the scratch cards arose. They were mainly designed for surprises such as holidays, days out or theatre tickets, as in Elisa’s experience, she never had anything physical to actually give, so the scratch card was a fun way to announce a specific surprise and a special keepsake.
In January 2020. Elisa changed the business name to Cocoa & Paper to represent both of her products together. Then, as you will be aware, COVID happened, meaning her card & gift shop, classed as non essential, had to close for several months.
Elisa decided to focus her efforts into her chocolates, working from home and she has never looked back!
Elisa now has her own unit based in Wing, Leighton Buzzard where she goes everyday to make her chocolates (as, during COVID, she outgrew her home kitchen and spare room rather quickly). She specialises in hot chocolate spoons, bars and her best seller – the personalised slab!
Julia Batten Glass
Working from her Chesham studio, Julia Batten produces a range of brightly-coloured fused glass pieces. From striking abstracts, to seascapes, to floral designs, Julia’s work is guaranteed to catch your eye!
She also runs extremely popular workshops, where you can learn to bring your ideas to life.
Ruth October
Ruth October is an artist who creates bold abstract pieces, primarily in acrylic paint.
After gaining her BA (Hons) in Contemporary Applied Arts from the University of Hertfordshire, October found that painting was a way she could express herself within a limited space. With 24 hour access to giant studio spaces switching to making in a lounge at home, this was where the artist developed her style.
The method she now uses explores feelings and making in the moment, all while balancing the aesthetics of a bold piece. This could respond to a certain experience, memory, or just explore the page with paint without a predetermined outcome.
October currently lives and works in Buckinghamshire. Alongside making and exhibiting her pieces in South East England, October provides art wellbeing workshops for those living with a mental health diagnosis, remembering that the power of art is there for all to harness.
Chiltern Skills and Enterprise Centre
The Chiltern Skills and Enterprise Centre (part of the Aspire Multi Academy Trust) provides secondary education in Chesham for children who have not been able to succeed in mainstream schools
They include vocational and enterprise skills as part of the curriculum and making and selling craft products locally will broaden the students’ understanding of business, further develop their creative skills and recognise their interpersonal strengths when dealing with customers. This will build both their self-esteem and their CVs!
They will be selling wooden and glass craft items that the students have made in both construction and art lessons.
Wildflower Botanicals
Wildflower Botanicals is a Chesham-based business that offers handmade luxuries that do not cost the earth.
All their products are natural, ethically sourced and consciously made with your wellbeing at heart. They focus on creating self-care products that provide mindful experiences and positivity to their customers.
