Pixies & Sprites

Pixies & Sprites Unusual Gifts made from usual things

Part exhibition, part shop window, part market stall.We often feel like we’re Amazon, with a cumbersome set-up and often...
30/08/2026

Part exhibition, part shop window, part market stall.

We often feel like we’re Amazon, with a cumbersome set-up and often a weary pack-down.

Envious of the stalls who pack down in seconds & have pretty much sold out.

But the reality is ‘that’s just not our business’.

Part of what we do is to showcase, to explain the concept…..

And then the important bit, giving customers the time & space to decide what they want.

The sales theories tell you that if they walk away, then that’s a lost sale.

It makes you feel that your products don’t have that wow factor, or desirability and are missing something.

Our artwork is very different. It’s individual, each piece is unique and it doesn’t have the same scale-up possibilities that an artist’s print may have. It just is different.

It’s been a tough market season for a lot of small artisan businesses, with market sales all over the place.

Yesterday we sold on the day, had repeat customers, took orders on the stand and talked through possible commission pieces for the future.

So as we wearily empty the truck & repackage for a big event tomorrow, trailer & all, well….

…you just do what works for your business, be grateful and celebrates the wins 😊

Back to a soggy Welborne Common.Thank you Creake Abbey for a great Summer Fair 🥰Our Boba Fett piece is just one of the p...
29/08/2026

Back to a soggy Welborne Common.

Thank you Creake Abbey for a great Summer Fair 🥰

Our Boba Fett piece is just one of the pieces off to their new homes.

We also had orders placed on the day & lots of discussion for Christmas pieces.

If you’re thinking of a possible piece, just drop us a message.

We’ll be keeping our eye out for some more Star Wars pieces, no promises because not every comic works. It’s all about finding the right ones 😊🫣

All set-up at Creake Abbey.The first leg of our Bank Holiday Weekend Madness.Here from 10-4 will lots of quirky pieces.L...
29/08/2026

All set-up at Creake Abbey.

The first leg of our Bank Holiday Weekend Madness.

Here from 10-4 will lots of quirky pieces.

Love seeing them all displayed together inside the gazebo - Gallery wall🥰🥰

Latest map commission ready for despatch.This time last year we could only plot and scheme about the possibility of our ...
27/08/2026

Latest map commission ready for despatch.

This time last year we could only plot and scheme about the possibility of our own in-house framing.

We wanted to create maps pieces from vintage Bartholomew maps like this but they just didn’t work with the square frames we had available.

Last August we decided we really could look to making frames ourselves.

The reality has been 12 months of upheaval, chaos and a huge learning curve.

We produced our first customer frame in January for a 3 map piece. By the end of this month we think we will have produced a hundred ish frames of different shapes and sizes, many of which have found their new homes.

Our latest flat-mounted map is this gorgeous WHSmiths folded map of Yorkshire. It’s always a risk mounting a map of this...
26/08/2026

Our latest flat-mounted map is this gorgeous WHSmiths folded map of Yorkshire.

It’s always a risk mounting a map of this age, 1870’s!

It’s spent several weeks unfolded under acrylic sheets to ease out some of those folds.

Today it’s been mounted onto conservation board using a potato starch based adhesive.

Positives, the map has very little stretch and has adhered well.

Unfortunately there were a couple of areas where the
canvas & paper layers have separated. These have been repaired & are holding well.

There’s just one area to the top right that needs a little more attention. At 150 yrs old, it deserved that little bit more effort 😊

Then this antique map will be framed up and ready for our Ripley Fair in September.

So we talk a lot about conservation materials and adhesives but why do we need them?That basic question comes down to ho...
26/08/2026

So we talk a lot about conservation materials and adhesives but why do we need them?

That basic question comes down to how paper is made and what happens when it ages.

From the mid 19th Century paper switched from linen and rags to wood pulp.

Alum or Aluminium Sulphate was added as a sizing agent to primarily stop ink bleeding.

This compound is acidic and over time attacks the plant fibres, weakening the paper.

The plant fibres also contain lignin, which holds the fibres together. When exposed to heat, light and basically the air, the polymer reacts and causes the paper to break down. It basically rips itself apart.

So two conflicting processes, and that’s without any wear and tear from usage.

So what can we do? Well we’re unable to reverse the acid process, that’s where the professional conservators can work their magic. But we can do things to stop further damage.

We use conservation grade adhesives and mountboard, so we’re not adding any extra chemicals which can cause further damage (acid and lignin free)

We can’t remove the air, but we can remove the harmful UV rays. Which is why all our handmade framed pieces come with UV resistant acrylic as standard.

Why don’t we do this as standard on everything? Well more modern papers from 1970’s/80’s are a little stronger.

We may end up replacing glass on all our frames with UV acrylic as standard, but currently we’re doing this on a case-by-case basis.

After accidentally sourcing a couple more maps this weekend, as you do, I thought I’d ask AI if there is a term for havi...
24/08/2026

After accidentally sourcing a couple more maps this weekend, as you do, I thought I’d ask AI if there is a term for having a ‘slight’ obsession with maps 🤭

Apparently there is! It’s an interesting overview since there are elements that do resonate.

There’s something in the ‘artistry’ of a map for me, from the choice of typography and symbols, through to a chosen colour palette has certainly helped our collection swell to over a thousand.

There’s also the social history element of a map. There are so many hidden stories from unusual place names, borders and details which make me ponder and cross-reference with historical events. Government departments to trace, map publishing offices; it really is that Alice in Wonderland/down the rabbit hole adventure!

This weekend I picked up these two vintage Admiralty charts. Selected from a pile of a dozen or so, these two stood out for me. Admiralty charts are often not the prettiest of maps, with very neutral colour palettes. Yet there’s layers upon layers of history, from when they were updated, the symbols used even the submarine exercise areas identified.

For instance, the Gulf of Genoa map has names from the French Navy who completed the survey from 1840-55, that’s definitely worthy of a few minutes research!

All set-up at Woolverstone!Beautiful location, gorgeous views 🥰🥰Stand just about set-up & I remembered the Thunderbirds ...
23/08/2026

All set-up at Woolverstone!

Beautiful location, gorgeous views 🥰🥰

Stand just about set-up & I remembered the Thunderbirds piece.

Not a bad place to spend a few hrs mooching around.

The joys of a 5:30 departure on a chilly Sunday morning. Can’t grumble too much.Seat warmer is on & I’m watching hares s...
23/08/2026

The joys of a 5:30 departure on a chilly Sunday morning.

Can’t grumble too much.

Seat warmer is on & I’m watching hares sprint across misty open fields.

Suffolk bound 😊

The new Lily style metal flowers are finally in frames and ready to go.The brass is definitely staying in black as a pre...
22/08/2026

The new Lily style metal flowers are finally in frames and ready to go.

The brass is definitely staying in black as a preference but really can’t make my mind up on the tarnished copper.

At some point I want to create two of these for our downstairs loo, if it ever gets to that stage 🤭🤭

I was going to go with black framed copper and brass tarnished roses. But the roses I put to one side have sold 🫣🫣.

Am loving this new flower shape but can’t decide between white or black for the lily?

Well since both of these trial pieces are on the definite ‘to be sold’ pile, that’s a dilemma for another day.

As with all our deep box metal flowers, the photo images don’t do them justice due to the deep box frames. The camera doesn’t capture the shine and makes the pieces look duller than in real life.

The brass has a lovely deep lustre to it and the copper, well it looks like it’s been enamelled rather than tarnished.

Now just need to decide which one to take for tomorrow.

Address

Welborne
Dereham
NR203LD

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Pixies & Sprites posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Pixies & Sprites:

Shortcuts

Share