Stuart Morris Blog

Get Mum a Personalised Gift this Mothers Day

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Dan

The 18th March 2012 is that special day when we all get to say a massive thank you to our mum for all that she does for us; Mother’s Day. As an unusual alternative to a bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates, why not look at getting her something a little more personal this year? At Stuart Morris, we are able to personalise many items from canvas bags to aprons, mugs and tea towels, making the perfect give for mum no matter what your budget.

As a dad or grandparent to small children, the responsibility often falls on you to make sure mum gets a great gift and here at Stuart Morris we are full of inspirational ideas. Get the children to draw a picture of themselves and their mum doing something they enjoy; this can then be used as your design for many possible items. Continue on as we explore some of the options for Mother’s Day gifts with a difference.

Aprons

If she loves to bake for the family, a great present is an apron that features her children’s artwork on the front. This way you can rest assured she will have a smile on her face every time she prepares a an evening meal or a special sweet treat.

Mugs

Whether she stays at home looking after young children or she works in an office, all mums need a good cuppa at some point in the day, so why not choose a personalised mug? Select either earthenware or high quality china and simply upload the picture you wish to have printed on it. For that extra brownie point, set your alarm a little earlier and make her a cup of tea in the mug, then take it to her in bed with the help of the little ones of course!

Canvas Prints

A fantastic alternative to simply framing a photo is our canvas prints that are available in many different sizes, providing a beautiful gift for Mother’s Day. Perhaps she has an existing treasured photo of the family you can use or you wish to take the children out for the day and take a few snaps in the park for a never before seen picture. Whatever you choose we guarantee a high quality canvas print that never fails to impress.

Tea Towels

A customised tea towel is a fantastic choice for those seeking an unusual present this Mother’s Day that doesn’t cost the earth. Consider ordering a tea towel for each child to create a set and tie neatly together with ribbon ahead of the special day.

Get creative ahead of Mother’s Day with personalised printing from the team here at Stuart Morris, we assure you of a present she will simply love no matter what item you choose.

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Replace your plastic bags with canvas this Christmas

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Dan

Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year. However during the Christmas season festive cheer, mince pies and mulled wine are not the only things that can be found in abundance. There is another, not quite so heart-warming, item that overflows at the shops and out of our kitchen cupboards during this period and that item is the plastic bag. Big ones, small ones, red ones, blue ones, we all collect them like cold noses at this time of the year.

It has long been known that plastic bags are harmful to both the environment and wildlife because of the fact that they are not biodegradable. Over 13 million plastic bags are used in the UK each year with a large portion of those being shopping bags. There have been a number of companies who have started to produce biodegradable plastic bags as well as a number of big retailers such as WHSmith, who now charge for them in an attempt to make customers really consider whether or not they actually need a bag.

At Stuart Morris we have long be advocates of canvas shopper bags and are overjoyed by the fact that many shops and supermarkets now encourage their customers to purchase and reuse one. Canvas shopper bags have many benefits such as being made from 100% biodegradable material, they are easily customisable, have many style options (choose from a selection of handle sizes and fabric thickness) and are very durable when compared to their plastic counterparts.

This Christmas many businesses are wanting to improve their green credentials and cutting the usage of plastic bags is a very good way to start. As well as promoting an eco-friendly message to customers, canvas shoppers can be printed with your logo in order to promote your brand. They also make great gifts for loyal customers and business associates!

So, this Christmas, whether you are a business owner or an enthusiastic late night shopper try and spread the goodwill a little further and replace your plastic bags with a sturdy and reusable canvas shopping bag!

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The History of the Logo

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Dan

Every day we print all sorts of logos onto our textile products for organisations up and down the UK. From schools to churches and one man bands to huge multinational corporations – every last one needs a strong, instantly recognisable brand and it all begins with the logo.

The logo is the visual embodiment of an organisations values and personality, and many have now achieved global recognition. Think MacDonald’s and you will immediately picture those golden arches. Think Disney and you will be transported to those fairy tale towers or think Twitter and you immediately hear the chirps of the little blue bird. Logos are profoundly powerful but how did it all start?

Well we can trace it back to the Ancient Egyptians. If you look at Egyptian writing you will see that their hieroglyphics are all small symbols. They would brand their livestock with these symbols as a mark of ownership. The Ancient Greeks scored logos into their pots when they were being made as a sign of who had made them. Roman coins bore the faces of their emperors and roman shields were marked with the symbols of their legion. The romans would also mark their pottery and craft ware.

These kinds of symbols later become known as hallmarks and were really popularised by medieval craftsman. However, it wasn’t just craftsmen that used logos and symbols during the medieval period but noble families too. Kings began to create coat of arms which were emblazoned on to their shields. A lot could be gleaned from a good coat of arms such as the wealth of the family in question and their status in society.

The onset of the industrial revolution in the 18th Century helped the craze for logos to boom. In the same way that medieval craftsman had done before them, manufacturers wanted to mark their goods so that their work could be easily identified. These manufacturers had a whole host of new machines and inventions, such as the printing press, to help them do this. And so begin the age of advertising and the corporate brand that we are still living in now!

Today all sorts of organisations have a logo such as businesses, schools, charities and churches. The logo or emblem of a company is no longer just about ownership but it also serves as a promotional tool. Many organisations choose to have their logo’s printed on to things like bags and t-shirts etc as a means to increase awareness. If you think that your organisation could be doing more to get its brand out there in the public eye, give us a call and together we can discover the perfect promotional product for your business.

We can print logos onto any of our promotional items. For more information email info@stuartmorris.co.uk.

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What is screen printing?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by Dan

Screen printing is way of printing an image on to a piece of material using a mesh screen, dye and a stencil. It has developed a lot over the years to the point that we now have machines that help with the screen printing process. These machines help us to be more accurate and provide a high quality finish.

So how does screen printing work?

Well in its simplest form you would start the screen printing process with a stencil of the image that you want to print. You then tape your stencil to a wooden framed silk screen. Next, the fabric which is being printed on is laid on to a flat surface. The silk screen is then positioned in such a way that the stencil is exactly where you want the image to be printed. Ink is then “passed” across the stencil using a squeegee. Lastly the image is set using heat. You can build up your image by passing and setting different colours on top of each other.

What’s the history of screen printing?

Screen printing originated in China during the Song Dynasty. They made their screens by stretching hair across a wooden frame and their stencils were made from leaves. The Japanese later developed this technique and instead of hair they used silk to cover their screens and thus the term ‘silk screen printing’ was born. The first patent in regards to silk screen printing was applied for in the early 1900’s but it wasn’t until the First World War that this method was used on any great scale.

Famous screen print art

There are a number of really famous screen print pictures with the most definitive definitely being Warhol’s screen printed depiction of Marilyn Monroe. Other talented screen printers include Arthur Okamura and Rob Ryan whose work you can see below.

Posted in Printing | Tagged printed textiles, screen printing, silk screen printing | Leave a comment

Quick Fundraising Tips

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Dan

Having helped many communities, schools and churches raise money for good causes over the years, we have decided to put together some of our top fundraising tips!

Events:

-Pick a central and accessible venue. You want to encourage as many people to come to your charity event as possible and the venue will usually make or break it.

-Pick a sensible date. Allow yourself plenty of time to prepare and plan everything properly.

-Spend time building relationships with local hoteliers, restaurateurs and retailers. They may be willing to sponsor events or offer venues, services and gifts for free.

-Think of more than one way to raise money on the day. Including a charity auction, a
raffle or some sort of prize draw may just help you to reach your targets a little bit quicker. You could also consider selling promotional products such as tea towels, mugs and aprons to raise awareness and extra cash.

-Make sure that you have all the necessary health and safety procedures in place. Don’t assume that because it is a charity event you are somehow exempt from the law!

-Contact your local press to see if they will do a feature about your event.

Sponsoring:

-Make sure that your sponsor form is clear and that people fill it out fully and accurately.

-Your chosen charity may be able to claim gift aid on the sponsors you receive. Look in to this and make sure that your sponsor form is laid out accordingly.

-Make sure that you know all about your chosen cause. People will sponsor those with passion not those who are just along for the ride.

-Be unique. We have all seen people sit in baths of baked beans and shave their hair off etc. People will sponsor above the odds for something with a bit of imagination.

-Collect sponsors online through sites like JustGiving and Virgin Money Giving.

-Ask your workplace to be your official sponsor. This way they may be able to help cover the costs of your challenge and all the money collected can go to the charity.

-Ask your chosen charity for a t-shirt and wear it when you collect sponsors and on the day of your challenge.

-Always say a big thank you to all of those who sponsor you!

To find out how Stuart Morris can help you in your fundraising email us today at info@stuartmorris.co.uk.

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