a little break...

HAVE A TEE-RRIFIC CHRISTMAS & A TOASTY NEW YEAR!!!
we are having a little break over the holidays - so please note orders will not be shipped until the 4th January 2009! xxx

hurry - it's almost xmas!!!! arrrghhhh

Just a little reminder that Friday is our last postal date for Uk & Ireland orders on the website.

But if you are about Belfast over the next few days you have another chance to catch us at these events, hope you can make it!
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THURSDAY 18th
Blick Christmas Fair 6.00pm - 10.00pm
51 Malone Road Belfast

Save yourself the trip into town this week and celebrate Christmas at Blick this Thursday with carol singers, mulled wine and mince pies, authentic spanish paella, hot coffee and cocoa!
Support local industry, buy unusual and unique gifts from local designers and artists, with free on street parking and a great festive atmosphere you won't be dissappointed!
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SATURDAY 20th
St George's Saturday Market - Our colourful and funky stall is at is usual spot 9.00am -3.00pm

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SUNDAY 21st
Fashion Souk Design Market at Una Rodden’s city centre boutique on Sun 21st December from 12noon - 7pm; DJ Sofakid will provide laid back beats as shoppers relax into a new kind of retail experience.

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have a tee-rrific christmas & a toasty new year x

TEEANDTOAST AT BLACK MARKET

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TEEANDTOAST AT BLACK MARKET

SUNDAY 14th DEC, BLACK BOX BELFAST

12 - 4pm

Admission is FREE

Black Market is a new monthly event at the Black Box, with stalls manned by some of the finest local independent artists, designers, crafters, jewellers and record labels, alongside bountiful stalls from collectors of records, books and vintage clothing.

Enjoy a laid-back Sunday's hoak through the many vibrant displays for that special gift, or treating yourself to some weird and wonderful surprises from the bric-a-brac stalls. Black Market provides an unique opportunity to view the wares of these talented creatives and avid collectors all under one roof, in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There'll be some sweet and savoury home-baked delights available, with music from special guest DJs throughout the day.

Black Market stalls are provided free of charge, with a voluntary donation to our chosen local charity each month. This month's charity is Women's Aid Belfast.

Join the Black Market facebook group here:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38214185333

Hope to see you there...
www.teeandtoast.com

Ooh my goodness, it's almost Christmas!

Wow! Christmas is almost here again, can you believe it? This is a crazy time of year at teeandtoast HQ - so it would be really nice if you could help us out & avoid total mayhem here. Please order sooner rather than later & that way we will get your presents to you on time. As a little thank-you we are giving 10% off all orders placed before midnight Monday 8th December. Just enter the code: hohoho and apply the changes at checkout.

DON'T MISS THE LAST DATES FOR THE POST...

INTERNATIONAL please order before 10th December

EUROPE please order before 12th December

UK and IRELAND please order before 19th December

LOOK WHAT'S FRESH OUT OF THE TOASTER!!!

Be festive in our new sillybilly, superdooper but not at all woolie, christmas jumper t-shirt...

Wonderful new designs available for little and big kids too!

DINOSAUR TEE... Rwwwwwar... i'm the cutest dino ever.

UNICORN I'M MAGIC TEE... Wow the most magical of t-shirts. This little unicorn thinks it's magic and we do too!

HOOT HOOT OWL TEE... a cute little owl t-shirt designed and hand doodles with love by teeandtoast.

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COME SEE US, we'd love to see you...

ST GEORGE'S CHRISTMAS MARKET - BELFAST

Saturday 6th December 9am - 5pm
Sunday 7th December 10am - 5pm

BLACK MARKET – A new monthly market at the Black Box. Come enjoy a laid-back Sunday afternoon and swig some mulled wine while you hoke through stalls manned by great local artists, alternative crafters, book/record collectors, vintage treasures...
Admission is FREE Sunday 14th December 12 – 4pm

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GIFT VOUCHERS...

What do you do if you have missed the last post or if you can't decide what to get for that special prezzie? Then look no further, teeandtoast gift vouchers are now available. Just choose an amount you want to give and let them choose what they want!

every doggy needs a stripy jumper for xmas!

Lots of doggy owners keep asking when will teeandtoast do doggy t-shirts and hoodies. We'll we are still researching into suppliers and trying to find the perfect tee or hoodie for our doggy fans out there, but during our search we came across these wonderful stripy jumpers - sooooooo teeandtoasty, we couldn't resist. Make sure you get your pup one while you still can - as stock is limited. WOOF!

Stay warm this winter, wear hoodies and eat soup!

Brrrrr.... is it just me or is it beary cold these days?
Well at least it's a good time to make a big pot of soup. I thought i'd share my simple but special recipe for A Winter Bear's Soup to warm you up and keep you cosy! First things first, you need to go shopping - so grab your funky organic string bag and head to the shop or market to get all these yummy ingredients:

(serves 6 hungry bears)

2 large onions
2 garlic cloves
6 parsnips
2 sweet potatoes
1 big pinch of ground nutmeg
1 veggie stockcube
Salt and pepper, to taste
Olive oil

Are you ready - well put a lovely apron on incase it gets messy and lets get cooking... Chop onions and garlic cloves. Peel & chop sweet potatoes. Scrub & slice parsnips. Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil, then add the vegetables, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook for a 5 minutes. Mix the veggie stockcube with about 1L of water and add to the pan. Cover & simmer for about 20 minutes. Once the veggies are tender, then blend the soup or mash till smooth. Remember to check the seasoning!

Our big Mr T pint mugs are great for soup!
So best served the teeandtoasty way in a pint mug with home-made wheaten bread, (well it's mum-made really!) ENJOY :)

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16 creative shop designs for tee-shirt lovers.

yeah!!! paul anthony, a nice guy over at blog.webdistortion.com put us on his list of favourite t-shirt websites! it's nice to feel loved! check out the rest of the blog for some other interwebby top tips!

http://blog.webdistortion.com/

it's chocolate week!

a week of endulgence, a week of being guilt free - could this be the best week ever? yes it's chocolate week. Running from Monday 13th October until Sunday 19th October.

To see what is happening near you visit this website: *www.chocolate-week.com*

In Belfast two of our lovely friends, Oscar from Suki Tea & Deirdre from Co Couture Chocolate are running a fabulous event to mark the week. Both are gold star winners of the 2008 Great Taste Awards and will be celebrating together in an evening of tea & chocolate tasting, including a sampling of limited edition Co Couture / Suki Tea truffles.

venue: MADE IN BELFAST restaurant, Unit 1, Wellington Street Belfast BT1 6HT
Time: 5.45pm to 7.15pm
To book call: 078 8889 9647

*www.CoCouture.com*
*suki-tea.com*

we need a little break :)

lucky us at teeandtoast are taking a little break for a few days. mixing a bit of work with pleasure, we are going on a little road trip around Ireland.

please note: orders on the website can still be placed and will be accepted & processed, however there will be no shipping from

MON 29 SEPT - SAT 5 OCT.


regular shipping of orders will resume on Monday 6 October!

our photo competition winners are...

A big thank you to everyone who sent in their lovely teeandtoast photo's. we couldn't decide on one winner - so we sent a goodie bag off to 3 of our favourites instead. so woohoo congratulations to...

malin ericsson and her holland windmill pic!
sandra clarkson and her happy camper pic!
joy greenhalgh and her perfect cuppa tea at glasto pic!

Hope you enjoyed the goodie bags ladies!!!! xxx

why not check out the collection we have started on Flickr at teeandtoasts happy gallery!

clogged nozzle

Have a nosey at this new art blog called - Clogged Nozzle.

It's great to get some inspiration from the latest arts scene, exhibitions & graffiti from around the world!

If you'd like to get involved or have something you would like them to feature please email Rob at rob@hilken.co.uk with clogged nozzle in the subject line.

http://www.cloggednozzle.com/

a little birdie told me....

I just got a phone call from a friend who is at Electric Picnic with some good news... WOW! - all our Oxfam Ireland t-shirts sold out on the 1st day of the festival. I'M SO HAPPY!!! thanks for all the support! You guys Rock!!! xxx

(oh and a sorry to anyone who wanted one - but didn't get their hands on one - maybe next year!)

teeandtoast.com is 2 today...woohoo!

teeandtoast.com is 2!!!

To help celebrate here's a 10% discount code: 2WOOHOO
simply key it in at the basket page and click on apply
prior to checking out your order.

*Discount code for use until Saturday 6 Sept 2008

Oxfam rocks Electric Picnic 08!

Lucky us at teeandtoast got the chance to design this tee-rrific t-shirt for Oxfam Ireland to sell at this years wonderful boutique festival Electric Picnic 08. After looking at a few of the designs I had doodled for them they choose this illustration of a festival campsite - tipee's and all! It's printed bright oxfam green on a white fairtrade cotton tee, and a limited edition of 50 are only on sale at the Oxfam Ireland festival shop for a super dooper €15!!! wow! So make sure it's your 1st stop at the festival as they aren't going to be around forever!

The Oxfam Ireland Shop will also be kitting revellers out in the required festival chic, funky & fun vintage and costume jewellery! Their campaigns team will also be on hand with lots of activities (fancy customising those wellies?) to keep everyone busy. And as if there wasn’t enough aural goodness floating around Stradbally, they’ll also have an open mic set in-tent with some very special guest performers.

Electric Picnic kicks off on the 29th of August and runs until the 31st.

www.oxfamireland.org
www.electricpicnic.ie

leaving work early....

I left work a little early today :) The sun was shining all day and I knew it wouldn't last forever! So i got all the web orders out, dashed to the post office and headed for a big walk on the local beach - Portstewart Strand! I started off by having a wee paddle - which suddenly became a big wade, but i wasn't brave enough to go for the full dip! All good things come to an end - I'm now back in the studio about to toast away the evening... fingers crossed i can do the same tomorrow!

p.s i didn't build the sandcastle... i just liked it!

Flaming Lips in Belfast!

Last night I went to see wonderful The Flaming Lips who where playing in Belfast as part of the Belsonic Festival. It's my second time seeing the band - who never fail to deliver a magic stage show. Lead singer Wayne Coyne made his famous entrance like a bubble boy - in his big inflatable ball. The show continues with all the things I love... rainbows, colourful confetti, giant party poppers, dancing people on stage in fancy dress & songs that sing about toast!

I know a girl who thinks of ghosts
Shell make ya breakfast
Shell make ya toast
She dont use butter
She dont use cheese
She dont use jelly
Or any of these
She uses vaseline

We also got there early to check out a pair of local boys Oppenheimer who also put on a great show as usual! Keep up the good work :)

99notebooks.com

whilst waiting for the flaming lips to come on stage last night i was handed this note book. it is 35/99 notebooks that are traveling around the world as some kind of a little experiment. my contribution to the book was inspired by the weather - on our way up to belfast we drove through the darkests clouds, deepest puddles and an ocean of rain fell from the sky - so I was dreading that the gig might be a soggy affair... but my lucky raincloud hoody came to the rescue and it was yeah,yeah,yeah A-ok!

http://99notebooks.com

08-08-08 today is world hula hoop day... hurray!

I've been looking forward to this day for a wee while, and now it's finally here. the sun is shining :) so everybody go get a hula hoop and start hooping!

i've been learning my tricks on youtube... check these links out:

how to hula hoop

maybe one day i'll be like this human slinky

http://www.hooping.org/

time for a garden tea party!

YAY! IT'S A SUNNY DAY TODAY HERE AT TEEANDTOAST!

Is there a better way to spend a sunny day than chill-axing in your garden surrounded by teeandtoasty cuteness? lets hope that grumpy raincloud stays away!

check out our lovely peeps on flickr...

all of our wonderful friends wearing their teeandtoast can be viewed on our flickr account... keep sending us your piccies! http://www.flickr.com/photos/teeandtoast/

our latest pics come from one of our best customers, the lovely sandra from birmingham. sandra is enjoying her yummy ice-cream in anglesey wearing her yeah ice-cream tee! & in the other pic sandra tells me the welsh weather was not so good for a spot of camping - but despite the wind & rain - she is still a happy camper! Thank you for the photees sandra :)

new photo comp piccies...

joy in her perfect cuppa tee at glastonbury 08
ronan in teeandtoast at glastonbury 08

sian in grumpy raincloud at T in the park 08

ursula is whaley happy in iceland 08

anorak... making you go outdoors this summer.

laurie my lovely friend from the old university days has launched a company called anorak, an exciting & beautiful range of outdoors products & soft furnishings - perfect for the happy-go-lucky camper. It's never to late to accessorize your campsite - her cute ‘Kissing Animals’ silhouettes might even be the motivation you need to pack up your tent and wander into the countryside! With an exciting range of products for home and outdoors, including sleeping bags, bed linen and picnic blankets. Anorak seeks to blur the boundaries between the outside and the in.

anorak was founded from laurie's love of travel and outdoor living. To keep anorak’s carbon footprint as low as possible and support British industry, all anorak products are designed and manufactured in the UK.
www.anorakonline.co.uk

anorak's adorable kissing rabbits sleeping bag will make you smile even on the rainiest of camping trips... teamed together with our happy camper t-shirt your adventures will be only one thing... SUPER FUN!

Dia duit (hello) to The Wizard: Ireland's 1st skateboard magazine

I love it when unexpected little packages arrive in the post - even better when it's something i think is truly inspiring and full of magic! That's what The Wizard is - Ireland's 1st and only ever skateboard magazine.

My long-time friend Jay is one of the guys behind this super venture and you can tell that not only did the guys put alot of hard work into the mag - that they've loved every (billion) second making it. The photo's are stunning, the words are great banter & it's full of local faces n places!

& in the words of Jay the dordsman "get your copy today, they're selling out like hot soda farls. to be released quarterly, next edition out approx sept/ oct."

I'd say they are in most irish skateshops but if you need to give the guys an email for nearest stockist: thewizardmag@hotmail.com

I've long retired from my pro-ankle spraining days of skateboarding - but maybe this will give me the urge to get my rainbow knee pads out of the cupboard and to hit the concrete streets again... (probably a face plant!) With the chances of Jay snapping up my moves - i might make the next editions cover! LOL

Good luck guys from teeandtoast - but we don't think you need it!

Photo comp time - we want your piccies!

123...awww poor teeandtoast didn't make it to Glastonbury this year, but we know that some of our wonderful t-shirts got the chance to experience festival life. So this summer we are asking you to send us in your pics of you wearing teeandtoast - maybe it will be at a festival, maybe up a mountain or maybe just on your sofa with a cuppa tea. It will be great to see what you guys are up to and to see our t-shirts living life! A super dooper friends of teeandtoast goody bag will send out to our favourites! (winners will be notified by email and in our September newsletter)

competition closes 5 September - but get snapping now!
email your photo's to: hello@teeandtoast.com

p.s Mr Rafferty - I've submitted this pic of you at glastonbury on your behalf :)

A little green pat on the back!

We try to do our best for the environment here at teeandtoast. We pride ourselves on being hype free & not over toasting our garments with packaging and recently we took another small eco step! We have started using biodegradable brown paper tape for all our boxed orders, our t-shirts for some time now have been sent out in biodegradable mailing envelopes & we have stopped buying bubble wrap - instead we collect it from local shops, who would normally just chuck it in the bin! We also use other 2nd hand packaging materials that come our way, so if you receive a parcel with lots of swanky padding - just remember that we are just trying to reuse before recycling and we hope you will too. Our next step is to replace the polystyrene boxes we use for small mugs - but at the minute they are the best way to guarantee that the mugs arrive on your doorstep in one piece! If you know of any other great eco friendly tips or want us to make any other changes to our packaging methods - please let us know. But so far - we think we have done a good job and deserve a nice wee green pat on the back!

Off-One Midsummer's Dream Night

Off-One is certainly one one Belfast's cutest and quirkiest hidden gems. If you haven't already checked out this tiny vintage boutique, that is also the home to local creative talent's and unusual kitsch jewellery, here is the perfect opportunity to do so.

Off-one is having a 'Midsummer's Dream Night' on Friday 27th June from 7:00 pm onwards. This event will introduce new collections from the Designer Maria Tilyard and an extensive range of vintage jewellery. Off-One will also be showcasing innovative pieces from local graduates in fashion, textiles and ceramics. Please come along and enjoy, music in the courtyard, strawberries, chocolate and wine.

Off-One 1b, Jameson Street,
Off Ormeau Road,
Belfast BT7 2GU

Tel: 07513029159
email: info@off-one.co.uk

Open Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 5pm

Curiobot - the best kept secret of all the best kept secrets!

Curiobot is an archive of strange and wonderful products for sale online. They're kind of like a blog, except they're all images... hardly any of this boring text stuff. They scour the internet for fantastic and unusual products and drop them into an explorable database for all to enjoy. Their theory is that ecommerce can actually be a beautiful thing, if you frame it right.

I think it's a wonderful website and teeandtoast was honored to have our MR T mugs on the same site of so many cool products. I've been looking for websites like this for a while & I don't think i will ever be stuck for a prezzie idea again.

Randox Polo Day & Prince's Trust NI

On Saturday I attended my 1st ever Polo game, it was a Charity event held by Randox, with the proceedings going to the good people at the Prince's Trust. When I first set up teeandtoast I was lucky enough to receive a loan from the Prince's Trust, so thats why myself and 4 other fresh, young business' where at the event to showcase the talent that the PT has supported and help to grow. After a lovely meal, the weather took a turn for the very worse & all the guests huddled in the marquee, peeking through the windows at the poor drenched polo players. Despite the weather, the day was still at great success & a perfect opportunity to meet new people. So a big thanks to all the guests who took the time to learn a little bit about teeandtoast and to the Prince's Trust for my new pop-up stand!

the 4 other companies displaying their talent were:
www.simplyrouge.com
www.cargostudios.com
www.petesmythpromotions.co.uk
www.annatheresedesigns.co.uk

what is tee and toast?

teeandtoast is a funky t-shirt brand based on a quirky sense of humour and the ability to make people smile. we also try as best we can as a small business to be ethically responsible and environmentally friendly in sourcing our materials and packaging. we don’t want to sell you a million t-shirts, just a few that you will want, love and wear forever & ever & ever & ever ... something you’ll wear during the fun adventures of your life or to brighten you up on those dull, grey, boring days!

teeandtoast's owner & designer claire, inherited a heat transfer t-shirt press from uncle Joe the fisherman, along with vintage transfers and started making tee’s for her family and friend's. an idea started brewing that it was possible to live the dream of owning and running a creative t-shirt brand/design service and be her own boss.

eventually a hobby became a job and teeandtoast the company was created in april 2005. a company that loves doing its job - designing t-shirts that make you smile! without the encouragement and support of friends, family, Invest NI and the Princes Trust, teeandtoast and claire would have found this an impossible challenge.

we offer unique and independent graphic designs and illustrations on t-shirts which we sell worldwide online at our website, locally at our stall at St George's Market & we wholesale to shops & boutiques across the UK and Ireland. the brand has now expanded beyond just t-shirts, we now offer hoodies, babywear, tea, mugs, teapots, badges, brooches, purses and shopping bags. with more ideas already brewing for the future.

we also offer a bespoke design service - with exclusive designs for independents, small business, groups/clubs and big corporate clients. our client list includes:

- belfast festival at Queen's
- channel 4: ink bites creative factory
- lush! at kellys nightclub in portrush
- roast coffee co, belfast
- belfast oxjam festival
- belfast soul club
- cream the coffee shop, belfast
- university of ulster surf club
- totally mojo, belfast
- the prince's trust
- oxfam ireland

most t-shirts for events and occasions are only used for short length of time, at tee and toast we try to design t-shirts to outlive the event. if they are designed well they will not just be used just once as promotion material but will become part of some-ones wardrobe for years to come.

so if you ever need t-shirts for an event or occasion - no matter how big or small - please get in touch: doodles@teeandtoast.com

likewise if you know a shop or boutique that would be our cuppa tee, please contact: wholesale@teeandtoast.com

St George's Market Belfast

In May we celebrated our 1st year at our lovely stall at St George's Saturday Market in Belfast. We love spending our Saturday's there, the buzz of local people mixing with tourists, the kaleidoscope of colour and vibrancy of all the different foods. You really should make the visit! If not for our wonderful t-shirts and hand doodled goodies, there is sure to be something of interest. Some of the best kept secrets of belfast are there...

- Belfast pasta, a bowl of warm goodness is perfect for the chilly & windy days.
- Steve's canvas artworks are super!
- Suki tea is the best brew in Belfast!
- Jean Claude has colourful & wonderful kids toys
- It's also the best place for organic veggies, cakes and mmmmmmm...mexican food :)

Pop on by and say hello - we always love to have a wee chat... 9 til 2.30 every Saturday.