They're back!

In the Summer of 2008 I started drawing some of my favourite things- namely a 1960's typewriter and an 1980's SLR camera. The Writer and The Photographer became the designs used for the first prints in the homemade print studio in my parents' garage. Now in the GET A GRIP studio full time, it felt like a nice time to bring the designs back. Exposing screens that weren't made using bits of wood and a staple gun- but using the original acetates I had photocopied in the local post office. Available in the shop for just £6. Cut-Out is back and with a handful of amazing designs in the pipeline for Summer, it's all very exciting.

Flair '09

Thank you to everyone who came to the Light House on Saturday, we had such a lovely day. I'm already looking forward to next year!

big changes ahoy!

Well, we have been busy these last few months so there's alot to catch up on, and there's going to be quite a few big changes happening over the next few weeks and months...

Firstly we are sad to say we will be closing the shop just after Christmas. I have absolutely loved running the shop, but most of you know I also love screen printing, and those who have been in the shop know that I cannot do them both at the same time, and keeping the shop open meant sacrificing print jobs I wanted to do, or meant I was working constantly to keep everything going. Cut-Out is not going anywhere however, I plan on releasing lots of new designs in the new year by our favourite illustrators, the website will still keep going and I will be representing a mini version of the shop in the form of a stall at the Saturday Flea Market at the Custard Factory, and I might show up in a few different shops around here thanks to some of the lovely shopkeepers who have offered me some retail space to help me out. I will still also be sending my lovely stockists in Falmouth and Bristol Cut-Out products too. The Birmingham Bead Shop will be moving to the space in the new year though which is lovely news! So make sure you still come down to stop by and say hello to Kate.

In the meantime I will be focussing on my new business venture GET A GRIP, a waterbased screen printing company which is based behind VAAD gallery in the Custard Factory, printing on commission for bands, artists, promotors, companies and designers. This is something I am really excited about, I will still be keeping the same DIY ethics that Cut-Out stuck by, but I will be able to take on way more orders and use much better equipment. We are offering such good value prices it's unreal, you can check out more about this new project here: www.getagripstudio.com


We hope that the new year will open up lots of new opportunities for GET A GRIP, and Cut-Out and Mouldy Loaf to collaborate once more in a larger retail premises we hope to combine with an open print studio... but we're just waiting for the right space to open up so it might take some time. We're not giving in yet.


In other news I will be selling Cut-Out things at the Lighthouse in Wolverhampton's Festive Flair fayre on 5th December, this was the first fayre I did last year when I 1st stared Cut-Out and it was so much fun I can't wait to go back for mince pies, mulled wine and lots of lovely stalls selling handmad gifts. Following that I will be helping my lovely friends out at Tatty Devine on their stall at Clothes Show Live on the 6th, 7th and 8th December at Birmingham NEC- so if you happen to be going along on one of those days please pop bye and say hi and look at their lovely jewellery!


Well, I think that's you guys up to date! I hope you are all looking forward to a season full of presents, food and joy!

Best wishes

Kay x

Tall Ships and 10,000 students

Lastnight was Student Block Party, 10,000 students from around the UK descended on Digbeth to see the likes of Tinchy Stryder, Chipmunk and Mr Hudson. So we thought we'd join in the party and asked Tall Ships to play in the shop. It was all very loud and a lot of fun, I think pretty much everyone who came in was encouraged to join the band.

AMMO

So Dave, the ridiculously good designer, illustrator and all-round-nice-guy popped round Cut-Out HQ (my house) last week armed with a pile of his new magazine AMMO, which is absolutely jam-packed with amazing illustrators, some whom I am lucky enough to be friends with, some I have had the pleasure of meeting, and some who I had never heard of in my life- but I'm glad I have now!

You can now pick up a copy of AMMO Magazine at the shop, or from their website www.ammomagazine.co.uk priced at £5 each.

Tatty Devine!

Our shop is now a proud stockist of fabulous Tatty Devine jewellery. I am so excited about this! I did a work placement at Tatty over two years ago and absolutely love the label and everyone who works there, it was just so much fun. Wherever I go wearing this stuff I get asked where it is from... well now you can get it direct from me!
Most of the pieces are from the 'Best Of' collection, so it really is all my favourite, and everyone else's favourite pieces. We've got a mix of necklaces, brooches and even cufflinks, with prices from £12-£80.
Each piece has been made at Tatty's London studio, and comes in a presentation box with Tatty tissue paper, a lolly pop and button badge. Awesome!

In the papers

So, Cut-Out is in the press! Thanks to KiosKiosk. I especially love that it was featured in the 'business' section. We know I mean business.

Supersonic Festival

Well, Supersonic was AMAZING! We kept the shop open for the whole time, sank a few beers, saw some great bands and met a billion awesome people. Here's a few choice photos, there are many more on the Shop's Facebook page (found through mine www.facebook.com/cutoutshop).

I've been slack

Matt Reynolds and Dry The River played nearly two weeks ago and I haven't had chance to put photos up on the internet yet! Here's one to get you going, hopefully a recording in YouTube form will be posted one day. Despite a truck crashing or something, and the show being delayed by 2 hours, everyone stuck around and played in the shop, and it was worth it when they did get here! Heather has wrote a lovely little post about it on her website http://www.thisishappening.co.uk/ It's much better than anything I can say about it.

Our next instore will be Luke Leighfield on 1st August and I am really looking forward to it...

Custard Factory Shop

So Cut-Out finally got shit sorted and is now sharing home with Mouldy Loaf in an awesome little shop in the Custard Factory Birmingham. I'm really really chuffed with all the new stuff and the feedback this week has been awesome. I know I've made the right decision to do this. So if you are ever in the area, be sure to pop in an say hello, whether it's hello to me or Neil working there. So here's a couple of photos to entice you...

Ain't no hippy

At Cut-Out we don't preach about the environment and human rights, we do it without thinking. But just to let you know and give you peace of mind, here is how we try and look of after our world in our own little way:

Cut-Out tries to use as little packaging as possible, so you will not receive your items wrapped in tonnes of pointless tissue paper, we have also recently decided to post out items in reusable Degradermail postage bags which are 100% degradable, our labels are 100% recycled card and strung on biodegradable string.

We only print using waterbased inks, mostly used are Permaset Inks which are 100% solvent free, environmentally friendly and even good for the garden when we wash screens out on the grass rather than straight down the drain.

All Cut-Out's own garments are sweatshop free, whether Faritrade Contintental, American Apparel or EarthPositive, and we encourage our clients to use these brands when we print on commission.

Overall Cut-Out is not an 'Eco-label', but rest assured we constantly look out for more environmentally friendly alternatives to make our business just that little bit better for you and us, from cutting down the paper we use when doing our accounts, to reusing and recycling 'found' objects to make into pretty new products in our collections for you to love.

The "Cut-Out wants to sell your designs" T-shirt deal

I am looking for artists and designers who would like their doodlings on T-shirts and sold through Cut-Out (which will be online, in the Custard Factory shop we are moving into, AND in a large concession stand in the centre of Birmingham in the Oasis)

Quite a few people have been interested in this little offer, so here is the final deal

You pay £150 for 30 fairtrade slim fitting jersey continental T-shirts in sizes small/medium/large in either the Women's or Mens style. Cut-Out prints your design onto them and puts them in our two shops and the online shop for about 3 months.

T-shirts are sold at £20 each which we split 50/50 and at the end of the selling you will recieve a cheque for what has sold (which could be up to £300, making you £150 on top of your original investment) and any T-shirts that haven't sold so you can sell them to your friends, online, use them as promotion etc.

The online shop has been getting more and more features on blogs and websites in the UK and worldwide, traffic is constantly on the up and the feedback I have been getting has all been positive. Now the Custard Factory shop and the Oasis concession is going ahead, there promises to be alot of Press attention and alot of exposure we just couldn't buy, so this opportunity is a really good one and I want to help as many awesome designers and illustrators as I can.

Please get intouch if you would like to do this kay@cutoutshop.com

New Necklaces on sale from today

A new edition to the Cut-Out family, these necklaces are handmade from vintage playing cards with a ship illustration on the back so lovely that you could wear the necklace either way round and look just as awesome! 7 cards dangle from a 50cm(ish) thick gold-coloured chain.

Get to the shop right away and snap one up before they all go!
www.cutoutshop.com

Submissions wanted!

I have recently had some awesome news and will be shop-sharing with the mighty Mouldy Loaf at the Custard Factory in Birmingham hopefully by the start of the Summer. I am really excited about this opportunity but at the moment I don't have enough stock to fill a box let alone half a shop, so I have decided to release a "Cut-Out is moving to a shop collection" and I would love to see your designs for paper prints, T-shirts, tote bags and badge sets (and any other ideas you might have). If your design is used in the collection you will get full credit for the design and people looking for designers (I get asked by bands all the time if I know any shit-hot designers) will be passed on to you right away!