CGB is for Cool Glassware Buddy!

Another box-ticker from the Gift Fair at the NEC, and we're looking at glass animals from CGB Giftware, who are clearly some kind of marketing outfit for a cooperative of smaller, artisan makers, with at least two brands visible, Jasmine and Fox Fern.

 

Some of these are so clever, you have to work very fast, with molten glass, to get the techniques to work, and while there's an element of once you've designed one, you can reproduce it quicker and quicker, the nature of artists is that they will constantly have new ideas, so they are always trying new things, I love the giraffe with the bent neck, these two kerthunkersaurs, and, the ducks must be incredibly hard to get 'right'?

E is for East of India

Another non-toy company whose products had a bit of a Christmassy vibe, also shot at the Birmingham gift fair, but crafty fun, and no polymer in sight, bar a few rabbit-sized, dungaree-buttons!

 

There's something of the primative votive about these.

 

Cake decorations?

 

Felt tree-hangers.

 

There were several displays of 'The Boos'

 

Nativity figures, so generic, you can't tell which is Mary or Joseph?

 

Boos . . .

 

Animals . . .

 

. . . and more Boos!

CBC is for Church Bought Chochkes

It's stretching it a bit, but there you go! Shot back in February at Birmingham, here's an outfit who's own website make it quite clear they only supply gift shops and the ecclesiastical community, wholesale, rather than having any kind of ambitions to retail enterprise, and as they've been going since 1950, it's obviously worked for them.

 

Mostly Advent stuff, so relevant now, there are a few more general religious themes in among them, like the smaller metal items near the end of the post.

 

Wooden sets for kids.

 

Matt-painted bisque.

 

Fuller sets.

 

Stables.

 

Nativity trios!

 

Other religious iconography, including Easter.

 

Mary's and Jesus's, and some priests/monks - St. Peter?

 

That's it really - CBC Distribution; box ticked, and in the tag list!

 

Company webpage; https://www.cbcdistributors.co.uk/ 

T is for Two - Davies & Langs

Here are a couple of companies formed in the nineteen-forties, so both in their 80th decade, and perhaps set-up with the post-war grants or ex-service gratuities, which were available at the time, and led to several toy companies being formed in the same era? Both shot at the 2025 Gift Fair in Birmingham's NEC, back in February. 

 

I don't suppose Davies Products started (1947) with much poured resin, but that's one of the materials they are carrying now, Davies are an importer specialising in Christmas decorations, and work closely with The Garden Centre Association, where you will find piles of this stuff at the moment.

 

And we're looking at the perennial favourites, nutcrackers, in three styles and another of this year's clear trends - retro' pulp-rockets and/or/with deform NASA astronauts, that's about eight, or ten times they've been on the Blog since this time last year, and there's more in the queue!

 

While Richard Lang ('Langs', established in 1949) describe themselves as "Wholesale Gift & Home Decor Suppliers", so I don't know where these glass ornaments actually came from, but they are very well done, and would make good cake decorations, now the chalkware and plastic ones have all but disappeared? The shot's not brilliant, but unknown to me the camera's lens was probably already failing, by February?

S is for Sifcon International / SiL Interiors . . .

. . . and Temerity Jones, and if there really is someone called Temerity, I hope they punished their parents somehow! Another stand which caught my eye at Birmingham, back in February, was the Sifcon International / SiL Interiors / Temerity Jones stand, which was more about cats, than anything else, but cats, or big cats, as tree-hangers, and nutcracker tree-hangers at that, were an absolute for getting the camera out!

 

They appear to be pressed copper or, more likely brass-sheet (although they could just be edged-card?), litho-printed with a Victorian or early Edwardian'esque artwork, which is then given a deep domed lacquer effect coating, which looks like clear enamel glaze, but is probably a two-part epoxy polymer. Available as standees in two sizes, along with smaller tree-hangers, there were domestic animals, and four of the 'big five' wild animals - no elephant!

 

The nutcracker designs - as you can see - are carried over to soft furnishing, cheeseboards, bottle gift-boxes, jars, mugs, and no doubt, if they prove successful, other items of interior decor? Sadly I haven't seen them about, as I'd get both the smaller cats, for the tree!

G is for Gardiner, Alison Gardiner

Another one shot in passing, back in February, at the NEC gift fair in Birmingham, these were both on the Alison Gardiner (who specialises in advent calenders) stand, but may both be imported from Coppenrath, (since 1768!) in Germany?

 

Nutcracker soldier tree-hangers.

 

Victoriana'esque nativity scene.

S is for Shuedhill

Shot at the Gift hair in February at Birmingham's NEC, what i liked about these was the traditional styling of the larger baubles, and the blown-glass trees, and for someone pushed for space in a bedsit, or student accommodation, putting one of these on a shelf, or the top of the mini-fridge, will bring a bit of Christmas cheer in a small space!

 

Shudehill - what's not to like? Probably the price!

M is for Meet Stiggy the Coo!

Mentioning both Highland Cattle and the Spring fair, as I was in the previous post, how about a bit of high-art! This sculpture was just on display, and while not promoting a business, one assumes the Artist - Meg Hawkins - was hoping for a corporate commission or two, from all the rep's wandering around?

 

He's actually Stiggy the Half-Coo, as his hindquarters are hidden in the boxed RSJ, and I forgot to take a close-up of his story, well, I didn't actually notice it until I was cropping the image, five minutes ago! But, he's figural, and I thought he was rather nice!
 

T is for Tilnar Art

Something completely different now, chunky 'arty' aluminium, but we don't get many chances to get the Aluminium Tag dusted off, so it's overdue! I saw these Tilnar Art products, at the Spring Fair in Birmingham, back in early February, and loved the fact that they had the same deep, metallic lustre as those Jada figures I like, so here they are!

 

Various products, including dinosaurs and penguins.

 

Longhorn Cattle, or not so shaggy Highlanders!

 

Deer.

 

Also drilled for keychains.

 

Love these, deep, almost glassy-red Elephants, in various sizes!

 

Art Deco'esque Elephants!

A blue family of the other design, just visible in the background. 

 

Puffins.

 

relief-flat Angels.

 

I had a chat with the chap behind Tilnar, and it seems to be pretty-much a one-man band, although there were staff, so a growing enterprise, and by using recycled aluminium, helping to try and save the planet!

Obviously aimed at the gift and tourist markets, expect to find them in little bijou boutiques about the place, or gift-shops, while on your travels.

NW1 is for Novelties, Wot-wot!

Heay, there's no rule which states your titles HAVE to make sense! This (NW1) was a new name at this year's Birmingham Gift Fair, back in February, presumably named after the postcode of the location of their warehouse or offices?

 

Most of what they carried was really kitsch, really shite, or way outside the vague parameters of both this Blog and/or my/your collection/s to be worth photographing, but as an addendum to the tourist stuff of Elgate, a reminder that other brands make, or import this ephemeral stuff!

 

Fridge magnets, the guard would go in the novelty collection if I found him, cheap, and I'm sure there must be both London Bus and Telephone Box collectors out there! And there was an 'architectural miniatures' Blog, probably still is, in the Blog list, but it hasn't posted anything, since some-time before the Pandemic?

 

Poured resins, possibly from two sources, and very similar to some of the Elgate stuff, but not quite the same, and one converted to a bottle opener, note the card 'craft' stuff behind, and more expensive laser-enhanced glass lump of keepsake, to the right.