Good morning everyone!  If you recall, when we last met I told you about ‘bespoogling’ and invited suggestions as to what my made-up word ‘bespoogle’ might mean.  Amy from Kent was the first to hit the nail on the head when she defined ‘bespoogle’ as being a combination of the word ‘bespoke’ and ‘google’. As in, ‘bespoogle’ : Verb, to use a search engine to find hand-made items.  Congratulations Amy!  A copy of Wedding Details by Mary Norden, which is packed full of lovely ideas about how to add personal touches to your wedding day, will soon be making its way to you. Something nice will also soon be winging its way to runner-up Laura.

Once you start bespoogling, it’s hard to stop because there’s such a rich seam of talented people out there who are able to design and craft unique wedding wares. Now I guess that some of you might be thinking that the word bespoke doesn’t sit easily with the word economic.  Or frugal.  Or budget.  I can see where you’re coming from.  And you’ve got a point: the average wedding budget might be stretched at the seams if you were to commission a bespoke wedding mahogany keepsake chest, inlaid with your initials and marriage date in roman numerals from a workshop such as Wheathills in Derby.

Wheathills does sit at the luxury end of the market: Just look at the exquisite marquetry on the inside of the lid! It really is the work of a mastercraftsperson who will have spent a lifetime honing his or her skills. And, if you were to commission a box, you would be provided with a special logon to the Wheathills site which would enable you to watch video clips of your box been created by one such craftsman. All I can say is wow many times over!

But bespoke isn’t just about top-end luxury items, it’s also about the service offered by many of the very talented small-scale craftspeople who are able to personalise their goods without a huge cost being incurred.  And on Wednesday morning, I’m going to introduce you to one such craftsperson – so same time, same place!