Organic Cotton Wraps From Ola

An exciting new product from Ola has landed at Of Cabbages and Kings. These are Organic Cotton Wraps are inspired by the ancient Japanese art of Furoshiki, a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to transport clothes, gifts, or other goods. They make a perfect reusable alternative to paper when wrapping a gift.

Not only are these organic cotton wraps long-lasting making an ideal alternative to throw-away, single-use wrapping paper, as they are tied there is no need for plastic tape and unnecessary plastic waste. The wrap can also become part of the gift, perhaps taking on another life as a pocket square, hair scarf or table napkin. Each wrap measures 500mm x 500mm and is decorated with one of Ola’s unique patterns. The range includes four designs: Turquoise Shapes, Forest Green Lines, Salmon Blocks and Indigo Shapes.

The wraps are made in collaboration with Re-wrap, a social enterprise in India whose aim is to create sustainable livelihoods for rural women. With a philosophy of Re-cycle, Re-claim and Re-invent, they create hand-crafted textile products designed to have a positive impact on people and the environment. Rewrap are part of the World Fair Trade Organisation. Their goods are shipped by sea to minimise impact on the environment and they use Global Organic Textile Standard approved cotton. Organic cotton uses organic farming methods whereby farmers become more climate resilient, reduce carbon emissions and create healthier soil, and healthier people.

If you are unsure on how to tie your cotton wrap, don’t worry, included with each cotton wrap is an instructional gift tag, allowing you to write your recipients name and who it’s from. The tag is removable and can be repositioned wherever you like.

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Three Facts About Pencils

Looking for the perfect stylish pencil to add to your pencil case, or give your office desk a bit of flair. Look no further! Contemporary stationery brand Ola make some of our much loved notebooks and wrapping papers and they have now applied their great eye for design to pencils!

These cleverly designed pencils are colour coded, which makes them easy to recognise when they are stood in the pencil pot. Never reach for the wrong pencil again! We have three grades 3H, HB and 3B and each grade comes in a pack of three. Below we have put some handy facts explaining these three grades and what they are best suited for.

First up we have the 3H. This is the hardest of the collection. Pencils along the H scale stand for hard. This means they have more clay than soft graphite in the core. This gives you a harder pencil which results in a finer, lighter line. The hardness also minimises smudging which makes this pencil great for everyday writing or simple sketching.

Next up is the HB. This trusty pencil is what most people are familiar with. It has equal measure graphite and clay, giving you a middle tone line which is softer than a 2H, but harder than a 2B. The H standing for hard and B standing for bold. An all round pencil, great for everyday writing and sketching.

Lastly we have the 3B. This is the softest of the collection, having more soft graphite than harder clay in the core. This gives you a softer darker line. Great for expressive sketching or shading and will smudge easier, allowing for interesting mark making.

We hope this has inspired you to explore writing and drawing with pencils. Don’t forget if you need a notebook we also have a great selection. Come visit us in our Stoke Newington store or online and find the perfect gift.

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