News

Here in Devon, people go mad for New Years Eve. In Exmouth, hoards of revellers in fancy dress swarm the streets, going from pub to pub and teaming up in unlikely combinations - It’s not unusual to see Snow White snogging a giant hot dog come midnight, and New Years Day reveals a surreal aftermath of lost costume props, glitter confetti and kebab boxes littering the strand. For most of us, New Years Eve becomes a little more tame once the family comes along, even in Exmouth. Quiet family nights in can be a blessed relief after a hectic Christmas,...

Ah, Christmas - that season of goodwill and family festivities, a time for togetherness and warmth, joy on every face and a carol in every heart. That is, unless you have teenagers. Now that the kids are older, Christmas doesn’t quite spark the enthusiasm it once did in the Close household. Gone are the days of excited 6am faces, adorable nativity plays and Christmas lists full of toys. There are upsides of course - gone too the endless festive craft projects trailing glitter and the compulsory visit to a grotty grotto at the local shopping centre. These days Christmas lists...

Home made gifts. They’re a bit of a minefield aren’t they? The fantasy is that you’ll give beautifully presented home-made delights to an appreciative recipient, all whilst waxing lyrical about how dreadfully consumerist Christmas has become and pointing out that your gift is free of plastic packaging and palm oil. The reality is often that you invest a small fortune on “craft materials” and ingredients only to find yourself losing your whole weekend producing a hot mess and a new crop of glue gun burns. “But you’re designer makers” I hear you cry, “surely all your creative output is welcomed...

This month marks the start of an exciting new era for So Close Studio. Some of you know that our lovely little East Devon home is attached to the studio where we design and print all of our products. We love the very short commute, the amazing town centre location and the charm of our cob walled house, parts of which date back to 1875. The plot has a great history, having been a dairy yard until the middle of the 20th Century. Our landlord John showed us the places on the yard wall where the daily bumping of the horse...

  From Boardmasters in Newquay to TRNSMT in Glasgow, summer in the UK means music festivals! Cue mile long queues for portaloos, extortionate prices for wellies and water, and some seriously NSFW fashion choices.  Also cue families up and down the land planning trips with the kids to get some culture and family time at one of these glorious occasions. In the So Close household, we’re the first to value a bit of a tech detox during family holidays, but we also know that facing the prospect of lost kids, awkward set times and unpredictable weather without the help of...