FTLOTN Blog

We absolutely love where we live and if we're honest we definitely think some of the best places to visit during summer are right here on our very own doorstep. We’re starting a new series where we go through different locations within the North East and tell you all there is to do there. So whether you’re a local or a visitor looking for a weekend trip away, here’s some tips on what to do and where to go - starting with: Tynemouth!

I don’t know about you, but when I think of England one of the first things that comes to mind are our castles surrounded by stunning countryside views. We may be a small island, but we’re rich in history...the kings and queens of our past, the battles they fought, it’s all encapsulated in our fairytale-like castles and fearsome fortresses...

We work with a huge range of talented artists here at For The Love of The North, one of them being Sarah Farooqi. We’ve worked with Sarah on many occasions and she’s produced some of our most popular pieces. She has a very intricate style of work which both ourselves and our customers love.

We love to support independents and actively ensure that wherever we go either on a day out or a little escape we are giving something to them, even if it is 'Just A Card'. There are so many wonderful small independent’s out there so let’s have a look at a few of our favourites...

Thanks to three Lockdowns, gyms and workplaces being shut and insatiable boredom, I've spent the last year scavenging Whitley Bay for new Lockdown-friendly hobbies. It all started with long dog walks-turned-hikes and finished with open water swimming. But now that we FINALLY see an end in sight, I've been trying out some more out-of-the-box activities...

 

It’s the morning after my latest trip in the caravan and feel the need to write it now as I’m a bit war weary but in a warm fuzzy way.  To say the weather was wild would be an understatement.  Over the 2 nights I’d be lucky to have got 8 hours sleep...

If you want to do Dad's Day locally this year, we've got a list of our favourite small businesses in the North East. 

From shaving creams to house plants, we've got you covered this Father's Day. 

We’re a family of four living in Whitley Bay; I’m Mum (Claire), married to Phil and we have two children who are five and seven.  Bay and Beyond was created to share our family adventures and showcase the places we enjoy visiting in the area and beyond.  As a family we love a good road trip; jumping in the car with a boot load of snacks and kids clothes for every eventuality! After a year of very few road trips we were so excited to be able to visit Stockeld Park near Wetherby.

Whitley Bay is increasingly celebrated as a home to independent businesses and there has been a surge in support for these businesses as they begin to re-open their doors.

Both of us love Corbridge. It’s always been one of a favourite places to enjoy a day out and indeed our very first blog post was about the village. It’s a very special village in such beautiful surroundings. It has a wonderful array of vibrant independent businesses and we would never have dreamt a few years ago that we would be joining these fabulous independents. 

An exclusive chat with the best interior designer in the North, the talented Julie Chambers! Whether you're interested in interiors or not, this is an excellent read that offers insight into the behind-the-scenes of interior design.

The countdown’s been on since my last trip away in November 2020 and I’ve finally been allowed to take the hand brake off my caravan.  Don’t know about you but if I haven’t done something for a while I can get a bit anxious about all the possible bad things that could happen. So this time I really worked on not catastrophizing and I actually had a good nights sleep before my trip away. Then it’s just going through my little mental checklist of all the things that need to be done before it’s ok to pull the caravan out of the safety of storage.

Now our stock has grown to include artists from Yorkshire and beyond, it can be rather tricky to find what you're looking for. We wanted to give you a little helping hand with your For the Love of the North shopping by shortlisting some of our favourite prints inspired by North Tyneside's coastline. 

We care about sustainability at For the Love of the North. When we noticed our online orders were increasing rapidly in March 2020 we realised we had to update our packaging to make it more sustainable. Read our latest blog to find out how we wrap all of your orders and get them ready to post.

The first official day out in 2021! Join me for this week's blog where I'm visiting the beautiful seaside town, Seahouses.

Our team of For the Love of the North artists is constantly growing, take a look further into the amazing work of Kate Miller who uses techniques of linocut, monotype and collage to create her revolutionary designs.