Blue Sheep Crafts and Gift Shop

16/04/2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQ7k3MuIzXU&ab_channel=ChengduPlus

A decade ago, on a quiet street in Chengdu, China, a handicraft gift shop called "Blue Sheep" was quietly opened by a British old lady named Rachel. Today, R...

12/12/2023

We have great new pictures in the store created by some people with a disability who have recently learnt this new skill. Ge Qiao became quadriplegic after a fall and only learnt to pain 1 year ago.

03/12/2023

Today December 3rd is the International Day for all People who Live with a Disability. Lets celebrate all our friends living with special needs and their families. Because whatever their age, s*x, disability, nationality, ethnicity or abilites, they are all equally deserving of our respect, admiration for endurance, love and help as they adjust to the challenges of their lives.
Sally our sunshine girl, is paralysed from a fall and lives in a wheel chair. However undaunted, she now drives a car and has driven deep into the mountains on a 10 or more days trip, on her own. She is always smiling, cheerful, and a tonic for us all!

27/06/2023

This week these excellent designs came back from the Dali Indigo workshop in Yunnan!

This was following a recent trip that Ray took to visit the artisans in person. Hopefully we will see many more like this in the near future.

bluesheepcrafts.com

17/06/2023

Sally 'the sunshine girl' is a good friend of Blue Sheep. If you hear infectious laughter coming from the shop, then it probably means that Sally is there!

After getting her driver's license, Sally boldly decided to go on the road alone and drive to the city of Litang! She said that on this nine-day journey she saw beautiful scenery, met lovely people, and rediscovered herself.

At 19:00 on Saturday the 1st of July, Sally will share with everyone what she has seen, heard and felt at Blue Sheep, hoping that her experience will also give you the courage to "go crazy".

The activity fee is 39元 per person (includes a delicious ice cream). Scan the QR code of the poster to register.

PS: If you are a person with a disability and have financial difficulties, please let us know when registering.

bluesheepcrafts.com

06/06/2023

Recently Dr. Ray and Blue Sheep's accountant, Kacci, went on a trip to Dali in Yunnan, China to find out how the famous Dali Indigo products are hand-dyed there.

The cloth is painstakingly tied, sewn and clamped before dyeing so that after the dye is applied it produces a huge array of patterns; there are more than a hundred different tying techniques! No matter how many times the cloth is tied, the pattern never comes out the same twice!

My Yung has been making indigo-dyed products for Blue Sheep since 2018. This is a skilled craft and highly sought-after all over China and in other countries also.

Mr Yung has 3 skilled helpers tying the knots. Tying a large cloth like a bedspread or table cloth can take Mr. Yung as long as 3 days. After this he takes it home where his family help with the dyeing. The cloth is dyed in a tub which has to be stirred 2-3 times every day for a week. It is then washed many times and the knots taken out, which also requires a lot of concentration – one small slip can result in a hole in the cloth!

To see the complete range of our Indigo-dyed products contact us or come to the shop in person!

bluesheepcrafts.com/dali_cloth

03/06/2023

01/06/2023

Happy Children's Day!

Here in China this is a special day for kids, but Blue Sheep wishes everyone 节日快乐！After all, none of us can say that we aren't somebody's children...

Why not celebrate by coming to the shop and indulging your inner child with hand-made ice-cream or beautiful and colourfultoys hand-crafted by a range of disadvantaged artisans?

bluesheepcrafts.com

30/05/2023

Nepalese felt products from Student Handicrafts Enterprises are among our fastest selling handicrafts here at Blue Sheep.

As well as being hand-crafted by students and women living in Kathmandu from Nepalese materials, they are also vibrant and playfully designed! It's no wonder that our customers seem to love their products so much! Their product range includes keyrings, bags, toys, slippers and coasters made from felt, and hats, clothing and backpacks made from h**p and cotton.

https://bluesheepcrafts.com/nepalese_producers

15/05/2023

Jewellery from new Tibetan artisan, Maki!

Maki is from a Tibetan area, and has a child in school.
Her husband is struggling to make ends meet as a driver;
he is paid to drive people to mountainous regions sometimes. In order to help to pay for her child's tuition, Maki has started to make these and other items of jewellery by hand.

bluesheepcrafts.com