PRZOOM - /newswire/ - Southsea, Hampshire, United Kingdom, 2012/03/27 - Alison Gardiner, British designer and illustrator, new Little Houses of Britain collection had been Highly Commended in 2012 Gift of the Year Awards - AlisonGardiner.co.uk.

The UK’s Giftware Association has just unveiled the list of winners of its prestigious annual Gift of the Year Awards revealing that Portsmouth based designer and illustrator, Alison Gardiner has been Highly Commended in the 2012 competition.

Alison Gardiner’s Little Houses of Britain have been selected in the Collect It category that focuses on products that are a unique piece or part of a range, that would be considered a collectable. Gift of the Year Awards are only given to the latest most original and innovatively designed giftware products. However, entrants also have to demonstrate that the product is commercially viable.

Little Houses of Britain are hand cast fine bone china shaped houses which are then hand decorated to create a wide variety of quintessential British buildings. The introductory collection has five designs. Later this year many more designs will be launched.

Each house comes in its own miniature Alison Gardiner Shop. Little Houses of Britain are lovingly hand built in Staffordshire, the home of Fine bone China. Every piece is beautifully illustrated in Alison’s quirky and charming style.

Alison says:
“I was thrilled to do so well the first time I entered the Gift of the Year awards. As well as achieving “Highly Commended” for the Little Houses of Britain, I was also short listed for my Diamond Jubilee Mug and Teapot. The judges for this award are seasoned shop buyers who have all seen it before. It was great that they thought the Little Houses of Britain stood out in such a competitive field.”

Alison continues:
“When I created the Little Houses of Britain I was looking for a way to combine interest in our built heritage with British craftsmanship; also I wanted to produce something which would become a collectible product. Inspiration came from a series of mugs I have created for the National Trust which is now approaching 50 designs. Through this series, I discovered that products with my illustrations of buildings are collected.”

According to Isabel Martinson, chief executive of The Giftware Association, judging the winners and highly commended products in each category was extremely difficult:

“Now in their 32nd year, the 2011 Awards have again attracted an enormous number of entries. We were inundated with new, exciting products all bidding to capture the judges’ attention and be crowned as this year’s must-have Christmas gift! Congratulations to Alison Gardiners on this fantastic achievement.”

Agency / Source: Alison Gardiner Designs Ltd

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