Shibumi Living

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Shibumi Living

Curated collection of artisan lifestyle & homeware goods curated by Artist & Interior Stylist, Karen Stephens.

Vintage & handmade ceramics, original art, natural skincare. Shop online & in person at my studio events & selected artisan markets.

07/06/2026

Thanks to everyone that braved the awful weather yesterday and dropped by to say hi or have a mooch at my stand at the Vintage Fair on York Road.

A lot of work goes into prepping for an event and it’s soul destroying when the weather throws a spanner in the works and prevents it from realising its true potential. Thank goodness we were under cover! 🎪

So I just wanted to say thanks to those of you who stopped by to have a mooch or make a purchase. As is always the case with vintage, there were some interesting conversations to be had throughout the day too!

Thanks also to for hosting and to the two young musicians who lifted the atmosphere despite the rain.

Here is a pic taken whilst designing my set up in my studio last week. If anything catches your eye, please get in touch x

01/06/2026

T I M E S T E A L E R S

The thing I love most about antique and vintage pieces is their hidden stories.

The visual appeal of a carefully selected piece is only part of its charm. The puzzle of trying to piece together its’ backstory is also very alluring.

Yesterday I spent the whole day researching this fabulous terracotta portrait bust of the British actress Virginia McKenna. Fortunately she still has the original exhibition label attached to her base, detailing the name and address of the artist & the original price. The label indicated she was exhibited at the Mall Galleries in London, probably in the early 70s - taking into account the price, the typography of the label and the prominence of McKenna at this time.

Further digging revealed the artist to be a prominent figure in the Society of Portrait Sculptors from 1968–1980, thus tying in with the suggested timeframe.

But what happened to this piece in between the exhibition and her landing with me? Will I be able to fully trace her journey through time? I feel compelled to try and piece together her history.

Ultimately the mystique of an unknown past is what makes antique pieces like this such intriguing and interesting additions to an interior. As human beings, we love stories and introducing a few antique or vintage pieces are a great way to bring an element of storytelling into your home. Especially pieces which are evocative of the human touch such as artwork or handcrafted items.

The most interesting homes are full of things which have been gathered, collected and have evolved over time. Just like a story unfolding.

30/05/2026

I’m opening the doors to the studio today 12-3pm - a great opportunity to explore my latest curation of art, lifestyle and vintage.

So many unique pieces to fall in love with 🤍

If you fancy popping in, comment below or DM for details.

28/05/2026

At last it feels like Summer 🤍

Handmade bunting plates available online…each is unique. Elevate your al fresco dining or hang on the wall as a unique piece of art.

If you’re like me and prefer to shop IRL, & you’re local to Bournville, then pop into my Studio event this Saturday where you can shop these and other unique pieces in my tranquil lakeside workspace.Comment below or DM for details.

Karen x

27/05/2026

✨ S h I b u m i S t u d i o S a t u r d a y s ✨

Lots of you have been asking at fairs if I have a shop you can visit. I don’t have a retail space but I do have a beautiful studio situated in George Cadbury’s former home in beautiful Bournville.

This is a lovely tranquil space where I showcase my work and collections as well as prepare for events and pop ups. I love to share my latest curations with you and the studio is the perfect place to do that, as you can shop my full curation here, as opposed to the edited version I bring to markets.

I shall be opening the studio up this Saturday for a few hours for anyone that would like to come and have a mooch.

Drop me a comment below if you’d like to come along and I’ll message you with all the details.

19/05/2026

The beauty of vintage is that every piece has a story to tell.

Layers of history, the trace of touch and lives lived, hidden pasts unfolding into the present, tumbling through time from one custodian to the next.

It was such a joy to be part of the Vintage Fayre at The Fold on Sunday. I love seeing people wandering around with new found treasures tucked under their arms and sharing stories of the pieces from my collection & seeing them off to their new homes.

There are still some lovely pieces available so if you see something you like, drop me a DM and I can send you more details 💫

16/05/2026

What exactly is involved in prepping for an event?

Many people don’t realise how much work goes on behind the scenes in getting ready to stand at an event.

So here’s an insight into what I’ve been doing this week in preparation for tomorrow’s wonderful Vintage Fayre at :

~ sorting and pricing my carefully sourced vintage treasures
~ designing my display (every market set up is different) Sometimes it slots together quite easily, while others take a bit more work bringing it together, but I have to be happy with it. Is it easy on the eye? Do the objects or products compliment each other? Does it tell a story?
~ I decided to make a little skirt for my rustic bench by hand sewing an off cut of linen fabric to hide the bit where I keep my card machine and ‘admin’ box- it’s all about the attention to detail.
~ ensuring I have cover for my son and the dog as it’s a long day of work and a big set up so I’ve enlisted the help of my husband!
~making sure I’ve got enough paper bags and tissue paper to wrap delicate items
~ this morning will be spent carefully boxing everything up and loading the van so everything arrives safely (it’s like a jigsaw puzzle, everything has its place)

Tomorrow will be a super early start, walking the dog at the crack of dawn ready to leave at 6:45am, followed by a 45 minute drive and a two hour set up. Thank goodness this one’s fairly local - sometimes it’s a much longer drive.

Hopefully this gives you a little insight into just some of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes when prepping for an event... It’s never just one day. Then there’s all the time spent making/sourcing too.

It’s all so worth it when we are underway and engaging in conversation with fellow traders and our lovely customers, and of course we appreciate each and every sale and interaction 💫

So do come along and join us tomorrow. This is one of my favourite events & come 10am the large covered barn will be bursting with vintage treasure. There’s a great organic café on site too and dogs are also welcome. What a perfect combination 👌🏼

02/05/2026

At today with for the fabulous Artisan Market.

It’s a glorious day…come join us! Here until 5pm 🌞

22/04/2026

Little did I know what was about to unfold just after this moment…

A year ago two things happened within a few weeks of each other which completely sidelined me away from the business.

Our lively young labrador had a traumatic accident, moments after this video was taken. We were on holiday in the Highlands and he took a terrible fall from height, severely fracturing his right front leg at the wrist joint. He needed emergency treatment and scans in the following days and then we had to cut the holiday short and travel the ten hour journey home so he could undergo major surgery. Therein followed months of very slow and careful recovery which required round the clock supervision and care.

Around the same time my son was diagnosed with dyslexia, which whilst not traumatic like the dog drama, still required time and patience as we navigated our way along this new journey.

For me, there was no option but to put work firmly on the back burner as I threw myself into nurturing my family. I just could not focus on anything other than making sure my boys were ok.

Throw menopausal brain fog into the mix & there was little headspace for anything else. I was in survival mode.

Why am I sharing this? I guess it follows on from my last post about feeling like a failure unless you’re doing ALL of the things ALL of the time. Sometimes life requires us to take a step back.

We need to learn to allow ourselves these quieter moments, to relieve some of the pressure on our headspace when things feel heavy.

Social media places huge demands on our time so we need to lean into what feels natural for us in order to make it as easy as possible. I’m starting to learn to follow my instincts and tread my own path here. Doing what feels right for me.

(And that’s why you will never see me on here talking to camera holding a tiny microphone 😂)

So what have I learnt from this ?

Sometimes you feel you just need the world to slow down so you can come up for air before moving forward again. That’s ok.

>DON’T get hung up on what everyone else is doing.

>DON’T feel the pressure to be on here.

>DO what feels right for you.

We are all human after all. And that is enough 🙏🏻

Address

Bournville
Birmingham

Website

http://www.shibumiliving.co.uk/, https://www.shibumiliving.co.uk/collections/open-studio-days

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