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Thomas Paints signs
Signwriter moved his business outside and away from a computer
By STAFF REPORTERCRAIGIES FARM at Queensferry have
announced a week-long Easter egg-
stravaganza to egg-cite all the family.
From 3 to 10 April, Easter at Craigies will
be filled with fun, food and farm
adventures. Visitors will find lambs galore,
adorable bunnies, and enjoy a barrel (of
laughs) train ride around the Farm, as well
as great farm-fresh food and spring
specials in the cafés.
In addition to a fun play session at the
Little Farmers adventure park, families can
have a ‘meet & bleat’ with a whole host of
cute animals including lovely lambs,
adorable lop-eared rabbits, and wee
Shetland Ponies.
Children can bottle-feed the lambs and
ride the barrel train round the fields.
Everyone will have to keep their eyes open
for an Easter Bunny or Carly the Carrot on
their way.
John Sinclair of Craigies, said: “As
demand for fun, family-friendly activities
grow, we are excited to be offering these
Easter activities at Craigies Farm. Craigies
and Little Farmers are ideal for a unique
day out for families to have fun and create
lasting memories together. Who wouldn’t
want the chance to bottle-feed an
adorable lamb?”Down on the
farm at Craigies
VIRGIN HOTELS Edinburgh has been declared officially
open by Virgin founder, Sir Richard Branson, although
it has been welcoming guests for almost a year.
It is testament to how important the new Edinburgh
hotel is to the company that he visited for the second
time to perform the official opening.
Last time he was in the capital no building work had
begun, but he seemed pretty pleased with what his
team has created in the Old Town. His links to
Edinburgh go back to his grandmother, and his link to
Scotland is even stronger as his wife was brought up on
Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street. Although the Victoria
Street hotel is the first outside America, the Glasgow
hotel is to be even bigger and is planned to open
later this year.
The still new Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is accessed
through the former India Buildings on Victoria Street,
(or Espionage if you prefer) with parts of the hotel
reaching down into the Cowgate at the rear where
there is also an entrance.In the Cowgate, the all day bar
Eve, named after Sir Richard’s mother who sadly died
during the pandemic two years ago, and the newly
(and beautifully) renovated Greyfriars Hall are situated.Virgin Hotels Edinburgh is now officially open
By PHYLLIS STEPHENTHOMAS PAYNE was a product design student
at Edinburgh College of Art, studying for a BA
Honours and a Masters and now he has a very
successful business sign writing or sign painting
on shop fronts all over the city. His is only one
business in a small community of signwriters in
the city, but from his Instagram account - the well
named @Thomas_Paints - it is easy to see he has
created some of the best known.
He explained: "I was a graphic designer but I
got a bit bored because it was computer based.
"So I wanted to do something tangible with my
hands, otherwise I ended up just sitting at the
computer clicking on the keyboard all day long. It
is difficult for someone who likes to make things."
He set up the business a few years ago. He said:
"It was a hobby at first. My wife gave me paints
and brushes and a book for Christmas about six
years ago. Before we had kids I was able to
practice in the evenings and at weekends. Then I
got a friend to cut me 50 panels and I completed
those 50 signs all loosely based on the them of
positivity by the end of the year.
"Then I staged a sign writing exhibition called
Signs of Appreciation at Gayfield Artists Studios,
and I sold about 90% of those boards. At that
point I had worked in a few design agencies.
People started asking me to design for their
shopfronts and now I think I have completed
about 100 or more."
The business has grown through Instagram and
word of mouth. Thomas admits to being addicted
to taking photos using ladders to get the very best
shot for Instagram.When we met him on Leith
Walk at 5th Season Vintage, he was using the
technique of sign painting a retro style sign for the5th Season Vintage shop owned by Lauranne
Bourgaux and her boyfriend, Kieran Macrury.
The emporium on Haddington Place is now a
groovy throwback selling all kinds of unisex
vintage clothing from the late 1960s to the early
2000s, focusing on quality timeless pieces, but
also rare and unique pieces with a section for
designer clothing. A lot of stock comes from
Belgium, but other sources are top secret!
Until now Lauranne has sold everything online
for the past four years and has done pop upsincluding one on George Street at egg & Co, but
feels that now it is time to put down roots.
Lauranne told us: “It has always been my
dream. My dad had his own business, a CD and
DVD shop for 30 years in Belgium so kind of
grew up behind the counter. I used to play shop
rather than with Barbie dolls.
“It has been difficult with Brexit increasing
shipping costs, but we will stock lots of lovely
vintage clothing, including shoes and accessories,
including cowboy boots.”Thomas Payne
Edinburgh creativeSir Richard Branson with
piper Louise MarshallEuan Cherry