About us
Bonker*s Clutterbucks are a husband and wife team who are passionate about making dioramas within old crates, cigar boxes, small pastille tins and glass cloches which they enjoy sourcing out from antique shops, flea markets and brocantes. They love objects with integrity, that bare the marks of time, patinas that tells a story. They are passionate about whimsical modes of transport, 3D hot air balloons travelling fairs, circuses, nostalgic notions of exploration and adventure, enchanted forests, period costume, fables, folklore and storytelling. They work mainly in card, collaging vintage paper to create exquisite spaces, enchanted 3D scenes inhabited by anthropomorphic animals such as hares and crows in period dress. Their work is intricate and requires meticulous cutting with a scalpel and delicate construction to introduce the lovely combinations of pattern, music score, textile print and text into each piece.
Inspirations include the work of Edward Gorey, Joseph Cornell, William Blake, Fornasetti and inventor Blair Somerville.
They hope to work increasingly with painted wood, Papier-mâché, cotton pulp, moulds and resins this year to explore new techniques and to see which direction this takes their work.
As well as exhibiting work at maker’s fairs and art galleries, Bonker*s Clutterbucks run craft workshops for all ages and abilities and regularly work with schools, youth groups and community art groups. They have undertaken several ACE funded projects in Lancashire working with industry, exploring and promoting heritage and mentoring project apprentices. While much of their work is delicate and intricately assembled, in recent years they have increasingly been involved in projects to build large scale art installations. They have worked together with school children and art for health groups, to create giant sets at outside festivals.
They also enjoy sourcing objects of interest which we collect and sell at artisan fairs.
Their name reflects our eclectic passion for all things nonsense….the second half also just happens to be an old family name!
Bonker*s Clutterbucks are made up of Peter and Kate, our lovely daughters Florrie 13 & Heidi 11, a lovable Lakeland terrier Coco Merrytail and Bedlington called Beanie-White-Fang. We live, work and play in an old corn warehouse in Rossendale, Lancashire. Peter has a fine art painting background while Kate studied woven textile and fashion design. We met in 1992 at Winchester School of Art and have collaborated on art, house renovations and sourcing furniture and objects of interest ever since. We are Bonker*s about art, design, antiques, animation, mexicana, family life, countryside, walking, travelling, camping and campfire tales. We eat, sleep, breath art and design and have a wealth of source material, art books, periodicals and design magazines. We are also both keen photographers and have an extensive library of photographs. Over the last couple of years we have collaborated on box piece dioramas and also created 3D card modelling kits which incorporate models, a selection of freestanding characters and the suggestion of an adventure.
Team Bonker*s!
Bonker*s Clutterbucks 
Hello Bonkers –
I’m Dave Rothwell and I live a few streets away in Warwick Street off Bury Road.
My Lass bought something off your stall yesterday at Helmshore and my wife works in the office at the museum.
Anyway the reason I am mailing is just to give you a little recent history on the house you live in in New Street.
In the 1960’s where you have a window was a garage door and inside was Clifford Shutts motor cycle repair garage. It was all one room with a motorcycle stand in the middle where jack Isherwood spent all day repairing the Honda’s from Japan which were a new thing in the country.
Cliiford Shutt had a motorcycle showroom for many years in what is now the Haslingden Booze shop. I used to spend many a Saturday standing at the garage door watching Jack mend the bikes with my friend who lived at 5 New Street. We wern’t often allowed in the garage as Jack had some racy naughty ladies pictures on the wall !!
At the back of the room was a hole in the ceiling with a kind of loft ladder to the next floor.
Since then the house was a fishing tackle shop at one time and In the 60’s I think it was also full of slot machines and Juke boxes for repair at one time.
So there we are – I like collecting old space related toys and things – Dan Dare etc, you will know the stuff,
Kind regards,
Dave Rothwell
Hi Peter and Kate. Andrew Holland was telling me what you’re up to and that you had a website. It looks great and I hope things really take off with BC! All the best, Bob
Thanks Bob, hope all’s well with you too. Best wishes Kate & Peter
Hi Peter and Kate. This looks marvellous. It’s a lovely thing for you both to be doing. Well done. And good luck with it.
Thanks Helen!
Your craft items are absolutely adorable! I organise Quirky Craft fairs (Poulton & Wesham mainly) to raise funds for SeeSaws which provides inclusive activities for disabled children and their siblings and supports their parent carers.
I would LOVE it if you would consider attending one of our fairs with your products in the future!
Please let me know if you’d be interested and thanks for your time 😀
Hi Tina, Thank you for your sweet message. Yes! Providing we’re not already tied up we’d be very interested in taking part in one of your fairs for such a good cause. We are committed to doing a few regular markets but are always open to new fairs so do let us know any dates. Many thanks for the lovely invite it means a lot! Bonkers Clutterbucks 🙂
Thanks for your reply, if you email me at quirkycrafts@live.co.uk I can send you some information on dates 🙂
Hi there,
I just wanted to let you know that I have featured you on Cuteable today – I found you via the UK Handmade Christmas Showcase 🙂
Have a good day
Lynsey x
http://www.cuteable.com/
P.S. I’m just down the road from you in Burnley 🙂
Hi Peter
Good to see how successful you all are with your business! Some great projects and crafts/artwork there!
Best wishes from your old work colleague, Christine
Hi Christine, how are you? I often think about the old gang! Thanks for your lovely comment 🙂 Peter