About
Little Orchard is the online home of Anknel and Burblets and Lotte Franklin products.
Everything you see here, including
the web site, is handmade by me.
I wanted to create a space
where the products of all my different disciplines could me made available - to more people than
simply friends and family. I enjoy making a range of things - from textiles, to photography to natural skincare.
The shop is updated as and when I make new batches of things - although I like to keep a fairly constant supply of skincare.
Do check back every now and again though for the latest prints, photos, bags and clothes.
Charlotte Franklin - Auckland, 2007
Skincare
The idea of marrying precious gems and natural skincare to create something
with a little bit of magic was born over the new millennium in Cornwall.
Based around the wisdom and traditions of ancient civilizations the
idea has been pondered, worked upon, studied, expanded - but always
stayed true to the original which has been close to eight years in
the making.
I trained at Regent’s Park College in London in 2006 as an aromatherapist
using the principles of oriental medicine. My teachers included Gabriel
Mojay, whose book Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit is used as a textbook
in aromatherapy colleges around the world. I studied chemistry in Provence
with Rhiannon Harris, one of the world leaders in her field. It was Rhiannon
who fostered my great love of floral waters - which, together with the
gem essences, form the basis of many of the products.
Floral waters (or hydrosols) are produced during the distillation of
essential oil. The floral water is infused with many of the properties
of the essential oil but are significantly more gentle, making them ideal
for all skin types, young and old.
Anknel and Burblets are my childhood fairies. Together we’ve
concocted many a magical (and on occasion, poisonous) potion and now
we create these artisan skincare products by hand in our kitchen overlooking
a wonderful rambling old-fashioned garden on the slopes of Mount Albert
in Auckland.
Wherever possible we use ingredients that are certified organic. We’ve
tried and tested many from around the world and selected the freshest,
most therapeutic,
most delicate and the most exquisite.
Photography
I began taking photos at the age of six, using a kodak instamatic flip-top
camera. I remember taking it up our seventy foot high norfolk pine tree
to take aerial shots. Since then I have been through many a camera but
have at last settled on a keeper - the Canon 5d.
My work has been published widely both in print and online for clients
including NZ Home and Entertaining, Organic NZ Magazine, Vector, Comic
Relief, and also by my graphic and web design clients including Organic
Farm NZ, Findus and The Square Advertising Agency.
Sewing
Sewing and handcraft have always featured throughout my life. It was
taught at the Auckland Steiner School where I spent many of my formative
years. It also featured during my teenagehood where I designed and made
my own clothes until the day I left the sewing machine in the boiling
hot sun in the sunroom rendering it unusable. Being a careless teenager
with no idea what to do with it I simply abandoned it. My mother would
tell that story to anybody who would listen and often repeat it
It was not until I was living in London and discovered the Liberty
sewing club that I went back to sewing. My love of Liberty fabrics has
not waned and you will see them feature widely in my work. I just cannot
stop collecting them. Nor can I stop collecting vintage Swedish linens,
embroideries and wallhangings. You will see them crop up in the shop
as and when I get around to unpicking all the hems - I have so many
My undying passion for zip pouches was inspired by a London label by
the name of Shirley Geek - discovered at a market stall in Camden in
the late 90s. I still use the pencil case I bought that day. It being
one of my most useful and treasured possessions.
