Pulse -2

So here I am on my stand at Pulse - the first year I've been happy to have my actual photo taken, now I've lost a few pounds.

I always wear my special spotty ring at the show. It's funny how people expect you to be wearing spots, so when I'm not, I at least have my spotty ring!!

We had some lovely comments about our stand and how all our products were displayed - makes all the hard work before the show worth while.

I must confess I shall not miss the yellow carpet - I know neon is 'the in colour' but it was a bit bright by the end of 4 days.

We had a good show, we met some lovely people and caught up with old friends - so much so, I now have a croaky voice (far too much chatting!!) I love being in London for a few days, the hustle and bustle but it makes me appreciate the countryside at home.

I love going out for a post show treat - a favourite of ours is the Gourmet Burger Kitchen - delish!

But I love coming home and seeing the children and sleeping in my own bed.

Today has been a day of catch up and sorting out everything from the show. Orders from the website and our Not on the High Street store have all been picked and packed and gone out. The washing mountain has started to be tackled, the Tesco's shopping has been done. Show orders are in the process of being invoiced and normal service is resumed. Oh yes and that means the dreaded school run in less than an hour!!

Pulse

This morning I was up early on a Sunday - today it was time for Pulse.

Our hotel is literally just around the corner from Earls Court........

......our home for the next few days.

I was very dubious when this yellow carpet went down yesterday but to be fair, 'the yellow brick road' as we like to call it, leads all visitors to our aisle.

And here we are - Stand A8

It is a big stand 7x1m but I was offered an extra couple of meters free of charge as someone dropped out, so I was more than happy to fill it.

We've had a good day, we've taken orders and given out lots of catalogues to genuinely interested people. I've loved catching up with tweeters, facebookers, blog followers and Instagrammers - any excuse for a natter. Foot fall has been noticeably lower but I guess is be expected in these difficult times.

We ended the day in the pub - a beer, food and a chance to rest my weary feet, 

before we do it all again tomorrow!

Show Prep

 Pulse - London is nearly here.

I'm busy doing the final prep before we leave on Saturday morning to set up.

I've planned out my stand, just to make sure I haven't forgotten anything and to make sure it all fits in the allocated space.

I've taken lots of photo's so that I can put everything out easily when we get there.

So now I just have to wait. 

Everything is boxed up, bagged up and piled up waiting to go!

If you are planning to visit Pulse, do pop by and say Hello! 

We're stand A8

Tractor's - who'd have 'em?

 So my Friday school run was rather eventful. A tractor decided to reverse into my car whilst I was stationary. I couldn't reverse as I had a car behind me so I was tooting like a 'mad woman' but he just kept coming. 'I'm as deaf as a post love' he said, so I have a lovely crumpled bumper and a lot of hassle with insurance, car repairs etc. I've had to hire a van for Pulse as I've no guarantee that the car will be repaired by Friday - Sigh! 

So I declared a little retail therapy was needed. Sophie and I headed to Bath to do a spot of holiday shopping, chatting and together time.

I'm now relaxing in my 'spot' on the sofa.

Have a lovely weekend - the sun is set to shine here in Somerset on Monday so I'm going to be busy tomorrow, clear the 'to do' list and spend Monday in the garden.

I'm enjoying....

......the blue skies and sunshine. Such a treat!

So much so, I 'bunked off' for the afternoon yesterday and for an hour or two today. One of the perks of being your own boss for sure. You never know in this country how long it will last, so my motto is certainly 'make the most of it' whilst it's here.

The good weather has also spurred me on with my 'move more, eat less' campaign. I've been looking forward to my melon and yogurt now that it is warmer and my walks around the park are a lot more enjoyable now the sun is shining. I have 3 weeks to be 'good' before I go on holiday, so I have the perfect motivation for now, fingers crossed I can keep up the good work.

Remember 50% Friday tomorrow. There won't be one the week after as we will be busy with Pulse, our next big Trade Show in London so check in tomorrow to get your half price goodies.

Maddie Brown

The very lovely Maddie Brown in Wells and Sherborne is having a bit of a *SALE*

It's on now until (and inclusive of) Bank Holiday Monday.

There is 25% off EVERYTHING, 

including Cath Kidston, Emma Bridgewater and possibly a little dots and spots. 

So if you are local to either Wells - Somerset, or Sherborne - Dorset, pop in and have a look.

Giveaway Winners announced!'

This morning I wrapped up the 2 Giveaway Stationery sets - a huge thank you to all of you who left a comment here on the blog or over on facebook. We had in excess of 1500 entries - I have an aching hand now from writing out the names. If you didn't specify a colour, you were put in one of the  two piles.

The Blue Collection was won by Maxine Jones, a Blog follower 

And the Pink Collection by Hayley Sheppard, a facebook follower.

CONGRATULATIONS to you both.

If you email me your address details, I will pop your prizes in the post.

info@dotsandspots.co.uk

Thank you to all of you who took the time to comment and join in.

It's our 5th Birthday in June, so look out for more Giveaway's then.