2 weeks today......

....we will be in Harrogate, in a state of shock and mild panic as we arrive at our very first trade show. All sounds very grown up but the reality is kicking in. This week I took delivery of the main display boards. They are huge and are still in their protective wrapper as I'm so scared they will get marked before the big day.

All the graphics and display boards have been made locally at Blue Gecko.

I have been planning this element of our stand for ages as I understand totally how important an eye catching stand is. We have a tiny space only 2m x 1.5m, so have had to think very carefully how best to display everything. Next week whilst the children are at school I'm going to move all the dining room furniture out and do a mock of our stand - just to make sure we can fit everything in!

I have 5 large boards to show off our cards, Christmas cards and postcards, an old wooden ladder to display all our embellished prints, a lovely little cupboard to hide away all our catalogues, water bottles etc and a plant pot stand to display our tape, notebooks and place settings!

This is a huge next step for us - Trade fairs are an excellent platform to show off what you do and share it with 1ooo's of people and potential buyers, but it involves a huge financial commitment. We spent all of last year visiting all the trade shows to help decide which would be the best show for us. I'm also very lucky that my parents will happily look after the children for the week, enabling us to give this a go!

The next challenge will of course be - will it all fit in the car!