The Stand!

Well we're here and our stand is complete - I promised my daughter I would show her pictures of our stand as quick as possible so the easiest thing to do was put together a quick blog post!

We found Earl's Court fine and decided to park in a nearby car park and walk the stuff around to our stand, rather than wait ages for a delivery slot.


Jeff did most of the hard work whilst I set up the boards - he even got on his hands and knees to remove the carpet covering!

As this is our second show we were a lot better prepared and in no time at all, our space changed from this......

..... to this!!

I must admit, I'm really pleased with how it all looks. You have an image in your mind but when it all unfolds in front of you, it is extremely rewarding! Worth the odd sleepless night when your mind is full of thoughts!

We have an extra 1.5m of space this time but as you can see, it was easily filled.

My dresser, my bargain dresser (it only cost £75) is fabulous and displays our products off so well. We've had a number of comments from exhibitors already!

So we left to find our hotel, feeling very proud and looking forward to the next 3 days.

Our hotel is convenient, only a 2 minute walk away, ideal for me when Jeff has to go home and I'm on my own. As I said it's convenient - certainly not palatial and rather on the small side but I feel safe to walk here on own.

It's only 3 nights!

So tomorrow is D Day - day one of the show - a chance for us to share what we do and hopefully (fingers crossed) pick up a few orders too!

The car is packed and in less than an hour we are heading off to London to Top Drawer at Earl's Court. My husband teaches on a Saturday morning, so the minute he gets home, we're out the door. Hope the dropping off bit is easy - hate getting all the stand stuff into the venue but then it's the enjoyable bit - transforming an empty white shell into a dots and spots delight!

Will hopefully keep you posted whilst I'm there but will have to see if time is on my side!

It's all go!

I can not quite believe what a busy start to the year it's been. I was busy last year but not this busy. I guess I didn't have a big show to prepare for - last year we had a relaxing look around.

So whilst frantically keeping up with all my trade orders that have been coming in, I have been slowly but surely working my way through all my show prep.

The display boards just needed a little tweaking to fit in the designs.

An extra strip or two of ribbon was all that was needed!



But everything else has been a little chaotic as I try to prepare samples for the show, amongst doing my normal day to day orders.

I seem to have little piles of things cropping up on every available surface. I have promised myself that I will be more organised at putting everything away, checking and replacing worn samples straight away, so come Harrogate in July, I won't be in such unorganised chaos.

I have also started up with a new agent in the North West who requires samples of everything so I have been trying to prepare all that too.

It's all good, I'm not complaining in the slightest, only wish there were more hours in the day!

One of the reasons that I did this was to fit in with the comings and goings of the children. Having flexibility is great but it does limit me to about a 5/6 hour day and at the moment that time restraint is really working against me!

Later today we are packing the car, in readiness for our drive down on Saturday. I teach all day on Friday - not great timing so my deadline is fast approaching. We've still to see whether or not my lovely dresser will fit in the car!! Still by this time next week the show will be over, and the fun will only just to starting , if Harrogate was anything to go by!

If you are a trade buyer and coming to Top Drawer do pop by and say hello - you'll find us on Stand F31.

My mystery caller!

Something wonderful happened to me this morning, something that never happens to someone like me! I opened the front door this morning to send the children off to school and there on the doorstep was a Tesco’s carrier bag with a box inside!

Oh! Who had left me a present?

It must have been delivered between 7.30 and 8.30 this morning.
Inside, was a box and some spotty blue tape I recognised but inside that,

was a rolled up note...

A handwritten note explaining my new arrival.

and introducing a lovely little papier mache mouse called Charlie.




Someone has taken their precious time to create this lovely little companion for Evangeline and hand delivered it to my door.


Whoever the mystery caller is

( the children think it's all very exciting!)

Thank you

You should have knocked on the door and come in and said hello!

New catalogue has arrived!

On Wednesday I received another delivery late in the afternoon - 30,000 cards and my

*NEW* catalogue - 28 pages of dots and spots goodies.

So I had 250+ to prepare for our catalogue drop, to send out to all our stockists and any traders who have shown an interest or enquired about the dots and spots range.

The catalogue is printed for both our web customers and our trade partners, so this trade copy needed a terms and conditions sheet to be stapled in...

... a Top Drawer sticker as a reminder on the back cover,

and a trade order form to outline prices, buying multiples etc.



I then enveloped them all - the envelopes had been addressed during the Christmas break and then added the finishing touch - a strip of decorative tape and a sticker.

I can't believe it has taken me the best part of a day to complete this one task

and the realisation that I'll be doing this again in less than 6 months time

when we have our next new edition, showcasing more new products in time for Harrogate.

So if you are a stockist and have shown an interest or stock the dots and spots range of goodies then look out for your copy over the next few days. If you haven't received one and would like one then please do get in touch.

Just another 200+ to prepare for the show - might enlist a little help for the next round as I'm now off to my studio to complete some personalised orders, embellished prints for a trade stockist and design a wedding invitation!

So much for working less at the weekends!

Evangeline

I have been waiting in this morning for a special delivery.

A very special delivery.

A little something I treated myself to, to celebrate all the hard work I have done this year.

She is called Evangeline and she was created by the very fabulous Vanessa Cabban.
You may remember me mentioning her and this gorgeous little mouse in an earlier blog post.

Well I heard Vanessa was going to sell Evangeline in her Etsy shop. I had fallen in love with this little character the minute I'd seen it, so I cheekily emailed her to ask if I could buy her privately and she said YES!

So this morning she arrived, wrapped beautifully I might add.

And has found her new home, on the mantle piece, surveying all that goes on around her.

I wish I had time to have a little play myself and create something in papier mache....

....but for now I am happy that I have the beautiful Evangeline to own and cherish.

Thank you very much Vanessa.

Back to it!

So the last 2 days have been back to 'proper work' with a bump! There is so much to do and time is not on my side. The start of a New Year and a deadline already upon me - that being Top Drawer - a design led Trade show at Earl's Court in London on the 16th, 17th and 18th of January.

Bringing out new products is great and designing them is the best bit but of course my agents need to be supplied with new samples. I have spent the past day preparing all the samples and packs ready to be sent off - just waiting for the new catalogue, which arrives later today - then it's all systems go.

I'm trying to get as much prepared before the show as is humanly possible so I can send the orders out quickly. I am no where near where I wanted to be - not one pack of postcards is sat ready and waiting yet - there are just not enough hours in the day!

But the tape is checked, tagged and sat ready to go!

The display boards have come out of hiding and new ribbons will need to be attached to string up the cards and postcards. A little re-jig is needed but not such an immense job this time round as when I first did it, in preparation for Harrogate.

The dresser I bought a month or so ago will be given my full attention at the weekend - it will be used to display my tapes, place setting cards, notebooks and baskets of magnets and postcard packs.



So a busy few days gone and a few more in front of me!

But I wouldn't want it any other way!