New Year, New Products

Okay, so it's been months since my last blog, but the run up to Christmas was more manic than ever.  Just as we were nearing the end, I ended up with glandular fever, and am still feeling the sleepy effects even now.  Anyone who knows me knows that I am pretty fond of a nap, but now I can sleep for England, and wake up still tired.  This isn't very conducive to work and product development, but we are finally starting to get somewhere with our list of 'got to do's' so I thought I'd take the chance to blog about our progress.

Firstly, regular website customers will start to notice some big changes.  Even though the business originally started with our handcrafted cards, over the last two years in particular, we've moved away from those and focused instead on our handmade gifts and home accessories.  The website is now starting to reflect this...at long last!  There are still changes to be made, and many more products to be added, but at least we have started to make progress.  The title block of the website needs to be changed next, along with the images...that's next week's job.

Our dried fruit wreaths and garlands are always a good seller, but we want to offer a wider range of products.  The candle range will be expanding later in the year (watch this space) but we wanted to really focus on the wood and fabric combination designs.  Last year the Rustic Houses and Pomegranate Hearts sold beyond our expectations, so it seemed to be the obvious choice for development.

This week we added the first of our Beach Huts in the new Beachside category.  Available as singles, pairs or trios, these add a fantastic finishing touch to any bathroom or coastal styled room.  We've made them in a variety of colours ranging from the traditional and vibrant nautical theme, all the way through to the more classic and contemporary neutrals with colourful accents.  I'm currently working on some other colour combinations, but our boiler has broken, and with no heating, the only warm room in the house is the lounge...hence a day of computer work!! 

 

Tomorrow we'll finish off the other items that will be available in this category, and then it's onto the next idea on the list.  Hopefully the weather will hold and we'll be able to get our photos taken with some decent light.

With Mother's Day fast approaching (10th March), you still have time to order your gift.  Our new spotty wooden hearts seem to be the flavour of the month, and if you would like it made in a different colour from what you see online, just let us know.  We are happy to make them in any colour of your choice.  A simple heart is always a good way to show your love and appreciation, and the shabby chic style of these spotty hearts brings them right up to date in a way that's fun, affordable and perfect for most homes.  Hang them on dressers, door handles, the wall, beds......the list goes on!

Time for dinner now, but I will be back to keep you all updated with the changes and new products.  Don't forget to take a look at our Upcoming Events page, we've started to list the confirmed events, but there are many more in the pipeline.  These will be listed as we get booking confirmations, so it's definitely worth checking back regularly if only to laugh at our crazy itinerary for the year!!

Bye for now :)
xxxx

Back again!

I'm back here again....I did say that I would really try, and here I am and very pleased with myself too ;)

Anyway,  I've been doing a bit of work on the website in the last few days, adding in new teacup candles...we sold out.....adding the new wooden houses, more new wreaths and so on.  Regular customers will also notice that we are starting to scale down the card side of the business.  As time goes by we've found that most of our business is in the gifts and home accessories.  We sell those items at the shows, supply them to retail outlets, and online.  It seems sensible to aim the website more at that market than the smaller handmade card sector. 

After Christmas, we're hoping that the website will have a facelift, and at that point the cards will all but disappear, just leaving the bespoke option and few others.  We have a few ideas on how we want it to look, but for now it's all in the ".....get Christmas out of the way, and in the New Year" stage, just like cleaning the house, sorting the garden, finishing the bathroom...............


The teacup candles have been going really well online recently, with a lot of enquiries coming through for other designs and sets.  Most of what we sell comes from current stock photos being emailed to the customer so that they can make a choice.  Our stock changes almost daily, so we normally have something that is just right.  If you do want to have a look at others, please don't hesitate to ask, we send out photographs every day, so another request won't be a problem :)  We have a few really, really nice trio sets avaialbale online at the moment, my favourites being the ones in these pictures. 

I've managed to get a picture of our 'Wooden Houses' online, although this is only one of the colours that we offer.  The other two are a pale cream and a darker, richer caramel/cream colour.  The fabrics available for the windows and doors are endless, so all we ask is for your chosen colour scheme, and we'll do the rest.  We can send over pictures of the proposed fabric combinations so that we can get it just right for you.  They are one of my favourite items to make along with the Pomegranate Hearts, as I get to play with fabric, and the simple combination of the wood and fabric is really appealing and 'homey'.

















Today I am working on the final elements of my sister's wedding stationary.  the wedding is next weekend, and I still have the table plan to make, the table numbers, and make alterations to her dress and mine, and that's not even taking into account our normal day to day work and orders......time to stop chatting away on here I think!

I'm off, and I'll try to get back after the wedding next weekend!
Lyndsay x

Long Time No Speak!

I don't know why it is that I find it so hard to keep this blog thing up to date, but obviously I do.....I putting it down to being busy. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!!!

Anyway, whilst I'm here and making a concerted effort, I thought I'd post a picture of one of our new wreath designs.   We're calling it the Baby Green Fruit Mix...catchy I know, but it describes exactly what it is.  Whole Limes, chillies and green orange slices...a mix of green fruits!  It's big brother should be available online in the next few weeks, but many of you who have visited us at shows will already have big brother in your home...he has proved to pretty popular :)

This years chillies arrived almost twice the size of previous years, so it's forced us to rethink old designs and come up with new ones.  The new photos aren't all online yet, I'm slowly making my way through them, but at least the new pictures that I have uploaded give an idea of what to expect.  We're hoping to have our fruit and home products professionally photographed next month, so things will be all change once again.

The fruit isn't the only change this year.  Chris (my other half, or better half as he is fond of saying!) has quit his full time job in printing, and we now both work full time on the business together.  It's already made a huge difference with us being able to take on much larger trade accounts, get orders out quicker, and travel further afield for longer shows....plus I have someone around to make to tea all day every day ;)  Our plans for the next few years are changing rapidly, but the overall aim is still the same....the beautiful cottage in Cornwall with the sea views.......

Less of the daydreaming and back to reality, our shows for the rest of this year can be found on our Upcoming Events page.  This is still being added to even at this late stage, but we don't seem to be able to help ourselves!  Don't forget that if we are going to at an event in your area, you can always order beforehand, and either collect at the show, or we'll deliver free of charge...why pay postage when you don't need to?

It's time for dinner now, my stomach has been rumbling away for hours, and I'm about to give into it....chilli, rice and french stick.  Just what you need on a cold and windy autumn evening.

Goodnight, and I'll try and be back here soon!
Lyndsay (and Chris) xxx

Online Updates!



Baby Citrus Wreath £8.00



I have spent the last two days working on the website, and finally getting some of our new products online.  It's something that I've been meaning to do for absolutely ages, but just haven't got round to doing. 



This has all come about because this weekend we have Saturday off and only have a one day fair rather than a two or three as we have lately.  We are to be found at the Melton Mowbray Country Fair on Sunday (26th June) for what is promising to be a fun and hopefully sunny day!  There is a Big Bake competition, rural craft demonstrations, a novelty dog show, livestock displays and a 'Fun With Food' marquee where a suspect my other half Chris will spend most of his day ;)



Saturday is going to be a good solid stock day without any distractions or outings, or so I hope, as next weekend we are at the Waddington Air Show, which is incredibly busy.  I have mentioned my love of planes (and pilots!!) before, so I won't go into that now!



 As for this week's work, I have launched our new 'Wooden Love' range online.  We've been selling out at the shows most weekends, and have taken lots of bepoke orders for hearts in colours co-ordinating with people's kitchens, hallways etc  We offer them in the three standard colours of cream, red and green.  Each is a distressed hand cut and finished heart threaded with various fruit combinations. 



Single Wooden Heart Garland £11.50



Available as a Single Heart Garland, a Triple Heart Garland and a Wooden Heart String, there is something to suit everyone and every space.  They are simple, rustic, but yet full of charm and country style.  We are hoping to extend the range over the comong months, so please watch this space.....patiently!

I've also managed to get many more of our dried fruit wreaths onto the website in both the standard and baby sizes.  Once again, their simple, aromatic and stylish character are always popular at the shows, and especially for Christmas.  As anyone who has visited our stall will know, we have many more styles, but it is almost impossible to get everything online.  I wouyld need weeks and weeks, rather than a couple of days.  I am intending to get our fruit strings on there sometime soon, along with our large and small scented hearts, and a larger selection of the ever popular 'Cottage Hearts'.

Cottage Hearts £7.50 each



The list is long and scary, and fitting it all in between wedding orders, website orders, wholesale orders and of course the shows, is getting more and more difficult.  What I really need are a couple of hard working staff who don't mind craziness and cats.....does anyone want to volunteer?

I'll leave it at that for today, but please feel free to post any thoughts and comments about the new products, your views are always appreciated.

Bye for now



Lyndsay xxx











Award Winning!!!

No posts for ages, then two in one week!  We spent our weekend at two different shows.  Saturday was the Kenilworth Show, and Sunday was the Rutland Country Show. 

Chris was just a little pleased with the award!

We had a busy time at both, but Saturday bought a lovely surprise when we were awarded the 'Best in Show' trophy.  We had an absolute nightmare setting up the gazebo in the morning with the wind, so things weren't really looking their best, but that didn't seem to bother the judges.  We didn't even know that we were being judged, but at the end of the day, the panel came along and presented us both with the trophy.  We were surprised to say the least, but absolutely thrilled!  We got to bring the shield home, and then it will go back to be engraved with our details before being returned to us.

As you can see by the photograph, by the time we got the award, the tent was looking very sparse indeed! Chris had spent the afternoon sitting in the back of the van threading garlands before passing them out to me to be sold, so once again the new van proved itself to be very worthwhile indeed.  I don't think we ever intended to use it as a travelling workshop, but there you go!

This coming Sunday we will be at Cosford Air Show, giving us Saturday at home to make a bit more stock.  The following weekend we can be found at the Three Counties Show in Malvern, which is a huge event spread over the Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Fingers crossed that the weather will be nice and a good weekend will be had by all.  Come down and see us if you can and don't forget that a full list of where we will be can be found on our 'Upcoming Events' page on our website.

By for now

Lyndsay xxx

Our new family member!

I know, I know, it's been a while since I last blogged, but things have been a little busy!  This year we have completely changed our event plans, and have swapped from the smaller local fairs, to much bigger ones all over the country.  We wanted to see if it made a difference money wise, but also to try something new.  So far so good, but it was getting difficult tyring to pack 3 days worth of stock plus a suitcase into the car, so we made a decision!  We've been talking about it for ages, but it was time to go for it, so we bought our first company car (or van in this case!).

After a lot of cleaning, we took it down to Norfolk for the Bank Holiday weekend for an event at Blickling Hall.  It is a simply stunning place, and we were extremely lucky with the weather as it was absolutely baking hot!  Without the worries of trying to fit everything in the car, we took as much stock as we could possibly make, and promptly came home with a pretty much empty van....apart from the obligatory purchases of course ;)

This weekend we are following the travelling theme, and are the Kenilworth Show on Saturday, and then down to the Rutland County Show on Sunday.  It's looking like the weather might be nice once again, so hopefully it should be another good weekend. 

We've been busy booking shows all over the UK, and you can see the extent of out planned travels on the Upcoming Events page on our website.  From Cambridge to Anglesey, to Hull and Holkham in Norfolk, we really are getting to see the country and it's really enjoyable too!!!

Speak to you all soon
Linz and our new van :) xxx

It's Wedding Season!

I normally write about new products and our adventures connected with Pretty Beautiful, our hand crafted card and gift company, but today I thought I would write a little bit about our other website, PB Dried Fruit.

I always forget to blog about what we're up to with that side of the business, but things have been really busy the last few weeks as the wedding season has started in earnest! We are slowly adding to our new Wedding Supplies section of the website, with natural confetti petals, beautiful confetti cones and organza ribbons, and then favour boxes and bags. There are so many lovely products to choose from that I am struggling to decide which items to stock online, but slowly and surely we are getting a collection together.

The confetti cones and filling petals are our main wedding product at the moment, and with beautiful rich chocolate brown, luxurious champagne, opulent pearl and sumptuous silver to choose from, there is something to suit all colour schemes. The petals range from pretty and traditional ivory, right the way through to a deep blood red/burgundy and vivid pink amaranth petals.

The tiny amaranth petals are new in this season, and so far are proving very popular! The colours are amazing, and they are so small and delicate, that they just float gently to the ground. I know this for a fact, as Chris knocked part of a bag all over the floor, and if nothing else, we now know how they look as they cascade gracefully through the air ;)

We have a lovely selection of organza ribbons to complement the confetti cones, ranging from ivory and beige, to gold, brown, pink and dark silver grey. You can buy these at only 30p per metre, and they really are the perfect finishing touch.

We are going to be getting in a range of small vintage style favour boxes in the next couple of weeks, so as soon as they are available online, I will chat about them on here. I've already got the samples, and they are really cute and gorgeous!

Today is the day for sorting through all our events for the year and getting everything in the diary and on the wall charts.....even the dreaded payment dates. It's a horrible job that I've been putting off since the middle of February, but it's time to face up to it. It's going to take my favourite album, a cup of tea and a cake to get me through it!.....well that's my excuse anyway ;)

Lyndsay xxx