Christmas Holiday!

My last blog of 2010 - so a chance to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and lots of health, wealth and happiness for 2011.

A special thank you to a few key players whose support has been invaluable.
Ms Rachel Spivey for her amazing pics - Lindsey Joyce for adding that magic touch to my unfinished artworks! Phillippe Oligario for keeping the website looking trim, and my long suffering husband for allowing Ochre And Ocre to take over our home / life / weekends! Not forgetting our loyal customers, without whom there would be no business!

As a "home worker" the current weather does not have the same impact as when I was office based - with minimal commute, there is no excuse not to carry on working, although psychologically I still find something about the snowy weather that makes you want to shut down the computer and go and play in the snow! However it has impacted our deliveries, with couriers refusing to pick up from us, we can't offer our guaranteed next day service, and the Post Office under siege from all the delays it has become impossible to offer our usual 48 hour turnaround. I just hope come January it will all be back to normal.

We are closing for our Christmas holiday from 1pm on Wednesday 22nd December until January 3rd, when our sale starts. We are closing a day earlier than originally planned due to the weather conditions. There are a few piccies attached to give you an idea of the conditions here - and hence why a trip to the Post Office is not so straightforward!

We are holding our first ever January sale from January 3rd until January the 17th. With over 90% of the range included in the sale, we have some big markdowns in order to clear our stocks ready for new ranges arriving at the end of February. More about the new ranges next year........

So have a good one! x

Christmas Build Up

With all our Christmas shows finished, it is nice to be able to catch up in the office again. The bulldog is certainly pleased that her daily routine is no longer disrupted by early mornings, and late nights with shelving and boxes moving in and out of the house.
The weather has certainly been challenging over the last few weeks - I won't even start my rant about courier companies who have used the Scottish weather conditions as a reason not to bother collecting / delivering parcels here. I know we are based in the middle of nowhere, off a dirt track, but if dear old postie has been able to make it up here most days, (and the Ocado man thank fully!), there really is no excuse. I have to sing the praises of the Postal service - as our first class parcels seem to have been arriving without a hitch.

The scenery has certainly been pretty here in the Malverns, last week we had a very heavy frost, and the whole Common had an ethereal, Narnia like feel to it. I took a few pictures of the garden to show just how thick the frost was.

With Christmas, and our last posting day fast approaching, orders are still coming through steadily, and lots of people have been taking advantage of our free gift wrap service. I have to admit though, after spending hours wrapping gifts up for other people, I'm not that keen to wrap my own gifts! Boxes and ribbon sounds like a better plan!

Planning for next season is full steam ahead, sorting out our new brochure, setting up new lines, and preparing for our first ever January sale!

Eco Dining

I am always amazed by how many interesting people I get to meet and chat to, now that I run my own company. Back in September, I received a random phone call from James Strawbridge who was after some Organic table linen for a new venture at the family farm in Cornwall.  You are likely to have heard of his father, Dick Strawbridge, from his 'Scrapheap' days, ‘Coast, and also from  'It's not easy being green', which James was also involved with.

Dick is also an exceptional chef and this year has been seen competing in the prestigious BBC show ‘Celebrity Master Chef’. This is where our Ochre And Ocre table linen fits into the story, as there are very few companies out there, who sell Organic table linen, of a high quality, in colours other than beige, so we were thrilled when Dick & James decided to use our Organic table linen for their dinners at Newhouse Farm in Cornwall. 

James sent along a few pictures of the tables laid up which I thought I'd share with you. 

If you fancy joining Dick, James and family for lunch, or an evening meal, you can get more information on their events section on their website.

 Photo 1: Ochre And Ocre Organic tablelinen

 photo 2: The team (left to right: Jim Tomson, Charlotte Strawbridge, Dick Strawbridge, James Strawbridge, Holly Strawbridge)

 photo 3: The table laid ready

Photo 4: Dick Strawbridge

Grumpy Dog....

As in any office environment, occasionally working together for too long can cause niggles and gripes, and it is no different here at Ochre And Ocre. We are busy preparing for our big Autumn show this week, The Spirit of Christmas, which involves lots of boxes everywhere, shelving, and general chaos.
Those of you who have been following my blog, will know I share my office space with a lady of advanced years, who is prone to grumbling when the phone goes, teetering at the top of the stairs when you are trying to take an order, and generally making sure her presence is felt at all times.
This week is no exception, but for once I have to see her point of view, as the office has been over run with gift sets, and cardboard boxes, making it very hard for Gert to make it to her "desk" under the window. I know that the sight of all these boxes does tend to unnerve her, trauma from seven house moves in six years, so I have made a concerted effort to clear her a pathway across the office this morning!

I also promised you some pictures of the beautiful Malvern countryside around here, in all it's Autumnal glory. The one morning I remembered to take my camera out with me, it was very frosty, but the light first thing is so warm, and golden, if I time it just right there is often a beautiful sunrise over the Cotswold Hills, hard to capture on film, but lovely to watch as I climb the Malverns.

Autumn

Apologies, I know this poor blog has been sadly neglected as of late, but in the Ochre And Ocre world lots of Autumn fairs have been keeping us busy.
We are very excited to have received our new sample colourways of Isabella And Madelaine, ready for the Spring launch, and we are just starting to pull together the props for our forthcoming photoshoot.
Once again aided and abetted by the talented photographer, Rachel Spivey, we will hopefully be working our magic to turn a kitchen showroom into a homely, chic kitchen.
On the home front, the Autumn harvest has been done, our giant pumpkins are picked, the last of the marrows despatched to willing recipients, (I don't think I will put in quite so many Courgette plants next year!), and the apples are picked ready for storing. All around us on the Malvern Hills, the trees are starting to turn their leaves, the fern has been cut down, and the smell of bonfires is in the air, as people tidy up their gardens before the winter. I promise I will get out there with my camera soon, so I can post a few pics of the beautiful scenery around us, but for now I must get on with making Lavender Hearts in preparation for the photoshoot!

Julia Mitchell Distinctive Floral Design

To coincide with the start of our special feature on floral table decoration in next weeks newsletter, I wanted to give you the full background to Julia Mitchell of JM Distinctive Floral design.
I met the lovely Julia through my local WIRE group. Julia did the beautiful flowers for us on our recent shoot at the gorgeous Ettington Park Hotel, but she has dealt with far more illustrious clients than Ochre And Ocre!!

OO: Tell us briefly about your business?

JM: I have a team of florists who are all trained to the same level and we provide 'fabulous flowers for happy occasions'.  I did the whole 'life begins at 40' career change and became a full time florist six years ago.

It can be cold, stressful and exhausting but I love it!!

I have a workshop rather than a retail premises and only provide flowers for weddings and events. No two weeks are the same and no two weddings are the same.

I work mainly within Warwickshire and the Cotswolds but have recently created the designs for some fabulous events at Blenheim Palace. I have also worked at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

which was an amazing experience.

The majority of work so far has been weddings and we create everything from the bouquets and buttonholes to decorating the inside and  outside of a church as well as  stunning table designs. I  only take on one event per day and always deliver and oversee everything myself. I have to make sure that everything is perfect before myself and my team leave a venue. I will never be able to grow my empire as I am a complete control freak!

OO: Any famous clients?

JM: Depends how famous! This year I have created designs for 'Strictly Stars' Anton du Beke  and Erin Boag. They have held several dance breaks at The Wroxall Abbey Estate, and I created the table displays for their Gala Dinner. As a huge Strictly fan myself I did also create a bouquet for Erin so that I could have my photograph taken with them both!

Apart from that lots of prestigious corporate clients but no one really famous.....yet!!

OO: What is your favourite flower to use as a table decoration?

JM: That's a tricky one. It sounds quite boring but I adore roses. They come in so many different colours and sizes now, I never tire of using them. Apart from that my favourite more unusual flower is gloriosa. It's a very delicate flower in a very striking colour combination of bright pink edged in yellow. It expensive but looks great with just a few flower heads floating in a bowl surrounded with candles.

OO: How do you decorate your own table at Christmas time

JM: It depends how busy I’ve been in the run up until Christmas!

I’m actually much more particular about my door wreath than my table as this usually goes up at the beginning of December. For the last couple of years I have used a floral foam ring as the base for

my wreath rather than the traditional moss base. This gives a more contemporary feel and this year I will be using massed hydrangea heads with just a few roses and fresh herbs such as rosemary. It will of course be finished with a large bow and a hint of Christmas sparkle.

Getting back to the table, probably a large hurricane lamp with a circle of flowers around the outside in rich reds and golds.

OO: What should you think about when planning table decorations? Eg height... / fragrance...

JM: I only ever do table centres that are either really low or really tall. So many clients say that they don’t want tall because they have been at events where the flowers are straight in front of you. I just don’t understand why florists create designs like that.

The tall designs that I create are at least 70cm high from the table, they create a real ‘wow’ when guests walk in the room but are totally out of their eye level when they sit down.

If it’s a large room then what’s really ‘on-trend’ at the moment is to have half tall and half low designs. This ensure that you still get the wow as guests walk in but you also have more colours low down when everyone is seated.

I love using fresh herbs in designs, rosemary is a real favourite for both it’s colour and texture. Also this year I created the designs for a marquee wedding that wanted a real ‘country feel’. In addition to the rosemary, I also included mint which looked and smelt amazing.

In the run up to Christmas we will be sharing Julia's tips for different table decorations through our newsletter, and website blog. If you would like to receive a copy of the Ochre And Ocre newsletter just drop an email to customerservice@OchreAndOcre.com and we will add you to our mailing list. 

Autumn Fairs

Ochre And Ocre are about and about a lot over the next few months, attending lots of shopping events and Christmas Fairs. We know nothing beats actually seeing the quality of the product up close, so if you are in the area, it would be great to meet you at one of the shows. Please let us know if you need anymore information regarding location or times of any of these events.

24th September; Macmillan Coffee Morning at Hatton Village Hall, Hatton, Warwickshire

28th September Travelling Souk at Micklefield Hall, Hertfordshire

1st October Worcester Hunt, at Worcester Rugby Club

5th October Travelling Souk at Frome Valley Vineyard, Herefordshire

7th October Travelling Souk at Lyford Grange, Oxfordshire

12th October Travelling Souk at Delbury Hall, near Ludlow, Shropshire

13th October Talk at Kingswood WI, Herefordshire

18th October Travelling Souk at Gunthorpe Hall, Rutland

3-7th November Spirit of Christmas at Olympia

10-11th November Shipston Home Nursing, Warwickshire

15-16th Travelling Souk at Southrop Manor, Gloucestershire

19th November Cotswold House Christmas Shopping Fair, Chipping Campden

20th November The Croft School Christmas Fair, near Stratford

22-23rd November Travelling Souk at North Hidden Farm, Hungerford

27th November Save the Children Christmas Fair, Leamington Town Hall

6th December Charity Lunch & Shopping, Hockley Heath, Warwickshire

We will be taking our new Christmas Gift ranges, along with an edited selection of our Organic Cotton table linen, kitchen textiles, and pure beeswax candles. As space is limited at some events, if you are coming to see us at a particular event, and particularly wanted to see something, or want to get a particular size Organic Cotton table cloth please drop us an email, and we make sure we have it there to show you.

Autumnal Feel

September is a real transitional month -every year there is talk of an Indian summer, and whether it happens or not I don't really mind, because I really love it when the trees start to change colour, and the landscape turns to that lovely soft Ochre palette, and I can finally pull out my long boots and opaque tights!
There have been some fantastic mushroom rings, growing just outside our gate on the common. I'm not brave enough to see if they are edible - they certainly don't look or smell like the field mushrooms we used to eat for breakfast when I was little.

For Ochre And Ocre it's all about prepping for the upcoming shows. Extra dates seem to be added on constantly - we start slowly in September with 2, 6 in October, and 9 in November. I've worked out I have 8 days at home in the office in November! Trying to "guesstimate" likely sales is a dark art, I know I have spoken about before, just how many sets do I need to make up in advance?
It will also be interesting this year to see the response to the new brochure, and whether it brings in a new type of customer, or are we just diluting our existing customer base? 
I'll let you know at the end of the season!

Birthday Celebrations!

The excitement is building at Ochre And Ocre HQ, as we approach our 2nd Birthday next week! We launched the website two years ago in pessimistic times, the recession was looming, the press were critical, but we were optimistic, wet behind the ears, and ready for a new challenge. Fortunately we survived - and having learnt a huge amount in two years we are looking forward to our third year of trading.

In the past year we have added over 32 new lines, with our lovely new British Collection, exclusively designed for Ochre And Ocre by Lindsey Joyce. Our new brochure is printed and awaiting despatch in September, a huge thank you to Rachel Spivey for some beautiful photography. We have also added some more gifts and hampers, all with that chic Ochre and Ocre twist - making it easy to find a Gift solution.

Not content to rest on our laurels work is already underway for new additions to our range next Spring. Samples are being finalised and photoshoots planned.

We have over 20 shows this Autumn, including attending the huge Spirit of Christmas in London for the first time. We will post the dates and locations nearer the time for our Autumn shows.

You can now also buy Ochre And Ocre at a select range of lovely independents, including the gorgeous homewares shop Tinsmiths in Ledbury, the green Herb Farmacy in Hay, Kettles in Dunkeld, and GreenDays in Crieff.

So if you would like to join us in a toast, please raise your glass to

" Ochre And Ocre, Year Three...the adventure continues!"

Getting in a pickle with Delia

Those of you who follow my blog will know that we recently moved to the Malverns. A beautiful setting with lovely views - yes the house needs quite a lot of work, but as I said the views are stunning, and provide an easy distraction when trying to do any accounts.

We also inherited when we moved here a small orchard and vegetable plot - and it suddenly seems to be going into overdrive producing damsoms, plums, sloes, apples, courgettes......you get the gist.
Now I hate waste, so I decided to do my Good Life bit and make some chutneys, pickles and even ketchup. So over the weekend our kitchen has been a hive of activity of chopping, blending, stirring and bottling. As ever Delia has been the oracle, with her sound advice on sterilising, checking consistencies, and do's and don'ts.
We are now the proud owners of 6 large jars of pickled onions, 8 jars of Green Tomato chutney, 6 jars Courgette chutney, 6 jars Plum chutney, and waiting to be bottled the Plum ketchup. So I must apologise in advance to all my friends and family, as your Christmas presents will not be hard to guess! Just keeping my fingers crossed that they are ok when they emerge from their Black box in 3 months time.

Christmas!

Ok - I know it's not technically Christmas, but for Ochre And Ocre we had a an early celebration yesterday. With help from the glamorous Rachel Spivey and her trusty assistant Linda, along with Julia Mitchell, we transformed the private dining room at Ettington Park Hotel into a stylish Christmas scene.

Firstly I should mention the Hotel - 'cos it was gorgeous! Ettington Park Hotel felt like you were stepping back into time to a more glamorous age - the rooms were all beautifully decorated, with high ceilings, wooden panelling, and fine paintings adorned the walls. Sumptuous drapes on the windows, beautiful antiques and fresh flowers everywhere. You felt as if one should be partaking of afternoon tea. Unlike many establishments of this type the staff could not be more helpful and friendly. They were very courteous, smiled and said hello, and you felt like it was a place you could really relax.
We were using one of the private dining rooms for the shoot, a beautiful panelled room with stained glass windows and painted inscriptions. It was perfect for a Christmas shoot.
As Julia had said when preparing the flowers it is very hard trying to get into the Christmas spirit when it's hot and muggy outside. Another problem is finding flowers that would be in season in December. But the flowers looked fantastic - and smelt divine. Not just because of the flowers, but she had used mint and Rosemary in the arrangements, which mingled with the smell of the warm beeswax candles, the smells were certainly evocative of Christmas. Look out for lots of tips from Julia in our Autumn newsletters.

We had a tight window in which to take the pictures, sandwiched between the breakfast and dinner shift, but with a lot of hard work, no lunch, (sorry guys!), and concentration we pulled off two completely different looks in a few hours.

The photographers Rachel and Linda

 Attached our a few pics of the shoot in progress, the "proper" pictures you will have to wait until the Autumn when they will be on the Ochre And Ocre website.

Julia Mitchel at work

Lights, camera action..

Photoshoots and Brochures

The sunshine may have disappeared - although hopefully only temporarily, but I am still finding it hard to settle down and start and finish one thing, there are so many things happening in the world of Ochre and Ocre at the moment.

The shoot went well with Rachel Spivey last week for our Christmas brochure, and the lovely Lindsey Joyce is putting the finishing touches to the artwork. Lindsey seems to be so multi talented - not only coping with Isabella and Madelaine, (her children not our designs!), but she also seems to work all hours on different graphic design projects. I can't wait to see the finished brochure - a whole 20 pages!! It feels almost like we are launching all over again.

Last night I trekked across to the depths of Northamptonshire - to a very pretty little village called Walgrave, to give a talk to the local WI. It was my first proper talk, so I was quite apprehensive, but the ladies were all very welcoming and soon put me at ease. They seemed to find the Ochre story interesting, and had quite a few questions at the end.It was interesting when I asked for a show of hands to gauge how many people shopped online to see that only a few put their hands up. Hopefully the new brochure will help to expand us into a whole new our customer base.
Next week we are teaming up with Rachel again, this time for a full on Christmas sparkly glamour shoot! (No models but loads of gorgeous table linen!). We are very fortunate that the lovely people at Ettington Park Hotel have allowed us the use of their beautiful chapel. I am really excited as this time we will also have the support of another talented lady - Julia Mitchell. Julia does some really beautiful flower arrangements and will be helping to dress two very different Christmas looks. I met Julia through WIRE, and she has a very similar background career wise to me. It's lovely seeing people taking the risks, and doing a complete career change especially when it works as well as Julia's.
Later on in the year you will be able to see more of Julia's work, and she will also be sharing some of her tips for dressing the perfect dinner table.

Road Blocks

I never know quite what I'm going to come across when I set off for my daily trip to the Post Office. It is only a mile away - but in that mile all kinds of hazards and obstacles seem to pop up.
This morning a rather cute Highland calf took an age to cross over the road - I couldn't resist taking a snap of him on my phone. This was after sitting there for 5 minutes for the flock of sheep to walk slowly up the road!

Yesterday I was following a car across the common, and they couldn't get the sheep to move out of their way - I must have looked like the local nutter as I jumped out of my car behind them and shooed the sheep off the road.
Apparently it is worse in the winter as the cattle hang around on the road when it is icy as they like to lick the salt!
We are busy working on finalising our Autumn brochure at the moment - with help by the multi skilled Lindsey Joyce who also designed our Isabella print. Isabella herself is currently on our homepage looking very fetching in her apron!
When we originally started nearly 2 years ago now - we only ever intended to be online - but we keep getting requests for a brochure, and hopefully it will enable us to reach a new part of the market. 

We have had some really good press coverage of late - our Isabella apron is in this months Country Living on the Emporium pages, and in the August edition of Period House you can see our Isabella fabric.

We Did It!

We have had quite an eventful weekend at Ochre HQ. We undertook the challenge of climbing the 3 Peaks in 24 hours. Climbing 3 hills doesn't sound particularly tough, and each one individually is not too bad. But doing one then sitting in a mini bus for a few hours, then another, then another, and your legs start to ache, and oh yes - normally you would sleep in a 24 hour period.
Ben Nevis was the hardest - it is the biggest, it starts with the steepest incline, and starts to get quite cold as you reach the top. (There was snow!).
There were a few mishaps, mainly the mini bus not starting several times - thank you to the local cabbie who got us to the first Peak, and to the AA man who shows our driver how to use this magic spray on the engine.

Scafell was the next, and we set off in daylight and came back in the dark - it was quite eerie seeing the headtorches of all the other climbers in the distance. Once again the mini bus cut out in a lane somewhere in the Lakes - then 10 minutes later it did it again. Thankfully by now Paul T our driver was quite adept at getting it going.

As we entered Wales it was raining quite heavily - our hearts sank, last time we had practiced on Snowdon we got very wet- but as we drove further into Wales the rain started to ease off.  
When we reached Snowdon it was just starting to get light - and as the sun was rising there was a fantastic play of light on the hills. We set off for the last climb at 4.15 am. Knees were starting to get very sore with the constant climbing, and we were running on empty. But a brisk walk along the Miners Track and a final sprint for the finish ensured we achieved our target. We finished as a team, with 10 minutes to spare - a huge achievement, and a relief that it's over. 

Daily Routine

It's funny how quickly life gets back to normal - and living in our new abode feels like home.
The bulldog has settled in - and quickly established her routine. Sleep until 6, have breakfast, sleep until 9, small snack and wander around the grounds(!), sleep until lunchtime, little stretch, then start playing merry hell from about 4 as she wants her tea!

Life for Ochre And Ocre has quickly resumed it's routine as well. Still internet connection issues which make it quite hard - you are half way doing something when suddenly the connection dies, or worse I get an email on my Blackberry saying I've had an order, but I can't log on to print it off.
I pay more for having my Broadband through Eclipse Internet, but it is worth it as I can at least speak to a friendly human, and they have been trying really hard to resolve things.
We went to our first show since moving last Saturday, and it was quite a fresh start, as we've upgraded our shelves and signage. We think it's clearer and neater - comments welcomed. I know I now need to update the banner, but it's another cost again, and you do wander if it makes a huge difference?

This weekend it is our big challenge - the Three Peaks. As well as me and Mr Ochre, our book keeper Amy is doing it as well - nothing like taking the whole team down in one go is there! Maybe we should be more like royalty and not travel together! We will be posting updates on Facebook, lets hope the weather is dry!
I caught up with Jet from Dinner Party Allotments on the phone today, as she has just come back from her first major show, (Chelsea), and was being a very harsh judge on herself. I wish there was some site / forum where small businesses could share info truthfully on good / bad shows, what advertising works, or doesn't work. Unfortunately everyone seems too keen to set up sites and take money off you. Anyway not only had Jet managed to get her stand on the BBC, she also had loads of journalist's interested.

Jet with Rachael de Thame at Chelsea.

One thing I've always found from shows is that you get something from each show, even if it's not sales. 
It is very hard when you are working from home, without that support network of colleagues, and help desks, you can drive yourself into ever decreasing circles, and question what you are doing.
When Emma, (Naked Soap) and I were talking to Wilfred from The Black Farmer at the Cirencester Polo match show last weekend, it was very telling  when he was asked how does he manage to step back from things and yet still get everything done. The word "we" was used a lot - for instance "when we update Facebook". Unfortunately for most of us there is no we - and although we have different external supports, the day to day is very much "I".

The Rural Idyll

We made it - all our belongings, the dog, the Ochre stock. It was only a county away, but it did require military like planning. Yes, we are saying never again, and yes I know we said that the last 6 times!
I bagged the best view in the house as my office - with far reaching views across common land towards the Malverns. It did require that a wall was demolished to make it a workable space, but it now has a double aspect, and obviously meets the bulldogs approval as she is snoring away happily in her box.

I won't bore you with the stress involved trying to sort out a phone line - but it took over a week before we had a proper connection. So a special thanks to Amy for letting me become her new local stalker, and use her computer to print out orders!
There are loads of new "projects" we are aiming to do on the house, once we catch our breath, and we'll keep you updated. The plan is to try to source everything as local, green and British made as possible.
We have already planted out our veg plot, (when I say we I do need to acknowledge that we called in the experts, Mum And Dad! - we can't wait for the first signs of growth. Although a battle with the local rabbit population has already ensued. They have had free rein for a while, and are not taking notice of our finely raked soil. Rabbit pie anyone....??
So ok, it's not quite the Good Life, or River Cottage, but I suspect life will be a little different here, and I will endeavor to entertain you will tales from the hillside!

Quick Update

I wasn't expecting to get chance to update the blog before we moved - but there are only so many hours you can spend cramming things into boxes.
You will be pleased to read the BT saga has been resolved, after several hours on hold to call centres in India, and some very frustrating conversations.


We had a mixed reaction at last weeks Sudeley show - it was wonderful weather, although a bit airless inside the marquee. The first two days were fantastic - good footfall and good sales. The weekend was still good footfall, but it felt more like most people were out for a family day out than a shopping trip.
I met a lovely new company there called Lark Home - and succumbed to one of their gorgeous English leather satchels, (in aged silver). They are just setting up, and Sudeley was their first show, as well as launching their website the previous day. Keep an eye out for them, with good ethics, (sourcing from the UK), as well as good taste, (beautiful ceramics), I think we might be seeing more of them around.

Well I'd better get back to the boxes......

Planning And Packing

After what seems like years but was really only 3 months - our house sale has finally gone through! This means that for the first time I need to not only move house but move a business as well.
The house move doesn't really phase me - I have done it several times, this will be our 6th move in 7 years, so I admit sorting out packing / change of address seems quite straightforward.
The more difficult challenge will be trying to keep the business running with as few interruptions as possible.
The first challenge as always is BT - I have to admit that I don't lose my temper very often, but I do find dealing with BT call centres very frustrating. With an online business the phone line is probably the bit I am most concerned about - followed by the internet connection. Worrying about curtains / furniture and post pales into insignificance in comparison.

Minimising the amount of disruption to the Bulldog is probably number 3 on the list. As she has got older, the sight of any bags / boxes and luggage turn her into a quivering jelly. Setting up for shows sends the poor dog into deep trauma. She will be shipped off to my parents again to have a little holiday on the farm - although now she is older she has become more demanding, so she does tend to outstay her welcome more quickly these days!

Once the dog is sorted then the more straightforward bits like office stationery / website can be dealt with, as well as shifting all the stock 

Moving will also bring some exciting new additions to the Ochre And Ocre range that we have been holding off on, until we move.

So don't be surprised if you don't see many blog updates over the next few weeks - but I hope to be able to back online and incommunicado by the second week in May, (BT willing!).

As routine as it gets!

The strange thing about this self employed lark is that there is no set routine. Where I have worked in big corporations before, set things happen on set days; meetings about the figures, meetings about ranges, meetings about meetings. Working on your own there is none of that, but it still never ceases to amaze me how bizarre my week can be sometimes.
Today I had my 5 minutes of fame on the local radio station. It was a bit of a cheesy daily feature about local businesses, who get a song played of their choice if they let someone go home early. There in lies the problem; I work on my own, from home, so I guess I might just log off a bit earlier tonight instead!
On the plus side the DJ was great and mentioned Ochre And Ocre loads, so you never know what it might bring.
Gert as usual was trying to get involved by snoring very loudly from her box - I woke her up just before my allotted time and tried to move her from my office onto the sofa. But I should have listed to that old adage "let sleeping dogs lie", because snoring is nothing compared to barking, as she decided she wanted to be let out several times in a row, just before I went "live".

I am off to Marlborough tomorrow for a show. It is a fund raiser for Cancer Research, a cause I am quite passionate about, but apparently we are in for a few days of sun shine, so I hope the local Marlbourians turn up, and don't have a garden day.

Tired but happy!!

Life is starting to get back to normal after a hectic week at the Country Living Fair. It was our most successful show to date - mainly down to the new British Collection. (Thanks Lindsey for doing the designs!)
We had so many positive comments ; "so much nicer than Cath Kidston", (my fav!),  "lovely to see something fresh", "so nice to see such soft colours".....it was a huge boost to my confidence, and it wasn't just comments, the sales reflected the feedback as well. For the first time ever we have sold out of two lines; ironing board covers and peg bags. Repeat orders are already underway, but as a evangelic non ironer, I was amazed at peoples response to the ironing board. (By the way Garden Trading I think you owe me some commission - I could have sold 25 of your boards last week!).
It is a hard and tiring week, from dragging all your stock and props up two flights, to keeping your legs crossed waiting for an opportune moment to dash to the loo!
It was touch and go when we were loading up as to whether we would have to jettison some of our props, as despite having empty bags, in the rush to load the car it didn't all quite fit in the way it had when we loaded it at home! Resulting in me having to sit with the stool around my head, two bags under my feet and one on my lap - really pleased when it took ages getting out of town due to some major football match.
As always after such a hectic week, as soon as you stop your body says it needs a rest - so I am currently sneezing and sniffling at my desk! Needless to say the dog has left the room in protest to avoid the germs!
Very annoyed as I haven't had the energy to train with Sharon at BFFA this week, so missing my weekly aggression vent as well as gossip catch up!They are about to launch their new look and revamp the dojo which will look fantastic!

The only down side to being self employed is there is no one to do your work whilst you are away - although I have to admit my husband did a sterling job last week sending out orders whilst I was away, and I've not had any complaints so they must have been ok!!!

But we still have over 50 swatch cards to send out, newsletter to finish, and the horrible accounts so I'd better get on with it!

Spring Has Sprung!

It's lovely sitting in the office first thing in the morning - the sun streams through the windows, and Edgehill Escarpment shimmers in the background. Outside in the garden the first of the bulbs are peeping through, and with lighter nights it will soon be t shirt weather!
Even the bulldog has taken to sauntering around the garden more, sniffing the air - as opposed to the dash across the lawn and jog back when it's cold.

We are mainly preparing for the Country Living show this week - packing up boxes and suitcases - preparing labels, and swatch cards, and bubble wrapping props. As ever the age old question is just how much stock should we take, especially with the new additions.
A lot depends on how much we can physically stuff into the car!

I'm also catching up with Rachel Spivey this week - officially to finally drop off her long overdue stock of the new Polka Dot range - part payment for her fab photos. Unofficially because she is taking me to a new haberdashery shop that has opened in Leamington Spa - we both have big dreams of making lots of new clothes and tarting up old ones, but at the moment neither of us have got much further than talking about it! I tend to spend my evenings sewing Lavender Hearts are sticking fabric into swatch cards. Apparently the shop is stuffed with beautiful ribbons and fabric, but knowing I've got a busy few weeks ahead I must be strong and not buy too many new projects!
 

New Range finally launched!

I'm guessing you are all really fed up with hearing about our new ranges by now! But like any proud mum, after months of planning, nearly missing deadlines and errant deliveries, (more about that later), our chic new British collection finally went live on the site this week. 

All seemed ok, the first order was almost immediate, and everything seemed normal, until the lovely Nicola from Daisy Green tried to place an order for her mam for Mothers Day. She tried, and tried, and the computer kept saying no! In a mild panic I rang Philippe, from Blue Earth Solutions, but we could not see what was wrong. He could place an order ok, but I couldn't - after a few hours of trying different browsers, and even computers, my Cluedo skills came to the fore, and by a process of elimination, and step by step analysis I found the rogue element. A small little ;  - yes just a semi colon. In computer speak apparently in the wrong place its akin to a formula when typed into a sentence. Phillippe quickly removed the offending dots, and we were back on track! 

Thankfully Nicola was patient, and willing to try again - it worked, and it was resolved just in time as another two orders came through just an hour later! 

Once again, it was times like this when you realise that you really are on your own, working from home, with no help desk to call upon. But also once again, thanks to a strong network of friends / contacts,  there are ways to resolve things. 

Being a planner, I like things to run on time, and be under control, so the fact that the lorry carrying the stock had a broken axle and was being fixed somewhere in the South of France on Wednesday did nothing to soothe my frazzled nerves - luckily all has been resolved and the shipment is back on track! 

Fortunately I had requested several samples initially, so I was able to fulfil the initial orders. 

With only two weeks now before The Country Living Show, there is still lots to sort out - and as always trying to plan what stock to take and guess at likely sales levels is no easy task!

We are going to do a miniature version of the stand we had at the NEC - it had a great reaction, and showed off the new ranges brilliantly. We still have a few tickets left for the show - so if you are interested drop a note to our customer service email, with your name and address and we will get them in the post to you.