Christmas Fair

Due to the extra family members this Autumn Ochre And Ocre are not attending the usual Christmas Fairs and shows. I have to say it has been nice not to have been a travelling salesperson and packing up all of our stock into my tardis like car. (It never seems to fit when I repack after a show!I once travelled home from the Country Living Fair with a plastic stool around my neck, and boxes on my lap - as a passenger I must add!)

I obviously felt like I was missing out so I came up with the idea of doing a mini fair at Ochre HQ(aka as our family home!). It will be a chance to raise money for my two favourite charities, our local Hospice and Cancer Research). Also to help promote my business more locally and meet the natives....I do hope they are friendly!
However this has resulted in us having to finish off the last few jobs in the kitchen, resulting in long weekends and late nights. I know it will be worth it when it's done, but once again as D day approaches I do wonder why I add extra stress to my life, on top of the website and brochure, oh and a baby and a puppy!.
Luckily two of our good friends will be in supporting roles with their wares - the very lovely Emma and her Little Soap Company, and the talented Jo Verity with her beautiful decoupage. We are very fortunate to live in such beautiful surroundings so if nothing else visitors can enjoy the views!
If you are intersted in coming along this Friday and Saturday do drop us an email to our customer service address and we can send you the details and a map, (essential!)

Better late than never!

I have been very tardy of late with my blog entries - I blame it on my to do list. You see my to do list is constantly evolving - some entries have been on there for months, constantly pushed to the bottom by more demanding items. Wrapping and packing orders always takes precedent over any other jobs, although of late even those are taking place by the midnight oil. I am quickly discovering that babies and puppies require a lot of time, ok scrap that, all your time! The sleeps and snoozes are getting shorter and more random, whereas before I could set my watch by them, and plan my business day, now it is snatched moments here and there. Whilst I have been living this very un Virgo like circumstances, Autumn seems to have crept up on me, and suddenly there are more jobs. Due to the unseasonably warm weather the tomatoes I had been saving for Green Tomato chutney have turned red, and so were turned into Asian Chilli jam. I just look despondently at the apples falling off the trees, with no spare hands to pick them, as I take my hourly turn around the garden with the new puppy and baby! (Puppy nappies would almost be a good idea less accidents!).
The toadstools have been popping up all over the common, and the leaves dropping faster than a strippers feather boa, due to the high winds, and dry conditions.

But I am slowly ticking things off my list - our kitchen now has water and heating (all mod cons here!),  the bathroom is liveable and "almost" finished. The garden is looking well maintained (ok I didn't actually do it, but it was on my list!). Business wise the new samples are underway for our Spring launch, the photoshoot date is booked, and the new brochure layout is almost there. My main problem at the moment is when I do get a quiet moment, when the two babies are sleeping, I am blinded by to do lists - the main one, the scribbled down by the phone one, and the when I have time one..... now I better get started on my Christmas one!

Autumn Already!

I can't believe that the leaves are falling off the trees already - I know it's been a dry summer, (albeit without much sun??), but it does feel so early. Autumn makes you want to curl up in front of a fire at night, drink hot chocolate and have long walks through woods kicking leaves around. I wish! Life is just as hectic as ever - Baby Ochre is teething, which means lots of distraction techniques are required to help the poor wee chap forget about the erupting white ones.
Our new Ochre And Ocre brochures have arrived -so me and Mr Ochre have spent the past few nights sitting in front of the tv with a glass of vino, (so not all bad!), stuffing brochures into envelopes. Once again it's not until you do this exercise that you realise how many typos you've made! Despite scouring the mailing list before printing off the postage labels -I still managed to type Newscastle?!
The other exciting thing happening is preparation for the pending arrival of Puppy Ochre - stairgates to be fitted - play pens to be built -multi purpose obviously for both Baby and Puppy Ochre! Plus many a happy if late hour spent web browsing for cute new collars and harnesses in which to dress up our new arrival.
Our third Birthday seems to have past in a whirl - without us hardly having chance to celebrate the fact we are still trading through tough times. But no rest for the wicked only a 1000 or so stamps to stick onto envelopes, and I'd better get my screwdriver out to fit those stair gates!

Courgette Crazy

Image via WikipediaIt's that time of year again, when the veg patch has gone slightly crazy, and seems to produce vast quantities of one vegetable at a time. Our friends groan as we appear with yet another bag of courgettes as gifts, and poor Mr Ochre has yet another meal with a cunningly hidden green vegetable lurking inside.
I'm finding new ways to utilise the abundance by making use of the new Aga. Sundried tomatoes, (albeit done in the Aga rather than the Tuscan sun), are making a welcome addition to our salads. Slow cooked Mediterranean vegetables, sprinkled with chilli, make a quick and easy pasta topping. Last year I made several different types of chutneys and ketchups, which we gave as Christmas presents along with local cheeses. We are hoping to bottle sloe gin this year, which I'm sure will be well received at Christmas.
With the kitchen refit nearly complete - just the electrics and worktops to go, I'm already perusing my recipe books in eager anticipation of mass cook ups, I just need to find the time in between packing orders for Ochre And Ocre, looking after Baby Ochre and as ever DIY!

A-Day

We are very excited at Ochre HQ today, as D Day has finally arrived - renamed A Day, as our shiny new(reconditioned) Aga has arrived. From the lovely folks at Aga Twyford, it is the ultimate in recycling, and it looks as good as new. It does make you wonder why you'd pay for a brand new one. I've chosen a classic white model, as it is the best backdrop for the Ochre And Ocre textiles, when we do our next brochure shoot in our own kitchen. I suspect I won't get away with putting it through as a business expense, unfortunately!!

I grew up with a version of an Aga, (A Cleopatra oil range), and have many happy childhood memories; Helping to make Welsh cakes on the top, my mums kitchen filling with the smell of baking. Sitting with my back to it, when it got really cold. Slow cooked stews bubbling away. Woolly hats warming on the top before going out in the snow.  My then boyfriend(now husband) had the shock of his life, when he came to stay the first time, sat down for a farmhouse breakfast, and the door of the warming oven swung open, followed by a loud Baaaa and a small lamb fell out. (No, we weren't cooking the lamb! They are a great reviver).  So I know how they are more than just a cooker, but a very central part of family life.
I have already started scanning websites looking for recipes, and have started to stockpile some ideas. If any of you out there are Aga fans I would love it if you could share your favourite recipes. What to make the first time??? It has to be Welsh cakes..yum!

Friday Feeling

Even though I work from home, and often work through the weekend, I still get that Friday feeling. I'm not sure why - it must be ingrained after years of working in an office.
Friday's in London used to be quite special, as often there were informal get togethers in bars and pubs as you waited for your train home. In summer when it was hot people would spill out onto the pavement. Living in a rural location now, I still like to kick back and chill out, even with a 3 month old - so we were very excited when a rather gorgeous Gastro pub opened up on our doorstep. Now as much as we want to keep it to ourselves, I suppose it's in our interest to share it!  The Inn at Welland. In a lovely setting, decorated with soft muted greys, and BTC lighting, the food is pretty good too! Fortunately they welcome tiddlers, and with lots of outside seating you can make the most of the weather, and enjoy a smog free drink! Happy Friday everyone!

Routine

One thing I am discovering with a young baby and working is that you have to be a lot more flexible. I am quite a creature of habit and in my pre baby days I loved to start my day with a walk or bike ride in the Malverns, before spending the day working on Ochre And Ocre . Now my day seems to be snatched moments of work interspersed with feeding and changing. My phone answer service is certainly getting more business, as holding a baby, and a phone leaves no hands free to write. So I tend to have to call customers back during nap times.
My other baby; the house build / renovation also takes large chunks of time. Builders are also creatures of habit; they like to have their tea breaks at set times, and I've learnt if I'm not there ready with their brews, they walk muddy booted into the house to make their own. Not to mention the constant questions throughout the day, as to what thickness of ply they should use, where I want a pipe positioned - I do feel like I'm blagging it a lot of the time. The end is nearly in sight, as the doors are being fitted this week, and plastering this weekend, I'm busy dreaming up all kinds of meals we can have once I have the use of a hob and oven again!
With all this going on something had to give, and it's been our garden. We have inherited a beautiful garden, or rather it has the potential to be beautiful if it were tended. I am the first to admit I'm not a gardener, I like to look at the finished piece, but I can't tell a weed from a flower. So it was after much soul searching we took the decision to employ a man who can. It feels rather bourgeois, to have a "gardener", but my need to sleep means there are no free hours in the day at all.

He came for the first time last week; and such is the scale of the task he asked me where I'd like him to start; I vaguely waved at an area, not knowing quite what the plants were and suggested he start there. I hope it won't be like using a mechanic - once they know you know nothing all kinds of problems ensue! I am still responsible for the veg patch and greenhouse - which is currently going great guns, and I'd welcome any recipes that use cucumbers, but don't need a cooker!

Monica's Unite!

Image via WikipediaHands up all you Monica's out there - there are a lot of you I know, sometimes closet Monica's, some who are very much out there! For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, Monica is a character of the US sitcom Friends, who likes to clean, some say even finds it therapeutic. I have to admit to having Monica like leanings, which is why I am finding it really hard at the moment. With the arrival of Baby Ochre I was willing to let standards slip slightly - but with builders, plumbers and plasterers in every room of the house bar one, I feel like I am coming out in a rash due to the need to hoover and polish. We are now hopefully on countdown, signalled by the plasterers being here, but unfortunately with plastering comes that fine white dust that hovers in the air and settles everywhere, white footprints up and down the stairs, plus the odd bit of old render which has been pulled off the wall, dragged through the house and dropped down the stairs.
Everyday I think, "maybe I'll get the hoover out this morning, whilst the baby sleeps", then by mid day I've given up, slumping into despair at the state of the house. I'm also a Barefoot Monica, normally I wander around the house barefoot, bliss after wearing heels in my previous life. But a few well placed splinters, and bits of cement have soon put paid to that; instead of my bohemian feet, they are more slumdog. I know, I know it will be worth it in the end - but it seems to never come at the moment!
If you are a Monica, and feel the need, the need to clean, you will be more than welcome to help when we are done!

Visitors

We have had lots of visitors to Ochre And Ocre HQ recently; as well as the numerous well wishers for Baby Ochre, there have been some of the winged variety.
We were surprised to come across a swarm of bees that had decided to make their home in the end of a roll of fencing wire in our orchard. Fortunately we have a friendly local beekeeper, who came to investigate. It turns out the bees were probably from one of the pollinating hives on a nearby field of oil seed rape. Unfortunately the Queen Bee was no where in sight, and without their queen the swarm was slowly dying, and there was nothing that could be done to help them. The bees were tipped onto the grass and as the beekeeper rather quaintly put it, they could go back into the life cycle as bird feed. Later on that evening the orchard was filled with 100's of little songbirds eating up the bees.
Apologies for the poor image but Baby Ochre and I were advised to stay well back whilst the bee keeper investigated.

Also recently arrived are our own mini flock of sheep and lambs; whose main employment is to eat the grass in the orchard, thus saving time mowing. (We are very keen for any time saving schemes at the moment!). The lambs are at an age when they are just starting to play independently from their mums, and have spent the first few days roaming their new home, checking out all the places to hide and jump off!

With all the sun and rain we are having at the moment everything seems to be growing very quickly - Baby Ochre is nearly out of his newborn sleepsuits, and our veg plot is quickly filling up with radishes and lettuce. If only our new kitchen extension would grow so quickly!

Baby Ochre

I think I have a fairly good excuse for not updating my blog for nearly a month - we were somewhat taken by surprise by the early arrival of Baby Ochre. 4 weeks early, and weighing in at a light 5lb 8oz, our daily routine has been slightly disrupted.

Fortunately he sleeps most of the day, unfortunately not much at night time. So although I have peace to sort things out in the office, make calls and pack orders during the daytime, lack of sleep is making it hard to concentrate, and stay awake!
I know the common advice given is to sleep during the day, but unfortunately it wasn't just us who were caught out by the early arrivals, the builders were still in full demolishing mode, so during the day jack hammers, steel saws and cement mixers whirl. Whilst Baby Ochre seems blissfully unaware, and snores away softly, I cannot sleep through the noise. So instead I blurringly try to continue with my daily jobs, inbetween feeding, nappy changing, and making countless cups of tea for the builders.
Once again our lovely customers have been very understanding, and patiently leaving phone messages with the answer service, so that I can call them back when I have a free hand, (I quickly realised I couldn't hold the phone, baby and write at the same time!). I also had to time the calls in between the power tools, so I could at least hear the customer at the other end of the line!
I know when it's all done it will be fab - I'm hoping it will be ready in time for an Autumn photoshoot with the lovely Miss Spivey, so we can shoot the new ranges for our Spring brochure. In the meantime I am getting quite adept at cooking on a single ring camping stove, and typing one handed as Baby Ochre snores softly in the crook of my arm.

Spring babies

Spring has well and truly sprung in the Malverns -  we currently have the cutest pair of baby rabbits living under our store. They race up and down the drive, nibbling the weeds, and generally looking cute. I know if they appeared near my newly planted veg patch I wouldn't be quite so keen on them.
The lambs are also roaming the common. We had a bunch hanging around our gate last night - they've got to that age where they are more confident and cheeky; racing each other up and down the hills, and trying their luck at getting into our garden!

There are lots of baby calves too, all gangly legs, and completely fearless when it comes to road sense! Once again my daily trip to the Post Office has become a game of chicken. They tend to wait until you are almost driving past them, before making a bolt across the road.
Even the pigeons are at it -there was a very cute pair necking on the fence last night.
We are also on our own countdown for Baby Ochre, suddenly it's no longer a distant date, but a fast approaching reality! But sitting in my office, looking out at the blossom on the trees, and the Malvern hills, it's a pretty cool place for a baby to be brought up. 

Forward Planning

Well we survived the Country Living Spring Fair - all rather more accurately the long suffering Mr Ochre survived the fair, as I spent most of last week in hospital, proving that you don't always know what is around the corner!
He did an absolute sterling job, especially when you consider the stand was in part of the Women In Rural Enterprise (WIRE) group. A huge thank you to all the group who I know where "keeping an eye on him" through the week! Surprise sellers this year where our new Aga pads, with several orders having to be sent out after the show.

Above: Thank you to Robyn who helped out at the weekend.

With baby Ochre fast approaching, my la la la worry about it when it happens attitude has had to be a bit more focused, especially when it comes to ensuring the day to day running of Ochre And Ocre continues smoothly. Having an online business rather than bricks and mortar does mean you are more flexible, but only to the limitations of technology. So even though I had my Ipad with me, and could access emails, making phone calls and sending out orders is a bit more tricky from a hospital bed, especially with an intermittent signal. Our lovely customers were more than accommodating, and were happy to wait a few days for their orders, but it is not ideal.
Not knowing what is around the corner, has made me forward plan even more than usual; writing the bones of the monthly newsletters, (it is so hard to keep them different and not just pure marketing), planning promotions, press and our Autumn brochure, and juggling the stocks, (not too much that we are stock heavy, but enough that we can fulfill retail and wholesale orders). Once again Mr Ochre will be stepping into the breech, along with our multi skilled book keeper Amy, and I will be holding mini refresher courses on how to wrap and despatch our orders!
I've also started the long process of new designs and colourways for next Spring, knowing that the photography will need to be done early Autumn, to allow for Press and photography, it's not actually that far away.
If nothing else the past few weeks have taught me that I need to be more flexible, and dare I say it, go with the flow sometimes, a hard lesson to learn for a self confessed control freak!

Spring Has Sprung!

Loads has happened since my last post in the world of Ochre And Ocre. Our shiny new brochure was sent out last week. I was fortunate that my Mum came to visit at an opportune time, so I had an extra pair of hands to deal with the mammoth task of sticking on stamps and address labels and stuffing the brochures. It's a monotonous task, and I know there are companies you can pay to do it, but as a small company every penny counts!

The new colourways also went live online - and they have had an instant reaction which has been fab. I had expected the Isabella red to get a good response, but have been pleasantly surprised that customers have been loving the Madelaine Ochre spot as well. There are going to be some very pretty tables around this Easter, laid with our polka dot table runners and napkins.

It is especially lovely when we get notes and phone calls back from our customers saying how much they love their new deliveries - it really does give you one of those warm fuzzy feelings!
Although the NEC Spring Fair is over, the follow up work continues, and we've been busy packing up the wholesale orders, and sending them out. We are thrilled that our new ranges are going to be in so many lovely shops across the UK including, RHS Wisley, The Golden Goose in Frome, The Hen House in Southwell, Etcetera in Guernsey, Home Sweet Home in Sherbourne, Kettles in Dunkeld, Cornflower and Calico in Stroud, and Country Corner in Swanage.
We have also sent our Isabella Blue peg bags out for a promotion being run with an eco friendly washing powder  which is a great link up for Ochre And Ocre.
We are excitedly waiting for our new Melamine placemats to arrive, made in the UK, with our pretty Isabella and Madelaine designs on them, we should have just enough time to get them labelled up and packaged in time for the Country Living Spring Fair which is fast approaching.....!

Highs And Lows

If you ever want to extend your life, take a stand at a show! I find you have to exercise extreme willpower not to look at your watch during the quiet periods, otherwise you will literally find yourself counting the minutes.

That said we had a really good time at the Spring Fair in Birmingham last week. We had a record number of wholesale orders, and some really positive enquiries from retailers ranging from London department stores to Garden Centres and some lovely independent shops. I already know from last year that some of the enquiries can be real slow burners, taking months to come to fruition, but it gives us chance to manage our stock levels, as cotton prices have risen yet again, and it is getting harder to get hold of Organic Cotton yarn.
It was really nice to hear so many positive comments about our ranges from trade professionals, and it was really gratifying that so many could see the quality difference immediately.
After such a high, our week at the show ended on a sad low, with the loss of Gertrude, our gorgeous bulldog. We have had her from 8 weeks until nearly her 14th Birthday, so we are very aware how lucky we've been, and anyone who has met her will know what a character she was, always making her presence known. If you had called the office you are very likely to have had loud snoring in the background - I promise you that was Gert not me! Since I gave up my "proper job" to run Ochre And Ocre, Gert and I have spent most days together in the Ochre And Ocre office, so I have to admit to finding it a very quiet space this week. Luckily there is much to do following up from the show, catching up on office work, and sorting out stock and displays for our next big retail show, Country Living Spring Fair, keeping me occupied and my mind busy.

February Already!

Is it me or is this year flying by already! Our big wholesale trade show (The Spring Fair)is fast approaching, closely followed in March by Country Living!
 I met up with the super talented Rachel Spivey this week, at her rather lovely Leamington studio, to get the last few shots done for our brochure and online. As usual though, half our time was spent gassing about business and assorted stuff, before getting down to the actual business of photographing our new placemat range. (Check out her website by the way - she's updated it with some lovely new wedding pics).
We had to use our ingenuity when it came to finding a suitable "table" to shoot the mats on - and ended up with a coffee table balanced on top of a dressing table! Hopefully you will be none the wiser from the pictures!!

The brilliant and very patient  Lindsey has tidied up our brochure and it's winging it's way to the printers - even after several proof readings, I still spotted a major error this morning on my final read through - sometimes you just read what you want to read rather than what is actually in front of you. It's a relief to have that sent, as next week all our focus will be on the wholesale side of Ochre And Ocre. We've already had some positive responses from our mailing to the independent shops, so I'm hoping the new colourways will get a good reaction from our lovely retail customers.
I'm really pleased with how our new placemats have turned out - printed here in the UK, they have a really nice finish, and the fabric texture effect has worked in printing.
Now we just have to wait for our new Organic Cotton stock to arrive later on this month, and hopefully start selling!

January Blues..and Red's, Greens and Ochres

Our first ever January sale is over, and now it's onwards and upwards with 2011. There is a lot of forward planning this month; we have our Wholesale show in two weeks time at the NEC, where we will be showing our new colourways in the British Collection. Followed a few weeks later by the Country Living Spring Fair; a lovely show where it is hard not to spend all your takings!
I always get excited about new additions to the range, and I can't wait to see the first reaction to the Isabella Red and Madelaine Ochre. The Country Living Fair will be the first time I get a face to face real punter reaction, as the trade show buyers tend to be planning ahead, for the Autumn season.
We have been putting the finishing touches to our new brochure, with help from the very talented Lindsey Joyce. I tend to put together a very rough mock up of how I want each page to look, along with the text and pics, and Lindsey somehow manages to turn it into a professional looking brochure.
In preparation for the launch of the new colourways, I've also started to make Lavender Hearts in the new colourways. As boredom tends to set in quite quickly, I try to batch the tasks - spending a few hours one day cutting them out, sewing on the brand label another day, and so on, until it's time for the final stuff and stitch. A lovely fragrant job, which I tend to do sat in front of the tv at night, aided and abetted by Mr Ochre!
Right - it's swatch cards next, a night ahead of me of double sided sticky tape and piles of swatched fabric. 

New Year - January Sale!

We have had a great initial reaction to our first ever sale at Ochre And Ocre. I was determined that it should be a "proper" sale, with genuine reductions. As an ex buyer I know all about special "sale buys", and I hate getting conned by the not so real savings. Another bug bear of mine is when you purchase something in a sale, then two weeks later it is reduced even more. It does make you feel like you should have held off a bit longer, to save those extra pounds - everything in the Ochre sale is only being marked down once, so as to avoid upsetting those customers who have purchased already.
Some of the lines in the original Chateau collection will remain marked down to clear, but all the print ranges, Organic Cotton table cloths and napkins will have new pricing for 2011.
Since we originally launched Ochre And Ocre in 2008 all the prices have been held. But in order to run a profitable business, (a sensible goal I think!!), we have to increase our pricing for two reasons. When we first bought the range the sterling to euro exchange rate was strongly in our favour, but this has declined hugely over the past two years. Another more recent issue is the price of Cotton. There are major cotton shortages worldwide, and Organic Cotton is even more scarce. I read on the BBC Website this morning that Next are increasing their prices by up to 8% due to the cotton prices. As a "small" company, we are at the back of the queue against the bigger retailers in trying to grab some of the remaining Cotton stocks.
Allowing for all the above factors, because we are only "small" we are fortunate to have small overheads, and more flexibility than some of the larger firms, so our price increases are modest, and still allow us to be competitive. It will be interesting to see how 2011 will pan out, but I am optimistic of a good response to our new additions to the ranges this year,  and am grateful to have a loyal and growing band of customers.