The night before the big event begins...

Well, the van is now packed and I am just sorting out my press releases to take to the fair. I have gone through my checklist again and again making sure I have all the adhesives I could possibly need (blue tack, cello tape, masking tape, glue etc)! I still have a few cushions to complete, but generally the house is looking like a home again, rather than a factory.

I'm glad that I booked my drop off slot for tomorrow as it means I have all of Tuesday to make sure my stand looks ready to go on Wednesday. To help prepare I have read quite a few blogs by previous first time exhibitors at the Spring Fair and looked at their before and after photos. I shall endeavour to record on my blog how everything goes and include photos of the various setting up stages in case I may be able to help others too in the future. It is a bit daunting being a first timer. I definitely feel confident and excited now though! London.... Here we come.

Final preparations....

So, with only two days to go before departing for London, its feels like there is a lot to do but it will all get done- but still, I will keep this brief....

I have spent this morning printing the paper bags with my brother Seb. The bags are for customers to use once they have purchased a W&A product (hopefully lots of them will get used!) I am going to take lots of photos of my stand at the fair, so for those who can't come and visit, you ca see what it all looks like.

I have also now printed all my aprons and tea towels, so for anyone attending the Country Living Fair, be sure to come and see those.

Right then, time to get back to sewing on labels... But here are a few photos to look at to show the mornings activities, including Spider the Border Terrier, now three months old.

Spider the Border terrier... the new face of Whinberry & Antler?

Printed bag with the screen

Lots of bags drying. With 200 bags to print we had to rig up some drying lines.

Working hard for the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair .

So I thought it was probably time to write again.

Still preparing for the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair! Not entirely sure what to expect so just trying to ensure I have a lot of stock made and that I will be as organised as possible to avoid any nasty surprises once I'm in London!  I have quite a lot of cushions made now and a fair collection of lavender bags.

The armchair is well under way, I think it will be quite spectacular once it is complete! It will most certainly be the talking point in the living room of its future home.I promise to put up some photos soon once the weather has picked up so I can get some shots of it outside of the garage.

I have ordered lots of aprons, both childrens and adults, from a company in Lancashire who produce cotton and manufacture the products themselves- Keeping it all British! There is also a good stock of Whinberry & Antler draught excluders featuring the marching hedgehogs, to keep out the cold air. I have also decided on my display now for the fair.... but I think that can stay a secret until the big event itself.

In relation to the business side of things, I am in the process of getting my merchant account number so that I may take card payments at the fair in March. A heads up to anyone who may be interested in doing this in the future, it is not a quick process- in fact it takes about four weeks altogether. I also have my public liability insurance now, which you need to attend any markets or fairs. I have also written a press realease for W&A. Around 20 copies of this, will be handed in at the Business Design Centre in London at the start of the Fair for any journalists who may be interested.... fingers crossed.


Anyway,  I should get back to it, I am halfway through making ten large cushions.

Thanks for reading, come back soon!

(oh, and this is our latest addition to the family; Spider the Border Terrier. It's very hard to keep up the work when he's around!)

Count down to the Country Living Spring Fair

With just under two months now until the country Living Spring Fair much of the focus at Whinberry & Antler is now on preparing for the event and trying to ensure that things can go as smoothly as possible (chip and pin, insurance, company sign, displays, transport etc) My handbook came in the post this morning and there certainly is a lot to read.

I have just completed the online profile, please click on the link to have a look and find out a bit more about the Fair- http://www.countrylivingfair.com/spring/page.cfm/Action=Exhib/ExhibID=637

As well as making lots of stock at the moment, I am also reading two very inspirational and motivating books, which I would highly recommend to anyone stuck in a job they don't enjoy or just needs that extra push to of positivity;

'It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want To Be' by Paul Arden

and

'Become a Person of Key Influence' by Daniel Priestly which was very kindly given to me by Fay Easton.

New Products on W&A website

Well, I have just spent the past couple of hours sorting out some more product photos and uploading them to the W&A website, as well as changing a few other things.

The enter page now features a photo of one of my favourite places to be. It shows a view of my local Shropshire hills, Earls hill, Pontesford Hill and the Stiperstones. I's only a short walk from my house and it was my favourite place to walk my Rough Collie Jade before she passed away last year. She loved bounding up and down the hills and rolling around on the grass! I thought it would be nice to show you one of the places that inspires me to create products that celebrate our countryside. I hope you think it looks nice too.

One of my favourite places. Always so lovely and quiet, all you can hear are the birds and the sheep

BBC Radio Shropshire

Today I received a phone call from BBC Radio Shropshire asking if they could come over and do a short interview with me about my business as part of the governments campaign to get people exploring the possibility of stating their own business in these times of mass unemployment- particularly amongst young people. It went really well and we discussed what it was like to start your own business- the highs and lows (although it is mainly highs!) and then recorded a short interview... tune in to BBC Radio Shropshire (96fm) tomorrow morning at 8 am or listen back to it on iplayer if you miss it or come from slightly further afield.

I shall get back to my drawing now...

Apologies, it has been a while.

Firstly I must apologise, it has been some time since my last post.

The first festive season went well for Whinberry & Antler- sales were made online through the company website and through Etsy which was great- as well as the first international order to the USA! I really must thank many of my family and friends who showed their support for Whinberry & Antler by choosing some of my products to give as Christmas presents (which I hear were well received!). I'm thinking about starting a page to show some of the products in there new homes, but I shall have a little think about that.

At the start of December I went down to Bath for a couple of days to use a photography studio and make more labels (as I need a press to emboss them). We took lots of photos to use for the first W&A catalogue which I will put up once they are edited. We also had some fun and messed around a bit (after all, life is about having fun), as you can see below!

 

 Today I have opened a Whinberry & Antler shop with Folksy. For anyone who does not know it, it is much like Etsy in that it is a platform for designers and makers to sell their products to a wide customer audience through the internet. The difference is though that Folksy specialise in, as the tag line reads, 'Modern British Craft'. Please do have a look  and support the shop through Facebook and twitter http://www.folksy.com/shops/WhinberryAntler

Well good bye for now, I shall be writing again soon with more photos of new products, including the new Kingfisher design! See you soon.