Baby Crazy

Well baby George is finally here! How fantastic that we can all share in the good news of the Royal Family! I realise it might be a bit of a cliché but I for one love to hear about the birth of any baby but this one seems to have caught the imagination of the whole country! We need the Royal Family in Great Britain. They may be seen as privileged but who would want their lives put under a microscope daily? Whilst I held dreams of being Prince Andrew's wife (all the privilege but with much more freedom)! I now have high hopes for my daughter Victoria and Harry! The good thing about all things Royal is that there will always be a need for bunting! At Artisans-uk we sell hundreds of metres of the stuff. So I for one say THANK YOU your Royal highnesses and let’s keep on celebrating!

Kinky Knickers

I have been engrossed in the recent television program featuring Mary Portas and her drive to bring back UK manufacturing. It was a joy to see so many new jobs being created on the back of the program. The message Mary has been trying to get across is to make our textiles industry viable again.
I originate from Nottingham and was delighted to have my wedding dress made from Nottingham Lace. I was saddened to see that this industry has almost died in the area and we are now relying on cheap imports. I really hope that the program will ignite the industry and put back manufacturing and pride into our country.
I realise that so many people are trading on the UK Manufactured label when in fact components of many of the products are still imported and therefore cannot be classed as totally UK made. Mary Portas recognised the importance of having each component made in the UK and I applaud her ethos. I have found it very difficult in getting the products for Artisans-uk that are genuinely made in the UK. I visited a trade show at the start of my business and was horrified to see that several ceramics companies claim to be UK made. However, it transpires that they are only finished in the UK!
I feel it is vital to support UK manufacturing and in a small way Artisans-uk is championing this!

Babies about to fly the nest!

My second daughter is about to go to university. This is a good thing as we have the children and it is our job as parents to let them fly!

I will of course miss not having to share my car, endless washing, and general mess around the house! However, the compensation will be such that I can congratulate myself on being a good parent thus far. Of course the odd elbow break, eye infection (for which I administered Bazuka instead of eye cream) and minor cuts and bruises won't affect my track record in perfect parenting! I may decide not to change the bed linen straight away - nothing to do with the fact that I may be able to catch a whiff of their perfume but just because I can afford the luxury of waiting!

I am now about to embark on a period in my life when I will have time on my hands! I will not be the sort of parent who stalks their child on Facebook ( I would rather not see them having fun!) However, I flatly refuse to take up crochet, knitting or macrame. I will opt for a much quieter life and do the odd skydive to relieve the boredom.

The right outfit for the occasion

I recently did the Country Living exhibition and was impressed to see how several of the stallholders blended well with their stands. I know it might seem a bit trivial but I paid so much attention to the look of my stand that my outfits fell short of the occasion.

I remember when I was growing up my Mum would dress up to go shopping in my home city of Nottingham. It must be genetic because I do exactly the same. If I go shopping in Norwich I cannot go wearing jeans, I dress up just like my Mum used to. I was telling a friend that this was my usual regime and she was astonished. I don't think she could quite believe that people like me still existed! I think for me it is important to reflect who you are and how you feel the most comfortable. I think my style is quite safe but I would love to branch out and be more creative. Hats off to the stallholders who incorporate their personal style into their products I love seeing creativity spanning the board.

Spring is in the air

It's the start of a new year and of course Larkrise to Candleford is back on the telly! It is great to see familiar things but also exciting taking on new challenges. At the moment Artisans-uk is busy planning fairs for the forthcoming season, some new ones and others we will be returning to. It is so lovely to be working with spring colours instead of tartan! I really enjoy the Christmas season but you can have too much of a good thing.

Of course Easter is the next big festival and I was delighted to see the adverts for cream eggs on Boxing Day- some things never change. However, Artisans-uk is hoping to do the opposite and offer change all the time and we will be introducing new designers this year to the site.

So it's down with the Christmas Bunting and up with the new spring version!

Christmas in October

This year I did my first Christmas related fair in October. There were trees and mistletoe everywhere. I thought to myself this year I will start buying my presents at the different events I would be attending - good plan! However, as a retailer I know that in order to be one step ahead of the game you have to buy when you see that certain something or you will miss out. The times this year that I have found myself willing Mrs Organised with only two more presents to get to put down my ideal present for Aunt Agnes. Oh no I now want to kill my own potential customers. We are now at the last week of shopping and have I finished my buying? - don't be ridiculous, I have run out of fairs and have to resort to the high street with all the other bad tempered folk in my position. Take a tip from me if you see that ideal gift either on line or at a fair BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!! you will be so happy and as a result be victorious in the present giving stakes.

Happy Christmas from Artisans-uk

Christmas is coming

I have found myself doing several fairs recently and it never ceases to amaze me how early people start their Christmas shopping. I know it is a bit of a cliche but I did my first Christmas related event in September and sold lots of my NOEL Bunting. One lady I heard said that she was just buying her last few bits and her friend replied rather smugly ' I finished all mine last month' which by my reckoning makes that August!! Please tell me is there a secret society where you have to sign a pledge to be full of festive cheer in September. I wonder what these terribly organised soles do until December are they buying next summers wardrobe? The problem I have is that I aspire to be this organised and feel less than adequate year on year when I fail miserably and shop mid December. Please tell me the secret as I am sure it could be patented and sold for a fortune!