www.thecottageindustry.blogspot.com
where you will find our news and photos.
December 28th 2008
What we have left of our popular Christmas cards and table linen, is now in our SALE> All marked items are half price while stocks last.
December 18th 2008
One week to go! I hope all your preparations are going well. Having personalised Christmas cards for hundreds of customers over the past few weeks, I now have the chance to turn my attention to our own. But I'm afraid to say our friends and relatives only get the bog standard ball point pen version. Things are slowing down now. After months of frenetic activity between craft shows, shop orders, mail orders etc, we can take a breath and survey the scene. So what do I see when I survey the scene? Well, a house which has been sadly neglected for ages, cobwebs in the corners which would make lovely decorations if they were sprayed silver, things which just need PUT AWAY if I could muster up the energy and a whole collection of bits and pieces which are refugees from the workshop. It's now time for the big sort out, quite cathartic really. It helps to clear the head, ready to make plans for the New Year.
Wishing all of our friends and customers a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year. Hope to see you again in 2009! Best wishes from, Marion and Bob.
December12th 2008
A new gift idea has just been added. Perfect as a First Foot gift as well as Christmas, a tartan bottle waistcoat. Link below:
www.embroideredoriginals.co.uk/tartan-bottle-waistcoat-p-206.html
December 6th 2008
I've been trying, without success, to add some photos to this blog - sneak prevews of new designs, pictures of the workshop and work in progress etc.
So I have started a new blog
www.thecottageindustry.blogspot.com
and I'll put them on there. Not much on it as yet, though. I'm too busy with Christmas orders.
December 1st 2008
We have that end-of-term feeling! We are just back from the last two Craft Fairs before Christmas - Bob was at the Perth Christmas market on Saturday, outdoors in -1 temperatures, while I was in the relative warmth of the Highland Hall at Ingliston. Bob has just about thawed out and we are working hard to Christmas-ify the Workshop for the last few shopping days!
The Farm Shop at the end of the Farm Road is surrounded by Christmas trees. It's like a forest has sprung up overnight, and we are supplying the decorations to go on them! We have some just lovely wooden tree ornaments from Birchcraft, and although they are selling well in the shop, I hope to get some on the website in the next day or so. Also look out for personalised plaques to go on the tree with Baby's First Christmas, and Keepsake boxes, again which can be personalised for Births and other Special Occasions.
November 23rd 2008
We will be back to normal from tomorrow. We got back from the Country Living Christmas Fair tonight, tired but happy. We had four extremely busy days, (what credit crunch?!!), and now it's time to re-group, fill up the stock shelves again, and go full steam ahead to Christmas. All orders placed online while we were away will receive first priority, once I get a night's sleep!
One more thing, I'd like to welcome everyone who has found this website through the article in today's Sunday Post newspaper. We arrived home to a number of emails from people who had very kind comments to make about our cards. Thank you, and I hope you add us to your favourites and visit regularly.
Get your Christmas cards orders in as soon as you can, there aren't too many days left till Christmas!!
November 18th 2008
While we are busy getting organised for the Country Living Christmas Fair at the SECC in Glasgow, I thought it would be best to advise customers that we will be away from the website from Wednesday until Sunday, while we are at the Show. This is important if you need your order urgently over the next few days and are expecting to receive it ASAP. I'll be checking the website when I get home on Sunday, and will process the orders from then. So it will take a day or two longer than normal.
We are in the throes of last minute list making before we set off on Wednesday. Our van is packed so tightly you couldn't fit a pencil in the back. Despite the lists, I usually manage to forget something - the only hope is it's not too important. I'm really looking forward to the Country Living Fair. It's such a lovely looking event, the hall is beautifully decorated and the individual stands put on amazing displays. If I get the chance to get off the stand, I'll do some Christmas shopping. It's the ideal opportunity.
Well, back to work.
November 14th 2008
Mrs Douglas is the second recipient of the free tickets, so they are all away now. However, it is still well worthwhile the price of a ticket to visit the Country Living Christmas Fair. Just check out the link to the website (below) and you will see just how many and varied exhibitors there are. It is a gorgeous Show with lots to tempt you.
November 12th 2008
First pair of free tickets have gone to Mrs Barr. Congratulations, and have a great time. One pair left!! (See November 11th for details.)
November 11th 2008
Here's a treat for two lucky customers! We have TWO PAIRS OF TICKETS FOR THE COUNTRY LIVING MAGAZINE CHRISTMAS FAIR AT THE SECC IN GLASGOW TO GIVE AWAY!! These tickets are worth £22 for the pair and will admit you plus one other person, free of charge to the fair on any of the days except Saturday. The dates are Thursday 20th - Sunday 23rd November, and it will be a sumptious affair with loads of goodies to tempt you. You can read all about it if you click on the link: www.countrylivingfair.com
Anyway, all you have to do is place an order with us and put the word "tickets" into the Comments box at the check out, and the first two customers will receive two complimentary tickets. So hurry, we only have two pairs of tickets to give away!!!
We will notify you by email if you are successful, and send the tickets out with your order, or if time is short, we will send the tickets by first class post ahead of the order. This will not be a draw, quite simply the first two orders received with the word "tickets" in the Comments box will receive the tickets.
November 9th 2008
Check out our new pages of Christmas stockings, decorations and gifts! We have lots to choose from, carefully chosen to offer superb quality and reasonable prices. More will be added in the next few days when the website designer (me) gets round to it. Over this weekend, as well as the website designer, I have been the accountant, designer, maker, cook, van loader, shop assistant and shelf stacker, photographer, dutiful wife, dutiful mother, dutiful daughter, cleaner, and a bit of couch potato in between. Talk about multi tasking. I still managed to fit in a little bit of retail therapy, oh and the ironing. Still it's only 10pm on Sunday, so there's hours yet.
Bob has just got home from two days at the Craft Fair in the Concert Hall in Glasgow with stories about losing his way amongst road works and ending up heading back in the direction of Glasgow. Not what you want at the end of a long day.
I've had a couple of emails from people asking about our shop, what it's like and how to get there. Well, it's small, but don't let that put you off, because we have used every inch of space to fill it, especially at this time of year with a selection of Christmas decorations, embroidered cloths, runners and accessories, prints, jewellery, and lots more.
It is built next to our cottage on Blacketyside Farm, a mile or so out of the town of Leven on the A915 coast road to St Andrews. (If you are using a sat nav, the postcode is KY8 5PX). You won't miss the new Farm Shop at the bottom of the farm road, where you can get coffee and homemade goodies or delicious lunches, and buy fresh produce from local suppliers. Continue up the farm road a couple of hundred yards or so, and you will find us. You can park right beside the shop and our opening hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 5pm, although it's worth phoning to check if you are coming any distance, as there are some days between now and Christmas when we are both at Craft Fairs and the shop will be closed.
November 5th 2008 ( Bonfire Night)
I thought I would let you know that I'm putting the Christmas cards and gifts on to the website over the next couple of days. In fact the first cards are already on! I'm calling it a day for today though, as it is now the early hours of the morning and the US elections are almost decided. I will grab a few hours' sleep and continue with the next batch of cards to be uploaded in the morning.
I shouldn't complain though, as I nipped off to Amsterdam with our daughter, Laura, at the weekend for a "girly"shopping break. We had a great time, browsing through the wonderfully quirky little shops and having some cultural time at the Van Gogh Museum, fuelled with frequent stops for apple pie and waffles. Bob was left manning the shop and keeping the orders going ( what a saint ) and he didn't complain. To be honest, the last thing he would have wanted to do was go shopping with us. I did bring him back a present though.
That was our only free weekend until December, as you will see from our Calendar of Events things get pretty hectic in the run up to Christmas. We have a stand at the Concert Hall in Glasgow this coming weekend. Then the following Saturday, we will be praying for good weather as we are outside at the Lanark Christmas Market. The weekend after that we are back inside amid the luxurious surroundings of the Country Living Show at the SECC ( a new and exciting Christmas event). Then we round off November with the Creative Crafts for Christmas Show at the Royal Highland Showground at Ingliston, as well as ( unconfirmed) the Christmas Street Market in Perth, another outdoor one.
There will be odd days during these weeks that we will have to close the shop while we attend these shows, but we hope to keep that to a minimum.
October 17th 2008
Well, the fact that there has been no update to this blog since August is not because there was nothing to write, just that there was no time to write it! I have been gently chastised by a certain friend who shall remain nameless(!) that every time she checks the blog she is disappointed that there is no new news.
So, here we are again. We grabbed a few days' holiday a couple of weeks ago, and had a wonderful time in New York, but as soon as we got back we were up to the eyes and over with Christmas. Yes, Christmas! We had been working on Christmas cards all summer, stockpiling for the rush of orders that come in from the shops we supply. As usual though, we couldn't make enough in advance to fill the orders, so we are like Santa's little helpers just now, working round the clock to keep up. That certain friend (see above) will testify to the crazy life we lead at the moment with cardboard cartons piled two and three high all over our cottage as well as in the workshop. Still, I'm certainly not complaining, not at this difficult time economically.
I will put all the Christmas cards on to the website in the next day or two, along with some lovely Christmas gift ideas for children and grown ups. As well as the cards and personalised items we make, we have sourced some wonderful products which make very affordable little gifts. Watch this space!
The Christmas Craft Fair season is under way, and I'm looking forward to seeing lots of our customers at the SECC in Glasgow next week - Thursday - Sunday. Those of you who are regular visitors to our stand know that we pull out all the stops as far as Christmas is concerned, and this year is no exception. Hope to see you there.
Anyway, my coffee break is over. Time to start the nightshift!