The move to Lichfield

Have you been wondering where I've been lately? Well it has been a busy time, not only preparing for the up and coming trade shows this year and designing lots of new products but I've also had a house move to contend with.
My partner had been living miles apart for over a year and deciding that enough was enough I made the move to Lichfield last month into our first home together. Ahhhh!

Views from the living room.

I have had to find my way around and get settled quickly as moving the business has been a bit of upheaval but definitely worth the effort. We couldn't have done it without the support of friends who have been so helpful moving heavy furniture and all my owl related thingy bobs.

Views at the front, we call our 'garden'!

I am all settled in now, the owls too, and loving our new home. Apart from the colder weather, it's true, today we've had some snow. The views from our windows are spectacular and Lichfield is a lovely place.

The Studio is as untidy as always so I am definitely settled in now. It took a bit of time to get it how I wanted it and adapt to using the stairs with all my heavy collections and deliveries. So far, so good, I'm really enjoying it here, and I have already been called 'duck' which is nice.

The Cathedral is beautiful, not so much when the bells toll throughout the night though.

On the move!

Behind the scenes over the past month, I have seen my greeting cards taking on a whole new look and have been working with some fantastic designers who have been transforming my cards into animations!

The creators at 'Jeego' featured in last month's Progressive Greetings Magazine. They have cleverly animated my 'Birdhouse' illustration in time for Mother's Day which you can send via Facebook, Twitter, email or straight to a mobile phone! Read all about them below...

I like the idea Jeego have about 'moments'. We communicate using images more than ever before, sharing photos and videos in an instance. It's true that these 'moments' happen hundreds of times every day, and so there is now a new way to charm your family and friends through social media using this clever app. I wouldn't use the term 'e-card' for these animations, to my mind it's a bit passe with all of the connotations associated with the e-card of yesterday, and whilst there is a gap in the teenage card sending market, we have to offer new ways of communication from peer to peer which is edgier and more design-led. True, that teenagers perhaps miss out on the real thing on the mantlepiece to treasure, a format I have come to know and love, but I don't remember sharing my Birthday cards on the school bus with my mates, laughing about the latest trend in cards. 

Jeego's animators have done a fantastic job, making a charming animation from my greeting card. There are sure to be many more to follow.

Find out more about Jeego on their blog. You can download the app here.




Launching in Australia.

This week my first shipment has arrived in Victoria, Australia, in time for my distributor to launch my products into the market at the Reed Gift Fair at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre. The venue overlooks Darling Harbour a stone's throw from the Opera House.

My products are also now available on the distributor's website which is accessible to hundreds of retailers across Australia. Reed Gift Fair is just like the Spring Fair I have just finished in Birmingham, distributors come to the UK to source new product and then put lots of time and energy into marketing them with their customers.

The distributors have thousands of products available, taking everything new to the show. Here is a glimpse at the days they have spent setting up for the fair which opens Saturday 23rd February and closes five days later, hopefully with plenty of orders for my products!

It's great to be launching my cards into a new market, with the backing of a distributor who work really hard and are supportive all the way. I can't wait to hear their feedback about the response to my cards, so my fingers will be crossed for the next five days.

Spring Fair International 2013

We're back after a long and tiring week at Spring Fair International. It's always such a demanding week and usually by 10pm Mum and I are dropping off to sleep. This year we were lucky as we managed to find somewhere to stay, just a 3 minute train journey from the NEC, with a great friendly pub just a short walk away for our evening dinner.

We arrived on Saturday, by train, my boyfriend brought all of the heavy stand material, we needed extra muscles. It wasn't long before I was putting the stand together with my trusty spirit level.

 

I was really pleased with the new shelving and my logo which I had printed onto canvas. In comparison to past shows, it looked neater and visitors were able to handle the products too.

I had over 300 cards to display, but I had to narrow it down as we ran out of space.

It's always great to have Mum's support, her ideas, company and enthusiasm at the show.

The week got off to a great start, meeting distributors from America, France, New Zealand and Germany, taking orders from Japan and catching up with my fantastic Australian distributors. This is why I love to do this show, as it brings so many opportunities to export my cards.

I even met my long distance friend, Shannon, owner of 'Kwilla' all the way from Kilkenny who has been a stockist of my cards for a couple of years. We didn't meet last Spring because of the snow and cancelled flights, so it was fantastic to finally meet and take a moment for a photo. The pencil necklace I'm wearing I bought from Shannon last year, as she knew I would love it (it matches my logo!).

It was also lovely to see some of my other regular buyers who have been so supportive over the past few years. The response to all of the new cards was really good. I have lots of contrasting styles, from very contemporary to more traditional, so my order forms were very varied.

I'm delighted to now be exporting to Japan, this is something I have wanted to achieve with my products for a long time. Much of my work is inspired by Japanese art and I have even been trying to learn some basic Japanese, in the hopes that one day I might get to go there.

I also have some other exciting prospects to work on over the next few months, but like a lot of new leads from the shows, you have to continue to put the work in to make sure opportunities happen.

I am really happy with the way the show went this year, and I am already signing up for the next one (with a larger plot). I am now in the process of fulfilling my orders, and preparing stock for further distribution. There is not a moment to rest, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

Spring!

What a busy time! Since the New Year I have been busily working away on plenty of Spring orders and my first export order to Australia. This morning a big lorry came to collect all seven large boxes packed full of cards for my Australian distributor.

As you can see this many boxes means hours and hours of carefully packing cards, and still doing this by hand myself, has been an enormous task. Needless to say I am very happy with the results and excited to see how well they sell. I wait in anticipation!

Now I just have a little time to prepare for Spring Fair International. I am already thrilled with the response to my Spring 2013 catalogue, thank you to my regular customers who have already placed their order.

Come and see Fay's Studio at stand 4J26 at the Birmingham NEC 3-7 February. I have over 100 new card designs launching (I only just have room for them all), bursting with great ideas for you for the Spring seasons.