I’m not much of a runner – I’ve been jogging on and off for the last 2 years and last year took part in my first 5 and 10k, which I just about jogged around in one piece.  So you wouldn’t think it makes sense for me to sign up to a marathon later this year – it doesn’t, but for some crazy reason that’s exactly what I’ve done!

The Loch Ness Marathon isn’t until October, so in theory I have plenty of time to train.  After completing week 1 of my training and feeling a bit achy I am wondering what on earth I’ve let myself in for – wish me luck!

We’ve got some gorgeous items which are guaranteed to win any man a whole heap of brownie points this Valentine’s Day.  Various styles of Hearts recycled jewellery mean we have something perfect for everyone, and luxurious eel-skin leather bags and purses stand out as the must-have items this Spring.  Whatever you choose it’ll certainly put a large smile on your lovely lady’s face.

To make it a little easier on your wallet, we’re also giving you 10% off everything ordered until midnight February 14th.  Just enter the code VALENTINE10 at the checkout.  www.emmiejay.co.uk

This week the Prince of Wales has launched The Wool Project, a campaign to promote the wool industry specifically focused on the UK, Australia and New Zealand.  Wool used to be a staple in most people’s wardrobes, but having had its ups and downs over the years it’s now considered either expensive, itchy or difficult to look after by many consumers.  We’re so used to finding man-made alternatives in our shops many of us don’t even own any wool items these days!

It does seem a shame – it can be beautiful, is extremely hard wearing and is a material we can produce in the UK.  It may be a more expensive product, but then it’s also going to last.  You shouldn’t compare buying a quality item that will last years with the throw-away fast fashion found on most high-streets, yet we all do it and often opt for the cheap option that lasts even less time than the bag it came in.

There are some great British designers working with wool, producing really exciting pieces that are fashionable, very wearable and beautifully made, Izzy Lane and Makepiece being the obvious examples.

Let’s hope this campaign helps give wool a higher profile, encouraging more designers, retailers and consumers to get involved.  It would be great to see more material produced, processed and made into the finished article all in the UK.

Was up at Earls Court for Top Drawer yesterday, the first big trade show of the year.  Overall not sure this is the type of show I will attend again as I’m really looking for smaller designer-maker types than weren’t generally present.  However I did get to meet up with a couple of regular contacts, putting names to faces, and also took advantage of the seminar and advice sessions which provided some good tips. Flare Communications provided some thought-provoking advice in their free one-to-one PR session, which has had my head full of ideas today. 

Best part of the day though was the buying!  Placed a jewellery order and picked up a few gorgeous clutch bags and purses made from vintage silk scarves to try out. Look out for these stunners online soon…

I love my bamboo socks because they are super soft and keep my feet nice and warm in this chilly weather.  I know they are very absorbent and anti-bacterial, but have recently discovered that Karen Biers from Utah State University has carried out research which supported the theory that wearing bamboo socks can cure athletes foot.  50 participants suffering from athletes foot were asked to wear bamboo socks and the results wear impressive:  ”All individuals reported that the burning and itching associated with the condition disappeared within one to two days after the test began. Within two to six days, the blistering and sores characteristic of the condition disappeared and the skin returned to normal.”

This is apparently due to a property referred to as bamboo kun, which is a naturally occurring anti-microbial.  This is what stops your bamboo socks from getting smelly as the odour-producing bacteria don’t get a look in.  The best thing is this doesn’t get washed straight out, unlike chemically added fresheners, further research has shown that these anti-fungal and anti-bacterial qualities last after many launderings.

All that from a pair of socks – marvellous!

I’ve joined Twitter!  Never even looked at it before, but now I’m tweeting and following along with the rest of the world.  Today I even found a link to our fabulous bamboo socks have been tweeted by someone else!  Follow me by using the Twitter button on the right.

Hoping this will be a useful way to broaden my network, and keep my Tweeting customers up to date with all my news.  Happy Tweeting!

As of very early this morning the EmmieJay online shop is live!  It’s a fantastic feeling to have reached such a major milestone.  It’s been a long time coming, but, mostly thanks to the huge efforts and encouragement put in by H, I’ve made it at last.

First order has already been received!  I’m just in time for Christmas shopping, so hopefully lots more to come soon.  I feel so excited about sharing my baby with the wider world, and full of ideas for expanding the range and promoting the website next year.  There’s so much to do and never enough hours in the day, but it’s just brilliant to be spending time working on something that I love so much.

I hope you’ll like the site and the products as much as I do.  Whatever you think, I’d love to hear hear it.  Either leave me a comment here, or contact me via www.emmiejay.co.uk .

It’s official, I’m now registered as self-employed.  It may have been just a phone call, but felt like a momentous event.  If you’ve ever felt worried about ringing up HMRC with any questions, you shouldn’t, they were extremely helpful and happy to explain everything.  Having run through the basic information I needed to provide them with, he chatted through the various options on paying NI, income tax and exclusions I may be eligable to apply for.  I’ve now got lots of free information making it’s way to me in the post, which mean I should by fully prepared to deal with all my legal  obligations without any surprises.

The tax man has a bad image, but it’s not deserved - he’s a very nice man.

Today EmmieJay enjoyed it’s first sale – a successful day and hopefully the first of many.  Keen to get launched before Christmas I booked into the Chedworth Pre-School Group’s Christmas Fair about a month ago with plenty left to do.  Working towards a booked event certainly focuses the mind, and seeing the advertising posters with my logo gave me a real buzz.

I approached the whole day as a learning experience, happy just to come away having covered my costs and learnt a few things ready for next time.  I achieved all that and more, heading home having had a fun day and with reasonable sales for a first time out.  Other stall-holders were friendly and helpful, and the turn out was better than I’d been expecting.

Now I just need to re-stock a few items, work on some display ideas taken away from Saturday and get ready for next time.  I’ve got four more events before Christmas, two public sales and two shopping parties – last week that felt quite scary, now I can’t wait!

Not a great picture, but here's a snap of the stall

This Sunday I went along to the first day of the Pure London trade show.  Having never been to a trade fair before it was certainly over-whelming, but fantastic.  I can see why they recommend you need more than one day to get round –  if I’d been wanting to look at every collection I would have struggled in a day.  However, I was only interested in those stands classing themselves in the “ethical” camp.  Pure has been promoting their increased coverage in the ethical arena this year, with around 50 brands present out of the 800 showing – not at all bad, and certainly a great opportunity to get to see lots of new collections in one place. Read the rest of this entry »