Prize Draw

We had a small prize draw at the Country Living Fair - The prize was this basket of gardening goodies - kneeler, soap, giant fork and trowel and a set of aluminium labels.

It was won by Wendy Waller of Edzell and (due to holidays) will be dispatched to her today.

Today I am stuffing envelopes with my new postcards and an announcement that we are open from Friday. Surrounded by bright green envelopes, it makes me realise how much paper, time and money is spent on mailings. This was partly the reason for the prize draw. To enter we had to be given an e-mail address - not so that we can spam people - just to make it easier to let them know when the season begins and ends and what we are doing for Christmas.

Time shortage being what it is, I haven't put the names onto the computer yet . . . . so much for efficiency.

New publicity

Today I went to deliver the artwork for my new business cards to the printer.

Last year I handed out a lot of cards at the Country Living show and I have been amazed at how many people have obviously kept them and got in touch many months later.

Having something visual seems to work for me as people stick it to their fridge because they like the photo.

As I am now going to be doing mail order - and as I have almost run out of my old cards - I thought that we needed a change. As the business does lots of different things I have gone for 4 different cards - one general, one weddings, one mail order and one with a map to show where we are. They can either be given out seperately or as a group with a punched hole and ribbon.


I'm also intending to have a blank postcard so that I can use it as a gift card/compliments slip.

It was a bit of a gulp signing the cheque but nothing ventured. . . . . . .

The nice people at Country Living are going to try and get some into the compimentary bags at the show for me - I missed the deadline for them being part of the London based packing (what a job!) but they can go at the front desk and be put in ad hoc.

I would stick them to my fridge. Graphic design as always by the talented Kate Watt.

New logo

For the past six months or so I have felt that Snapdragon needed a proper logo - something that could be (in theory) printed on everything from labels to lorries (world domination here we come!).

In the past I have relied on printing things out as I need them and, as I am a really disorganised person, I have tended to begin anew each time. This meant that I had a very changeable image - I didn't even stick to one font - and this is really an attempt to become more professional in outlook and to grow the business.

The logo has been designed for me by Kate Watt, a local graphic designer who is responsible for the distinctive graphic look of Park Life Magazine.

We initally fiddled about with a Snapdragon image - but although it is a good "snappy" name which people remember easily it turned out to be a very weak shape for a logo so we have gone for the much more sparky dahlia.

Now all I need to do is get around to tying up the many many loose ends of the website and get some publicity material printed up in time for the Country Living Scottish Fair in March.

Felty eggy soaps

One of the things that I get most excited about with the business is the opportunity to work with other small businesses and crafts people to come up with unique products.

It would in many ways be much easier to simply buy things in and resell but I don't think that I would get the same kick out of it if I sold the same as everyone else. It would become a case of watching everyone elses prices.

Last year Laura Capnerhurst of Lucky Cats Soap used my calendula flowers to make a fantastic gardeners' soap and this year we have been developing egg shaped soaps with a felted covering.

The idea began with my elder daughter's birthday party where all the children made vibrant felt coverings for pieces of Laura's soap - they work a bit like a flannel and soap combined. Laura had made felted soaps before but this was the first time that I had really seen them and they were a great success.

Then, at one of the Fairs before Christmas I asked Laura about making egg shaped soaps to go inside some chicken shaped topiary frames I have for sale. She suggested felting the outsides and to be honest I thought it might look a bit odd - I still had the image of the bright wool stripes from the birthday party in my head and thought that they would look too "tie-die" for the chickens.

Then Laura made me the prototype pictured above and I am in love. The wool is pure cream merino, it is soft as soft can be, it doesn't smell at all wet woolly, the soap inside is a lovely light citrusy bergamot, and it will look fantastic in the chickens.

I love being proved wrong.

Thinking about branding

One thing that I am taking time to do during these festivity clear days is to think about what I want "Snapdragon" to become. I am doing a lot of pacing about and looking at old photos.

It is clear that it is time to concentrate on evolving into a brand - to come up with something consistent, something recognisable, so that a website makes sense.

I have resisted this in the past as I associated branding with corporate banality - and feared that there would not be room for the kind of one off quirkiness that I enjoy doing.

Then I came across a blog which defined a "brand" as being a business that refuses to tell anyone else's story. Now that really feels right, it is personal not corporate. Perhaps it is just a case of working out exactly what that story is - or more importantly what it isn't.

The photo is of Petersham nursery - a place with a great brand and story.