Smelling of Roses

Half way through....

2011-08-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

half way thru the happy hols and we are all having a really great time....
Blissfully unaware of all rioting issues as we loafed around in warm waters (literally) we were slightly perplexed by all the texts and emails referring to hoodies - thought folks just meant it was freezing cold back home.
School uniforms remain a priority, but despite hunting for compost bags under their beds, I am always of the opinion you should leave it until the last minute as they just keep on and on growing.......and then of course no one, not one single shop seems to have anything in their size....
www.smellingofroses.co.uk is having a facelift at this very minute which is all rather exciting, whether it will work out or not, havent got a clue, but she is looking good behind the scenes.
Jackets all arrive next week -----eeeeeeeeek...........

Summer hols....

2011-07-20T06:12:00.001-07:00

Phew....summer hols are just around the corner....
Over 1000 jackets are being made, and I am ready to collapse for 2 weeks whilst the finishing touches are being made.
Summer came and went in May this year, and am now jolly glad that Mr W saw sense and agreed to booking flights to a sunnier clime...
Couldnt face playing monopoly in cornwall for 2 weeks.
Serious work starts the second half of August getting everything ready for new schools, old schools and all orders out on time...

2011-06-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

Almost 6 months since the blogging fingers have hit keyboard....
Busy time, selling collection in Europe and UK, juggling the stresses of Common Entrance exams and getting all the ingredients together to make the AW 2011 collection all come together seamlessly.
Buttons appear to have gone walkabouts between here and Italy, 3 tonnes of wool stuffing is stuck in Lithuania...nothing appears to be straightforward...
Mr W (as he is known at home) thinks that I spend all day playing with fabrics. Youngest son thinks my sense of fashion is lame as I dont get why the boxers have to pop out of the top of every pair of trousers...
Roll on summer holidays...

Chocolate for Christmas...

2010-12-18T14:10:00.000-08:00

A week before Christmas....still masses to get done and yet the snow has landed AGAIN. Not even a 4 wheel drive will really help....we must patiently await a thaw.

This means that I have a genuine excuse for not having any wrapping paper, BUT as the freezer is virtually empty I am beginning to have a mild panic.

Everyone's at home and we don't have that much food....and as for the oil guage and oil level, well I think I forgot to reorder, so we may have no aga aswell.

Good job there's lots of quality streets, even if they were meant for other people who says we can't eat them?

snowy times...

2010-11-30T01:18:00.000-08:00

running a web business in these snowy times is a challenge....
getting the parcels sent out is one challenge, but getting them delivered is an even bigger challenge...
lets just hope that the snow will ease off as we enter December so that father Christmas's sacks can be filled up in time for 25th...

Royal mail should get its act together...

2010-11-20T10:38:00.000-08:00

I am a huge fan of Royal Mail.....at least sometimes...

Partly because the rose... is based in a rural location and it keeps our little local post office in business, and partly because it is one of the greenest methods of delivery we can find. Royal Mail is moving and shifting mail and parcels throughout the country whether you like it or not...

We use the recorded delivery service offered by the Post Office because it can be tracked, but it requires a signature upon delivery.

Last week 2 of my web orders went astray.

Afetr sitting on the phone to Royal Mail for 20 minutes, trawling thru all the options simply to get through to a human, I was told that 1st class recorded delivery can take up to 15 days to arrive....

What good is that?
With Christmas fast approaching, and an obvious increase in the use of our postal services....how can I rely on Royal Mail, when there is a 15 day possibility?!

Special delivery costs so much more, but it looks like the only option.....aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

half term already?!

2010-10-15T03:19:00.000-07:00

OK...the winter is well and truly here, the heating has gone on, and the tweed jackets are really starting to sell well...
Have just joined www.notonthehighstreet.com and am manically loading up some images and hopefully will be finished in time for an early pick up for a 2 week half term....
Bliss just to be able to stay in a warm bed beyond 6.30...
Chaos as work has to go on hold, or slightly on hold, as activities take over...

2010-07-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

the start of an 8 week holiday in the summer in the fashion world is usually a complete juggling act as it is peak buying and selling time for a summer collection...
for the first time in 15 years the month of august has a clear and empty diary, and it is a wonderful feeling...
with a passion for tweed and everything wintery, the rose has decided to take the summer off, and wander along beaches here at home with children and dogs...
blissssss.......?

2010-03-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

many many hours of reading and commenting upon blogs, I thought it really was time I put fingers to the board and posted a few thoughts...

the maddest month of March is almost over, hares are leaping all over the road as if on suicide missions, (clipped one rushing to the post office this afternoon) and the children are already on holiday.... in theory this should dovetail in neatly with my other life of running a seasonal fashion business. All of the orders in from stockists for the new AW 2010 collection should be in, cloth should be ordered, the new SS 2011 collection should be at sampling stage, ......and the boys should have a stress free mother for the holidays....but ha ha ha....there just never seem to be enough hours in the day.

the rose... has had a fabulous season thus far, gaining about 5 new stockists dotted all around the country. Now the fun starts when I get to meet the real customers, and I am looking forward to some hectic months touring around a few select country retail shows, with a week at the dreadful Business Design Centre in Islington (Country Living Fair) already under my belt, then Badminton at the end of April, but making sure that the ship sails smoothly at home in my absence is never an easy task. Will Mr W remember the trumpet on Tuesdays, the science homework on Wednesdays, the appointment at the vets? An average of 8 texts a day will be sent, always polite simple memory joggers, and all of them will be ignored.....The fridge will be empty upon my return and the washing pile enormous, but there will be 4 happy faces having fed on ready made meals for a week.