http://www.zoecorney.com en-gb zoecorney.com 2012-4-7T00:00:00Z zoecorney.com http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#116026 I find it very hard to believe that it is 3 months since I last wrote.The Springsummer brochure has gone down very well and January saw several new stockists which I am thrilled about as I really didnt know what to expect in the present climate. Normally the first quarter of the year is very quiet and I spend that time planning and stocking for the busy times but this year has been very different with continuous orders coming through web site although the ceramics are now really taking offmany of the orders have been for these.....Personalised cushions.I had been giving these some thought for some time but ubsure how doable they are and also how much demand there would be well I have been overwhelmed with orders and are getting several orders every day for these as well as the personalised Tea Cosies and Photo Albums. I work from either a photograph or detailed description and each item can be personalised with up to 6 people and 2 animals. They make the perfect present for the people ... 2012-4-7 18:23:51 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#109631 Well as I said on my last blog I was ready for a rest of the chaos that Christmas brings and I also said that I knew that after a few days break I would be dyeing to get back to it Well that I certainly amThe brochure has arrived back from the printers and I am so excited about it is the first time that the ceramics will be offered to trade in the UK. It will be falling through the letter boxes of many independent shops within the next few days and I am looking forward to hearing feedback.I thought I was being super organised on the run up to Christmas as not only had the Spring brochure gone to print but I had also produced samples for Mothers day for my Swanky Maison site the girls at Swanky work so hard with the marketing but because of this they are having to work several months ahead. At 5.20pm on the 20th December I had a last minute order for a personalised Christmas stocking as I put the telephone down I opened my emails to find a request from Swanky Maison asking for Easter A... 2012-1-3 19:29:52 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#107534 I find it very hard to think that it is very nearly the end of November last time I looked at the calender is was the 3rd September so where has the last few months goneAs you can see in my previous posts I have had an awful lot of trade orders this yearwhich has been great the bulk of the Christmas orders departed HQ in mid October which left me 3 weeks to stock up for the vast number of fairs that I had booked for the run up to Christmasor so I thought A day after the orders left I got a phonecall enquiring if I would be interested in exporting to Zurich after the initial shock the excitement hit and the order arrived a day later which I was thrilled to see was 50 textiles 50 ceramics this was the first ZC ceramic trade order.I have had an absolutely great time at the fairs and the ceramics are going down a real treat. I really love this time of year as I get to meet so many lovely. I have done many miles travelling the roads of Cheshire and Shropshire and I now only have 4 fairs ... 2011-11-25 20:14:55 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#103402 In between the chaos of lots and lots of trade orders I have been TRYING to increase my own stock levels as I have so many events booked over hte next few months and invitations are arriving on almost a daily basis. The first event is this coming Thursday a very dear friend of mine is very kindly hosting a launch party for my ceramics I am really looking forward to having some feedback. I have also started to take orders for personalised Chrsitmas stockings these are now available to buy on the website. I have had the last 2 days stitching nothing but Chrsitmas Stockings but we are in the middle of a September heatwave so it has proven slightly difficult to remain focussed however it has been so lovely to work with the door open as before I know it I will be stiching away with my fingerless gloves on. 2011-9-27 20:23:02 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#102889 Well the summer holidays flew by as quickly as ever we had a really lovely 6 weeks and I was as sad as Harry was when he went back to school. However towards the end of the holidays I was starting to struggle with juggling working through lots and lots of orders with being a mummy. I was slightly concerned with what the christmas seanson would bring order wise the last 2 years have been great for me but I am well aware that the country is really struggling financially and my products are not needed they are a luxury but all those fears where laid to rest in August when the orders started flooding in thick and fast. I have been chatting to a likeminded friend Sarah for the last couple of months about coming to work with me if I am rushed of my feet in the build up to Chrsitmas It was decided that when the children went back to school she will come and give me that much needed helping hand one day a week for as long as I need her she is proving to be an absolute godsend and it is so lo... 2011-9-20 16:23:04 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#100795 What a fantastic morning I have had. The lythographs transfers had arrived from the printers so at LONG LAST it was time to put the images onto ceramics we did not manage to complete the full collection but the majority are now done and on their way to being fired I will get them back next weeek and really cant wait I feel like a child at Christmas The yellow around the images will disappear in firing. 2011-8-19 14:22:12 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#100428 It has been a long time since I last wrote and I have very a very legitimate excuse lots and lots of work I am sure the majority of you are enjoying the summer holidays we certainly are although at times it is proving hard to work and spend quality time with Harry I do feel on a whole we have a good balance we are having lovely days out together and the days I have to work he is goes exploring in our garden or the lego tub is tipped out onto the living room floor and a whole new world is built in an afternoon. The new trade brochure that I mentioned in my last post is proving very popular and I have had lots of orders from customers new and old. I am working very hard day and night towards Christmas at the moment both for trade orders and also to increase my stock levels. But the best is yet to follow.................... When I started my little business 2 years ago I had a dream to take my designs onto ceramics and after 2 years of pondering over it I have eventually gone for i... 2011-8-13 20:32:35 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#96733 I must apologise for not writing for so long it is hard to belIeve where the time goes at the moment. It has been quite a busy couple of months since last time I wrote. When I set the business up 2 years ago a friend and I sat for several days and produced my trade brochure which I printed out lovingly tied up with ribbon and sent out to various shops throughout the country.I was so proud of it and it successfully got me trade orders but as time went on the business grow and I started to realise that our home printer wasnt that great and I had less and less time to lovingly tie the brochures up. So last month I took the plunge and had the brochures professionally printed for the first time it was all a bit nervewracking I had looked for the best deal and the only way I could do it was to email my pages to a printer who would print it and return it within a few days I had done all of the graphics myself to try and save some pennies but I am no graphic designer. The brochure arrived in... 2011-6-21 10:31:15 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#93287 What a week it has been. Before I start rambling on about the last week at Zoe Corney HQ I must say what a lovely day we had last Friday we were all glued to the TV from first thing and then eventually at 11am Kate Middleton arrived at Westminster Abbey and shortly after became the Duchess of Cambridge it was fantastic she looked stunning and what an amazing dress. It was so lovely to watch all the pomp and ceremony I am so proud to be British we certainly do know how to put on a show. The day ended with a bit of a do for our friends and neighbours and rather a lot of Vino Fantastic. All the excitement soon ended when on Saturday a local tractor driver lost his trailer and knocked the telegraph pole down which meant no phone or internet access for 5 whole days nightmare I hadnt actually realised how much we take them both for granted but it is so hard to run a business without them. We are back on line now and everything is getting back to normal. The last couple of days has seen m... 2011-5-6 12:08:36 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#92547 Apologies for not writing for a while. It has been a busy time with lots going on and then to top it allwe have the Easter School Holidays in the middle of it. But Harry is back at school and I am slowly getting through my huge list of jobs and feeling a lot more organised but for how long remains to be seen . We had a fantastic day at the Country Living fair I came home all refreshed and inspired. Our day in London was followed by a marathon of events and coffee mornings I had a fantastic response from them all it is hard to judge fairs at this time of year I wasnt expecting great things due to the economic climate so I was pleasantly suprised. The first Zoe Corney Party is booked and I am very excited the invites are printed and the event is on the 5th May which gives me a week to get through some stock. The parties are a natural progression for the business and I have been giving them some thought for some time a lot of my work seems to be commission work so to have a captive ... 2011-4-26 18:17:29 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#89736 I am really loving this time of year it is so lovely to have the sun shining through the Kitchen window as I work it is filling me with inspiration. Following my recent success with the Glasses and Gadget covers I have had a play with some spring like designs and colours and produced these zip up purses I am excited about these as I was about the gadget cosies so I hope I get a similar response from my customers. I have a busy few days ahead of me know we are taking a much deserved break on Wed and having a day in London visiting the Country Living fair I really love this fair and we are both very much looking forward to some retail therapy along with dinner in Covent Garden if time will allow. I love to visit the big smoke every now and again it is such a huge contrast from our peaceful quiet life. After our visit to London I have 5 events in 6 days most of these are coffee mornings but really looking forward to all them and hopefully will meet lots of lovely pe... 2011-3-21 13:43:10 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#88746 It is hard to think of Christmas trees and snowmen when the sun is shining and the daffodils are about to erupt in the garden but I have had a day of chasing a few answers for Chrsitmas events the good news is I have only had one negative so far and the one that I didnt get into coincides with another event so actually all has worked out very well. I am still awaiting the answer of another one but so far so good. If you are planning any events throughout the year and would like me to bring my stock then please contact me. I have also been setting my mind to greeting cards I have an school chum who is very talented at Stationery design she and her family had a lovely weekend with us in December and we got chatting then about the possibility of us doing some work together. I have been having a play aound with a few ideas today so hope to have something to show you within the next couple of weeks. Until next time enjoy the sunshine 2011-3-8 16:11:48 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#88190 Joining Etsy was on my list of things to do in 2011 I had been putting it off for the last month as I felt slightly daunted by it but after having a chat with a friend and feeling very inspired I decided to take the plungs and do it. So I am now the very proud owner of an Etsy shop it is supposed to be easy to use and so far it has proven a doddle even for a technophobe like me I will keep you posted. Have a look when you have a minute www.etsy.compeoplezoecorrney I am very excited Easter is quickly approaching and are many events most of them being quite low key local coffee mornings but I really love the smaller events as I seem to have more time to chat to my customers and get feed back. This time last year my personalised egg cosies feautured in Cournty Living Magazine I was really thrilled it proved to be a huge success for me and I had many many orders. I am still recieving orders from Country Linving and am hoping to really... 2011-3-1 15:00:43 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#86555 Part of this weeks challenge has been these personalilsed kittoy bags made form recycled fabrics jeans and dress fabrics . I did an awful lot of thes on the build up to Chrsitmas and each one was different. I really love them Personlised toykit bags I am trying very hard to clear the decks as we are heading away on Holiday within the next few weeks well when I say holiday what I really mean is a few days in our home county North Yorkshire catching up with friends and family. We moved to Shropshire last Spring and it has been such a crazy time we havent had chance to head home since then we did have a day trip planned before Chrsitmas but as the weather was so bad we had to cancel. I promised our god daughter and my husbands god son a memory blankets over a year ago so I have desperately been trying to finish them as well as lots of commissions that seem to arrive on a daily basis which is really nice I really love doing commission work as... 2011-2-9 10:27:55 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#85665 All commissions completed and ready to be posted. I have had a great week and had lots of lovely things to make. This weekend I have my other role to play the keepers wife we are very nearly at the end of the pheasant shooting season so tommorrow is our last day. Today has seen me making soup for all the bush beaters and a big carrot cake that Harry helped me make when he arrived home from school. Tommorow will start early as we all get kitted up in our tweeds and ready for a day out in the fresh air. I see myself as so lucky to lead the life that we do and also for the upbringing that Harry has its certainly not for everyone but for us life doesnt get much better than this. 2011-1-28 18:52:34 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#85418 As I mentioned in my last post I have a lot of commssions to work on this month the majority of these orders were taken at Christmas fairs and as they werent christmas gifts I have managed to delay them until January. In between stictching I have been applying for Christmas fairs it seems crazy it only seems like yesterday that I was loading the car up with my wares and travelling the lengths and breadths of Shropshire and Herefordshire to attend Charity events and Prep school fairs but you have to book early for these events especially the Charity ones. Fingers crossed they will love my things and I will have lots of acceptances This is one commission I have been working on it is made from the grooms trousers and brides tshirt. 2011-1-25 15:49:39 http://www.zoecorney.com/page6.htm#85267 After much deliberation here I am at last in the world of Blog writing. The last 3 months of 2010 was an extrmely busy time for me I really love that busy times but by the time Christmas eventually arrived I was well and truly ready for the break. The busy times seem to creep up on me but this year I WILL be organised After a short break over Christmas my first trade order of 2011 arrived on the 4th January lets hope the rest of the year carries on in this way. I have also been working hard on my Spring designs and have managed to get my Spring 2011 brochure out in the post to all of the shops that I deal with. I am very excited about my new designs and also waht 2011 has to hold for us all watch this space. 2011-1-23 15:05:36