Blog - January 2025
Hello Hello and a Happy New Year !!!!
Here we go... 2025 ! Crumbs !
Not quite sure where Christmas actually went... It felt like the build up lasted forever with many markets and events to trade at and unique commissions to make... I got my first bespoke Christmas order back in August and I got my last the week before the big day !!! But this is what I do... and I LOVE IT !!! I do feel however quite rested with some time away from The Shed and equally some time away from the Socials... and now after having got my bookeeping back up to date (I was so so so behind) I feel raring to get back at it !
Going to try new things this year... partly because I want to, to keep things fresh and exciting for me as well as you and partly because it's a much tougher world at the moment being a super small business... and you have to adapt and be flexible... for example, in the past month we've had 3 weekends of simply awful weather that has meant many markets got cancelled last minute... and the price of EVERYTHING has gone up... for me... it's silver supplies and postage...gadzooks... AND with new rulings I can no longer ship to the EU or Northern Ireland... and I have a great crew of loyal ladies who love to shop ScruffyDog in NI... I am working on a cunning plan or 2 for you guys... So please don't give up on me ! Where there is a will there is a way !
So, coming UP !!!
I have enrolled onto the 10 Days of Silver Jewellery Making 2025 with the Jewellers Academy - this begins on the 13th January... a really rather lovely way I thought of firing up my creative engines again and being stretched in new ways. Learning new techniques and skills... A time for play... As simple as that !
January 19th see's me back on the road trading ! Now I rarely do events at this time of year but this one is different ! I am dipping my paws into the world of Wedding Fairs ! This one is local and is being held at the quite beautiful Brampton Grange... I am to be trading outside in Cookie the CamperVan (weather please be kind !!!)... and have been looking at ways to joosh up my stall to give that rustic wedding vibe, to catch folks eyes and get them to wander over to see what I can offer... I am thinking Bridesmaid, Best Man, Mother of the Bride, proud Dad gifts, that sort of thing - working with the happy couple to design something meaningful to them to gift to their special people... Personalised keepsakes... Tailor made and wrapped up... Really looking forward to this !
Link to the Brampton Grange events page...
https://fb.me/e/516hIuj9Y
Here we go... 2025 ! Crumbs !
Not quite sure where Christmas actually went... It felt like the build up lasted forever with many markets and events to trade at and unique commissions to make... I got my first bespoke Christmas order back in August and I got my last the week before the big day !!! But this is what I do... and I LOVE IT !!! I do feel however quite rested with some time away from The Shed and equally some time away from the Socials... and now after having got my bookeeping back up to date (I was so so so behind) I feel raring to get back at it !
Going to try new things this year... partly because I want to, to keep things fresh and exciting for me as well as you and partly because it's a much tougher world at the moment being a super small business... and you have to adapt and be flexible... for example, in the past month we've had 3 weekends of simply awful weather that has meant many markets got cancelled last minute... and the price of EVERYTHING has gone up... for me... it's silver supplies and postage...gadzooks... AND with new rulings I can no longer ship to the EU or Northern Ireland... and I have a great crew of loyal ladies who love to shop ScruffyDog in NI... I am working on a cunning plan or 2 for you guys... So please don't give up on me ! Where there is a will there is a way !
So, coming UP !!!
I have enrolled onto the 10 Days of Silver Jewellery Making 2025 with the Jewellers Academy - this begins on the 13th January... a really rather lovely way I thought of firing up my creative engines again and being stretched in new ways. Learning new techniques and skills... A time for play... As simple as that !
January 19th see's me back on the road trading ! Now I rarely do events at this time of year but this one is different ! I am dipping my paws into the world of Wedding Fairs ! This one is local and is being held at the quite beautiful Brampton Grange... I am to be trading outside in Cookie the CamperVan (weather please be kind !!!)... and have been looking at ways to joosh up my stall to give that rustic wedding vibe, to catch folks eyes and get them to wander over to see what I can offer... I am thinking Bridesmaid, Best Man, Mother of the Bride, proud Dad gifts, that sort of thing - working with the happy couple to design something meaningful to them to gift to their special people... Personalised keepsakes... Tailor made and wrapped up... Really looking forward to this !
Link to the Brampton Grange events page...
https://fb.me/e/516hIuj9Y
In the midst of the festive madness I joined a fabulous BRAND NEW shop down in Kingsbridge, Devon... Some of you will remember fellow local lady Paula (Paula & The Pencils)... well she has hotfooted it down to the South West and has opened the most amazing shop, studio and creative space on Fore Street... Hats off to her and Danny for pulling off such a feat in the time she had and I wish her all the very best for her newest adventure... and YEP I have already planned a trip down to visit !! Watch out Paula !!! Please go follow her on Instagram... it's a very happy corner of the internet !
Link to pop to FRANKIES
Frankies Fore Street (@frankiesforestreet) • Instagram photos and videos
Read all about it !!! - I have today just found myself back in the local paper - Tap the link to read the article ! A fab little round up of my year... If I had to describe 2024 in just one word... it would be SOLID... a good chunky year... I want to thank Katie Wheatley for giving heaps of small businesses in our Town such fabulous coverage and shout outs... she is so positive and it's so refreshing... Proper chuffed with this !
Link to read...
Multi-award-winning jeweller pleased to round off another ‘solid year’ of being ‘constantly busy’
Another opportunity that is bubbling away is the chance to join a 'Creatives Collective' and to possibly be a part of a band of makers that offers workshops at day events or even offer weekend retreats at various locations... More information to follow when I have it... but for now I've thrown my hat into the ring to be considered ! Quite a step outside my comfort zone... workshops !!! But one I know I am now ready to take... I'm am regularly wandering around the web on jewellery destash sites looking for unwanted tools !
Another project for 2025 will be the joosh up of my workshop... The Shed is 11 years old this summer and was already getting a little wobbly before we had the onslaught of all the recent bad weather I have already mentioned ! I have patched up the patches on the patches where he has sprung a leak or 10... Going to look into either fixing him up or moving into my garage if I can make this into a beautiful workable space... biggest issue is light - I need daylight and lots of it... and the fact its full to the rafters of STUFF !!! Or the ultimate - flattening the whole lot and starting over... one of the first jobs for me this year is to ask local builders in for ideas on what could be feasible... What I have in my mind may NOT be workable... Are you ready... think part boring garage space below, but all racked out and unfeasibly tidy with a seperate space for a dog shower and grooming room... then a beautiful relaxed garden room with squishy sofa and bi-fold doors looking out onto my garden to get that late evening sunshine in the summer... Have a new high apex roof with windows so I can have a huge workspace upstairs with deckchair balcony for the all important cup of tea... and curlywurly slide back down to the garden like a helter skelter !!! #mydream !!!!
There !
2025 is going to begin busy !!!
Enough chatter for now ! I have lots to do ! Next on my list is to tidy up the website which is looking very messy... Props have just arrived to create a rustic wedding vibe for the 19th... so I need to tinker with that... I start back in The Shed proper on Monday... It's all been cleaned out and fixed up the best I can do right now... I have a few orders to get done before I can then relax a bit and begin my 10 days of silver making course ! Stay tuned to see what sparkly shenanigans I get up to !!!
Before I go - just another massive thank you to everyone who shopped ScruffyDog last year or sent me messages, left gifts on my doorstep, shared what I do with Friends and Family or simply just hitting the like button on my socials... everything little thing you do helps keep me doing what I simply love to do... That's an amazing thing !
Steph x