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This week is all about prepping for the lovely Festival of Nature in Bristol harbourside, which I'm chuffed to be part of this weekend. From a secret mobile cinema, to studying fossils and perhaps a visiting Dinosaur! It's the largest free nature festival and well worth a visit, even if you don't browse the eco-friendly design market :) 
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 Kate Moby will be at Pulse 2016! It runs 15-17 May in Olympia, and is a trade event for retailers to come and "Discover the unexpected!" In their own words:
The definitive event for inspiring giftware and modern living, Pulse offers the finest edit of design-led products, all beautifully curated by a market-leading panel of design and trend experts. Unseen brands revealed… Discover hundreds of brands that you will not have ever seen at any other UK trade events. Cutting-edge products… Our experts have made it easy for you to shop the next-season trends at the summer’s largest design-led retail event. Nothing but inspiration… The very best collection of emerging talent, unseen products, expert retail and trend insight, Pulse is the UK’s most inspiring event for giftware and modern living. So apparently I'm something along those lines... Come and say hi at stand J80, and register for your free entry ticket saving yourself £20 by clicking on the image above.  Due to exhibiting at this beautiful event for the first time in the Newcomer's Market, (eek!) I've got bundles of tickets to give away!
You can either win general admission tickets or late night shopping tickets for the Thursday evening. There are a few ways you can win them. Just follow on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter and comment to let me know what type of ticket you'd prefer. I look forward to meeting you there! (The Country Living Magazine Spring Show runs 16th - 20th March 2016. Prize is for admission tickets only, not transport or accommodation. Winners will be picked out of a hat and notified by the 2nd week in March. The hats decision is final!) Next weekend, I'll be taking part in this fab Bristol market! Pop down, say hi and browse some beautiful design-led gifts. It might be the weekend of Black Friday, but rise above the high street craziness and support small. I'll be attending: 28th-29th November 11am-5pm 12th-13th December 11am-5pm You can see all the event details here. In their own words: Get ready for Bristol’s biggest independent Christmas market! It’s a FREE event and a perfect day out to bring your friends and family. On November 28th we are launching an action packed Christmas market, bringing you up to 100 brilliant stalls, a programme of live music, mulled drinks, entertainment, comfy seating with cosy blankets, fire pits, live art from Upfest, a special guest from Aardmann Animations and much more… Not to mention the real ice Ice Rink, brought to us by At-Bristol Science Centre in Millennium Square. The market runs along the Bristol’s beautiful waterfront, from the cascade Steps (by the Watershed), through Anchor Square (next the Aquarium) and around the Ice Rink in Millennium Square. At the heart of the market is our brilliant traders, the best local artisans, creators, designer-makers, producers, street food and experiential stalls. Finally don’t forget to get your skates on and visit Bristol city centre’s With tickets starting from £5 and discounts available on At-Bristol and Ice Rink tickets, the Harbourside really will provide a whole day out for all the family! Images courtesy of the organisers, ta very much.  After LOTS of umming and ahhing, I've decided to take up the offer of a stand at the Ideal Home show at Christmas. I'll be running some comps soon for free tickets, so look out for that! I've never done one of these massive retail fairs before, so just gently freaking out in the corner... Only a month to pull it together, challenge accepted.  This weekend my creative husband and I visited The Photography Show (previously called Focus) for the first time. Partially swayed by the photographer at MOO who said it was worth a look, and partly by the free trade passes. Woo! It was more petite than I expected for an event hosted at the NEC, but that made it very manageable to get around without show fatigue! Highlights were the live action stages, especially when they involved brummy sounding storm troopers on a power trip. Also, slightly surreally, there as a garden staged by the International Garden Photographer of the Year for people to practice floral shoots. It was quite amusing seeing people crowded around an indoor garden, shooting like they’d never seen ferns before, even though they could pop outside and do the same! A nice feature though. Altogether nicely done, recommended!      Please, please, please read this if you're a trader who exhibits at shows, or just someone whose contact details might be in the public domain. You might save yourself a lot of hassle and even a lot of money. I've received a letter like this after each show I have done. The first time, I didn't realise that it was a scam until almost too late, so this time I thought I'd make sure no one falls into that trap. At first glance it looks like a letter from Top Drawer - the trade show I recently attended, but if you look closely, there is a very pale logo behind showing the real origin - a company based based in Mexico called Expo Guide. Attached is a form asking for up to date contact details. A fairly routine occurrence, and you might just absentmindedly fill it in and post it back. I've circled the really sneaky bits in red. There is no affiliation to the event, and filling out the form actually means you're signing up for a three year listing priced at 1271 Euros a year, or whatever they choose to call the equivalent in Mexican Pesos. DON'T DO IT!! Burn it or rip it up, or report it, but please don't fill it in (unless you think it sounds like a good deal!?) One of the images below shows the actual terms and conditions printed so palely that they are almost indecipherable. I've edited the image to make them possible to read. In my case, the letters have been sent after Top Drawer (this is what they have to say on the matter), but I expect that they probably target attendees of any trade shows. It only takes a handful of people to fill them out and then feel sufficiently threatened by the subsequent inevitable debt collecting letters to make it worth their while. Please share this with anyone you think might be a target, and hopefully one day they might cease to exist. 
That's all a bit serious. Here's a picture of a cow to cheer us up :) 
I survived my second trade show! I was in the Spotted Plus area - the graduated "new talent" area, which was a step up from the one in September. Some lovely new stockists, and some exciting potential future stockists, which I shall keep you posted of. Phone cases and notebooks were particularly popular, and this time I don't need to carve hundreds of bamboo pens afterwards, which is a mixed blessing! I did think I was never going to get out of the car park alive when it came to pack down, but quite a lot of junk food helped soothe the pain... Altogether, I couldn't have done it without my wonderful husband Neil, yielding a spirit level like a boss. 
This is happening!  Not only have I been handpicked for the "new talent" area Spotted Plus (which gives me double the space to display as I had in September), I've been selected by the Design Editor of The Telegraph Magazine as a featured British designer and manufacturer for their Product UK Showcase. Eek!  If you're a retailer and are thinking of visiting, please let me know and I can send you a free entry voucher.
So I've finally managed to catch my breath! Top Drawer was fab: a flurry of on the spot sales, some lovely new stockists (including Dulwich Picture Gallery, To Be Established, BritishDesignBritishMade, and Bond Street Studios) and some very exciting press interest (ahem Ideal Home Magazine and the Guardian) and orders keep trickling in! Thanks so much for all your lovely words of encouragement! Now, anyone fancy helping me carve 102 bamboo pens..? 
The other Spotted exhibitors were just lovely, I recommend checking them out!
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If my blog links take you to external websites, I may be receiving a commission for sharing these products. However, please know that all my reviews are my own thoughts and a true representation, and I would never share anything that I wouldn't or haven't personally used or enjoyed.
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