Snapdragon's garden

Autumn seedheads - limited edition

This is my favourite time of year, especially when you get a run of bright sunny days.

I particularly love the seedheads that take over the garden and fields - poppies, teasels, fennel. I pick them and take into the house to draw.

These are poppy seedheads lined up in stone bottles on the bathroom shelf.

and a wonderful angelica seedhead I found in the field.

Seedheads with their wiry structure are my favourite things to sketch.

I decided to make a very special limited edition herb cushion to incorporate my sketches of seedheads - it is a very complex design, with 4 colours built up in 5 layers. Ochres, olives, sepias and a tiny shot of the bright yellow which lifts the garden at the moment.  I am delighted with how they have turned out.

I am only making 30 of these - and each is signed, dated and numbered on the back - once they are gone they are gone. 

You can find them here http://snapdragongarden.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_Scented_cushions.html#a946

 

Where it all comes from

I was asked by Christina on Facebook where we get our mugs from and I thought it might be useful to talk about what we try to do when we are sourcing things. 

The basic rule is that we try to source things from as near as possible - our mirror components now come from Germany as that is now possible

Our mug blanks also come from Europe as sadly we haven't been able to source any with the recquisite coating from within the UK.

I am very happy that we have managed to find them both closer than China which is where the vast majority of blanks come from.  There is undeniably a cost implication but I feel it is worth it. 

It has to be said that our more expensive German mirrors are of a higher quality than the Chinese ones we used before and by buying in larger quantities & doing a bit of negotiating we were able to keep the price differential down.

Our tea towels are made in the UK (and for the printed ones they are printed here too)

and our t-shirts are made in Tanzania from organic, Fair Trade cotton.

Our shoe bags and kit bags are made in China. We have chosen to deal with a UK based company that we believe is trying their very best to address any potential ethical and environmental concerns.  They buy from a single source and adhere to Fair Trade standards.  The cotton used in the bags is grown organically and undyed.  The bags are transported in large loads by sea. It is, we believe, the best solution at the moment.

We are constantly re-visiting this side of our business and we are always very happy to answer any questions you have.

Overwhelm

This week I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed.

The business has been growing so fast in such a number of directions that it was beginning to look bulgy and have a life of its own.  I felt that I was trying to drag along a heap of rats in a sack. I didn't feel like I was in charge.  I like being in charge.

So I phoned a friend - a friend that I know has been through the same with her businesses - and I sat in Stirling Station car park and listened to her tell me it as it is.

and I realised that I need to focus on what is at the centre of the business - the things we make and sell to our customers on our website and on Not on The High Street - and not worry about how that fits with all the other bits around the edges (wholesale, books, consultancy etc. etc.)

So I drove back in the sunshine, along the carse which is my favourite road, then I took some photos of what I feel is at the heart of Snapdragon and I put on a recording of my very favourite business book - Rework by Jason Fried - The tag line "It's simple until you make it complicated."

And now I am going to print some mugs

 

Mary Janes Farm magazine

I am absolutely delighted to be featured in this month's Mary Janes Farm magazine

As it isn't really available here in the UK I am able to show off the article without the fear of putting anyone off buying a hard copy

You can see it bigger Download Girl-genius (5)

Though I am going to try and find a copy to check out the repurposed airstreams . . .

 

 

20% off everything today only!

I managed to put lots of our new products up onto the website last night

So to celebrate we are having a one day sale

with 20% off everything for today only

just use the code ZONK at the checkout.

www.snapdragongarden.co.uk

Little white pots

As well as the old bottles I mentioned in a recent post I also have a collection of tiny white storage pots which I use for flowers

They get their most use showcasing tiny flowers in the spring but at this time of year they are in the kitchen full of herb flowers.

In the past week similar ones seem to have been cropping up all over the place - firstly in a magazine which suggested planting into them (and had me gurning away as they are too small and also the throw away "drill holes into the bottom for drainage" would I think be a tad harder than the journalist bargained).

and then last night on the Pedlar's site I spotted these white pots priced at £3.20 each

part of their weekly "buy it before it goes" vintage collection http://www.pedlars.co.uk/page_5404.html

They also have very pretty and affordable flowery French postcards in the same section.

My only advice is that if you use them for flowers - keep checking and topping up the water as it gets drunk very quickly.