Posted on Leave a comment

I need help!

Last year, when we found out Flamingo Paperie was closing, I thought long and hard about the future of my card business. I took advantage of the stock sales, but with no other suppliers and limited options, I honestly thought my business would go too. A lot of the team members around me decided to close, and I was sad thinking I would be doing the same. I didn’t want it to close but wasn’t sure I had the energy to work through all the problems.

2024 brought ill health and loss to my family, which left my business languishing with a quiet website and a pile of stock as I took time off. It’s been a tough job to get going again, but I’ve never been one to give up on something I really love. One monthly market led to two, with a possible third to follow (we will see how that one goes!)

A regular income means my ‘closing down’ stock is reducing rapidly – a lovely problem to have – and I have a couple of suppliers lined up, but not enough funds to invest as I need to.

If you don’t follow me on TikTok, you won’t have heard that at each market we attend we try to ‘pay it forward’ by supporting the food producers. Their stock doesn’t pack away until next month, so they need to sell out of everything they produce to avoid waste. This means that although we have sold at markets, a proportion of that goes to other stall holders. As a result we are growing slowly, but need to refresh our stock for the next few markets.

I have a wishlist of humour cards, occasion cards, and craft kits, so if there is anything you were thinking of buying please do so. Alternatively you can share our website with anyone who needs to stock up again on cards from Flamingo Paperie or Phoenix Trading (yes I still have a few gems from those days).

I’m excited to make this business truly independent and profitable, meaning we can give even more back to other small business owners in North Yorkshire.

Cari xx

Posted on Leave a comment

Monthly markets are the way to go…

I’m thrilled that I’ve been offered a place at another popular monthly market. I really feel like this is the way for me to grow my greetings card business again, and I’m hopeful that this one and Crayke will be enough to keep me ticking over until the Christmas events start.

I will be sharing more details soon, but for now I wanted to share the market offer. If you visited Crayke market at the end of April you may have taken advantage of the 5 cards for £10 offer, which will also be available at this new market.

I have plenty of floral cards and birthday cards in stock, and will be buying new designs as soon as I can (I’m as keen as you are to see them!)

I have lots of the amazing craft kits in stock too. These contain everything you need to create a card 3D animal character including glue and scissors. I’ve made the sheep and flamingo, and my children have made the llama and unicorn head designs. They will keep you busy for a few hours and at the end you will have a lovely display piece!

I hope to meet you at a market soon!

Cari

Posted on Leave a comment

Easter crafts and our first market of 2024

A colleague recently asked me if I had any plans for Easter break.  Now my children are adults, I don’t have any need to think up fun ways to amuse them in a bid to save my sanity, so I thought about all the house management type jobs I have planned then responded with ‘no, not really’.

Of course that’s not strictly true, as I will be at Crayke Market over the two weeks off, but apart from that I will mostly be sorting the kitchen cupboards and getting rid of things we no longer need – oh, and relaxing as much as possible.

Duckling craft kit

 

If you are still looking for activities to do with your children, and the weather doesn’t cooperate, these cute craft kits might come in handy.  They come with everything you need to make the model and will keep older children (and adults) amused for hours.

Rabbit craft kit

I hope you do manage some days out in the sunshine too, as there will be lots of fun events happening in your area for Easter.  If you have any to share please reply with details below.

Cari

Posted on Leave a comment

Some family time

The beginning of the year is when all our family birthdays fall, so we usually have a flurry of gift giving. I’m always grateful for my card shop as I’m awful at remembering to get cards when we go shopping.

This year however has been difficult to celebrate. My dad was diagnosed with cancer in early January and we have just been given the news none of us wanted to hear. This means that my card shop has been at the back of my mind, and birthdays have been subdued. I am still sending orders out but they make take a little longer to pack as we try to spend as much time as possible with family.

I still need to update the stock on my website so please bear with me. If you order and I’m unable to send everything I will of course refund.

Thank you for your patience and understanding

Cari xx

Posted on Leave a comment

Time to stock up for 2024

I don’t know about you, but before I started my own greetings card shop I would try to get all my cards organised early.  As a family who’s events all fall into the first half of the year (mostly) it was important to keep on top of it.

Of course now I have my own shop, it’s not quite as important to be organised and we have fallen into the ‘last minute selection of cards’ on more than one occasion.  Thankfully with a new supplier I have some lovely new designs to choose from.  I will add them to the website when they arrive.

So, grab a cuppa (or something stronger) and write down how many cards you need this year.  Don’t forget engagements, weddings and new baby cards too!

Cari

Posted on Leave a comment

Exciting new greetings card designs for 2024

Well, it’s almost Christmas 2023 and I firstly want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has stuck around through a turbulent year for my business.  It seems quite appropriate to be writing this as I listen to the wind howl outside.

2023 saw the sad closure of Flamingo Paperie, something which none of us saw coming.  This led to me seeking out new card suppliers and thanks to my former ‘team’ I am now buying cards in support of The Trussell Trust and have new designs to share next year.  At first I wasn’t sure what to do, but now I’m happily combining my Christmas stock with my other business The UK Christmas Store and growing this website alongside it.  I’m not sure yet what 2024 will look like but I know I have enough stock to trade for most of the year.

Please bear with me as I try to keep my stock system up to date.  The cards were all printed without barcodes so when something sells at a market I have to manually update it and I do miss things sometimes.  I know updating my website is high up my list over Christmas break.

I hope you have a lovely Christmas and wish you a Happy New Year, see you in 2024.

Cari