The night before...

Another email, a facebook message, phone calls… if the lovely Keri from Midlands Musings , Jo from Bella Jo Pasta and Nicola Tweed would just stop boasting about their excitedness at being at The Ruby Orchard’s Christmas shopping night tomorrow I might be having fewer heart palpitations right now! How many people can we actually fit in our shop??!!  Just kidding… I am loving all the attention!  It's going to be awesome!

We are hosting our second big ‘do’ tomorrow! The first was our launch party in April… 90 people shopped and drank till 11pm, it was such a wonderful evening.  Since then the shop has expanded, expanded some more and the range of products grown and morphed into what I think is an exquisite range of gifts and Décor, but I am biased!

To make tomorrow night amazing, we have all been working non stop to get the shop full and ready to excite and inspire you.  I am totally passionate that you should all avoid the mall and do your crimbo shopping at local stores and markets. Support the little guys,  get on it and join I heart markets 'I shop local' campaign!

What have we been up to…

My machine of a brother in-law organised a wall to be removed, new security gates to be made and has cut a tonne of mount boards so my prints could be framed for shoppers to take home.

Nicola Tweed has been putting the finishing touches to our homemade Christmas decorations, pricing millions of products as they arrive, carefully selecting the items that we are putting on special offer (for one night only - hunt for the red stickers for 10% off) and generally working her little socks off!

Jo (Bella Jo) has smelt like garlic all week making jars full of her famous chilli salsa… you have got to try it, it will be available to taste and buy!

I have been placing orders, chasing suppliers and begging courier companies to deliver our orders by Friday!  To make my week a little more challenging my 2 year old has tonsillitis, and a lovely lady with the bluest eyes I have EVER seen came into the shop and purchased most of the furniture we have been displaying our wares on (she has great taste).  I have therefore been hunting and gathering new pieces and working my team like crazy to get them stripped, sanded, painted and in the shop.

New server finished today

So… what’s arrived in store this week…

The lovely Janice from Oak and Willow popped up with new stock of their fab wooden boards – love them.

Janice so kindly also delivered a huge stack of Foreva candles, we have some gorgeous new fragrances including chocolate orange – I want to eat it!

A huge stack of crates from recreations - 101 ways to use these by Nicola Tweed coming soon! Ha...challenge!

IF they arrive… I am saying lots of little prayers right now…

The amazing kitchen scales in all 3 colours – don’t quite know how I managed to waggle some more… but I did!

The quirkiest and coolest ceramics Howick has ever seen!

So looking forward to meeting lots of new friends tomorrow and sipping on some scrummy, warm mulled wine with you all!