New Year, New Shop!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! I have a tale to tell that I've been dying to share for weeks but nothing was finalised so I couldn't....

A few weeks ago on a busy Friday afternoon a man walked into my shop and asked me if I had 5 minutes to come and look at a newly refurbished shop space that he was hoping to rent out. Well I'm always up for taking a peek inside peoples buildings so I nipped down the road with him to take a look. I have not been the same since. It changed my world! It was lovely space and had everything I had been asking for whilst struggling with a growing business in a small space. It is a converted ground floor of a house so is very homey and I could instantly see this working for Radiance with all the lamps and home wares. It has a fireplace and alcoves to light and a lovely window.

Then there is another room with a fireplace and large window which would make the perfect light workspace for me. There is a cupboard under the stairs for box storage. THEN there's a storeroom (oh how I've prayed for such a thing) which can also be used as a parcel wrapping room and then a kitchen with more storage and then a shower room/toilet (a big plus as I've had to nip home to the loo for the last 4 years!) AND a yard.

I have not been stopped thinking about it since. It's not a typical shop with a typical shop window. It wouldn't work for any business and I had to weigh up letting go of my huge window and tall ceilings for a smaller (but still beautiful) window in a more prominent location with the extra space that I need. I think I can make the homliness of it really work for Radiance.

If you know Hebden Bridge it's right next door to the lovely Mooch cafe in the middle of Market Street and opposite Dynamite and Ruby Shoesday.

So the negotiations have been made and I'll be getting the keys on the 1st of February so please hold my hand. Here's where I will be planning and thinking and panicking and sweating no doubt. There's ALOT to think about - shop fitting, workshop fitting, signage, logisitcs (how do i keep one shop open and one workshop running whilst creating a new one), painting, financial issues, publicity etc etc etc. It's good timing though. 2010 holds the beginning of a shiny new project for me and Radiance. A blank canvas - a new beginning. Very exciting indeed!

I hope you will come to my grand opening...although as readers of my blog you will have watched the whole thing unfold anyway!

GULP!x

A new lease of life for our old piano!

Our old piano made it to concert pitch today which we are very happy about and have been celebrating by playing some tunes! We've had the piano for years and it's been reasonably in tune with itself but it has never been in tune with anyone else so it's not very sociable! Robert wanted to buy us all a new (in tune) piano for Christmas and yesterday we went on an adventure up to Chris Brown's (piano tuner and restorer) house up in Barkisland, near Ripponden. That was an adventure -over the snowy moors and down a bendy, icy track. I wish I'd had my camera as the view from his house was spectacular and his two rooms stuffed full of pianos was great fun! We couldn't find a piano that was just right for us though and decided to just ask him to tune ours for now while we waited for a one that we liked to come along. We had been told that ours wouldn't reach concert pitch and that it was way too risky but Chris had a go and after two and a half hours or plonking and tweaking he made it without snapping any strings!

He reckoned it hadn't been in tune for perhaps 5o years!



The cats seem to like the new piano stool and have taken ownership!

Hello

Hello! Hope you have all had a great Christmas. This lovely 'hello' necklace by Joanna Rutter was one of my favourite Christmas presents this year (thanks Mum and Dad) along with this beautiful pair of silver and resin earrings by Fiona Chapman (thanks Robert). Handmade jewellery is always such a treat especially when you have chatted to the designer/makers and know a little bit about them....one of my favourite things!

Happy Christmas Everyone!

I am just tidying up all the last minute things before the HOLIDAYS begin! Four O'Clock today I'm closing the shop and shutting down the computer and trudging home through the beautiful snow to my cosy house and my lovely family for a well earned REST (and a few of our mince pies)! Ahhhh. I'm so excited!

Publish Post

Thankyou for everything this year-all your lovely comments on the blog and all the sales you have made. It's always appreciated!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS and a VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!

Happy Birthday Boy!

My boy was fourteen (oh my God FOURTEEN) last week and we got him this rather cool laser lamp. His little room looks amazing!

What a mess!

Away with the beautiful inspirational shots of the artists workshop! THIS is the truth!.... right down to the old banana skin. Oh dear! This is the culmination of an extremely busy period of making hundreds of lamps for Christmas orders AND trying to do it in a teeny weeny studio which doubles up as a storeroom for Radiance! I have managed here for four years. It's been challenging at times but I've got by. It's been cosy, affordable, attached to a BEAUTIFUL shop space and with a lovely landlord and lady who look after me well! BUT lately it has been getting on top of me.

This year has been amazing! The launch of the Radiance mailorder website has been fantastic and it is growing everyday. The discovery of the wondrous Etsy has had me happily sending out parcels across the globe (and receiving a few nice ones too). The 'aha' moment of making personalised fairy lights for weddings has brought a lot of business and some good press my way, and being on the wedding gift list and the Winter catalogue at NotOnTheHighStreet has been fantastic! But all this busy-ness has made it difficult to manage working in a small space and be able to comfortably fit in someone to help me out. My business has grown and it is officially time to make some kind of MOVE!

There are a couple of interesting places that have come up in the last few weeks which I have been thinking about. So on top of managing this busy Christmas period I have been being kept awake by these new and exciting possibilities. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. 2010 could see some exciting changes!!!

Happy Lights

At Radiance I am surrounded by lots of beautiful lights everyday and I can't bring them all home because our flat is too little! But I did have to bring home a set of the new lanterns that I got in last week because they are delightful. We needed something on the walls around our kitchen table and these are just right. Very colouful and pretty. They won't be coming down again after Christmas. They are definitely for all year round!

Sorry I've not been blogging much. I've been flat out making lamps in the Hannah Nunn lamp factory! Every day I feel like Santa Claus going down to the post office with bags of parcels. Theres going to be quite a few lamps under Christmas trees dotted around the world and that makes me VERY happy! :) Thanks everyone!

Bernards Spectacular Puddings

Ever now and then Bernard (my friend, neighbour and shop landlord) brings me one of his wonderful desserts to sample. He has been catering for a special event over the weekend and you can just tell he's enjoyed himself can't you. Such pride in his puddings! Today he brought me one of the ones with the cherries on top! Lucky me. It was delicious!...i like the look of his little orange jellies too.

It was a welcome break from me being squeezed in my currently chaotic workshop endlessly wrapping parcels...which I think I have actually done all day! I don't mind -I'm not complaining. Every order I recieve with thankfulness...could just do with a bit more space for sorting them all packed up!

Troublesome Poppers

I have been having a bit of trouble with the poppers that secure the cylinders of my lamps in place. They have been popping out of their own accord. I've been using these poppers for SEVEN years and they've never done this before. They occaisionally pop off in the post but they are mostly secure. When one of them popped off in my face the other day it was the final straw. I contacted my supplier who agreed that they looked and felt different than usual and didn't feel as robust. He contacted the manufacturer who said they had started making them differently but had had complaints from other people too so they were going back to their old way.

Why change what works eh?

Anyway if anyone who has bought a lamp over the last few weeks has ANY problems with popping poppers please let me know straight away and I'll replace them when the new ones arrive.

Winter Wedding Lights

I have just made some fairy lights for 'Jeremy & Catherines' winter wedding. They asked for mistletoe on their dated light and it looks really sweet!