Make Do and Mend Online

New Website!

2011-05-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

Sorry it has been so long since we last posted, somehow life always gets in the way. The business has been expanding quickly and the work never seems to stop. However, we've finally managed to get around to getting our site revamped.

Please visit http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/ to see the new site and find out more about Make Do and Mend.

Textile art

2010-04-28T06:45:00.000-07:00

Whilst on holiday in the Shetlands last year Philippa indugled in some textile art, the resulting pieces are currently on display in our St Day shop and are for sale. The circular one has already sold but if you are interested in any others please e-mail info@makeodandmendonline.co.uk for prices.

Below is the wall display with all of the artwork as appears in the St Day Shop.

New workshop & vacancies

2010-03-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

Good news everyone, the business is growing again!

We have just obtained our third premises - a new workshop in Ponsanooth (Unit D, Fiveways Business Park, Pelean Cross, Ponsanooth, TR3 7JQ). The contact number is the number for the main shop (01209 820446) and visits are by appointment only unlike our other premises.

Photos of the new workshop will be following shortly.

We also have a couple of vacancies arising as recently advertised in the local papers. We are looking for an experienced canvas worker and an experienced seamstress. Please contact Philippa Bray on 01209 820446 for more information.

The Sewing Directory

2010-03-03T12:13:00.001-08:00

In preparation for the launch of The Sewing Directory we are now on Twitter - @sewingdirectory, facebook 'the sewing directory' and blog - www.thesewingdirectory.blogspot.com please follow us.

We will be giving previews of what is to come on the Sewing Directory as well as the chance to preview the site and to enter the launch competition online. Prizes include sewing books, accessories and the new Janome BCC-30. Come join us now....

Stitch International

2010-02-28T02:37:00.000-08:00

We just had a great weekend at the Stitch International event in the NEC. It is a great trade show for sewing businesses, with supplies and fabrics that you dream of. It gives you the chance to look through the stock of hundreds of companies from throughout the UK and Europe all in one go. If you didn't make it this year I would highly recommend going next year.

We went to spread the word about our new site - The Sewing Directory - and it went really well. We have new sponsors, listers and advertisers as well as a lot of competition prizes that were donated. We are planning a big competition for our launch both online and through the Sewing For Pleasure event where we have chosen to launch. Prizes include sewing books, material, kits and the top prize is the new Janome BCC-300 machine pictured below:

Details of how to enter will be posted here in a couple of weeks so keep an eye out.

The Sewing Directory

2010-02-04T01:49:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

It's time to tell you all about our newest venture - The Sewing Directory. The Sewing Directory is a new online directory for all sewing related businesses. Whether you offer sewing services, sewing supplies, sewing courses or run a sewing group then The Sewing Directory is the perfect place for you to advertise your business. Supported by big names in the industry such as Sewing World magazine, Butterick & Vogue, ICHF events and Stitchclub.

People using the site will have the option to search by catagory (the 4 mentioned above), by county and/or by keyword to locate the sewing related business they are looking for. If you've every tried looking for a seamstress on Yell.com you'll know how hard it can be to find one when they are all broken down into such niche catagories, that is what we are trying to avoid. We want to make it nice and easy for people to find sewing related businesses.

We are launching on 25th March at the Sewing For Pleasure event in the NEC although the site will be online from the beginning of March. We are currently offering the first 200 businesses to sign up with us a 6 month free trial, prices starting from £9 a month after that for a 1 county listing. There is no obligation to stay on the site after the free trial and we do not require any payment details. We believe the site will speak for itself and you will want to stay on after the free trial, and if you don't we can remove your listing at 1 click of the mouse.

We already have close to 150 businesses signed up so if you know of anyone whose business could benefit from the free trial please let them know asap. If you are interested please e-mail fiona@thesewingdirectory.co.uk for a registration form.

New year, new sites

2010-01-17T03:50:00.000-08:00

If your new years resolution is to learn to sew/ do more sewing there are many great sites out there to get you started. We highly recommend The Sewing Forum - http://www.thesewingforum.co.uk/ for information regarding everything to do with sewing from running a sewing business, to sewing courses and sewing techniques. If you cant find what you are looking for simply start a new thread and generally within just a matter of minutes you will have your answer. It is a bit of a long process to sign up (you have to submit an application with details of your interest in sewing and your sewing experience) but it is worth it once you get there and it helps to protect the forum from spammers which is always a good thing.

Another great site is Freeneedle - www.freeneedle.com which is an online directory of free sewing projects, patterns and tutorials. They scour the net for your to find free patterns from all over the word, hidden in blogs and sites that you may not ever come accross by yourself. Their collection is updated daily and links are checked regularily to ensure that they are live.

If you are just entering into the world of sewing the Start Sewing www.startsewing.co.uk is the site for you. It contains how to guides for various sewing techniques and styles as well as guides to the basics such as what equipment do you need to start sewing, and what should you look for in a fabric.

Hopefully those sites will get your resolution off to a good start!

Happy New Year Everyone

2010-01-02T13:47:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone and a happy new year to you all.

Back to business as usual soon, our shops will be re-opening on Tuesday 5th. If you've over indulged over christmas and need any clothes let out then feel free to pop in! Or you may have decided that new year is a great time to revamp your wardrobe. Why go out and buy new things when you can re-vamp your existing clothes. Why not have a dress made into a skirt? Alter clothes that you havent been able to wear for a while? Pop in and find out the price. Compared to the cost of a new wardrobe you'd be a lot better off!

Our new look site will be online soon, to be followed in March by a sister site -details to follow. We are hoping there may be a new shop in 2010 too.

Christmas!!!

2009-12-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Just over 2 weeks until Christmas, are you all excited? Have you all finished your christmas shopping? If not why not visit our site for some unique personalised presents for friends and family, jewellery with your child's finger print for the doting grandparents, handmade fabric jewllery for your sister or a unique piece of one off art for your dad? All can be found on http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/

Our shops will be closing between from 23rd of December until the 5th of January so unless you're bringing gifts we will see you in the new year! We will also be launching our re-vamped website in January too. So come and check that out.

Anyway we may be a bit busy with Christmas related activities (eating lots of choccies and mince pies!) for the next couple of weeks so if we don't get chance to post before then we hope you all have a great christmas and a happy new year.

Calling all sewers!

2009-12-04T08:23:00.000-08:00

Calling all sewers out there!

Why not use your free time over christmas to help a good cause? Ty Hafran (The Children's Hospice in Wales) are creating a giant dragon's head made from fabric. They are asking people to donate patchwork squares 10inches by 10 inches to form blankets (48 squares per blanket) to make the dragon's head of the dragon from the Welsh flag (see below).

The final product will consist of 420 blankets - that's 23,904 squares- and will be the size of half a football pitch. They have now got all the colours expect for white. Can you contribute some white squares to the project? You can decorate, embroider, embellish them however you like and use any form of textile crafts such as sewing, crochet, knitting etc

If you would be interested in helping this worthy cause please visit Ty Hafan's site for more inforamtion www.tyhafan.org/dragon

Kerrie Curzon Creations

2009-11-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

We are working with Kerrie on an up and coming project and also she will be providing some Make Do and Mend tips for the site. Kerrie makes original clothing (mainly underwear) from recycled clothing, turning old clothes into something new and exciting. A great example of Make Do and Mend we feel. My personal favourites are the strawberry pants below. Unlike most ethical fashion she also keeps the prices affordable too so we can all have a little bit of 'green fashion'.

Please visit her site http://www.paperfairies.moonfruit.com/ to see the full range of her products. As well as the underwear she also does pattern cutting and dress making.

A great alternative to disposible highstreet fashion.

Thank you to Noisette Handmade

2009-11-18T03:17:00.000-08:00

We have just found out that we won the beautiful hand painted flowers that Noisette Handmade were giving away on their blog http://noisettehandmade.blogspot.com/

Thank you very much Noisette, we are looking forward to receiving them. I'm just working out now where they would look best.

Noisette not only do beautiful art and handmade products but also offer marking services to help promote your business. Please visit their marketing blog http://noisettemarketing.blogspot.com/ for information of their marketing related services.

In other news we have just donated some products to the Welsh Guards for their fundraising event in January. We hope they manage to raise plenty of money.

Get Stuffed!

2009-11-07T12:34:00.000-08:00

Now at Make Do and Mend, you can really come and get stuffed! Joining our team of girls at the beginning of November, will be SUE WILLIS, an upholsterer of 20 years experience. Sue has been trained in all the intricasies of traditional upholstery and can undertake complete restoration work. She is also one of the few pwople able to offer a cane and rush seating service. She is equally at home with modern upholstery for sofas, chairs, caravans, campers, and boats. With her help, we can now offer a complete fit out for homes, boats, caravans and campers: from cushions to curtains, covers to full upholstery, as well as our usual services with repairs, alterations and bespoke making of clothes.

Welcome Sue Willis

Congratulations Isa - blog giveaway winner

2009-11-02T14:07:00.001-08:00

Congratulations Isa you are the lucky blog/facebook giveaway winner. Thank you all for your entries. We aim to do another one soon so keep your eye out!

Isa please either complete a contact us form on our website (www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk) or e-mail us on info@makedoandmendonline.co.uk to let us know which of the 4 bags you would like and the address that we should send it to.

Obviosuly given the postal strikes at the moment it may take a few days - but hopefully it will get there some time before christmas!!

Notice

2009-10-30T09:35:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Just to let you all know that we have changed the opening hours of our Penryn shop. We are now open on Saturday for those of you who work during the week. We are closed on Sunday and Monday and we are open the rest of the week between 9.30am and 4pm.

For more details of our opening hours and shop locations please visit the sewing services section of our site - http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/services_3.html

Don't forget our blog giveaway ends tomorrow so answer now for your chance to win.

Celebratory Blog Giveaway!

2009-10-17T09:59:00.000-07:00

Not only have we just hit 2,000 hits on our website but we've also just surpassed 300 visitors to our blog so in celebration of this double whammy we are giving away 1 of our large reversible bags. These spacious bags are like the Tardis! You can fit everything but the kitchen sink in them! You could use them as a handbag, beach bag or even a nappy bag. Being material they are not only durable but also roll up into a small ball and can be put inside a bigger bag and maybe used as an eco friendly shopping bag.

In order to win a bag you have to be a follower of the blog, or member of the Facebook group and help us with our market research by answering the floowing question in the comments section of the blog or facebook group:

Where would you look if you wanted to find sewing services near you?

Please be specific, rather than just saying online please let us know what site you would use, or if you say telephone directory or magazine/newspaper please let us know which one.

The winner will have the choice of 3 bags. 2 of the bags have the above pictured red polka material on the one side and either the 'sailing' or 'striped' material on the other side. The third bag has the blue and yellow pattern (see below) on one side and unpatterned white material on the other side.

The closing date is Halloween (31st of October) so get yourself a treat instead of a trick this Halloween! A winner will be selected at random from all eligible enteries.

Business Support

2009-10-15T12:07:00.001-07:00

I'm sure those of you running your own businesses have discovered that it is a minefield out there! Tax, National Insurance, pricing, advertising, cash flow etc.... so many things that you are expected to know about. As much as I think the internet is a great source of information some things are just better when explained face to face.

I (Fiona) have been on a 4 day course with the Prince's trust on what you need to know about setting up your own business and it has been amazing! I have learnt so much i'm now bursting with ideas! There are so many things I had not even thought about, and probably would never have considered if I had not done this course. Not only do I get the 4 day course but I get ongoing monthly one to ones with a business mentor for the next couple of years to guide me through business. You also make a multitude of useful contacts during the course.

To find out more about the Prince's Trust business program visit the Prince's Trust website at http://www.princes-trust.org.uk/. Of course Prince's Trust are not the only people who offer support and financing to new business. In Wales Business Eye are a good first port of call - http://www.businesseye.co.uk/, even for those of you in England there is still plenty of useful information on the site. http://www.businesslink.gov.uk is another great site full of information. Another option is to use internet forums http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/ has threads on every business related topic you could think and you can pose your own questions and get answers to your particular query, without having to read through reams of text to find the one line you want!

The Make Do and Mend shops are run by my mother, Philippa, but we are looking to expand the brand (espcially now we have trademarked) so I am looking to set up my own little branch of the business. I will reveal more about that when I'm ready to lauch, hopefully in the next 2-3 months. Hopefully thanks to the Prince's Trust this will be the perfectly planned idea! If any of your know good sources of business related information, or business courses please post a comment below.

Approaching 2,000 hits!

2009-10-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

It only seems like a few weeks that we got the site up and running - when in fact is now been almost 3 months! Boy what a 3 months it has been. I think I've leant more in that 3 months than I have in a long time!

4 months ago if you'd asked me about SEO, forums, CSS, blogs, hits, html etc I wouldn't have had a clue what you were talking about and now they are a daily part (or at least weekly) of my life. Not only have I managed to create the website and get it online in that time but i've mananged to attract almost 2,000 visits to the site!

Thanks to the wonder that is Google analytics I can even tell where these people are coming from. The never-ending Site Engine optimisation is finally paying off with 13% of our traffic so far this month coming from search engines, as opposed to less than 1% in August. What I didn't realise until recently is that it is an ongoing battle to stay on the front page of the search engines. Just over a week ago we were 21st in Google for 'Make Do and Mend', a few days after that we were in 7th place and today back in 21st place! Better get back onto it again!

The other thing we've discovered from the analytics is that we seem to have fans from all over the word. Bizzarely we seem to have quite a following in the Phillipines. After the UK our second largest number of visitors are from Cebu in the Philippines, 10% of the total number of visitors to our site. So Hello to our Filipino fans out there - we're glad you like our site :-) Heres a special Filipino flag just for you.

So thank you to all of you who have visited our site recently, and who follow this blog too. Its good to know all our hard work has not gone to waste! We are planning a re-vamp of the site soon (any suggestions welcome) plus we have more Make Do and Mend tips to add, we are working on expanding the sewing services part of the site, there is also ideas floating around for a new site - which will be sewing related but quite different from the exisiting site...more to come on that in the future. We're up to 1915 hits, I predict by this time next week we will have passed the 2,000 mark (fingers crossed!) - if anyone would like to guess the exact date we hit 2,000 fell free to post in the comments below. Unfortunetely no prize to be won - just to glory of everyone knowing you were right!

Franchise exhibition

2009-10-04T13:31:00.000-07:00

We have just spent a very educational day at the Franchise Exhibition in Birmingham. It was a mine of information! We have been considering the option of franchising our shops and we learnt more in the one day that we have in months. We would highly recommend that if you are even vaguely considering franching your business it is well worth visiting one of the franchise exhibitions.

http://www.franchiseinfo.co.uk/exhibition/

Not only can you meet other franchisors and franchisees and ask them questions but the BFA (British Franchise Association) run free seminars throughout the day where you can learn about anything from the legal aspects of franchising to PR for you business. Its a great opportunity to network and to get free legal advice and business advice. You also get enough handouts and magazines to keep you in bedtime reading for years!

The one thing we did learn is that is is neither a cheap or easy option! You are looking at costs of around £25,000 and timescales of at least a year! So you really have to take a good hard look at both your business idea and your budget in order to decide whether its a risk worth taking. At the moment that is the stage that we are at so we will keep you posted. If we do decide to franchise we will keep you updated with the process and costs to help you decide if it is something you would like to do.

Trademarking

2009-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Make Do and Mend is being trademarked! The photo below shows our new trademark. Let us know what you think.

The above version of the trademark was hand embroidered but the actual trademark will be a slight variation of that that is easier to re-produce. At the moment the application is still being processed (it takes around 3 months) but shortly the shops and the site will be Make Do and Mend TM!

The process was a lot less costly - and a lot easier than we initially expected. When you first start to look into it you come accross loads of companies and solicitors offering to register your trademark for you from £500 plus just for one class. However, if you visit the Intellectual Property Office's website http://www.ipo.gov.uk/types/tm/t-os.htm you can register it yourself using 1 simple form and it costs £200 for one class and £50 for each additional class.

Through the site you can search the exisiting database to make sure no one has already trademarked your company name, you can get information on what class(es) to register your trademark under and help in completing your form. There is also a contact number you can use if you need any additional help. If you make any mistakes they do let you know and give you the option to change the class if they think another class is more relevant. Once done the trademark if yours for 10 years so its well worth the money. Particularily if you are using a name that you are worried someone else may use (such as Make Do and Mend). With the Make Do and Mend movement becoming revided by the recent recession we thought it was wise to get in there first!

Good luck if any of you are thinking of trademarking your name.

Welcome Modern Art by Ross

2009-09-24T13:23:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the third and final addition to the site this week (busy week for me!) - Modern Art by Ross. Ross, a self taught abstract artist offers a range of pictures on canvas or board in a variety of sizes. Please visit http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/art_by_ross_31.html to find out more information and to view the gallery of his products.

As well as the pictures in his gallery you can contact him for abstract commissions. You could get a work of art made especially for you in colours which match the decor of your house. Prices range between £25-£70.

Welcome to the site Aviya Glass

2009-09-22T14:45:00.001-07:00

This week is going to be a busy week! We have three new people joining the site, we are putting one on every couple of days so we can announce them individually in this blog and on Facebook. Today we would like to welcome Aviya Glass - the winners of our recent blog giveaway.

Their designer,Terry, makes a range of stunning dichroic fused glass jewellery and home ware from pendants and rings to coasters and sun catchers. Their page can be found by clicking on this link Aviya Glass. With prices from just £8 their colourful products would make great unique Christmas presents.

We especially love that they make cuff links to match your man's tie. With men being notoriously difficult to by for this saves hours of searching through the shops!

Welcome to the site Dummy Dayz

2009-09-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Make Do and Mend Dummy Dayz! Dummy Dayz make beautiful nappy cakes - the perfect gift for a new born baby, personalised dummy clips and beaded keyrings - prices start from just £2 so buy yours now.

More information can be obtained here - http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/dummy_dayz_29.html

Introducing Snippets from the Shops

2009-09-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

Snippets from the shop is a new section of our blog in which Pippa - the founder of Make Do and Mend and will give details of what she has been making in the shops, along with photos and advice on making simlar items. Below is an introduction from Pippa:

Pippa Bray - Founder of Make Do and Mend

Hi. I am Pippa and I am the founder of Make Do and Mend.I think sewing must be in my blood as My Mum was a needlework teacher, so I have been sewing since I was little. I did a degree in Education and Textiles and started off by teaching for a while. After that sewing fitted in well round bringing up my five children, so I could always work from home. Then in 2001, we bought a derelict house and shop in St Day, Cornwall, spent a year or so renovating it and launched Make Do and Mend in 2003!

The St Day Store

Since then, I havent stopped working! And now it's become a truly family business,with Fiona, my eldest daughter, making our website and running the blog, Ruth, my youngest daughter, working with me full time, and Anna, my daughter in law part time at our second shop in Penryn.

Fiona

Anna

Ruth

My husband, Dennis, helps with upholstery and doing the accounts and our 3 Dalmatians and 2 cats generally meet and greet the customers!Now I've introduced everyone, I'll try and keep you updated each week on what we are making and what's happening in the shops. I'll also pass on any hints and tips that I can think of and answer any queries on sewing that you may have.Watch this space!

More Make Do and Mend Money Saving tips

2009-09-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

We have just added the tips below to the tips section of the site. Written by Pippa Bray the founder of the Make Do and Mend Shops these tips tell you how our sewing services can save you money during the recession. Why go out and buy new clothes when you can change your exisiting wardrobe for you at much less of a cost.

Top 10 recession busting tips:

1) Zip gone on your favourite jeans? We can replace it for a fraction of the cost of a new pair.

2)Fed up with last year’s winter coat? We can shorten it or restyle it for you.

3)If your curtains are thin, they are letting your valuable heat escape. Let us line them for you and make your room cosier.

4)Have a door curtain made to keep out the draughts.

5)Do you have an expensive long dress hanging in the wardrobe? Bring it to us for re-styling and get some use out of it.

6)Cant afford a new suite? Get a new look with some of our selection of hand-made cushions.

7)Good quality clothes sitting in your wardrobe? Bring them to us for re-sizing or updating.

8)Never going to wear your beautiful prom dress again? Have it shortened or made in to a top or skirt.

9)Do you still have your wedding dress packed away? We can turn it into a beautiful christening gown.

10)Don’t even get your car out! If you are lucky enough to live in St Day or Penryn, you can walk up to see us!

If you can think of any other ways that sewing can help save people money then please post your tips below and share them with everyone.

Impressed by M.E

2009-09-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

One problem with running my site is everyone on it does such nice stuff I want to buy it all! I've very kindly been given a bird brooch by Button-Nut squash, in my favourite colour blue and today I just collect items I had ordered from Impressed by M.E.

Impressed by M.E offer unique silver jewellery with your childs fingerprint in it, preserved forever. Their collection is so stunning it was a hard choice. It is my mother-in-laws 60th birthday next weekend and my son James is her only grandchild - so somewhat idolised!! So what better to get than some jewellery with James fingerprint in it so she can keep a little bit of him near to her at all times.

She is an avid reader so I went with a medium heart shaped charm with a silver bookmark, silver keyring and a leather necklace. As she doesn't wear much jewellery the leather necklace is perfect for the understated look. I've put a few pictures of the bookmark and charm below, i'm afraid the photography does not really do it justice but please visit their page of the site for more photos and information.

The great thing about it all is the charm comes on a clip so you can move it from the bookmark, to the necklace or keyring really easily, instead of having to buy several charms. I got all of the above for only £40 - a lot cheaper than rival companies and perfect for close friends or family's christmas presents.

Welcome to the site Extra Special Touch

2009-09-01T11:40:00.001-07:00

We'd like to welcome Extra Special touch to our site, the winners of our competion. Visit their page http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/extra_special_28.html to see their beautiful personalised embroidered gifts for new babies & Christenings, fabulous gifts for brides & grooms and lovely thank you gifts for the wedding party.

They also offer an extraordinary service which I have never seen before of preserving your childs picture by turning it into embroidary so that it can either be framed for the wall or made into cushion. What a great way to keep your child's artwork for years to come - unlike a regular picture it will not fade or get easily damaged. It would make a great christmas present for doting grandparents and could be a family heirloom for generations to come.

Congratulations

2009-08-30T15:28:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Extra Special Touch you have won the 6 months free advertising on the site. We look forward to showing everyone your wonderful personalised items.

In the meantime if anyone would like to view their products please visit www.extraspecialtouch.co.uk for quality embroidered goods - perfect for christmas!

Have a great bank holiday weekend

2009-08-28T12:23:00.000-07:00

We hope you all have a great bank holiday weekend and don't do too much! Hopefully it will be hot and sunny and everyone will head for the beach!

Dont forget Sunday is the cut off for winning 6 months free advertising on our site. Please see the promotions page of the website or the post a few posts below this one on the blog for details.

Over 100 blog visitors

2009-08-27T05:33:00.000-07:00

I only got around to adding a visitor counter to the blog just over a week ago - and we've had over 100 visitors since then! From 6 different countries too. so welcome all - hope you are enjoying the blog.

Just to give you an idea of things to come, we will be adding more make do and mend tips and also will be having 'stories from the shops' with details and photos of what we are doing in the shops - from the usual requests to the somewhat bizzare along with advice on how to do it yourself.

Don't forget....

2009-08-25T05:58:00.000-07:00

To visit the promotions page of our site or view the post below (2 down) to see how to win 6 months free advertising on our site. Competition ends Sunday so get your entry in now!

Advertise your site for free on freeindex.co.uk

2009-08-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

Please click on this http://www.freeindex.co.uk/signup.htm?ref=R190552 to register your website/business.

It helps get more visitors to your site and improves your ranking in the search engines. It takes a bit of time to fill out the details regarding your business but is well worth it. Our lisiting on Free index appears near the top of search engines - higher than our actual site! Great way to promote your business.

Win 6 months free advertising on our site!

2009-08-21T03:38:00.000-07:00

Would you like to win 6 months free advertising on our site? Then answer both the questions below:

1)Name 1 company who advertise their craft products on our site and what products they make.

2)Which county are our Make Do and Mend shops in?

Please either post your answer on our blog or Facebook page or send your response through the contact us section of the site. Winners will be selected at random. Competition closes at 6pm on Sunday 30th of August 2009. Winners will be posted in blog and on Facebook within 48 hours of the competition closing and will be contacted direct.

Weekend promo

2009-08-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Keep an eye on this blog and the website (we are adding a new special offer/promotions page) as we will be running another promotion to win free advertising over the weekend. Due to the late hour of the last promotion (it was a spur of the moment decision) quite a few people missed it so the next one will run over the weekend with the winner being announced Sunday night.

Congratulations to Aviya Glass who won the last promotion. 2 months free on our site for you, their page should be up and running shortly.

Net mums

2009-08-18T11:37:00.000-07:00

We will hopefully be advertising on Netmums in September - hoping to find some craft makers as well as cutomers. Net mums is a great source of information for all those with kids. They get tens of thousands of hits per month so hopefully our advert will be seen by many people. If you'd like to visit the site the address is www.netmums.com

1,000 hits freebie

2009-08-17T13:36:00.001-07:00

We are very nearly at 1,000 hits, it was 991 about 10 minutes ago. To celebrate hitting 1,000 hits the first person to congratulate us on this blog (in the comments) once 1,000 hits have been achieved can have 2 month's free advertising on the site.

Even if you have your own site this is still a worthwhile prize as it will get more visitors to your site, you can have your own page on our site advertising your products and linking back to your own site.

The countdown starts now....

My new addiction...Google analytics!

2009-08-15T13:03:00.001-07:00

Wow Google analytics is great! Its like the ultimate online gadget! I cant believe how much information you get, how many visitors, how they found the site, how long they stayed on site, what pages they viewed etc...But now I have the complusive urge to keep checking - have there been new visitors? Where did they come from? What did they look at?

Just to make it even better you get pretty graphs and charts to illustrate it all - yes I am a nerd!! It comes from being married to a nerd, it must be catching! Anyway according to the analytics our most popular page is the crafts products page - which is great, thats what we want people to be looking at. In second place its the tips page, people are loving the Make Do and Mend Tips for making your clothes last longer. In third place is Button-nut Squash with their handmade badges, jewellery and cards.

We've only been running the analytics for less than a week so it could be all change again by next week...but I must stop myself from checking it every 2 minutes! Am I alone in this addicition? come on stand up, raise your hand and admit you are a Google analytics addict too!

Advertising on UK Crafts Forum

2009-08-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

Well after a few weeks of trying to register we have finally got adveriting on UK crafts directory and crafts forum so hopefully more potential advertisers will be heading towards our site...and preferably some new customers too.

For those of you who have not yet discovered it the crafts forum is a great place for all things craft related, tips on how to makes things, information on setting up your own craft business and/or website along with advice and chat from other crafters. The link is http://www.craftsforum.co.uk if you would like to check it out for yourselves.

Tips

2009-08-13T03:37:00.000-07:00

Taken from the new Make Do and Mend tips section on our site, kindly provided by http://www.make-do-and-mend.org/ and shown on our site here below are some tips on how to deal with clothes that no longer fit properly:

What to do with...

a too-short blouse - Have you any blouses which you hardly ever wear because they are too short in the waist and work out of the top of your skirts? Add a deep band of near matching material all round.

a too tight blouse - Open the front of a blouse which has become too tight, and putin a contrasting button band. Or if it has long sleeves, make them short and use the material left overfor your button band.

too tight underwear - let in ribbons or strip of silk down the sides to ease the strain on the seams.

a too-short skirt - Add a band of colour at the hem.

Tips @ http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/tips_25.html

Make Do and Mend Tips

2009-08-12T15:58:00.001-07:00

We've recently added a new section the the site giving Make Do and Mend tips (http://www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk/tips_25.html) - advice on how to recycle your clothes or to make them last longer. The tips have kindly been provided by www.make-do-and-mend.org the site for ethical fashion and make do and mend tips.

We will be adding to the tips regularily so keep checking back with us. We also welcome any tips and advice you have so either comment here, on our facebook group or contact us through the site. In these economically troubled times its worth saving every penny that we can.

Rapidly approaching 1000 hits...

2009-08-11T06:54:00.000-07:00

Currently at 851 hits, not far off the 1,000 mark. Put a few more ads online so hopefully by the weekend we will be over 1,000 and orders will start to flow. Few more people interested in registering so hopefully in the next week or so there will be more products on the site for you all to look at. In the meantime if you know anyone who makes craft products pass our details on...

New addition to the site

2009-08-05T07:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to The Style, the latest addition to our site. Selling a range of Polish clothing and accessories The Style are based in Truro, Cornwall but happy to ship items to customers that can not get to their shop. Orders over £20 benefit from free delivery.

600 Hits!!

2009-08-04T05:13:00.000-07:00

Well it was only a couple of days ago that I said we would hopefully be hitting 500 hits soon. Looked at the site this morning and we've had over 600!! So that Facebook advertising is obviously paying off, just hope some of those hits translate into sales for our lovely advertisers...

Facebook Ads up and running

2009-08-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

We have got ads on Facebook! Woohoo. They have been running for a few hours now and already had over 10 clicks through to the site so hopefully we'll be hitting the 500 hits mark in the next few days (currently 453). Next stop Google ads....

First Sale

2009-07-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Rosie of Button-nut squash for receiving the first order through the site for one of her lovely cupcake brooches (see left). Hopefully the first of many orders, not just for Rosie, but for all advertisers on the site. We officially launch tomorrow so once the advertising is up running hopefully the orders will come flooding in!

We have also added a new page - for Waste Not, Want Not the brand name for recycled products made in the Make Do and Mend Shops in Cornwall. These products are made from recycled materials, often offcuts for the work done in the shop. They include bags, brooches, decorative hearts and quilts. There is a gallery of these products on our site. Come have a look...www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk

One week to go...

2009-07-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Only a week to go before the official launch - and then we'll be advertising like mad! Just need people to hurry up and send in their photos and information so I can add their pages. Got leaflets and business cards printed and ready to go, Facebook ad designed, registered for Google ads. So far we have Sarah's Sewing Services - does at it says on the label! Sewing services and dress making in and around Cardiff. Make Do and Mend sewing services and dress making in Cornwall. Impressed by M.E - silver and crystal jewellery with you childs finger print in it, makes wonderful gifts for doting grandparents, based in Cardiff. And last but no means least Button-Nut Squash beautiful and unique fabric jewellery, handmade cards and bags and purses. Anyone interested in adverising their products on the site please either e-mail info@makedoandmendonline.co.uk or visit the site www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk

Make Do and Mend Online is born

2009-07-20T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this, first time i've ever blogged! Anyway a few weeks ago whilst discussing creating a website for my mum's business (Make Do and Mend - sewing shops based in Cornwall) it occured to me that rather than just having the details of her shops on the site we could have a seperate part of the site advertising handmade craft items.

My mum has sold various craft items through her shops, inluding bags, jewellery and cards and we we realised that there are a lot of people out there making craft items in their free time but not on a large enough scale for them to set up their own site or open their own shop to sell them.

Why not just sell them on e-bay I hear you ask? Well apart from losing over 10% in e-bay and paypal fees it means you have to create a back stock and a decent range of items all of which takes time. A lot of the crafters we know are either working full time or looking after children as well as making things. They barely have the time to make one or 2 items let alone more. We considered having a shop on the site but again we would need people to create a certain amount of stock to guarantee there was some ready to be shipped as soon as the orders came in.

Well we could get people to make on demand we thought. That way not only would it be easier for the crafters to manage but the customer could then left the maker know exactly what they want, what colour, what design etc. They could have their name put on it, or that of the gift receipient, or they could have it made to fit their preference eg. a bag to match their new dress, earrings to match their favourite outfit. It also means the customer will be getting a unique item that they will not find anywhere else...and so the concept of Make Do and Mend Online was born.

A couple of weeks, and many long hours later the website (www.makedoandmendonline.co.uk) was created and put online and the recruitment of craft makers commenced. Information packs created, registration forms sent out and terms and conditions drawn up. So far there are 3 people on the site - mainly to show other advertiser what their page could look like. The promotion of the site has not yet properly started.

As of the 1st of August the website advertising will begin...on Facebook, Google ads, local papers, flyers, business cards etc. The money that people page to have a page on the site goes into a pot from which the advertising costs are taken out of. That means for £15 a month people get to benefit from hundreds of pounds of advertising. As someone pointed out to me when I first came up with the concept of this site most people can set up their own site, and in some case for quite cheap. However, what is the point of setting up a site if you get no visitors? Unless you have the time to devote to search engine optimisation and the money for ongoing advertising and promotion of your site as well as the techincal knowledge to set up a decent site and maintain it regularily you will be lucky if you site gets a couple visitors a week.

With Make Do and Mend we do all that for you. We have created the site, we arrange the advertising and the seach engine optimisation to make sure the site can be found and all we ask of you if a few photos, a couple lines of information and a monthly subscription fee. There are no tie-ins so surely it is worth putting in £15 (or £25 for 3 months for all new customers) into your business and seeing how it improve your sales. For the same price (£25) you would get an 8th of an A5 page in my local free ads (Cardiff) that only covers 2 areas of the city why pay for that when you could have so much more with us.