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    Leap of faith

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    This is a leap year, which means that back in February the ladies amongst us had the opportunity to pop the question to their other halves, and one of our sellers was involved in a very special proposal. A customer had contacted between you & i, to ask if they were able to produce one of their Morse code bracelets to spell out ‘marry me’. Here’s the full story from Gillian, the brave proposer…

    “I had arranged for my Dad to babysit my daughter Olivia, and I had left a long poem in Morse Code telling Beat (my Swiss partner) where to meet me. I rushed to change into a floaty dress, grabbed our all-important Morse code bracelet and dashed to a local restaurant. I flicked through a newspaper whilst he took an age to decipher the message.

    Beat arrived looking very dashing, as instructed by Olivia. He told me in hysterics about how he had struggled with the code – she had done most of it for him, before making him change into smart clothes and rushing him out of the door saying “Hurry Daddy, you’ll be late! Grandad will look after me!”. We enjoyed a G&T and a beer in front of the fire before dinner. He thought the Morse code poem was a great little adventure, but had no idea there was more to come.

    After we’d eaten a delicious meal I told Beat that the decoding wasn’t over and produced your beautiful bracelet, along with the little card with instructions on how to decipher the message. He took out his pen and started writing out the letters on the card… the wrong way round!! I got him back on track, as he started with the ‘y’ of ‘marry’. He smiled, and once he had finally finished deciphering and said “YES!”.

    He was utterly gob smacked! Especially when he learnt that Olivia knew all about it and had kept the secret. He loved the whole idea and loved the bracelet – it looks so funky on him and he wears it with pride. We have had such fun planning this – we are a very playful family and this was just perfect. We are all excited about the big day now. I will be ordering my own Morse code bracelet soon as I love it so much, and Olivia wants one too. We will have them forever and smile when we look at them.”

    What a lovely story, and such a brilliant idea! Congratulations to the happy couple.

    an interview with Cabbage White England

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    Kelly from Cabbage White England

    Cabbage White England was set up in 2005 by Kelly Smithson, after she moved into jewellery design from an Art School background. Kelly works from her studio in Guildford, where she hand-finishes every piece of jewellery. We asked her a few questions…

    What inspired you to create Cabbage White Jewellery? 

    I was inspired to create Cabbage White England after moving from London to Guildford following the birth of my two children, when I decided that it was time to turn my lifelong passion for jewellery design into a business.

    Describe your product range and what makes it unique

    All of our products are initially hand cast by myself so that everything is unique to Cabbage White, we only use the best materials and everything is finished by hand in our studios in Guildford. Our aim is to produce unique, handmade, affordable, British jewellery.

    Where did you start your company and describe where you work now

    My company initially started at the kitchen table and was mainly beaded jewellery. I am a fully trained silversmith and now all our jewellery is created this way. Cabbage White is still based at my house but I now have a home studio and two other people working with me.

    What’s the biggest hurdle you’ve had to overcome in running your business?

    Creating time around the children to enable me to promote the business as much as is required.

    What is your best selling range / product?

    Currently our best selling range is our sweet lovebirds necklaces and bangles, we are just launching our new range of Alice in Wonderland inspired pieces featuring gorgeous handcast vintage keys, rabbits, teapots and cute bows. Perfect for this season.

    Describe where you live the style of your home

    We live in an old 1800′s farm workers cottage, on the outskirts of Guildford near the river and north downs way. For me it is the perfect mixture of town and country. Our house style is very much vintage influenced, something that I have had a passion for since studying at art college. This in turn inspires my jewellery designs, I also like to take a lot of inspiration from nature.

     Do you have a good work / life balance?

    I like to think that I have a good work/life balance, this was another reason that I wanted to set up Cabbage White. I didn’t want to be commuting into work every day as I wanted to be able to be with my children, it can be hard at times but overall I feel it’s good for them to see me working but I don’t have to rely on any childcare either.

     What are you lusting after on notonthehighstreet.com this month?

    This month I am lusting after all birdcage products – I want some to feature on my stand in upcoming events I am going to. I have also just purchased a chalkboard and notice board by out of love for my new office! It’s perfect!

    What are your ambitions for your company in the future?

    I am planning on continuing to expand Cabbage White England by developing our marketing and ranges, we have just had a big brand overhaul so now the only way can be onwards and upwards!

    Mother’s Day success

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    This week we’ve been hearing lots of lovely stories about mums who were thrilled with the Mother’s Day gifts they received at the weekend. Our CEO Holly was given the changeable message print from Little Bird Design, and the personalised Polaroid card from Ellie Ellie by her son Harry.

    Harry’s Grandma, Sally, was also treated to a personalised gift – the enamel treats tin by Jonny’s Sister…

    Personalised Enamel Tin by Jonny's Sister

    Holly’s friends also sent us some images of the Mother’s Day gifts they received. We absolutely love the quote that was used in this  Betsy Benn print. We know the exact feeling…

    Personalised Quotations Print by Betsy Benn

    Personalised 'I Love My Mummy' Print by Thispaperbook

    Very well done to all the dads involved – fine choices all round!

    we heart #TweetHeart

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    As we mentioned in a post last week, we ran a campaign on our Twitter page on Valentine’s Day designed to celebrate true feelings and relationships by turning your personalised love messages into song. We were overwhelmed with the number of responses we had, with hundreds of tweeters sending us heart-warming messages for their loved ones.

    There were some serious tear jerkers, like these ones…

    And this might possibly be our favourite video of the day, a VERY special message from Brett… we actually had a real life marriage proposal!

    We are thrilled to announce that she said YES! Love really was in the air…

    View all the #TweetHeart videos here.

    have you seen our Valentine’s Day campaign?

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    We believe the best Valentine’s Day gifts are often the ones which capture something unique and special about a relationship. Chocolates and flowers are always nice to receive, but gifts that are personal mean so much more. Whether you want to remember the place where you first met, smile at the little jokes that you share together or simply remind them whose side of the bed is whose, make sure you celebrate the moments you’ve shared together.

    This Valentine’s Day create a gift that shows someone how much they mean to you by saying it your way. See the collection here

    the ultimate compliment

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    Ronnie

    Ronnie Corbett (CBE) was given a special Christmas treat from one of our sellers, Layer Eight, this year. His grandchildren arrived on Christmas Day wearing matching ‘Two Ronnies Glasses’ t-shirts in honour of the famous comedian and his partner Ronnie Barker. Ronnie’s daughters Sophie and Emma are both notonthehighstreet.com fans, and bought the t-shirts featuring the duo’s iconic glasses for all his grandchildren to surprise their grandad.

    Jim & Vicki Lockwood, founders of Layer Eight said “This is the ultimate compliment for us, and to have been part of the Corbett’s Christmas Day is amazing. We – like most of the nation – love Ronnie to bits and for us to help make him smile is somehow poetic after all the laughs he has given us over the years!”

    Awards success

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    We are thrilled and excited to announce that notonthehighstreet.com has been listed in both The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 and Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50. The Sunday Times Virgin Fast Track 100 champions the UK’s top-performing private companies and entrepreneurs, and is based on financial performance. Deloitte’s UK Technology Fast 50 and Fast 500 EMEA recognise companies that have achieved the fastest rates of revenue growth in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) during the past five years. To win both is testament to the company’s ever-growing strength.

    Our Co-founders Holly Tucker and Sophie Cornish (pictured above) launched notonthehighstreet.com in 2006 with a vision to provide an original and innovative selling platform for small creative businesses. We now support over 2,000 enterprises, 96% of which are run by women. Female ‘kitchen table’ entrepreneurs selling through the site are seeing increases in sales of up to 280% per year, despite the recession.

    Holly Tucker says “It’s very rewarding for our community to be recognised by both awards for our fast growth and success even in this current retail climate. We are proud to be supporting such successful small businesses and to be part of such a notable contribution to the UK economy, especially during an economic crisis. We feel passionately that with so many women setting up thriving businesses it’s essential that the government continues to provide incentives such as tax reliefs and investment.

    Sophie and I know the barriers that women can face in the world of business and with small businesses contributing billions of pounds annually; it’s time to start reducing the barriers for home entrepreneurs to help drive the economy. Awards such as these are essential in building business profiles and acknowledging the contribution small and medium enterprises are making.”

    With exciting plans in place for 2012, notonthehighstreet.com is building an army of budding entrepreneurs that will play an essential role in reinforcing the UK’s economy.

    Jingle Belles

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    lbds

    The festive season is almost upon us, and whatever it may bring we know that for the girls, it will definitely mean one thing – you need something special to wear to this year’s Christmas parties! Fear not – we’ve pulled together our ultimate collection of Christmas party dresses.

    Little Black Dresses

    Carve a sleek silhouette in a timeless classic

    Top row, l-r; Pleated Party Dress, Kiki’s, £85;
    Squabri Chiffon Dress, TheRemedi, £155;
    2nd row, l-r; Scarlett Grecian Dress, Rise, £45;
    Ruby Dress Silk & Sawdust, £149;
    3rd row, l-r; Selena Ruffle Dress, Rise, £35;
    Eloise Silk Dress, Eucalyptus, £105;
    4th row, l-r; Evie Flapper Dress, Rise Boutique, £60; Gypsy Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £165
    Bottom row, l-r; Marnie Dress, Eucalyptus, £80;
    Origami Pleat Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £120;

    Heavy Metal

    Metallic tones, plenty of sequins and embellishment will keep you sparkling

    Top row, l-r; Sugar Sequined Dress (also in silver), Rise, £45;
    Crystal Alice Dress, TheRemedi, £177;
    2nd row, l-r; Ria Smock Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £165;
    Pebble Dress, Kiki’s, £35;
    3rd row, l-r; Skyla Beaded Dress (also in berry), Rise, £65;
    Trisi Tule and Leather Dress, TheRemedi, £189;
    4th row, l-r; Opal Dress, Rise Boutique, £60;
    Rosalie Dress, Rise Boutique, £60;
    Bottom row, l-r; Eva Evanovich Dress, Amaka, £159;
    Embellished Paisley Shift Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £175;

    Go For Bold

    Embrace this season’s jewel tones trend and step out in a rich, vibrant hue

    Top row, l-r; Nicole Dress, Nina Bon Bina, £175;
    Pippa Dress, Rise, £60;
    2nd row, l-r; Asha Dress, Beulah London, £308;
    Paloma Dress, Eucalyptus, £80;
    3rd row, l-r; Connie Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £125;
    Margo Dress, Rise, £35;
    Bottom row, l-r; Scarlett Grecian Dress, Rise, £45;
    Seraphina Dress, Beulah London, £421;

    Ladylike Chic

    ‘Tis the season to be pretty – lace and ruffles are perfect for a feminine party look

    Top row, l-r; Clara Lace Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £145;
    Norma ruffled Dress, Instant Vintage, £55;
    Eloise Ruffle Dress, Rise Boutique, £30;
    Bottom row, l-r; Ellen Lace Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £145;
    Alexia Lace Dress, Rise Boutique, £28;
    Roxanna Bustier Dress, Kiki’s, £69;

    Prints Charming

    Party-time patterns and graphic prints will add something special to a simply shaped dress

    Top row, l-r; Aztec Geometric Print Dress, Kiki’s, £69;
    Mayfair Dress, Lagom, £125;
    Bottom row, l-r; Minnie Dress, Silk & Sawdust, £119;
    Alexia Print Dress, Rise Boutique, £40;