Ooh La La! Radish goes to Paris!

Now that the lovely Liz has brought our little Radish to life it seems his trip to the Big Smoke for PG Live has given him an appetite for travel. Imagine my surprise when Luke and I arrived in Paris last weekend to discover that a certain cheeky little mouse had sneaked into my pocket (and I thought he only did that to Rosie!)

With his striped top and little red neckerchief, Radish has always rocked the Parisian chic look and he was right at home in the French capital with all of it's delicious cheese, art and macaroons.

He thoroughly enjoyed getting lost in the epic Louvre, staring lovingly through the window at Ladu'ree, taking in the views on the Batobus and peeking up at the Eiffel Tower.

He even visited Notre Dame and found time to have a little peek at some lovely French picture book illustrators - one of his (and my) favourite past times.

I wonder where Radish's next adventure take him?!

Helen
x

13 Things We've Learnt from our PG Live 2014 Experience ...

1. Although road trips with mice can be fun, never totally trust your Sat Nav (or you might end up doing a ten point turn in a back alley the size of a 2 man tent).

2. Industrial strength velcro and freshly painted MDF are not a match made in greeting card stand heaven. Avoid such a combo at all costs.

3. Carrying paint pots, brushes and metre-long spirit levels (amongst other things) on public transport does not go un-noticed (even in London where supposedly 'anything goes').

4. 'Granny Chic' is the future. Long live the M&S natural tan tight.

5. We really do love a nice glass of wine.

6. Its very useful to take a useful note book with you wherever you go to jot down lots of very useful stuff.

7. Chalk (essential for drawing aeroplane 'zooms' on our stand) is very hard to come by in the big smoke. That stuff is sacred. If you ever find yourself in such a predicament head to your nearest coffee shop and ask for assistance.

8. Me and Louis were meant to be together.

9. It's scary how much fun you can have with a stuffed crocheted mouse. DJ Rad-Maus is in da haus.

10. This trade show malarky is very tiring.

11. It's amazing how everything seems hilarious after very little sleep. (See most of the above).

12. The world of greeting cards is such a wonderful, friendly industry to be part of and we loved every minute of it ... It was made even better to come home to pack orders for our lovely new customers!

13. 13 really is our lucky number. We were established in 2013. PG Live started on the 13th May and our bestselling card to date is number 13 in the 'Scribbles By Radish' range ... Radish loves being a little clever clogs!

Amy Xx

PG Live 2014

Well we did it guys! We survived the drive down to London, the manic two days of set up, a few technical hitches and our very first trade show at PG Live!

As crazy as it was we both enjoyed every minute ... even the bit when all our freshly dried paint started peeling off the wall and I had to run (Challenge Anneka style) across London to retrieve our paint and brushes out the boot of Helen's trusty Fiat 500. After a quick touch up the snow scene effect on stand 655 was a distant memory - and with only 5 minutes to go until chucking out time at the Business Design Centre our stand was finished and we left laden with paint pots, brushes, rollers, spirit levels and retired to the pub.

Our lovely friend Pauliina very kindly offered to help us set up our stand. With a background in retail she has a good eye for detail and quite frankly saved our bacon when it came to Peely-Paint-Gate! She is also a super duper photographer and she managed to capture some lovely shots of our stand as we set it up, and of us rocking the 'Granny Chic' look on our first day at the show. Take a look at these ...

Thanks for all your help and for the lovely photos Pauliina - You are an absolute Star!

Amy & Helen Xx

Radish - Our Lucky Mascot...

It all started with a little throwaway comment with my friend Liz over coffee. She had shown me a picture of a gorgeous little crocheted mouse she had made for our friend's little boy and I said "Can you imagine a crocheted Radish?!"

I didn't even think it would be possible. Liz had no pattern and only the illustrations of little Radish to go from but for the last few weeks important questions like this have been raised...

"Just how big is Radish's tummy - little pot belly or big?"

"Should he have eyebrows?"

"How curly should his tail be?"

"Are his ears floppy or structured?"

"Whiskers pointing out or down?"

"How thick should the stripes be on his jumper?"

After crocheting up an absolute storm, I came face to face with Radish's crocheted counterpart yesterday. It was such a lovely feeling to see a little character that first came to life in my head, then my sketchbook, then in Amy's card designs and then finally, in full 3d form, sitting in front of me, complete with a little crocheted yellow balloon, good luck card and his belongings all packaged up ready for his trip to the Big Smoke next week at PG Live! Liz is truly the Crochet Queen!!!!

From illustration...

...to real life crocheted Radish!

If you would like to see this cheeky little fellow in person, he will be resting his little pot belly and floppy ears on Stand 655 at PG Live on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. Come along and say hello!

Love,

Helen
x

Sneaky Peek: Numbers by Radish

So here it is ... a little sneaky peek at our third and final range that we will be launching at PG Live in only 10 days time!

Our ‘Numbers’ range showcases our graphic design roots and our love for all things bright and beautiful. The retro numbers not only provide the perfect platform for Radish to strike a pose on, but are also a very fitting way for us to count down to the start of our very first trade show on the 13th May.

So here goes ... Let the countdown (and 10 days of complete chaos and panic) commence!

Amy Xx