Five

Starting a business from scratch is hard, Jayne and her Foreverbunnies is no exception, this is a little of Jayne's story minus all the hard work, frustration and blisters gathered along the way and which continues to this day. I keep Foreverbunny away from my blog posts as I know you don't want blatant advertising stuffed down your necks, I only post it as today's blog entry as I'm astounded at just quite what she has achieved in five months after standing with her yesterday at the latest Foreverbunny event.

OCTOBER

At the beginning of October Jayne was sat behind me in the studio with a set of paints, some wood, pens, glue and a whole head full of inspiration to try and make all the bunny related things she couldn't find in the shops but really, really wanted. It wasn't an easy task, Jayne had not done any of this before so everything was trial and error but eventually after a few weeks she had managed to come up with the basics of what she  imagined in her head. It took her until the start of November before she was happy that she had created something special, the first true Foreverbunny.

NOVEMBER

We worked together like this for many weeks, me painting Impossimals, Jayne sawing, painting and designing until she had her first range of wooden Foreverbunnies created from old disused pallets, string and left over paint. They looked great, the Foreverbunny idea had been burning away for years, finally it was beginning to take shape. Next it needed a little push in the right direction with a website and maybe a craft fair to see if  anybody was really interested in Foreverbunny or if Jayne was just being a silly bunny lady.

The first website, an off the peg site, went live in the middle of November. It contained information but no online shop facilities which was frustrating and very little else apart from an events guide. Around the same time Jayne started testing the water with craft and gift fairs.

These proved to be a tough testing ground, not only do they require a lot of work beforehand but on the day you are open to the vagaries of the weather, the event organisation and of course random visitors. Hand made items sometimes sit uncomfortably next to commercially bought items and Foreverbunny was no exception. Their handmade nature makes them naturally more expensive than mass produced but also brings along a little bit of charm with it. As Jayne attended the events so did the Foreverbunnies reach further afield.

DECEMBER
With the last of the events out of the way it was a return to the studio to take on board everything she had learned. The range had to be bigger with more varied products, single bunnies were fine but as mostly families attended the events the range opened up to include a few new additions.

The first Foreverbunny family was created and was swiftly followed by several more variations, decorated hearts and an idea to go even further. They were renamed the core Classic Foreverbunny range, immediately colour and style identifiable Foreverbunny had a brand in the making. Foreverbunnies had made the jump from impulse items to consideration items as the price structure expanded out of the £10-20 range and into the £10-80, the idea of affordable Forevebunny luxury was one step closer.

JANUARY

January was a big turning point for Foreverbunny, after only three months it had grown to take up most of Jayne's time. From sourcing wood, paint and additional equipment such as band and power saws Jayne had also entered into the world of fabrics, a complimentary range requiring different skills to expand the Foreverbunny collection. What was needed was a shop front to showcase it all...

The Foreverbunny website may look swish but the website and shop cost time and very little money to arrange, all it needed was a digital camera for product shots, text and a few little tweaks and it was away. Combining this with a selection of Facebook promotion posts launched the whole thing mid-January. Domain, hosting, website, online shop and promotion all for the princely sum of, wait for it, £50, bargain! Foreverbunny Online at last.

FEBRUARY
Thoughts had started to turn to Spring as the nights started to get lighter, with it an addition to the Foreverbunny stable, the Garden range. Taking colours from a very Spring like palette Jayne created the Garden range to look completely different from the Scandinavian feel of the Classic Foreverbunny.

Silver plated springs added a more decadent look to the latest creations and switching the hearts to flowers completed the Garden feel.

So after five months of hard work Jayne attended a craft event yesterday to promote Foreverbunny and sold two cards in six hours such is the unpredictability of organised events. You know it didn't really matter, what really mattered was that she had done it all from scratch and that sense of achievement is difficult to knock and the reason I'm so proud at everything she does.

Yay Foreverbunny!

As a special thank you to everyone who has supported Foreverbunny over the last five months Jayne has given out a 5% discount code on her Facebook and Twitter pages, both of which can be found here :
Foreverbunny Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/foreverbunnyhome
Foreverbunny Twitter - https://twitter.com/ForeverbunnyUK

Randomness is just around the corner, Monday it's back and I'm off my rocker.

Suck It And See

Hi, my name is Baron Ivan Tobite Urneck and if like me you look a little rough in the morning have you ever thought it might be down to vampires? Yes, they really do exist and no, they don't twinkle or make sickly movies, a real vampire keeps their identity secret but there are some tell tale signs you can check for in your own home before you accidentally go out and bite a virgins neck.

Number one give away, red eyes. A dead cert that you are a VAMPIRE! red eyes are due to excessive blood from gorging on a victims neck, either that or you are a hopeless drunk that is ready for a quick 'nip'. Check for the bodies of victims around the house, if none are found then sorry you are just a hopeless lush.

Ever wondered why every photograph you have taken of yourself in the mirror with a smartphone has never come out right? It's because you are a VAMPIRE! I suggest removing all mirrors and bulb shaped vegetables from the kitchen cupboards, wear gloves if necessary. You have also probably noticed that if you spend long periods out in full sun you start to go red, this is a warning sign that you are about to burst into flames, vampires hate sunlight. It's been known for vampires unaware of this condition to spontaneously explode when using sun beds, stay away from all tanning equipment. Contrary to popular belief you will not shimmer in sunlight no matter what people say, ever, period.

Check your teeth, only one of the above is correct. If you have two canine teeth that look vaguely pointy then yes, you have been bitten at some point in your life and you are turning into a VAMPIRE! Stock up with snacks like raw meat and black pudding. However if you have teeth like B then you are probably called Cleetus and live in a pick up truck. Stay away from people with D teeth, they are a piano and should not be played with.

Check your date of birth, if you are more than a hundred and twelve years old and can remember Julius Caesar and your neighbour Ug who invented fire then you are definitely a VAMPIRE! Occasionally people of this age are not, if your one of them and you are not a vampire you are an INCONTINENT!

Now that we have confirmed you are a VAMPIRE, you need to know your steak from your stake. Use the above cut out and keep chart to identify food or fear. If anyone approaches you with a hammer immediately hiss at them, turn into either a bat or a wolf and fly or run away. To avoid suspicion at work start to wear a cape, you will find it handy to conceal your victims and it looks stylish in today's fashion led world. You may need to change your working hours to suit your new vampire status. Choose your friends wisely, that Mr Blade sat across from you in the canteen may not be as friendly as he seems. Real vampires don't drink animal blood, leave that to the movies, how many have you seen chowing down on a golden retriever? I'll answer that for you, none, it's just too silly to think about.

Being a vampire should not inhibit your life, look at the above selection of well known faces, how many of them are vampires?

All of them! Roger Moore used to have a steady supply of nubile young ladies led to his trailer during the filming of The Man With The Golden Gun to satisfy his hunger, how do I know this? Well, he shared the film with Scaramanga played by Christopher Lee, a real life vampire who famously played a vampire to dispel rumours he was a vampire. Incidentally the word Scaramanga is a biopularlaris ambiguation meaning VAMPIRE. Not a lot of people know that.

Jack Nicholson (top right) played a Werewolf in a film, Alfred Hitchcock made scary films and Charles Bronson made the Death Wish series, a series title that held true to his vampire living. See the connection? It's clear that there has been a massive Hollywood coverup on the far reaching effects of vampirism.

Did you know eight in ten people like the taste of blood so much they eat RED MEAT and BURGERS to satisfy their taste, another sure sign they are a VAMPIRE! Even supermarkets have capitalised on this bit of information and sell RED UNCOOKED MEAT so vampires can buy REAL BODY MEAT to satisfy bloodlust when not on the prowl. Vegetarian vampires are also catered for with Quorn sausages, Quorn is the old Moldavian word for VAMPIRE MEAT probably. If you look carefully they even sell BLOOD disguised as tomato juice, that's why it's called a BLOODY MARY when you add it to vodka, it's an acknowledgement that the JUICE is HUMAN JUICE squeezed from the necks of fresh MARY'S.

So today when you are at work try and discover who is a vampire, check their lunch box, walk around with a mirror or a sun lamp, you might surprise yourself, it could be your friend, your wife or even you!

Don't have nightmares...

 

www.petersmithcollective.co.uk Home Of Foreverbunny and the Impossimals

All4Love

Two People, One Journey, Your Story.

Over the years I have depicted many Impossimal stories based on family and friends, this year I wanted to share this with you in a very special way. Just reading some of the titles, ‘From The Moment We Met’ and ‘It Must Be Love’ conjure up mental images even before you see the paintings and that for me was my starting point, I wanted to recreate every journey, every emotion and every romance for everyone to enjoy.

So I present to you four limited editions carefully created to chart a path through life that allows through various combinations for you share your own unique journey and personal love story. Finally you can create your very own Impossimal collection that you can truly say is all about you.

From The Moment We Met

Where Our Love Grows

It Must Be Love

Happy Ever After

In Galleries Soon

 

www.petersmithcollective.co.uk Home Of Foreverbunny and the Impossimals