Supporting Independent Businesses

February 29th, always a special day, and perfect to launch our first ever Independents Day .  Hopefully if there is enough interest we can make this a monthly shout out to all hard working independent businesses.

Here's how it works :

If you have a blog, please write a short post mentioning and linking to three or so independent businesses that you follow, buy from or just plain admire.  You can of course link to your own business if you want to.    Its all about building up the links to help people find our businesses.

Leave a comment below with a link to your blog so we can all pop over and take a look.  It would be really great if you would link back to this post and if you want grab the badge code.

and/or

Tweet about the independent businesses you are supporting and mentioning the hashtag #IndependentsDay

and/or

Link or share this or your own post on Facebook

You don't have to be an independent business to get involved or have a blog.  Comments, tweets and facebook mentions will all help enormously. 

Here are just a few of the many great independent businesses I have come across.  I will be featuring more each month so if you want to get involved please leave a comment below so I can find you.

http://www.littlestomper.co.uk/   Wonderful selection of quality branded footwear for children at affordable prices. - owned by Claire

http://www.minoredition.co.uk/   Beautiful dresses for little girls - owned by Ipshita

http://www.littlesheep-learning.co.uk/  Teaching & learning resources for children - owned by Elaine

http://www.crafts4kids.co.uk/   Creative and Educational toys, games and gifts - Owned by Fiona

Icklebabe    Illustrator of all things cute, whimsical and fun - owned by Helen

Claire Close   Artist who takes inspiration from the cliffs and coast of her home in Exmouth, Devon

Sparkle and Spin   Stocking the best of Danish kids clothes

Picaloulou     Beautiful hand knitted  clothes for children - owned by Shireen

TalkingTots  Helping children communicate with confidence - owned by Tracey and Lisa

Discovery at Rosehill   A debut novel by Author  Katheryn Brown  

http://www.eggcupclothing.co.uk/   Wearable, individual clothes - owner Claire

Please copy and paste the code below to your blog to display the button and show your support for Independent Businesses

Code broken for the moment will replace soon : (

Don't forget to link up or leave a comment

Blog Camp UK Meet and Greet

So looking forward to BlogCampUK, I missed Sally's blogcamps last year.  It will be great to go back to my hometown.    I am a nightmare at recognising people so please do make sure you come and say hello if you recognise me on the day and don't be offended if I look a little confused at first.  I'm getting old you know.


Hello

Name : Karen Jones

Blogs : http://allabouttheboysdesignerclothes.blogspot.com/ and http://thewhiteapproach.blogspot.com/

Twitter ID : https://twitter.com/#!/allaboutheboys

My Blog's About :  My business www.allabouttheboys.co.uk but has developed into family stuff, fashion and support of other independent businesses.

I also Blog at http://thewhiteapproach.blogspot.com/   which  documents how we are renovating our home on a budget, my love of white and vintage thrifting.

Likes:    Twitter, facebook, blogging, boot sales, thrifting and my family in that order (kidding) .

Dislikes: Bullies, my husband's restless legs in bed, people who swear around children and bad manners.



Off now to check out some of the other bloggers on the list. Can't wait to meet you in the real world.

Karen xx

Independents day

It's been a busy few months for my businesses and personal life but I have finally found some time to sit down and get back to supporting hard working independent businesses.  I've come up with a new badge (hope you like it) and would really like to start a regular feature to showcase all that is great about British independent companies. 

It's just an idea, but how about we have just one day a month where we blog and tweet about our own and other independent businesses.  They can be new or established. Retail, artists, crafters, business advisers, counsellors any kind of business at all as long as it is independent.

I firmly believe that hard working and often overlooked independent retailers will come into their own during these tough times.  Many of us know only too well what it takes to survive.  We know how to adapt and develop, how to look for opportunities and how to move our businesses forward, often whilst also supporting our families and with very little or no support from the banks or financial institutions.

Let's celebrate our greatness, lets have Independents Day !

I  am going to write a blog post on Wednesday 29th February I've chosen the leap year date because it's unique, special and is reason for celebration, just like all Independent businesses. 

Before that, I would love you to comment below with a link to your (or another ) independent business and I will feature a selection of them Next Wednesday to kick of the Independents Day campaign. 

 It would be great if you have your own blog if you wrote a post showcasing companies that you love and linking back to this post.  That way we can spread the links around and hopefully draw attention to lots of companies that people might like to take a look at and hopefully buy from or support.

You don't have to be an independent business to take part, infact it would be amazing to receive support from anybody.  It can be a lonely and insecure place running your own business, to receive acknowledgement that you are doing a good job makes such a difference. 

If you are on twitter and want to tweet about it please use the hashtag #independentsday 

I'll have a badge for you to next week if you think its cool enough to pop on your site to show your support.

Thank you

Karen

Back to the Future

I don't often read my old blog posts but this one caught my eye today Who would you put on the naughty step  and I have to admit it still makes me cry.  It also made me see how far I have come since I wrote the post, and got me thinking there are many, many wonderful bloggers out there who write great posts, most of them seen by a fraction of readers and many of which could help, inspire or motivate people. 

Like this one from my amazing "virtual friend" Helen Waving a little goodbye   I think most of us can understand where Helen is coming from in this post and now nearly a year later, if you follow Helen, maybe we now know some of what was behind this post.  Her blog is beautiful, whimsical and full of too die for images. 

Or this post from a lady I have been lucky enough to actually meet and somebody I greatly admire Scottish mum  who writes about respite care for her child. A subject very close to my own heart.  I have a severely disabled brother and know only to well how it feels to be screaming inside for support and not getting it.  My mother suffers every day.

One of the first blogs I read was by Emily from More Than Just A Mother .  I will forever remember that SHE actually approached ME at the ToysRus event and said "hello Karen" (she knows my name) .  To this day I still fall about laughing at this post Silly Moffa

So how about we dig out those old blog posts that made us laugh, cry, inspired us, motivated us or just about had any kind of effect on us.  Write a post including one of your own and two posts written by other bloggers which have affected you in some way.

Can I  just ask :

All posts are older than one month.

You include a  link back to this post in your blog post.

You leave a comment below so we know which blogs to pop over and read.


Hopefully people will think its worth writing a post about.  I'm looking forward to discovering lots more hidden gems to read.

Cybher Meet and Greet

Just received confirmation from my fantastic sponsors (more on that one later) so I have been able to confirm my ticket for Cybher. 

I thought it would be good for me to take part in the meet and greet as I am a total nightmare when it comes to recognising people "in the real world". 


Hello

Name : Karen Jones

Blogs : http://allabouttheboysdesignerclothes.blogspot.com/   and  http://thewhiteapproach.blogspot.com/ 

Twitter ID : https://twitter.com/#!/allaboutheboys 
Height : 5'6" but shrinking with age


Hair : A mess, getting shorter and greyer


Five things you should know about me...


1. I am 50 this year !!! No seriously, thats not me, it must be my mother right ?


2. I'm married to my childhood sweetheart who I met again after 25 years.


3. I am too sensitive for my own good.


4. I currently run three small businesses.  I love working for myself, it was the best decision I ever   made.


5. I have 3 sons.  Twins aged 7 and a soon to be 17 yr old.


Off now to check out some of the other bloggers on the list.  Can't wait to meet you in the real world.

Karen xx