25 March 2011

Pleased as punch

So as you can see the final header is all done! Doesn't it look gorgeous!! I'm so pleased, and it turned out even better than I had anticipated. I plan to have the header displayed on one of the cafe's walls.


But the thing that's even more important to the business is the logo. I'm so glad I decided to use Joy Nevada because the final logo couldn't be more perfect. Thanks again!


My meeting with my mentor went really well. It was so positive, it really gave me a boost. Apparently everything I'm doing so far is right! So nice to know I have someone whose there at the end of the phone/email to offer support. People ask me a lot "How's the business?", I often feel lame because it hasn't progressed much since they last asked me, but I will say that the progress is slow but steady. Even though I don't have a lot of time to devote to it right now I'm still loving it all the same. It's still so exciting when I get a little bit done. Through much research I have found a really great company for all the arts and crafts supplies. I was beginning to lose hope, and they even have superb customer service...I know, shocking!

The company; 'Eat 'n' Mess Craft Cafe Ltd' is now official. It's registered (finally)! We have domain names registered too. So anyone thinking about nicking eatnmesscraftcafe.com or .co.uk don't bother, because they're mine!

Hopefully I'll get some 'business-y time' soon where I can crack on....but with an active three year old son and a husband who works crazy shifts, it doesn't look too hopeful! But I'm not complaining because I'd hate to lead a quiet life.

3 March 2011

A little bit of progress is better than none, right?

I finally have something business related to blog about. After choosing an illustrator whose work I really love, I decided to contact her and ask if she would be able to design a logo for Eat 'n' mess. JoyNevada's work is awesome, she's especially great at drawing little animals which she prints onto baby and children's clothes. You can read her blog here and look her up on Etsy

But she didn't just agree to design a logo she also said she would do a header that could be used for a number of things: Letter heads, complimentary slips and a blog header. I highly recommend her, she's fast and reliable too! So here's the progress so far, starting with the logo-



Or is this one better?....


The header and its progress so far-

Spot the difference between the colour headers, and then comment on which one you like best. There's only two differences!



Now you get to say which name design you like best. I think I like the first one, how about you?
I know they're all fabulous aren't they! Thanks again Nevada- you rock!!

One last thing. So just when I'd given up hoping that the Prince's Trust would help me further I got a call from one of their mentor's saying he wants to take me on! So I have my first meeting with him next Friday. I'm excited because he was one of the mentor's that taught us on the course back in October. Also it gave me the added motivation I needed to get my teeth stuck into the nitty gritty of the vital business plan. I spent Monday home alone trying to get as many quotes for monthly utility bills, rent and rates. I don't want to bore you, so I'll just say it was no easy task, especially as maths has never been one of my strong points. But nothing when it comes to making calls to energy companies is simple, is it?! But it was a small piece of important progress that has really helped, the frustrating job actually made me feel good, as I could have easily used Monday to sleep off my cold but I resisted and did something productive. Don't you love days like that?

Don't forget to tell me what you think of the logo and header, all feedback is gratefully received. Thanks.