Monday, 29 June 2009

New Cottontails HQ

If you've been following the diary, you'll know that there have been some major changes at Cottontails lately, not least the closure of the high street shop and relocation of the business to Herefordshire. Although we took over new storage facilities straight away, there has been a delay in arranging the office space, and for the past few weeks I have been working from a temporary office in the house (i.e. the spare bedroom). And so I am thrilled that the new - permanent - garden office has just been put up. It'll be a few days yet before I can 'move in' as we are awaiting electrics, telephone and carpets, and there's a lot of landscaping to do outside too, but all the same the light is at the end of the tunnel and I can't wait to take over the new head quarters (or 'head hutch' as Mike, my partner, calls it!)It is a kind of moving in gift from Mike and I am so grateful to him (mind you he would be the first to admit that it's as much about keeping me out of the way as anything else!) He works from home too you see (he is a cider maker) and neither of us are even used to sharing a living space, let alone working together. It has a lovely, peaceful view over the barley fields too:
I am feeling very positive and lucky. It was hard and scary to close the shop, but with the new website and now the new 'head hutch' I feel things are really coming together.

Tuesday, 23 June 2009

Nice feedback on the new website

It's been four full days since we launched the new website now, and so far I'm really happy with the results. Sales have been good, problems have been few and we've had some really nice comments. When customers place an order with us there is a field for 'How did you hear about Cottontails?' and, over the weekend, several new customers have mentioned the website, completely unprompted. Like this one from Holly in Norway:

Google search for UK companies supplying
Maileg bunnies! I liked your website :o)

I'm chuffed by the interest in the competition too - so far we have had twenty-something entries and some really lovely name suggestions. I am going to start a Moulin Roty competition soon too and will post about it here when I do.

That's it for now. Am having a very relaxed week - still working hard on orders and enquiries and so on, but not asking much more than that of myself. It's nice. And it means I have time to write on here!

Friday, 19 June 2009

Win a Maileg bunny!

To celebrate the new website we are running a competition to win this Maileg bunny - all you have to do is visit the Maileg page on the website and suggest a name for her. We will then pick our favourite name from the suggestions and send out a bunny to the winner!

Thursday, 18 June 2009

Lovely new website :-)

You cannot imagine how thrilled I am to be writing that we have finally switched over to our lovely new website. I am so, so pleased! If you have a moment, please visit it - www.cottontailsbaby.co.uk.

Anyone who has been following our (much neglected) blog will have heard me waffling on about the new website for months now, so it truly is a delight to have reached the point where it is finished, lovely and live! Of course the original plan was to launch the new site the same weekend that we closed our high street shop - little did I imagine that it would take the best part of a month longer. We have crashed through so many deadlines that I had actually stopped setting them!

My web designer, Tamsin, has been an absolute star. She has worked so hard, particularly these last few days when I think I have been emailing about her every five minutes with some display issue or other. I am so, so grateful to her and couldn't recommend her highly enough to anyone who is looking at a new website. Her site is at www.tamdesign.co.uk.

We actually met through our love of bunnies - she is the woman behind the fabulous Rabbit Rehome website.

Right, had better start catching up on all the things that have been neglected during the past website-focused couple of weeks...

Am determined to keep the blog up to date now though - as you can see it has been integrated much more fully into the website so that should be the incentive I need to keep on top of it!

New blog design

Everybody ignore this post - I am just testing the new blog colours / layout...

(Nearly there with new website... woo-hoo!)

Friday, 29 May 2009

Shop Rabbit



Just a very quick entry because I just had to share these photos...

Am busy working on the new website at the moment and have just been taking pictures of Humphrey to go on our 'about' page. So here he is 'modeling' a selection of Maileg bunny, Moulin Roty activity chicken and Moulin Roty musical Lola bunny (he loves the musical and has one of his own!) He is now relaxing in the garden, exhausted by the photo shoot. He'll be looking for an agent soon...

Friday, 22 May 2009

Pixie in the car!

Given how busy this weekend is looking - just the small matter of closing the shop and relocating the business! - I don't think I'm going to have much time to write a bank holiday entry so I thought I'd tell you about the last bank holiday.... (I love that there are so many this time of year - I have a friend in the US who is staggered by how many bank holidays we seem to have!)

So, last time, I indulged in a classic bank holiday activity - and cleaned my car! (Quite a big deal for me as it only happens a couple of times a year.) Did a very thorough job inside and out, and even waxed it. And then, to celebrate my lovely shiny car, I decided to sit a Maileg pixy in the passenger seat - and she has been driving around with me ever since. What is more I have had quite a few comments from people about her - "Is that a PIXIE in your car?!" at the petrol station and so on - so I decided to put a little label on her saying 'Available from www.cottontailsbaby.co.uk'. So, a funky new passenger and a neat bit of marketing to boot. I think I will put a row of the giant bunnies in the back seat next...