Spring Sale

Our Spring Sale!

March is only a few days away and the temperatures are starting to be a little bit warmer. 

So with this in mind we have decide to launch our Spring Sale. 

On selected items there is a massive 50% off

 while stocks last.

Items that feature in our sale are our Authentic range of glass plates and bowls. This range boasts that it is 100% recycled glass. So everyone that buys anything in this range is helping the environment.   

Above are some of the stunning bowls and plates. 

Below are some very cute glasses/ ice cream dishes.

We also have other great offers including plain 750ml shutter jars, two jars for £6.

These offers are only available in store. So why not pop in to grab yourself a bargain.

Thank you for reading.

See you next time.

Please note: The Coast Card can not be used with these offers. 

#blog #blogging #gekoglass #uk #sale #offer #bargain

Introducing the Coast Card

The Coast Card...

So, we were approached by Yorkshire Coast Radio about a new venture they wanted to trial throughout the Yorkshire Coast. 

The idea is people get a card from Yorkshire Coast Radio for the current price of £5. This card then entitles you to get discounts and promotions in all the participating shops. 

So far there are over 100 businesses signed up. All sorts of offers are available so have a look on the link below....

Press here to link to Coast card information

If you are a local business that would like to be part of it, get in touch with Yorkshire Coast Radio.

We at gekoglass think this is a great way for all local businesses to offer promotions and discounts throughout the year. 

 "Save money all year round at the places you eat, drink, shop and play!

Yorkshire Coast Radio’s Coast Card will save you money at over 100 great local shops, restaurants and destinations.

For a limited period, Coast Card costs just £5 and is valid for a full 12 months.Purchases can only be accepted from residents of: YO11, YO12, YO13, YO14, YO15, YO16, YO18, YO21 and YO22"

With the Coast card you can get 5% off your purchases in store at gekoglass, when showing your card at the till. 

It is a brand new venture for Yorkshire Coast Radio and we think it is a fantastic idea. People can support local businesses and also get some great deals at the same time. 

We hope to see you all in our glass boutique showing your discount card.

As always thank you for reading and see you next time.

#blog #promotion #gekoglass #scarborough #uk #5%off 

Wedding planning

THE BIG DAY...

Today I would like to talk about wedding planning. Getting married is one of the most amazing things you will ever do in your lifetime. Planning is essential to get the day you really want. 

I got married in 2012. We had a tight budget of £5000. So this meant planning everything in detail. Once we had set a date the first thing I did was to buy a scrapbook. This became an essential tool and I would advise every wedding planning couple to get one. 

We knew we wanted to do something with a theme but not so that it became 'cheesy'. Initially we looked at a venue which had small tipis and a very American theme. We quite liked the idea of cowboys and indians. Getting married by a 'Big Chief', having a hog roast and everyone dressing like the 1890's frontier. Unfortunately the dates we wanted could not be booked so we went back to our scrap book to try again. 

Pinewood Park, Scarborough (our first choice) is a great venue so do have a look if you would like an outdoor wedding.....  

https://www.facebook.com/Pinewood-Park-122251604473100/

   

We then had to reconsider our options. We still wanted something outdoor if possible and we discovered a wedding fayre at Castle Howard. The fayre itself was held in a massive tipi. We were so overwhelmed and inspired by this as a venue. Unfortunately there was nowhere locally where we could have these large tipis put up. The prices then became out of our budget. So we went back to our scrap book to try again.

There is now a local venue that can offer tipi weddings and events with stunning views and a fire pit to snuggle round when the sun has gone down.... http://minnehahaevents.com/

   

We then visited The Crown Spa Hotel on The Esplanade. We knew when we walked in the events room that this was where we wanted to get married. For us it just had the right feel. They had the date in May that we wanted so we booked there and then. 

Following this all the good stuff had to be planned. The cake, the menu, the dress and accessories, the wedding favours, wedding invitations, this list can be endless. 

This is why we had a scrap book. Everything went into this. It had our guest list in it. It had bits of fabric, potential wedding favours, designs for invitiations and the most important thing out budget broken down. Because we had such a tight budget we only had two bridesmaids and a pageboy (these were children family members). We couldn't stretch to any adults. This is probably my only regret, I have three very good lady friends and I wish we'd found the money for them to be part of it. 

We handmade our invitations and our guest book. With a handmade stamp of a peacock feather and gems. We were really happy with how these turned out.

We visited a lot of wedding fayers for inspiration for our special day. If you need some inspiration here are some local wedding fayres taking place soon. You may even see me there as gekoglass will be having a stall at these events...

Saturday 12th March - Roscoe Rooms, Scarborough 

Wednesday 16th March - The Mayfield, Seamer, Scarborough

Sunday 3rd April - The Barn, Burniston, Scarborough

Sunday 10th April - The Downe Arms, Wykeham, Scarborough 

Handmade by gekoglass £15.00

So our theme... We went for 1920's vintage. we used the colours in peacock feathers to create the colour pallet. The balloons below show our colour scheme. 

       

I did not consider how we would get to The Crown Spa Hotel from my parents house. As a fantastic surprise my parents had hired this wonderful bus to take us all there. I was overwhelmed. The whole family went in the bus, which took two trips. It was brilliant. If you would like something like this visit Thornton- Le -Dale, (on the way to Pickering). There is a vintage car showroom and that is where the bus was hired from.

  

We asked all our guests to dress in the 1920's theme, in return we asked for no gifts. We wanted everyone to spend the money on their outfits. I have to say, no one let us down. Everyone looked superb.

 

Our wedding happened before we had gekoglass so we didn't have any of our own favours. Instead we put a pot of bubbles on each place setting. We also got over one hundred 1920's images and turned them into a place setting ice breaker. Each card had a 1920's word and we challenged everyone to use this word throughout the evening. 

For me it was important to include our family. My father in law spoke during the ceremony as did a close friend and my youngest brother. My brothers speech made everyone in the place cry!

We only had two after dinner speeches one from my dad and one from us. Our best man did not wish to say anything as he wasn't great with crowds so we respected that. 

The entertainment included a great local DJ that I asked to come out of retirement and my other brother performed a plethora of his own songs for us in an hour set. 

We also had a roulette table half way through the evening to give another 1920's vibe.

One of our amazing wedding cakes (we had three!!)

We spent a total of £5230. So we were only a small amount over budget. Both sets of parents paid for our extras and without this we would have gone very over budget so a big thank you to all four parents.

If you are planning a wedding you must focus on what you as a couple want. Not what family or friends want to do. Don't be swayed if it is not your vision. Anything can be achieved, even when on a small budget.

My wedding day was the best day of my life. It should be yours too.

Thank you for reading and see you next time

#wedding #gekoglass #love #blessing #enjoy #bestdayofmylife 

Selling our products on etsy...

Etsy selling....

Etsy is an online shop where crafters can showcase and sell their items. This is what their website says...

Etsy is a marketplace where people around the world connect, both online and offline, to make, sell and buy unique goods. The heart and soul of Etsy is our global community: the creative entrepreneurs who use Etsy to sell what they make or curate, the shoppers looking for things they can’t find anywhere else, the manufacturers who partner with Etsy sellers to help them grow, and the Etsy employees who maintain and nurture our marketplace.

Before we made handcrafted items, I didn't know etsy existed. I see Etsy as a high end version of ebay. I have no issues with ebay, however everyone buying on that site (in my opinion) wants a bargain! (Me included!)

Etsy is a bit more forgiving when it comes to prices. Anyone that hand crafts will know that the general public don't always understand how long it has taken to make an item, or that it is a one off. Etsy portrays this crafty image right from their home page.

Today I have spent a fair few hours putting on some of our new items. We have showcased some of our new cards. These are all hand written by us and all have a fused glass tile on the front. This tile is removable so once the card is finished with the tile can be kept '4eva' as a lovely keepsake.   

£3.50 + p&p

We have also put on etsy a range of our mini hangers. These are made by us using our kiln. Fused glass with a copper encapsulation. We think they are pretty cute. 

£4.00 + p&p

We have had an etsy account for quite a long time. We have sold one or two items but nothing spectacular. We would really like to know what we are doing wrong, if anything. Or Someone to tell us if the market is saturated with the type of things we do. 

Have you had experience on Etsy? Did you know about Etsy before today? Would you sell on Etsy now you have had a look at it?Do you have any advice for us regarding online selling? As always, we would love to hear your feedback.

If you would like to look at our range on etsy, please follow the link below. We hope you enjoy having a look at our items...

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/gekoglass

Thanks for reading and see you next time

Lindsay

#blog #etsy #buyingonline #scarborough #gekoglass #handmade #handcrafted

Advertising... what do you do?

Advice on advertising please...

Well I can't quite believe its Saturday again already. January is going so fast!

Today I want to talk about advertising. However, before I go into that I would just like to show you our new range....

'Oh I do like' is a seaside theme inspired by Scarborough, which is where we live. We have created cute hangers, small and medium box frames, vases with seaglass incorporated into the design and much more.....

'Oh I do like'...High tide hangar £17

So back to todays blog.....

Advice on advertising. We have now been trading for a little under two years. We have been approached by a number of different organisations wanting our advertising, but also wanting our hard earned money to pay for this!

My thoughts...

Newspaper

We have done some newspaper advertising in the hard copy format. I have to say, in my opinion, due to modern technology, newspapers are not as popular as they once were. I have a friend who lives two hours away from Scarborough and works for a newspaper. In her experience the average advert needs to run for six weeks before people really pay attention. This is a lot of money to spend on something everyone may not see. 

Radio

Local radio advertising, I think, is a little cheesey. It makes me think of a nineties movie set in the future. The only music to survive an apocalypse was local radio adverts, how terrible!! I think this is why I don't really like them. Costs for radio advertising vary greatly too depending on what time of day you would like your advert to go out and which radio station you advertise with.

Television

As a very new business I don't think this is a viable option. I do not know about television advertising costs, however I imagine they would give me nightmares!

Leaflets

gekoglass has used leaflet drops to create a buzz around our business. We have had over 5000 leaflets printed locally. I have to say the company we used, prontaprint, Westborough, Scarborough are very professional. Once leaflet drops have happened we have also had positive contact from potential customers. To me this proves that leaflet drops really do work. 

We do advertise in a 'free Scarborough guide' which is published yearly. This goes out to hotels, guest houses and event places. This is a brilliant tool as visitors to Scarborough get a map in this guide, so it is thoroughly used. Well worth the money. 

Internet 

Where do you even start with internet advertising? We have a web site and are hoping to add an on line shop over the next few months. We have twitter, facebook, pinterest, instagram, google plus, etsy, ebay, folksy and a blog (you are reading!!) which we maintain. All of this takes time and effort.

We have seen many other local businesses advertise on other local websites. We need some positive criticism of this from you all please.

Shop window

This is a little obvious, however often overlooked. We pride ourselves on the look and feel of our window display. People stop and look if something is engaging. We hope that our woodland theme window display captures the imagination. We have a great shop front design (which we created) and a selection of some of the items we sell. This encourages people to come into our shop unit. We would like a hanging sign in the future. However cost plays a strong part in why we do not currently have one. 

Board advertising

There are various board displays throughout Scarborough. Some are council owned and some are private. The cost to advertise on these boards, in my opinion is a good price. But I question if anyone actually looks at these boards. Does anyone have any comments on this please? 

Events

There are always local fairs, including summer and wedding fairs, fund raising events, Christmas markets and there must be other things too. We are currently booking in our diary any events coming up this year. If you know of an event you think we should be involved in, please let us know.

Word of mouth

This is the tough one. DID YOU KNOW? If you have a bad experience in a shop you tell ten people. If you have a good experience you only tell three people!! 

So we want everyone to enjoy visiting gekoglass. 

All the above advertising methods will work for some companies and not for others. I am not trying to upset any media platforms. I simply wish to know what has worked for you. What hasn't worked and what you all think gekoglass should try? 

Any advice is better than no advice!

Thank you again for taking the time to read my blog

See you next week 

#blog #gekoglass #uk #shoplocal #advertising 

P.S

One or two more 'Oh I do like ' products are below

Enjoy

  

 

Valentines Day

Set of four coasters...£30

Well we are half way through January already and love is sneaking into the air. Valentine's day 14th February is now less than a month away!!

Legend tells us it began because Valentine was imprisoned for performing weddings for Roman soldiers who were forbidden to marry under Roman Empire rule in circa 27bc. In the 5th Century there was a Saint Valentine who was a Christian martyr. These two figures have shaped how we celebrate it in the modern age.

Valentines Day is now celebrated throughout the world, with many people exchanging cards, sweets, chocolate, gifts and flowers with their special 'valentine'.

Have you got a special someone in your life? Or maybe you would like a special someone. We have a lovely range of gift ideas for you, here are some of them....

Fused glass bowl with copper encapsulated hearts.... £35

Mirror with glass tiles spelling love... £55

Bunting with love... £10

There are many other local independent traders on Hanover Road and Victoria Road offering things for Valentines celebrations. We are really hoping people of Scarborough visit local independent shops throughout 2016 so why not start with Valentines?!

I would like to challenge you all, no matter where you live... This week visit one independent local shop and spend £5. It will make a massive difference to your local economy. You can then let us know where you have been so we can visit there too.

Why not try Amelia's Chocolates and Violet Lux for great gift ideas for Valentines....

  

Thank you all for reading today and we will be back next week.

#gekoglass #scarborough #uk #valentines #gifts #love #glass #shoplocal

Happy New Year 2016

A big HAPPY NEW YEAR 2016 to all.

Welcome to gekoglass blog, if this is your first visit, we are a company based in Scarborough UK who specialise in everything glass. From splashbacks for kitchens and bathrooms, to glass globes, to marbles and everything in between. 

This year we have many things planned and hope to share these things with you as the year progresses.  

Over the Christmas break we have been planning and making some wonderful things. We have a new range called 'oh I do like' ....

Who doesn't like to be beside the sea and luckily we are blessed to live beside the sea. This range features beach huts, deckchairs and star fish. Prices range from just £10 to£35. ‪#‎gekoglass‬‪#‎handmade‬ ‪#‎twine‬ ‪#‎bohochic‬ ‪#‎countryhome‬ ‪#‎home‬ ‪#‎seaside‬‪#‎scarborough‬ ‪#‎sun‬ ‪#‎deckchair‬ ‪#‎beachhut‬ ‪#‎starfish‬ ‪#‎copper‬ ‪#‎decals‬‪#‎gravel‬ ‪#‎boxframe‬ ‪#‎hangers‬ ‪#‎coasters‬ ‪#‎coast‬ ‪#‎summer‬ ‪#‎holiday‬ ‪#‎gift‬‪#‎cute‬ ‪#‎uk‬ ‪#‎hanoverroad‬

So keep your eyes peeled for all the new products we are making

Thank you for reading and we will see you again next Saturday