 Good afternoon gang. I understand it has been a while since the fair, but I wanted to take the opportunity to write about my experience as it was my first time attending such an event, never mind exhibiting at one! As you may have already seen from my 'Setting Up' post, which you can read here, actually preparing for such an event can be quite the challenge, but believe me, it is totally worth it. Situated across the entirety of Alexandra Palace in London, this show features so many amazingly creative and talented businesses, and I was utterly thrilled to join them this year. Having been an avid reader of the magazine for years, I knew their show wouldn't disappoint.
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 Earlier this year I had applied to several shows and festivals, and I so was thrilled to find out that I had gotten one of the last spots available to exhibit at the Country Living Spring Fair at Alexandra Palace in London! Having never exhibited at a fair like this before, and only having one month to prepare, I was working like mad to get everything finished on time. I have to say, during the research phase of the process, (there's always a research phase right?!) I didn't find that much information on tips and tricks for setting up, so I thought I'd give you my breakdown of events, in the hopes that any future exhibitors will find this helpful!
 Back in November last year when I launched Edie Rosie Ashley, I stood at the Christmas Fair held by Ribbons Tea Room in Kirkby which was such an exciting experience. I think my business was only a week old at this point and I was so nervous to receive public feedback on the work I had spent months creating. I'm naturally a very introverted person, so the thought of meeting and talking to lots of new people was very daunting. Having spent months at home recovering from my anxiety and depression, this was one of my first attempts back in to the public domain.
 I've felt a little lacking in creativity recently. I think sometimes when you're surrounded by your work everyday in a studio it can be hard to keep creating something 'new'. It doesn't help that the weather has been so grey, rainy and miserable recently that my love for bright colours has not been fulfilled by the great outdoors. In times like this I usually turn to books and social media outlets such as pinterest or instagram to get my creative juices flowing. With a need for inspiration in mind, I bought 'Foraged Flora' by Louesa Roebuck and Sarah Lonsdale, as well as 'My Floral Affair' by Rachel Ashwell, and oh boy did it deliver some inspiration!
 I've been trying to experiment more when it comes to my artwork. It wasn't until I saw all my work together on a display, that I noticed that a lot of the colour palettes I have been using for each piece have been quite similar. I wanted to branch out and work with a colour I never normally use. The colour purple.
 With the start of the New Year, everyone is busy reflecting on the year just gone, and looking bright eyed and bushy tailed towards the next 365 days. As many of your friends and family will have been discussing, the time for New Years Resolutions is at our door, and we find ourselves wondering what we would like to accomplish in this new chapter of our lives. Before I delve into what I plan to commit to this year, I wanted to share my 2017 Resolution review with you first.
 As I have mentioned in previous posts, when I was signed off sick earlier on in the year, I spent a lot of my time trying to bring out the creative side of myself by experimenting with different painting techniques. When I wasn't painting, I began to notice that I would sit and doodle. It was never anything preplanned or overly thought out, but I used to enjoy creating patterns and shapes with some of my black staedtler pens I had left over from University.
 As we're in the last week of November I thought I should take the time to reflect on what's been happening here at Edie Rose Ashley this last month. It's been quite surreal stepping out of the shadows and putting myself and my work out there for the very first time. I hadn't planned on launching my business in November, but when my wonderful friend Claire asked if I would like to have a stall at their annual Christmas Fair at Ribbons Tea Room, I thought I should take the plunge. It wasn't until this moment that I realised I had been waiting for something to push my introverted self out into the spotlight.
 As my 'About' page has briefly told you, I trained as a Fashion Designer specialising in Printed Textiles achieving a First Class Honors from the University of Northampton. I found it really difficult to sustain interning in London after my degree, and even though I loved developing my skills and creativity, I moved back home and started working full time at a marketing firm in Nottingham.
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