Christmas Open Night 2014

Saturday, November 8, 2014
Hello Everyone.

Well I'm currently sat at my desk in the workshop, totally exhausted. We (Dad, my sister and I) just finished tidying up the shop and getting it back to a reasonable shade of 'normal' after the party last night.
It was our annual Christmas Open Night at the farm, and this years was bigger and better than ever. We have the addition of two new retail units selling things, so there was plenty to see.

As per usual Mum had made a cauldron of Mulled Wine which had been bubbling away for an hour or two before, filling the shop with amazing Christmassy scents. My sister had made her famous mince pies and gingerbread. And the Christmas decs, trees and lights were all along the shop fronts.


 My lovely sister and I

It was a lovely evening, but was also quite sad for me as I knew it was my last Christmas event down at the farm. I will miss everyone down here, from the owners to the other units that I've become so close to. It was a very enjoyable evening though, so I know I'll never forget it. It's onwards and upwards to the next stage of Jessalli.


My amazing friends

I have loads of orders to get on and complete now, so I'm looking forward to a very busy few weeks coming up. Gingerbread Mary and Joseph were popular! So they were very happy :) Reindeer Bunting also went down a storm, as did my new Christmas Cards, so thank you all for your purchases.


The Christmas Tree ready to welcome everyone

The HUGE raffle prizes now have winners, so we will call you soon and then we'll post it on Facebook and Twitter for everyone to be super jealous! hehe. All hampers have a collection of gifts and vouchers from every unit! So if you do get one, we hope you love and enjoy it!


The shop ready for you all to arrive.

Well I know I've said it, but I'll say it again, THANK YOU! It means so much to us all for you to come and enjoy these events with us, and see what we do. I hope you will continue your amazing support when I move after Christmas. I am looking forward to all the new adventures we'll have next year, but for now I'm still here and will be right up to Christmas. 

If you do want to stay in touch with all the new things we'll be doing, workshops, events, catalogues, fairs, offers, then do email us your address and details so we can keep you up to date.

Happy Handmade everyone!
Sophia x
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Autumnal Woods...

Monday, October 6, 2014
Hi Everyone!
Thought I'd share some Autumnal photos I took yesterday, of a family walk in Duncliffe Woods. They're some of the oldest woods in Dorset apparently! Enjoy!












Hope you're feeling all cosy and warm now....

love Sophia x
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The Handmade Fair

Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Well we have had a busy few weeks, as some of you may know. We have been preparing to go to The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court! And last week, very early on Thursday morning- we went! It finally came round in a flash and we were there!!


It was the most beautiful place to be! I had never been myself, Mum had though, and I loved having a stroll around the grounds on set up day! We ate our lunch by a fountain, saw swans and their signets, parakeets, herons.. the lot! It was a truly inspirational place and I learnt a lot.


On Thursday morning we arrived and offloaded the van. It took all our strength to get everything off and into our stand! But we got there in the end and then spent a few hours attaching shelves (yes I did DIY!) and making it look pretty! It was the biggest fair I had ever been to, so wasn't sure what to expect! I was pleased with how our stand looked in the end. I had worked hard to prepare and design the whole thing.



This is a little photo I took after we had set up on Thursday. What do you think? We had a little Christmassy corner as I didn't want to offend anyone, a table in the centre covered in our small gifts. The left hand side was shelves covered in cushions and the right side had our bunting and bags on.



Mum and I having fun on set up day!



My highlight of the entire weekend, was meeting my idol Kirstie Allsopp, not once but twice! The first time was at the exhibitor drinks party, where we had a very brief introduction, hug and cheeky photo. But then on Sunday morning she came to my stand and had a chat about me and Jessalli, and how I started! She was the nicest, most caring person, and was so interested in talking about the business, but I just wanted to talk about her!! :D We had another photo and it just made me the happiest person alive! It made my year and I will never forget it!
I also had a chat with the amazing Annie Sloan and her team gave me a book as a thank you for us helping them transport some of their heavy furniture!


I completely utterly loved the whole weekend and met so many lovely, beautiful people. Including Nina and Marion from Sugar and Spice , Lynne from The Make it Room and Sarah from Blooming Felt! They were full of encouragement and gave me loads of advise, which relaxed me and made the experience a whole lot more enjoyable!


It's only Tuesday, and although I have tons of work to do now, I miss being there already! Bring on next year's fair!

Let me know if you went and what you thought! Happy Handmade!

love Sophia x
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Update from the Jessalli Workshop...

Thursday, September 4, 2014
Hi all!

Hope you're all fine and dandy! Well we only have a week and a bit until The Handmade Fair!!! Ahhh! It's all go here with Mum and other family members coming in when they can to help with stock making and preparations!


Make Up Bag production in progress.

We are getting there though! I'm still rather worried about the whole thing. Mum keeps telling me it's just 'another fair' but all the logistics, forms, deadlines and regulations means it's not quite as relaxed as my normal local jobbies! :P I think I'll be way more relaxed when we're there and setting up though! I think I know what I'm doing!

If you do want to come see us at the fair we're running a little competition on Facebook! You can win a pair of tickets to the Handmade Fair by liking us and following the simple instructions here: https://www.facebook.com/JessalliHandmadeHomewares/ Good luck!



Stitching Underwear Bunting. For more behind the scenes pictures, follow us on Instagram: jessalli_handmade

The more I think about it the more nervous I get so I think it's time to get on with some bunting! Thanks to all of you who have sent me words of encouragement and have supported me throughout! New Catalogues are on their way to you all also! I'm sorry it's taking a bit longer than usual, but there's a lot going on at the moment. If you would like to receive one, email us your home address, or if you'd prefer a PDF version sent to your email, just put 'EMAIL CATALOGUE' in the subject header!


Well better crack on! Happy Handmade Everyone!

love Sophia x


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Our lovely Stockists!

Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Hi all!

Thought I'd do a quick blog post before getting on with my Mount Everest of jobs! We have a few stockists now and thought I'd tell you all about them.

First up is Agnes and Vera in Sturminster Newton!




You may know Agnes and Vera through the bespoke 'Jessalli for Agnes and Vera' Range. It all started with these bags and the collection grew from there. They now stock a lot of Jessalli items!
It was lovely to go in the other day and see some Jessalli displays amongst other brands like Sophie Allport! Made me feel all funny inside and proud! :D

Next stockist is Rustic Rose in Sturminster Newton! I make lots of bespoke things for them including exclusive Rustic Rose cards! Katy (the owner) has beautiful flowers and gifts. It's amazing! And her window displays are truly magical!


Next Stockist is Gathered Handmade in Sherborne. They are a shop filled to the brim with Handmade, Bespoke and Rare products all made by artists and small businesses from around the UK! 

They stock a range of our cards and some other bespoke items.  If you like one off finds, you'll love this shop!

Lastly I'd like to introduce our New stockist Winton Willow to the party! They are a brand new stockist with a brand new website coming soon! They aim to bring a classic collection of country cottage, rustic and vintage homewares and outdoor gifts. I'm so excited to see my little pom pom cushions on there when the website is launched! I will let you know when they're live!

Thanks you to all our lovely stockists and we look forward to welcoming more in the near future!

Happy handmade!

Love Sophia x

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This weeks goings on!

Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Hi Everyone!

Well thought I'd let you know what going on this week in the workshop....

I am slowly adding more stock to my 'Handmade Fair' pile! It's taking me longer than I thought, but I'm getting there! Panic is slowly setting in.......

Friday I'm afraid the workshop will be closed as I have to take an important trip to the wonderful IKEA for all my show furniture. Will let you know how I get on.

Saturday the workshop will be closed again I'm afraid as we'll be at Marnhull Fest! :)



I'm hoping some of you who are local to us will be able to make it! It should be lovely weather and there will be loads to do for all the family so do pop along from 12-5pm on Saturday!

Well I think you're all updated, do get in touch with any orders and things, I know I'm making stock but I am doing orders in between mass making!

Have a lovely rest of the week! Happy Handmade!

Sophia x
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GOOD NEWS!

Friday, June 20, 2014
Thanks to everyone who read the last post! All your kinds messages really make me happy!

Now in reference to all the new plans- Children's Workshops. They are still going ahead next year! But I can now confirm that from January 2015 our children's workshops will now be held upstairs at:

Rustic Rose Flower Shop in Sturminster Newton!

I'm so happy to announce this, as we'll have lots of lovely light space to work from, plus all you lovely parents can browse around Katy's Beautiful Shop! Win win!

I will be posting dates and more information on our website when I have confirmed them with Katy at Rustic Rose. See our Workshop page to see what we have in store!

Sophia x


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The Big Announcement!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014
Hello everyone!

Well my last blog post was a long winded announcement and this one won't be any different I'm afraid!

I have BIG news! I'm super excited to tell you all that Jessalli is moving into the next stage of our businessy dream! In January 2015 we will be moving!

I know this might be a sad thing to some of you, but it's something we have to do. We won't have an 'open studio' anymore, we will be working out of a studio from home. It's all because we're expanding our Trade side of the business and need more time to fulfill orders from all you lovelies as well as shops!


We're also making it more exciting for you all to order your Jessalli wares! We're going to be doing two retail catalogues a year for you to gain inspiration on your latest purchases. As well as keep up to date with new products and exclusive offers.

AND as some of you are very loyal, local customers, I will be doing FREE delivery days every Thursday. So you don't have to pay for delivery of your wares! I will be driving round the countryside spreading handmade-ness every where! :P

As far as our children's workshops are concerned, we have a studio space that we might be using for our crafty days. But nothing is set in stone yet so we'll have to let you know more info later on. We will definitely still be doing them though!
Private sewing lessons will now run from your own homes, like our birthday parties.

We're not moving until January 2015 but thought you better know our plans. We will still do our annual Christmas Event in November here on the farm with Tranquillity at the barn and hopefully some others too!


I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who have supported me, and have given me your words of wisdom! It truly means the world to me, and although I'm a little nervous about this huge step, I know you'll make the adjustment easier!

If you would like to sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date with all the goings on, see the tab on the right hand side to enter in your email address.

We will be releasing the first catalogue at the end of the year! So we'll let you know when you can grab one.

Thanks again and happy handmade.

Sophia x
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Jessalli Updates....

Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Hi everyone!

I know that some of you really enjoy reading about the behind the scenes parts of Jessalli. And I know I haven't been doing that for quite a long time, so today I'm writing an updates post!

Well where do I start!...

Can't believe it's year 3 of running Jessalli full time! The past couple years have gone so so quick! It's amazing to still be able to live the dream!

At the moment I'm working on a few main things:

1. The Handmade Fair at Hampton Court Palace.

 Some of you may know I'm going to Kirstie Allsopp's first craft fair in September! Tickets will be available soon so make sure you get involved! Click here to go to their site!

It's my first ever BIG fair, so I'm both nervous and excited! I'm planning my displays for my stand and trying to get stock together!

So if you see me in the workshop with piles of cut out shapes, cushion panels and zips- you know why! No ideas how much I should make though, so I'm just making as much as my hands and brain can handle in between all your orders!

2. Our first ever catalogue!

 Yes you heard it here first! I'm working my bottom off planning a catalogue for next year! So you'll be able to have one this Winter!
It's a step towards building the sales aspect of the business, Our online sales are really picking up now and for ease of use to you guys to order anytime of the day I really want to push that. You can order in the middle of the night if you so wish, I want to make sure you all get the chance to order at a good time for you!

I'm designing a small catalogue with info and a few posh product photos to get you inspired by country homewares. I'm lucky to have a friend who is coming in to do all the tricky computer things, so it's as professional as possible! So will keep you updated on this!

3. Going Wholesale!!

Another BIG change. I've had a little bit of interest from shops recently, so with this in mind I've decided to open up a small range of products to be made to order for shops too!

It's also a good way of getting regular orders, as this is something that doesn't happen with retail sales. Selling to you guys is obviously my main priority but for some odd reason after a quiet lull, you all seem to order at the same times which I find so funny.
So wholesale to me would mean I'll get orders hopefully in between these times, and at regular intervals.

It's a huge leap as I have to make sure my prices and margins are right, so I hope you bare with me on this! I'm not neglecting you all I promise! It's just a stage I need to take. And I hope you'll all be supportive!

4. Women in Making Competition!

If you follow my posts on facebook, I'm sure you're all probably sick of me blabbing on about Triumph's Women in Making Competition!
I'd love to be a part of it though, and the opportunity is too HUGE to miss out on! There's only 23 days left until they shortlist a small amount of us to be viewed by the judging panel so I'd love for you all to vote for me!




Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoyed this honest blog post! Feedback is much appreciated!

Love Sophia x
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Women in Making 2014

Friday, March 28, 2014
Hello Everyone!

I have some news..... I have entered myself into the 'Women in Making 2014' competition with Triumph.
It's basically a competition for all designer makers to win a grant towards developing their business and getting expert advice in launching yourself towards bigger plans and ideas. Its a great collective and although I don't think I've got a huge chance, the community is a wonderful and creative space to be!

I would love it if you could all vote for me! You can do so here: https://campaign.triumph.com/uk/profiles/sophia-palmer

I would absolutely love your support!


Thanks in advance!

Love Sophia x

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Our Snowy Holiday in Val D'Isere!

Monday, March 10, 2014
Hi Everyone!

Well I'm back in my beautiful sunny workshop after a short break in Val D'Isere in the French Alps! We had a lovely time with our friends and I learnt how to ski!! Yey! (I'm not that good but I enjoyed it!)
The views and surroundings were surreal! It was like a winter wonderland! It made me feel all cosy and Christmassy- even though it was March!
I thought I'd share you some pictures of our holiday and the inspiration I took away from it ready for Christmas ( I'm sorry but I do have to start it soon! ).




Watching the Torch Light Descent! Skiers hold flares and do this amazing display down the mountain!




My Christmas Inspiration Board: http://www.pinterest.com/jessalli/twinkle-twinkle-little-star/

Here are some picture previews of a couple of boards on my Pinterest! Follow me here: http://www.pinterest.com/jessalli/ 

I truly loved the wintery style of the mountains! All the flats and chalets were made from wood and stone and the interiors all had a Scandinavian/ Nordic style! I'm ready to start designing and making some Christmas things now!

My Scandi Inspired Board: http://www.pinterest.com/jessalli/scandi-christmas/

I hope you all enjoyed this little picture post! Better get back to work! It's hard to catch up after a week off!

Love Sophia x
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Lovely People

Monday, February 3, 2014
I always love it when customers write lovely things about me!

Well a lovely loyal customer recently wrote about me on her blog 'Barbie&Pie'- the BEST name ever! It made me a little emotional and I thank her so so much!



Read it here: http://barbieandpie.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/www.raefeather.com.html

She writes about everything beauty, interiors and fashion so do go and support her!

Happy Monday!

Love Sophia x
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Interiors: Cosy Country Bedrooms.

Friday, January 24, 2014
Firstly before I start talking about country style bedrooms, I thought I'd tell you a but about my style. As I have Jessalli, most of my customers think my house is full of beautiful vintage girly prints and country style checks, but I can categorically say this isn't the case for 2 reasons;

One, I live with my boyfriend, who hates anything remotely feminine
Two, I seem to have a different mind set to when I'm decorating my house to when I'm creating in the shop.

My house is a mix of modern and cosy comforts, which I will be sharing with you in the 'Interiors' posts on my blog. My style is a mix of country wood and industrial metals, which sounds odd but I hope I can show you more about this as we go along in future posts.

Right lets get to it, Cosy country bedrooms. All the pictures I'm about to show you are from my boards on Pinterest, follow my boards here: http://www.pinterest.com/jessalli/


This first picture is a dream to me, high ceilings, a mix of modern white and cosy country wood. Tonal colours and a really rustic look. The beams and flooring in this room are exactly what I'd want in a country bedroom. The white paint gives it space and light which you'd need with all the woody colours.

This next picture is a real luxury looking room. With that amazing fireplace in the centre of the room. Again woody beams, white walls, but this time with more classic furniture and shabby chic details. 


I love the brick wall in this bedroom, and love the vintage furniture and details! The hint of white around the top of this wall makes it not seem so heavy, and the chandelier is just a huge feature to the room! This could work with old brick wallpaper, just make sure its not to much of a repeat pattern, odd and misshaped bricks looks way more high end!

I couldn't do a blog post with out a little promoting :P.....


Dorset Cushions are great additions to any country style home, It's obviously more apt if you live in Dorset, but in a spot print fabric like this- they look great on the bed!



You can't have a country theme without some wildlife, and the Pheasant is a great example. A Pheasant silhouette cushion would look great in a really tonal country bedroom, especially in this grey spot fabric.

 There's a few more pictures on my Pinterest board: http://www.pinterest.com/jessalli/cosy-bedrooms/ 
 Thank you for reading and I hope you find loads of inspiring ideas for your bedrooms!

Love Sophia x
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A New Years Resolution.....

Thursday, January 23, 2014
Right I really don't know if I'll be able to stick to this but I will give it a go. I've been looking for a hobby to do outside of the business- and it's hard! The things I love to do most are Sewing, Designing and Drawing. Three things I do everyday at work!!

So I thought why find a hobby outside of the shop, when I can add to it. SO I have decided that this blog is now a hobby! :P I do not do it enough as when I'm in the shop, I'm usually sewing, doing boring paperwork or updating the website.

I used to blog ALL THE TIME before I had Jessalli, about fashion and things, so I know I love doing it when I get into it.

I am also going to do more Videos on my Jessalli YouTube Channel , things like interior ideas in my own home, quick fixes, new products in situe etc etc. Maybe even some crafty things!

I hope you'll come along and follow what I'm doing, and I also hope you'll all give me some encouragement to do it more and more!



Wish me luck! And thanks for reading!

Sophia x
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