Baby and Childrens Christmas Market

Well it is almost upon us already and after spending last year setting up my website this year we thought we would try out a Christmas market and come out and show you all how lovely our goodies are!

We will be at the Rivermead Leisure Centre in Reading on Saturday 5th of Novemeber for a dedicated baby and children Christmas gift fair from 10am to 4pm and admission is only £1 (children free), please remember to bring cash with you though as there wont be any nearby cashpoints.

Please come along and see us as i would love to meet you all, i will be the one with the massive baby bump!

We might even have sweets on our table as well so if the rest doesn't tempt you....

Its almost HALLOWEEN and the monsters are here!

I have been so busy having delivery after delivery recently that i almost forgot to introduce you properley to my newest addition, so everybody please meet my MUTANT MONSTERS!

I have lots of different sizes so there is a monster to suit everyones budget, i have the largest monsters which are £15 like this lovely lilac flowery monster with big pink lips (above), the largest monsters come boxed and they are all different so if you like one then get him fast!

The next size down is the medium size Mutant Monster with moveable arms and legs and they are £10 each. They come with a removeable suction cup so you have the option of sticking them to your window if thats what takes your fancy!

If you would like something a little bit smaller and hand sized then i have the small Mutant Monsters and at £5 they make a perfect little present, they also can be stuck to the window or you can just cuddle them!

My little Cutie Gang keyrings are perfect for stocking fillers at £4 each.

Or if you would prefer to wear your monster out and about then i have these cute little bags with monsters on the front, £8 each.

All my Mutant Monsters are up on my facebook fan page at the moment so if you want to reserve one then just pop a comment underneath and i will list the rest on my website soon.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alternatots-Childrens-Clothing.

I have already sold quite a few (and a few may have to stay with me as they are soooo cute!)

but there are still plenty to choose from .

Sneak Peak of more NEW Brands coming to Alternatots!

For any of you who took the time to read my last blog you will already know that i am expecting my second 'Alternatot' baby at the end of the year and so instead of slowing down i like to make things more complicated for myself by adding more and more to my website!

Most of my 'Alternatot' items are currently made to order so instead of taking products away when i am unable to spend as much time sewing i am trying to offer you more variety in the way of ready made and ready to send so i have been busy sourcing new brands to add to my website with the final goal of having a 'One Stop Shop for Your Alternatot to Rock!'

After a busy day of shopping at the trade show i made my first order with 'Six Bunnies' which offer tattoo print baby grows, hoodies and t-shirts, so here are a few sneak peaks, i hope to have them all up on the website as soon as possible!

All over tattoo romper available in sizes newborn, 6 months and 12 months.

Red tattoo hoodie available in sizes 2 years, 4 years and 6 years.

'Kiss' bunnies (one of my favourites) available in newborn, 6 months and 12 months.

I also have an order of little girls 'IRON FIST' flat shoes available in sizes 6- 10 and some more clothing on its way.

This a sneak peak of the 'Demon Donkey' style due to reach me in the next couple of days, limited availablity as i will be trying them out first so if you like them get them quickly, not many people sell the childrens versions either so i wouldn't hang around as they aren't even available on the 'IRON FIST' website yet!

Other items due to me include something a little different which i am very excited about as it is not clothing but will be PERFECT for Christmas presents for your little 'ALTERNATOT'!

Watch this space as they should be with me by the end of the week......

We are also hoping to attend some Christmas markets this year so if you want to come along and see the products and meet us then i will let you know where we will be when it is all confirmed.

Whats coming up for Alternatots..

As usual i have left too long between blog updates, so long infact it takes me a while to figure out how to update it in the first place....hmm.


So where to start?


First of all i think i will just to a quick reminder about what i am aiming to achieve with Alternatots, firstly to remind myself and secondly to let you know what to expect.

I started Alternatots with the idea of making clothing that i considered a little bit more interesting than what is available in the shops etc, the usual sick of blue and pink and all the other 'alternative' clothing brands just producing a load of slogan t-shirts and expecting you to be happy with that. My main aim is to provide you with something well made and unusual, i spend alot of time sourcing different fabrics which is hard work as they always seem to be so far away, i also try and keep my pricing reasonable but please remember that i do not work for free and this is a business for me, i am not your Grandma sewing up something for free!

I have started to add a few blankets to my collection and nursing pillows which i am very pleased with, i make the cushion itself from scratch with a removeable cover.

This picture shows the skull and roses nursing pillow with a red minky dot fabric on the back (soo soft) and the pillow inside is black! I aim to add to the collection as soon as i can and i am able offer matching blankets as well.

Getting Ready For Christmas!

At the moment i am making items to order as i go along, this may have to change slightly after September as i would like to aim to have more ready to go stock, i am currently sourcing different brands to add to my website to go along side what i already sell so if there is anything you would like to see more of or you can tell me what sizes etc you would like me to expand into then please let me know!

My main reason for slowing down the made to order process is that i am expecting my second 'Alternatot' due in December so anyone who has had a baby will know this is a tiring process and most of the time i just want to go to sleep, i am hoping to take the pressure off and still be offering items for sale but mostly done at my own pace. (it is also very distracting having someone line dancing in my stomach as i sew!).

So get your orders in quick!

If there is anything special you would like me to make for you then the best idea would be to get your order in quickly so there is plenty of time for me to sort it out before the big day.

I am really looking forward to sourcing my winter stock now and i have plenty of ideas for making as well, sometimes i wish i had more sewing time to complete everything in my head!

Thanks for reading and please keep up with my facebook page for new items coming in stock. x

NEW Brands Available at Alternatots!

I know i am doing this a bit late as i have had them on my website a while but now the rush has slowed i can start to catch up on everything again.

I have added two new clothing brands on my website recently so if you haven't already seen them now is the time to take a look!

My new shipment of IRON FIST clothing has arrived and as they are fairly new at doing childrenswear you will see many of these things for the first time and i have to say i love the quality and i am looking forward to getting my daughter in a few of their pieces, most of the clothes are just mini versions of the adult clothes so you really can have the mini me thing going on (if thats what you like!) I do have some more on order including boyswear and girls shoes so please keep an eye out for their arrival!

The other new brand i have added is MICRO ME and they are all the way from the USA. I have started off with a few of their closeouts pieces so i wont be able to reorder these items so if you like it get it quick! I am always being asked for more boys things so they seemed a perfect addition and my favourite is definately the boys rockers shorts as they are adorable!

The girls denim skirt with rose embroidery is also super cute as they have a hidden pair of leopard print shorts sewn into them.

I have had a new order of SOURPUSS through so please take a look at the studded belts as they are perfect for finishing off a mini rocker outfit and although they are only available in sizes 0-6m, 6-12m, 12-18m and 18-24m please check out the measurements as they do fit my 3 1/2 year old daughter just fine so don't dismiss them until you have measured your child!

I also have a few pirate feeding sets which are worth a look as they will be discontinuing this line soon which is a shame.

Please watch my facebook page for general updates and new items.

www.alternatots.com

Why i make my clothes to order

Today has been a long day with me sewing non stop to try and keep everyone happy and waiting times shorter and sometimes i do wonder whether i should stop doing things this way and only put items up as i make them so they can be dispatched straight away so i thought i would try and explain why i do things this way in the first place, also it gives me a break from the seven little dresses waiting for me to complete....!
As i am a fairly small business at the moment it isn't worth me sitting and making a bunch of different sizes all at once because as experience tells me the sizes i make will never be the correct ones, someone will always want something different! I only hold a small amount of each fabric at a time and if i make to order then i know each piece of fabric will be used and there will be no waste.

It also gives people more choice, i can offer all my different items at the same time and you can choose what you would like rather than wait for me to make it and put it up for sale.

My only problem it seems is that people are unaware this is how i operate and although i spent alot of time outlining this on each ebay listing and on my carefully laid out information on my website people still seem to assume that the item should be with them within a day of purchasing it and i have to say i am getting very tired of answering the same questions about 'where is my item' ....which leads me back to the idea of stopping what i am doing and only offering made to order through facebook and my website and all ebay listings can be ready mades.

Other than that i am very pleased with how things are going and i am very excited about some of the new items i have purchased to sell through my website (which will be made and ready to send for those who like things quickly!). I have some brand new 'Iron Fist' childrens clothing coming very soon and i have ordered some gorgeous new things from 'Sourpuss' and some super new boys clothing for all of those waiting!

Here we go...

So...its February already and i have managed to avoided updating this for almost 2 months but now i think its time for me to bring everyone up to speed.
Last time i wrote on my blog it was to announce that my website was up and running just in time for Christmas so i guess everyone would like to know how it is all going? Well the answer is very well, for most people January starts off slow but for me it just kept getting busier and busier, so busy infact i have taken on a lady to help me sew, this infact highlights to me just how fussy i am about every single piece of clothing i send out and also how quick i can actually make things myself! It is going to be a slow process bringing her up to speed with all the items i make but hopefully in the long run it will make things quicker.
I cant express how happy i am with all my repeat customers, i have the most wonderful ladies coming back to me again and again which means i must be doing something right but unfortunately i had one an unhappy customer today...although he never said he wasn't happy with his item...he was unhappy with the dispatch time, funnily enough he didn't take into account the two emails from me requesting what size he wanted his item in and also i guess it slipped his mind that on the listing it says give me at least 14 working days and although i sent it out only 2 days after his email telling me what size this wasn't quick enough for him! Oh well you cant please them all (or help them read).
Anyway im not here to moan but i would like to say that i do infact make everything myself from buying the fabric to cutting the item out and right through to the end finish and at the moment i have over 30 items needing my attention and so when i do say please give me time to make your item i guess i should mention that i only have two dedicated working days a week to do it in as well! Thats probably why i am up till midnight most nights....but i love what i do and i wouldn't have it any other way (apart from maybe a bit more time to get these new ideas out of my head before i burst!!).