Handmade in Scotland: Meet us in St Andrews, Glasgow, Edinburgh and more this summer

Hello everyone. First of all, apologies for not publishing a blog recently. It has been a very busy period at Pretty As A Picture Board HQ, between all the new products Shelley has been making (more of that later), the markets we have been visiting, and me being back at work after successfully completing my phased return (following a four month leave of absence due to ill health - I am feeling much better now, I am happy to report...

Our new sticker which we are using to finish our products and add a flourish at markets

We started off the month of May with our farthest trip from home, as we were lucky enough to be invited to Craft & Flea's second market at the beautiful Music Hall in Aberdeen. It was a nice trip home for me, as I was born in the city and my parents live around 25 minutes' drive from the venue, so we brought Bob and stayed with them for a couple of nights.

We had heard from other makers that the inaugural market was rather cramped and uncomfortable, so we were be a bit on edge but we needn't have been. Not only were we lucky enough to be on the end of a row, but unbeknownst to us, the organisers had taken on feedback from both makers and customers (from the first market) and had amended the room plan to give much more space to everyone which was a great idea which was universally popular and made it one of our most comfortable markets we have experienced thus far. For us, it also represented a real shot in the arm (and a confidence boost) as we achieved our best sales day at a market in our short history. Whether this was down to us dipping our toe in the water of boosting a post on Instagram/Facebook (advertising our appearance at the market) or we benefitted from the dearth of makers' markets in the North East or simply finding an audience who connected with our product to an extent we haven't enjoyed thus far, it is difficult to say. Of course, it could easily have been a combination of all three factors, not to mention the fabric garland bunting which made its debut at this market and proved to be an instant hit. We found the customers and makers' in Aberdeen to be so friendly and welcoming, and we cannot wait to return later in the year.

One week later, we were back to our 'home' market at St Andrew's Town Hall, in the beautiful Fife coastal town. This was the first time we had a double pitch, and it meant we were we had the freedom to set up our biggest market display yet, which was challenging to begin with (we hadn't envisaged having an extra table, just the extra rack space to the side) but we had brought quite a lot of stock with us, so the extra space proved to be utterly essential. The market was very quiet, a direct result of the fantastic weather we are currently experiencing here in the United Kingdom (and for Scotland, very welcome sunshine and sustained warm temperatures).

Despite the distinct lack of customers, in an another welcome sign of encouragement that we are making progress in the right direction, we actually had our best sales day ever at this venue, leaving us to not only feel that sense of accomplishment, but to recognise that, but for the weather keeping customers away (for the lure of the town and the beach), we probably would have matched or exceeded our performance the previous week in Aberdeen.

After we packed away, we picked up a sausage supper from Cromar's and went down and sat on the beach. After which we took our helper for the day (Bob, who had been SO good all day at the market) for a walk along the beach and a paddle in the sea (after he had enjoyed his own "dog chippy" of course!).

We are back to St Andrew's in a few weeks' time, and will be there again on Saturday 7th June. Suffice to say, we love this market and we cannot wait to be there again soon.

Some market firsts coming up over the next few weeks mark a busy period for us before we take a short break at the end of June. First up is our first time at Wyldethistle's Artisan Market at the David Livingstone Birthplace Museum in the quiet village of Blantyre, just south of Glasgow. We have met the organisers of this market and have seen the surroundings, having visited their last market, and were instantly impressed with the set up, which is also dog friendly, so we will be bringing Bob with us, who will be modelling our new dog bandanas, more of that in a minute! So we would love to meet you, the market is open 11am-4pm on Sunday 25th May at David Livingstone Birthplace, hopefully you can get along to see us and all of the other great makers' and food producers who will be there next weekend.

Then we have a back-to-back visit to The Night Market's events at Cottiers, Glasgow on Thursday 12th June, and then the following evening at Biscuit Factory, Leith, Edinburgh on Friday 13th June. These events are so distinctive and unique, with the beautiful surroundings, the live djs, the amazing street food (and plenty of cakes and cookie pies!), the sense of community and the dog-friendliness. Whilst we will be in full rest and recovery mode that weekend, we cannot wait to be involved in these markets for the first time.

Looking farther ahead, we will be visiting Pitlochry Market for the first time on Saturday 19th July and we have applied to return to Craft & Flea in Edinburgh (at the Assembly Rooms) on Sunday 6th July. Should we be successful we will of course publicise this on our social media channels and on our linktr.ee

We will be bringing our new dog bandanas, which come in three sizes, to suit most breeds/sizes of dogs, our floral fabric garland bunting (which can be used to decorate garden rooms, outdoor dining and socialising spaces or used as decoration for weddings or receptions) and our new straight-edged key-boards which offer a stylish way to hang your keys and nik naks - including dog accessories - to all of our upcoming markets.

These are all now available online at our website and also at our Etsy shop and at Not On The High Street. But of course, if you are reading this you are already on our website, and you will always find our lowest prices GUARANTEED here over anywhere else.

Thanks for reading (if you have stuck this far!) and hope you continue to enjoy the fine spring / early Summer weather we are enjoying.

R x