An apology & some news!

OK, this is a bit long-winded but it goes a long way to explaining where things have been going wrong for Plastic Bat of late.

I have a big appology to make - my old site went down a few weeks back due to a complicated technical hurdle.  I was ill equipped to fix without spending masses of time (which I dont have) trying to figure it out or throwing cash (which I also can't spare) at someone else to fix for me so I decided to jump ship & start fresh with Shopify!

Basically, when I launched my first website for Plastic Bat (2005) sites like Shopify & Big Cartel etc. were either non existant or in their infancy, my only options were to plod on with Ebay - which was becoming over saturated with handmade jewellery - or to wing it with my own E-commerce soloution, I opted for the latter with Zen Cart.

I was HUGELY out of my comfort zone with Zen Cart, I had a lot of help setting it up & managed to tart it up a bit with some very basic CSS tweaks here and there - not before playing around with the PHP and mistakenly inserting an apostrophe which somehow negated EVERYTHING... seriously blank screen.. no website!!  Thankfully I managed to get past these initial ass pains & got everything working.  This was fine until any major changes need done or a problem arose, I was back at square one trying to remember how I did everything in the first place.

I struggled on like this for years, avoiding any major changes to the website or spending large sums hiring lovely people to fix my problems - not a soloution that was sustainable for my income level or one that I was comfortable with.  It was also affecting my ability to create, I put off doing work because it meant facing up to some really hard technical problems and so I lost my MOJO, my new output of late has consisted mainly of bunting necklace variants which is a total design cop-out. This has all been coupled with becoming a parent & learning all the stuff that comes along with it.  I could easily blame my recent down-turn on the poor economy but I have no-one to blame but myself, a hard thing to actually admit but I'm in a sharing mood!  But onwards and upwards, I'm feeling tons better about the business & I'm really looking forward to launching the new site! 

Soooo that brings us back to today, a fresh start on a new platform, armed & ready to make Plastic Bat bigger & better than ever.  Now that the website stress has been lifted from my shoulders (thanks Shopify!) I can now get back on with getting some new designs made,  I'm also looking to expand the brand with some fun unique pieces to liven up your living space including homewares and original art!

If you want to be kept in the loop about any of our upcoming launches, special offers or any other news please follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

Thankyou for your patience during this transitional phase, we really appreciate your continuing support and look forward to serving you very soon!

Also even bigger thanks if you made it this far.   Rambling over!
Tracy x
AKA. The Big Kahuna at Plastic Bat

Sale now on!

Happy New Year!

So - the world didn't end in 2012 and to kick off 2013 (Plastic Bat's 10th anniversary year!) with a bang I've decided to retire a few of my older designs - including a few long running best sellers - to make space for some super special shiney new things!  

I'm the first to admit that the selection of new stock has been fairly lack lustre over the past couple of years but I really want to change that this year.  Its make or break time for Plastic Bat!

The market has changed so much in the 10 years I've been running Plastic Bat and where we stood out in a small pond back then, now we're a pretty small fish in an ocean and this needs to change - I haven't quite decided what those changes will be - my notebook is full of ideas including - close the shop altogether & get a better day job (worst case scenario!!!) /  complete re-branding - new name new style / launching a siser company... who knows what this year holds so keep your eyes peeled for BIG news in the months to come!!

I appreciate that you have a huge selection of fab designers to choose from now & I'm so thankful to those of you who have chosen to shop with us over the years (especially our regulars - you know who you are!), I'd love to continue doing what I love & I can only do it with your continued support.

So heres to 2013 - hopefully the year that changes everything!

xx

WIN WIN WIN!

Once again Christmas has crept up on us - say what!!??

I really do appologise for the lack of any sort of blog updates but theres just been so much going on - between working the day job, chasing a lively toddler and a couple of really lousy craft fairs my head has been spinning.  Hopefully my new years resoloution of more blogging will stick this year!

As a treat we're doing a giveaway over on Facebook to win one of only 2 special edition Glitter Las Vegas Necklaces EVER MADE! You heard me - theres only 2 of 'em anywhere in the world!!

To enter head on over to http://www.facebook.com/plasticbat  or click the image above,  'Like' our page and click the Competition tab at the top - no question to answer, no catch just fill in the details and  BINGO you're in with a chance!

Best of luck!!

Whats been going on this month...

1 - Worked on wholesale orders for Hannah Zakari & new stockist Misty Blue Accessories
2 - Went to the funfair!
3 - Ate funfair sweets
4 - Blew bubbles with Cora
5 - Hung out in my parent's Summer house
6 - Enjoyed the lovely weather
7 - Almost finished my first patchwork blanket (10 months in the making!!)
8 - Baked Cappucino cupcakes with white chocolate icing.  Nom!

What have you been upto lately?

This week at PB HQ...

 

This week I:

Did some serious baby-wrangling!  Cora is crawling and generally acting like a tiny hilarious drunk! (Hence very few updates!)

Had piggy cuddles - Trouble is 5 now!  This makes him a bit of an old-timer in the Guinea Pig world

Flipped through my stack of vintage photo albums for inspiration - this page is a favourite - the dog in sunglasses next to the souvenir postcard of Grace Kelly's wedding - confusing!

Found an amazing Star Trek knitting pattern booklet... now to learn proper knitting!

Got Instagram on my android phone at last! (follow me!  I'm plasticbat!)

xxx

We're back and better than ever!

Its official!  The new look Plastic Bat website is now open for business!  We're so pleased with the new look - what do you think?  Not only is it super pretty but we've tried to improve your shopping experience with the following features:

 - new clean and simple looking sign up page
 - more useful links in the footer menu

- a fresh new shopping cart display

 - super easy Paypal express checkout!

Our new express checkout option means you don't even need to create an account with us!  Its done automatically when you sign in to Paypal or enter your details so you can check on your order status - a password will be emailed to you when checkout is complete!  Simple!

We really hope you love the new look be sure to give us feedback!

Happy shopping!

New look wesbsite coming soon!

As you may have noticed, our shop is closed for the moment, this is because its getting a long awaited face-lift!  We've had the current look for a few years now so its time for a change... maybe something more grown up?  More fun? Way cuter?  Answer: All of the above!  Keep you eyes on this blog as well as our facebook and twitter feeds for news and updates regarding the re-launch!

See you soon!

Merry Christmas!

Well, thats it for another year! Plastic Bat is closing for a much needed festive break - we'll be back on January 5th with a fantastic sale!

Thanks for your support this year, we appreciate your patience with the reduced stock available but as you can tell from the cheeky grin in the photo above, we've more than had our hands full! We hope you shop with us again in 2012 when we hope to have lots more lovely things to show you!

Happy Holidays!

Tracy x

Last Posting Dates!

 

Time to get your christmas pressies bought, or if you're super organised buy yourself a little something!

Orders must be placed by 12pm on the above dates to ensure your items get packed and posted in time.

30% off Terriffic Tuesday bonanza!!

30% off and Glittery new things!

Due to the tragic loss of our Guinea Pig Little China our planned Cyber Monday discount didn't happen :( Sooooo, to make it up to you we've created our own super discount day - Terriffic Tuesday!!  For 24 hours only you can save a massive 30% on everything in our shop including our fabulous new glittery necklaces!

Hello strangers!

 

 We're Back!!

8 weeks ago our beautiful daughter Cora arrived and I've had my hands full to say the least! Now that we've settled into a routine (and learned how to do most tasks one handed while holding the baby!!) I thought I'd get the website back up and running.

Stock is fairly limited at the moment but I'll be re-stocking over the next few weeks and hopefully adding some new designs too!

Happy shopping!

Online Shop Is Closed - for now!!

 

Well, that's it!  My online store is officially closed for Maternity leave!

Hope you all managed to get your orders in on time but if not, you can find a large selection of Plastic Bat goods online at www.hannahzakari.com!

To be kept up to speed on the re-launch date be sure to follow this blog, find us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/plasticbat) or facebook (www.facebook.com/plasticbat)

Until then, cheerio folks - see you again soon when I'll have a new arrival to show off!

20% off And Maternity Leave!

 

As of June 1st the Plastic Bat online shop will be closing for a short time while I go and have my 1st baby!  During this time you can still contact me by email but I will not be taking any orders so we can concentrate on our new arrival.

So to thank all our wonderful customers for their support over the years I've taken 20% off everything in store - be quick with your orders though as many items are now low in stock and will not be replenished before we close and some may never return!

As yet I've not set a re-opening date for the shop but if you want to be kept upto date with our latest news you can find us in the following places:

http://www.facebook.com/plasticbat

http://twitter.com/plasticbat

 

Or subscribe to our Newsletter using the form on the front page of our website.

Thanks for shopping at Plastic Bat

 xxx

And the winner is....

Easter "Bunny" has been counting and verifying the eggs and can confirm that the answer is:

165!!

That makes Rebecca our winner with her incredibly close guess of 164!!

Congratulations, I'll be in touch shortly to get your details!

Thanks to everyone who entered and for all the lovely comments too

Happy Easter!!

Easter Giveaway!!

Easter Giveaway!!
Help the Easter "bunny" and take a guess at how many chocolate eggs are inside the jar for a chance to win a selection of our best selling jewellery worth £50!!  You don't have to get the exact answer - the closest guess wins!

How to Enter:

• Comment below with your guess (between 1- 300)
  -one guess per person
  
• If you don't have a google/blogger account please leave a current email address / twitter / facebook account you can be contacted on if you win.

Entry closes on Friday 22nd April at 12 noon (GMT).  Enties made after this time will not be counted.  One person will recieve the prize goody bag worth £50 for making the closest guess, no cash alternative will be offered.  Annonymous entries must include a contact method. Winner will be announced on this blog.

 
Look what you could win!!

Where has the time gone??

 

It's officially British Summer Time!
The weather may not quite match the season yet but we're celebrating anyway by taking a massive 10% off everything in store for the next 10 Days!  Have a look in our shop and pick up a bargain!
(offer ends Midnight April 10th)

In other news Plastic Bat will be taking a short Maternity break from June 1st as the newest member of the Plastic Bat family will be arriving later that month.  All going to plan, it will only be a short break while we spend some family time together and the website will be back up and running well before Christmas.  So if you have any gifts in mind for loved ones (or yourself!) over the summer get your orders in before we close up :)

As always, Happy Shopping!!
xx
www.plasticbat.co.uk

Old Fashioned Romance

Love is in the air!  Yup - love it or hate it, Valentines Day is just around the corner...

We've put together a special Valentines Gift section to help you find the perfect gift for your guy or gal, including the cutest selection of genuinely Vintage Valentines Cards!!  

These cuties were made in the 1960s but are in beautiful condition and totally un-used.  Each tiny flocked card comes wrapped in a cellophane bag with a brand new red envelope ready to use, whats more is they each have the most perfectly cheese-tastic verse inside - giggles guaranteed!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome to 2011!  Can you believe another year has gone by already!?

2010 was nice and all but we're hoping for big things this year at Plastic Bat HQ with lots of tricks up our sleeves for the coming months.  In the meantime you can grab some bargains in our 20% off Sale!

Sale ends Monday 24th January

Xmas Order Dates Changed!

IMPORTANT CHANGES TO XMAS DEADLINES!
Due to the recent wintery weather we've, had the mail system has slowed to a crawl, you may have already ordered with us and are still waiting on a delivery - please be assured, all our orders are packed and sent within 3 working days, unfortunately once your parcel has left Plastic Bat HQ we have no control over what happens to it. 

We ask that you be extra patient right now and keep your eyes peeled for the postie who should eventually deliver your order safe and sound.

In reaction to these delays we've decided to bring forward our last order date to Thursday 16th December (order by 12pm) to help ensure your order arrives in time for Christmas.

Thankyou for supporting independent business and shopping handmade this Christmas  we hope to see you back again next year!

Merry Christmas from Plastic Bat
xx

Christmas is coming!!

The snow just started falling in Dundee which means its almost Christmas!!!  Now is the time to start hunting for the perfect gifts for your loved ones and what better than a little handmade something. 

We've added a whole bunch of new things to fill those stockings with including the return of our Scented Gingerbread House Necklaces (see above).  These are only available until Christmas so get the while they're hot!

Once all our Christmas orders are in, Plastic Bat HQ will be having a short break which means the website will be closed for orders from Dec 20th - Jan 5th so we can relax and enjoy the season.

Happy Christmas shopping!