Happy weekend!

Friday afternoon is upon us! Hooray! What is everyone up to this weekend?

Here at the Aspire office we have very exciting plans - one of us has just returned from America with a wedding band firmly on the finger and the jet-lag and bank account state that can only come from LAS VEGAS! Tomorrow is the UK leg of the wedding party and all we can talk about is what we'll be wearing!

I'm planning on pulling something special out of the bag...the sale bag, that is! This gorgeous silky, slinky silver number is half price at just £22.50 and it looks fabulous on.


Mariko Evie dress, now £22.50















And I'm going to go for black tights and the stunning contrast of these beautiful cerise shoes at just £39.50!

I have a little clutch the same colour, so it's going to be a fabulous outfit! Just need to add a bit of sparkle with a pretty headband and job's a goodun!

Let me know what you're getting up to, and whatever you're doing, have a fantastic weekend!

Catie

New shop!

Good morrow! Gosh, it's nearly 5pm and I haven't had chance to even think about blogging, so this may be a little rough around the edges. I sat here for a couple of minutes thinking, have I even got anything to even talk about?! -  but of course! Our new store is opening in a mere matter of weeks!

That's right! Anyone in, near, or on the same train line/bus route as Solihull is in for a smashing treat soon as we are opening our fourth shop in Mell Square! We're half way between M&S and House of Fraser so you're sure to be able to tempt your Mumma down there to buy you some goodies. And we're just around the corner from HMV so you can drop your other half in there, marvel in our treasure trove for an hour, then go and pick him and his square eyes up from the Playstation 3 section.

We seem to be having huge deliveries made every hour, directly onto my desk (ok, twice a week into the stock room, but I feel like I'm drowning in it all!) of lovely brand new goodies! Lots of new shoes which I'm hoping to get round to putting on the website tomorrow. And sparkly sparkly new jewellery and even some CHRISTMAS things! Including adorable little sparkly owls on clips that can go on the tree, over the mantelpiece on your fairly lights, or, let's face it, in your hair. Glittertastic. Also lots of Winter things like hand-warmers and hot water bottles and oooooh yes I nearly forgot some sensational new boots!

This is where I usually go through and add website links to everything that I've mentioned, but I haven't quite got around to putting them online yet so I should probably get on with doing some real work before I get fired and have to wave goodbye to all those sparkly owls........

Catie x

P.S. If you are (or anyone you know is) a blogger/journalist/all round superstar based in the Midlands then please get in touch as we are planning a launch party for the new store and would love to meet some of our online friends.....

Why not? Wednesday

Afternoon everyone!

Today I've decided to have a Why not? Wednesday. You know, when you see something in a shop and you don't know if you should buy it and you just go Why not? - that sort of thing. And today I thought, why not give everyone the chance to win a lovely blue purse? So on Twitter and Facebook people are retweeting and liking and hopefully passing it on to friends and of course you can all enter as well, just make a little comment on the blog :o)

What else is happening today? Lots of orders for our paper plane range - the purses are still out of stock (email me to put yourself on the waiting list), but the fabulous parcel wash bag is back in stock - might have to buy myself one - and the travel pass holders are popular.

I'm wearing my gorgeous new Fever Tulip ruffle dress which is featured on the Domestic Sluttery blog at the moment and which is very lovely indeed.

Right, must get back to work. Get commenting for your chance to win the purse - and if you don't win, they're only £9.95 so treat yourself! It's even prettier in real life - so why not?

Ciao!

Exciting new jewellery line!

Look at our fabulous amazing charming beautiful lovely wonderful pretty (add commas where appropriate) new jewellery!


Rabbit cluster charm bracelet (£14.99)










Deer cluster charm bracelet (£14.99)










Owl cluster charm necklace (£17.99)

Sparrow charm necklace (£19.99)










There's much more but I'm too excited to blog, I'm going to go and play with them! Prices range from £12.99-£19.99 so have a look here to see lots and lots more.......and please feel free to buy me one!

Catie x

Just another Manic Monday

This morning has been insane! But it's 11:30am and I'm having a cup of tea and a few quiet minutes to blog and catch up and just generally breathe.

The 10% discount we ran this weekend went really well - I came in this morning to see 25 internet orders which is fantastic! Mondays are always busy but today is particularly so. Lots of orders for little purses, snow bunny keyrings and trinket boxes which I guess are some Christmas gifts. Also lots of party dress orders - I particularly love this Mariko Evie which is in the sale at just £22.50! I think we should bring it back out of the sale, it's great! Silver and silky with some shoulder detail - it's perfect for a Christmas party with black tights and glamorous heels like these from Poetic Licence. And of course, lots more orders for coats. Pavia and Betsy are the two favourites I think, although I love the new Fever Empress.

Right, five of my ten minutes are up and my tea should be at drinking temperature now (although we've got no milk so I might not be able to drink it if it's too strong) so I shall down it and get on with some more orders.

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!
Catie

10% DISCOUNT ALL WEEKEND!

Capital letters, how brash...but seriously, it's EXCITING, isn't it?!?!?!

Take a look online at a host of goodies available, including my new favourite, the Vintage Envelope Travel Pass holder. My Oyster card is looking pretty scraggy (is that even a word?) in its boring holder, and this beautiful travel pass is the perfect way to achieve a stylish swipe...although I can't guarantee it will make the shutters any less vicious/temperamental, or reduce queues for topping up credit. And at £9.95 (or £8.95 with the discount), it's a great bargain - you could even buy a few and hand them out for Christmas presents!

It's absolutely pouring down today (lots of umbrellas selling downstairs in the shop), and my office is très chilly so I've borrowed a Yumi faux fur jacket from the stock room, and let's face it, I'll be buying it later because it's AMAZING. I am all snuggly and warm and fluffy. It's like having my cat here with me. Here's my cat:

Don't worry, I won't turn into one of those nutters who posts endless pictures of her cat. Although, has everyone seen the Ikea advert?? TOO CUTE! It was a cinema advert on Wednesday - giant kittens!! Right, enough about cats. Who likes owls?! This hot water bottle is absolutely brililant!

Time to go before I start ranting about cute animals...I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Pass on the message about 10% off - the code is ALL10 - and get shopping!

Catie x
P.S. Deer washbag, butterfly purse, bird compact

Zandra Rhodes handbags

Morning everyone!

Who likes Zandra Rhodes? Who wants a Zandra Rhodes bag?

Well, we've just had a delivery, and look what the postman's dragged in..........

Browse today, buy tomorrow! Well, if you're signed up to our newsletter that is, because there's 10% off all weekend for our bestest friends. Sign up now, or if you're too late, start making some friends in the right places so you can bag, borrow or steal that voucher code!!

Ciao Bellas!

Catie

Ginger Nuts

Morning campers!

Seeing Eat, Pray, Love tonight - anyone already seen it? Taking my Mummy as she's been looking after me very nicely indeed lately (i.e. for the last 24 years). She's got a lovely new grey coat so I'm also going to treat her to a sparkly brooch to make it even prettier. I'll be sporting my Fever Toulouse dress with a black belt and my Nica Clutch.

Feeling tired today, think it's a hangover from the immense number of Ginger Nuts I ploughed my way through yesterday. Seriously. Ginger Nuts. Even though I'm not a 76 year old man. It's just they were half price and I thought I could fancy a Ginger Nut. Then one turned to two, to three, to ten. Anyway, anyone working for a biscuit company should feel free to send me the kind of biscuits that self-respecting 24 year old women ought be munching on.

New stock in today for our new store - lots of Irregular Choice boxes and Darling coats everywhere! Will put anything new on the website ASAP.

Someone, anyone, come and confiscate the biscuits....
Catie

Olbas Oil and Soup

Greetings!

Good news - I can now officially breathe through my nose! I'd like to thank Olbas Oil for sponsoring this cold, and my brother, for bringing it home with his washing and ironing last week.

So now that I'm feeling all chipper, what have I been up to? I've been blowing fuses in the office which I didn't notice until I put a spoonful of fridge-cold butternut squash and coconut soup (M&S) into my mouth and thought this isn't right. Twenty minutes later, covered in dust from searching every nook and cranny for the fuse box, I had hot butternut squash and coconut soup and it was amazing. Highly recommended. Managed not to spill any on my fabulous new Fever dress thanks to my genius idea of basically covering my entire self in Moomin tea towels, so it's all good in the Aspire hood!

I've also been bombarded with orders, as per. Today it's been lots and lots of sale dresses - loads of fantastic bargains to be had so I'm not surprised - and more stunning coats. Brrrrr. Also been working on the next newsletter - subscribers are in for a treat, so spread the word, tell all your friends to sign up, and enjoy!!

Off to take some photographs of our brand new jewellery - in the mean time here's our current range.

Until tomorrow...
Catie

Tick Tock

Arghh, I cannot believe it's quarter past 5! But the watch around my neck tells me it is, so it must be!

How was your weekend, everyone? What did you get up to?

I went shopping on Saturday with my bestest friend, despite the fact I was a bit snotty (Ok, a LOT. Shut up Charlie). We went on a road trip to Milton Keynes - very random but great! My only regret is that we were far too cold to explore outside and look at the markets and hunt down any independent little shops, so we had to stick to the giants. If I'd bought this amazing Yumi coat last week I could have coped. I love that our Aspire shops are so well placed - not on the outskirts of a town with a big shopping centre which is sadly where a lot of independent retailers end up due to ludicrous rent costs.

Are any of you independent retailers waiting to win Lotto and get a big store?

I'm much, much poorer than I felt at the end of last week. Did I really need 5 long sleeved t-shirts, yet more leggings, three pairs of over-the-knee socks and black wellies?? Winter terrifies me. On a happier note, though, I'm feeling much healthier thanks to all the special tea I've been drinking and far too much Olbas Oil. Note to all readers: never touch your eye with an Olbas Oil finger, or take the "sprinkle 3 drops on your pillow" to mean "pour the whole bottle on your pillow, then enjoy rolling over in the night and getting it in your eyes, ears, mouth, and really not that much up your nose".

Anyway, the weekend is over, and I came in to what is becoming my usual Monday of a gazillion internet orders and lots of emails. Big sellers this weekend have been this Flutters and Fancies satchel and yet more tea towels. What's with the tea towels, everyone?? Lots more people emailing to be on the waiting list for the Paper Plane purse - and I'm one of them!

Nearly home time now, and to me, that means go downstairs and buy the following items:
Lovely soft Yumi jacket - because I really am very cold,
Antique watch necklace - because my friend will kill me if she doesn't get her hands on one soon, and
Tea with the Queen tea towel - because, well, if everyone is....

Cheerio!