Window Box Season

Ok folks, window box season is upon us, the tulips will soon be in full bloom, so it's time to get cracking!

When we started Fat Leaf the original idea was for us to sell window boxes wholesale - that's how much we believe in them; we were going to make our whole business window boxes, and when you look at our product there is no reason why that wouldn't have worked.

There are no window boxes on the market like Fat Leaf window boxes and let me take a minute to explain why. Cost. With wooden window boxes it is so simple to make a wooden box and paint it or varnish it and then sell it as a window box, but how do you attach it to the wall? Rarely do these window boxes come with brackets, so you have to buy 2 brackets separately - again pushing up the cost. Because the brackets have not been designed specifically for the box you will invariably get a clash of styles, or a complete miss match. Either way, these sort of window boxes represent a lot of cost and hassle.

That's why we decided to make a window box that was integral to the bracket, So you have no fuss whatsoever. And they look so sleek and dare I say it? Sexy.

With our Alpine Range you get four lengths on hand selected fascia panels in a hardwood of your choice - we have Iroko, Sapele, Oak, Cedar and Pine, all of these woods look stunning, you've just got to select the one that best represents your home. A little oil or varnish will preserve the wood's grain and bring out it's lustre for a really striking appearance.

The best thing about these window boxes is perhaps how you plant them - there is no mucking about. All you need is pots, standard, 7' pots, that's all. So, now I have my tulips out, they'll only last 6 weeks or so, but in the meantime I have my late spring pots planted and coming on in the greenhouse, when they're out I'll bring on my summer pots and so on and so on. It makes gardening extremely simple, and changing your display will take minutes.

Thinking Outside the Box

At Fat Leaf we make a LOT of boxes, but sometimes they are so much more than that. Last week I built a 3 tiered triangular planter. Which looked hot. And I was looking at it wondering how to make it better, so I built some angled troughs to compliment it. I think it works... what about you guys?

Going Viral

Hello Fat Leafers. it's all go go go in dorset, today I have set up a Fat Leaf Facebook page and a Fat Leaf twitter account and generally having fun with the website. It's been 8 steady hours in front of the computer and my eyes are getting tired. Poor me.

Despite the fact that I am suffering through one of the worst hangovers of my life I have managed to get quite a lot done and I'm hoping to see some new customers logging onto the website, reading my blogs, checking out my facebook and twitter sites and just generally showing an interest in The Leaf.

Go on... spread the word!

Wow! What a summer it's been, nearly 5 months since my last blog too. I'll have to start remedying that.

Off to B'pool shortyly to do a huge school job which I am really looking forward too. And then I am off to Indonesia for 5 weeks. I think I deserve the holiday!

1st ever Fat Leaf Blog

Hi readers, of which I assume there will be many thousands; welcome to my Fat Leaf Blog. You wouldn't think that there could possibly be anything interesting to write about if you spend all day screwing (ahem) bits of wood together, but believe me there is. I think most of the interest, the juicy bit as it were, will come from my relationship to Big West (that's my dad Jim).

Me and West started this business together which seemed like a good idea at the time, one thing our epic 78 page business plan did not count on was our arguments, which can be very funny. However as West doesn't know how to blog you will only hear one side of it here. That side will be all you need to form your opinions though.

So we have been trading for about 10 weeks now, a very tiring 10 weeks, but it has been a very successful time. By that, I don't mean we are loaded, but you don't just measure success by your bank balance. We already have some very valued customers - Donal at The New Inn, Eype (amazing pub) had us build benches for him, Symondsbury Primary School commisioned us to build a massive bench and planter combo around a huge tree, and my mum even got a planter for her birthday.

Rightio guys I'll log off or whatever you do, I'll have to research these things to find out when people lose interest, don't want to be a bore, like west.

Til next time!