How the Vital Signs Can Make You Younger May 13 2015

Are you stressed out before 8 o'clock in the morning?  Research shows one in four of us are tense before the day has hardly begun.  Often it is not the big things that stress us but a momentum of minor irritations.  This is bad for us.  Plenty of exercise, eating healthy food and removing those low stress annoyances have proven to slow the ageing process..  

At Honeymellow, we have a solution to remove some of life's little irritations to make things run more smoothly.  Our Vital Signs range is designed to target activities that happen repeatedly leading to the gradual build-up of low level stress: a door left open; muddy shoes on a clean carpet; junk mail to sort and shred daily; missed visitors who knock but don't ring the louder bell... and so on.  

Due to popular demand, we have expanded our range so that you have a choice of different sign styles, colours and shapes.  We have brushed silver, brushed gold  and white signs which are perfect for the home or office, as well as coloured floral designs to add some spring to your shoeless step!  Relax and look at our new range at own own website: http://bit.ly/13uEUsX and on Etsy: http://etsy.me/1ruUksT 

Browse, buy and breath... It might even take years off you!

Can You Haiku? April 17 2015

Today is Haiku Poetry Day, designed to encourage us to appreciate these fleeting, Japanese poetic insights. Seemingly simple it is actually quite a complex form both to write and read: carefully constructed and impressionistic.

The most obvious characteristic of a haiku is that it is just three lines long consisting of 17 syllables broken between the lines into 5,7 and 5. However this is particularly English as the Japanese write a haiku in one single line or the layout is used to remove the need for punctuation. The brevity of the form, means that some poets' work can be said in just one single breath. Of course what is not said is probably more significant than what is uttered.

The other key features are that it is usually written in the present tense and juxtaposes two ideas. This can be a moment of great insight, a change in emotion or mood or something unexpected happens. However it can be as simple as contrasting two different things such as in their size, sound, feel or beauty. The cutting in two is called a kuru which is usually done through a kireji - a cutting word at the end of the first or second line. This can create a circular pattern to the haiku by returning you back to the initial idea.

Other ingredients of a haiku can include not starting lines with a capital letter, a focus on nature, not using abstract nouns, words, dispensing with words such as 'and', 'but' or 'like' and rarely using adjectives.

If 17 syllables seems too long for you, the monoku is a single line variation on the haiku which emerged in the 1970s and often has less than 17 syllables although it will have a caesura (pause) in the middle of the line.

We couldn't resist penning a couple of haikus for ourselves which we put on our Twitter feed @honeymellows, one of which is on one of our customised blank signs where you can add your own text - or haiku. Of course we have broken a lot of the conventions we have outlined above...but that is poetic licence for you!

Want to pen poems,
But wondering how to start,
Read our blog: now write... http://bit.ly/GCifGy

What the Font? Serif or Sans Serif April 03 2015

When choosing a font for your personalised sign, selecting the right font can be a time-consuming decision for some of our customers.  There are so many available that the choice can be overwhelming.  Understanding the difference between serif and sans serif fonts, is a quick way of making sure you select the right font for your particular purpose.  So what is the difference?

Serif Fonts:

Serif fonts, such as Times New Roman, as the name suggests have serifs at the end of the letters.  This makes them very easy to read in large chunks such as in novels or newspapers because the serifs act like a ruler almost creating a continuous line along the top and bottom of the text. If you read by moving your finger or putting a ruler underneath the text to stop your eyes from veering off the line, the serif serves the same purpose.  However there is debate about whether the reverse is the case with regard to small text on the lower resolution of the computer screen or tablet where the serif makes the shape of the letters less clear.   

The beauty of serif fonts is that if you want a lot of text on a single line, it can be condensed without looking too distorted.  Similarly if you want a small amount of text to take up more width but less height, this can be done and still be readable.  If the font is made bold this can increase its legibility.  

Sans Serif

Whereas serif fonts, have serifs at the end of the lines, sans serif fonts, such as Arial, are without the serifs.  Use this for: 

• Putting a lot of information in a smaller amount of space as the lettering can be pushed closer together without risking overlapping serifs: serif fonts need more space.  
• Websites have a lower resolution than printed documents (even with retina displays) which means the simpler sans serif font is easier to read. The more modern looking serif font from an aesthetic point of view, creates a contemporary minimalist design for use online.  Its use has partly risen in opposition to the strong tradition of using serif fonts that have dominated printed media.
• Signs that need to be read from a distance  such as road traffic signs because the font is clearer.
• Avoid using for: 
• Large amounts of printed text such as novels or long instructions you want people to read for longer periods.  The removal of the serif means there is no natural ruler to follow at the top and the bottom of the font, it is much more difficult to read for longer periods of time as your eyes find it difficult to follow along the line.
• Where the text needs to be stretched to fill a large space or condensed to fill a smaller space.  The lack of the serif makes this text distorted if it is pulled and pushed to fit a particular location. 

Still not sure whether to use a serif or sans serif font for your sign? Just remember there are no hard or fast rules.  Think about where it is to be displayed, what is the nature of the message and most importantly: can your audience actually read it!

Mother Said... Wise Words for Mothers March 12 2015

It's no surprise that it is Mother's Day on the week that  seems to be a never-ending trend on Twitter.  Our Vital Signs range is full of signs that are designed to remove the necessity for our mothers -  the masters of all worldly advice -  to avoid repeating themselves...over and over again.  With instructions covering our fingers down to our toes, from: 'Wash Your Hands' to 'Wipe Your Feet'. But do we ever take notice?  Of course we do.  

Take a peak at our Pinterest board called, 'Mother Said' which is full of the many things we have learnt from other mothers' wise words, at:
https://www.pinterest.com/honeymellow/mother-said/  
Our favourite has to be that, 'Sooner or later, we all quote our mothers.'  If it hasn't happened to you yet... just give it time.

As Mother's Day is approaching, you may want to create something unique to say a heartfelt thanks for all the advice and guidance.  Some of the many requests we receive include, do not disturb signs, plaques for summerhouses, studies and even sewing rooms, whilst for the more creative amongst us, there is the occasional heartfelt poem.  

If you fancy trying the latter yourself but lack inspiration, try looking at the wonderful website Poemhunter http://www.poemhunter.com/poems/mother/ 
Here you will find poets from Robert Burns to Christina Rossetti penning their thoughts on motherhood.  We have even written a blog on how to create your own poetry plaque at http://www.honeymellow.com/blogs/news/9401903-how-to-create-your-own-poetry-plaque to give you a little bit of advice -  although in a little more than just four words.

Once you have crafted your masterpiece, select one of our pretty designs for your poetry plaque and we will do the rest for you right up to delivery to your door. 

Has the Bubble Burst for the Bath? February 09 2015

On READ IN THE BATH TUB DAY, it seems we have fallen out of love with our baths with only 10% of homeowners preferring a bath to a shower. If you're a man you are twice as likely to prefer a shower and on the rare occasion you do take a bath, it may just be for a quick five minute dip.  

It has also had a poor press as far as water conservation is concerned with the average bath using 80 litres of water which is more than the 62 litres of a low pressure shower but a lot less than a long power shower which could use almost twice as much.  Lazing amongst the bubbles can also be a dangerous place to be with approximately one person drowning in the bath each day and on average 20 people dying from scolding every year.

The bubble hasn't yet completely burst for the bath tub with many people still enjoying the opportunity to watch TV, listen to music and read a book, tablet or Kindle - steamy or not!  Board games have even been played in the bath with the longest game of Monopoly taking a skin-wrinkling 99 hours! If you want to bath in the style of Marilyn Monroe then fill the bath with champagne, although it may take a rather expensive 350 bottles of bubbly to do so.

If you just want a little quiet time at the end of a hard day, then we have a range of signs for your bathroom.  Whether it is a simple room sign in a floral shabby chic or wood effect design, or a message to keep-out intruders; we can do a custom-made sign to help heat-up that relationship with your bath tub again. http://bit.ly/1eHjlw6 and http://etsy.me/1DcLs41 

Slow Down: It's Good For You February 03 2015

If you're fed up with all those fast runners passing you smugly on your leisurely jog, here's the good news: like the tortoise and hare, you'll win the race of life by living longer.  

The Copenhagen City Heart Study has shown that fast running can be as bad for you as being a couch potato.  Interestingly, it is slow joggers, who are running three times per week for less than two hours and twenty-five minutes weekly keeping a slow moderate pace, that had the lower risk of death.  

If you are in doubt that slowing down is good for us, try reading In Praise of Slow by Carl Honoré if you need more convincing that, 'there is more to life than increasing its speed' (Ghandi).

So  it seems, less is better than more and slow is better than fast.  We will start to be told that fat is good for us?!!

For our personalised signs to leave behind if you are walking or running or just doing a life lengthening leisurely jog, see our Honeymellow shop:  http://www.honeymellow.com/collections/fun-signs or  on Etsy at http://etsy.me/1BSyPqI

New Year, New You January 04 2015

Whatever your new activity for the new year, we've a range of personalised signs to leave behind in our 'Fit & Fun' range.  

Make it easy to keep your resolutions by having a simple sign to let others know where you've gone.  Whether it is running, riding, exercising, cycling, football, fishing, climbing, skating, walking... we've personalised signs that come in all shapes and sizes.  Find our 'Fit & Fun' signs to leave behind at http://etsy.me/1nw2EI5 and http://bit.ly/13CLhOz

New Signs to Love: Our Autumnal Range October 05 2014

As the leaves slowly turn from green to golden and the summer sun fades, we've been beavering away to meet your demands at Honeymellow, making sure our range of custom-made signs are ones to love, inform and inspire.  So here is what's new in our autumn collections:

ROOM SIGNS: In brushed gold, brushed silver or white our glossy metal signs with black writing are a perfect way to name the rooms in your home or work place.  We've contemporary minimalist designs and ones with bit more of a flourish.  We've even created the opportunity to have a sign with your own room name if our exhaustive list does not cover all your needs. Better still, is the increase in demand for personalised room signs.  If you have just decorated your own bathroom, refurbished a study, de-cluttered a shed, make sure it stays yours by adding your own personalised sign in a wide range of designs.

FIT & FUN SIGNS: We all need a little push to make sure we keep healthy and exercise.  Our 'Fit & Fun' collection now includes signs to tell others you've 'Gone to the Gym', 'Gone Walking' and a larger 'Gone Running' sign, all of which can be personalised to add your own name.  Perfect to make a unique gift for friends or family.  We even have a blog about running and linked Pinterest boards if you still need motivating. If you are more into cooking than cross-training, we've rustic baking signs for those fine-tuning their skills to be the next Paul Hollywood or Mary Berry.

PAWS & CLAWS PLAQUES: As well as our double-sided dog, cat  and rabbit feeding signs, we have added one perfect for the autumn: the hedgehog has/has not been fed.  Regular feeding of hedgehogs is vital in the autumn when they are getting ready to hibernate, but putting food and water out in the evening can easily be forgotten.  Our cute double-sided sign should help to make sure your hungry hedgehog is always fully fed.  If you have named him or her, we can also personalise it for you too. See: http://bit.ly/1jYhQe5

VITAL SIGNS: Our forever popular, metal signs to avoid life's little irritations such as no junk mail, removing shoes, closing doors, ringing bells has now square, round and rectangular; small and large; silver, gold and patterned signs.  They could change your life!

As always we have lots of garden, summerhouse and personalised signs, including a huge range of designs on which to write your own words.  If you are a super organised Christmas shopper - it is the perfect time to select those unique gifts that you won't find on the high street.  Don't forget, as well as our own website, you can find us on Etsy too - http://etsy.me/1hI0MZV 

Gone to the Cinema? How to Become a Film Buff Bluffer September 26 2014

So what did you think of the film?  How many times have we heard those words when emerging from the darkened cinema into daylight to find we have nothing enlightening to say.  We may have been thrilled, bored or challenged for the past two hours, yet lack the words to vocalise how we feel.  On average we watch our favourite films a staggering 29 times.  We must know every line, every scene and experienced the emotional rollercoaster but actually how much have we understood what has happened on the silver screen?  For all those bumbling film buffs who can’t find the words to say what they love or hate, here are some tips and terms to improve your appreciation.

1. Can you compare the narrative to a fairytale?  According to Vladimir Propp’s linguistic theory, most films follow the fairy tale narrative - i.e. innocent victim who needs rescuing by a hero from someone’s villainy until it all ends happily ever after.  The characters fit the fairy tale stereotypes and the ending is inevitable but we enjoy being smug about guessing it anyway.  Early Hollywood films are often like this whereas films from the late 1950s  onwards particularly with the rise of European cinema and the French New Wave distorted this structure and sometimes did the exact opposite: there is no definitive ending, the narrative does not follow cause and effect but may have flashbacks or forwards; no key protagonist or distinction between good and evil; a focus on a character’s interior life rather than what he/she does.  A conventional film narrative means you do not have to think much but just enjoy the formulaic nature of the film; whereas an alternative narrative makes you work harder to understand the film and to try to draw meaning from it  - which may ultimately prove elusive.  
2. Is the ending open or closed?  A closed ending is where all the problems in the film have been resolved  to produce this ‘happy ever after’ ending.  An open ending does not answer all the questions set by the narrative and can sometimes raise further ones.  Which one do you feel most satisfied by?  Which one is  closest to reality?
3. How did the music work?  If the music goes with the emotional flow of the sequence it is known as redundant or parallel; for example sombre violins at a moment of tragedy.  If the music challenges the emotions you see on screen it is called contrapuntal.  Tarrentino is renown for using comedic music for moments of considerable violence which can sometimes make it more unnerving.  Music that comes from within the scene such as a record player you can see in the background is called diegetic sound i.e. from within the narrative.  Music that the characters on screen do not see or hear but is used to enhance your interpretation of a scene is called non-diegetic - outside of the narrative.  Finally, have you noticed how sound often acts to bridge scenes by starting just a fraction before you see the visuals?
4. What is the ideology of a film?  The ideology is a set of beliefs and values promoted by the film - a world view.  Do you agree with the message the film is promoting?  A conventional fairy tale narrative often promotes the ideology that love conquers all and meeting Mr Right will lead to ‘happily ever after’.  A more alternative narrative which distances you from the film by not having stereotypical characters, music that is contrapuntal, a disjointed, non-linear narrative and open endings can cause alienation.  If you are alienated from the film, you are distanced from it not identifying with its characters or ideas.  This type of film is often designed to get you to question the ideology behind the film.
5. Which character did you identify with and should you?  We are often encouraged to identify with a particular character fairly early on in the film.  We will often empathise with them in an embarrassing moment, feel sympathy if struck by an unhappy event or admire an act of bravado or selflessness.  Directors can sometimes make you unwittingly identify with someone who you should find morally repugnant after a potentially admirable character voices or does despicable things; for example Scorcese’s portrayal of Jordan Belfort  in The Wolf of Wall Street was criticised for encouraging us to identify with him - but wasn’t the whole point that we should have been thinking for ourselves and not being led by a charismatic conman?
6. How was the setting portrayed?  We refer to what you can visually see in a shot as the mise en scène. This includes the set design, the colours, the costumes that characters wear and so on.  This can become very important in a detective film where you are looking for clues to solve a murder.  The key to understanding Citizen Kane is to be alert to mise en scène. earlier in the film.  Lighting can set the mood for a scene.  The low lighting in film noir creates an element of menace with long shadows and stark contrasts between light and darkness with a shadowy lit femme fatale usually portrayed in silhouette at some point.  
7. Did the camera shots and editing contribute to your appreciation of the film? There is a grammar to film which usually starts with a long shot which gives you as large a view of the setting as possible with often the camera panning across to widen this.  Eventually this may zoom in to a close-up to focus on a particular location, event or person and may even turn into a point of view shot where you see what the character does.  Continuity editing is where the editing appears invisible as the film flows grammatically from shot to shot; for example characters remain on the same side of the screen during a conversation or there is an eye-line match between them. If there is music, the change of shot - cut - may occur on the change of tempo or beat of the music. Non-continuity editing occurs when, for example, there is a jump cut from one close-up to another which does not match.  A montage of close-ups can appear disjointed and disturbing to watch which is excellent when portraying a chaotic fight scene or scary moment.  Early Soviet cinema used this technique to get viewers to question the ideology of the films they were watching.  
8. Was there symbolism in the film?  Describing what you can see in the film is called the denotation. However if you take this a stage further to look for the ideological significance of something, this can deepen your understanding.  For example the connotations of the colour red are danger, stop, love and so on.  To make a meaningful understanding you would have to link the connotation to circumstances in which it is used; for example is it a love scene or a murder investigation?  Look at the colour of characters’ clothing and is this linked to a colour used elsewhere in the film? What objects you may see continually repeated and why?  Directors nowadays try to avoid stereotypical connotations which are linked to what we call binary oppositions; for example a villain may be blonde and dressed in white and the hero is unattractive and wearing dark clothing.
9. What was the genre of the film?  Does it fit the formula you would expect of a musical, detective or horror story?  Is it an action adventure or a fairy tale romance?  Where does it vary from your expectations from these types of films?  Does it draw-on, pay tribute to (pastiche) or parody similar films?  Maybe it is a hybrid by bringing two different genres together? 

Finally, don't be late to the cinema.  The most important part of the film is often the beginning.  Directors use economic presentation to pack into the first few minutes huge amounts of information regarding the plot, what has happened before, indicators for future events, setting through the mise en scène, characterisation, themes and the genre. There is no better moment to get your head out of that bucket of popcorn and watch closely.

So when you next come out of the dark delights of the cinema and asked to shed light on what you think about a film, as well as telling others what your general reaction was, think about why you feel that way too.  Were you meant to like or hate it?  Did the director try to make you ponder its problems and question its ideology or just simply to  mindlessly, stuff your popcorn, sit-back and enjoy.  But above all, remember to leave our little ‘Gone to the Cinema’ sign for your friends and family so that they ask the question in the first place!  

See our sign in 'Fit & Fun' at: http://bit.ly/1nWg2Z7

How to Survive Freshers Week September 23 2014

A new course, a new place and the opportunity to make as many friends possible.  Freshers Week is a wonderful time for students just embarking on their degree - and it can also be the worse.  The chance to experience what university life has to offer can lead to a fun-filled, busy week but for those who drink too much it can also leave you exhausted, embarrassed and with very empty pockets.  Meet-ups, new activities and clubs often start or end-up in the Student Union bar where drink is often considerably cheaper than on the high street. This is the time that first and lasting impressions can be made so here are some tips to make sure you are the best you can be and not the dullest drunk in the room:

1. Preparation! Make sure you know your address, have it written down and how you will get back home - safely.  Set an alarm for your phone for the last train, have the number for a reliable taxi firm or pair-up with someone else so you are not travelling alone.
2. Start the evening with some mocktails.  A fun way of getting fluids to keep you hydrated. and a chance to impress if you make them for your fellow housemates.
3. Try to eat as soon as possible to absorb the alcohol and pace the drinking.
4. Take the lead by making sure there are always snacks and water on the table.
5. Always know where your drink is and what is in it to avoid anybody spiking it.
6. Know when you have had enough.  Driving the white lorry is a night both you, your  new friends and Facebook will remember for a very long time.

There are lots of other useful tips on websites such as www.drinkaware.co.uk and more general advice about Freshers Week at: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Freshers_Week_Tips as well as a guide to different drinks so you can tackle a pub or bar with confidence.

And if you are feeling a little fragile the next day?  Give yourself some quiet time to get back on form quickly  to enjoy the rest of the week. This is not an easy thing to do if you are in halls or a shared house where others can easily seek out your company.  Hence we’ve designed some personalised signs requesting a little ‘me time’; whether it is just to catch-up on some sleep, to recover from a hang-over or once lectures start - to get your assignments done before the deadline. Our signs are light enough to hang on a pin from your door with the option to add your name to the wording or even choose your own text. Perfect until the fun you is ready to emerge from your room once more.  See: bit.ly/1duLd6d 

The Dog Has Definitely Been Fed August 17 2014

It seems the UK  is way ahead of other countries... in over-feeding our dogs.  A howling 50% of man's best friends are overweight - up from 35% four years ago.  In hard numbers that is the equivalent of four million heavily panting dogs who are lugging about unnecessary pounds instead of bounding about.  

Tough love starts with making sure that food is weighed out according to the vet's or dog food manufacturer's instructions (shown usually on the back of the packaging). Get a set of scales rather than guess.  Avoiding too many treats and obviously plenty of daily exercise is good for both physical and mental well-being of your beloved friend and probably you too.  What may be good for us is often not good for your dog - unbelievably something as delicious as chocolate will actually poison them.

Communication is also key in a household.  Our dogs are masters of the art of making us believe that no one has fed them all day.  Our double-sided signs lets everyone know if your dog has been fed regardless of how sad-eyed he/she looks.  We can also personalise them for Fido, Snoopy or whatever your soon to be lean and healthy dog is called.  A perfect present: your dog will thank you for it - well maybe.  If you don't have an overweight dog but a rather chunky cat or big-bellied bunny, we have signs for them too!

See our Honeymellow website at   http://bit.ly/1omajqy and on Etsy too: http://etsy.me/1mYzcZY.  We usually make and dispatch to all countries the same day and UK postage and packing is even free.

Facts About Bees to Make Your Brain Buzz July 26 2014

Our new bee sign ( http://bit.ly/1o5Wa44 ) is keeping us busy as it flies out of our buzzing Honeymellow workshop.  This is good news for us not only because we love what we do but it also means that there are a lot of beekeepers about who are nurturing these precious miracle workers.  As well as providing honey bees are important to us because:

1. Honey bees can fly up to six miles and visit about 2000 flowers per day to collect nectar and pollen; plus doing the very important job of fertilising the flower at the same time. It is no wonder that the life expectancy of a honeybee can be just six weeks as it is at risk of being eaten by predators or dies of exhaustion.
2. Bees have amazing senses which includes the ability to detect ultra violet light with its five eyes and to be able to differentiate between flowers with its sense of smell identifying whether it carries pollen or nectar.  Each colony has a unique smell so its members can identify it. Furthermore it can fly up to 15 miles per hour and has an amazing memory even though it has a brain the size of a sesame seed.  They have one weakness: they cannot see the colour red.
3. They buzz and do a 'waggle dance'. Honeybees’ buzz is caused by the flapping of its wings at about 200 beats per second.  They also do a ‘waggle dance’ to let the other workers know the location, quality and quantity of nectar.
4. Bees are great team players, all contribute to the work of the hive and huddle together to keep each other warm in winter whilst living off their stores of honey. Although within a colony of up to 60,000 honeybees work is not equally divided: female honeybees are the workers and live for only six weeks; even the queen is busy laying 2500 eggs per day in the summer months and lives for 5 year.  In contrast the male honeybees or drones, have no sting, do no work and just mate.  
5. It is the only insect that produces food we eat. The many varieties of honey depend on the flowers used to make it.  Honey could be described as a superfood as it contains enzymes, vitamins, minerals, water as well as the antioxidant, pinocembrin which enhances brain function.  We rely on bees to pollinate a third of the plants we eat.
6. 1 billion kilograms of honey are produced by bees annually which seems incredible when you consider each bee produces barely a twelfth of a teaspoon in its lifetime.
7. Honey seems to last forever - well as long as you don’t smother it on steaming toast until the jar’s finished.  It has no sell-by date so will keep for years, centuries and even millenniums.
8. They make us wealthy and keep us alive. If you are one of the 23% of us who are bothered by bees (only 6% of us are ever stung by a bee or wasp), and cannot see their value, in monetary terms in the UK alone, the resulting goods they pollinate is worth £1 billion to the British economy alone.  In term so life expectancy, apparently if all bees were wiped out, humans would struggle to exist beyond four years without the food they provide. 

So how do we make sure bees continue to thrive in our garden?  There are very simple things that can be done to help these miracle workers.  The easiest is to let your lawn grow and leave parts of your garden wild.  You will be inadvertently feeding the bees with the wild flowers that grow.  Avoid using pesticides and disturbing nests too. When planning your garden, choose plants which are rich in nectar and pollen: you will benefit from bright array of colours, the soporific scents and thousands of busy workers nurturing your garden. 

You should also take the opportunity to join the annual Great British Bee count.  Download the free app at: http://greatbritishbeecount.co.uk , sit-back, smell the flowers and start counting.

You are never too old or young to go & be sporty. July 02 2014

Nadal defeated by a wild card teenager.  A 94 year old wins the Professionals Day competition at Coventry Golf Club.  It seems you are never too old or too young to be a winner at sport.  

Alas watching too much of it on TV is not so good for you regardless of age, with watching more than three hours TV a day doubling your chances of premature death compared to those who watch just one hour or less. 

So whatever your age, get active. Don't worry if you are worried that you may miss family and friends trying to find you when you are out.  Simply leave one of our many sporting signs from our 'Fit & Fun' collection showing where you have gone to.  Like your TV, they will still be there, when you get back.

If you too want to be a 94 year old champion, see: http://www.honeymellow.com/collections/fun-signs or  http://etsy.me/1lSkbMC

Why Your Friends Are Good for You June 08 2014

How many times have we forgotten our friends when exciting things happen in our life, we are immersed in work or a new love begins?  Probably - a lot.  Friends are all too easily forgotten.  Yet friends are not only useful in times of need, enable shared experiences and act as a great confidante, but they are also good for your health.  Studies have shown that having good friends:

• reduces your chances of getting chronic disease
• can be just as effective as antidepressants in getting over depression
• decreases your risk of death 
• protects against suffering stress

We have days for other members of our family and anniversaries for marriages but Best Friends Day is hardly recognised in spite of these important benefits. Sometimes it’s our friends who stick with us through good and bad without having any obligation to do so when family members are less forthcoming. The UN have recently recognised an International Day of Friendship at the end of July/beginning of August to celebrate the bonds we form with one another.  

On average we have just under 400 friends in a lifetime however how many of them are truly best friends?  These are the ones who are not necessarily your friend for the longest but the ones who ‘never left your side’ when it mattered.  Best Friends Day is a wonderful way to be reminded of some of the most important people in our life.  Some countries have colourful celebrations whereas in others it passes unacknowledged.  

At Honeymellow, we have signs to remind you about your important friendships every day of the year.  See them on Etsy and our own website:  http://etsy.me/1lfNHec  or http://bit.ly/1kODB5n   We have also put together a friendship inspired Pinterest board at: http://bit.ly/1p9b3oW   Remember don't take your friends for granted: a best friend is for life not for just to be remembered on one day of the year.

How to Say 'No' to Junk Mail May 09 2014

How many times a year, days in a week and minutes in the day do you spend picking-up junk mail out of the letterbox, opening, reading and then binning it?  Statistics show that  annually approximately 12 billion pieces of junk mail are sent to UK households and businesses; the average household gets 453 items of junk mail and 65 pieces are delivered to you. (http://www.stopjunkmail.org.uk/facts/). Incredibly 90% of this is junk mail we have not requested and these figures. Never mind all the spam we get in our inboxes via email that we have to deal with. 

Apart from wasting a lot of your time, there is considerable damage done to the environment as this amount of junk mail is  equal to between 4.6 and 6.1 million trees in the UK.  In Australia, the campaign group 1 Million Women (http://www.1millionwomen.com.au/tag/so-no-to-junk-mail/) argues that this is as much as 100 million with just under half of that not even being opened. 

Life’s little irritations, such as having to sort through junk mail everyday when you are trying to locate an important piece of post, does have an impact on us as individuals causing us stress as well as wasting our time.  If you are planning on taking a holiday, the problem is compounded by the volume of post you will have when you return but also a full postbox not only means your important post does not get delivered but is also a clear signal to burglars that you are away.

So what can we do about it?  Apart from being careful who you give your personal details to, there are various organisations that you can register with which will get your name and addressed removed from some mailing lists.  These include the Mailing Preference Service (http://www.mpsonline.org.uk/mpsr/) for addressed junk mail and The Royal Mail’s Door-to-Door Opt-Out (http://bit.ly/1nYhdHD) for unaddressed post.  These services in particular stop unsolicited mail when there has been a bereavement.

These may stop some junk mail but not all.  There is still the local delivery person who may put fliers from local companies through your door so our final suggestion is to place a ‘No Junk Mail’ firmly to your door to deter people from filling your letterbox with unwanted post.  It is one of our most popular signs and because all doors and post boxes are not the same it comes in a choice of sizes, shapes, colours and designs.  Part of our Vital Signs range to remove life’s little irritations, we hope it will not only stop you receiving your share of the 12 billion pieces of junk mail posted each year, but will also be an attractive accessory to your door - and if you order from us, we promise that your details will be kept only by us and all you will receive is a carefully packaged glossy sign, delivered within days dropping through your door.

How to Love Being in the Garden May 04 2014

Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and the warming days are lingering much longer.  If you find that your green-fingers are a little rusty from the wet winter weather, here are some tips to get you into gardening:

1. Looking for Inspiration?  Towns and cities are over-growing with garden events.  This may be in the form of open gardens, competitions  for the best hanging basket, allotment, vegetables or village in bloom, as well as flower shows such as the prestigious Chelsea Flower Show http://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-chelsea-flower-show on 20-24 May.  If you have missed tickets, it is usually televised nightly or embrace the more accessible Chelsea Fringe http://www.chelseafringe.com from 17 May - 8 June with events much further afield than just West London.  If you want more instant and ongoing inspiration, look at our Pinterest board http://www.pinterest.com/honeymellow/garden-quotations-to-dig/ which has a range of motivational quotations (including some of our own) which will make even the most reluctant gardener’s fingers turn green.
2. Lacking the expertise?  If you do not know the difference between your perennials and biennials there is lots of help on-line.  The Royal Horticultural Society www.rhs.org.uk has a beginner’s guide to gardening as well as a glossary.  If you are not sure what to do when, there are many gardening calendars on the web with one of the best on the BBC’s website at www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/calendar.  A more ambitious list of jobs to do each week is at www.ukgardening.co.uk although this may be a little daunting for a beginner. 
3. Need to make it look artistic as well as colourful? Pinterest is a wonderful community where people share various expertise as well as pictures.  One of our favourite boards is http://www.pinterest.com/bridieja/garden/ which has plenty of landscaping and gardening ideas.  Searches on Pinterest will yield a whole range of planting arrangements, garden ornaments, furniture, buildings and design ideas. Create your own board base on what you would like to achieve.  Be careful not to indulge in endless garden planning and no action as it is very addictive.
4. No space to garden?  UK Gardening has less ambitious instructions about how to put together your own hanging basket.   www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/containers is a fantastic guide to growing your own fruit and vegetables throughout the year in container pots covering the basics: what, when and how, to have produce throughout the year.  
5. Want to do something for the community?  Guerrilla gardening is growing in popularity where keen gardeners tackle a bit of unloved public space and make it attractive again for everyone to enjoy.  This is more about making Britain a big garden rather than a big society. www.guerillagardening.org/ggtips.html shows you how to get involved and information on useful intriguing techniques such as seed bombs & chemical warfare. 
6. Fed up with pests & bugs?  If you are worried that your efforts could be destroyed by various pests and diseases, Radio 4 Gardener’s Question Time is a wonderful way of learning from others’ experiences.  If you need more specific information on a particular disease ridden plant www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/calendar has a section on identifying pests and diseases as well as www.rhs.org.uk  
7. Initial enthusiasm has waned?  If you need an on-going nudge to keep digging, then follow @MyGardenSchool on Twitter for regular tweets.  It features an abundance of tips and tutorials as well as a lot of inspiring pictures in their gallery.

Obviously, if you are going to be spending all this time in the garden, it would help visitors and family members to know where you are.  Visit our ‘Sow & Grow’ collection of custom made signs both here and on Etsy https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Honeymellows   where you can choose from our range of very popular ‘I’m in the Garden, Greenhouse, Shed…’ signs to hang on your front door so others can find you amongst your flowers and mundane things such as deliveries are not missed whilst you are absorbed in nurturing your blooms.  We can even personalise most of our signs with your name, often for no extra cost if you want a sign that is unique to you. We also have signs welcoming visitors to your garden, inspiring quotations and plaques to show-off your strawberry or vegetable patch.  Alternatively you can choose a design to complement your garden and add your own text with a personalised message.

If our blog hasn’t inspired you to turn your fingers green and you would rather nurture a rosy glow relaxing in the sunshine instead, our ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs may help you to wile away the hours peacefully this summer. 

FAQ on Signs to Love, Inform & Inspire April 04 2014

How are your signs made?

Our Honeymellow signs are handmade in our barn on the farm.  The design is digitally produced using specialist inks and then heat-pressed onto your aluminium sign. This gives your sign a glossy, smooth, vibrant finish as the colours are entirely integrated into the plaque.  We do not use transfers, engraving or vinyl lettering which would not give this smooth finish.  To keep your sign clean, simply wipe or polish with a soft cloth.  Do not use any chemicals which may damage the sign.

What if I am unsure about if a design or text will work on a sign?

Simply ask us for picture of your sign either before or when you buy and we will send one to you via email.  We are quite happy to make any adjustments that are needed until you are happy with your sign.  We love clear instructions with plenty of information about the layout you would like.  Sometimes we may give you an alternative option if we think there is a more attractive or clearer layout or better use could be made of the space.  We also use our expertise to make sure that the layout makes your text as legible as possible such as enlarging key words. 

What personalised signs do you do?

We offer a specific collection of ‘Blank Signs’ to personalise as well as the option in many of our other collections to personalise them.  We try to offer a wide range of different designs where you can add your own text so that it fits your purpose and design.  We want our signs to be both beautiful and useful. After all ours signs are made to love, inform or inspire. It may be a routine message but there is no reason that the design cannot be a delight to look at.  We will not put offensive messages on our signs but other than that we are happy to make signs with whatever text you want.  We make lots of signs with birthday, wedding and Christmas messages.  Office door signs with people’s name and position.  Front door signs with instructions regarding ringing bells or where to leave parcels; commemorative plaques; funny signs and room signs.  We love it when you tell us the story behind a particular choice of text which often helps us in making sure the design is right.

How can I get my sign personalised?

Signs that can be personalised usually have boxes next to the photo for you to complete with your choice of text, font and attachment.  This makes it easy for you to personalise before you put it in your basket.  There is also a box at check-out to add any further information you think we need from you or for you to request a picture of your sign before we send it so that you can request any adjustments.  If there is anything that we are missing we will contact you.  Use the ‘contact us’ button or email us with any further questions you may have, or if there is something you want that we have not listed or created an option for when ordering your sign.  Be prepared for us to reply at all hours as we often burn the midnight oil at evenings and weekends.  We want you to be happy with your sign and enjoy working with you to make sure this happens.  

Help! Do you correct spelling errors?

Yes! We believe there is no point sending you a sign with an error on it just because that is what you requested.  We are all human and make occasional errors particularly when time is short.  We want you to be happy with your sign so we will correct spelling and grammatical errors.  We do check with you if it is not obvious that this is an unintentional error.  We have even been known to give a quick explanation on the use of  the apostrophe to companies who need to have perfect signs for their clients.  If your sign arrives with an error that we have missed and not corrected, simply contact us and we will do our best to put it right for you. We want you to be happy with your sign.  

Will I be charged more if I want more text?

Of course not! Honeymellow began because we were frustrated at the high cost of signs needed for our farm and the ambiguity over pricing which often was not revealed until after the design was complete on a complex computer programme that often crashed.  We have turned this process upside down so the price is the first thing you see and brought the human element back to online.  The price shown when you select the type of sign you want is the price you pay.  Any text you enter into the boxes, or choice of font will not change that price.  Add as much text or as little. We often offer the personalisation of signs for free on many of our listings.  When we do charge a little more for personalised signs as opposed to the standard design, this is due to the extra time we spend making sure your new design is right. However the price is always listed clearly when you select that option.

What artwork do you use?

Our designs feature a range or artwork and styles from a variety of sources.  This includes our own, our customers when requested, artwork from other artists we like which we purchase and credit, or designs in the public domain.  Our signs often feature a combination of artwork to create a unique design for you.

Can I request a different sized sign from the ones advertised?

We do not currently cut signs to different sizes however we do have signs in a wide range of shapes and sizes so chances are that you will find the right size in one of collections.  Contact us if you want us to confirm whether we can do a particular size.

Can I request a different font?

We list the fonts that we use, but please contact us if you want a particular font that is not listed before ordering and we will confirm if we can do it.  We can also do different alphabets, if you send us the text.  We frequently do signs in Norwegian, French or Greek.  Again, please check with us before ordering.  If you are unsure about which font to choose, see our blog posts which give guidance about fonts for different purposes amongst many other things.

Will my sign rust?

Our Honeymellow signs are made of aluminium.  This does not rust so it is suitable for outside use.  Unlike wood, our designs on our signs will not peel or crack.  Simply avoid scratching the surface of your sign and try to keep it out of direct sunlight for long periods so that the colours remain vibrant and your sign continues to look like new.

Handmade signs must take a long time to make?

We work very hard at Honeymellow to try and make your sign the day that it is ordered so that we can pop it into the next post.  

How long does delivery take?

We post our signs first class in the UK which the Royal Mail states takes up to three working days although most of our orders are delivered the next day.  Airmail delivery to Europe takes a maximum of five working days and to other countries including the US, Australia and Canada delivery takes a maximum of seven working days.  During the Christmas period or on Bank Holidays, delivery may take a little longer.  Contact us if your order has not arrived in a reasonable period of time.

What are the postal costs in the UK and abroad?

Postage is free in the UK.  We keep costs very low to other countries based on the weight of your order so that you do not overpay for a small order.  See our blog for how we calculate this weight.  Often you want just one sign for a particular purpose so we try to make this as affordable as possible.  If you feel that the final postage cost seems too high, contact us and we will make sure that the price you pay is what it costs for post and packaging or less.  Please remember that you may have to pay local taxes in countries outside the UK and EU.

Can I buy your signs on the high street?

No.  Our Honeymellow signs are made by us and sold directly to you.  This makes them great for gifts, particularly if they are personalised.  We do sell some signs by other companies such as Heaven Sends and EPC Design which are not unique to us.  You can also find us on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Honeymellows   Honeymellow originally began on Ebay where we still offer a small range under Honeymellows, particularly many of our ‘Vital Signs’ collection.

Are you on social media?

Look for Honeymellows on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, Pinterest and Honeymellow on Google+.  Like our signs, we try to put posts to love, inform or inspire. Our sign collections all have social media buttons for you to like, pin or tweet us!  Creating your own Pinterest board is a great way to create your own wish list of our signs for future reference.  Remember we also have a blog on this website which is regularly updated when we are not making your signs.

Who and where do you sell to and does this include businesses?

We send our signs right across the world, particularly to Australia, Canada, the US as well as the UK, Ireland and many other European countries.  We work with a lot of business to provide signs for offices, dance studios, housing developments and shops as well as signs for individuals, gifts, homes and particular occasions.  We keep all the designs that we do which makes it easy for our many customers who want repeat orders.  If there is not a themed sign that we do, contact us and we may be able to design something for you and add it to our range.  A lot of our signs have been created as a result of customer requests.

What do magnets stick to? 

Magnets stick to a range of metals.  These include: steel, nickel, cobalt, tin and above all iron.  They do not stick to stainless steel, brass, aluminium or copper.  For example, your sign may stick to your toaster or bread-maker which may contain iron, but not to your stainless steel kettle. Avoid putting your magnet on something that gets very hot, such as a radiator which will make it more difficult to detach.  

How sticky are your sticky pads?

Our double-sided foam sticky pads are designed for both inside and outside permanent use as an alternative to glue or screws.  Water and temperature resistant: they will still stick in wet weather or cold and hot temperatures.  This makes them perfect for bathrooms, garden gates and front doors.  Our signs are light so often only two sticky pads are needed to hold your sign firmly in place.  The secret to making sure your sign stays-up permanently is applying the pads to a clean, dry surface and pressing each side firmly for 30 seconds to make sure they stick properly.  We try to use the best available brand which is currently Sellotape’s sticky fixers for permanent outdoor use.

What other attachments do you use?

For our Honeymellow signs, we currently offer sticky pads, magnets, a hanging ribbon or string and screw holes.  For a flush finish you can choose not to select an attachment and use your own choice of strong glue: no nails needed.  Our signs are often light enough to be held by a small pin from a hanging ribbon if you do not want the sign permanently displayed.

Is your payment method secure?

We use Paypal as this takes you to the secure Paypal website where you can enter your password so that we do not take any of your financial details.  This also makes it very easy to refund your money, if necessary back to your Paypal account as well as giving you all the protection as a consumer that Paypal offers.  Our website is supported by Shopfiy which also gives an added layer of protection and efficiency.  We do not pass your details to any other parties for marketing purposes.  Unless you consent to our marketing the only automated emails you will receive from us is one confirming your order and another confirming its dispatch.  We also sell a lot of our signs on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Honeymellows where we also accept Etsy gift tokens and direct checkout as well as Paypal.

What do I do if I want to return an item?

We have only ever had one return of our signs to date.  If you receive your sign and it is not what you wanted, contact us immediately via email or the ‘contact us’ button so that we  can try and put things right for you.  If you want a refund, contact us so we can give you a return address and arrange a refund.  We package our signs very carefully but if in the very rare event your sign has suffered damage during delivery, send us a picture and we will give you a full refund.  Our only stipulation is that you contact us regarding any problem within 21 days of receiving your goods.  Please also see our Returns Policy.  We pride ourselves on exceptional personalised customer service so that you can order with confidence. 

How do we contact you?

Simply click on the ‘contact us’ button on the webpage which will send an email to us with your query.  Alternatively email us at honeymellows@yahoo.co.uk.  This means we can answer you queries and work with you on an order even when we are not in our workshop on the farm.

Who are Honeymellow?

We are a small family run business in our barn on our farm in the gorgeous Kent countryside surrounded by sandy shores which inspires what we do.  Honeymellow began in 2012 when we realised that we wanted custom-made, beautiful signs, quickly and easily with our choice of text for our farm but could not source them quickly, easily or at low cost.  Our aim is to create signs to love, inform or inspire - and hopefully to do all three.  We enjoy creating or sourcing designs to working with you to get something that fits your business or brightens your home as well as the occasional writing of quirky blogs or tweets. We deliberately keep our business small  by only selling online so that we keep the personal touch and high standards we would want for ourselves.  We really love what we do and we hope you do too. 

Apps for Hearts and Minds March 12 2014

How to Read Quickly March 05 2014

What is your favourite children's story?  Do you like some Harry Potter magic? To go on an adventure with the Famous Five or a little escapism to the land of Narnia?  

We love books at Honeymellow, whether it is fact, fiction, for children or adults, paperback or ebook.  If we can see it, we will read it and probably love it.  Hence we enjoy making signs out of words and pictures to evoke an idea, a particular time or create a sense of place.  However what we don't like is the fact that if we read from now non-stop for the rest of our lives, we will never ever finish all the books we would like to read.  As readers, we dip in and out of books, sometimes finishing them, sometimes not and quite often losing our place so we have to start again.

Honeymellow can help with the last problem easily with our range of 'Wise Words' bookmarks.  In actual fact our 15x5cm and 10x15cm signs are all great for slipping into a book to mark your place.  You can choose an inspiring saying, a reminder to make 'Time for Tea' or design your own in our 'Write Your Own' designs.  Not losing your place is one way to speed-up the reading process, however if you want to devour as many books as possible in the least amount of time, try the following:

1) Make sure the text is in a serif text such as Times New Roman.  The horizontal lines at the bottom of each letter act like a ruler, making it much easier to speed along the lines without losing your place.  If the text is sans serif, such as Arial, your finger going along each line (the sweep method) or using a bookmark will suffice.

2) Get an overview.  Look at the book as a whole especially its contents page and skim read sections.  This will give you a sense of direction so that you are more likely to understand where you are heading with a book rather than getting lost and having to re-read on the way.

3) Stop sub-vocalisation (i.e. vocalising the words in your head). Try to comprehend what you are reading without saying it in full in your mind.  This will also stop you pausing at commas or full stops.

5) Stay focused by moving your hand down the page at a constant speed.  Read to keep pace with this and still understand the text.  This will also stop you jumping forward or looking back at text you have just read.

6) Read blocks of words rather than each one individually.  This will not only speed-up your reading but also aid understanding.

7) Try the app Spritz: it promises a reading speed of 500-1000 words per minute compared to the normal 220.  By showing one word at time with one letter highlighted in red and a vertical line, it keeps the eye in the same optimal recognition point, avoiding time-wasting eye movements.  All you need is very good concentration to take in the meaning - and a Samsung device to download the app.

These techniques are great for reading quickly and easily, but remember there is always a time and a place for slowly devouring a story, enjoying the look, smell and touch of the book as you turn the pages; listening to the sound of onomatopoeic words and enjoying the anticipation of what is to come. If we had used speed reading techniques as children, would we have grown to love reading stories at all? Perhaps reading is a time when less is so much more.

How to Become a 'Hog-Spotter' February 27 2014

Honeymellow is a farm-based, family business; hence animals are always high in our priorities and inspire a lot of our signs.  In the UK, it is wonderful to have so many organisations in existence which support animal welfare.  Hardly, a week goes by when we are not promoting a plea for help with some research to make sure we keep all the wonderful wildlife that exists in both town and country.  

Earlier this year we had the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which asked us to spend an hour over a weekend to note down the birds we saw in our garden.  More recently, this month there has been National Nestbox Week, where we were all prompted to put a bird box in our gardens - Honeymellow are still waiting for some owls to make home in a rather roomy and highly perched box on the farm.  This week the Hedgehog Society want us to do a bit of 'hog-spotting', by contributing to their survey at http://bit.ly/1jCzSEr  With the warmer winter and relentless rain, it is worrying that hedgehogs may have emerged out of hibernation a little too early; woken from their long sleep hungry without the abundance of food that spring brings.  

At Honeymellow we love feeding our hedgehogs.  During the warmer months, they scuttle along as soon as dusk falls to get their fill of Spike's hedgehog food along with some water and then, a little fatter and fuller, scuttle off again.  The regularity of their visits to the garden means that 'hog-spotting' becomes a delightful daily activity but more importantly, something that has to be done everyday so that they are not left disappointed and hungry.  Hence our 'hedgehog has been/not been fed' signs, are used to help remind us that someone needs to fill the bowl before dusk.  A small chore for such a great reward to see these wonderful creatures daily in your garden.  

So if you have a few moments to spare, support the Hedgehog Society in their 'hog-spotting' survey.  If you really want to see some spiky visitors in your garden - a bowl of suitable food (see http://bit.ly/1px68fQ ) and water put out prior to dusk could mean that you get the privilege of a daily hungry hedgehog visit.

It's Never Too Late February 18 2014

Have you spent the weekend in the dog house because you forgot to do something special for Valentine's Day? Don't worry, it is never too late to tell someone you love them. It does not need to be a grand gesture either. According to the latest report from OnePlusOne, it is the small things that matter: remembering to say 'hello' when they walk in the room and 'thank-you' when they have made you a drink. 

Sometimes we forget to be grateful for the everyday gestures of goodwill from others. Remember, love is not just for Valentine's Day but for...always.

To help jog memories, we have a new range of sign designs in our 'Lots of Love' range. Simply send one to someone you love or personalise a bespoke sign with your own unique, heartfelt message. If this does not melt the frosty atmosphere caused by a forgotten card or bunch of flowers, we also have a series of cute pet signs, to put on your very own dog house!

Never a Dull Day... February 17 2014

Love, Money & Statistics February 16 2014

As cupid polishes-up his bow and arrow at this time of year, we thought we would take a little of the romance out of Valentine's by giving you some very unemotional statistics on love. According to a Mintel survey 7% of us have never ever fallen in love although your chances of doing so and living happily ever after increases if you earn over £50,000. Money clearly does buy happiness. Even your location can determine your chances of romance with London apparently being the most romantic region in the country and the North West, alas the least.

Sadly, a horrifying 53% of relationships ended when a partner did nothing for Valentine's day. If this sounds a little high, the 14% of women who bought themselves flowers on Valentine's is hopefully too low a number. What could be a better way of self-gifting? 

If you are wondering why everyone is writing or talking about romance at the moment, then you are the 10% who forget about Valentine's Day. Cupid appears to have aimed and missed catastrophically. 

Personalisation Made Much Quicker & Even Easier October 07 2013

How to Create Your Own Poetry Plaque October 04 2013

What is your favourite poem?  As lovers of language at Honeymellow, we love poetry.  It is that wonderful moment when you some lines of verse come to mind that sum up that ‘spot in time’.  In the ‘seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness’, we thought we would give you some ideas about creating your own custom-made ‘Poetry Plaque’.  

Firstly you need to choose your plaque.  We have expanded our range of blank signs to include not only our popular silver, white and gold colours in different sizes but we are also now offering different colourful themed backgrounds too from wood effect to vintage shabby chic.  

Secondly, let us know the lines of poetry you want by typing or pasting them into the blank box designated for your own text on the page of your chosen plaque before you add it to your shopping cart.  Is it something nostalgic from childhood, a few lines to inspire or you love the sound of the words that sing in your ears? If ‘thou has some music too’, you could pen some lines of your own.  Five of our favourite forms of poetry which are great for signs are:

1. The haiku: an ancient Japanese form of unrhymed poetry consisting of just 3 lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables and then 5 again.
2. A tanka: similar to a haiku but longer with five lines of  5, 7, 5, 7, 7 syllables.
3. Palindrome or mirror poetry: a poem that reads the same backwards as it does forwards.
4. An acrostic: the first letter of each line spell a word which is usually the title of the poem.
5. The Shakespearean sonnet: for the more adventurous, this has 10 syllables per line and rhymes: abab cdcd efef gg.

If you have a family member or friend who has put pen to paper, a bespoke poetry plaque would make a wonderful gift.  Put their carefully crafted lines on display this autumn as the 'hedge-crickets sing', 'the redbreast whistles' and the ‘gathering swallows twitter in the skies’.

What's in a Name? Why You Should Personalise Gifts September 28 2013

Gingham: The New London Fashion September 16 2013

Whilst all eyes are glued on London fashion week and the latest offerings from Burberry, At Honeymellow we thought we would add a quintessential English check design to the new trends.  

Our gorgeous, pretty gingham signs come in a range of colours including grey, green, pink and blue with a matching border.  Simply add your own text before putting it in your shopping cart: A name of room?  Message to a loved one? A request to visitors?  We will then create your customised sign the same day to give you something truly unique to add to your home.  No waiting for next season.

Who needs designers when you can create your own London style?

Vital Signs for a Happier Life September 12 2013

  

   

FREE UK Postage & LOW Global Postal Rates August 20 2013

How many times have you seen something you want and got to the check-out page to find a huge sum added for postal delivery?  If it is anything like our experience, this happens a lot.  Furthermore, postal charges are usually difficult to find - having been hidden away somewhere so we cannot find them.  

As well as making personalisation of custom-made products easy, Honeymellow also want to take the sting out of postal charges whilst still giving very fast delivery.  Here is what we do:

1) FREE Postage for UK Customers:  No need to worry about charges, unless in the very rare event you order something extremely heavy (2.27kg plus) which would require a special courier and would cost just £10 for delivery.  Most items will reach you the next day as we try wherever possible to post the same day as you order and usually first class by the Royal Mail.  

2) LOW Global Postage: Our products go far and wide at very little cost to you.  Postage starts at just £1.90 (under $3) for airmail delivery and increase according to the weight of the order.  Delivery usually takes seven working days.  

3) LOWER & Faster European Delivery: Our minimum charge is £1.20 / €1.40 (approx) for orders under 100grams. Most orders are delivered by airmail within the week.  We also post to almost all European countries.

No need to worry that something will get lost in the post either.  In the very, very, very rare event, that your order should get lost in the post, simply email us and we will put things right for you.  

See below for full details of our delivery rates:

How to Order a Custom-Made Sign July 28 2013

Why Have a Sign Custom-Made?

One of our most popular products at Honeymellow is the custom-made sign.  We want to replace mass-produced with mass-personalised and so do our customers.  We have all wasted time looking for the elusive product that fits our needs, not finding it or worse still, making do with something that is not quite right.  

We also all want signs for different purposes: unique delivery instructions about where to leave parcels, a  dated plaque to celebrate an anniversary or someone's name for an office or child's room.  A simple sign with the right information can make all the difference.  

We also want you to surround yourself with things you love.  Honeymellow make it very easy to get rid of crumpled, torn paper signs that get wind blown or smudged with rain for something much more attractive and longer lasting.  

If you are a Twitter user, see our 'Make Britain Beautiful' tweets #MakeBritainBeautiful to encourage people to smarten-up their signs and make them easy to read and aesthetically pleasing.  

Why Choose Honeymellow to Make your Sign?

We started making our own signs as a result of trying to order signs for the farm online which were a) time-consuming to order requiring lots of instructions to go through b) limited in the number of words we could use so our signs could not actually say what we wanted. c) lots of terms and conditions that did not allow any corrections of mistakes or checking by the sign makers d) very expensive - where the cost was not revealed until the very end, when a huge amount of time had been spent on the website.  

As a small business, Honeymellow are able to take the time with your order to make sure it is what you want - and often better than expected at a lot less cost - an awful lot less.  We are also very quick.  Most UK customers get their signs the very next day and international buyers via airmail within a week as we try to post the same day.  It is also very easy for you to let us know what you want in two simple stages:  

1) Select the sign size, shape and colour you want from our product list in the 'Personalised Signs' collection.  

2) Before adding your sign to your shopping cart fill in the blank boxes on the product's page.  Write in the text you want, your choice of font and whether you want it hanging, with holes for screws, magnets or sticky pads.  We then do the rest for you. Should you forget to do this, or realise you have made a mistake afterwards, just contact us by clicking on the 'contact us' button on the bottom right hand corner of your screen or email honeymellows@yahoo.co.uk  We will also email you if we think something is missing.

There is no complex computer programme to wade through we like to keep things quick and easy.

Furthermore:

• We can send you a picture of your sign and you can make any changes you want.  Request this in the 'Special Instructions' box just before your check-out. 
• We do not insist that once you have given us your instructions, there is no opportunity for change.  We want you to be happy with your purchase.  
• If you are not sure about your grammar, or English is not your first language, we can help you with that.  We love guiding customers with the use of the impossible apostrophe!
• We also realise that most of our customers buy at evenings and weekends when most retailers are shut.  Hence, do not be surprised if you get a response from us out of normal business hours or you are contact us from a different time zone.

Will it Cost a Lot of Money?

We are extremely affordable.  Most of our signs, are made in our barn on the farm at Honeymellow and we source products from the UK.  Getting a custom-made sign is usually extremely expensive with very little choice about how it would look.  We try to keep the price of most of our signs under £10 which is often less than a lot of mass-produced ones.  

Will a Low Cost Mean Lack of Choice?

If the fonts we list are not the ones you want, let us know what you would like and we will do our best to do it for you or recommend one that has a close resemblance.  

If you have a particular request eg a foreign language or logo, contact us first before buying with the relevant information.  If we can do it, we will send you a sample picture of your sign for free. Sometimes we will also send you more than one picture to give you alternative options about how the design can work. You can then decide if you want to pay to order it.  We want you to have a sign with which you are entirely happy.

Will the Sign Peel and Crack?

Our signs are made of light aluminium.  This means that they do not rust and can be used anywhere.  

Holes can be put in the signs but they are also light enough to be put-up with magnets, hanging ribbon or cord, glue and sticky pads.  The pads we provide are out-door weatherproof, double-sided and designed to hold something far heavier.  

Your sign is designed on the computer, printed with special inks that turns into gas when heat-pressed onto your sign.  This process means the design becomes part of the actual sign.  There is no sticky lettering or plastic surface.  You will receive a completely smooth, glossy sign.  For outside signs we can use a UV protector to keep the colours vibrant but like any coloured object, avoiding direct sunlight will keep your sign looking like new.

Will It Take a Long Time to Deliver?

Almost all of the time, our signs are made the day you order and are often received the next day or day after if you live in the UK.  European deliveries by airmail usually take five working days: further afield such as the United States and Australia takes roughly seven working days to deliver.  The speed of our deliveries is one of the key areas that our customers praise.

What Can I Use a Custom-Made Sign For?

Customers have ordered an array of signs for different purposes.  These include: signs for visitors to your house, a thank-you to a friend, a plaque for a wine box or photograph album, a name for a child's swing, pet or vegetable patch; a business name or plaques for offices, instructions for deliveries or a unique anniversary present.  Whatever you want, we will try our utmost to do for you.  If you cannot see what you want, email us and we will tell you what we can do.  If in the rare event we cannot accommodate your wishes, we are happy to recommend other companies who might be able to help you.

So... if you want quick, affordable, custom-made signs, all you have to do is let us know what you want and we do the rest.  All you have to do is get rid of those old crumpled, smudged signs to make way for something much more shiny.

A New Home for Honeymellow June 27 2013

Welcome to our new store.  We have been successfully nurturing our business under the wing of other websites selling around the world.  Now it is time to spread our wings and develop an online home of our own.  Our cottage industry in the barn on the farm has now ripened along with our crops for harvest and is fully fluffed as our sheep are for sheering.  

We want you to surround yourself with things you love and get rid of the things you don't.  Get rid of the irritations of missed deliveries, unwanted callers and forgetting to put the rubbish out and replace them with our simple 'vital signs' to make life run more smoothly.  Enjoy your favourite hobbies in life whether you are a green-fingered gardener, keen cyclist or training to be the next Andy Murray with our signs that let people know where you are.  Get your own taste of Honeymellow with our animal inspired gifts whether it is our silly Shaun the Sheep oven gloves or our not so dangerous dinosaurs.  Set within sight of the sandy shores of the coast with  thoughts of dipping our toes in the sea have led to a range of seaside plaques.  If you can never find the right gift for someone, we have many products, unique to Honeymellow which are made in our farm's barn aimed at all ages.

If we can personalise something for you we will. Let us know what you want and we will do our utmost to try and do it for you.   We want you to be happy with your purchase.   If this still isn't enough for you, select our blank signs and tell us what you want on them: A message for a loved one? A reminder for visitors?  A name of a room or person? 

We have grown our business, as a result of what customers request and we are still growing... Our own website at the moment is trading in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, France and Germany as we take our first few steps alone.  Within a very short time, we will be soaring off to other shores.