Happy Birthday Cath Kidston!

I had a lot to thank our postman for yesterday. Not only did he deliver a lovely new Cath Kidston catalogue, he also put this fabulous new book (hot off the press) through our letterbox. Hoorah!

I love anything and everything Cath Kidston so I was really excited by the prospect of a whole book about the brand and the lady herself. I managed to keep my excitement contained until Little Treasure had gone to bed for the night and then I read it cover to cover! (Fear not dear readers, Mr Treasure's Chief Chef in our house so we didn't have to forego dinner last night due to my stint of reading!)

Hooray for Stanley! Gone, but not forgotten.

'Coming Up Roses' is a really interesting read and is a mixture of Cath herself talking and someone else (Sue Chidler) filling in the gaps. It's very anecdotal and is full of all sorts of snippets about how Cath went from selling her Aunt's vegetable patch as a child, to being at the helm of one of the world's most recognisable brands. Did you know that Cath had a pet donkey called Beauty who used to come into the sitting room when Cath and her family were having tea?!

The Cath Kidston catalogue has certainly come a long way from the early days to the one that dropped on to our doormat yesterday!

 After launching various handmade products, it was a flowery ironing board cover that got the attention of the press. It's fabulous to think that after 20 years, flowery ironing board covers are still so popular (we've got a Cath Kidston one and I wouldn't swap it for anything else!)

I like the fact that the book takes you on a journey, from Cath's early business beginnings, right up to the present day. It's an interesting read on lots of levels - whether you're a fan of Cath Kidston designs and products, someone who runs or is thinking of running their own business, somone who aspires to  turn their own designs into something tangible or a mixture of all of these. There are lots of photos and it's really interesting to read stories about Cath's successes (and failures) over the years. It's pretty inspiring stuff really.

 

 

 

 

Having seen this photo in the book, I'm now lusting after a set of brightly coloured handled cutlery! (I've just checked the Cath Kidston website and it's on sale...oh no, dilemmas, dilemmas!)

This bit in particular made me laugh out loud. I started reading it thinking, 'oh no, some poor chap who couldn't adapt got given the heave ho'...and then I read to the end of the paragraph. Poor Stanley!

With so much success and so many amazing achievements (including an MBE, over 100 Cath Kidston shops worldwide and bringing a trend to our homes that has been loved for 20 years), it was rather lovely to read that Cath, having loved Blue Peter as a child, considers being awarded a Blue Peter badge one of her most thrilling moments. It just goes to show that watching Blue Peter and having a dream can get you a very long way in life!

If you're a fan of Cath Kidston, I can't urge you strongly enough to rush out and buy a copy of this book right away!

Coming Up Roses
The Story of Growing a Business
 By Cath Kidston with Sue Chidler

Published by Quadrille
£16.00