SATS STARS 2019

Do you know a child who is sitting school tests this year? It could be year 2 or year 6 SATs, GCSEs, A Levels or anything else.

Exams are pretty nerve wracking, and our SATs Star project is a sweet way to reassure your loved one that they are lovely lovable and loved exactly as the are, regardless of their performance in the exams.

The SATS Star project is now in its FOURTH year and we've sold literally hundreds of letters of encouragement and good luck charms in the past. We've had loads of gorgeous feedback from parents, including:

"Just received the sats letter and pac man wrist band. Thank you very much. The letter brought a tear to my eye it’s so lovingly written and the personal information just make it special. Can’t wait to give it to my boy on Monday. Thank you x "

❤️

"Mrs Bee, I have just received Jamie's sats letter and band, and I'm sat here in tears. Thank you so much, it sums up everything we want him to know. 

He is so worried about letting the school down, himself down and us down that he has got himself in a state, it's horrible to see my bright happy boy being weighed down with worry. Hopefully your letter will let him know how much we believe in him.

Thank you thank you thank you. Xxx "

❤️

"Just opened our SATs letters. What a really special thing for them to get. They love them and made 2 very anxious little girls feel much better at bed time. Thank you so much xxx "

❤️

What is the SATs Star Project?

The whole premise of the SATs Star Project is that 'the universe' sends your child a letter that reminds them that they are totally wonderful, and very much loved, regardless of the outcome of the tests. These letters can be personalised, so you give us some info about things to include (for example the child's interests, things they excel in, details of pets, family members, etc.) You can see an example of handwritten letters we sent here:

In addition to the letter, we send a small good luck token for the child to take into the exam room with them. The magic of the project is that the token (and there is a choice of options this year!) is that it provides a visual and sensual reminder of the lovely things that were said about the child in the letter.

We have had many parents tell us that they find their child's SATs Star trinket months and years after the SATs have finished, and their child becomes attached to the meaning behind it. They seem to be especially comforting for year 6s when the start secondary school.

So, do you want to hear about what we have for 2019?

💥 This year we have more options than ever before! 👀

1) A personalised letter of encouragement and a pin badge! These are especially effective because they can be pinned inside a pocket - so the child can discreetly feel the support by putting their hand inside their pocket. In this way it's discreet and other children don't necessarily need to know about it, if that makes the child feel better.

There are a choice of 2 pin designs with this SATs Star listing:

You can order this here: https://etsy.me/2DLfy5F

2) A personalised letter of encouragement and a personalised pendant!

You can personalise the letter AND the words on the necklace:

The necklace comes packaged in a black and silver card presentation box.

You can order this here: https://etsy.me/2PEogY9

3) A personalised letter of encouragement and a rainbow boblet (soft elastic wristband)

What symbolises hope more than a rainbow? These boblets are loved by our tweens and teens, and can be used to put up hair if necessary too. They can be re-tied to ensure the perfect fit.

You can buy this here: https://etsy.me/2PEogY9

4) A NON PERSONALISED letter of encouragement and a rainbow boblet wristie

This is a generalised letter of support, at a lower price point, so everyone can be included. We will send a lovely letter of support that doesn't include any specifics about your child, but is still something they will enjoy and remember. This option may also be more suitable for children who may feel a bit anxious about someone knowing so much about them.

You can buy this here: https://etsy.me/2DBe0ef

Why have the prices increased from last year?

Each year we try to find a way we can increase the amount of children we can send a SATs Star to. We are always interested to hear ways that we can expand the project, so please message us if you have some suggestions.

We are limited somewhat by the fact that there is only Dom and I working at Mrs Bee - and that this is our main family income. We give whatever we can, but we still have to pay the bills.

In the past we have sold heavily subsidised SATs Stars, and these have been well received. However, it means that there is no money to pay other people to help us write the letters (as these take the vast majority of the time).

In addition, we donate 20% of the total income to Young Minds. After discussing the issue with a focus group, we felt that we would be better to charge more for each item, which would then give us the opportunity to employ people to help us, donate more to charity and expand the project that way (whilst still enabling us to pay the bills - which is even more important now we have expanded into our own business premises).

We have consciously added an option at a low price point (£4, with free P&P) so that no-one is excluded by budget.

I hope you understand, and we are happy to receive any feedback as we are deeply committed to the SATS Star Project and we want to see it thrive.



Can I buy an extra SATS Star and you donate it to a child in need?

This is a tricky question and one that Dom and I have given a lot of brain power to. The suggestion comes from a place of great generosity and we often receive questions like this. You guys - our customers - are an amazing and generous bunch, and we are so thankful and proud of you.

The problem is, how do we choose a child? If you put yourself in the position of a parent whose child received a donation like this, how would you feel? It's simpler if schools identify children who might benefit, but the schools we have approached have been reluctant to get involved in this way, and have bought whole class sets instead.

Dom and I both taught in a school in Hull on an estate that has record levels of deprivation. Our experience was that, even in the most deprived families, parents will find a small amount of money if they believe something will be a help to their child. It's a bit of a weird moral maze if you gift a SATs Star to someone's child without giving the parent the opportunity to be the one who provided it.

To avoid this issue altogether, we have decided this year that any parent who wishes to make an additional donation will be invited to make a donation to Young Minds themselves. This way the charity benefits and it's entirely transparent where the additional donations go to and how they are used by the charity.

If you wish to make an additional donation, you can find a link here:

https://youngminds.org.uk/donate/

Finally - don't forget to tag us in your social media pictures of your children with their SATs Stars, so we can give them a shout out on the day and wish them well! On Insta / Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest we are @mrsbeesemporium and #SATSstars

Wishing you - and your children - the very best of luck for the test season!

Much Love,

Could you be our newest Brand Rep?

If you are interested in becoming a Brand Rep, we'd love to learn a little more about you. We are always looking for people who love Mrs Bee's Emporium who have popular social media accounts to represent us. You need to be able to take a decent photograph, and be able to spread your enthusiasm for the brand to your followers. We don't look for a minimum number of followers (although it would be rare we'd work with someone with fewer than 1,000), we're far more interested in your personality, your passions and your outlook on life.

If you want to join the Mrs Bee family as a Brand Rep, please read the Ts and Cs below, and, if you're still keen, please drop us an email to brandreps@mrsbeesemporium.co.uk and answer the following questions:

1. Your name and background
2. The reasons you want to become a brand rep
3. Links to your social media accounts
4. Have you ever been a brand rep for other companies? If so, who?
5. Your favourite picture

We try to give a response within a week.

Take care,

Brand Rep Terms and Conditions

By becoming a Mrs Bee’s Emporium Rep you agree to the Terms & Conditions below:

The contract period

The Brand Rep will be contracted for a period of 4 months. If things work out for both we will extend for a longer period of time.

What does it mean to be a Brand Rep?

• Having a public and very active Instagram account.
• Taking photographs of our product in your home setting. We don't mind indoor or outdoor photographs, close ups or long shots, with or without your friends and family. Photos must, however, be natural. We love creative, fun, colourful, smiley photographs that reflect our brand well. We will then share these photos over our social media and in our marketing campaigns. We will be looking for 5 to 10 pictures per product that you receive from us.
• You will send us, by email or shared drive, unwatermarked photos. We need good quality, clear and bright photos.
• You must show your genuine love, support, and enthusiasm for our products and brand. You will demonstrate this through your photographs and comments on Instagram and other social media.
• You will promote our brand on your social media accounts through your photography of our products in use (Instagram: @mrsbeesemporium, Facebook: @mrsbeesemporium, Pinterest: mrsbeesemporium, Twitter: @mrsbeesemporium) and in general.
• You will regularly actively search #mrsbeesemporium and associated hashtags.
• You will promote and share any or all company announcements such as promotions, contests, launches, sales and events.
• You will represent our brand in public
• Mrs Bee’s Emporium has the right to use these photographs without permission each time on our social media accounts. We will, of course, credit you with a link to your social media account.

What The Brand Rep Gets In Return

• We will send you one free item with each order you place with us. You will required to place one order per month (you may purchase in bulk with multiple items to spread over a 2 month period.)
• You will get an exclusive 30% off discount code to be used for the duration of your Rep term by you only to buy gifts for yourself and your immediate family members and close friends.
• A 15% off discount code for family and friends for the duration of the term.
• We will ship your order as Expedited (next day shipping)
• You will receive insider updates on Mrs Bee’s Emporium news & releases
• Lots of love, support, and appreciation
• You will be credited in images we use in our social media
• You will receive exposure on Mrs Bee’s social media

End Contract

We have the right to withdraw the brand rep from the contract at anytime, if we find you are not abiding to all the terms and conditions or are otherwise bringing the brand into disrepute.

January 2019 - A New Hope

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

There is something about the way 2018 ended, that has left me with the feeling that a new era is starting for me. I am almost 45, so not ancient or that young really, but a nice round number that certainly denotes I am, at best, somewhere around the middle of my life. That the time left is a precious resource that is starting to run out.

I lost a much loved Aunty towards the end of 2018. I feel weird for saying 'much loved' because actually, I hadn't really been present in her life in a meaningful way for years, and now I regret that deeply. I did love her though. She symbolised something for me - a certain kind irreverence, a difference from my parents, love, colour, fun. I had always told myself the story that once my Dad (who has Parkinsons, dementia and an ASD) died, I would reconnect with this Aunty and she would help put the world back into full connectedness. But of course, I have learned the saddest way that that was just a story I told myself and therefore not real. I used it to shape my behaviour and I had made the entire Goddamn thing up.

That is a deep and uncomfortable truth.

I cannot go back and right the wrong, and tell her the role I had imagined she would play.

That got me to thinking. What else am I missing out on, because I have told myself a story about the way things are?
How else can I show up in the world?
Time is literally running out.
I don't want to live my life in a comfort zone, because I actually need to do stuff that makes a difference. Even if that involves hard emotional labour and vulnerability.
I don't want to get to the end of my life and realise I have bullshitted myself, or at least kept myself in a comfy emotional cocoon.
Even if it's uncomfortable, I want to do the best I can.

 At her funeral, the celebrant said my Aunty wanted to be remembered through the following sentence: that the love of power could be changed into the power of love.

WOW.
RIGHT IN THE FACE.
I still can't say that out loud without tears.

 You know what though? I missed my chance.

But - ...over the six months prior to her death, I became really close with her daughter - and closer too with my only brother. It kind of feels like we have a new sister. That's an incredible gift. It's love and laughter and connection and acceptance and every single day, even if it's just a silly meme or something that happened at work, or an eye roll - it's magic.

On the evening of the funeral, we went out for dinner with our cousin and our Uncle - our Aunty's husband of many, many years- and he somehow created space to acknowledge the sore spot - the things I did not do and the ways I could have been better over time - and he found a way to open a new pathway to the future, without hours of 'he said she said' that would really only have diminished us all. It was an incredible gift. I don't know if he realises the power of what he did.

Then, a few days later, it was Christmas.
We did nothing but relax and hang out as a family, and it was utterly, UTTERLY brilliant. We're renovating our house so have no kitchen. We'd planned to just eat cheese, to be honest, but a neighbour got up and cooked us Christmas dinner. She didn't just make extra - she got up and made specifically for us, and her work partner bought - Christmas dinner with all the trimmings - just for us. What an incredible gift! I want to post how that made me feel, but it's hard to put into words. Grateful seems too small. So does loved - it was a profound kindness and one I will never forget. It made me cry.

Dom and I talked at length about how we could say thank you. A bunch of flowers just doesn't cut that kind of kindness. In the end, we decided the best way we could express our thanks was to pay it forward - so all 4 of us spent time on Christmas Eve afternoon helping at a Hull soup kitchen. We handed out clothing donations, trying to match the item with the need of the homeless person. It was the most wonderful way to spend Christmas Eve, and we all want to do more of that in the future.

I've also been reading Seth Godin, and Brenee Brown, amongst others. I'm in a good place. Optimistic. Wanting to get on with things. I'm older, and I like the person I am becoming. I don't care nearly as much about what other people think. The future feels exciting. Yes, I will balls up every day in a million small ways - but also I really know that nothing is perfect, ever. That's no reason not to do it.

Let's see what we can write on the blank book that is 2019.

Much love,