OttLite in the UK!

We're having a great time at the Stitches Show in Birmingham, England. I'm here with our UK Managing Director, David Hames who took me out for fish and chips last night :-)

The OttLite booth is shining bright with our newest products and lots of happy people experiencing OttLite for the first time. The crowd favorite is definitely the Pod Lamp. The new LED products are a hit, too!

The best part is hearing all of the fabulous accents from around the British Isles. I've also made some new friends - Kerry of Lady Bug Crafts Ink. She is from Vancouver and now lives in Scotland. Her designs are so fun and whimsical. My favorite is Ruby Fairy. Here's a picture of Kerry and me in her booth. Another fun designer I found was SpangleJangle.com - cross stitch patterns that are quick, easy & super cute.

It's a little colder here than Florida - we even had snow yesterday! - but the people are warm and friendly.

Cheers!

Growing Plants Indoors with OttLite!

Do you feel like a budding gardener? Have you always felt like you have had the green thumb, but never had the opportunity to pursue your talent? Then it’s time to try indoor gardening!

The OttLite lamp is for crafters, readers and students alike. However, there are many other uses for this great product, most notably indoor gardening. Amazingly, the OttLite brand began because of the founders desire for indoor gardening.

The Walt Disney Corporation contacted our founder, Dr. John Nash Ott to film the growth of a pumpkin for a very important and memorable scene in the film Cinderella. After several attempts Dr. Ott discovered that if the light was set to a particular wave length, the light quality would be as close to daylight as possible. With this light setup, Dr. Ott's pumpkin made it into to full maturity, Disney got their inspiration for the coach in Cinderella and the legend of OttLite was born! Click the video below to watch Dr. Ott's contribution to the film.


I myself live in an apartment, which makes it difficult to have a garden without using my OttLite. How else can you grow plants indoors?

Initially I was confused as to where the lamps should be placed for the best results possible. I scoured the internet for information, but to no avail. That is partially why I have decided to write this article, to help those of you who are as lost as I was on the subject of indoor gardening.

What about the heat?

OttLite's Plant Bulb is fluorescent based and operates at much lower temperatures than a standard compact flourescent or incandescent bulb. Therefore it is not harmful for the plants to be close to the lamp, as it radiates much less heat. This makes it optimal for a small room or office where heat could have negative effects on the plants or the environment in general.

What about the light and its optimal positioning?

The first step in determining your lighting set up is to know how much light your plant needs. This is most easily found from the tag included with the plant from the nursery. Next, it's time to determine what environment the plant normally grows in, including the duration of light, soil type, nutrients and moisture needs.

Here are some guidelines for when you decide to purchase your OttLite Plant Light setup:

-The OttLite 20w screw in, swirl type bulb (20EDG2R) in a standard shade should be placed 1” to 3” away to achieve noontime sunlight intensity.
-At this distance the spread of the light is about 6”, which is ok for small plants. If the plant will be lit for 10 or more hours then the light can be placed further away at 12”.
-The OttLite 40w 48” linear tube (OTL4012P) in a basic white reflector fixture can be placed between 1 and 6 inches from from a bed of plants (since the light spread is so large) that need partial to full sun.
-A timer should be employed to aid in adjusting the total amount of light being delivered.
-The OttLite 13w Plant lamp (OTL13BPB) should be placed as close as 1” for full sun plants.

Otto D’Lite is a Delight!

If you haven’t noticed, Otto D’Lite- The beloved animated OttLite lamp is back in the latest installment of the animated series. This time around it’s Valentines Day and love is in the air!

Now I won’t give the ending away, all I will say is Otto’s lady friend has her mind set on a VERY romantic location for this most important of holidays! Can you guess where she has her HEART set on going? No? Well, you’re just going to have to watch this entertaining short animation to find out then, aren’t you? Enjoy!

Knit Purl Gurl Review

Attention all craft lovers! Check out this blog for tips and tricks on all things creative: http://www.knitpurlgurl.com/


Two years ago Karrie started this website for craft lovers.
She blogs about her projects, the difficulties she encounters and reviews the best products for the crafters.

We here at OttLite asked her to tell us what she thought of the OttLite lamp because no one is more fitting to rate one of our products than those who use it everyday.

Check out what she says about OttLite in the video below:



“ The next thing I wanted to talk to you about are the really wonderful people over at OttLite. They sent me a light. When I approached them to do a review, I said : that would be great for knitters.”
“Every sewer I Have ever met has an OttLite. Otts are 50% off, and usually by email you can get a 50% coupon. They’re great.”

“OMG! I honestly will not use any other lighting now. It is fabulous. I didn’t understand how fabulous it was until I used it. …”
“Start enjoying the light in which you create.”

Karrie also hosts many differents links toward sweepstakes for her fellow crafters!
She also takes part in a radio and a webshow about crafting. It is really interesting so if you want to get tips from experienced crafters, THIS IS THE PLACE!

You can become a fan of her show HERE
And follow her tweets HERE

“ You don’t mess up with an Ottlite. Get an Ottlite I am convinced that every woman should have one ”

Check Us Out On TV!!!!!!

We showed off some of our products on Tampa Bay's Studio 10 yesterday and since it's Valentine's Day we brought some handmade Valentine's Day cards, too. Check them out -- I made them the night before, with my OttLite, of course!

On display were some of our amazing products such as our NEW Pink Telescoping Lamp, which is GREAT for Valentine's Day! As well as the Battery Task Lamp and our Bookstand Lite. Click here to watch the video and see me and Don in action!

The coolest piece was our new display that shows how OttLite compares to compact fluorescents (CFLs) and incandescent lamps. Even if you have an OttLite lamp, you'll be amazed at the difference when you put them side by side!

We're going to be on TV again next week. What do you think we should tell people about OttLite lighting? E-mail us with your suggestions!