My very own "A-Ha!" Moment...

So I had a brilliant discovery yesterday that will (hopefully) mean I can save a ha-uuuge amount of time in uploading photos to my Etsy store, my website, Flickr and this here blog. I use a Mac PowerBook G4 and don't have Photoshop or any wing-ding fantabulous photo-editing software so uploading photos has always meant uploading enormous 1GB+ files to Flickr then resizing them. As you can imagine, this took a long, long time and resulted in me not wanting to do it. Ever.

Yesterday I discovered this most excellent downloadable program called Downsize , which takes all the images in a particular folder and...well, downsizes them. While the more technologically-savvy of you are probably saying, "Uh, yeah. Wow. That's really...great. Not." I personally did a happy dance of small-imaged joy. Which shall never be repeated in public. So don't ask. Please.

And, yes, I did just use the circa 1997 suffix of the sarcastic 'not'. I am way hip.

See? Look how easy it is for me to upload photos now?...





(OK, so you probably can't tell, but that usually takes way longer.)

Holy...

Do you ever look up and realise that your ceiling fan is slowly turning...

ALL BY ITSELF?



AND IS TURNED OFF??

Huzzah!

Today is a wonderful day. Not only is it Friday (which is joy enough alone), but today is wonderful because I have been featured on the beautiful blog of all blogs, Modish! Many, many thanks to the lovely Jena for making my month!



Today is also wonderful (and hectic and exhilarating) as today is the day of my local launch party. We've invited around 100 of my loyal local customers, stockists, friends and family and it's shaping up to be a fabulous night. I really must get cracking on the day because I still need to go and set up my display, buy flowers, chill champagne, charge camera (SO glad I've just remembered that!), not to mention play with Miss Is, drink coffee and generally run around.

Between Fashion Week and the launch I feel as though I haven't really drawn breath since before Isla was born, but before I start to grumble I need to remind myself that this is what I've dreamed of doing for the last couple of years. It's funny, in my mind's eye it all seemed much more glamorous, much more organised, much less by-the-seat-of-my-pants, but the fact remains that I'm doing it. Sometimes I just need to remind myself of that!

The upside is that after the hecticness of the past three months, Sparky, Isla and I are taking a weekend away - somewhere to relax by the beach and do nothing but spend time together, drink coffees, eat great food, drink beers, watch Sparky surf, walk, explore, talk and read the paper (and maybe some magazines because it has been FOREVER since I read a proper, grown-up fashion magazine! I'm thinking Frankie, Pepper Mint, Harpers, Vogue, maybe even Madison for a bit of fun.)

I'm hoping to come home relaxed and refreshed and ready to tackle my next event - the Magnolia Square Market. After that is (hopefully) the Young Blood Designer Market at the Powerhouse Museum. After that....

Arggh! See? I can't switch off!

Must run. x

Got Cuffs?

As promised, I have finally started to introduce cufflinks to my range. The first two designs have been added to my Etsy store, hopefully in time for fathers day in the US. We don't celebrate fathers day until September, so Sparky will have to wait!




While I am happy to have some stock in store for the gentlemen of the world, these cufflinks don't discriminate - they're perfect for women too! I can also see them as perfect gifts for bridal parties as I can customise a bridal party package (cufflinks for the groom and groomsmen, necklaces/earrings/rings for the bridesmaids and bride, mini jewellery for the flower girls, etc).

In other news:

- I am sad to discover I no longer enjoy cheese on toast.
- The launch party is shaping up to be enormous. (100+ invited)
- My local stockist wants to buy my whole range.
- We have hired a mini skip for the weekend as we will be clearing out the gardens in preparation for our vegie patch, mini orchard and cottage/herb garden.
- I am working on some new photography ideas. Need to set myself apart. Looking to use Sparky's sister as a model.
- I'm applying for the Young Blood Designer Markets next week.
- Sparky, Missy and myself are going away for the weekend soon and we couldn't be more excited. Beachfront hotel, great cafes and no cooking for me!

I'm sure there's more scintillating updates to give but I really need to get cracking on the day. Shopping (coffee) with my mum this morning, hoping to buy a new pair of Chucks for Sparky and myself (cream for me, black for him), gurgling with Isla, trimming to do and a massive, enormous pour this afternoon.

My Monday.

Monday started so very very well. Then I dropped my phone in the toilet.

The end.

Now that you mention it...

I'm feeling pretty (freakishly) wonderful this morning. Lots of energy, lots of enthusiasm for the week ahead. Surely, but surely, this cannot last? Best make hay then I guess!

I'm eagerly awaiting to see an upcoming feature for Trove on a wonderful, well-read blog (which I won't name, in the fear of jinxing it) and am hoping it may give me a boost in exposure and sales.

Beyond sitting around on my computer hitting the 'Refresh' button every 20 seconds, I do have a lot to do:

- Last week's gluing and trimming sessions
- Monster pour in preparation for this Friday night's launch party
- Prep for party (order forms, display, signage, pricing, etc)
- Photograph my new cufflinks and get them up on Etsy in preparation for Father's Day (yes, apparently Father's Day is celebrated in June in some parts of the world. who knew?)
- Photograph new stud earrings and list in Etsy store
- Clean up studio (AKA the giant pig-sty in which all my fashion week paraphernalia has been unceremoniously dumped and not been touched since)
- Accounts
- Admin-y stuff

Beyond that, the Magnolia Square markets are creeping up on me and I really need to get cracking on my inventory for that. The fun part of markets is that I can sell one-offs and samples, which allows me to play around a bit and get a feel for what people like and don't like, before I add a new design to my production inventory.


These markets have been running in and around Melbourne for a few years now and I'm so excited to be involved in their first Sydney event. The organisers have been brilliant so far and I'm hoping for it to be a successful event. If it's not I'll only have myself to blame because the target market for the markets (stylish women who are looking for unique wares for themselves, their kids, their homes, their tummies, etc) is smack-bang in the middle of my target market. Looking forward to it!

Oh, and before I go, I had a very, very exciting brainwave yesterday afternoon. I'm hoping to start production on some prototype resin, paper and acrylic wall hangings over the next couple of weeks. I think the papers and fabrics I use are so pretty that I want to see them all the time, not just on my ears or around my neck. And the combination of the resin with the paper and a slightly thicker acrylic base would give such a luxurious, touchable feel to the hangings. What do you think about this?

I will come back with some photos and updates once I get started, but I was so ridiculously excited yesterday. I love making jewellery but a new project is so very exciting!

Matchy Match

I've been looking around the wonderful land of Etsy and can't seem to get away from pretty, lady-like dresses in black, white and grey. When I had to go shopping for a few appropriate outfits for fashion week I needed a nice, neutral, classic selection that would show off the metallic neutrals in my new collection. Now it seems I'm addicted to the grey/black/white combo. Boring? Maybe. But these gorgeous pieces are far from dull!



Gorgeous, gorgeous! This beautiful tank from artlab is swoon-worthy. Matched to perfection with my Baisse Necklace, which sits mid-chest.





While this stunning El Presidente Bustier from janeanmarie is modern, simple and totally covetable. I think I'd wear it with some dramatic black Tab Earrings



I think that's enough dream-shopping for this evening. I have a red curry in the slow-cooker and a lovely glass of wine with my name on it. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Mine will be filled with gardening, newspaper reading and market going. Apparently the bagels at the local farmers market are beyond belief, so I think I'll have to try them out!

Positively Medieval.

So I have *just* figured out how to get photos from my camera to my computer. It's really not very difficult at all. At. All. It's quite embarrassing really.

Anyhoo, this grand discovery means that I can now inundate you with photos of Isla. 'Hurrah', I hear you say. Hurrah indeed!





As you can see, she's just about the cutest kid ever.

The End.



Of course, I'm only joking. She clearly is THE cutest kid ever.

Biased parental opinions aside, I have quite a lot of work to do today, including a very large gluing session, followed by an immensely huge trimming session. If time permits, I'd then like to undertake the mother-of-all pours. But time will not permit, because time is a bitch.

Speaking of time, I told myself I had until 7:30am to faff about doing my computery business and it is now 7:26am. I still need to check Twitter and have a quick read of The Sartorialist (who I saw in action at RAFW, and lordy, a pair of bluer eyes I have never seen), Dooce and The Black Apple, so I shall be off.

Hope you have a fabulous day!!

x

Excited? Why, yes, I am!

I am having a 25% off sale in my Etsy store in preparation for the launch of my new range. Everything listed is 25% off - new and old stock, samples and one-offs. Come by, come buy!

Now, hear hear.

So Sparky bought me a baby monitor for mothers day, which is fabulous. It's fabulous because I can now go and work in the studio for a productive length of time, rather than 5-minute grabs, interrupted by my need to get up and check that Isla is OK. I will be comfortable in the knowledge that I can hear every little noise that comes from the cute little resting bundle. Except that this week there has been no cute little resting bundle. Sparky has been away with work and I swear Is missed him. She was wakeful, whingy and c.rank.y. Like mother, like daughter in that regard.


Sparky also bought me (himself) a Wii Fit for mothers day, which made me extremely excited. I would say almost as excited as this fellow:


I have been yoga-ing and hula-hooping myself silly for the past few days and I'm surprised and pleased to say that it does actually give you quite a good workout. Fingers crossed I keep up the enthusiasm.

Anyway, seeing as I do actually have things to do - a VIP launch party happening next Friday night, Magnolia Square Markets coming up in July, etc, etc - I should get out to the studio. Miss Is has decided today she shall sleep, so today I shall work.

B X

Pressy McPressface

While I was away at fashion week the Courier Mail's 9 to 5 magazine featured my new Elements necklaces! Exciting, no?

It was my first "real" media feature and it made me very happy. Sparky had sent out media releases for me and this was the first response that actually made it to print (so far).



My grand plan to take over the world includes sending a parcel of Trove goodness to each and every relevant magazine, newspaper and media outlet, so I hope the feature pleasure continues!

This week though I am focusing on my upcoming launch party, which should be a lot of fun. We've invited around 100 people (mostly loyal customers from the local area) and I hope to launch the Elements range with the help of some lovely champagne and a few orders.



These are some of the beautiful shots I had taken at my first professional photo shoot, just before fashion week. Ads, the photographer, did such a fabulous job considering he had over 80 shots to take in just a few hours and we had to contend with two little bubs (his son was born the same day as Miss Isla).





Speaking of the gorgeous Miss Isla, I'd love to post some more photos of her (she's changed so so much) but I'm having camera-to-computer relationship difficulties so I'm unable. But hopefully I'll be getting a new computer soon (iMac - whoop!) and I can shower you with photos!! Aren't you excited??

Best be off. Coffee to drink, work to do.

xx

Oh, haiiii!

Hello there! I have returned from the wilderness of pre-RAFW madness and the crazy, crazy five days that was Fashion Week itself.

It was a lot of fun and a hell of a lot of hard work, and now I'm sitting at my computer 24/7, with all fingers and toes crossed, hoping to see more orders come in.

I have already shipped off my first international order to my first international stockist - hurray!! Pleien in Singapore is a new boutique, selling the work of up and coming designers. Needless to say, I'm thrilled!!

Despite the fact that orders have been thin on the ground so far (this seems to be the way fashion week works - orders aren't finalised until weeks down the track, so there's still plenty of time) the whole experience was invaluable. The contacts I've made (stay tuned - there's an exciting plan afoot!), the inspiration I've gained and the confidence I've found all hold me and my business in good stead for the future.

I've just popped in to reassure you that I have not abandoned my blog completely and that I will post a full run down of fashion week and all that has happened and will be happening in the near future.

The lovely Isla is getting all of my attention this week after being such a little gem last week. Bless her!

Oh, and I am having a May Blow-Out Sale in my Etsy store. 25% off everything! Everything! Til the end of May.

Now back to mummyness.
B x