logo design for when caitie met soda

Last week, whilst processing wholesale orders and doing a huge stock take (keep an eye out for Cyber Monday sales), I also worked on a new logo, blog header and some business cards for fellow Brighton-based blogger, Caitlin. Her blog, When Caitie Met Soda, is a fun, warm welcome into her daily life, and it was just as fun designing for her. 

Pink and grey is one of my favourite colour combinations, so I was pleased that Caitlin already had pink in her blog palette. The grey softened the lettering and the detail of the gold hearts brought the design all together, as well as adding some of her personal style (and cuteness!). 

If you're also looking for a handlettered logo for the new year, get in touch. 

october aims

1. Do the things I didn't do last month. Buy those books and get rid of those clothes.

2. Continue to grow. Both myself, and this little business.

3. Stop worrying.

4. Pack up the flat and sell anything that isn't going to fit into one room. (This will be explained later on in the month, if things go to plan!)

5. Stick to the new blogging schedule.

6. Be incredibly grateful, immensely happy and forever indebted for having the honour of being with my best friend for three blissful years this month (that isn't going to be very hard).

interior galore: lots of light and wooden floors

Like most people who rent (i.e most of us. According to this Telegraph article, the number of people living in private rented accommodation has risen from 2.2million in 2002/03 to nearly 3.9million last year), we don't have a great deal of choice or say when it comes to our decor. 

I won't get all moany about our flat (I REALLY could, but I won't!) but there isn't a lot to work with, so I tend to rely on good old interior magazines or Pinterest to get my fix of beautiful spaces. And daydream about that beautiful house I told you all about a few posts ago. In the spirit of Wayne's World, She will be mine. Oh yes, she will be mine.

At the moment, I'm in love with big, delightful rooms that let in lots of light and have a mix of wooden floors with lovely, comfy furniture. Here are a few rooms that I'd like to live in, and will definitely be taking inspiration from when we have our own place.

1. Goldy Details by j Levau Blog

Of course, any room that has an Eames chair in is going to be a beautiful room. Gorgeous light patterns, as well as that lovely, utilitarian coffee table.

2. Black floors by Coco Lapine Design

I reckon this could be the one. The black floor works incredibly well with the white walls, and the grey rug is a brilliant addition.

3. line by design and form

 Magazines piled up as a make-shift surface is genius. I especially adore the coffee table and dreamy-looking sofa.

4. pastel living room by source unknown (boo!)

How gorgeous is this!? I think I'm willing to surpass my grey sofa obsession for this little beauty. Pastel colours with a mix of dark, wooden floors make a lovely combination.

Next week, I'll be looking at bedrooms, and how white linen isn't something to be afraid of.

oh to be motivated part two

Hi all! 

First of all, thank you for all the support over my last post. I was overwhelmed by how many of you it reached and I hope some of you stayed! 

Now, on with the next part of our little motivation series. I started the series last week when I was a bit down in the dumps and full of self-doubt, but now I'm getting back to my usual work-work-work self, so I'll probably be a bit more helpful! So here is the second tip.

2. Get out of the house.

Working from home can be brilliant. Constant food access. Come Dine With Me. Say Yes to the Dress. But, we all know we can't sit on the sofa all day, asking if she's saying yes to the dress. We need to work. And we do that, constantly. Possibly even more so than people who work in an office/away from home (possibly!). But then we have that phase in the month, year or even day where our minds start to turn on us and we just can't work. Minutes turn to hours, staring at a screen where no real work is taking place. And we start to turn on the telly. The point of no return. 

The same scenery day after day within four walls, with no reason to leave the house apart from post office/supply runs can do this, which is why we NEED fresh air to make sure we don't go a little crazy. 

If I'm super busy (which is most days), and I've been working on a screen for 12 hours straight with no lunch or even a slight movement from my desk, my boyfriend will know. And he'll text a friendly reminder to get off my butt and go outside. I take a bit of convincing sometimes, but eventually I'm off out having a little walk around my neighbourhood, and I'm lucky enough to live somewhere that is without a doubt beautiful. 

These walks are mostly me telling myself that I'm going to buy this certain house, one road away from the seafront. It has this gorgeous Farrow and Ball-lacquered door, and lovely sash windows, with these beautiful hydrangeas blooming outside. That's the reminder I need to continue working hard and to one day, buy that house.

Even if you take a walk to get some fresh air, or to people-watch, or grab a coffee in your local cafe, just make sure you get out a few times a week. It'll do wonders for your work ethic (as well as your mentality!), and you might find that motivation again.

the power of blogging

I've had the weirdest week, if I'm honest. It started with me not being able to do much. No work, no housework (if you're as OCD as me, this is a BIG problem), couldn't even go for a walk. I was having an awful few moments. But then, I read this blog post on Oh My! Handmade Goodness, and after that, things quite magically turned around, mentally and business-y. That's not a word, but we'll go with it. 

In the article, writer Lisa Jacobs explains the three stages of creative business growth. I whole-heartedly related to the first stage, the Novice Business Owner. Not only because this little business is only less than two months old, but because I've secretly been feeling all Field of Dreams, as in 'If I build it, they will come' (and it was weird that she would use that in the blog too!). I also thought like the Amateur. If certain things happened and if I did them a certain way, then maybe I'll get more sales and more awareness out there. 

But then, I was getting down because this wasn't happening. I also felt like I was annoying people if I shared too much of my work about. 

 But now, I understand. I realise things like getting featured on the Etsy home page, or getting re-tweeted by a successful crafter can bring a little bit of satisfaction and maybe some sales too, but they aren't going to magically happen, nor is it really the be-all and end-all. I need to stop seeking permission and approval, and start taking full responsibility for the fact that this is now my job. I bloody love it and I want to keep at it, so I must continue to work as hard as I am working, and remember that I'm not really doing this for the sales (but they sure can help!). As soon as I accepted this, it got weird.

Within the space of 10 minutes, I had an email saying I had been accepted for a craft fair, and then another email from a buyer asking for wholesale info! Plus, at the end of the day, I had over 50 views on the Etsy shop. The most we've ever had! I couldn't believe the coincidence of it all. I've made it sound like a miracle from the heavens occurred, haven't I? But really, it was so odd how I had been so full of self-doubt, but then one little read of a blog flipped it around, and good things happened!

So now, I'm out of bed, I'm dressed and showered, and I'm preparing for my first craft fair. Plus, producing my first order for wholesale.

The power of writing, eh?

Thank you Lisa and Oh My! Handmade Goodness!