hazed spring 2013 final
DESCRIPTION
Hazed Magazine, supporting New Zealand's hidden talent.TRANSCRIPT
hazedspringWELCOME TO THE SPRING EDITION OF HAZED
Spring is a time of new beginnings and that definitely rings true over here at Hazel
Loves Design, we are on the verge of some exciting evolutions and we just can’t
wait to take you on this journey with us.
With the help of our supporters Hazed is going to print this Summer, if you haven’t
already pop on over to Pledgeme and see how you can become a part of this
exciting initiative.
Hazed is a social enterprise, the majority of our contributors and stake holders are
volunteers. We are on the hunt for a number of new volunteers to take on various
roles in the evolution of the magazine, if you could be interested check out the blog
to find out what roles are available and meet our team of contributors.
To celebrate the launch we will also be hosting a fabulous launch party and a Craft
Love Festival market, if you are interested in attending either event please contact
us for all of the details, we’d sure love to have you!
Stay tuned for more news on ‘Pay It Forward’, by the time the Summer edition
arrives this new co-operative store will be in full swing!
Love,
Hazel x
Cover Photo: New Zealand pinafore dress from Lulu’s Closet
WIN THE COVER DRESS BY LULU’S CLOSET OVER ON FACEBOOK
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 3
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With home sewing on the rise once
again, one Nelson designer is filling
the need for on trend and beautifully
styled sewing patterns with her online
store. Katie Brown of Nelson launched
Papercut Patterns in 2010 and since
then her business has gained strong
international recognition along with a
large customer base in the US.
When Katie initially left school, she chose
to pursue graphic design. However, it was
partway through this course that she decided
to transfer to fashion instead. “My Dad told
me not to do it. That there is no money in
fashion”, she laughs. It’s a good thing she is
so determined and decided to do it anyway.
The next 18 months, though, were intense
as Katie juggled full time study and weekend
work at a fabric store. “I really loved it. Being
surrounded by creative people all the time, it
was a great environment”.
Katie’s stunning designs don’t just stop at
her patterns. Putting her graphic design
skills to good use, she has created functional
packaging that also doubles as a hanger for
that work room feel. She developed this look
after her initial idea of placing the patterns
inside a tube fell through when a supplier let
her down.
Of the new design, she says “I woke up in the
middle of the night with the idea and sketched
it in a book that was next to the bed. Then the
next day I started developing it”.
However, Katie hit further stumbling blocks
when various printing agencies told her that
her ideas were unachievable and impossible
to do. “It was dead ends everywhere I went
... nobody thought outside the square. They
just said “oh, no, we don’t do that”. Finally
I found one print place who was really open
minded and he said “Yup, I’ll send it to my die
maker and find out”. It took ages, it was so
frustrating”.
“It was the same with the printing of my
patterns”, she continues. “I went into different
places and they said “oh, no, we can’t do
that”. I just wanted large format printing and I
went to a drafting place that did large format
printing and they just said they couldn’t print
on tissue, but I didn’t want to print onto
tissue. I wanted it on paper and they wouldn’t
accept it”, she shrugs. You can’t help but love
papercutsA MODERN TAKE ON SEWING PATTERNS HANDMADE IN NELSON
M A D E L O C A L
her determination and drive. It’s this paired
with her uncompromising vision that has
made Papercut Patterns so unique and
appealing worldwide.
Working by herself from her home-based
studio, Katie designs, prints and packages
all the patterns herself, although she may
occasionally enlist the help of her daughter
when there is a mountain of folding and
packaging to be done. With a strong New
Zealand made ethos, Katie also ensures all
packaging is not only 100% recyclable, but
made from recycled materials too.
Within her studio, you’ll find a large printer
for the patterns which takes up an entire wall.
Katie is about to install a folding machine
that attaches onto it, to save her finger
tips from being constantly sanded down
when folding the patterns. It is the first folding
machine of it’s kind in New Zealand and
she’s understandably excited about adding it
to her workforce.
With interest from the popular UK magazine
Glamour, it seems publicity is finding
Papercut Patterns rather than Katie having to
go hunting for it. Although, after dabbling in
advertising on blogs, Katie has found that a
featured blog post will have more impact on
sales than a sidebar advertisement will. While
an advertisement does bring in visitors, the
sales aren’t necessarily instant, so are harder
to gauge. A feature blog post will tend to have
a larger more traceable impact on sales.
Because it tends to be cold in the studio, most
work days will start with a morning of computer
work or printing, followed by an afternoon of
studio work doing drafting and packaging
before the kids return home and family life
takes over. Although Katie admits “Having a
business is like having another baby”. From a
technical point of view, Katie has opted to use
Shopify as the base for her website. “It has a
good back-end. It can be expensive but it’s
better than a professional ecommerce site.”
She has found that paying a monthly fee is
more achievable than a large up front fee that
you may get from a professionally made site.
It also allows her to make any changes herself
without needing to employ someone further.
With some big plans for the future, I get the
feeling Katie is only just getting started. An up
and coming collaboration with other fashion
designers means we’ll soon have access to
some rather enviable patterns. With New
Zealand based fashion designer, Brooke
Tyson, on board, it’ll be a venture any keen
seamstress will want to keep an eye on for
creating that designer look at home.
Katie has an inspiring vision and drive that is
exciting to see. While already making waves
internationally, there are plenty of good things
ahead for this talented pattern maker.
Interviewed by: Katrina of Offsquare
Photos by: Kate Gaskell
ONLINE STORE
www.papercutpatterns.com
www.facebook.com/papercutpatterns
RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER
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PAPERCUTPATTERNS.COM
S E E M O R E
Whether you’re a hobbyist at home
or a fully fledged business, accepting
credit card payments for sales may
not be as hard as you first thought.
When a potential customer chooses to buy
something, having multiple payment options
available to them can make the purchase even
more attractive. But we often push aside the
idea of accepting credit cards as just being
too hard or expensive.
Fortunately, times are changing and this service
is now more accessible than ever. While there
are a number of companies offering various
credit card services, it’s worth bearing in
mind that people may feel apprehensive using
a system they are not familiar with. Here are
several reputable options for you to consider.
PAYPAL
Paypal.com is a popular option for paying and
receiving by credit card and rightly so. Even if
you only operate from a Facebook page, you
can still use Paypal for those one off sales.
When you sign up for a standard Paypal
account, you have the option of creating
an invoice within the site, even if the buyer
doesn’t have a Paypal account themselves.
Simply enter the customers email address
in the buyer section and Paypal will forward
the invoice to them for payment. Once you
have received the payment, you can proceed
to send off the goods to the buyer. Although
there is a small fee for the sale, it is one of
the cheapest and easiest options for the
occasional credit card sale. The invoice
system isn’t instant though and depends on
the customer remembering to pay. So if you
want something more immediate and don’t
want to be creating invoices for every sale,
you can use “website payments standard”
with Paypal.
This option requires you to already have
a website in place, but will allow you to
essentially create your own e-store there. By
placing custom generated Paypal buttons on
your site next to items for sale, buyers can
select items and add them to a shopping
cart. Once finished, they will be sent to the
Paypal site where the transaction is securely
completed, before being transferred back
to your website again. Of course, there are
some transaction fees involved in Paypal. For
domestic sales it’s 3.4% of the total sale plus a
fixed fee of $0.45. International sales are 3.9%
plus a fixed fee dependent on the currencies
being used. There are also withdrawal fees
for moving funds from Paypal to your bank
account of $1.00 for anything less than $150.
takingcreditWHETHER A HOBBYIST AT HOME OR A FULLY FLEDGED BUSINESS, ACCEPTING CREDIT CARD PAYMENTS FOR SALES MAY NOT BE AS HARD AS YOU FIRST THOUGHT
C R A F T L A B
a flat fee of 2.75% per transaction thereafter
with no monthly fees. The application process
is said to be an arduous one, so you may like
to utilise the online chat service to help you get
through that. Don’t let it put you off though,
as the app itself and the service SwipeHQ
provide make it all worthwhile.
DIRECT WITH YOUR BANK
All major banks have merchant services
available to anyone wanting to receive credit
card payments. A chat with any of the staff
there can get the ball rolling for you, but it will
cost a monthly fee as well as a per transaction
fee. While a costly option for the small
business, this could be useful if you process
large quantities of credit card payments.
Another benefit to this is the ability to receive
payments at markets (or anywhere, really) by
manually taking an imprint of someone’s credit
card and having the customer sign for it. No
internet, wi-fi or even electricity needed. It’s
very old-school and obviously the transaction
isn’t instant, but it does offer some flexibility.
EXPERT ADVICE
Finally, if you want to receive credit cards on
your existing website, you may need to chat
with the IT professional who help you set it
up. The platform they used may have some
limitations as to what plug-ins are available
and these changes will often require expert
assistance. They can also advise on which
option would suit your needs best and make
sure you are well taken care of. Whatever
option you choose, it’s important that both you
and your customer have complete confidence
in using that service. The less hurdles to
purchasing, the better it is for everyone and
your customers will certainly appreciate it once
they discover your beautifully crafted wares.
Written by Katrina of Offsquare
KIWIPAY
Found at GetKiwiPay.co.nz, this is a New
Zealand based option (Nelson, actually!).
Now we can support NZ made, not only in
what we buy, but how we buy it. While they
don’t yet have the volume of integrations that
established payment tools have, any talented
web developer should be able to work this into
your existing site. Fees are refreshingly straight
forward with a startup option of 3.9% per sale.
No fixed fee per transaction like the competitors
enforce and both Visa and MasterCard are
accepted. KiwiPay will allow you to settle funds
with all New Zealand banks and have a number
of references online so we can see what the
early adopters have to say about it. If you are
doing lots of monthly transactions, you could
opt to pay a monthly fee and receive a reduced
sales fee in return. Of course, in true Kiwi spirit,
they also offer 0% fees for selected charitable
events and appeals. Now that’s a business
after our own hearts.
SWIPEHQ
With an app for your phone, SwipeHQ.com
allow you to receive credit card payments
almost anywhere. While they do have plans
to bring out a card reader for your phone very
shortly, you can currently process a credit
card transaction by manually entering the
card details (called a MOTO transaction) into
the app. An extra nice touch is the electronic
receipt it generates and emails directly to
the customer for their records. SwipeHQ will
charge a one off setup fee of $99 and then
Imogen Wilson | www.imogenwilson.co.nz
Erupt Prints | www.eruptprints.com Red Flax | www.redflax.blogspot.co.nz
Paper Bird Society | www.thepaperbirdsociety.bigcartel.com
CARROT PATE
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• 2 carrots peeled and chopped
• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 1/4 cup of grapeseed oil.
How to make Carrot Pate
You can use any oil but I like
grapeseed because it has such a mild
taste. Combine cashews and carrots
Carrot Pate and Hummus easily my
two favorite dips and they only take
moments to make! Great on crackers
or just chuck a wrap under the grill
until it blisters and cut into squares
for a healthy cracker alternative.
These dips are great added as spreads
on your sandwiches or as tasty side
dishes with roasted veggies. Yummy.
munchiedipsTRY THESE DIPS FOR YOUR SPRING PICNICS
O U T S I D E S Q U A R E
in a food processor and mix until well
grounnd. Add crushed garlic and oil
and mix again. You can keep it chunky
or mix until it’s really smooth, it’s up to
you. And that’s it! The cashews make
this raw dip rich and creamy, while
the carrots add colour, vitamins and
sweetness.
HUMMUS
• 2 cups chickpeas
• 1 large clove of garlic crushed
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons tahini
• 1/2 cusp of grapeseed oil
• juice of one large lemon
• salt and pepper to taste
Recipe and words by: Adele from Borrowed Earth
To serve sprinkle with cumin seeds and a dash
of virgin olive oil
How to Make Hummus
Combine chickpeas and crushed garlic in
food processor and blend until well combined.
Add cumin, tahini and blend again. Add in oil
and lemon juice, salt and pepper. You are
ready to serve.
You can buy chickpeas in a can already
cooked just drain, rinse and they are ready
to use. Or you can buy chickpeas raw (they
are so cheap) all you need to do is cover with
water and leave to soak over night in fridge.
Drain then pop into pot with boiling water to
cover and let them gently boil away until soft.
This can take about 30/40 minutes. Drain and
rinse and they are ready to use.
WINThe perfect dip
bowl Just head on
over to Facebook
to enter
Most of us have whittled away many
glorious hours on Pinterest.com.
With its visual appeal and ease of
use, Pinterest has made light work
of gaining inspiration and tips on
almost anything in life. Yet, as with
other social media sites, there is the
opportunity here for a bit of business
marketing too.
Pinterest Power, by Jason Miles and Karen
Lacey, looks at how you can increase website
traffic and sales through Pinterest. Starting
with the basics such as what Pinterest is
and how to sign up for an account, the first
few chapters may seem tedious and overly
basic to someone already familiar with the
site. But if you can look past this along with
the wildly enthusiastic writing style, there are
some handy tips and tricks to be learnt about
harnessing its marketing prowess.
With useful and practical advice scattered
throughout, it is worth pressing through the
first few chapters to find the gold nuggets
within. Pinterest Power is an interesting and
valuable read for anyone looking to improve
the visibility of their website and build up their
marketing using social media outlets.
pinterestpowerJASON MILES & KAREN LACEY
Reviewed by Katrina of Offsquare
Win a copy!
Enter on
In My Backyard is a one-woman
operation, so I design, illustrate, sew
and print all my items from scratch. I
mostly make prints and paper goods,
but also make screen printed fabric,
soft toys and accessories like scarves
and brooches. I have a degree in
Graphic Design and Illustration but I
don’t get to utilise these skills so much
in my other job, so In My Backyard is a
great creative outlet for me.
I’ve been making things for as long as I
remember, but have been creating and selling
things as In My Backyard on and off since
about 2007.
I’m really impressed with your brand, I
love the way your introduction on your
website links back to your business
name, “Welcome to my backyard! Patches
and pins, pendants and scarves, magnets
and gocco prints, and lovely things, all
handmade in a little old house with a big
inmybackyardMEET KATIE THE DESIGNER EXTRODANAIRE
garden in Aotearoa, New Zealand”. And
how everything your produce is in tonal
harmony. Was this conscious? And do you
have any tips for others trying to define
their brand?
Though it is definitely a conscious decision to
ensure everything is in harmony and that there
is a definite branded identity, I think a lot of it
comes intuitively to me as well. I try to have
fun exploring what exactly makes up my style
and brand and am constantly defining and
redefining it. I find it helps to often take a step
back and look at a collection of your products
and marketing materials - whether set up as
a market stall or looking at your online shop
- and see if anything jumps out as just not
fitting and try and find out why that is.
I love your product range, I love that
despite covering a multitude of disciplines
your range feels inter-linked and well
curated. This is something that many
indies struggle with (many not realising
so). How did you decide what to make,
what colours to use and what focus area
W O R K S PA C E
you wanted to influence your range?
I guess I think of my In My Backyard work
as creating my own little world! All of my toy
patterns and fabric designs originate from
my own illustrations so that naturally lends a
coherence to my work. I’m constantly trying
to define my style and tend to use colours
and textures that I am naturally drawn to. The
overall themes and motifs that reappear in my
work originate from my love of the outdoors
and the natural word and again are what I am
drawn to and focus on.
Of your product range which is
your favourite piece? Which is your
favourite thing to make? And which is
your ‘best seller’?
At the moment my favorite piece would
be my Three Trees print - I love the colours
and simplicity of it, and for me personally
it marks the direction I want to go with my
illustration style.
I love the process of screen printing so my
fabric pieces are the most fun to make. I love
the hands-on aspect of printing each piece,
seeing my designs appear before my eyes
and I love seeing them all hanging up to dry!
My best seller would have to be my Little Bird
Pins - I started making these way back at the
beginning of In My Backyard in 2007 and they
have remained a popular seller ever since. I
think that they appeal to a wide range of ages
and tastes, they are reasonably priced and,
if I may say so really, really cute! Each bird is
hand-painted so every one is an original and
has it’s own character.
What direction do you see your product
range developing into in the future?
Oh my gosh, I have so many products I want
to make! At the moment my focus is on the
illustrative work and applying that in a cohesive way to other products as well as the archival
prints. Some things that are definitely in the pipeline are a new range of screen printed scarves,
some more prints and some greeting cards. And hopefully I’ll be making more screen printed textile
designs if I can find the time!!
I love that you are one of the few kiwi indies designing your own fabric to sell, do you ever
see your fabric made into things?
I love seeing my fabric being used - I’ve seen it made into purses, wall hangings, baby shoes,
brooches and as detailing on clothing. One of my favorite uses is the quilted purse kits made by
Piece as I love how they encourage people to create a little something for themselves.
How do you sell your products?
I sell through Felt, Etsy, a few shops around
the country and at local craft markets. I find
the markets to be the most fun and the most
successful - I think people like to meet the
face behind the work and also pick up and
touch the actual object. I’ve noticed that in
the weeks after a market my sales online often
rise, people come and have a look in person
and then feel more comfortable buying online.
What is your secret for a successful
market stall?
I try really hard to make at least one new
product for each market, as lots of the same
people come to each market so I want them
to keep them interested. A happy smiling face
always helps - stand up and say hello to the
people looking at your stall.
What is the best piece of creative advice
you have ever been given?
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; draw, draw,
draw and then draw some more; and always
carry a sketchbook!
What does the term ‘Indie Design’ mean
to you?
To me the term Indie Design encapsulates all
those makers who are doing it themselves,
creating wonderful and unique things for the
love of designing.
ONLINE STORE
www.inmybackyard.co.nz
BLOG
inmybackyard.blogspot.co.nz
FELT
inmybackyard.felt.co.nz
ETSY
inmybackyard.etsy.com
S E E M O R EInterviewed by Hazel Schreiner
Photos by Jen of Utterly in Love
DEODORANT - Ingredients
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops tea tree essential oil
• 6 tablespoons baking soda
• 6 tablespoons corn flour
How to Make Deodorant
Mix coconut oil with a fork until it softens, add
other ingredients and mix well. To get every
thing mixed in properly you may need to use
your hands. You will end up with a big ball
which you can either keep covered in fridge,
bring out when needed and wipe under your
arms. Or keep in a jar in the bathroom and just
pick off a little bit and rub under your arms.
Both ways work well.
Commercial deodorants contain many
harmful ingredients which are easily
absorbed through your skin. Even some
deodorants that are labelled as natural
contain ingredients like fluoride,
titanium dioxide and aluminum.
With a few kitchen ingredients you
can make your own natural deodorant
that is good for you.
coconutoilANTIBACTERIAL, ANTIMICROBIAL+ ANTIFUNGAL
B O R R O W E D E A R T H
TOOTHPASTE - Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons baking soda
• 10 drops of peppermint essential oil
How to make Toothpaste
Mix baking soda and coconut oil with a fork
until it forms a paste add peppermint and mix
again. Store in jar. Now this has no sweetener
in it so it is a little bitter but does make your
mouth feel really fresh.
To use just dip your toothbrush into your
mixture and brush like normal.
Just like deodorant commercial toothpaste has a bunch of toxic ingredients in it as
well. Just check the labels next time you go out shopping. Sodium fluoride, sodium
laurel sulfate to name a few and again you’ll even find these in the ‘natural’ brands.
COCONUT BODY OIL - Ingredients
• 1 cup of coconut oil and essential oils
You can use any combination of essential oils
you like. I used 16 drops of Rose Geranium,
10 drops of Jasmine and 8 drops of Vanilla
How to make Body Oil
Put everything into a large mixing bowl - don’t
melt the coconut oil because if you do it will
never whip up! Mix with an electric mixer until
you have a fluffy consistency, it looks like vanilla
icing! Will take about 3 -5 min of mixing and
that’s it. Store in jar and use all over your body.
Recipe and words by: Adele from Borrowed Earth
Go Bamboo is a
New Zealand based
company offering award
winning biodegradable,
sustainable, everyday
products made from
bamboo.
W I N A S E T F O R Y O U
Blooming Pinks1. BLACK WIDOW FASCINATORS | 2. CREATIVE KATE
3. NEW CREATIONZ | 4. THE ART ROOM | 5. MY HEART SINGS
It’s strange in a fun way. We communicate with others all the time – but how often do we really try
to communicate with ourselves? There is a power in the written word. Along with repetition, that is
what makes positive affirmations so powerful. We understand language at a primal level – beyond
the ways our conscious mind grasps concepts. Recently I was watching ‘The Secret’… which is
essentially a motivational video about the Law of Attraction.
I was folding washing at the time, minding my own business, when I had that familiar urge to write.
Anything, it didn’t matter. I had the inspiration, and I had to use it! So what follows is a letter written
by me, to me. The reason I put it that way is because it felt like the words were coming from beyond
me. Perhaps right there, in my sunny lounge room, doing housework and watching TV, I connected
with my higher self. Who needs Tarot cards, when you have house work? Obviously not me.
letterwritingHAVE YOU EVER WRITTEN A LETTER TO YOURSELF?
S E R E N D I P I T Y
Written by Nicole of Paganesque
I have been with you since before time, in one
form of energy or another. I am proud of you,
and I love you. You are destined for greatness,
sometimes you don’t believe it, but it is true.
Everything that has happened to you in your
lives, this one, the last one, and the next one,
has brought you to now, and you are on the
precipice of greatness.
Don’t define yourself by your story; you are so
much more than that. You have many stories,
which you love to share, and they are all part
of you - but your book is unwritten. Don’t let
fear stop you from using your potential. Don’t
let life get in the way, and if it does, don’t
forget to come back to your Source. Close
your eyes, envision yourself in that pink loving
circle. Know that you have guides, angels and
the energy of the universe within and around
you - all you have to do is open yourself up to
the messages we send.
All that pain, negativity, bad memories,
morbid thoughts, self-doubt, fear, hate, anger,
resentment.... they don’t belong here. They
have no place within your heart and you must
remove them from your mind. Whenever you
feel swept away by them, you need to hang
on, stop. Wait for the wind to die down, turn
around and take a step in another direction.
The more you do this, the less they will
come, they will leave you alone. Inside you
is a suitcase full of yuck that you have been
carrying around for so long. Open it, clean it
and throw it away.
Write these things on a piece of paper and
burn it - release them back into the universe.
I’m sorry you felt these things, but without
them, how would you know goodness?
How would you know love? How could you
appreciate what you really have?
And you found it. You are on the precipice of
understanding - this is the journey that you
were born to take - this is the journey you will
take your children on. They are pure images
of love, images of me, of the Universe. They
are your gifts to the world and you are here to
guide them. The best way you can do that is
to find peace within yourself. Meditate. Run.
Write. Learn. Love.
You have the power to have the life you have
dreamed of. You have seen your dreams and
synchronicity and the Universe in action - you
know this to be true. Now is the time for you
to remember. Now is the time for you to reach
to me, to love and trust.
Trust that everything will be ok. Have faith
in the Universe. I love that your favourite
poem is Desiderata. YOU ARE a child of the
universe, no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. And whether or
not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should. I love you. I will always
love you. You need to forgive those who have
trespassed against you, and forgive yourself
for the human things you have done. Keep
your thoughts positive. Manifest that beautiful
destiny. Believe.
Go and be Serendipitous, my Darling Girl.
Dear Nicole,
I’m Kirsty Robinson, owner and
designer at Hello Lovely. I’m wife to
Todd; mum to Liam (5) and Dylan (2);
and now Policy Analyst & Criminologist
turned unlikely-jewellery designer. I’d
like to tell you that I’ve always been a
creative person who wanted nothing
more than to run her own indie
business making jewellery, but to be
completely honest, that isn’t really
the case.
Up until a few years ago I was pretty staunch
on the whole idea of reaching great heights in
the Public Service & playing an integral role
in the overhaul of our corrections system. All
that changed with the birth of my children,
our move back down to my hometown of
Christchurch, and the onset of serious post-
natal depression (PND) in early 2011.
During the initial stages of treatment for PND
I suddenly had this strong desire to indulge
the more creative side of my brain; I wanted
hellolovelyTRAVEL INSIDE THE MIND OF JEWELLER EXTRODAINAIRE KIRSTY
to experiment and make stuff. With hours
spent surfing the internet I soon discovered a
plethora of tutorials, and the wonderful world
of Etsy where there are supplies to make
almost anything your heart desires. I bought
a few bits and pieces, and through trial, error
and the help of my talented and resourceful
Aunty I taught myself how to make jewellery
and other crafty wee things.
At this time I began to think about what I was
going to do work wise; I decided that it was
time to make my own opportunities and carve
a new career path that would work around
being a Mum. I decided that I’d use some
money my lovely Nana had left me when she
passed away, buy in some supplies, make
some more stuff, and try to sell it at markets. I
attended my first market, the Woodend Market
& Spring Flower Show, in August 2011; sold
my first $100 worth of crafts; and haven’t
looked back since! From these beginnings
Hello Lovely has evolved into a thriving and
successful business.
B E J E W E L L E D
We love your current product range, you
have a fabulous variety of well made
pieces in your range. How do you think
your range has evolved since you first
started out?
When I first started, my range of products was
pretty hap-hazard . I found pretty designs and
papers I liked the look of and made them into
jewellery without any real thought of creating
a cohesive range or of putting my own real
stamp on what I was making. I guess at the
very beginning I was still working out what I
wanted Hello Lovely to be. Over time, and with
the explosion of other crafters making ‘glass
dome’ jewellery, the Hello Lovely range has
become much more thoughtful and planned
- I really try to bring something unique and
different to the table even though I am using
similar materials to others.
I now digitally design or paint all the imagery
used in the Hello Lovely signature collections.
My ethos for Hello Lovely is to continue coming
up with novel ways to use componentry; to
introduce new materials into the collections;
and to keep learning, experimenting with, and
implementing new techniques.
Where do you find the inspiration for so
many great pieces?
I’m inspired a lot by colour, and usually
begin designing a new Hello Lovely release
with a colour palette in mind. From there I
find inspiration lurking everywhere – on the
television, online, in the landscapes that
surround me, flicking through magazines and
newspapers, thrifting through second-hand
shops, from music I’m listening to at the time,
even at the mall or supermarket! I think it’s fair
to say I’m never short of inspiration for new
collections and often find it in unlikely places.
For example, the idea to make wee caravan
earrings came about one day as I was thinking
about a pair of Minx boots I really wanted while
I reading an article in a waiting room about
great kiwi holidays. This got me to thinking
about the gorgeous wee retro caravan that
Minx had at the Martinborough Fair, which
got me to thinking about being there selling
earrings and all of a sudden I was thinking
tiny retro caravan earrings, yup gotta figure
out how to make me some of those – random
really!
At the moment I’m working on the Hello Lovely
Spring/Summer release. I’m a little obsessed
with colour-blocking bright tonal colours and
fusing that idea with floral and geometric
patterns. I’ve also been listening to a bit too
much synth-pop/indie-pop lately, which to me
translates to bright, bold and slightly quirky
designs; so there’s a bit of that influencing
this collection too!
I do get easily carried away and tend to
want to make anything and everything. To
try and produce a good collection though, I
brainstorm and sketch for a couple of weeks
and then sit down and work through my ideas,
make myself an inspiration board (or two) on
Pinterest, and decide on the direction of the
collection. This helps me to keep on track
and make sure the pieces I’m working on are
cohesive and work together.
The old saying ‘Jack of all trades, master
of none’ often applies to businesses who
offer a broad range of pieces, but that
doesn’t really apply to you, you have
mastered all of your techniques really
well. How do you manage this? Have
you professionally trained? Are you self
taught?
That’s a really nice thing to say – thanks! I
have no formal training in design. I did
complete both the introductory and advanced
classes offered by the Silversmiths Guild
here in Christchurch, but other than that I’m
completely self-taught. Practice, practice,
practice is key and experimentation goes a
long way!
I do have an enquiring mind and like to think
outside the box – to that end I’ve always
been interested in finding out how things
work, how to make things work better, and
how to put ideas in to practice. I guess in
the past I’ve applied this type of thinking in
my work as a Policy Analyst, and now apply
the same logic and thought processes to
jewellery-making. I’m constantly squirrelling
away in the background with new techniques
and materials – working out how to do this
and that, finding out what does and doesn’t
work from a practical perspective, and then
testing out prototypes. I’m very conscious
of balancing aesthetics with practicality and
wear ability.
Tell us a secret, which of your pieces
would be your favourite at the moment?
Hmmmm, it’d have to be the new Neptune
Geometry pendant from the Luxe range – love,
love, love the deep rich metallic blue hues.
My most worn piece though is definitely the
Turquoise Bird pendant – that baby seems to
go with every item of clothing I own!
I find it thrilling that you often go further afield
to attend the larger markets and events. What
would you say to others that are considering
doing the same? And what do you love
most about taking these trips? Going further
afield to attend larger markets and fetes is
so worthwhile from a marketing perspective
– meeting new customers and potential
stockists who don’t otherwise get a chance
to view Hello Lovely jewellery in person is
fantastic. Most of my business is done online,
but I know there are a lot of people who like
to touch and see things before they buy them.
My advice is to definitely give it a go, but don’t
go with an immediate sales focus; go with
expanding your customer base and meeting
new people in mind. Personally, I love meeting
my online customers and Facebook likers in
real life – I get a real thrill when they’ve made
the effort to come along and say hi! It’s also
nice to have a wee break away from the chaos
of home; I attended Craft 2.0 in Wellington
earlier in the year and ended up making it a
girls’ weekend away with a few friends – it
was the best business trip away yet!
Your brand has such a strong presence
on Facebook and in the street scape
of Canterbury. Do you have a business
mentor or somebody that has supported
you to grow and develop ‘Hello Lovely’
into the business that it is?
I don’t have a formal business mentor as
such, though my husband is pretty clued up
on the financial and business side of things.
Making some key relationships has certainly
helped Hello Lovely’s presence grow. About
18 months ago, I was lucky enough to have
Hello Lovely stocked at HAPA in Re:Start,
owned by Maureen Taane & Yuri Bacas-
Hosaka. Maureen & Yuri have both been
really supportive of my work, which has given
me confidence in the wholesale side of my
business. It’s now a real privilege to have my
work stocked in a number of fantastic stores;
many of which are full of incredible handmade
pieces. I find this really provides impetus to
make sure my work is top-notch.
I owe a lot of Hello Lovely’s ‘following’ to
other great indie designers who have pointed
people in my direction and championed my
work. The ‘craft scene’ here in New Zealand
is really supportive and convivial – I think
without this community, Hello Lovely would
not be anywhere near what it is today. I also
belong to ‘New Zealand Handmade’; quite
apart being a fantastic resource this is also a
great group of people who have an incredible
wealth and depth of knowledge to share when
it comes to turning your craft into a business.
What would be your top ‘business tip’ for
growing a developing business?
Develop good relationships with the right
people, accept offers of help, be open to
advice, do your research, keep the financial
side of things in order, have a plan, have some
goals, act with integrity… I’m not really sure!
There are so many things that go into making
your business successful. I think as a starting
point you need to set some goals and be
prepared to put in the hard yards – growing a
business is time-consuming & challenging in
so many different ways – there are certainly a
lot of very different hats that you need to be
prepared to wear!!
As a busy Mum, how do you ‘juggle’ it
all? What systems do you have in place to
make the juggling easier?
Juggling is still something I’m learning to do
successfully – some days it’s really tricky
trying to balance priorities, deadlines, needs
and wants! My most successful approach this
far has been setting some ‘work hours’ when
my boys are at school and day care. Trying
to work and look after the boys at the same
time was a disaster, nothing was getting the
attention it really needed. I had pretty bad
‘Mummy-guilts’ sending the boys to day care
for three days a week so that I could work at
home; however, in the end I figured if I was
working in any other job it’s something I would
have had to do anyway and with a lot less
flexibility than I have now. As things continue
to take off with Hello Lovely, I have to be much
more organised in my approach to work – I
have systems for managing both my web and
wholesale orders, stock lists, and try to keep
everything neat and tidy so there’s no mucking
around looking for this or that. At the moment,
I’m trying to schedule ahead for the Christmas
rush – making sure I have the supplies I’ll need,
setting things up so they’re ready to go, and
working out when I need to have stock ready
for the big fetes and markets I’ll be selling Hello
Lovely at in the lead up to Christmas.
When my kids are around, being a Mum is my
top priority and Hello Lovely things get done
when my boys don’t need my full attention –
packing orders while I supervise breakfast,
sending a quick round of emails while they’re
busy playing and doing their own thing –
there’s no such thing as sitting down for five
minutes to do nothing during the day around
here. I’m also incredibly lucky to have a very
supportive family – they all help me to make
Hello Lovely successful.
Interviewed by Hazel Schreiner and some photos by Jen of Utterly in Love
ONLINE STORE
www.hellolovely.co.nz
www.facebook.com/hellolovelynz
INSTAGRAM@hellolovelyjewellery
S E E M O R E
It’s Friday, day 50 of my 100 days project.
Half way, hallelujah! Today’s song, is,
quite aptly I think – 50 Ways to Leave
your Love, Paul Simon.
This image is part illustration part digital mash
up & represents bitter/sweet ways to leave
your lover. The suitcase could be filled with
belongings or … the lover…blood oozes onto
an envelope from the war office, that’s possibly
creativex100WITH FLEUR WOODS
a permanent option. Public art, flowers…you
could get pretty creative.
The 100 days project in New Zealand is run
by Emma Rogan & the principal is simple,
participants like myself (I think there’s over
700 of us!) choose one creative project &
repeat it daily for 100 days.
My project is to listen to a song daily and
respond creatively. Most of the songs have
Listen to Paul Simon
been suggested by friends, family & Fleur
Woods Art facebook friends, it’s always
interesting & sometimes wonderful to open
my Spotify list each day & encounter new
music. This creative journey has been amazing
thus far.
Firstly to be ‘forced’ to create daily is becoming
a discipline that feels incredible and is rather
addictive, there are days when I’d really
rather not (like moving house day, or kids with
chicken pox day) but the reality of dealing with
life and still be creative is something that as
an artist I am learning to embrace.
The project is definitely helping me to find my
‘style’ and the feedback from posting entries
online daily is so incredible.
La Caravane | Inspired by Caravan Palace | Listen here
Paranoid Android | Inspired by Radio Head
Listen here
Fantastically I have a few fellow creative
close by who are also doing their own 100
days projects & we’re celebrating our halfway
milestone with lunch at a winery on Monday!
I’d recommend this experience to anyone
creative. Check out my entire project (so far)
and this years participants at:
100 days Project | 100daysproject.co.nz
There will be an exhibition at the end too, so
keep an eye on the site for more details.
www.facebook.com/fleurwoodsart
BLOG
fleurwoodsart.wordpress.com
LISTEN TO THE MUSIC THAT
HAS BEEN INFLUENCING
FLEUR’S WORK HERE!
S E E M O R E
Whether you have been selling at markets or
online through Etsy and Felt there might come
a time that you decide you want your own
website. Starting your own website can be an
intimidating and expensive step and most of
us don’t have the time, money or expertise to
build our own website. This is when you might
start looking at hosted ecommerce platforms.
A what? Hosted platform you might be thinking
- to be honest I probably would have had the
same look on my face a few weeks ago but if
someone had mentioned Shopify or BigCartel
I would have felt more comfortable. Both are
different examples of hosted ecommerce
platforms, businesses designed to help you
get online and sell; they do all the hard work
like developing the software (or skeleton)
on which you build your shop, making sure
your shop is actually online (web hosting) and
keeping payment information secure.
There is a huge range of different hosted
ecommerce platform providers out there
so it pays to do a little research before you
webstoresMAKING THE CHOICE EASIER
start - setting up online takes time and is not
something you want to do twice (I learnt this
the hard way). Only you know the specific
quirks of your business, your budget and
what you want a website to be able to do: for
one person an integrated blog might be vital,
for another it will be the ability to add multiple
product options such as size and colour to
a product, another might be more concerned
with which will provide the best value for the
least amount of money. Unfortunately we don’t
all have the time to try different ecommerce
providers, even if they have a trial period, so
we have to rely on boring, heavily American
focused reviews: luckily I did trial a few
different providers and while I can’t guarantee
this won’t be dull it will compare two well
known providers, Shopify and BigCartel,
and two providers specifically targeting New
Zealanders, MYOB Atlas and Small Fish.
Vague disclaimer – I’m not a computer expert
but I did try all four platforms, I also trawled
the community forums of each to see if there
C R A F T L A B
were any consistent problems and asked a
few long term users for their opinions.
The first thing many people look at when setting
up online is price; with prices ranging from nil
to US$179/month it could be a significant or
minor part of your income used up. If your
budget is tight or you are just starting out you
might think that a free website such as MYOB
Atlas is all you need, after all what’s better
then free.
MYOB ATLAS is a collaboration between
Westpac and MYOB, an accounting software
firm, designed to help get New Zealand
businesses online. It is free to use for the first
year with plans after that ranging between
$5-$29/month. It charges no success fees
and appears to have no limit on the number
of products you can add to your shop. While
this sounds good you do need to look further
then price – there is no point in a website if it
doesn’t do what you or your customers want
or if you can’t be found and unfortunately
beyond price MYOB Atlas doesn’t have much
to recommend it.
While relatively easy to set up, ongoing use
of MYOB Atlas quickly becomes frustrating
due to its limitations: one image per product,
product description character limits and lack
of product options (whether or not you can
add sizes/colours etc to a basic product
description). Being successful online requires
your customers or potential customers to be
able to find you and unfortunately, despite
claiming to be partnered with Google, MYOB
Atlas has very poor search engine optimisation
(SEO) and it is difficult to rank highly in
Google using it – the lack of colour options
and themes also means that if someone does
find you, chances are your website won’t be
the most inspiring and it may turn people off
rather than generate sales. Another problem
customers might have with the website is its
awkward contact form and the inability to
search for products.
MYOB Atlas does allow you to manage orders
relatively easily and you can get decent store
statistics, such as best sellers and average
cart value, but it fails to go the extra steps other
M Y O B
ecommerce platforms provide: promotions
(discount codes, voucher etc), multiple
shipping options (single option limiting you to
NZ sales), full mobile optimisation (allowing
people to shop from their smart phones etc)
and perhaps most importantly to those that
lack confidence setting up an online store a
good support network.
So if MYOB Atlas is one you should stay away
from, what other options are there? Designed
specifically for artists and designers Big Cartel
has four different plans; the most basic, gold,
allows you to list up to five products for free
- if you are looking at getting online and only
have a very small range of goods BigCartel is
a far superior choice to MYOB Atlas.
BIGCARTEL is easy to set up and maintain;
customisation, integrating most forms of
social media, and managing orders is easy
and intuitive and it is much more attractive
and versatile then MYOB Atlas. While there
are a few areas BigCartel could improve it
is one of the few platforms that specifically
targets artisans and creatives - it was
originally designed by a musician wanting to
get his band merchandise online. The fact
it claims to have over 200,000 artists using
it suggests it meets their needs. While the
free plan does have some limitations, such
as only one image per product and limited
store statistics, it is a great way to test the
water. It also has the ability to grow with your
business with the first paid option costing just
US$9.99/month for 25 products or less. Even
with very little computer knowledge BigCartel
allows you to design a great looking site with
three free themes at the gold level and more
customisation available on paid plans - you
can even buy complete themes.
Among the downsides to BigCartel is the
fact it only accepts PayPal, this means every
sale you make will be subject to PayPal
transactions fees and you may lose customers
who would prefer to make a payment by other
means such as direct credit. Other areas
where BigCartel could be improved is SEO
(how customers find you on Google), shipping
options (you can only set a per country rate
for each item making it difficult to charge rural
or Saturday delivery fees), and e-marketing
(capturing email addresses so you can send
newsletters etc directly to your customers).
Another platform aimed specifically at small
businesses, but this time specifically New
Zealand businesses is SMALLFISH. Based
in Wellington at $39/month for up to 150
B I G C A R T E L
products SmallFish may initially sound more
expensive than some of the other options
however this is a consistent fee not reliant on
the exchange rate which may appeal to those
that like to plan their monthly outgoings. It has
several improvements over BigCartel however
there are still some let downs.
SmallFish is easy to use with a series of walk
through steps and default settings that allows
you to develop a consistent look without a lot
of hard work or prior experience. Unlike a lot
of e-commerce platforms SmallFish doesn’t
have a range of themes you can pick from,
instead it has multiple options such as tab
style, colour, image size, font etc, while this
does allow for some versatility most shops
end up looking similar which is probably its
biggest downside especially considering it is
pricing itself towards the higher end of the
fully customizable BigCartel plans.
Adding different shipping options, promotions
(discounts, vouchers, coupons, shipping
discounts etc), and integrating social media is
all easy to set up and maintain in SmallFish as
is managing orders and improving your SEO.
One area that will quickly become frustrating
for some is how product options are set up:
in BigCartel and the next platform we look at,
SHOPIFY, product options are added as the
product is listed, SmallFish manages product
options in a separate tab. Once you become
use to this it is relatively easy to use however
if you delete a product it is easy to forget to
remove the corresponding product option
and end up with an unmanageable range
of product options. SmallFish does provide
strong support to its users with businesses
promoted via Facebook and its marketplace,
regular improvements, and prompt, helpful
responses to email support questions.
Out of all the platforms I tested Shopify is
the one with the most bells and whistles and
ranked the highest in all the categories tested
although this does come at a cost: plans cost
between US$14-$179/month with up to a 2%
transaction fee on all sales.
Like BigCartel, in Shopify you can fully
customize the look of your store; in fact you
might be surprised at just who uses Shopify.
If you know coding you can fully customize
S M A L L F I S H
the look of your shop yourself or if you don’t
have the confidence or know how you can
still easily modify one of its many free themes,
purchase different themes or get someone to
design your store for you.
Shopify supports over 70 different payment
platforms and is the easiest to integrate all
forms of social media, including a blog. Set
up, adding products and product options is a
breeze, although because of all the options it
is easy to get distracted and prolong your set
up. Additional apps can be purchased to help
either your customer e.g. A wish list app, or to
help improve the behind the scenes functions.
Managing orders is made easy with all the
usual search, filter and process functions
and the added ability to partially full an order
(perfect if you have a multipart order but need
to make one element), record your tracking
numbers and send notification of shipping
from within the programme.
I did strike a few problems when trying to set
up direct credit as a payment option however
after searching their extremely helpful
community forums, and help sections I think
this was more user error than anything else.
While Shopify is a fantastic platform it can
quickly become one of the most expensive
once you take in your monthly fee, transaction
fees (and if someone pays by PayPal you will
get two lots of fees) and any apps you decide
to add on. Out of the four reviewed the only
platform I would strongly advise you to stay
away from is MYOB Atlas. Otherwise look
at what you need from a platform, what you
want, and what you can afford. Don’t jump
in too quickly either, while most platforms
offer a free set up period and are contract
free, setting up in the wrong platform and
then having to change over to another will be
a frustrating and time consuming process - I
learnt this the hard way.
Researched and written by Vicki of Quirky Fox |
S H O P I F Y
If you’ve ever been to an op-shop, you’ll
know there are way too many ugly
clothes out there. Muu-muu anyone?
But if you can see past a garment’s
frumpy shape or dated look, you may
discover there is a gem deep within.
If the fabric is in good condition and
with a print you like, a little magic
can often be worked to create an item
you’d be proud to wear.
There are a swag of blogs around that regularly
feature their refashions with dramatic before
and after photos. Most of them will openly
inspire readers with tutorials and tips on how
each one was achieved as well, so you can
replicate the look yourself.
Refashion Runway was an online competition
hosted by one such blogger, US based Beth
at Renegade Seamstress. Designed to be a
friendly sewing competition, eight contestants
were selected in a show down of sewing
and design skills as hideous second-hand
garments were redesigned into something
beautiful.
The idea was inspired by TV shows such as
Project Runway and Great British Sewing
Bee, so in like style, one or two competitors
were eliminated each week based on votes
refashionrunwayWITH KATRINA FROM OFFSQUARE
from readers and their fellow competitors.
Being a sewing and refashioning blogger
myself, I readily jumped in and applied. Beth
and I had been following each others blogs
for a while and something like this is a great
way to challenge myself while having some
fun and discovering other like-minded people.
Run over four weeks, the competitors had to
complete one refashion each week that fit a
particular theme.
The first week it was stripes, followed by denim,
copycat of a catalogue item and finishing the
last week with a summer dress. All garments
had to be self-made and constructed using
second-hand finds.At the end of each week
there was a showcase of before and after
photos for the themed refashion of that
week. Voting on those entries then took place
throughout a week, before a winner was
announced and another competitor eliminated
from the competition.
When the first refashions were posted after the
first week, we all quickly realised how stiff the
competition was. One little aspect gone wrong
could decide the voting results such as the
final fit, styling, workmanship or presentation,
so the pressure was really on for us to get
it perfect.
F A S H I O N M O M E N T
Needless to say, after that first week I started to panic and ended up working on, not one, but
three different options for the denim challenge. Now starting to second-guess all my designs, I
was hoping for some back up options, just in case the first choice was a disaster. But by the time
that denim deadline approached, I found myself in a better, calmer place and had settled on more
confidence in those design choices.
My first design option was still submitted in the end. With each consecutive week my designing
and sewing skills were pushed and tested as I worked to meet the cut off dates. The healthy
competition was good motivation and it highlighted some areas that I could develop more when it
comes to sewing and design. In the end, I made it through to the third week before I was eliminated
from the competition. While it was disappointing not to get through to the final week, I gained so
AFTER
AFTER
BEFORE
BEFORE
much from the whole experience and I don’t
regret a thing. I’ve meet some talented
seamstresses, pushed my limits and had a
blast doing it all.
I adore the blogging community for the
way they support and encourage everyone
so openly and Refashion Runway was no
different. There’s no jealousy or rivalry and I
think that makes for a very warm environment.
It’s a great place to share ideas and creativity.
There’s also something beautiful about the
correlation between refashioning and life. That
beauty and value can come from something
otherwise rejected or discarded. How a new
lease on life can be found when you nurture
the potential within.
Often we can hit a season in life where we
might feel a bit lost and in need of fresh
perspective and direction. It’s a great time
to try looking at things from a different angle
and dream of other possibilities. I do find
refashioning to be a great creative outlet and
since having kids I’ve really gotten into it a
lot more. I remember many years back, when
my cousin made a pair of trousers out of an
old bedspread and I thought “Really? You
can actually make clothes out of other things
like that?”. The thought had never occurred
to me before, but it opened up a new way
of thinking. The fact it’s so budget friendly is
definitely an added bonus too.Refashioning
isn’t just for the experienced sewer either.
Revamping old clothes is a great way to gain
some confidence while you’re learning to sew.
With all the construction work of button holes,
sleeves and zips already done, you can utilise
those and work on simple changes until your
skill level grows more. By shortening a skirt,
taking in the sides of a dress or even dying
a garment a nicer colour you can make a
heinous outfit into a new wardrobe staple.
I hope to continue refashioning and sewing for
many more years and can’t wait to teach my
kids to sew too. It’s such a valuable skill and
there’s nothing like wearing something you
created yourself. It’s very rewarding.
Despite the things we do to buoy
ourselves up over the Winter months,
we still inevitably have our dull and
even demoralising moments.
The cold is an expert quasher of many
plans – it encourages us to make excuses
for ourselves, it convinces us to put things
off and is just generally a key factor when it
comes to lagging motivation. The best laid
plans to keep ourselves motivated, happy and
living balanced lives fall by the wayside, easily
set aside by reason of something as simple
as off weather. And just as dampness and
chills creep into the crevices of our homes
we can allow this often quiet time of year to
dampen our resolve and enthusiasm, leading
us to second guess ourselves, the goals or
projects we had lined up to achieve and our
confidence to wane.
But with Spring comes new life, beauty,
renewal, hope and opportunities if we will
recognise and take hold of them!
springresolutionsWITH ANA OF AMI ANA
Here is where I have a little confession of my
own to make. It may seem initially off topic,
but bear with me – it ties in. The second
drawer from the top in my chest of drawers
has accumulated contents to an honestly
ridiculous state. At a glance it contains a
generous mix of either underwear that I pretty
much perpetually mend and seem incapable of
conceding should be thrown out and replaced
or underwear that I refuse to acknowledge no
longer fits me –stuffed in there vainly awaiting
that fairytale day when I will once again fit them.
In addition to this is a completely unjustifiable
bra graveyard. And also an assorted pile of
leggings, stockings, nylons and fishnets that
I delude myself I must keep – especially my
favourites – until that glorious day when they
will reappear in stores, allowing me to throw
those raggedy pairs out. They are all essential
reference pairs.
Craziness! So to sum up – this drawer is in
dire need of a clean up! I know it is. Have
I done it? No. Am I getting around to doing
A N A R A S H I I W I S D O M
it? I tell myself that I am. Then as this secret
messy drawer weighed on my mind the other
day it struck me how it is not unlike our lives
and our plans over the Winter – accumulating
discarded plans to the point of ridiculousness!
And as with my embarrassing drawer – it’s
time we had a good clear out! Spring is our
opportunity to do just that.
First things first – we need to recognise and
acknowledge that we are in dire need of a
clean out. We do this by making ourselves
accountable – but not in a brow beating
way, in a positive way. We build ourselves up
by looking at all that we have achieved, all
that we planned to do that we have achieved.
Once we have done this we will be able to
consider what we weren’t able to do from
a stronger position and without beating
ourselves up over it.
From that stand point we can begin to
reassess where we are at, to re-evaluate and
reprioritise. We’ll be able to determine with
a clear head which goals from our mental to
do list are keepers and which to discard sans
self-imposed guilt and whispering doubts of
failure, which can be repurposed and merely
need our renewed commitment, and which are
just that little bit trickier and require initiative
on our part.
There’s a phrase in Japanese that I just love
and which pretty much sums up my general
attitude towards life “mottainai” – basically it
means “wasted opportunities”. For instance,
for me to live in Japan, learn the language
and learn to speak, read and write it fluently it
would “mottainai” or be a tremendous waste
for me to not put those skills to good use
or to not make efforts to improve on those
skills once I returned to New Zealand, but to
instead let my skills in that area waste and
fade away. I would in essence be throwing all
that work away. Now what Spring promises
us is the hope of new life and new beginnings
and the motivation to not only clean out our
individual metaphorical messy drawers and
reorganise both our work and personal lives,
but also to not let the opportunities available
to us go to waste.
Spring is the optimum time for having
a thorough clear out – it is our time
to act! Trees are blossoming, daffodil
buds are peeking out, cute baby
animals abound – it’s hard for that
sense of optimism, happiness and
new beginnings not to be infectious!
It’s time for us to shake off the
doldrums of Winter and remember all
that we can do!
A N A
C U P P A T I M E
Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration in animals, people and
storybooks.
What are your daily ‘must visit’ websites?
My favourite websites are often from far-off
cities I hope to visit one day. They are homely
and full of art and life. Annaemilia, Is a Finnish
blog by artist Anna Emilia. She describes her
blog as a “weather diary of colours, wind
speed and sounds under feet in my illustrated
life.” The space she has created is beautiful,
quiet and intimate. Mieke Willems, This
blog is by a photographer living in Belgium
and features photos of places, people, art,
objects, collections, plants and animals. She
makes the everyday - like banana stickers
- whimsical and delightful and shares really
beautiful art. And a local blog, Hungry and
Frozen, A food blog by sassy, cute Wellington
self-confessed food perve. Love her recipes
and her attitude. Rad girl.
What is the best piece of creative advice
you have ever been given?
This is really difficult to answer, but ultimately
I think I’ve learnt to do what makes you happy
and do it as much as you can.
allyourstarsareoutFIVE MINUTES WITH MIRABEL OLIVER
Your all time favourite quote?
“All small beasts should have bows in their
tails” - Tove Jansson
Best kept secret...
Edgeware Village. What a place! Really good
Thai, Indian and Japanese restaurants.
Your ‘Must Have’ Indie Design piece...
A terrarium! My friend has just started making
these and selling at markets. They are
wonderful.
What does Indie Design mean to you?
A freedom to make whatever you want.
Right now I have gone on holiday to look for
otters on the Orkney Islands and eat chocolate
in Belgium so my Etsy shop is currently closed.
In the meantime you can still find my cards
online and in store at:
• Bread and Butter Letter (Auckland)
• Hapa (Christchurch)
• Kapa (Queenstown)
Follow me on Facebook to keep up to date
with my new designs!.
W O M E N S B U S I N E S S
We’d love to introduce to you our
newest contributor the fabulous Vicki
of Quirky Fox, who runs the coolest
indie design store in Hawera, she even
has a couple of top notch nominations
in local business awards to prove it.
What do you do when you find yourself banging
your head against the brick wall doing a day
job that makes you unhappy, in an economy
that doesn’t offer a lot of job prospects? You
take a risk, and open a boutique. Well at least
that is what Vicki Fox decided to do last July,
and she hasn’t looked back. ‘To be honest I
don’t know if I had a clear vision about what I
wanted to achieve when I opened Quirky Fox
and if I did it has certainly evolved since then’.
Armed with a business plan and a lot of
research, Vicki put a lot of hard work and
effort into creating the store you see today.’I
looked at a lot of products, made both locally
and internationally, and noticed the products
that drew me were handmade pieces on Etsy
and Felt etc but I didn’t have the confidence
to go just handmade initially. All the shops
I looked at online supporting independent
artists seemed to be very highend which I
certainly didn’t have the budget for and I was
quirkyfoxTHE BEST LITTLE SHOP IN HAWERA
already taking a massive risk - the economy
wasn’t strong, I was leaving a reasonably paid
job, Taranaki doesn’t have big handmade
markets like some of the bigger centres so
I were going solely off Internet pictures and
descriptions a lot of the time, and I didn’t
have a partner that could help me pay the
mortgage if things went wrong.’
Vicki initially made the decision to open the
store as a mixture of handmade and more
produced things but six months in realised
that what gave the store it’s point of difference
and what she found herself pulled to the most
was the same - working with independent
designers. Certainly not the easier of the
two markets, working with mass produced
means working with one or two wholesalers,
working with designers takes a lot more time
to nurture, you need to build your reputation
and get designers to trust you. But it is a
challenge that Vicki appreciates. ‘I really
value the relationships I am building with my
designers and it give me a challenge that
just selecting out of a catalogue doesn’t. It
is a harder business model to work then a
traditional gift shop as often the profit margins
aren’t great and you still have to pay all your
overheads but I think long term it is worth it.’
Vicki’s belief system when it comes to
independent designers links to what we
believe here at Hazel Loves Design, ‘There are
a few reasons it is important to me to support
independent design, some more shallow
then others. On the shallow end it is about
supporting individualism as each handmade
item, even if another similar item is made, has
little quirks or flaws that make it unique.
I personally don’t want to give someone
a gift that 100 other people might own nor
would I want to walk down the street and see
someone wearing the exact same outfit. I feel
knowing who made something and where it
comes from adds value to both the product
and the purchase and helps encourage a
more sustainable and ethical business model
- supporting independent designers means
you are directly helping someone to feed their
family, pay their mortgage/rent etc. Likewise
by supporting independent designers you
know the product comes from an ethical
source not sweatshop conditions which are
often overlooked until a tragedy such as the
Bangledesh factory collapse earlier this year
occurs. From an environmental perspective,
the toll is often much lower for handmade
pieces too. I also like supporting independent
design as it help educate people that
handmade doesn’t have to mean either kitsch
or an exorbitant prices.’
Being a one-woman business isn’t always
easy, this sees Vicki doing everything from the
cleaning, the book work, selecting the artists
right through to the gift wrapping. Vicki has
made a number of conscious decisions in
her store, including making the choice to not
over-stuff the store, using the white space as
an advantage, and spending time focussing
on the individual designers.
When you purchase an item from her online store,
not only do you receive a fabulous item in your mail
box, you also receive a biography telling you more
about the designer behind the piece. I don’t know
about you, but an item automatically becomes
more precious to me when it has a story to tell.
The long term dream is to have a store stocking
predominately independent artists and designers
incorporating a gallery and also holding occasional
workshops. Sounds like a damn fine dream to me!
I can’t wait to watch in come to fruition.
Next time you are in the Central North, you must
pop on in and say Gidday, or better yet, peruse her
online store, packed to the rim with art, ceramics,
jewellery, homewares, linen and textiles as well as
so much more. You may even be able to spy some
pieces hand crafted by the shop keeper herself.
Interviewed by Hazel Schreiner
www.facebook.com/quirkyfox
ONLINE STORE
www.quirkyfox.co.nz
S E E M O R E
Order your print copy nowDue out December 1st