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

FACEBOOK

www.facebook.com/papercutpatterns

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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

http://www.musejewellery.co.nz

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

Facebook

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

FACEBOOK

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.

FACEBOOK

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

http://craftycakecreative.blogspot.co.nz

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.

http://encraftment.blogspot.co.nz/

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

http://bridgetbodenham.com.au/

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

FACEBOOK

www.facebook.com/quirkyfox

ONLINE STORE

www.quirkyfox.co.nz

EMAIL

quirkyfox@xtra.co.nz

S E E M O R E

Order your print copy nowDue out December 1st