All right stop, collaborate and listen.

Note to self:  Don't read Frankie magazine before bed ever again.  Until the next time you do.

It's not a great start to the new week when you haven't slept at all and only managed around four hours the night before.  But this is something that I experience more often than not.  It's exhausting, obviously, and it's extremely disruptive to life.  But I try to make the best of it, because it's in this restlessness that I have time to think (too much time!) about what I want for Marmalade, and what I need to do to achieve it.

  
Here is what kept me awake last night:

It all started with Frankie.  I love/hate this magazine.  I was flipping through my May/June issue, alternating between oohing and awwing at the many talented creatives from various industries and as usual cursing myself for not being as good as them.  I got into bed and turned out my light but my eyes wouldn't close.  Ideas started buzzing through my brain.  The new website I want to design; I should get onto that.  I can see it in my head, and I love it.  It's exactly what it should have been all this time.  But what good is a shiny new website with a shiny new look without shiny new designs?  I should get onto that too. They can't remain a collection of notes and thumbnail sketches.  Duh, it's much easier to sell a product that exists, stupid. 

What else?  Oh yeah, there are of course the supplies I bought months ago to begin making jewellery.  Why in the frilly heck do I think of designs for these at 4 a.m?  Just lucky I guess.  Wall art; my ideas keep changing for this.  Do I want to sell them with frames or just as posters?  Is it even worthwhile going ahead with both the jewellery and the wall art or should I just focus for the moment on invitations?

Then I start wondering if and when I'll get around to opening an Etsy shop,  purchase a new back up printer/scanner, or become more active with my marketing.  

It's enough to lose sleep over...oh wait, I already have.

So it's about 8 a.m. on a Monday and my brain is already foggy, the excitement of all the ideas I want to implement is draining along with my energy and hand/eye coordination.  Awesome start to the week.  I may have to have a "business nap."

Deb.

It's My Party And I'll Blog If I Want To.

I was recently asked to design a birthday invitation for my twin nieces' upcoming birthday.  To be honest, I'm not a big fan of designing for friends and family.  I've done other invitations in the past, CD covers, logo design and business stationery and I always have the same fears: what if they don't like it but say they do to spare my feelings?  Or, equally bad, they hate it and actually tell me!  So I end up over thinking what should often be the easiest task.

Anyway, the requirements for the invitation were:  Simple.  Girly.  Pink.  A bit vintage-y if possible.  My nieces are your typical girly-girls who love to dress up as fairies, wear headbands with big bows on them and occasionally spend a minimum of two hours pretending to be kitties.

So here is what I came up with:

I was really pushing for the first design but my sister decided to go with the second and I was able to modify it slightly for the one boy who was being invited (a bonus service that only comes from being related to the designer).  I know she made the right decision.  The girl's do love their pinks and greens and tea party imagery (big thanks to the talented folk at VectorStock for the tea cup and cupcake) and it does have a simple elegance to it, if I do say so myself.

The girls turn four this Sunday.  I'm going to miss the three year old versions of them, with their funny interpretations of the world and their idiosyncrasies but I'm also looking forward to watching them morph into the fabulous fours as they learn more about the world and their places in it.

Happy Birthday Grace and Lily,

xoxoxo

My Ideal Day

The topic this week for Listmania at Home Life Simplified is a good 'un:  Ideal Day.  So I started to imagine what mine looked like...


My husband, Astronaut Mike Dexter wakes me up with a kiss after a refreshing eight hours of undisturbed sleep.  Somehow, I've become a 'morning person', and I can't wait to start the day.  Mike is off to save the world again, and he promises to name a new constellation after me in his spare time.

Mike looks remarkably like Japanese movie star, Hiroyuki Sanada. 

After a hot shower and delicious breakfast of fresh juice and croissants (I can eat these because I woke up at my ideal weight) it's time to find something to wear.

Decisions, decisions.

Then it's off to work.  I'm really looking forward to getting to my new office.  It's such an inspiring place to be.

I love my girly office.

My goodness!  I'm swamped with new orders for my wedding stationery.  It's going to be a busy day but I know I can get everything done because I no longer get distracted during the day by Facebook or the stupid Sparkle City game I downloaded on my phone.  That's all in the past.  I'm focused, driven, successful.

Not only do I make amazing progress with my orders, I have time to work up some new, totally amazing designs.  My e-store is growing, the server never crashes and it's time to start thinking about hiring staff and expanding.

After a fulfilling day at work I return home and throw together something for dinner.  I've discovered that I'm something of a genius in the kitchen.

Jamie Oliver is jealous.

I also eat Mike's dessert since he's away saving the
world and I won't gain any weight on my ideal day.

After dinner and a video chat with Mike (the world has been saved again thanks to him) I write a few more chapters of my novel.  It's going really well and I have a feeling it's going to be a bestseller.

Time to curl up with a good book and a warm cocoa before another eight hours rest.

What a wonderful, completely fictitious, ideal day I've had.

Deb

Marmalade Likes...

In this entry I want to bring your attention to a few other Australian small businesses that I like and recommend.

First up is The Eleventh Flower, a Melbourne based floral design business.  Floral designer Rose creates amazing arrangements for weddings, events, corporate needs and gifts for special occasions like anniversaries and birthdays.  

She's a clever gal, our Rose.  And a mixed bag of contrasts.  She's a jeans and Chuck Taylors kind of girl with a strong dash of Martha Stewart and the quit wit of Dorothy Parker.  It makes for some very creative results.

How beautiful is this?

Snowberries...wow.

Okay, now she's just showing off.

So, if you're in Melbourne and need a dazzling and unique arrangement check out The Eleventh Flower.  You can also find her on Facebook here.

Next we travel to the rural Victorian town of Euroa.  Euroa has three claims to fame:  

1. Cricketer Merv Hughes was born there.
2. Ned Kelly robbed the National Bank in 1878.
3. Fabulous small business Sew N Sow is located there!

Inspired by a love of the simple life, owner Michelle takes gorgeous fabrics and transforms them into handmade hats, market totes and gifts.  

Sneaky peek time:

Chevron!

Bicycle print bucket hat?  Yes please.

Little Sweet Dreamers...aww.

You can't see it in the picture but those Sweet Little Dreamers have a pocket in the front for special treasures, or can be used as a Tooth Fairy Pillow.  In fact, nine out of ten tooth fairies recommend the Sweet Little Dreamer for the safe-keeping of lost teeth and subsequent funds transfer.

My 3 year old nieces have the Sweet Little Dreamers.  When Niece #1 wants to have a lovely dream about chocolate factories and new sparkly shoes she has Mum or Dad write the dream down and places it in the pocket.  Niece #2 keeps a shiv in hers.  

You can follow Sew N Sow on Facebook, through the blog or just go straight to the Etsy Shop.

Last, but by no means least is Pink Poppy Makeovers.  Makeup artist Rachel does bridal makeup and runs group and one-on-one workshops.  I attended a workshop a few months ago and had a great time and learned quite a lot.  They're a great idea for anyone wanting to freshen up their look for a new job, or for an alternative idea for a Kitchen Tea or Hen's Party.

The products Rachel uses, Motives by Loren Ridinger, can also be purchased from her and include both makeup and skin care.  I'm currently using the primer and foundation and love, love, love them!  I especially love the primer.  It's smooth and makes the skin feel great, plus the smell is addictive.  It reminds me of the beach.  If I'm not careful I'll wind up on that show, Strange Addictions as the crazy woman hooked on makeup primer.

Motives palette...gorgeous!

When Winter cold bites, bite back with bright colours!

Smell it...you know you want to.

You can find, contact or stalk Pink Poppy Makeovers on Facebook.

Got any Australia based small business recommendations you would like to share?  Feel free to leave them in the comments, I'd love to discover them.

Deb

Episode IV: A New Blog

The last three weeks have been a mixed bag of frustration, anger, crappy designs and small victories.  I may have bitten off more than I can chew by removing every single product from my e-store, Marmalade Event Stationery with grand plans of updating everything with a fresh new look.  In my mind this was going to be a piece of cake.  Designs would flow and the site would be updated every day with glorious new stationery, wall art and jewellery that would have customers placing mega orders.  But now I have no products at all and to add to the fun times my server is down today.  Great for business!

I have lots of design ideas, that's not the problem.  Sometimes what ends up before you on the screen looks nothing like what you picture in your head.  A lot of times it's just plain awful and needs to be shelved.  A swing and a miss.  Then there are the rare gems that take you by surprise and what you arrive at is nothing like you imagined, instead it's so much better than your original idea.  A home run!  I haven't had many of these in recent weeks and it is disheartening.  

Nobody aspires to be average or mediocre.  We want to leave behind something in this world that says we were here and just look at what we achieved.   I'll keep on persevering because I have big dreams for this business and I know where I want it to go.  I just need to get things back on course.

And of course not do anything stupid like empty a website of every product.


May the font be with you.

Deb

To blog, perchance to dream.

This week's topic for consideration over on Home Life Simplified's Listmania is Gratitude.  As a glass half empty (with a crack that makes everything leak) type of person I have to give serious thought to lists like this.  Later on I'll no doubt think of things I should have included but here is how the list stands at the moment.

1. Family.

"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."  It's funny because it is true.  I'm grateful for a sister and brother-in-law who feed me when I conveniently turn up just before dinner.  "No, I really can't stay...I've got a thing I have to do...well if you insist."  I'm grateful for all the love and laughter I have shared over the years with my nephew and nieces.  With no children of my own it's nice to know that my taste in movies has still been passed on to another generation.  Yes, an entire family of Chevy Chase fans!  I'm grateful that about twelve years ago my nephew gave me a nickname that all of the kids still call me.  It certainly makes me feel special.  I'm grateful for the family members, both local and interstate who I know I can call on for a laugh or whinge at any time.

I'm grateful for my grandpa, who at 95 years of age is still as sweet, and as funny as ever.  There is a reason we all call him "Great" and it's not just because he is a great-grandfather!

2.  Books.

I may be a technical genius (unconfirmed) who spends hours a day on the line (that's what they call it, right?) but the truth is I am and always will be a book worm.  I've got to have a book on the go at all times and I'm not fussy about the genre.  So I'm grateful for books, authors, libraries and book shops.  One day I may even be grateful for e-readers.  One day.

3.  Friends.

"Friends are the family you choose."  I think that's how it goes.  I have a handful of friends who I can truly count on through thick and thin.  Some from the old days (read:1990s), some from recent years.  Strangely we don't all socialise together.  I think of it like separating your laundry. But that's okay, I value our time together all the more because each friendship is unique.

4.  My stuff.

Yes, it's materialistic, I know.  But I love my car.  I love my computer.  I love my shoes.  I love the bits and pieces like vases and ornaments that I've collected along the way that are or were 'me' at the time.  I love my ridiculous collection of perfumes and nail polish.  I'm grateful that I've either had the means to purchase or been given lovely little things over time.

5.  Creativity.

I'm grateful that I live in a world of so much creativity.  It's not just in the art galleries and museums.  It's in the architecture of my beautiful city, Melbourne.  It's in the imagination of the nieces who can play 'bakery' with play-doh or meow like a cat for two straight hours.  It's in the carefully constructed bird's nest you stumble across.  Occasionally it's in my own mind, too.

6.  The World Wide Web.

I complain about connection speed all the time but I really must be grateful for access to the online world.  I live on Google.  I loiter around eBay and IMDb.  I pretend I never use Wikipedia as a source of information.  I watch cat's getting their heads caught in cardboard boxes on YouTube.  And I dabble in blogging.  What a wonderful world we live in!

7.  Sleep.

I'm grateful for a good night's sleep.  I have bouts of insomnia now and then.  I blame all the cat videos I watch on YouTube.

8. Fur Kids.

I'm thankful that my two big-boned cats keep me warm in winter.  I'm grateful that the evil one didn't pee on anything in the last 24 hours.  A new record!


So, I guess I have a lot to be grateful for.  More than I expected when I began typing.  

Nice.

John, I'm only blogging.

"Hard work beats talent when talent refuses to work hard."

This is the mantra of NBA player Kevin Durant, given to him by his mentor Taras Brown.  I didn't know the origin of this quote until today when I Googled it.  Until today it had just been something I wrote down on a little piece of paper months ago and blu-tacked to the wall above my computer.  Something I probably saw in a Facebook post.  I love this quote and I really want to live these words.

This week on Home Life Simplified the topic for Listmania is favourite quotes.  It's week 17 for Listmania but this is my very first list.  I've never considered myself as a great follower of inspirational quotes but if I think about it, I realise there are a few that stand out for me these days aside from the hard work quote.

Yes, it's from a t.v. show, but I have loved this quote since the first time I heard it many, many years ago.  I'm at the bottom of a ladder I want to climb and I love it...heck I want to build the damn thing myself.  Sometimes it's scary, and that's okay.  Climbing ladders should be scary.  Getting to the top should feel amazing!

I spend a lot of time 'researching' which is really just looking at what other designers have been doing.  I'm a jealous creature and I often find myself looking at somebody else's work thinking, "Dammit, why didn't I think of that first?"  So, naturally I find the above quote amusing.  There is also something greatly comforting to know that other designers, in this case an incredibly talented designer, think the same evil thoughts I do.

First off, don't judge my crappy attempt at a Saul Bass-like layout.  He made it look so effortless.  The mark of a genius!  On May 8, what would have been Saul's 93rd birthday, Google paid tribute with a Saul Bass inspired take on their logo.  If you didn't see it, I highly recommend you check it out.

Wise words to end on.  If you ask me where this quote is from and who Bill S. Preston, Esq. is we're no longer friends.



Deb.

A blog by any other name...

Back in the old days, aka the 80s, my primary school presented all of the students in my year 5 class with The Australian Lettering Book.  Let me just say this:  I. Loved. This. Book.

Where the obsession began.

The book resurfaced recently and it got me thinking about my obsession with finding The Right Font.  It was always with me when I needed to put the finishing touches on my poster about Australian Birds or create a heading for my project about explorers Burke and Wills.  I often spent more time working on my headings than the actual content of the project hoping to dazzle my teachers with my creative talent.  "Look," they would say, holding up my poster for all of Grade 5 to see.  "This is what an A++ poster looks like."  

Okay, that last part didn't happen but you get the point.

Below are a few gems from this awesome book.

Letter-Shading advice

Ooh, fancy.

Pretty

In high school I may have forgotten about the book but my love of a good font hadn't gone away.  In my Year 12 Graphic Communication class we had a project that required us to come up with packaging and advertising for the product of our choice.  I chose perfume and named my product 'Mania.'  Why?  Simple, I liked the letter 'M.'  I loved working on that project!

Before I settled on the name Marmalade for my business I had my heart set on Milk & Cookies as a business name.  I loved the sound of it, and was so excited at the thought of choosing a gorgeous font to complement the name and I just knew that everyone would automatically know that any business with a cool name like Milk & Cookies would also have cool designs and products.  Obviously I didn't go with that name.  I ran it by a few people who poo-pooed the name, with the advice that naming a stationery design business after food and drink was too confusing.  Philistines!  So as you can see I took the advice on board, ignored it completely and named my business after something you put on toast.  I may have been hungry when I was brainstorming names.

I have been asked a few times about how I came up with Marmalade as a name.  After an awkward pause where I try to think up something terribly clever I go with the truth.  I opened the dictionary to 'M' and systematically went through it looking for the light bulb moment.  In the end, it was about the letter 'M.'

Gone With The Blog

Listening to:  the sound of the fan.  Not in a music mood.

Reading: Gone With The Wind (obvious inspiration for the post title) and Google + For Business by Chris Brogan (a great read for small business owners).  


Yesterday I was reading a recent blog entry of graphic designer David Airey.  The topic was self-employment and David had listed 7 links to designers who had all taken this big leap and were good enough to share their reflections on what they had learned.  It got me reflecting on my own decision to start up Marmalade and for me two themes really stand out.  Organisation and Fear.

A few months ago I was in paid full time employment in a role that required diligent organisation skills.  My day was broken up into perfectly timed blocks.  My coworker Kathrin and I even had a scheduled chocolate break.  I both loved it and hated it at the same time.  On the one hand your day is fully mapped out for you, you just rock up and do your thing.  On the other hand your day is fully mapped out for, you rock up, do your thing and every Monday is the same as the last Monday, every tea break the same as the last tea break.  

Working from home requires a different set of organisation skills, a set that I'm always struggling with regardless of my best intentions.  Dividing my day into blocks doesn't work well for me.  I can't simply sit down at my computer and 'be creative' for an allotted time.  It's not that simple.  I think organisation is something I'll always need to work at improving.  I don't think having a scheduled chocolate break will ever be a problem though.

This lack of organisation allows me to embrace my true procrastinating self.  Sure I'll type up a new blog post...just as soon as I clean the bathroom.  Today I'll source a picture frame supplier...just as soon as my kitchen floor smells like lavender and my DVDs are organised by alphabet and genre.  Do you see a theme?  

I know I need to overcome this procrastination.  I swear I'll do it later.

Now we come to Fear.  Where to start?  There is the fear of failure and oddly the fear of success.  I have wonderful, supportive friends and I worry about not living up to their belief in me.  I worry about letting down my family as I know I have before.  I'm always jealous of other designers and wonder if I will always be wondering 'why didn't I think of that?' or 'why aren't I as good as them?'  And there is the obvious fear of not making enough money to stay self-employed full time.

Guy Moorehouse, designer/developer for Futurefabric says to embrace the fear.  The fear, he says, is psychological, that society has conditioned us to not take risks because they are something negative that need to be avoided.  He believes that working for yourself isn't really risky, that it maybe just needs a bit of planning and to be a bit organised.

Oh brother.

Moorehouse also says not to let the fear hold you back.  "Embrace it and use it to give you the energy to get your sh!t together."  So that's what I'm going to do. Tomorrow.  After I rearrange my sock drawer.

Deb

I came, I saw, I blogged.

So here is the blog I've been threatening planning to start for about six months.  I made a promise to myself that I would definitely publish my first post in the new year and so as we reach the tail end of January (already...where did the time go?) I realise I had better get a move on.

I've got lots of ideas for 2013.  I'm working on a new logo, something to better reflect Marmalade.  I'll be updating and adding to my invitation range, introducing gift cards and tags and testing the water with framed artwork.


My other 'Big Plans for Success' include:

• Give in and fully embrace social media this year and recognise it's various forms as the useful communication tools that they are. 
• Will update my super awesome and not at all dorky and embarrassing iTunes work playlist.
• I will attempt to give my work space a Feng Shui overhaul for optimal results in brilliant new designs.  (Probably won't do this one)
• I will cut down on office gossip.  As a sole trader this should be easy, and the cat never has anything interesting to say anyway.

I'm feeling really positive about the year ahead and look forward to seeing how things unfold.

Happy New Year,

Deb.