Posted on 23 July 2013

Collaborate for a Cause Charity Auction

Event/ Guest Post/ Shopping

Kicking off this Friday 26th July at 8pm 2013 (QLD time) is the annual Collaborate for a Cause Charity Auction.

 

This year’s event sees almost 600 Handmade businesses working together to raise funds for over 135 charities. To date, Collaborate for a Cause has raised $58,000 for charity and the hope is that this years event will raise $42,000 which would see this combined total top $100,000!

 

By the time the auction kicks off, theres likely to be close to 280 auction lots available for people to bid on. Each lot has been worked on by a team of two or more handmade businesses and they have come up with an astounding array of quality handmade items ranging from items for bubs, little girls & boys, teen girls & boys, right up to items for mum!

 

The auction will take place via the Collaborate for a Cause Facebook page with those wishing to bid on a particular lot, commenting under the corresponding photo with the amount they wish to bid. Full details of how the auction will be run can be found at the start of the album here.

 

The auction will finish on Sunday night 28th July at 8pm (QLD time).

 

Some of the amazing handmade entries

For further details please contact:

 Jen Kennedy

(Ainslee Fox Handmade)

collaborateforacause@hotmail.com

ainsleefox@live.com.au

Posted on 22 July 2013

Decorating your Nursery walls

Guest Post

 

Decorating a childs room can be fun or fraught, depending on how confident you are at initiating your interior decorating ideas. But creating your first nursery should be a simple process that allows for decorative growth as your child develops her own ideas.

When you first place your furniture into the freshly painted room, it can seem a little bland, so adding an array of prints on the dominant wall can add a pop of life. IKEA have a terrific range of frames that are easy to use, and an arrangement of different size frames can add a textural quality to the wall. Frames can even be handmade, and if done well, look fabulously festive.

As your child grows older, the furniture and décor need to keep pace, so shopping carefully “ and considering second hand purchases – can net you some interesting pieces. Adding a new selection of pictures to the frames, such as paper cut prints, photos, and beautiful online prints, makes re-decorating a very affordable option.

 

Handmade Emporium

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Guest Post written by Karina Reyne,  co-partner of Handmade Emporium, the hip handmade marketplace. Check out the best of handmade at Handmade Emporium

 

 

Posted on 21 July 2013

Bouncing back after Bullying

Featured/ Guest Post

Megan talks about turning the negative into positive after an encounter with a bully..

 

Recently, I encountered a bully “ someone I did not even know who decided they knew me. I came to that conclusion as the judgement, the words and the thoughts they conveyed were incredibly presumptuous. It seems with the advent of social media and the large amount of sharing that happens, people can forget their manners and their boundaries. The fact is that sometimes, some things are just private and you should to be respected for that. Unfortunately, the importance of remembering to apply common courtesy is quickly going out the window and your entire character can be in tatters before a few loose, careless tongues, or should I say fingers are done!

 

So before this becomes another post on how to deal with, cope with or recognize when someone has over stepped the mark, I am going to write about positivity. Why? Because it is the only way to bounce back after you have been bullied. Remember, bullies dont have to be obviously ˜nasty or use offensive words. Anyone who blatantly disrespects you, tries to black mail you or is threatening when they dont get their own way is a bully. Thoughts will probably run through your brain such as What will everyone think of me? Will they believe what the other person is saying? What if this adversely affects my business or personal reputation?

 

This negativity can only be fought with positivity “ by encircling yourself with positive friends, thoughts and behaviour. You cannot change someone elses behaviour but you can use their negative influence to rebuild your strength. Think about it, when is a more opportune time to remind yourself of who you are and what your beliefs, goals and strengths are than now?

 

Fight those negative remarks that keep popping up in your head with positive arguments and the truth. You DO have a right to your opinion, your life, your choices and your decisions. More often than not, the people that try to bring you down in cyber space not only do not know you from a bar of soap, they have a whole lot of issues themselves. The important thing is to not let their issues become your issues. Remember, standing up for yourself takes courage. If it was easy, everyone would do it. No one has control over you or rights to you. Be confident in who you are “ let yourself be you and the other person be themselves. How they choose to spend their life is up to them “ if it is a negative pit then leave them to it.

 

So hop to it! Make your plans, continue with your dreams and let the doomsayers, the discouragers, the tyre kickers and the goal post shifters be¦because triumphing over adversity with success gives you the last laugh!

 

Here is a collage of wonderful positive notions and wise words “ print them out, take them to your notice board, in your diary or share them on Facebook. Positivity cancels out negativity..its potent stuff!

Image source/credit: Pinterest

*Note: Should you be threatened or slandered, please seek professional advice. There are rules and laws that protect you, so you need to know your rights.

Guest Post by the lovely Megan from Robintail.

Robintail – Designed and Handmade in Australia to the Highest Quality. Creating beautiful fashions with a vision and focus on four things I believe it is important for a girl to care about; Individuality, Quality, Ethics and Style.

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Posted on 20 July 2013

Meet the Maker ~ Inkibabinki

5 minutes with/ Featured/ Introducing/ Meet The Maker

 

 

Tell us about your business:

 Inkibabinki is a handmade clothing line that is all about designing something fun, unique and beautiful for little ones.

The aim of Inkibabinki is to inspire creativity and imagination in the childs formative years and be comfortable for the little one to wear and flexible in the circumstance in which the clothing might be worn.

 

What inspired you to start your business?

It is all started with the birth of my daughter. I wanted to make a Christmas dress for her…then I made another outfit, and another one….and I have found it to be a wonderful way to express creativity now that my career as an Interior Architect is on hold.

 

Is there an interesting anecdote behind your business name?

It is actually one of ‘the many’ nicknames we have for our daughter.

 

 

What is the most satisfying part of what you do?

I love the reaction my daughter has when she wears for the first time, something that I just made. I also like receiving positive feedback from customers and/or strangers on the street.


Have you tried something in business that didnt work as planned, or on the flip side “ worked out better than expected?

I used to work based on 100% inspiration without considering pricing, postage, etc… I made really cute accessories but I couldnt sell them because the price increased quite significantly due to postage cost being high relative to the cost of the product. Now, before I make something, I would ask myself œcould that fit in a regular envelope? If not, how much do I want to sell it?

 

What would be your best tip for someone thinking about selling their handcrafted goods?

Before you make something to sell, consider the final price (include material, overhead, your design and time to make it), postage (size and weight). Do your research to understand the market before committing too much time and cost on developing a product.

 

 

What is your favourite item you make?

I love everything I make. But if I have to pick, my current favourite is my ˜Red Riding Hood range- coat cape and hooded scarf.

 

Any personal or business highlights in the last year:

Given my business only just opened for business this year, the highlight has to be setting up the online business (there is A LOT involved behind the scenes to do this…. )

 

3 things about you that people might not know:

I am freelance Interior Architect.

My favourite colour is black.

I have lived in 7 cities and 4 countries.

 

 

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