Housekeeping

I spent a couple of hours this morning doing some shop housekeeping.  One of the things I've always had the most trouble with is perfecting my branding and my labels. 

Two things have been consistent; my fonts and my colour scheme.

I've gone through and redone my logos and images to make them more crisp.  Although I did pay someone to professionally design my header and business cards, they're a little tooo fussy for me and I've been resisting changing them because I paid for the work!

Now, both of my shops have the same running 'theme' and crisp easy feel and I'm much more comfortable with them!

Although I love my shop name, Glitter and Gratitude, I know it doesn't really express what's in my shop, which is why I've been moving towards using GG Apothecary.

Which actually works a lot neater on my product labels.

My sewing shop will follow the same feel with a little heavier of a font to make using it on fabric labels and embroidery a little easier.

My Sewing Story

I get asked a lot why I started sewing!  I hadn't really posted much about it until recently, so I thought I'd write a little about it.

I actually started sewing when I was younger, but it was always by hand.  My mum was big into crafting and she always got me these little kits where you would get precut felt with embroidery floss and things like sequins to make little dolls or ornaments.  Sort of like this.

I took a 'life skills' class in school that was basically a 'woman's work' class that taught sewing for a good portion and really got familiar with an actual machine.  It was nothing fancy, something called an industrial machine (?) with no bells or whistles, but it was fun!

Then a few years ago one of my aunties gave me a really nice Singer sewing machine.  It was hers, but she upgraded herself.  She's a seamstress who makes her own rather lovely linens and table decorations.  I also have an uncle who is a tailor in a little shop in the city.  She tried to give me lessons, but I honest to God sewed through my finger once and she left me to figure it out on my own.

I've been sewing little things on and off.  Hemming pants, fixing seams.  Making little dresses.  But it wasn't until I really started collecting handbags that I wanted to actually SEW.  I love the crazy styles from Desigual and just really started looking around at what was out there.  I discovered a big community of sewists who make their own crazy and beautiful handbags and then discovered a company that sold really simple to follow patterns for very reasonable prices.

I'm not sure where this is going to lead me, but I have a very basic map sketched out as to where I want to go!

It's such a Monday!

Today has been hectic.  I was up early to get Mia off to school and then managed to fall back asleep on the couch with the cats neatly tucked in around me.  Oops.

I hustled up and ran my errands and then sat to work on SEO and trim up some soap before I took some product shots.  Only!  Only to realize that my camera settings were wonky and I'll have to sit and edit the pics when I list them!

My supply order is still lost out there someplace, which has me concerned.  In the last few months a couple of the companies I relied on no longer ship overseas.  Some of my ingredients are sourced locally, but I do have to order a great deal of my bottling and packaging supplies!

On the 15th I hope to post 6 new bar soap and restock 3 best sellers.  I'll have two new Yoni products, two new face creams, several new hand creams, two new botanical soaps, as well as a new face scrub and hair condtioner!

My new shop, Sew Gratitude, should be launching in about a month and a half, I'm not certain yet!  Working up stock and refining my products and marketing is taking some time.

Anniversary Restock

My Anniversary Restock is coming up this 15th September.  It's hard to believe that I've been open a full year, I'm still learning so much.

Since I first launched I've added so many new products to my line, redesigned labels a couple of times, and had so many requests for custom products.

This restock won't be incredibly massive, but will feature restocks of several best selling soaps and lotions, the return of my incredible PSL, two new Yoni products, and several new facial care items.  I'm also considering another label work over, but we'll see how much time I have!

Friday Favs!

Things I've been loving this week, in no particular order!

🌲 White Pine Rising's Plant Butter
I use this several times a day, every day.  Every day.  It's my go to eye cream, perfect for overnight.  It's a great face cream, a wonderful body lotion, and worked wonders on my worn and battered London feet.  I like mind custom blended with geranium and patchouli.

Chaga Mushroom and Green Tea are both highly anti-oxidant, help regenerate damaged tissue, slow down aging, and have anti-inflammatory properties. Calendula has been perpetually used as a very effective treatment for numerous skin ailments ranging from wounds to rashes.

✂ Swoon Patterns
I think you'll hear about these a lot, but it's the catalyst that's gotten me interested in sewing.  She has a lot of free patterns on her main site, but also has an Etsy shop, which is how I found her.  The patterns are on the simple side and while I can't always understand the directions (they're sort of vague or aimed at people who know how to sew already), there is a thriving online community that's open and helpful!

👄 3ina Cosmetics
3ina, pronounced Mina, is a Spanish cosmetics line that at first glance it similar to Kiko. I think it's a couple steps up quality wise, and considering Kiko is amazing, Mina is extraordinary.  I got a couple polishes, a shadow, a gel base, and a lipstick and I've been wearing them almost nonstop.  I can't wait for my next trip to go back for more.  In particular I've been loving the Chubby Lipstick, which I have in 102.