CARTOON: The Crafty Fox Market

Two weekends ago, I attended the Nuffnang Workshop - on blogging and small creative business owning - which was so awesome and inspiring! After the workshop, we headed down to the Crafty Fox market to have a look at all the Christmas goodies. Let me just say, that it is a market FULL of beautiful, creative wares from a crowd of unbelievably talented people. My mind was literally blown and every single inch of the trendy art/pub space was filled with awesomeness. I am DEF keen to get involved and get a stand for my "artsy-stuffs" at their next markets! Anyway. The husband and I had agreed to have a "date night" at Winter Wonderland after the workshop was finished and he was phoning me (while I was in the middle of the Crafty Fox market) to find out where to meet me...



Warren: To meet at Waterloo? Is that cool?
Husband: Ok. so... hello?
Me: whoooo... it's so pretty!
Husband: Can you hear me?
Me: Everything! It's SO LOVELY!
Husband: Hey... so... what are we doing?
Me: wow... it's so... everything! Everything... wow!
Husband: I need to know where to meet you, I won't have signal soon underground

At one point, I even tried walking OUT of the market into the street to be able to actually engage with husband on the phone, but it was a futile effort and within 37 seconds I was mysteriously back inside the market next to ALL. THE. PRETTY. THINGS. How did that happen?!?



Husband: For Christmas, I would like you to tell me where to meet you before I have to go underground.
Me: No. Be serious! I am surrounded by beautiful things and I need to buy you something.
Husband: Ok fine, buy me something beautiful - something I can use.
Me: Ok! Got it!*

* and I did find the "perfect beautiful, practical gift for him!

The husband eventually got it out of me that we should meet at Waterloo (unfortunately I got sucked into all the pretty things and chatting to Tom, Lulu and Elizabeth - so he ended up phoning me from Waterloo - asking where I was, when I actually hadn't moved more than 2 metres, haha - sorry Warr). (Tom has also written an awesome review on the market - so go check out his blog!)

Eventually husband and I met up for our date night:

 
Husband: Why did you tell me?
Me: I don't know - I just couldn't take the suspense ANY longer! I know. I ruined the surprise. Anyway - LOOK! it's so beautiful! And it has cork to stick your things on! WOW!! hey!! WOWW!!!!

witshop.co.uk

(Go check out this store! I LOVE their stuff!)

After I had whipped out the beautiful calendar from my bag, I struggled to get it back in -

And so began our date night.

I absolutely loved the Crafty Fox market and I am super keen to get involved at their next markets - probably in the Spring! Excitement! Look out for my next post on a few of the other goodies I bought at the market and my take on the "importance of supporting handmade"

The baby brother arrived in London yesterday and the husband is taking a few days off work this week - happy girl! x

Conversations (with mother)

Our internet has been down for the past two days - which basically means I have had a complete FLATLINING experience. This is not a joke. Yesterday was all KINDS of kak.

Mid-way through conversation with my mother on Wednesday morning:

Mother: So, your brother arrives on Sunday.
Me: What?
Mother: Blake is coming on Sunday.
Me: What? To where?
Mother: London, your house, on Sunday.
Me: THIS Sunday?
Mother: Yes. I thought you knew.
Me: But not THIS Sunday!!
Mother: Yes. THIS SUNDAY. He leaves on Saturday.
Me: WHY did nobody tell me this?!
Mother: We thought you knew! Did you not know?
Me: No. Clearly not!!
Mother: And then we leave next Wednesday.
Me: What?
Mother: I said, we leave on Wednesday.
Me: What? Where are you going?!
Mother: Oh, we're going to Thailand.
Me: WHAT?!?
Mother: Oh, I thought you knew.
Me: GEEZ mom! Is there anything else you want to tell me?! Are you having a baby?!
Mother: What?! You're having a baby?!?
Me: NO. YOU! Are YOU having a baby?!
Mother: Why would I have a baby?!? I'd SHOOT myself if I had a baby. But are YOU having a baby?
Me: NO. It would be lovely if you could inform me of these THINGS.

Anyway, from there the day just went from bad to worse, to worser. Shelves fell on me. The internet broke. I had a headache. There was no chocolate. I had the gremlins of self-doubt. It was ALLLLLL happening. Now, when I am feeling all down in the dumps, husband has named me his little blue berry. Sad face emoticon. Last night, he brought home a delicious blueberry muffin and he made me a delicious mug of milo and we ATE ALL MY FEELINGS.



Then I followed husband around the house for a while.

Husband: Why are you following me?
Me: I don't know *shrugs* you make me happy- I just like being near you.
Husband: um...ok...
Me: ...like when I'm near you I'm less blue berry and more Strawberry.
Husband: Ok then - come along!

Sometimes all it takes is a blueberry muffin and mug of milo to make the world right again

(oh, and a good husband that'll also do the trick)

______________________

* I had a great cartoon on the calendar for yesterday - but now you will just have to wait until Monday when I get a gap to upload it all to the blog - right now, as you can imagine with two days of no internet  - I'm all sorts of behind on client emails that I need to send!

Toodles yo!
_____________________

And just for the record: I'm NOT having a baby.
And neither is my mother.

Creative Business: Learn More.

For the last two months or so - every Tuesday on indieBerries, I have started posting a new blog series for the indieBusiness. You know... business and blogging tips and advice for anyone in a creative/indie business. This Tuesday, I wanted to share something slightly more "off-centre" from an actual specific creative-business topic - but something that is perhaps the reason I came to start this blog series in the first place.

I have always LOVED school. Give me a pen, a piece of paper and something to write down and I will be in my element. Granted - it could just be the pen and paper that gives me that feeling - but I have always loved learning. I completed my PGCE in a year, whilst working a full time job in Korea, just because "I felt like studying". I did an online Harvard course on Teaching for Understanding because it just seemed like a good idea. I have done a spinning instructors course and two emergency first response courses not because I necessarily think I'm going to be the next Jane Fonda or subway-emergency-lockdown hero. (oh please don't ever let me get trapped in a subway-emergency-lockdown) I've done these things because I LOVE LEARNING.

DANG guys. I have even been to a balloon-animal-making workshop. And that is NOT a lie. I can balloon-animal-the-shizz-out-of-you - (I will be honest though, my speciality is the snake).

Anywhoo, what I have come to know, is that blogging, social media networking and especially creative business owning requires a LOT of learning. And here is the thing: you will NEVER know enough and you can ALWAYS know more.

On Saturday I attended the most awesome bloggers workshop hosted by Nuffnang UK. There were four bloggers there to share their insights, knowledge and blogging experiences:

Rosalilium || Tigerlilly Quinn || Red Ted Art || Love Chic Living

What I loved about this workshop was I felt it was a really authentic and genuine knowledge sharing afternoon. In fact, even some of the speakers were asking questions to the other speakers - which to me, was completely awesome - because even as "the speakers" or the ones "in the authority" they have positioned themselves as still wanting, able and needing to learn more from the experiences, successes and stories of their peers and others. I believe that from anyone who is to be successful in a small creative business, there should always be a strong desire to DO MORE, LEARN MORE, KNOW MORE, GROW MORE.

So anyway, that's a long winded way of saying - That is why I started this blog series: to share my experiences along the journey of my own creative business start up in the hopes that it will inspire or encourage you to learn more. There is still so much to learn and still so much more knowledge that we can use to help us in our creative businesses and blogging. Here is a little list of potentially useful links from other bloggers/websites around the web - delve in!

A LIST OF LEARNING-USEFUL LINKS FOR THE CREATIVE BUSINESS OWNER/BLOGGER:

• If you are starting an Etsy store check out their blog, and participate in their community forums.
• Lynda is an amazing website that you can literally learn just about anything from!
• Pugly Pixel has an awesome selection of CSS and HTML tutorials as well as a cool photoshop e-course
• For more "inspired-type" things check out The Creative Boom - also really handy tips!
• Nicole's classes offer a bunch of free tutorials that are photoshop, light room and illustrator based.
• Nadia van der Mescht runs creative business workshops in South Africa.
• Fanchimp is a cool blog aimed at Etsy Sellers.
• Elizabeth is launching the Big Blogging Bootcamp early next year.
• There was a recent collaboration with a bunch of South African bloggers - you can see the series wrap up on CityGirl searching.
• Red Lemon Club is awesome for creative entrepreneurs. Really.
• Kat's Green room shares great blogging tips
• The blog shop offers photoshop classes.
• Pikaland has a stock of really useful posts from creative business owners and illustrators
• I also post useful articles and blogposts to my Creative Business Pinterest Board.

Ok, I think that's enough information for now - to blow your brains out! Check back next Tuesday for some more business-creative links and things! Happy Learning y'all!


PS. These pictures in this post, have really nothing to do with anything - but I took them when I was still living in South Korea - they have been hanging out on my computer and I liked them so thought I would whack them up!

Above: This is probably something wildly inappropriate.... whatevs.

________________________________________________

PPS - We are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel with regards to the new indieBerries.com site build! eeek! In the mean time, I have slowly started re-stocking my Etsy Store - go check it out! :)

Cartoon: Wifi Signals

I was home a few months ago in South Africa. It was lovely to be home... but HOT DAMN, the internet connection KILLED ME. Particularly considering that the two and a half days that my wifi connection decided to become a feeble-little-wimp were the two and a half days that I HAD TO  send out emails/contacts/connections for The Photo Hunt, reply to emails regarding our wedding guestbooks, contact a bride whose wedding stationery I am making, and send off some pages for my doodle book to be processed and retrieve old blog posts for transfer to my new site. So all in all... a VERY frustrating experience. The following account is a true story.

Top Picture: Strong wifi.
Above Picture: My feeble-wimpish-wifi.

 

(pulls hair out)

sorry computer, i didn't mean to.

after two and half days of tearing my hair out, ripping out my eyeballs 

and screaming at my computer....

and then...

Technology, you are great and I love you dearly -

But sometimes you're a massive pain in the ass.

* * * * *

In other "South African" related news - Little Miss Kylie has made an Awesome tribute to SA (and little indieBerries!) in the form of an epic South African bird! Go check it out here! (I actually did a project in Grade 2 on this bird - so it brought back all sorts of warm fuzzy memories!)

7 things I'm grateful for this week!

7 Things I'm grateful for this week:

1. An amazing blogging workshop on Saturday hosted by Nuffnang - had the most incredible time and met some awesome new people and loads of new blogs to stalk. #excited
2. Our date at Winter Wonderland being postponed last night after getting there and seeing the queue to get in stretch half way around Hyde Park. We ended up going out for an awesome Pho Dinner and strolling through Oxford Street looking at all the Christmas lights instead - it was beautiful.
3. Being in London - there is something so magical about being in London at this time of year. As we were walking down Oxford street looking at all the lights last night - the conversation literally went as follows: "oooh!! aaaah!! oooh!! Magical!! It's so MAGICAL! Ooooh! It's so Magical! Look! It's Magical!! Ooooh!! It's so MAGICAL!" Husband got sick of it after the first 7 minutes.
4. Husband. At one point in the workshop on Saturday - we began talking about the support of your partner and their involvement in your blog and that the most successful blogs are often the ones who have the full support from their partners. I very nearly burst into tears when I heard that, because I am so grateful to have such a supportive man by my side!
5. A few more card sales from my newly stocked Etsy shop this week! I still have loads more goodies to upload - but have made a start so far :)
6. Being surrounded by amazing crafty, creative and inspiring people.
7. Electric blankets. Viva la being warm!

Tata Africa

Here on indieBerries, Friday is traditionally the day for "FUN FACT FRIDAY!", but in light of the recent passing of our nation's greatest hero, I thought it would be slightly callous for me to whack you with a bunch of AWESOME (yet ultimately quite meaningless) FUN FACTS today. So instead, I've decided to gather some Mandela inspired tributes from around the web to honour the man who has altered the course of South Africa's history.

To begin, some of my favourite newspaper front pages from around the world - via Buzzfeed (these are a selection of my favourite, to see them all click over to the site) My favourite of all being The Independent).

A few pictures of Mandela, his life and times from various sources (some of which I am unable to track down the correct one) from around the internet:

Nelson Mandela Capture Site credit: Rajesh Jantilal

credit: Alf Kumalo

 

(credit: Associated Press)

The Nelson Mandela retirement charity launch campaign - via The Nelson Mandela Foundation

Nelson Mandela Poster for sale (which has now been sold) via Andi Andrea on Etsy

Madiba Swheshwe fabric via Sabie Supplies on Etsty

Nelson Mandela Clutch via Thunga on Etsy - I love this!

9 collection of Mandela's greatest moments on YouTube, via Memeburn

Barack Obama's tribute to Mandela - a man who "belongs to the ages"

The Queen wishing "sincere condolences to the people of South Africa" 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paying tribute to Mandela.

Some of South Africa's satirical cartoonists honour Madiba - 

 

A collection of some of the most inspiring quotes from The Father of Nation:

"Courage is not the absence of fear, it is encouraging others to move beyond it"
see more via - Huffington Post.

Also - 15 of the most inspiring Nelson Mandela quotes via Buzzfeed.

I think as average humans it is almost too much for us to comprehend what this great leader has achieved in his life time. Never before has the world seen such powerful force executed with such humility and grace. A man with such care and tenderness towards the human soul with such a fierce and inspiring spirit. Ironically, the one image that has made me the most emotional of all - is the cover image change on the Nandos Facebook page:

May your legacy live on forever Madiba,

The world salutes you.

(credit: Alexander Joe)