Escapades of a quirky mind

Borrowed my dad's camera...

2012-02-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

To take some brand new photos of both old and new Random Quirks stock. I'm currently in sunny Florida so I'm taking advantage of the sunlight. I've been wanting to take some fresh photos for a while, not only for my etsy shop but for my website which my brother is currently working on. We're getting there.

As well as plain product photos, I wanted to take some promo photos of some of my newer necklaces to put on the front page of the website. Here are a couple of them:

What do you think?

100th post!

2012-01-20T12:23:00.000-08:00

Say hello to Random Quirks' 100th blog post!

Here are some photos of my stall at the market I went to on Sunday.

For more pics, check out the Random Quirks and Toast Rack Facebook pages.

And as promised, some after pics of the new jewellery I made for the market. Take a look. Coming soon to Random Quirks.

I am really looking forward to getting some daylight so I can take some better photos.

And finally, a new arrival today. Some more of my new supplies. Can't wait to start creating!

Miniatures! Rings and stud earrings a go go!

New supplies and the first market of 2012!

2012-01-14T09:47:00.000-08:00

And just in time for the market tomorrow! Apologies for the bad photo but lighting was bad and I want to get started making these into awesome jewellery! Will take a better "after" picture, promise.

Can't wait to see what kind of reaction they get. Hope you like them!

Random Quirks and Toast Rack will be attending the Magpies and I vintage and craft market in Altrincham, Manchester tomorrow. Come along if you're in the area :)

11am - 3.30pm

The Covered Market,

Greenwood St,

Altrincham,

WA14 1SA

Treasury Tuesday

2012-01-09T23:15:00.000-08:00

I made a treasury:

Betty Blue.

Hope you like it!

We have a winner! Random Quirks giveaway

2012-01-07T04:16:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all that entered the Random Quirks birthday giveaway. As stated in the rules, the winner was picked at random by Random.org:

So the winner is Kristy! Well done. Here is your prize:

It has been taken off the shop. Please let me know that this is your confirmed choice and email me with your address to quirkz88 [at] hotmail [dot] co [dot] uk.

Thank you again to those who entered. Sorry you didn't win, but maybe next time. I may do another one in the future! For now, type GIVE20 in to the message to seller at checkout to receive 20% off your next order at Random Quirks (20% will be refunded by paypal).

Hope you all have a great day and congratulations to Kristy!

Feature Friday: Made by Daisy

2012-01-06T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today's Feature Friday is about fellow Brit seller Made by Daisy. I am officially in love. I have never seen anything like these bangles and rings and can't believe that she hand makes them herself!

There are two types of jewellery in her shop. Mainly bangles and rings, but there are two distinct styles going on. Kitsch and Vintage. I love both of them, but the resin hundreds and thousands (sprinkles to the americans) jewellery appeals to my quirky side. Very unique pieces, I definitely recommend having a browse in this shop. Here are a few of my favourites.

This looks good enough to eat! Definitely my favourite. I don't normally wear bangles but I think I would have to make an exception for this!

Very simple, but elegant. Love it.

Ideal for anyone girly. I love the texture to this bangle and ring set.

Don't forget to enter the Random Quirks giveaway! Closes at noon tomorrow UK time. Open Worldwide.

GIVEAWAY! Happy birthday Random Quirks! CLOSED!

2012-01-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

In honour of Random Quirks’ 4^rd birthday (wow!) Iam hosting my very first giveaway.

Who can enter?

Anyone, anywhere, no restrictions. I deliverall over the world so I’m not going to stop now.

The prize:

Your pick of any one item you want from Random Quirks. Completely up to you, no limits. You could win a necklace, someearrings, a ring, a brooch, a keychain or a bracelet. This includes brand newitems that I will be listing this week. Anything up to the closing date.

How to enter:

You have a few ways to enter. You can do one,a couple or all of them. The more ways you enter, the more entries you have andmore chance you have of winning.

1. Comment below telling me which Random Quirksitem you would want to win and why.

2. Follow this blog and let me know you’ve followedin the comments

3. Tweet “ I want to win an item of my choice fromRandom Quirks in their 3^rd birthday giveaway (link to blog)” andcomment here with your twitter name to let me know you tweeted.

4. Like Random Quirks on facebook and write on thewall which item you would want to win and why.

So you can earn up to four entries here.

The winner:

The giveaway will close on Saturday 7^thJanuary 2012 at noon. I will a draw a winner using Random.org and I will postthe winner on here shortly after. The winner will then confirm to me which itemthey would like – just in case they changed their mind after seeing any newitems that arrive during the week and then we can arrange details for delivery.

Good luck and spread the word!

Random Quirks boxing day sale!

2011-12-26T03:45:00.000-08:00

So Random Quirks is cleaning out it's closet ready for the new year. The Boxing Day sale is here! Grab yourself some bargains! The sale will only end once everything is gone, so take a look and see if your favourites have been reduced.

Was $10

Now $7

Was $12

Now $8

Take a look at the sale section here

Merry Christmas! A present for you...

2011-12-24T04:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas (yes I know it's only christmas eve, but for me it counts)! Just a quick one to wish you all a happy christmas!

So, in terms of presents. I have MASSIVE plans for Random Quirks and Toast Rack for the new year. So to begin, I am having a sale on Random Quirks starting on Boxing Day. Yes, I am finally cleaning out my old stock to make room for all the shiny new things that will be coming starting January the first. And there may even be an extra discount for my blog, twitter and Facebook followers on anything in the shop.

Stay tuned!

Doing something useful

2011-12-10T13:10:00.001-08:00

So, since the only vintage fair I was attending this christmas was cancelled last minute, I decided to do something useful with the day. I finally got around to taking all possible measurements for the vintage clothes that I have for Toast Rack. Half of them I already have photos for so I really need to get them on the shop. Can't sell them if people can't see them right?

So, keep checking back to Toast Rack. There will be some dresses, a skirt and a little jacket listed in the next week or two. Here's a taster:

Image update: Week 3

2011-12-04T11:57:00.001-08:00

This week was all about the weekend. I am settled down at work and had an awesome with the bf and friend. It was all about Christmas. Christmas market, christmas food and christmas decorations. I am shattered and stuffed!

My beloved unicorn necklace (Accessorize) and heart jumper (Next). This was my outfit I wore to work on Friday.

Was a tad bit late in buying an advent calendar but finally got one yesterday. They had pretty much all sold out!

The christmas tree at my bf and my friend's house. Shiny shiny shiny.

It's Martin from Coronation St! This stall was at the Manchester Christmas market (on King St). And no I did not know he made cheese.

Me being rather childish and pretending that a large bauble and christmas tree branch was a cartoon bomb.

Gingerbread cookies. Nom. Thank you Claire!

One of the 4 sets of lights put up. The living room looks like santa's grotto.

Rose is going to get square eyes.

Anyone else do anything Christmassy this week? Put up your decorations perhaps?

Image update: Week 2

2011-11-27T12:28:00.001-08:00

This was a really good week where I was quite busy starting my new job and seeing family and friends. I survived my first week at my new job and so far am enjoying it.

My week:

The computer systems at work appear really complex so I have been taking plenty of notes so that I can make sure I remember everything that I need to do. Am learning pretty fast.

Went to see Billy Bailey with the bf on Tuesday. It was AMAZING! Loved every bit of it. Bill Bailey is a legend!

My favourite work shoes. Black lace ups with a mid heel. Love them. My feet don't hurt when wearing them and I can drive easily in them.

On Saturday I went to Sheffield where I saw my grandma, brother (who you can see in the pic) and my mum. I had a really great day and loved seeing my family again. Meadowhall is still my favourite shopping centre.

My grandma's new "friend" Molly. She is motion sensitive and meows and purrs when you stroke her. Slightly creepy, but my grandma enjoys telling her to shut up.

Went to my friend from New Look's house for Sunday lunch. She is an awesome cook so the food was just nom! The yorkshire puddings went a little crazy in the oven. Very tasty.

A shot of my awesome river island bag and my wedge shoe boots from New Look. Love!

Off to enjoy the remainder of my weekend with the bf and watch The Amazing Race! I missed this programme.

Image update: Week 1

2011-11-20T12:23:00.001-08:00

The last week I worked at New Look and the run up to starting my new job. I love looking at other blogger's "A week in photos" so here is my own homage.

My week:

The red line is where I was a year ago on brain academy. The blue is where I am now. Oh my, better sharpen my brain back up!

<------------My breakfast. Nom.

I love anything that tastes sweet so this toffee nut latte was just the ticket while I waited for my train. Brrr!

Rose, one of my housemates' cats. Isn't she gorgeous?!

Axl looking like a little person (Rose's brother)

A goodbye card a couple of girls from work made me from the only resources we have in the shoe stockroom. Love it!

And a bad picture of my new grown up bag for work. No cookies allowed!

Really getting nervous for tomorrow but we shall see how it goes. I'll survive. Wish me luck!

Food and Wine festival om nom nom

2011-11-15T14:38:00.001-08:00

Ok, as promised, a bit of my holiday. One of the reason's I wanted to go to disney this time of year was for Epcot's food and wine festival. Me and the bf LOVE trying out new foods so since each stand represents a country, it was ideal. I had a silly idea to get a pic of each stand we went to so here is a mash up of them all badly done on photoshop (I apologise!)

We had a blast trying out everything and getting stamps from each country in the free "passports" they give out. I would definitely do it again. My highlights were the lamb burger from New Zealand and raspberry wine from South Korea. I also tried snails from France! Not that bad if you pretend they aren't snails (and don't look at them either, that was the bf's mistake!)

That's all for now folks, more adventures coming soooon!

A new beginning

2011-11-13T14:23:00.001-08:00

Well, it's been over a year working at New Look and a couple of weeks after receiving the "dreaded letter" of would you like to join the New Look pension scheme, I can finally say that I'm free. I got a job. A career job. The kind of job that I've been searching for, for the past 2 years.

I will finally be happy to go to work in the morning, have regular hours, weekends and all the trimmings. It will also be a job where injuries are not the norm - goodbye shoes falling on my head and bruised knees!

It's really weird because I'm really happy and excited, but it doesn't feel real. Maybe I'll feel it on my last day at New Look (this thursday), or driving to my new job for my first day (monday - one week - eek!). I'm not sure yet, but it's a new beginning, a new chapter in my life.

Though I have not fully enjoyed my experience working in retail, I learned a lot and I will never forget it (the scar on my arm from an accessory prong definitely won't let me!). I have experienced the best of this sector - helping people, polite and happy customers, learning where products end up, how fashion companies run etc, as well as the worst - rude/stupid customers, budget cuts (where are all the staff?) and a lack of respect at times. I have a huge respect for those whose careers are on the shop floor. I would not be able to do it myself, it requires a strength and patience that I don't have!

I am really looking forward to my future experience of behind the scenes retail. Seeing what goes on in a head office and the merchandising side. On the shoe department, a lot of the time, there has not been the stock that customers are after. I am really interested to see why that is the case. Though my new job is for a home-ware company, it is still the same theory. I really can't wait to start.

There is also a nervous feeling I have about what kind of people I'll be working with. I have a feeling I may be around the youngest (the opposite at New Look) and I hope that they will get my quirky nature and not just write me off as a freak. I feel like I'm a kid again, starting a new school (I went to a lot of different schools as a child) looking forward to learning, but also hoping people will like me. I will remember not to talk too much which is what I do when I'm nervous. Last time I did that, when I started school in Cairo when I was 10, I got ditched, lol. In fact, I think I remember being ditched starting in Nottinghamshire as well...definitely keep my mouth shut then!

I just need to think motherly thoughts to myself: "Don't be nervous" and "Be yourself", etc. Think of other things. Ah yes, I just came back off holiday didn't I? I will have to devote a few blog posts to the best bits. It was amazing! I went to florida again and visited Harry Potter world (my other home).

Well, enough rambling, in conclusion, I have a new job and I am looking forward to starting. :)

There's a lot of text isn't there? Better add in a pic for good measure:

There, sweets. Who doesn't like sweets right?

The happy things of happiness

2011-10-14T13:29:00.000-07:00

Pretty things I got recently:

The happy dress

From New Look which I bought for uniform. Couldn't resist!

The happy skirt of happiness (it's full name)

From ASOS. I officially love this skirt.

The happy winter coat

Finally something that isn't double breasted. Got it from work as well and I thank the fashion gods for my discount. Especially love the skirt bit because it twirls and I like things that twirl :)

The happy bag

This beauty is from River Island. My obsession with polka dots continues...

Have you bought any happy things recently?

In your honest opinion...

2011-09-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

These are some of my oldest Random Quirks necklaces that have not sold. I think it is because of the chain. Seems a bit too chunky for the pendants. They have a lot of favourites on them but I don't know whether to just take the plunge and switch them to some more delicate chain to see if I can sell them.

What do you think? Is it the chain or something else that I've missed?

I just couldn't help myself...

2011-08-31T04:09:00.000-07:00

Really should't spend my wages before I've got them but in my defence, I know how much I will be getting and they are for my work uniform at new look. I'll just keep telling myself that!

I seem to have a thing for blouses (and for polka dots!). The shirt on the right has a faux leather trim which is very in for A/W.

I also got this dress. Look familiar? It's exactly the same as my burgundy granny dress I got a couple of weeks ago. It's beige with a brown sausage dog print. Very cute :) I think that if you find something that fits you really well then you should get it in another couple of colours or patterns if you can!

Got a couple of necklaces that really weren't New Look's usual style and so mine so they might have fallen into my basket as well....

One more thing I'm afraid. Poor credit card! But I couldn't say no to this. New Look sell wellies online. But not in store for some reason. As an employee, I can't use my discount online so no wellies for me. I haven't had a pair since I was a little girl but I really could have used them the last couple of winters. Anyway, how lucky was I when I found in our stockroom that a customer had returned a pair of wellies from the website that just happened to be polka dots and in my size. It was fate! Mine. :)

Felt a bit guilty considering I got all that and a shrug and some shoes for a wedding I'm going to this weekend but my mum says you're only young once so fair enough!

The mother of all cheesecakes!

2011-08-22T07:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this bad boy:

It's from Patisserie Valerie on Deansgate in Manchester where I went with the girls from work. Took me a couple of hours to consume. Finished it with a mixture of pride and urghhhhh. Very tasty!

Have you had any good cake recently?

Ditzy girl reads tolkien-esque series. Part 1

2011-08-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

Right, here's something you don't see every day. My bf is a massive fan of fantasy fiction like Lord of the Rings, The Dark Tower and The Wheel of Time. I am a fan of chick-lit and adored Harry Potter.

I ran out of things to read and have been wanting a good series that will give me the same enjoyment that Harry Potter gave me, so I am giving The Wheel of Time series a go. I have just finished the first of I think 13 books?

The Eye of the World

Overall I liked it. A teenager called Rand and his friends Mat, Perrin and Egwene (Rand's lady friend wink wink) go on a journey with a gleeman (entertainer) Thomm, an Aes Sedai (kinda like a witch) Moiraine and her warder (bodyguard) Lan. There is something special about Rand and his 2 friends which this bad guy Ba'alzamon is interested in so they have a load of bad guys after them. That's kinda the gist without giving too much away. I can see WOT fans cringing reading this, I apologise.

Robert Jordan likes to describe things. He likes to describe things a lot. It is like you're actually there which is good, but at times the story can drag. I really enjoyed it and have started the second one The Great Hunt.

Will the ditzy girl be converted to fantasy series? Watch this space.

Random Pic

2011-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

Check this out. Found in a cafe in Portugal. Watercress cake. Hence the green :)

It actually tastes quite nice. Surprising since watercress is usually used in salads. Just a random photo for you.

Oh the prettiness!

2011-08-13T11:45:00.000-07:00

Look at my pretty new dress! I’m in love. Got it from work so it can be counted as my uniform :) It's more of a burgundy colour than in the pic.

My mum said she had one similar in the 70s (which is a bad thing for her as she likes new things) and my dad said it looked like a granny dress. Ah well, I don’t care. I’m going to rock it with my black wedge laceup boots and black tights with small white hearts for a quirky factor :)

I also got these three blouses. I'm really loving blouses at the moment. For work I tend to wear them tucked into jeans.

Pretty, no? Have you been wearing out your credit card recently?

Feature Friday! The Blooming Threads

2011-08-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to feature Friday. Today I am featuring The Blooming Threads .

Based in California, Ryan is a lover of hand-stitching:

“I just find something so spectacular about the rich color, raised texture and steady process alluring”

Though I love looking at the entire shop, my favourite pieces would have to be the felt flower brooches. I just love the detail of the buttons.

This is my favourite. I don't usually go for yellow, but it just makes me feel cheerful :)

Go take a look at her shop today, who knows what you'll find!

New Supplies!

2011-08-11T11:50:00.000-07:00

I love the excited feeling I get when new supplies arrive. It’s like Christmas! Check out the package I got from melovewholesale on Etsy. Take a looksie:

I can’t wait to create! If you see any charms you really like, let me know and I can make you a custom piece.

Well I’ve dropped the ball haven’t I?

2011-08-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

And the ball has rolled under the sofa. I just had a look at a draft blog entry from April that I started about how bad a blogger I am and how hard it is for me to finish things sometimes. Ironically, I didn’t finish that blog post.

I like to be inspired, and when I’m in the right mood I get up to all sorts of things. Like the other day, I randomly decided I should probably finish painting my bedroom wall that I stopped painting halfway through 2 years ago. The problem is that whenever I get inspired to go something for my shops, I’m never in a place where I can get it done – I’m usually at work.

So I’ve thought about how I can make myself a better blogger and I think I’ve come to a conclusion. Short, sweet and often is the key. That it can be something that can be done quickly when I have a spare moment rather than make time for it.

So hopefully I will be able to retrieve the ball from under the sofa, which is currently surrounded by feathers that Rose has batted under there. She loves feathers. See look at her all sad that all her feathers are stuck under the sofa:

Happy New Year – I’m back!

2011-01-15T03:11:00.000-08:00

What a busy Christmas and New Year! Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays - I know I did. My shops didn’t have a very good one though. I still can’t seem to get a very good work/life/shops balance. I’m working on it though, it’s one of my new years resolutions. Random Quirks didn’t have anything new to list and I didn’t have time to list any Toast Rack stock. Bad me.

Fast forward to 2011 (wow) and I have some new Random Quirks jewellery all ready to photograph and am working on making detailed descriptions on all my Toast Rack stock so that I can list stuff even when I’m in a hurry. I also have a few new pieces to photograph – who likes handbags? Today I am having a photo shoot so I can hopefully list something for each shop today.

Since I last blogged, I have been to two fairs, one on the 14^th of November that went really really well and another on the 9^th of this month which went just alright. I have now set up albums on each of my shops facebook pages that show all the photos I’ve taken at craft and vintage fairs I’ve been to over the last year. Take a look here for Toast Rack and here for Random Quirks.

In other news, I got kept on in my job at New Look. I am no longer a temp, yay! Just on the hunt for a graduate job now that I have a bit of job security while I search. I’m currently waiting to hear back from one at the moment so fingers crossed.

So since it’s 2011, I’d better make some resolutions:

1. Complete my sales goals for both my shops

2. Get a proper job

3. Eat more fruit and vegetables

4. Blog more often and be more active in the craft and vintage community

5. Be more tidy and organised

That’s all for now folks, but keep an eye on the shops for new stuff coming in. I shall leave you with this photo of Axle in the snow. It was the first time both him and Rose had seen snow so they were very confused!

I'm alive and well

2010-11-07T09:46:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say I'm alive and well. Just trying to figure out a shop, work, chill balance. My shops have been suffering - at least online. I took both my Toast Rack and Random Quirks stock to a vintage fair a week ago and had an awesome profitable day. I couldn't believe it.

Work is going ok - I'm based in the shoe department so I'm kept busy. I really enjoy it a lot more than my previous retail jobs as I don't have to just stand around doing nothing. That's way too boring. I'm still keeping an eye out for other more permanent jobs - especially 9 to 5 ones. I'm really craving structure, lol.

Toast Rack stock hunting is going amazing. In fact, I have far too much stock so I need to sell it! For example, the dress above. My small room can't take the weight of everything - it desperately needs a clear out in general. Have started listing items again and have just sold something today - yay! Must keep listing because the shop is soooo bare. By the way, I have created a facebook fan page of Toast Rack so please take a look and "like" it. Pretty please :)

If Random Quirks is more your thing, I have also made a facebook fan page for it as well. Take a look! In terms of new stock for the etsy shop, it is seriously lacking so I need to take some time and make some new jewellery sooooon. I think I have only one more necklace to put up.

Not much else going on so I will leave you with a funny picture. Say hello to the happy seal. He or she was basking in the sunlight and looked so cute.

Feature Friday: Gleeful Peacock

2010-10-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

What a find this week. I try and feature shops that don't have many sales but I had to make an exception this week. Meet Gleeful Peacock. You may have heard of the shop or not but either way you have to agree - the stuff in there is gorgeous! It has been really difficult to narrow it down to my two favourites to show off but I think I managed it.

Describing herself as "a creative soul", the woman behind Gleeful Peacock is from Tulsa, Oklahoma and loves being able to call herself an artist. The shop is a mix of jewellery and hair accessories - pretty gold and silver with a colourful twist. For example, I am loving how this locket here is painted blue instead of just leaving it plain - it gives it a shabby chic quality.

Everything is reasonably priced so it's perfect for some early christmas shopping...for yourself, hee hee. Anyway, the range of hair accessories is really cool as well. Here is my favourite one below - so pretty! I'm really into headbands this year :)

I love looking through this shop and it is really cool how it is sophisticated and colourful, but not over the top. Ideal for people who like pretty romantic vintage inspired wearable art. So organise yourself and start shopping early this year - right here at Gleeful Peacock!

So many developments

2010-10-12T09:44:00.000-07:00

Right, where to begin? I shall start off with the vintage fair I went to on Sunday. It was a bit of a slow day, but I managed to make a small profit so it was definitely worth it. It was also my first time using a clothes rail (thank you to the organisers for lending me one). Didn’t sell any of the clothes this time but it wasn’t really the right crowd and it didn’t help that I didn’t have anything to display prices. Must get/make some tags. It was a good day for Random Quirks, as all but one of the items that I sold was from there :)

In other news – I got a job yesterday! Yay. It’s only a Christmas temp position at New Look but its both employment and a step in the right direction towards my merchandising career. Not sure exactly when I’m starting but I have to go there this weekend to have an induction and team building.

I am also developing some branding bits and pieces for both Random Quirks and Toast Rack. Things like logo stamps, proper thank you cards, tags and promotional material. Last night I made a thank you card for Random Quirks. Let me know what you think.

I also need to make a new banner for Toast Rack since the current one isn’t really relevant. I also want a logo for the shop as well. This is me preparing for the Holiday period. :) Stuff is getting done.

I’m finally able to head to a car boot sale (a real one this time!) this Sunday so I will hopefully be getting more treasures for Toast Rack. I’m hoping to get more jewellery and trinkets than anything else since I have enough clothes for now. I would really like to put these gorgeous dresses I found online but I can’t really photograph them. I don’t have a model or a mannequin. Maybe once I clear out my room a bit then I’ll be able to fit a mannequin in there – I saw some cool ones in the TK Maxx in my home town.

Oh yes, and I almost forgot, there may be finally a Random Quirks website in the works. That is all I will say for now, more news on that at a later date.

What stuff are you getting done for the holiday rush?

Feature Friday: Floor Art Etc

2010-10-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's a close one. Now I know it technically isn't Friday here in the UK anymore, but it still is in the US so that will have to do, it's been a busy day. Will establish just how worth it the busy day was at a later date depending how things turn out in the next few days.

Anyway, on to the feature. This week we will be looking at: Floor Art Etc. I found this shop wandering around the bags and purses section of Etsy. I love mixed media so it was a great find :)

There is a mixture of household items and bags in Floor Art Etc with the common theme of photography and art. I especially love the messenger bags like this one below. All the prints were designed by Billie Anderson from Montana who describes herself as "fortunate to be a designer and artist along with being a Nanny to my adorable Grandson Nikolas". The messenger bags would be a great gift for someone special.

If you don't have the money to spend on bags, but love the prints - then you can find the prints are available too! I am in love with this particular print below, as a whole print it is gorgeous, but there are also so many details to it. :)

This shop is definitely worth a visit if you like intricate prints - I sure do :) Pay a visit to Floor Art Etc today!

Come back next Friday to see who I feature next . Who knows, it could be you!

My next vintage fair is on Sunday, so wish me luck! I will try and get photos of the new stock I received today to show you soon.

New stock, car boots and vintage fairs...

2010-10-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

So, as promised I’m showing off some of my new stock and my stall from the vintage fair I went to. Firstly, the new stock. After popping home last weekend, I came back with loads of treasures that I found at a car boot there. I managed to get some photos of them but sold some of them before I could even get them online. I also made some new handmade Toast Rack and Random Quirks jewellery.

Let me know what you think. Now I need to replace the vintage stuff I sold, lol. I really need to find somewhere to get a regular income of items. Yesterday I attempted to find a car boot sale here in Manchester but since it’s a city, that’s easier said than done. My friend and I ended up wandering around in the rain with no luck of finding one. Never again, don’t always trust google people!

Luckily, I now have some car boots that actually exist written down and will have to wait until the 17^th to go. For now, I will have to rely on ebay and charity shops. . I have also started collecting vintage clothing and nik naks to go along with the shoes and accessories I have. It’s really fun. Check out the goodies I got today at charity shops around Manchester:

Also, not seen in the photo are two dresses I picked up. A purple velvet dress and maroon corduroy pinafore dress – both very cute and wintery. I like :)

The vintage fair I went to on Saturday was awesome. I had both my Random Quirks and Toast Rack products there, and unsurprisingly with it being a vintage fair - all the items that sold were from Toast Rack. It was an awesome day where I not only made a profit, I made a good profit :) Take a look:

My display seems to have improved even further. I have to put it down to the space saving mug tree I got to hang necklaces off and the spinning hanger that I use to put up bracelets and brooches. Fingers crossed that the next vintage fair I go to on Sunday is as good as this one. I’m staying positive.

Feature Friday: Green Pickles

2010-10-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Happy October everyone! Today's featured shop I found in the forums about a week ago. An awesome find I reckon - definitely on my christmas shopping list...for me :). So for those who are organised and are thinking about beginning their christmas shopping, or maybe even have a friend's birthday coming up, look no further.

A fellow UK seller, Green Pickles is run by a designer and crafter who is inspired by "fairytales, whimsical romantic feelings and sunny days". It definitely shows in her work. I love the hair band above - it could work in both summer and winter. I am loving hair bands at the moment and this is at the top of my list. She even offers custom items, so I may have to request a button hair band in purple at some point :).

There is also a selection of whimsical hair combs which are adorable! This one has to be my favourite. Very vintage chic. Every item in this shop is unique so you are guaranteed to be individual from your friends. That is the awesome thing about the hand made movement. Go visit Green Pickles today!

Come back next Friday to see who I feature next . Who knows, it could be you!

Also, I am going to a vintage fair tomorrow - wish me luck! I have also finally gotten photos of my new stock so will show those off next time. :) Take care!

If you go down to the woods today...

2010-09-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

You will find my latest treasury. After a productive, but freezing morning at a car boot sale, I crawled into bed with my laptop. Drawing a blank with what to do with myself, I decided to make a treasury about the autumn:

What do you think?

By the way, what do you think of my blog's new look? Like? Hate? Let me know.

Check back in the next couple of days for the latest on new stock for Toast Rack. There will be photos :)

Feature Friday: Junkyard Glitter

2010-09-24T13:21:00.000-07:00

It's amazing what you can find when randomly wandering around Etsy. The other day I came across Junkyard Glitter and fell in love with her painting skills. I am officially envious. She applies her painting talent to not just paintings but cute bags and intricate pieces of jewellery.

I adore this purse - you can't get cooler than an owl in a top hat. All the individual touches to the pieces in this shop are awesome. You are definitely guaranteed to find unique items. Junkyard Glitter has been open since December last year and the woman behind it all is a full time artist situated in California.

Every piece is inspired by something, for example this purse was dedicated to The White Stripes - one of the artist's favourite bands. I love The White Stripes and owls so this purse is just plain awesome in my book.

My second favourite piece was really easy to decide because this painting is really cool. And it's not just me who thinks so - this painting made it to the front page of Etsy so you may have even seen it before. What makes it even better in my opinion is that is a 3-D painting, where a vintage brooch and feather have been used on the hat.

The artist explains in the listing that it was inspired by their realisation that "life can be a circus but you can manage it with balance". A very good point that can be used by anyone, even fellow Etsy sellers.

So, take a leaf out of Junkyard Glitter's book and manage your life with plenty of balance. And even better, pop over to her shop and check out her collection of whimsical jewellery, purses and paintings. You will find gorgeous things :)

Come back next week for Feature Friday to see who I feature next. Who knows, it could be you!

Let the games begin!

2010-09-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

Currently hyper, I am back off holiday and am ready for the challenge that awaits me. After day 2 of unemployment I have a craft fair booked, lots of new products about to be made and I'm trying to get Random Quirks up to date with its expired items (there were a lot!). I also have a temp job for my old uni for a couple of days that will pay half my rent, woop!

My dad's electric drill is poised and ready to create new pendants for some wacky new Random Quirks necklaces. I also have some new more toned down earrings ready to list. There are many sides to my creative personality :). So there should be something for everyone who likes the style of my jewellery.

Now with Toast Rack, as well as the brand new vintage items which need photographing, there will be a new line of handmade jewellery for a more sophisticated subtle wearer. That's something you've got to know about me. I wear a mix of jewellery - both pretty and down-right weird. This will be my calm side showing, lol. What do you think of the earrings above? Apparently they aren't normal enough according to my mum, lol.

Check back tomorrow where I'll be featuring an etsy seller that I stumbled upon the other day. I have decided to make this blog more structured now that I have more time on my hands and this will begin with Feature me Friday.

Now I will leave you with my random picture:

Yes our cats are proper British and drink out of pint glasses. Hard core.

A leap of faith

2010-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Wow it’s been a busy week. I have way too much to do. I’ve been busy trying to finish off my dissertation (almost there!) and have been getting ready for my holiday. I really can’t wait to just get it finished so I can sort out as much Random Quirks and Toast Rack stuff as possible before I head off.

So, I’m about to jump off a cliff. With my holiday looming I of course have the dreaded “what shall I do when I get back and I’m thrown into the reality of unemployment” thoughts dominating my mind. I’ve spent too many nights worrying about what I’m going to do with myself, especially since I’ve been full on job-hunting since May with no result. I realise there’s a pretty good possibility that I won’t get a job, at least not for awhile. It used to bring me to tears just thinking about it. But the thing is, I’m not scared anymore. I’m not scared because I have a plan.

I’m not going to sit around, doing nothing but search for jobs and wait for someone to give me a chance. What I’m going to do as well as search for jobs, is work for myself, even if I have to scrape by. I’m going to finish all those half made creative projects I’ve been putting off and I’m going to sell them. There’s fabric that needs sewing, blank t-shirts that need painting and vintage stock that needs selling. I’m going to make my jewellery and finally be able to fully commit myself to my shops. Not only online, but also face-to-face in as many venues as possible like I did last year.

There will also finally be time for me to read all those helpful articles I found all over the web and saved on my computer. And I’ll be able to take notes and follow the advice I find.

I want to clear out my room and sell that massive pile of stuff on my desk that I don’t want on eBay. I want to be able to see my floor and to actually be able to open all my drawers. It would be great to get my sewing machine back from my parent’s house and be able to put it on my clear desk. I didn’t realise how much I missed sewing. I was planning on selling my fabric collection but I realised that I didn’t want to because I worked too hard to get it and I want to see it turn into nice things for people. It would be awesome to get all the brand new American Apparel t-shirts I have in a drawer, paint them and sell them.

Once I use up all my fabric and t-shirts then I’ll have more room for my jewellery, supplies and vintage stock. Plus, selling all this stuff should hopefully let me earn enough to get by. At this point in my life I may as well try. It’s a leap of faith. It sounds pretty crazy when I say it all out loud like that – “yep, I’m gonna try and sell my stuff to make a living while I’m unemployed.” We shall have to see.

So for those of you who are at a crossroads and are worried about the future, make a plan (and a back-up plan). You could feel much better than you would be if you were heading into the unknown. I don’t know about you, but I feel much better jumping off the cliff with my eyes open. This is coming from someone who has literally jumped off a cliff before (only 30 feet though, lol). I am scared of heights and I did it with my eyes open, just like I’ll be doing very soon (metaphorically of course – no way I’m going near any cliffs for awhile, lol). Nope, not scared at all. Wish me luck.

I shall leave you with a picture of a car I walked past that was covered in cubes of jelly (that’s jell-o to the American’s). Ah randomness.

It’s all about the karma

2010-08-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

I made a new treasury the other day - check it out:

I think my favourite part of making treasuries, apart from putting one together of course, is sending convos to all the people who’s products I featured. I know how happy you can get when you see that someone has specially picked one of your items for their treasury. It brings a smile to your face and makes you feel special.

It’s great how Etsy has made it so you can just post a treasury anytime you want now without having to wait for a spot. I always used to oversleep and miss mine. It gives people more of a chance of being featured in one as well, which is awesome.

One thing I believe in is karma - if you do something good for someone else, then good things come back to you. This was definitely proved after making my latest treasury, since within two days I had been featured in two treasuries and got a sale!

August is an awesome month so far. I’ve gotten 4 sales so far on Random Quirks, which is a lot for me. I’m one sale closer to reaching my goal of 24 new Etsy sales this year (I have 13 so far). :)

So you want to make a treasury but don’t know how? It’s easy

1. Take a look at Poster Sketch. This is a great workspace where you can put the items you want to feature by using their listing number (on the right hand side under the stats section) and mix them up to see what looks good where.

2. As for picking items – go nuts, pick a theme and use the search option on the front page to find things that fit with the theme/colour scheme.

3. Once you have all your items picked and in the right place, go to the treasury section (found on the front page on the left hand side under Ways to Shop) and click on the right hand side Create a list

4. Finally, add your title, description and copy the listing numbers from your Poster Sketch page onto your treasury.

5. Don’t forget to let the people whose items you featured know that they are in your treasury. Bring a smile to someone’s face :)

And there you go, something fun to create, which makes people happy. I likes the smiles :)

In other news I went to a vintage fair today to sell my Random Quirks stuff. It went alrighty. Only sold Toast Rack stuff, lol. Will post pics of my stall in the next couple of days.

So as I leave, I shall leave you with something that will hopefully make you smile:

When I was in Holland I ordered a hot chocolate with whipped cream. And this is what I got. Never seen this done before so I laughed for ages moving the saucer up and down saying “With cream…. without cream”. Extra random points for anyone who has seen this done before!

Focus on the positive

2010-08-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

September is getting closer and closer. I'm torn between really looking forward to it and dreading it. The positive part is my holiday that I booked all the way back in May as a celebration for finishing my masters and education all together. The bad part is of course when I get back, I will be unemployed with no back ups. There's not much I can do about that, so for now I will focus on the positive. That is the only thing you can do when you know something bad is going to happen, just focus on the positives in your life and simply deal with the bad when it comes around. You'll only make yourself miserable focusing on the bad stuff coming up. So, focus on the fun things.

This month so far, I have sold 3 Random Quirks items :) which is really awesome after the desert of no sales that was June and July. It turns out that I don't have as many backed up new items as I thought though so I'm going to have to get creating - oh dear, more creating (yay!).

Looks like I'll have some time to create this weekend since I am attending a craft fair in Chorlton. Wish me luck! :) I'm also hoping to take part in a few more craft fairs later this month. Plus, I'm really getting on with my dissertation. I'm up to 13,200 words so only a few more thousand more and I'm done! I'm hoping to get it done as early as possible so I can concentrate on my shops.

With Toast Rack I have finally got a few more items so I shall begin listing the new stuff today, probably starting with the 1960s gramophone brooch. I figured out the age of the shoes I said I was going to ask my mum about; they are 1970s. Now I only need to figure out what decade the folky scarf is from. Maybe I'll have to ask some opinions online.

On the saving for my holiday front, I'm doing pretty well. I have paid off everything so now I only have to concentrate on spending money for food and souvenirs. Luckily I am a massive hoarder so I have plenty of stuff that I can sell on ebay :) That and selling more stuff on my shops has been helping. I have been doing better accounts now so I split the money made from each item into expenses (including materials), profit that goes back into the business, and wages for me. It has been working pretty well so I don't just spend everything on more supplies - though that is very tempting, lol.

In other news, I got my hair cut and got a fringe (bangs to the americans). I feel like my ten year old self again - fun :). Plus it's really nice not having to push my side fringe out of my face anymore - I felt like a right emo!

Right, back to work, I shall leave you with this cute pic of the kittens looking all symmetrical. Axle made me laugh last night being all ninja hunting a small moth in my room and briefly getting his paw stuck to some blu-tac on my wall!

Toast rack in a treasury!

2010-08-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Check it out - Toast Rack's first vintage treasury :)

Here's the link.
The treasury is by You Bad Girl and features my 1970s shoes!

In other news, I have been working on getting some more goodies for Toast Rack. So far I have 2 pairs of shoes and a scarf that looks quite folky. One of the shoes is from the 1960s and the other I am not sure yet. I'm popping home this weekend so I will get my mum to take a look at them since she's very good at dating things :) I am also working on getting some more jewellery, purses and handbags. Any requests? Wish me luck!

Today is a most excellent day

2010-07-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

It's great how some things can be so unexpected. I just sold two Toast Rack items today :) I'm so happy. That's both more money for the business and for my holiday. My shop is looking quite empty though so I have to get more items up. The only problem is that I have 2 brooches and a pair of shoes, that's it. So I've got to get vintage hunting again :)

I went to two awesome market's while I was in Holland. I bought this really cute 1960's black and red gramophone brooch. Really wish I could go back. Grr. My mum lives round the corner from one of them and won't go to have a look for me so I'm really jealous, lol. Will have to find some markets around here and pay another visit to my favourite vintage shop in town.

I really enjoy vintage hunting and am so happy that I decided to make Toast Rack solely a vintage shop. It's a real passion of mine. I wish this could be my job - that and making my Random Quirks jewellery.

Not much else going on. My dissertation is going ok. Just need to get my focus group done and then I can write quickly and easily until it is finished :) Oh, and 1 month until my holiday! I can't wait.

Yes, today is a most excellent day :)

Work, work and more work

2010-07-26T05:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, been awhile hasn't it? Not only my blog has suffered but my shops have been neglected too. Must learn to multi-task. On the bright side, last time I wrote I had only done 5000 words on my dissertation - now I have written 10500 words. And I've done 2 out of 3 of my research methods. I keep thinking, why did I decide to do three.

Anyway, luckily for me I have a back-log of new items that I made for Random Quirks so I can start listing them again, starting with this one in the picture. Plenty of rings, stud earrings and keychains to come :) I also have plenty of supplies so I should hopefully be able to make some new items soon when my new item box begins to get empty again. I have also almost finished phasing out the hand painted t-shirts - one more to go. I do hand paint t-shirts in my spare time as favours to friends though, so if anyone were to want one, I can definitely do some custom work.

So, on to Toast Rack. I don't know if I mentioned it but I have also decided to stop doing the t-shirts there as well. Instead I am going to concentrate on selling vintage accessories. Again it was a time and difficulty thing. I think I am better off selling made to order things. Once again, I bit off more than I can chew. I finally got a sale with Toast Rack for a vintage brooch so that convinced me that I was better off only selling vintage items. I love vintage. Fingers crossed for this new venture.

Not much to say on the job front. I don't have one and it's really difficult trying to find a new one. (got let go from my job in may due to staff cuts) I can't really get a proper job at the moment since I have my holiday in September for when I finish my dissertation. Annoyingly I booked it before I lost my job so I've had to scrimp and save for it and am doing pretty well so far. Luckily I have lots and lots of stuff to sell on ebay :) I can't wait :)

Well thats all for now, I am going to try my hardest to become a better multi-tasker.

I'm melting....

2010-06-08T15:22:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in Holland visiting the parents. It is 24 degrees inside without the heating on and its 11.50pm. It's gonna be a long night I think. So, quite a bit has happened since my last post. I no longer sell flip flops due to staff cuts so I have signed up to a temp agency, I have made a few Random Quirks sales (woo!) and as well as enjoying the on/off summer weather in the UK I went to my 3rd craft fair. It was quite a jolly affair as I actually made back my table fare this time (woo!). Loads of people actually wanted my business card which was also a plus. Check out my table; definitely my best display yet, not that there was much to compete with, lol.

It was really nice to have my new rings, key-rings and stud earrings on display. Plus though there was a steady stream of people, it was pretty quiet overall so I had plenty of time to make some new stuff :) I made 13 new items. 3 rings, 5 pairs of stud earrings, 1 pair of dangle earrings, 1 brooch, a keyring and two necklace. Yes indeed I was a busy bee :)

Now I'm on the hunt for the next one, where it will be who know. I'm really enjoying making the new products and really want more supplies but I'm pretty poor at the mo. Am trying to save up for a holiday as well so I'm putting all spare monies towards that. I'm phasing out the hand painted t-shirts as you can tell because I think in my case its best just to stick to made to order stuff and I just want to concentrate on the jewellery.

That's all for now folks, I still have a mountain of dissertation work to do. I've only done 5000 words out of 15000 at the least - Yikes!

I've been included in a treasury! :)

2010-05-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

My bracelet was included in Spunkichick25's treasury :)

Here's the link to check it out: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4be3758d138d6d91d4452e00/eternal-sunshine#4be41dc5138d6d9117063600

I love the colour yellow so this treasury is great. I especially love the bag by breagha, the headband by Brydferth and the earrings by spunkichick25.

I'm hoping to make a treasury myself again as soon as one opens up so will let you know when I do :)

And so it has begun....

2010-05-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday i finished my final exam for my masters and the summer now stretches ahead of me. I have my glamorous part time job selling flip flops (:P) and a 20,000 word dissertation to complete before September the 3rd. I am now free to work on Random Quirks as much as I please :).

Though this summer will be a long one, there is a scary ending to it. You could also say it was exciting, I haven't decided yet. I have no clue what is going to happen to me past the 16th September when I return off holiday. I have to have a full time job and this time I have no back ups. If I don't get one by the end of the summer then I will be a starving artist since I can't live on a part time salary. Yep, definitely scary. I really don't want to have to move back home, it was hard enough last summer. I also don't want to be a burden to my parents. My dad has worked so hard to make sure that me and my brother have everything we need so I want to finally be able to give him a break. At least now I have somewhere a bit more permanent to live in Manchester this time. The only thing I can do is just take it one day at a time. Concentrate on growing Random Quirks and saving as much money as possible while job hunting. Wish me luck!

I have already began growing Random Quirks starting with the product range. I will now be adding rings and stud earrings to the mix, as well as keyrings. It's really fun trying something new and I hope they do well. A really positive thing I've been doing is actually making proper accounts for the shop and putting money aside from sales for all costs, profit, and even paying myself a bit. Before I just used to guess an amount for items and then just spend the money on more supplies. I'm trying my best to treat it like a proper business. The great thing about all this free time I have now is that I can read up on all the tips I have saved from etsy forums and everywhere and actually put those things into practice. It's a really exciting time for Random Quirks at the moment, so stay tuned :)

So, in every aspect of my life this summer, I'm just going to go for it.

Summer 2010, bring it on :)

Craft fair photos!

2010-05-02T09:19:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is a photo from the craft fair I did a few weekends ago:

It's a definite improvement from my first craft fair where I crowded the table far too much. It was also a bake sale so I made some "goblin cakes" for the event. They looked normal on top but when you bite into them, they were green on the inside (I love food colouring).

They were yummy. Right I have to get back to my revision since my exam is on Tuesday so I will leave you with one more pic:

Axle really likes the bubble wrap :) Until next time....

I'm still here

2010-04-17T04:18:00.000-07:00

I know I have plenty of supplies already but I just need more. More more more. I am quickly running out of new items to post on Random Quirks so I wanted some fresh supplies as well as more chain.

I apologise for the delay in posting, just I've been really busy with work for my masters. I only have one more assignment for marketing which is 4500 words, one 3 hour exam on the 4th of may, then its just me and my dissertation for the summer. I'm not allowing myself to do any work on Random Quirks until the 4th of May which is when my exam is. The only thing I'm allowing myself to do is buy some supplies and do this craft fair tomorrow.

It's in Chorlton and is a craft fair and bake sale with money from the baked goods going to the Manchester Children's hospital. So I'm gonna get my non existent apron on tonight and do some baking at the bf's flat. So that will be the third charity event I've done this year so far. I'm very proud. I also ran in the Sports Relief mile as you can see in the picture. I am Scooby Doo and my friend Claire went as a banana :D. It was really awesome and I'm definitely going to do it again :)

Right, that's all I've got time for right now. Was just letting you know i'm still alive. I promise I will post pictures of my stall from this craft fair and the one I did before next time. For now, roll on 4th May :)

Featured seller: Artistique

2010-03-15T06:27:00.000-07:00

I happened to stumble upon this shop while browsing Etsy and I am glad I did :) A fellow UK resident, Artistique is situated in London and makes whimsical jewellery and accessories. I am in love with this shop ! I really wish my birthday wasn't 3 months away. My personal favourites are the butterfly necklace (I love butterflies), the clock brooch (very alice in wonderland) and the cards necklace (reminds me of when I used to play poker with my guy friends when I was 17). A lot of the items in this shop feature things like butterflies, cards, birds and other magical things.

Artistque has been on Etsy since January 2007 and accepts custom orders which is great if you love her style and want something a little bit different. The more I stare at the butterfly necklace, the more I want it. Therefore people should buy more from me so I can afford it, lol. No, seriously, ha ha :) The downside of being a poor student.

Ah well, though I cannot afford it right now, the prices in this shop are very reasonable with necklaces ranging between $10 and $26 and earrings between $8 and $18. So if you fancy some really pretty jewellery, I suggest you go take a look at this shop.

Stay tuned for my next blog entry about my first proper craft show I went to on Saturday. Ta-ta

My very first treasury!

2010-03-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

After watching and missing opportunities for over a week, I finally managed to nab my first treasury. It's titled All things lacy:

I love lace at the moment and already have a lace headband and top. :) Please check out my treasury here and take a look at some really talented artists on Etsy.

That's all for now, but come back tomorrow and I'll be featuring an Etsy seller which is something I haven't done in a while but I really can't wait. Have a great day :)

Summer is on the way!

2010-03-04T04:14:00.000-08:00

Though it is still quite cold here in Manchester, the sun has made an appearance to remind us that summer is on the way. I am really excited for summer this year, just remembering how much fun I had last year. Though I will be working on my dissertation (1714 words down, 16286 to go - woop!), I'm planning on having lots of fun. I got so silly the other day when I was in town with my mum - I wanted to buy 3 pairs of sandals from Primark. I had finally narrowed it down to two when I realised it was still February, lol. So I settled on buying a playsuit that I can wear with tights and boots now, and leggings and sandals in the summer.

Another fashion thing, I never realised that simply wearing a fun hair band can brighten your day. I have a sequinned black headband with a huge silver star and just wearing it made me smile all day. It's kinda like the one in the pic in terms of size which is by LooksGood but with just silver star. When my parents saw it on skype, they laughed but I don't care. I was saving it for a special occasion but I thought it could be sitting on my shelf for who knows how long, so I just wore it. The moral of the story is - don't let your favourite pieces gather dust or just sit there in your wardrobe, wear them.

In other news, I got a job :) I'm going to be working at a Haviana's beachwear shop. More reason to love summer. The experience will be great and it will be nice to have some extra cash again. I keep going on either book and DVD binges, RQ supply binges or fashion binges. So I am very poor. The other day it was mainly a fashion binge. I got the most gorgeous vintage dress from Ryan's Vintage on Oldham street for £12. I love it. It's a very summery dress. I also got a couple of pairs of vintage shoes for Toast Rack. One of the pairs are 1980s Dirty Dancing black t-bars. They actually have Dirty Dancing written inside which is really cool. They are already up on the shop too, so take a peek.

Also, here is the flyer for the craft fair I will be having a stall at on the 13th of this month. If anyone is in the Manchester area, come take a gander, it's for a good cause. It'll be my first craft show and I can't wait :)

It looks like ants demolishing a cookie...in reverse

2010-02-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

The weirdest quote from last weeks Superbowl. That was the first time I watched it and I must say I really enjoyed it. Being a Brit, me, my bf and our friend had to stay up late to watch it due to the time difference but it was totally worth it. I am not a sporty person but I found myself shouting "Run bitch run!" repeatedly at the screen. :) That was a great day because we also went to see an ice hockey match which was awesome. Another first for me that day.

I realised I forgot to say, we got the kittens a month ago, a boy and a girl. They are soooo cute, but are little rascals. They have been named Axle and Rose. Not many people seem to have noticed the Gun's and Rose's reference, lol. Everything is a plaything to them and I think they are ninja kittens. Because they seem to pop up everywhere, even when the door is closed and they weren't in the room before. They have foun

d out how to get into my chest of drawers when all the drawers are closed and seem to like sleeping in my underwear drawer - the little pervs :P. Rose is rather funny because whenever you pick her up, she climbs onto your shoulder and stays there so you feel like a pirate with a parrot. Arrrrr!

Great news for the shops, I've been interviewed for the Try Handmade blog and I'm going to be in a craft fair in Didsbury next month :). More details about that when they come. I have been slowly making new items for Random Quirks and been quickly finding some great pieces for the vintage section at Toast Rack. So keep looking :)

In other news - to stick up two fingers to Valentines Day, me and the bf are going to play Laser Quest. Yep, shoot each other with lasers. I think thats quite romantic, don't you? :P

On a sad note, RIP Alexander McQueen - yet another talent gone too soon. He was a great British designer who will be missed by everyone who admired him and his work. The deepest sympathy for his family.

RQ Limited and Toast Rack Vintage

2010-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

Here's a sneak peak at the new RQ limited and Toast Rack Vintage collections before I list them in the next week or so. First a couple of pieces from the RQ Limited collection:

Anchors away necklace: $18

Lovers Kiss Earrings $7

And now a couple of finds for the Toast Rack Vintage collection:

1950s Tapestry clip on earrings $13

1980s Bally shoes $35

Let me know what you think?

Post number 50!

2010-01-26T12:26:00.000-08:00

I have just finished eating my favourite soup: spicy butternut squash and sweet potato with a sprinkle of stilton cheese. Nom. Well here we are at post number 50. Took me over a year to get there but I'm here. Hoping to get at least 100 posts this year but will try and do more. Since I'm trying to step it up with Random Quirks and preferably Toast Rack this will hopefully be a weekly thing. Am getting a weekly schedule going now where I do all the shop stuff that I need to do along with my uni work.

I'm just getting in the last of my new supplies so am starting to make my new pieces for Random Quirks. My first one was completed last night. I have decided to do a more trendy range, but in the Random Quirks style that is slightly more expensive than previous ranges. Of course you will get more for your money and these pieces should hopefully be more appealing this season as well. I think I have been rather safe with my designs so this is my experiment for the season. The new section will be called RQ Limited. So we shall see how that goes.

Now, Toast Rack, I'm not sure whether to test the vintage section by introducing the vintage pieces I have now which are a pair of 1950s earrings and a pair of 1980s Bally shoes. Or should I get a few more pieces then introduce them all at once? At the moment, I'm thinking of just testing out the two pieces and seeing how they are received before I invest in more.

In other news, I am about to start the proposal for my masters dissertation. Magazines vs Internet in terms of where women go for their fashion information. So, where do you go? The internet, magazines or both? I also went to Berlin last weekend with my uni which was really fun. There was still snow there so it was really cold. Got back on Saturday and am still shattered but luckily my Gossip Girl season one DVDs arrived so I've been watching that.

Until next time...

Not the year 2010, but the year 10

2010-01-12T08:55:00.000-08:00

Ah, a new year. Lots of fun new things to do. I've already done things I've never done before like go see a film at the cinema at midnight (Avatar 3D - awesome - go see it!), built a snowman at 2am (he was called George and a few days later got hit by a car) and randomly got a side fringe haircut during my lunch break at work. As you do :D Still plenty of the year to have fun with.

Omg, the snow! (yay, snow!) I can't believe how much snow there has been the last few weeks. And very proud that I only fell over once...in the middle of a road...in front of a car. No need to worry, the car was going so slow because of the ice that I had plenty of time to get up :) There are deceased snowmen everywhere. I saw one with a scarf but no head :S That was quite traumatising.

So, what's going on with Random Quirks? I've been supply shopping like crazy and have been impatiently waiting for since they are delayed because of the snow, grr, snow. Now that I have ran out of pieces to list from my latest collection, I decided that I want to increase sales this year so I'm introducing more choice. So plenty of new different items to make a change from barbie shoe earrings because I reckon there is enough choice for awhile, lol. I've been getting lots of barbie accessories to make new and interesting designs so stay tuned.

Toast Rack vintage plans are still in the pipeline, so keep checking here to find out the latest news. I think I might test one or two products at first to test the market. Have gotton one of them already, just waiting for the other through the post (grr, snow).

It was the first day back at uni today. Was alrighty. 2 of my deadlines this week have been delayed by a week (yay, snow) so I have more time to finish them :) Woop. Oh, and didn't get kept on at Bench after my contract was up so have applied to some new jobs, Topshop and Accessorize/Monsoon included.

Hope everyone had a good new year, I enjoyed playing a 2 decade long game of Articulate :)

The end is nigh

2009-12-27T06:35:00.000-08:00

For 2009 that is. I must say I'm really looking forward to 2010. New year and new decade. I've got so many things I want to do and loads of things to look forward to.

But first, a quick catch up on the last month. I started work on Bench, handed in my first masters assignment and turned Random Quirks around to go from 18 sales to 30 in just under a month. It's nice to see the shop finally hit the big 30 just in time for its 2 year anniversary on the 3rd of January. Thank you to everyone who has bought from me.

This year has been a rocky but enjoyable one with lots of change. I lived in 5 different places (4 of them in Manchester - i'm now a record holder in my family, lol), I celebrated my 21st birthday, graduated from my degree then started a masters, got my first job and started a second etsy shop, Toast Rack. Busy, busy, busy. Also on a random note, my 3 favourite films this year were Yes Man, Avatar and Harry Potter 6.

My goals for 2010:

1. Lose weight as I am on the wrong side of a number too high for my height (no I'm not going to be specific).

2. Get a permanent job while doing uni then get a proper job when uni is finished

3. Do well in masters and show up to lectures more

4. Toast Rack - boost exposure and test out a new vintage section

5. Random Quirks - boost sales further, add more earrings that aren't barbie shoe ones and introduce key chains to the stock

6. Take more opportunities - say Yes more (inspired by Yes Man - awesome film)

Hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas, I know I did :)

I miss the internet

2009-11-13T06:46:00.000-08:00

Well it’s been a few weeks now and I still don’t have the internet. My shops have practically come to a standstill. ToastRack is going nowhere and Random Quirks is hanging on for dear life. I think I may have sorted it out though. Thanks to my handy pen drive I have started to save all my shop stuff on there so I can list new items at uni. So keep a look out at my shops, just listed a new Random Quirks item today.

With the stall, I had a good run but had to stop a week or two ago due to my work starting to pile up. Lots of term papers due in soon. The cool thing is that sitting at that stall over those weeks gave me loads of time to make new products for Random Quirks. I’ve photographed them all now so they will be coming up over the next few weeks. Especially necklaces, I made lots of necklaces.

I’ve also decided to expand my jewellery range and start making key chains after I successfully made an awesome one for myself. Plus it will give a use to all those random Barbie shoes I have stored.

Also, Halloween though awhile ago now, was awesome. I went as the Wicked Witch of the East from the Wizard of Oz - the one where the house falls on her. I wore red shoes, stripy tights, a plain dress where I had painted a house on it, and a roof on my head I fashioned out of some cardboard and a hairband. The picture isn't a really good one but it is the only full length one I had. It was a really good night :)

This weekend is my last free weekend as I will be starting my job at Bench on the 22^nd. So I’m going to do a test run to the store to see how long it will take to get there, especially since I will have to take two buses. I’ve bribed peanut breath to come with me by promising mini golf and a nice meal. Woo, coupons!

I’m trying to get as much uni work done before my job as possible so we’ll have to see how that works out. In fact, I should really be working now…bye

MIA

2009-10-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

This week I have been MIA. Ill with what turned out to be the weirdest cold/flu I ever had. Symptoms seem to be taking it in turns to make me feel horrible. Once one has had it's fun with me, it leaves me alone only for another one to take its place. Ah well, it seems to be on its way out now :). So that means I can head back to uni on Monday.

This coming week is going to an exciting one with lots going on. As well as getting back to civilisation and out of my bed, I am moving my stuff to Manchester tomorrow to hold in my friend's house til moving day which is on Thursday! :) I can't wait. And also I get to go see an awesome comedian, Michael McIntyre on Monday :D He is amazingly funny and I really can't wait. So it's gonna be fun.

Also, I went to a recruitment day for Christmas temps for the fashion brand Bench. And I got the job! My first proper job that isn't just work experience/internships/one-offs. Woo :) The clothes aren't really my thing and a lot of chav's have taken over the brand but they've got a new range coming out which I think is really cool. I know what my uniform is going to be :) Plus it's a Manchester brand which is key for me because I really want to stay in Manchester after i graduate again. I start at the end of November so that's something to look forward to.

Coming home for the weekend, I have been reunited with some more new supplies I ordered for Random Quirks but I am still in need of some jump rings so the making of new products will have to wait until I get back to Manchester. This is going to be an awesome week :)

Just a quickie

2009-10-09T09:13:00.000-07:00

Had to show you the photos from my stall at my university's student union. Looks like my table threw up a rainbow :). I've been doing the stall for two weeks now (4 times) and have sold 10 items so I'm really pleased seeing as it's a hell of a lot more than I usually sell. It's cool because it's free to have a table there and it's nice to see the people who buy your items. I've booked next week as well and can't wait. To celebrate, I bought some more supplies :D I lurve new supplies, they give me inspiration.

Also, my sterling silver ear wires arrived so I can start making the transfer from silver plated to sterling silver for Random Quirks. Hopefully this will encourage more customers, fingers crossed. Also I got my parents to get me a bunch of t-shirts while they were in the states, so I can paint some to put on my stall next week hopefully :) Then Toast Rack can get a look in too.

Ooh, I saw Zombieland with the bf last night. It was awesome, and slightly cheaper thanks to the coupons I got from the Fresher's Fair. I really liked the film and highly recommend it for anyone who likes comedy and zombies. :)

Marketing, stalls and imprisonment

2009-10-01T07:32:00.001-07:00

Well, another week almost gone. Have started actual uni lectures now and the assignments look scary, oooh. At least I get to tell people I'm a post-grad :D Have been neglecting the shop and my blog slightly but have been doing some work with Random Quirks. More on that in a minute.

So I lost my flat keys on Monday, I don't know where they are but luckily someone was there to let me in. And oddly enough, my room has 2 doors, one leading into the bathroom so thats how I managed to get into my room. I decided since it was late to wait until the next day to do something about it. Bad choice. I forgot that people lock the front door behind them and so when me and my bf got up to go to uni for 9am, I realised we were locked in. My flatmate does shift work for a hospital so wouldn't be back for hours. Basically I missed a day of lectures, and so did my bf. Sorry peanut breath. Anyway, everything's all cool now and I've got a new set of keys apart from for my room but thats no problem :)

I'm just so glad that didn't happen on Wednesday otherwise I probably would have cried. Because that was the day I had a stall at MMU union for Random Quirks. I was there from 10am til 4pm and had a really good time. I only sold 4 items but I was the only stall there and lots of people stopped to look. I made a reasonable amount of money from it so I was satisfied and happy. Will show you the photos I took next week probably because I don't have access to the adapter that transfers my photos to my laptop. Even if I hadn't sold anything I would have been happy that I have some new stuff to put on my etsy shop. I have about 20 new pieces.

I enjoyed it so much that I'm going to do it again tomorrow, and then next week on Wednesday and Friday. My position in the union will be right next to the main door tomorrow as well as there being other stalls there so we'll see if that makes a difference. I can't wait :)

Plus, my parents are coming to see me on Saturday. :) We're going to go for lunch at Nandos, nom. It'll be really great to see them because its been about three weeks since I saw them. They will also be bringing a few more bits and pieces with me so I'll be able to start listing new stuff for Random Quirks again.

Now, off to make some microwave noodles :D

Back in Manchester

2009-09-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

Well, I have almost finished my first week back in Manchester and I have been loving it. I got to move into my temporary accommodation on Tuesday and I have had my induction for my course. There are 25 of us spread across three courses. We all do the same thing in the first term, a taster of all three courses, then we specialise in the second term, and then do our dissertations.

Though I have been completely busy this week, I have managed to set something up for Random Quirks. I have always noticed in the Student Union for my uni that there are small stalls selling bits and pieces, clothes usually. So on Thursday when I was in there with my friends, I asked what you have to do to get a stall. Apparently since I'm a student, its free! So I called them up yesterday and RandomQuirks has a stall at the Manchester Metropolitan University next Wednesday!

The only obstacle in my way is that with my suitcase, I only brought my merchandise that is on the website, nothing to make new items. So I got my brother to pack my kit in a bag and post it for next day delivery to my friends house. I'll be seeing her tonight so she said she'd bring it. So I'm going to be a busy bee trying to make enough stuff for a stall for Wednesday. I'm so happy and can't wait. I reckon if it goes well, then I'll make it a regular thing and even add my Toast Rack items to the mix.

The other great thing about being back in Manchester is seeing my friends, making new ones and best of all I'm reunited with my bf. We're going into town today before we go out with friends tonight :) Hope everyone has had a good week :)

On the move

2009-09-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

Well, my bags are packed and I'm ready to go. My circumstances changed yet again, so now I'm going to be renting somewhere for a month after all. Luckily, my friend's old landlady will take me for a month in a good location so thats great. I can take a bigger suitcase (the tank) and I'm staying with my friend tonight so should hopefully be getting sorted soon. The only problem with taking a bigger suitcase is that it's bigger and heavier to carry around.

I'm going to be travelling across the country by train, with one change of train, with a large heavy suitcase, a bulky plastic bag, a sleeping bag and my shoulder bag which will be carrying my laptop. Now, I'm not a particularly big or strong girl so this will be a huge challenge.

The station I'm changing at, Doncaster, has lots of stairs. I can't lift this suitcase with only one hand. Please please please let there be lifts. And thank god I have 20 minutes to get to the next platform.

I'm bringing my Random Quirks merchandise and a mini shipping kit with me so I can carry on posting if I get any sales. Depending on my internet situation, it may be harder to get now items up, but I will definitely keep re-listing. I have also brought my fabric paints with me, so orders for ToastRack will still be able to go through.

Anyway, I must say even though I have a incredibly heavy suitcase, I managed to fit in a months worth of stuff in it :) My secret? I only put 2 weeks worth of clothes in there and hope my place will have a washing machine. If not, I'm gonna have to do my washing at my bf's halls, heh.

Righty then, must be off. Got to chuck a few bits and pieces in my shoulder bag and head off to my death by lugging my possessions across the county.

What a rollercoaster of a few days

2009-09-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

So last you left me, I was waiting to find out about my friends house where I will be living this year. Well, where do I begin? First, it was delayed by a month, which isn't very good seeing as I start uni on monday. So, I couldn't stay with my boyfriend and had to find somewhere for a month. The search began. It was 3 days of stress and sleepless nights where I was homeless, then not homeless, then homeless again.

Yesterday I found some good news that it would only be delayed by 2 weeks. In a way that made it harder to find somewhere. And it was too long a time for my bf to put me up. So what did I do? I cried. I cried and I cried. You've got to feel sorry for my bf who was on the phone to me at the time. Crying made me feel loads better though and I texted my friend who I'm going to be living with and she said I can stay at her family home for a bit which is on the outskirts of Manchester. So the problem is solved, I'm going to Manchester on Sunday to stay with her until late next week when I will go and stay with my bf for a few days. Hopefully by the end of that, the house will be ready and we can move in.

Now, being who I am and being on the move constantly, I am very good at packing. But having to pack a small pully bag for 2 weeks, is going to be an exciting challenge. I do have a very large pully suitcase which I nicknamed "The Tank", but since I'm going to be travelling by train and staying in 2 different places, one of them being a hall of residence, there won't be any room for it. So stay tuned for: Can a fashion student fit 2 weeks worth of clothes in a small bag? We shall see how that turns out :)

So now I can get excited that I start uni on Monday :D I feel so much better now. Things are looking good. Random Quirks views are really up now :). Quite a few views are coming from Twitter as well. I realised that I'm running low on new items and since I don't know what to do with my current supplies, I bought some fresh new ones. I'm inspired.

I also decided to upgrade the earring hooks to sterling silver in a hope that that will encourage more sales, so fingers crossed. I won't be able to make any new items or switch the earring hooks until I'm all moved into the house, so it will be a couple of weeks. I can't wait :)

Why re-decorate if you're just going to paint the wall the exact same colour?

2009-09-14T07:44:00.001-07:00

There is nothing less stimulating then painting a wall the same colour it already is. I had the joy of finding this out yesterday when I was doing a favour for my parents. If I turned evil then died, my personal hell would be to paint walls the same colour they already are for all eternity. When I get my own house one day, I am painting it in different colours. :)

I got an email today saying I can enrol for uni now. So thats good. Now I just need to figure out when I start so I can decide whether I need to panic about being homeless or not. At least I know if I am homeless, my lovely bf has said he will take me in. He will be living in halls of residence, so that would be interesting considering that there is only one set of keys :P.

So, we can rearrange our Etsy shops now. Oh-kay. I don't really know what to do with it since I kinda arranged the order I list items by colour anyway. Though it was useful when I was re-listing items and they didn't list in the order I wanted them to, so thats a plus.

I made a change to Toast Rack today, with the descriptions. I only just realised that my measurements were in cm. Which is cool and all, but not so much for our friends across the pond. So I added inches so they sit along side the cm measurements. Now everyone in the world can figure out what size they are in Toast Rack. Hopefully that will encourage people to buy something.

Also, there are plenty more new items are on the way in Random Quirks so keep checking back. Nothing much else is going on, though Phantom of the Opera is on Film4 later so I'm definitely watching that :D

Limbo

2009-09-10T14:34:00.001-07:00

I know where I'll be this year now, but that doesn't stop me from feeling like I'm not doing something. I still don't know when I'll be moving back in Manchester. So until then I don't know what I can do with myself. My routine is waking up at noon (yeah I'm a practically a vampire) and working on my shops all day while watching Sex and the City, with breaks to watch property shows on tv and job hunt. Ah, tis the life.

I need a kick up the ass (please excuse my american :P - if I had said arse then it would be english :P). The day I get the call from my friend saying her house is ready, I will gladly pack my bags at a rapid pace and get over there. Some activity on Toast Rack would be great. Twitter seems to be getting some views in though. I've asked a couple of times on the etsy forums about a Toast Rack critique and everyone who answers say it looks fine. So what can I do to get more people to look?

I miss my bf and going out with my friends. I just miss human contact. I live with my brother this summer and he stays in his room the majority of the day so I'm basically alone. At least I'm getting some Random Quirks products made. I made another couple of bracelets, 2 pairs of earrings and a necklace so thats good.

And another bright side, though I am in limbo, at least I know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A light where I will have to write a 20 000 word dissertation that I am actually looking forward to writing. Isn't life funny sometimes?

New creations

2009-09-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm back from Manchester. I had a great time and can't wait to go back, which should be in the next couple of weeks. Just sent off my acceptance of my place on the masters course today so I'm happy :D Also, I sold another item on Random Quirks. I couldn't believe it because I only just had a sale recently. That never happens :) Things are picking up.

I also joined twitter (click to see my page and follow me) to get views up for both my shops and it seems to be working well so far so we shall see how that goes. Today I've been a busy bee, creating new items for Random Quirks, including this brooch that I'm not sure if I like or not. What do you think? Does it go with the rest of my shop? Along with the brooch, I made 2 pairs of earrings and a bracelet since I only have one bracelet in my shop at the moment. All made today while watching Sex and the City.

I also got excited about my masters and bought a new folder from the sale at WHSmith. It's very simple and baby blue with large white polka dots. I'm really looking forward to starting back so I can get some structure back in my life. Thank god I've had my shops this summer otherwise I think I would have gone mental. Now that I'm back from Manchester, I'm just waiting around again to see what will happen. Could use a few sales to distract me, hint hint ;). Especially for Toast Rack, no joy yet with a sale, but it is early days so I'm remaining optimistic.

I got on the masters course!

2009-09-02T07:51:00.001-07:00

Woop! I'm so happy. No longer will I be stuck in limbo, also known as my "hometown". I've been calling up my university all day and haven't been able to get through until now when they said I had an unconditional offer :) It was decided yesterday and I should be getting a letter in the next few days. I must say that is a huge relief. A big weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I have another year to job hunt and find someone who will hire me. All I need now is a part time job to get some money coming in so I don't have to rely so much on my parents. My dad just retired so I don't want him to have to worry about me.

I'm also really excited because this time tomorrow I'll be in Manchester, visiting my bf who I haven't seen for over a month. I can't wait. :D Today is a good day :)

Hello new hardrive, colours and family!

2009-08-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

My computer is now back on track thanks to the new hard drive. I've been backing up my files again and again since so fingers crossed I shouldn't lose any files again.

Also, as requested, I've got 2 more colours in Toast Rack, so the shop looks a bit more colourful now. They are Teal and Purple. Ooh, I likes a bit of colour. Please take a look because views have gone down since the hardrive incident happened and I couldn't add anything new. My shop is still there and needs it's first sale!

Random Quirks has had a photo makeover. I have re-done all my photos, including the t-shirts, so there are now actual pictures of the designs on t-shirts, yay. Am now working on getting photos of the earrings dangling which have also been requested thanks to the critique forums on etsy. And I got my first sale since April so I'm a happy bunny. I have also made all the barbie shoes I got into earrings and have ordered some more so I can make some bracelets. I figure the shop needs some more bracelets seeing as there is only one at the moment. I'm on the go and now have over 80 items in my shop, woo!

Still waiting on the masters, though I did call them up on Tuesday. They said wait a week to 2 weeks. Yeah...I'm gonna call on Tuesday again :D I need this masters. It's either that or hope that people buy a lot more from my shops than nothing, ha ha. I want to be able to eat, lol.

On an awesome note, my parents have moved back home so the house is alive again. That makes me smile. I don't think we've all lived in the same house for 5/6 years so is really nice to be like a proper family again. Even if it is for a short time. We're even having sunday roast! It's been too many months since I had a sunday roast. In fact, I can smell it and my stomach is rumbling, nom nom nom.

And on that note I must go, lots of things to do for my shops. Happy Sunday everyone. And happy bank holiday weekend to everyone else in the UK.

Always back up your computer!

2009-08-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

I am a big procrastinator and this time things definitely didn't go in my favour because of it. A couple of years ago, my computer crashed and I lost everything! So after that, my dad go me a cool little gadget that will back up my computer for me. All I need to do is plug it in, not much work at all. So I used it every few months (no where near as much as I should have been) with no problems to my computer. Of course the day came last week when my hard drive keeled over and died. So all the files on my computer had gone. So I checked my back up gadget and the last time I had backed up was in early May. Luckily I only lost one main thing, but it was quite a big thing, almost my entire Toast Rack file. Not good at all. So I have a lot of work on my hands. So basically my message is ALWAYS BACK UP YOUR COMPUTER!

In other news, I got a lot of unusual barbie shoes arrive a few days ago so I've been working hard making some new earrings because it has been way too long since I added some new items to Random Quirks. So keep checking back, new stuff is coming! And though it will be a few more days until I can add anything new to Toast Rack, what with needing to do another photo shoot since I lost all mine, new designs are coming. Even better, I know people have been asking for more colour choice to be shown in the actual photos, so I have added 2 more colours for now, with more to come. Plus I'll be getting better pictures for my t-shirt line on Random Quirks. Ooh, its all so exciting :)

I applied for my masters last week finally. Just waiting for a reply. It's been over a week since I sent off my application so fingers crossed. Also, it seems I will have to wait a little bit longer to be able to move back to Manchester. Oh well, I'm really looking forward to it, whenever I do move back. As pretty a town as I live in (Newark), it's not really so good for people my age.

Anyway, off to the supermarket cos me and my brother are out of food and he ate all my ice cream so I definitely need some more of that. So toodles for now.

Toast Rack is in the news!

2009-08-12T04:47:00.000-07:00

Toast Rack was mentioned in Archdiva's blog!:

And Toast Rack's first treasury. Woop! Check it out:

Fingers crossed that it will be the fist of many. Keep checking the shop because new items are being added everyday.

Shooooooes!

2009-08-03T11:27:00.000-07:00

Shoes I'm lusting after at the moment

I'll probably only have the guts to buy the flat pumps as I'm a wimp in heels. Why do they have to make them so pretty?

I want I want I want

2009-08-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

I want

I need

That is all

Toast Rack

2009-08-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

So I'm back home, rotting :D But on the bright side, I have a plan. I'm currently applying for a masters back in Manchester and will have somewhere to live, so thats good. Will be living with a couple of my friends who bought a house so that will be cool.

So, I have finally launched my new shop, Toast Rack! :D The home of illustrated hand painted tshirts with cute doodles. I was unable to get a model for some time so I had to make do with myself. I'm not a huge fan of me, hence why I cut off my head, lol. This is only my second day so we shall see how things go. But for my first week, I've got a special offer on - buy one tshirt and get another for half price. Just type in LAUNCH SALE in the message to seller and you will be refunded by paypal. I'm really enjoying myself so far with it and hope everyone else likes it too.

In other news, I had my graduation ceremony. That was fun yet nerve racking. Especially since I had bought my shoes the day before and had just realised that every time I tried walking, my feet would come out of the shoes! Thats not good when you've got to walk up on stage. I just about managed it by curling my toes as hard into the shoes as possible. Yes it was a slow walk, but I didn't fall over, woo! :D What do you expect with a bunch of fashion graduates, lol. Oddly enough with my graduation outfit, my dad picked my dress (a very classy black sack not suited for my curves, but looked awesome with a wide belt) and my mum picked out my shoes (which were pretty tho I couldn't walk in them - purple shiny snakeskin print). I find that rather amusing. They did a very good job as well.

Whats going on around me now - just in bed listening to music. I should probably get up (lazy bum) and make myself some food

The end and the beginning

2009-06-19T14:51:00.000-07:00

I don't know what to do with my life. Simple as. I'm sure I'm not alone as there are obviously a pretty huge number of people who feel the same way. I thought when I graduated I would be more focused about what I wanted to do, but to tell you the truth now that I'm here, I couldn't be anymore lost. I found out my results a couple of days ago. I got a 2:1 on my degree, which was what I wanted so that makes me really happy :). Now what to do with it? The are a few career paths I've been considering but seeing as I've had very little work experience, I really don't know which direction to go in. And who the hell wants to hire someone in these difficult times who hasn't had any experience? Looks like I'm gonna be a starving artist. Whatever I do, I really don't want to go "home" where I'll basically sit and rot.

So, I know what the end is - graduating university. But what is the beginning? Guess I'll have to keep stumbling on in the dark to find out, lol.

One of the paths I could take is set up a business which is actually successful. Thats something I'm working on. Yes thats right, I'm opening another etsy shop. This one is going in a different direction to Random Quirks, one that isn't as niche and should hopefully appeal to more people. We shall have to see how that one pans out. Should be launching it in mid July so keep a look out, I will be mentioning it again. :)

In other news, I met Bill Bailey! If you haven't heard of him, shame on you! lol. He's this awesome comedian. Look him up online. Actually met him cos me and peanut-breath (my bf, lol) were hungry for pizza and our friend was going to pick up his friend from Bill Bailey's show. We were like half an hour late to pick her up and couldn't believe it when we saw him in an alley next to the theatre. We started frantically looking for paper and found post it notes in one of our bags. Yes, thats right, I got Bill Bailey's autograph on a post it. I'm going to frame it, lol. And we got a picture with him too! It was so awesome! So I shall remember that day as the day I got a 2:1 and met Bill Bailey.

What's happening around me right now: listening to music in my pj's. Yes it is afternoon but I don't care, lol.

YART SALE!

2009-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

I am participating in the Yart Sale on Etsy sponsored by Team ESST~ Wednesday, June 10 - Sunday, June 14.

Check out my YART sale section:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5518557&section_id=5837611

20% off!

Not a very good blogger am I?

2009-06-07T05:53:00.001-07:00

Hee hee. Well, I'm making an effort. I keep looking at my blog as if I'm going to make a post but nothing comes out. Right now I'm in a place where I definitely have the time to do it, so I've got no excuse. Bloody hell, its raining again. I was really enjoying the sunny weather last week. Anyway, yeah, I've finished uni now. Just waiting for my results which will be on their way in a week or two :S Scary stuff. And if that goes well, then I'll be graduating on the 13th of July.

So now, I've got to look for jobs. It's really difficult as I'm sure it is for everyone else. Everyone wants experience, bah. Have applied to about 15 so far. Now got to start on some speculative applications. Am really really really wanting to stay in Manchester as I feel more at home here then I ever have anywhere in all my years of traveling and my 17 places I've lived in my almost 21 years. Yes theres another thing. I'm turning 21 on the 26th of this month and have just found out that two of my greatest friends from back home can't come. Its a shame cos I really wanted them to be there and my birthday is on a friday so people won't have work the next day. Ah well, I'm sure it'll turn out fine.

Now, onto Random Quirks. Am in a real improving mood with the shop at the moment. I'm in the process of tweaking photos, and removing the RQ logo watermark from them. Was just told the other day that Etsy don't put pictures with watermarks on the front page! I didn't know this. Really wish I did cos I would have taken them off a long time ago. Well, I'm doing it now, better late than never. I'm also working on the descriptions, shop policies and shipping costs sorted. And also, getting my promoting back on track. I saw such a large increase in hearts since I started promoting and posting in the etsy forums so I must keep it up if I want more sales.

My sales have always been slow, but I feel that its just cos I haven't put enough work into finding my customers. Because they are out there. I've seen them. In fact, I just sold 2 items to my new bf's sister offline, so its just about finding where these people are and promoting. I have the time now, so I've just got to work at it. You only get back what you put in and all that.

What's going on around me right now - am sitting in my room in halls watching the rain and waiting for Peanut-breath (my new bf) to arrive.

The days are getting longer...

2009-04-20T07:41:00.001-07:00

And yet I can't seem to get anything done. I blame the sun. Not so helpful when exams are looming. Well, on the bright side, I have sold a pair of earrings and a necklace recently so that's got me smiling. :D I have also got my creative juices flowing and have made five new necklaces to add to the shop, shown in the picture. Now need to gather some materials to make some earrings, since I haven't made any in a while. Probably because I haven't found anything that match, lol. Still, I will be on the lookout for that.

In other news, I have moved into halls of residences. After being here a few weeks, I find that I'm a lot happier as I can see my friends a lot easier now and I don't feel so isolated. Only a couple of weeks left and when I've done my exams (all three of them are in one week - nice) I will have finished uni. It'll be nice because I'll be able to finally relax and even get some more time to get stuff done for Random Quirks. Those sales have lifted my spirits so once my exams are finished, I can get back to work, the fun kind, lol. Until then, hope people are enjoying the sunshine if its sunny where they are :P

One week and counting!

2009-03-21T04:49:00.000-07:00

Yes, this time next week I'll be moving into student halls of residence. Am quite excited actually. Not only that but I'll also be on my easter holidays and no more assignments to do :D Thats gonna be a great feeling. I've been slowly adding my new items to my shop. This beauty here will be up soon hopefully. I'm trying to alternatively add tshirts and jewelry to keep the shop looking neat so its been hard trying to come up with new t-shirts lol. Especially since my older jewelry keeps expiring.

So easter's going to be all about making new stuff for the shop, getting back into the swing of promoting and of course, revision. Those are my goals. The great thing is that here in Manchester we've been getting some decent weather. So me and my friend have decided if it's sunny, we're taking our work outside to the park :)

But for now, I'm chaining myself to my desk until Wednesday when my dissertation is due in. Got 4000 words to write and thats after I've finished analysing all the results of my research. So lots of fun had by all.

I've been included in a treasury!

2009-03-13T11:54:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

I've never been included in one before :D. Thanks Magria!

And another one!

2009-03-11T11:06:00.001-07:00

To add to my pile of new products, I have made this really cute blue bird brooch. It makes me smile. I figured I didn't have enough brooches in the shop, so I ordered a few kilt pins off of ebay. I just got them the other day so I couldn't wait to do something with them. This is definitely one of my recycled jewelry pieces as the blue chain and bird are from a necklace I bought specially and the white part is from a necklace given to me. So I can't wait to add it to my shop along with all the other new stuff I've made. I just need to make some more t-shirt designs as I'm trying to add items to the site; tshirt, jewelry, tshirt, jewelry etc. It keeps it looking tidy :D

In other news, I've got some big changes going on at the mo in my personal life which involve me splitting up with my bf and moving into halls of residence for the last term. I've also got to hand in my research project in a couple of weeks and have a poster presentation on the 20th. So once the easter holidays come around, I won't have anymore assignments and I'll be moved into my new room. Only exams to worry about, then I'm graduated :S Thats really scary. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be a starving artist. Please buy stuff from me! lol.

Right, since I'm ridiculously behind with my research project I'd better get back to it. Toodles!

I'm back

2009-03-08T03:18:00.000-07:00

Omg, she appears! Apologies for my lack of posting for quite some time. Won't go into it, but I've been having a few personal problems recently. Never fear though, I have returned and sold my first t-shirt this week :D. This cheers me up a lot. I'm back in my family home this weekend and my dad kindly helped me drill a few things so I could make some more jewelry. Because recently, its been all about designing the t-shirts to add to the shop. So I now have some new jewelry. Just last night in fact I made 3 necklaces, 2 pairs of earrings and a bracelet. Busy bee.

So now with some motivation, I can get back into the swing of blogging, updating and promoting my shop. There is so much to say, and yet so much I don't really want to get into so I will simply say. I have been under a rock yes, but I'm back. :)

Full steam ahead!

2009-01-14T09:34:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I last posted. Too much to do rah!!!!!! :D Well, I'm back in Manchester and it only took a car, 2 planes, a train, the tube, another train and a tram for me to get home. I'm a right jet setter :D But that is what I do, I travel. It doesn't seem like I'm ever in one place for a normal amount of time. Ah well, home now.

So its been awhile cos I'm back at uni now (more deadlines looming) and I've been working hard on Random Quirks. My hand painted t-shirt line is full steam ahead now that I've come up with a better and less costly way of doing it. Even better, it now gives me some wiggle room to use a much better quality t-shirt from American Apparel (one just opened round the corner - awesome). So I've decided to make the t-shirts to order. Just showing the design and letting the customer pick their size, colour and also if its for a man or a woman. So hopefully that will encourage more sales, cos I know I get really annoyed when I see something I like but it isn't my size. Grr :D

Also, check out what my dad got me, some proper boxes to store my merchandise in :D. I was really happy, no more ferrero rocher boxes, at least for the finished pieces. Organisation makes me happy, even though I'm a messy person.

So continuing with the doing stuff for the shop, I have gotten a flickr account (take a look), and a deviant art account (and take a look). So far, I've been enjoying deviant art, it seems to be a good place to get attention for my jewelry which is great. I'll have to see how that plays out. With flickr, apart from adding some photos, making a couple of friends and joining a couple of groups, I've haven't entirely gotten into it yet. I figure I just need to sort out a system.

So I've got another deadline on friday, which I'm handing in tomorrow, kinda annoying really as it is part of the research project, but isn't being marked. Ah well, onwards. By the way, the sale is still on and will continue to do so until those items are sold. Check out my sale section, bargins await you.

Whats going on around me right now: All by my lonesome on my laptop with the dog whisperer on the tv in the background. Just finished watching Project Catwalk.

Happy birthday Random Quirks - special discounts!

2009-01-03T14:00:00.000-08:00

Yup, one year ago today, my bf told me to go for it and open up an Etsy shop. So Random Quirks went online. And also one year ago today I got my first sale. Woo! 2008 has flown by for me and has certainly been an interesting one. I hope everyone had a fantastic new year!

So, 2009. I think its gonna be one of those years. I have so much to do. Like graduate university a year earlier than I thought I would, and then that brings along the next big thing, getting a job. Scary! Now I'm going to be graduating with a fashion marketing degree and have decided to give merchandising a go. But of course with the economy its going to be even harder to find a job. So that should be fun. :D

And then there's my 21st birthday in June which I will be going to Florida the month after with a group of friends to celebrate. I will finally be able to go out here in the states. Kinda funny since I've been legal at home for over 2 years :D.

Finally, there's Random Quirks. I've got big plans for my shop with loads of new additions and ideas. I can't wait. I've already done almost all the new pictures for it, just got to upload them all. I must thank my brother who showed me how to take some good photos and manipulate them on photoshop. Check them out and let me know what you think.

My job of 2009 will be to put some of my old items on sale for the shops birthday. There will be a 20% discount on marked items and a special promotion for my blog readers, 25% off. Discount will be refunded through Paypal after the item is purchased - just type BLOG in message to seller. I will also be getting a Flickr account and also a Deviant Art account for my shop, so lots to do! Happy new year everyone!

Whats going on around me right now: Still on holiday, woo! Loving the weather here. Watching the bf play a video game and am now off to do some Random Quirks work :D

Where the weather is warm

2008-12-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

Yup, I'm sitting here wearing shorts and its December. That blows my mind :D I am in sunny Florida, staying in my parents holiday home, woo! Even though I've been here a few days I'm still in jet-lag mode. How do I know this? Well its 9 in the morning and I am awake...by choice. My bf says that I am the most anti morning person he has ever seen. Proud I'm sure :D.

The annoying thing about this place is that because of the economy everything looks so expensive now, grr. Great time to go supply shopping. I figured I'd better grab a few things I can't get back home since you guys have an awesome craft scene here. Last time my parents came to Florida and I asked them to bring me some fabric back (I wanted edgy stuff with flowers, skulls, etc) they came back with a load of kiddy flannel stuff with kittens and dinosaurs. Hmm. Found some of it useful - the rest I'm not so sure. Maybe I'll ebay the ones I don't need so that someone who does need it will get it.

So far I've found a load of chain in Claire's which was supposed to be a necklace but not anymore, lol. I'm in full work mode with the shop, fixing some stuff that doesn't have any hearts into something a little more interesting, making new stuff etc. Turns out the paint I got to paint my toy soldiers pink (warlock purple from a geek shop, lol) chips off quite easily, so I thought ok, will cover in clear nail varnish. So I put some on one yesterday and the weirdest thing happened. The pink paint kinda disintegrated. It just wore away. So am gonna have to find a solution for that problem. Back to the geek shop!....when I get back in January.

The great thing about being in Florida with my family apart from getting to spend more time with them is that it gives my brother and me more time to work on the photos for my shop. It's all happening :D

What's going on around me right now: Dad's fixing the blinds and everyone is sitting around on their laptops like a big techno family. The bf is still asleep - I think there's been a role reversal there, lol. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T13:58:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say Merry Christmas to all those who celebrate it :D

Well it will be a couple of days before I post again because I'm going on a very spontaneous holiday for new years. It's gonna be a long journey so I'll post once I get there. Not saying where I'm going til I get there tho. :D Let the guessing begin, lol.

Well once again merry christmas whatever you're all doing.

What's going on around me right now: Just sitting in the living room back in my family home half watching Royale Family. Can't move - eaten too much. Hmm, thinking I'd better go pack - we're leaving early tomorrow.

Featured Seller: Collaborations

2008-12-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

Now it's too late to shop online for Christmas, but if you're looking for a little treat for yourself (maybe to reward yourselves with coping with dealing with your family during the holidays ;) ) then take a look at Collaborations. Cute beaded jewelry and the money you pay for it goes for a great cause too. All the proceeds go towards the cause Hearts with Hope for Haiti which helps supply fresh drinking water to the schools, churches and neighborhoods of Hati. Isn't that awesome? Collaborations is run by a husband and wife team who are situated in Florida, USA and I reckon must have very big hearts themselves for doing this. :D Great jewelry and doing some good in the world. Now, you know you've got to take a look at their shop. :D Check them out at www.collaborations.etsy.com Take a look at a couple of my favourites:

I especially like the second one. The colours are beautiful. Kinda remind me of the ocean. :D

So, in other news, I got back today. Went to a Christmas lunch/party yesterday at a country pub with a load of old people. And not the fun kind, the boring drunk kind. Stayed there from 1pm to 8pm. Sooo bored. On the bright side, today after missing the train (got stuck behind a tractor, lol) and having two hours to kill, me and the bf went into the town and saw a Woolworths. Awesome, huge sale (the Brits will know what I'm talking about) and got me some more supplies for the shop. Got a huge bag of army men (green and beige) and a pack of 5 coloured dinosaurs. Cost me a pound and a penny. Score. Have decided to paint the beige army men pink and make them into charm bracelets and necklaces. Should be fun. :D

My bf ordered my Christmas gift on etsy at the beginning of the month. After the deadline for international, but there would be a chance it might arrive on time - or at least a few days after. Well they haven't actually posted it yet which I'm really not impressed with and the bf is fuming. It's been 2 weeks! Was hoping to at least get it before January. So anyway, he told me he's going to get me something else so I have something to open from him on Christmas. I've asked for a power drill - I know, totally girly! I wonder if they have them in pink (tho I do prefer purple)? It's cos I have a load of things I can use for jewelry, but just can't get holes in them. So a power drill is necessary for Random Quirks. Plus, I can't wait to see the look on my parents faces when I open a power drill on Christmas Day and act all excited :D

Whats happening around me right now: Am going to try and persuade the bf to watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I've never seen it before, yay! Then maybe I'll finally get to do some jewelry making.

Oh the poor trees!

2008-12-18T15:55:00.001-08:00

Well, it's finally done. The first half of my final year research project. All 4500 words of it. But this lead to the most stressful day ever! Sure I got it done a day early, but I have to have it in at 8.30 tomorrow so I can catch a train which is literally unmissable. I think I'll actually be shot if I miss it.

So I've had a printer since my first year which has been very useful as the university printer is a rip off. But I think it knows when I have a deadline, because it always plays up. Well today it printed one copy, but the last few pages were bad because it ran out of ink. So ok, changed the ink cartridge. But then it just refused to print no matter what I did. Start to panic because I need to get this thing printed out twice, bound (or put in some kind of a file) and handed in by 5 when the handing in office closes.

I think for a minute and decide I'll just have to print it out at uni. I quickly go to town and pick up one of those special files just in case I can't get it bound (forgetting that I actually need 2!). So I make the 30-40 minute journey to my campus to find that the binding office is closed AND

so has the handing in office. Turns out they now close at 4.30. Bah! Fine I say, since they open at 8.30, I shall just put them in the special file and come back for 8.30 on the dot. My train is at 9.30 - I'll be ok.

So my journey continues to the library where I have to credit my printing account so I can print stuff. £2 should be fine, its 5p a sheet. Ok, print out one copy. Oh my god! What are those things instead of page numbers?! And the price has gone up?! The page numbers looked fine on screen but kept printing out funny. Long part of the story short, I go through about £7/8 worth of money and paper. I finally get the two copies I need after typing out the page numbers by hand (there were a lot). But I have a HUGE pile of paper which I am not throwing away because I am very poor and I paid for it dammit! So I've got scrap paper to last me a life time (see the picture at the top). Any ideas of what to do with it? :D Doodles!

So I got it printed out and went back into town on the way home after realising that I needed another of those files, lol to find the place where I had got the other one w

as shut as was every other shop apart from Tesco. Gotta love Tesco. So I had no choice but to get one from there - it really doesn't match the other one (its blue and the other is white) and its one of those where every individual page is wrapped up. Imagine try

ing to mark that. Sorry supervisor and other marker person :S

So it's over with once I hand it in tomorrow. I'm gonna be one cranky girl tomorrow having to get up early and all. Ah well. On the bright side it's the Christmas holidays and I can now focus on my etsy shop. Woo! I got a load of beauties from ebay to make stuff with today. Can't wait to start putting it all together. Lookie!

I'm gonna have to attack this lot when I get back on saturday, woo! I also managed to finish painting my two friend's t-shirts for their Christmas presents. Being my ditzy self I forgot to take a photo of the second one which was of a rainbow (my mate loves rainbows), but I did take a picture of the other which is my favourite. It originated from a sketch I did on my bf's pad of paper ages ago which I just found the other day. It made me laugh so I used it for my friend's t-shirt and added the text as an afterthought.

It made me and the bf smile: Don't anger the duck! Lol. I must say that these pictures have taken so long to load, I have already started playing with my new supplies. Can hardly blame me though :D.

What's going on around me right now: It's almost one in the morning. I am back to my night owl ways. Trying to avoid thinking I've got to be handing in my report at 8.30. Still haven't packed for tomorrow either. Oh well. Good night people. Next post will probably be a featured seller. My list is slowly getting shorter.

I've been tagged!

2008-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:00

Wow, I'm excited - I've never been tagged before :D. I got tagged by Pink Chevalier

Here's the official rules:

1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog; some random, some weird

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as their links to their blogs

4. Let them know they have been "tagged" by leaving them a comment on their blog.

My 7 facts, here we go!

1. I lived in Egypt when I was 10 and went to an American school there for 5 months. When returning to England I had a full blown american accent for 6 years after. Still get bits of it today.

2. Adding to the weirdness, I also have a bit of Scottish in my accent after living there for 5 years.

3. I have a fetish for stationary. Paperchase is my temple.

4. When I lived at home one of my favourite hobbies was scaring my parents by wearing as many colours at once as possible. They like beige.

5. I dislike people who randomly stop on busy streets

6. When I eventually get a cat, I want to call it Dave

7. I don't like airplane food, but rather enjoy opening up all the little boxes and packets.

So thats it. Here are the people I tagged:

Diary of a young designer (FunnyPeopleCo)

Jodi French

The girl behind the lama (LamaWorks)

And a special tag to my bf who is upset that I didn't tag him...even though he doesn't have a blog. There, you happy now? He says he's happy... Special.

Whats going on around me right now: Just realised that I have very little time to do everything I want to do before I go out tonight. Like paint 2 t-shirts for my friends Christmas presents. Will take some pics of them for my next blog. Byes!

Featured Seller: Hidden Treasure

2008-12-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

Featured seller today, Hidden Treasure, or maybe not so hidden anymore (a sample of my lame humor). Looking for some gorgeous handcrafted jewelry? Look no further than Hidden Treasure, an Aladdin's cave of handcrafted beauties; necklaces, earrings, bracelets and cell phone charms. A self taught jewelry maker who sees it as a way to relax and get creative, Hidden Treasure's owner began beading after receiving a beginners bead kit from her mum. She opened this shop in June of this year after making too much jewelry that any one person could own :D Ideal for some last minute shopping, reckon her jewelry could suit just about any woman in your family, be it mother, daughter, grandma, auntie, niece, cousin...are their any more basic female relatives? I think thats it. Also friends and partners. Anyone can enjoy this jewelry. I love this strawberry necklace, so cute! Here are a couple more of my favourites:

Two of my favourite things, butterflies and purple. Love these. So go and check out Hidden Treasure at www.hiddentreasure.etsy.com.

So we were supposed to have visitors today, but they couldn't come in the end, so me and the bf fell asleep til 1pm. Not much else going on right now. I'm in a very relaxed mood.

Whats going on around me right now: Watching Supernanny, lol and have a sudden craving for cheese. Hmm, cheese

Who needs sleep?...or do I?

2008-12-12T17:11:00.001-08:00

I currently have the song, Who needs sleep, by Barenaked Ladies going round in my head and for good reason. It's after 1am here in the UK and I'm still awake. Though the lack of blogging in the past week has been because I have been sleeping. I just couldn't stop. I slept for 12 hours at one point and would have slept more but I dragged myself up. I've missed today and yesterdays lectures and feel really guilty. I just keep telling myself I'll make up the work. One more deadline to go next week and I'm free for the Christmas holidays. Woo. Ironically now, I can't sleep, lol.

Though all my sleeping has kept me down, things are looking up. My bf came home today after being away all week again. And I'm gonna get to keep him until Wednesday at least. :D One more week of uni left before Christmas. I saw some of my family on Wednesday and my brother who's into photography and has an awesome camera has agreed to take some photos of my current stock in my etsy shop.

I didn't waste these last 2 days completely as I worked on my shop a bit. Just working through my improvement to do list (I love lists!). I put a bit more background of where I got my materials from in the description, used all my tags on each and lowered all my shipping prices slightly. I figure they were quite high for my stuff which is quite small. The big improvement will be the pictures. That and making some new fresh stock, which I have taken into hand this week.

My lovely grandma let me raid her button tin and I got some really cute vintage stuff. Not a very good picture I do apologise. A lot of it will be used for the shop, but a couple of things I'll make into necklaces for me. For example, the three buttons on the left were from my grandmas going away outfit when she married my grandad around 50 years ago. My grandad passed away 3 years ago around this time of year so these buttons really mean a lot. There's no way I could sell them. It will be nice to have them as a keepsake, something wearable, a necklace I think.

The cute ladybird buttons at the bottom left will make rather fetching earrings I reckon. Just need to get some more wire for them, and the rest of the buttons so I can make more creations for the shop. I reckon they will be more in the style of my Vintage style ducks and flowers necklace. Just to make my shop a bit more eclectic. :D Woo, I actually linked to something. Thanks to Michelle of Michelles Charm World (ooh I did it again! lol) for telling me how :D. Now must go and link all my past posts, especially the ones with featured sellers.

Well, I think thats all for now. My next post will be a featured seller.

Whats going on around me right now: well its quarter to 2 in the morning (yes I write slow), once again it is raining and the bf is sleeping next to me. He's one of those morning people. Apparently I am not and am quite aggressive (I prefer to use the word cranky) if woken up early. :D

I'm doing the happy dance

2008-12-08T04:37:00.000-08:00

Finally my dry spell of no sales since May has ended! :D Today someone bought my tea rocks necklace from my etsy shop. I'm really happy. Now just got to remember my process, lol. I'll head over to the post office later, which luckily I already know where it is, cos this is the first sale I had since I moved. So thats gonna give me something else to do other than write a final 1500 words for my report on internationalisation. Ah the fun :D. It's not due til wednesday but i want to get it in on tuesday so I can go over to Sheffield to see my mum, brother and grandma.

And in other news me and the bf made the soup. It was butternut squash and stilton cheese. Was really nice - but the state of our kitchen after. Dear lord! Me and my bf + a blender = big mess. Our poor kettle took the worst of the blast, though the walls and cupboards didn't have an easy ride either lol.

Even though we made a big mess, we got a pretty good soup out of it. It was delicious.

On the bf's birthday we decided to go to the Manchester Science museum which was great. We really enjoyed it and are definitely going to go back because the Manchester Underground bit was closed for refurbishment. I love Science museums. In my first year at uni, we went to the one in London and that was awesome. I really need to take more advantage of the museums here. Especially Urbis which is practically on our doorstep.

Yesterday, we went into town for a christmas tree. Argos we

re out of cheap ones, so feeling dejected, we wandered back home. But going through Next we saw this awesome black five foot one. We thought it was cool so we bought it. Not a bad price either. We decked it out in my fairy lights which were insanely long so it had to be wrapped numerous times around the tree, lol. When I see my mum on wednesday she's bringing my baubles from home so the tree will look a little less naked on wednesday. Oh and we didn't have a fairy so we stuck this penguin puppet the bf gave me last year on top :D Gotta love cheap student trees.

What's going on around me right now: Nothing much, completely silent. I slept on my hair funny so I look delightfully special, nothing a shower can't fix. It's raining (of course) so am gonna have to bring my umbrella with me when I go to the post office. Woo! Sale!

Toodles!

Featured Seller: Creations By Ingrid

2008-12-05T09:03:00.000-08:00

It's December and its cold. Brrr. Today our featured seller is Creations by Ingrid, where you can buy one of a kind eco wear. Who's up for saving the planet? I know I am :D. Using a range of materials from denim and ties, to magazines and food packets there's something for everyone here. I personally can't decide which I love more, her fashion magazine and vinyl plastic clutches or her oh so sophisticated tweed bag recycled from a mans suit. Hmm, decisions. Everything is one of a kind, so there's no way you're gonna pass someone in the street with the same bag as you. Sounds good to me! Another of Ingrid's talents is making jewelry which is also made from recycled materials including aluminium cans, computer keys, eyelets and pop tabs. She likes to show the younger generation just how fun recycling can be and I hear her, any other youngsters about? Can't just be me :D. If you consider yourself an eco warrior or just a lover of recycled, individual accessories, I'd check out Creations By Ingrid. www.creationsbyingrid.etsy.com .

Take a look at a couple of my favourites:

In other news I'm attempting to work hard on my final two deadlines while sorting out my gift to my bf (im painting him a t-shirt) cos its his birthday tomorrow, he's 23. I can't wait for the Christmas holidays so I can focus on my shop. I want to re-take all my photos so they're brighter and look more professional. And also fill out my shop policies cos it was pointed out to me that that section wasn't filled out. Yikes! I never noticed. It's been a year! I could have lost out on sales because of that. What a dimwit I am. I'm also going to write a brief back story to each of my products, where the materials are from so people can see their character - and a couple are quite funny. That a good idea? So, yes, Random Quirks is going to be going through a revival over the Christmas holidays in time for its first birthday on the 3rd of January. Woo! One year old!

What's going on around me now: Waiting for the bf to get home. I just bought a blender from Argos (the laminated book of dreams! - points for anyone who knows what I mean by this, lol), because he decided we're making soup tonight. Hmm, I'll let you know how that goes.

I got featured! and in other news, my brain is going to explode

2008-12-03T13:19:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to be happy about being featured! Yay :D. Crafts by Candice have featured my black ankle boot earrings on her blog, check it out at http://craftsbycandice.blogspot.com/2008/12/so-i-wanna-be-blogger.html

I think thats the first thing I've been featured in. Awesome. Though it's only just started, I reckon its going to be a pretty good blog. I'm definitely following it

In other news, am close to getting 100 hearts on my etsy shop, woo! And I'm working hard on freaking out at uni. Just handed in a group report today - only just on time after working on it for a final 4 hours on it that day and have come to the conclusion that I hate group work. One down, 2 more deadlines to go. One 2500 word assignment, then my research project - which is half of my dissertation (final year individual project on a subject of your choice) - 4500 words. Gah. I'm sure there's loads of people in the same boat as me right now - my message to them - "I feel your pain".

Anyway, must go - apparently I need to relax and rest my brain cos the bf says he doesn't want to find blown up brain all over the house. I kinda get his point.

Whats happening around me right now: Just finished watching Some Like it Hot - I like the oldies and trying to coax myself off the sofa and off to bed. It's twenty to 10 at night. Been awhile since I went to bed this early. Awesome.

Good night!

Featured seller: Wicked Child Designs

2008-11-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

Looking for some fun gifts this Christmas for the entire family? Take a look at Wicked Child Designs where you can find awesome soft toys that look like people and have individual characters and stories. Ideal if you want to have a cute soft toy that is different from some of the scary stuff I've seen around lately (cough*Bratz*cough) :D. The great thing is that you can also contact the seller about custom orders. Imagine giving someone a soft toy that looks like them or someone they love this holiday season. That would be pretty cool. Made in Australia (lucky things), wicked child designs makes soft toys for all ages, not just for children. I'm 20 and I'm quite attatched to the Freaky Freddy child. His pose is pretty awesome :P. Ranging from $20 to $35, you're bound to find something that makes you smile. Here are a couple of my favourites, Dame Edna and Freaky Freddy - yes I know, an interesting pair :D.

So go shopping for the whole family at Wicked Child Designs on www.wickedchilddesigns.etsy.com. Now! Run!

In other news it seems that people are still going to go shopping for christmas in this economic crisis (we're all going to die the papers say :P). Tried to cut through selfridges...big mistake. I don't think I've ever seen it so crowded. And why do people feel the need to suddenly stop for no reason in a place where its very narrow and hold everyone up...twice. Grrr. I'm also very scared of being cut up by women with push chairs (strollers to the americans). There's the nice ones who just stroll by, then there's the evil ones who practically run towards you with their pram trying to run you over. :0 Woman on a mission or thats where they get their kicks? The bf reckons it's where they get their kicks, what do you think?

Whats going on around me right now: Contemplating watching have I got news for you on the iplayer and thinking I'm a definite warcraft widow. It's figgen freezing outside too.

Black Friday sale!

2008-11-28T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hey just a quick note to say everything in my shop is 15% off. Yeah, I don't even celebrate thanksgiving but am joining in on the giving. Happy thanksgiving people woo!

To claim your discount just type BLOG into the message to seller and you will be refunded through paypal.

Everything in my shop is under $20 before discount so theres no excuse not to buy anything, lol.

Take care people

Featured Seller: Lolley's

2008-11-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

Hellooo people. You know its winter when you get a cold. The bf gave me an early christmas present, wasn't really what I was hoping for, but ah well. I will keep my box of tissues close.

So, today's featured seller is Lolley's handmade jewelry, ideal for a Christmas present for a chic relative, or a present for yourself. Go on, you deserve it! A fan of pretty sparkly beads, Lolley's creator has had a love affair with beads since childhood. Her Etsy shop is full of

gorgeous beaded necklaces and earrings which are a

mix of art glass, funky retro beads and some with added swarovski. Anyone who enjoys wearing pretty beads that ooze sophistication, check out Lolley's at www.lolleys.etsy.com . Here are a couple of my favourites:

I especially like the red bead necklace! :D

I went to the Manchester Christmas market yesterday. It comes every year and I love it. I took pictures and would post them, but they're on my mobile at the other side of the room. Im all tucked up on our little sofa with my precious box of tissues and getting those pictures would require getting up. :P So instead I will rave about their food and drink. I had a beef sandwich with stuffing, mulled wine that was very fruity and sweet (good thing I have a sweet tooth) and dutch mini pancakes for dessert. It was awesome.

And also I put the Monty the monster t-shirt up on my Etsy shop, so check it out. Find someone who will buy it from me, lol. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=177720833 . By the way, does anyone know how to copy and paste text into your blogger post. Mine won't let me do it the normal way. It just puts it at the bottom of the page out of the post. grrrr. I don't like typing out web addresses.

What's happening around me right now: Sitting huddled under a duvet on our wee sofa while the bf tries to watch a documentary on iplayer while simultaneously cooking dinner. I know - a man can multi task if he wants to :P

Good morrow - yes I did just say that :D