News

#EtsyResolution

A new year means new beginnings! Over the years I've had a lot of people approach me asking about my Etsy store: how I started it, do I find it hard, do I like selling on Etsy. Well the great people over at Etsy have heard you and are here to help! They have a new program starting at the end of this month to help people wanting to start a new Etsy store or improve existing ones. The program is called #EtsyResolution and it looks amazing. They've teamed up with Clare Bowditch singer, actor and (more importantly, in this case) founder of Big Hearted Business. Clare will be lending us her business coaching smarts and helping work through the blockers that often hold creative folks back. Along Clare is Jess Van Den, a successful Australian Etsy seller and founder of Create & Thrive whose tagline is “Learn how to turn your handmade hobby into a successful business from those who already have”. Here’s a quick overview of what #EtsyResolution is all about: January 27 – Telling Your Brand Story January 29 – Find Your Target Market February 2 – Photography: Telling Your Shop’s Visual Story February 5 – Shipping Tips & Tricks February 9 – Search Engine Optimisation: Getting Found Online February 12 – Get to Know (and love!) Your ‘Shop Stats’ February 16 – Marketing 101 (for creative types!) February 19 – Creating Happy Customers (and nailing the art of repeat business) February 25 – Live online Q&A with Clare and Jess To join #EtsyResolution sign up here before January 25 to secure your spot! This post is not sponsored by Etsy - I am just a strong supporter, fan, enthusiast and am excited to participate in this program to see how it can help improve my online store.

Melbourne here we come

My partner and I are off to Melbourne for the first time ever at the end of the month! We're super excited to be going on holiday together to a new city and eat our hearts out. We would love any suggestions of your favourite things to do, places to eat, cafes, etc. Hope you're all having a great week! Image sourced from here

San Francisco

I am super excited to be going home to California next month - it's the first time I've been back in over two years! I will be away for a little over 3 weeks spending time at home in Palo Alto and also seeing some family in Los Angeles (with a cheeky trip to Disneyland!). While over there I'm looking forward to spending time with family and friends, eating way too much food, and of course shopping. But I am also looking forward to going to some amazing US stationery stores! For example this amazing collection of SF inspired stationery comes from the talented Audrey of Urbanic Paper in LA. Look out California, here I come! 1. Mapnote; 2. Paper Parasol Press Postcard; 3. Hello! Lucky Skyline Note; 4. Lark Press Heart in SF note; 5. Birite Creamery Book; 6. SF City Guide; 7. Tartine Cookbooks; 8. Cavallini Rubber Stamps; 9. Jim Datz print; 10. Ilee Papergoods city cards; 11. Dandelion Chocolate; 12. Albert + Marie SF Poster; 13. Maptote Pouch; 14. Cavallini Eraser

Fur babies

Jack

Over the long weekend my partner and I became parents to these beautiful fur babies!

Kate

My partner has multiple cats in the past but this is my first time being the mother to two kitties. As a kid we only had bunnies and goldfish so this is quite a learning experience. Jack and Kate are siblings who we picked up Sunday after making sure I wasn't allergic to them after falling in-love with them on Saturday. Kate is a fully tabby while Jack has cute white paws and belly. Both kitties are originally from the SPCA. We've only had them a few days but it's very obvious that Kate is daddy's girl and Jack is a mama's boy - so cute!

Proud mama

Design vs Craft

Happy Friday everyone! I know I told some of you that there would be a big exciting announcement today but unfortunately it has to wait until next week - I promise - the suspense is worth it! This Saturday we will be attending the Tamaki Christmas Market from 9am to 1pm - it's their last market of the year and should be a goodie! It's located out near Mission Bay - a great location for a sunny Saturday stroll. So if you're looking for something to do, make sure to pop along and say hello (eftpos machines will be onsite)! This week instead of a roundup I thought I would share an article that I wrote yesterday for Design Assembly. This topic is most likely very close to your hearts and would love to know what you think! Have a great weekend! ++++++ What makes design so hip and craft so unfashionable? Is design a term used just for the cool kids? Craft, more often than not, has a bad reputation. If a stranger asks you what you do for a living – do you say that you’re a designer or a craftsman? Where do we draw the line? Most designers are both. They plan out a design and then execute the end product. So again, why does craft have a bad reputation?

Lucy Arnold is the founder and graphic designer behind Board of Design – she is also the founder of Felt, an online marketplace for handmade goods. Arnold has shared some of her thoughts on the matter, “ I've been thinking about craft pathways – how craft is so accessible but there's no quick way to be awesome at it. Which I think is maybe part of the reason it gets a bad name. People want instant gratification, whereas craft is a long slow learning process. If you cut corners in that process, it shows in the end product – and with the internet now, we get to see the whole spectrum... it's not selective.” Justin McGuirk from The Guardian states, “It seems no magazine about material culture, from Monocle to Inventory, is complete these days without a behind-the-scenes story on a little-known clothing or furniture brand featuring people in leather aprons and workbenches strewn with chisels and offcuts. There's nothing new about the kind of products these studios create. What's new is the desire to reveal the process and not just the finished object. These are not-so-subtle messages reasserting the value of the handmade over the machine-made.” Still unclear whether to call yourself a designer or craftsman? Maybe this video will help: I am proud to call myself a graphic designer and a craftsman. I come up with ideas, sketch them, analyse them, and test the market. But I also work with my hands everyday (away from a computer). I take great pleasure in making things with my hands and get a certain satisfaction that can only be achieved when creating something unique. Crafts are often associated with “arts and crafts”, which is often associated with goods of low quality or skill (kindy). However when you break those two words down “Art” and “Craft”, it speaks of a high level of skill. At the end of the day design is a craft. There are good and bad designers out there; those who are good at their craft, excel in their field. An Artisan or Craftsman is someone who is a master of their given skill. Be proud of what you do and the skills you have.

New Tea Towels

We are super excited to announce our latest edition to the Toodles Noodles range - tea towels!  Offered in four different designs, these 100% natural unbleached cotton towels will bring sunshine into any kitchen. All towels are bundled in sets of two - perfect to give one away as a gift and keep the other for yourself! These towels will only be available for this summer season and will be available on the shop as of next week! As always if you have any questions regarding our products or would like to request a custom order, you can email us at hello(at)toodlesnoodles.com

Weekly Roundup 6 September

A very happy Friday to everyone! This week has just been a blur with the Gift Fair and meeting so many great vendors! We have some amazing new stockists on board from all around New Zealand and will be updating our stockists list as we go. Everyone seemed really excited about our special, limited edition 'gold and black' stay awesome tote bag! If you are interested in acquiring one of these fun totes for yourself please email us and we can make sure you get on the preorder list! I promise to post pictures from the trade show, new summer tea towels and some yummy baking recipes soon - so stay tuned. In the mean time I hope you enjoy this black and gold inspired roundup!

1. Tiered Lukas Pendant, online exclusive at Anthropologie
2. Fun sparkly stationery supplies from Inkkit
3. Saw so many amazing Meadowlark cocktail rings this week - want!
4. Make a statement with this geometric gold necklace.
5. Our limited edition 'gold and black' stay awesome tote (order yours today!)
6. Great everyday card by the talented Rifle Paper Co.
7. Wish these sparkly shoes came in my size!
8. Currently sporting this fun nail polish, great for parties.

Weekly Roundup - 19 July

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you've had a great week, I personally have been struggling come back from holiday and getting into work mode. With the Gift Fair coming up in only six weeks, it's time to stop dilly dallying and really get cracking! There are a few new products and designs in the works and all will be revealed in the weeks to come! In the mean time, stay tuned here and our other social media outlets. This Sunday we'll be at the Matakana Market - a perfect school holidays activity! The market has amazing food, atmosphere, and vendors. If you come on by please do make sure to introduce yourself! Also incase you missed it, earlier in the week we shared a super delicious recipe for some Chocolate Chip Cookie bites! The recipe contains no flour, eggs, sugar, oil or butter - so really they're guilt free cookies! Have a great weekend everyone!

1. Love this scarf handmade by DarkPlum.
2. These unusual vases can be hung or free standing, is ideal for air plants or general decoration.
3. Beautiful handmade pouring bowl made with love in North Carolina.
4. Modern yet classy earrings coming from over the ditch.
5. Super cute kids top - wish it came in my size!
6. I little obsessed with the packaging and product...
7. Fun textiles handcrafted by Belljar in Australia.

Tips and Tricks for Markets

  This Saturday is the Auckland Art and Craft Fair – quite possibly the biggest fair I do every year! It’s held at the Aotea Centre from 111:00am – 3:00pm and is always full to the max with talented local artists. Being as I have done a quite a few fairs (markets) now, I thought I would share some of my tips and tricks.

• Be organised. I have 3 specific bins that I always take with me to my markets. One is full of display material, the other packaging (brown bags, etc) and some more display props, and the third is only products to sell. It is extremely important that after setting up not to mix up your bins. It will make restocking and finding those bags for sales much easier and stress-free.
•  Have emergency supplies. In my boxes I also have a little container full of “just in case” stuff. That includes a ball of string, scissors, pens, washi tape, little wooden pegs, white dot stickers, and penadol.
• Don’t forget your float. If you sell your of products in increments of $5 like I do, make sure to bring along as many $5 bills as possible.
• Display is key. You may have some amazing products but if it’s not displayed well, people will just walk by. It is important to put yourself in the buyers shoes and wonder if you would stop at your stall. Height is key to creating an eye catching display.
• Keep hydrated. I try and take with me the big 1L water bottles to markets as it keeps me drinking. Also remember little snacks to get in bits of energy and avoid those headaches.
• Lastly, smile and engage. When a customer finds out the story behind a product or design and how you made it yourself, they will relate to it more and in return be more likely to purchase. It can be hard, but it’s important to not just stand behind your stand (especially with crossed arms).

I hope you found this helpful and look forward to seeing some of you this weekend!

Weekly Roundup 6 June

Haaaaappy Friday! So sorry I've been a bit MIA these past two weeks. I have been down in Christchurch working on a big exciting project in relation to the city rebuild.  I would love to share more but as you can imagine it's all hush hush. This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to attend my first ever Semi-Permanent, a creative platform spreading art and design inspiration, that consists of a two day conference full of slideshows and inspiration presentations. Hands down my favourite presenters were the two illustrators: Sandra Dieckmann and Kelly Thompson. It was so amazing to hear abou how they started, where their art has taken them, their processes and the stories behind their work. The biggest message this year at the conference was collaboration. The benefits in growing your business, your profile, your skills - it was really enlightening. So needless to say, that will be a goal this year! Also in case you missed it, we are currently having our first giveaway! As a big thank you for reaching 1200 likes on Facebook, Claudia from For The Love Of French Antiques is giving away one of her beautiful French Linen tea towels! Make sure to check out the post on how to enter! This weekend we'll be busy getting ourselves ready for the Auckland Art & Craft Fair coming up at the end of the month. Can't wait to display our latest products including some new prints and cards! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend with some relaxation and good food.

1. Handmade leather necklace from Italy.
2. Elephant and Bird have amazing handmade products and such a pretty logo!
3. Mmmmm gold polka dot linen clutch - yes please.
4. Set of bangle bracelets inspired by delicious and tasty rainbow sherbet.
5. Fun clothespins are sure to make any fridge or desk festive.
6. Eco friendly jotter from Happy Day Bits - love everything in the shop.
7. A hand knitted cloud pillow - just too cute!