The week in review: December's here

 #1

If you want a round up of the best blosts (blog posts according to those in the know at LKR) then this post is a must read for small business owners or anyone runnning a blog or business online. The best of LKR. 

 #2

I created a brand new product this week. Boo yah! Personalised Music Pencils. They are pretty dang cool I have to say, really happy with how the box cover design turned out.

  

I think that the lady who tried to teach me how to play piano probably deserved a set of these.

#3

A friend of mine asked for my advice in sourcing a cute diy kit for her daughter to make a teacher gift. My top two favourite sets that I found were these guys

I love the work of fellow NTHS seller Laura Clempson of Clara and Macy from her about page to her product descriptions. I thought this pudding kit would be so cute. Or the robin. Great as a stocking filler too.

over on Etsy I found Georgina Giles' shop where she sells these absoloutely adorable looking sewing kits.

#4

I found the coolest idea for gift wrapping my presents this year. (Yes this is something I actively look forward to) over on pinterest. The original post was from over on the Country Living website

expect lots of misleadingly shaped gifts this Christmas peeps.

Until next time

xx V

My new shop, loving the royals and why Justin Timberlake does a good irish...

 Things in my head this week...

#1 This song by Lorde has been my 'lets get to work' song all week



#2  I've been pretty consumed with my new online shop that I've been building for the website. So I was pretty chuffed (and relieved) that it all launched without a hitch last week

#3 Love this behind the scene look at the John Lewis christmas advertisement. The sheer craft and skill involved in stop motion production always blows me away.

John Lewis 'The Bear & The Hare' - The Making Of from Blink on Vimeo.


#4 I read this article about the decline of the honeybee which is pretty worrying. It also means my mum could make her fortune from the  beehive she has in the garden...

#5 Picked up this vintage Road Atlas. Published by Universal Metal Products Ltd. 

#6 Love this version of The Auld Triangle by Justin Timberlake, Marcus Mumfurd of Mumford and Sons and the Punch Brothers. It is part of the soundtrack for the Cohen's new movie Inside Llewyn Davis. Check out the trailer below. Can't wait to see it, even if it's just for the music.




Until next time

xx V

The week in review

Wow, this week has been a busy one. And I do love them that way.

I've been  getting all my taxes in order, because yes it is THAT time of year again. 

Lots of orders shipped out, I think I will need to order even more pencil boxes at this rate.

These UK map pencils are waiting for some box lids. Can anyone spot where they live? I was doing a whole batch of southern england pencil sets. They are pretty popular these days.

I have put a LIMITED range of Christmas cards up for sale on my etsy shop. So don't miss out and buy them early.

If you follow my page on facebook you may have seen me mention an interview I did. I was approached a few weeks ago about doing an interview for Irish blog La Creature and You. Of course I said yes. Click on the image below to read the full interview. My first one, I was pretty chuffed.

And I am working on a pretty exciting new project that involves my website, lots of code and themes that will all be revealed on Tuesday the 5th of November. But more about that next week...

Have a great weekend and if you're in Ireland enjoy the bank holiday.

I will be going here on Sunday morning 

And here on Monday.

Business Tips: How to track your mentions on facebook

 Go to the search bar at the top of your facebook page and type in the search term you are looking for. I typed in my company name six0sixdesign (you could just as easily search to see who's mentioning pinterest or etsy or summer camps) Make sure you type in the full name

At the very bottom of the list of results it will say "See more results" Click on this 

On the left hand side of your screen you will now see a list of different options. At the bottom of the list is one saying "Public Posts" Click on this and it will generate a list of all the mentions of your search term on facebook.

 A fantastic way to make sure that if clients, customers or fans are interacting with your page, mentioning you or your business that you 

RESPOND

INTERACT

PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR FANS 

Have a great week, 

xx V

This week...

 #1
I'm super excited to reveal the first sneak peek of a new product line I've been working on. Can anyone guess what's inside?

#2

I found this pretty interesting. Paul Miller decided he was going to leave the internet for a year. And he did it. This is what happened. (see video below)



I found it interesting that he seemed to swap one set of addictions for another and that maybe instead of being an entirely bad thing in moderation it actually helped him to socialise and prevented his natural tendency to isolate himself from manifesting.
Could you do it? Would you want to?

#3

I really want to buy one of these. They are lenses designed specifically for your smart phone. I think it genius and I also think they are really well priced. I think I may be adding them to my Wish List.



Pretty amazing right. 

Have a great weekend peeps and I shall see you all back here Monday for some Words to Live by. 

xx V 

This week...

 1.

I was really delighted to hear that my Wedding Pencils (below) were included in Red Magazine's website in a selection of The "Best Wedding Favours" link here They are image No 13

2.

I had a really funny encounter with one of my facebook fans this week. I posted a picture (below) showing the cute packaging for my Map Necklaces and then I get this comment pointing out a wee mistake I had made... can anyone spot it. If you're a fan on facebook you may have an unfair advantage!

It's pretty small so I was super impressed that she spotted it and also slightly embarrassed that I hadn't!

Image one:

Image 2: (after the wonders of photoshop)

leave your guesses in the comments below.

3.
I found this poor little nest in the garden yesterday. The little eggs just looked so forlorn. if anyone has any advice on what to do with it (should I just leave it where I found it?) pop on over to the facebook page and share your wisdom!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Bank Holiday.

xx V

This week... weddings, miniature art, and turning your walls into one giant sketch pad

 #1

 I am working on a custom designed Wedding dress Box for a client. The colour scheme is navy and gold and I found this really beautiful gold braiding in A.Rubanesque that looks amazing. 

I am keeping the design and decoration quite simple as the two dresses that are going in the box are quite intricate and I didn't want to detract from them. Will post some more pictures over on the facebook page when its done.

 #2

A friend of mine passed on the website of Dalton Ghetti to me saying I would love it and she was so right. Thanks K.

Dalton Ghetti creates miniature words of art on the top of a pencil. Yes that's right, on the Top of the nib of a pencil. And as I was looking through the work I realised I had seen it somewhere before. At an exhibition called The Power of Making in The V&A. See now I am justified in buying the book that came with the exhibition.

Like the over sized peg in the picture. I got it here. 

 #3

I read about an Irish company  Smart Wall Paint in the business section of The Irish Times. Now I was reading it this week but it is dated 15th April. I think it's really a really exciting product at a pretty reasonable price point.

In their own words

Smart Wall Paint is a whiteboard paint that can be applied to any smooth surface, transforming entire walls and rooms into creative whiteboard spaces that encourage teamwork, ideas and innovation

 

Imagine that, entire walls to write on and then JUST RUB  

 

OFF. 

 

 

Have a great weekend

xx V

This week...

I did a spring clean of my Mailing List. So a big welcome to any and all new subscribers to my blog posts. 

I am very happy to tell you that you can now find my Light Boxes in The Tuckmill Gallery in Naas Co. Kildare.  
Sorry the photograph is pretty pants. I'll take some prettier ones soon.

The feltmaking group I am part of set up our Exhibition in McCauley Place in Naas today. It will run for two weeks, a selection of just some of the pieces on show (below) Can you spot mine? It's just a tiny peek of a bigger piece.  

Over on Etsy I was featured in an amazing 5 lovely treasuries this week including one which was chosen for the front page of Etsy which is pretty dang cool. (can you guess which one got picked?)

Write it down by Shiri Avda

The World is our Playground by Stacy

 Sign on the dotted line by Dottie

Handmade Wedding by Irina from ProjectSarafan

 Drawn to her by Anne from Free Range Cowgirl (the front page treasury)

 

 And now I'm off to do some last minute prep work for two crafty birthday parties I'm doing this weekend. I see a very lovely large glass of vino in my future.

Have a great weekend.

xx  V

This week...

On Wednesday there was a Meet and Greet for all the artists involved in the Big Egg Hunt. Can you spot me?

Read more about my egg and its journey here.

I've been busy getting some card orders ready for delivery 

I designed a brand new craft project for last weekend's kids party. Which all the girls absolutely loved which was fantastic. Idon't think any of them wanted to leave.

The Doll's House

They even made bedroom furniture (and check out the rope ladder above which no house should be without) 

Tiled bathroom floors and such gorgeous wallpaper! 

Added a new twist to the Personalised Wedding Pencils- Why not give them as Birthday Pencils.

And am busy getting ready for another Birthday Party tomorrow So I better get back to it.


Have a great weekend.

xx V

Packaging: Part Deux

Last week I shared a bit about how I package my products when I'm shipping them. 

I showed you how I add an extra little touch to the outside of my parcels, this week I thought I would give you a sneak peek of what's inside 

I had a big order of Wedding Pencils to ship to America and while I wanted to make sure they were all safely wrapped up I think that when you are buying (and selling) handmade one of the best parts of it is when you get your parcel it is PERSONALISED. That extra something that we talked about last week. 

 As you can see there were a lot of pencils to wrap up 

For the set in the box (pictured above) I made a little tag, with a note from me on the back, to pull up the first pencil.

The customer had chosen 5 different definitions so I wrapped each bunch of pencils in brown paper and tied  either end with some cute black and white bakers twine.

The bunches were sealed with a label and the 'definition' inside was written on it.

I use recycled boxes for all my packaging whenever possible, I find shops are more than happy to give you their unwanted packaging. All you have to do is ask and the worst they can say is no.

I make sure to add bubble wrap around the edges to keep them safe, then its time to seal it all up and I wrap the outer packet in brown paper again.

I spend time on packaging each order and I like to think of the customer opening it at the other end. All part of the service as they say. 

Hope you enjoyed the post.

xx V

This week I ...

#1

...am loving the colour of these dried flowers. I call them Chinese Lanterns. They have a beautiful pattern to their 'skin'. 

#2

 
...went to see Djando Unchained on Wednesday evening. (Thank You Odeon Wednesday's) 

 Absolutely loved it, even if I did have to hide behind my hands a few times. Fantastic acting,especially Jamie Foxx and Christopher Waltz.

#3

 took some new product shots of my Map in a Bottle Necklaces. 

#4

 ...started watching House of Cards which is a new tv show exclusive to Netflix.I have to say when Netflix first came to Ireland I was not it's biggest fan but since then their selection has grown and now they seem to have pulled off a first for online streaming sites,

A tv show that Netflix created, financed and aired before anywhere else, starring big names like Kevin Spacey and RobinWright Penn. As far as I know, you don't got Netflix, you don't got House of Cards. Clever! 

And the show seems like it could be pretty good too, always a bonus. A nod to the future perhaps?

#5

  

Finally over at The Craft Corner we had our first After School Craft Class of the year on Wednesday; which went really well. The class made their very own silk paper. This shot below shows it when still wet.

All in all a good week. Have a great weekend peeps.

xx V