Headquarters, ahem, i mean my Home, June 2013...
In between, feeding little people snacks, heating bottles of milk, searching for a dummy, checking Facebook, school runs, emails, swimming lesson's, kinder gym, coffee with my girls, updating the website, invoicing, packing orders, post office runs, skyping the family in the UK, watching The Block, stacking the dishwasher, folding laundry, therapy and Hospital clinics in Sydney for my eldest, school events, and a tiny bit of sleep....i am drawing, designing and sewing up the Milly Molly Mandy current 2013 Collection!
In all honesty, i couldn't do this if i didn't LOVE it!
It's amazing how everything has its time and its order, and of course, my kids and husband come first.
Saying that, they are so forgiving of my mistakes as they happen, and give me plenty of chances and unconditional support.
It's been a dream to create a label of my own, offering en-trend nursery and children's decor and gifts, from the depths of my imagination and in fabrics i adore.
The design process is where most of the joy happens, and i cannot lie, after 50-60 productions of a single design i am ready to put it to sleep and move on to the next vision!
So, wouldn't it be nice, i thought to myself, if i let you see where the dream began and how i roll?
First, let me introduce you to the little people who inspire me!
I know, sweet right?
Here is the kind, forgiving husband, AKA Ironman Port Maquarie 2013(!) who encourages, supports, laughs at my new designs, picks up the slack, work terribly hard for us, and plays lego for hours so i can get some sewing done!
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And then, there is me.
My two eldest attend the local Montessori Preschool for the first half of the week, which gives me some space to spend time on the machine, and work through orders. But, i do have a little Jonah boy, who is a delight and thankfully plays happily when all set up with activities, he even sorts my buttons into size and colour!
Tools of the trade:
I keep all cards, tags, labels and gorgeous Twine to hand, including our Down That Little Lane cards.
I keep all of my favourite business cards to hand, to refer to colleagues, friends and for re-ordering!
My craft Turntable from Lime Tree Kids hold my pencils, markets, cottons etc!
My Little Village Handmade Pincushion is used every single day!
My magnetic memo board holds new sketches, receipts, and dates to remember!
Where do you store it all?
The current projects, and fabric i am using currently is kept in the big 'studio' spaces, also known as the dining room! This cabinet holds, orders in progress, items that are being made to re stock the website, new designs that are unfolding, and some favourites to keep me smiling and focused on the love of the 'art'. The bilk of the stock is stored in sealed lined plastic crates free of damp, household smells, free from damage and ready to be shipped around Australia.
Then, there is the Facebook station, i mean, computer!
Where i can get lost for an hour, having really accomplished nothing except drool, over blogs, interior design websites and collect ideas for my own home.
And finally here is the spot, in which i can over see the state of play amongst the little people, close to the coffee machine, close to my i-tunes playlist, and sew on the machine to my heart's content!
And there you have it, the very humble space in which i get to follow a dream.
Thanks for taking the tour, and now you can picture just where your little item has come to life, and who has lovingly made it for you,
Warmest wishes,
Shannon
x
