My week of Randomness.

I have had a very much more productive week... although NOW I feel guilty for not attempting to do ANY work for Uni! I went down to Farnham for the day for my friends birthday... we had a bbq in Farnham Park, and I loved it, its such a peaceful place to be... I hope I get to enjoy it more whilst I'm still in Farnham.



I attempted to ride a bike again after 10 years absence, and I'm not bad, I just need a bike thats actually suitable for my height and doesnt strain my back too much in climbing on. I was sad that I didnt get to go to The Barn in the town centre, but never mind!


I went to spend some much needed time with the boyfriend and I loved these shoes for a while... but then these started cutting into my toes... Primark Jelly Sandals are not the way forward.



He got me a Scotland Flask Keyring from his travels... its comical how he thinks I'm an alcoholic... eek!



I had also bought this amazing necklace from UK Jewellery Designer Shop Tatty Devine. It set me back £30 but I love it so much, and I know I will wear it A LOT. I'm working with them for a couple of weeks in May so I'm hoping that this would be made in time for that and I hope they will be impressed! :D



There are some new bangle sets in the shop... so snap them up! :)

New Yarn Wrapped Bracelets on the Horizon...

Hello!

As promised, I am selling my bracelets on my etsy website. I am quite busy today, so I will only be listing two bracelet/earring sets.



I love making these bracelets, as they are always unique in every way, every bangle is different, they can never be exactly duplicated.

I think they enhance any simple outfit put together this season... so stop by at my shop and snag yourself a treat shortly.

Discount Times!

I have a sale going on in the shop; enter "BDBOUTIQUEDISCOUNT" upon checkout and get 15% off any item. I am still having a bit of a clearance, so I'd appreciate it if you took advantage of it! sale ends on Friday!

Katherine xo

Yarn Wrapped Bracelets.

A sneak peak into my new yarn wrapped bracelets to be added to the shop next wednesday, the 25th April. This particular bunch has been made with cotton and linen yarns, which is a wicked addition to transform the wardrobe this summer. :D

I will have created 6 different styles for this and I'll be creating 9 different styles of hoop earrings, all made with natural yarns, so anyone could wear them.

I love that they are eco friendly and stylish with a rustic feel, and is such a feminine, but slightly edgy thing to have!

I am excited to release these jewellery, and they will be super cheap too, so that everyone could afford them and have an eco-conscience.

As promised, I will be releasing my summer collection AS SOON as I return from London... possibly the 3rd-4th May. I hope everyone will love the pieces as much as I do!

xo

What I have been up to...

I have had a very relaxing couple of days in my parents house in London... its the first time in my life I have actually happily done nothing, and not feel guilty about it. I have had such a crazy, emotional couple of years, and the way I have been dealing with it was to "keep busy", which has made me so emotionally and physically tired.

In the past couple of days, I have been on a quest to make my room and studio look less random and a little bit more grown up, and still representing the arty person I am. I hope you'll agree with me when you look at the pictures.


This is my studio space. Its not really gonna be used till I move back in May/June, but I like to create a nice environment to come back to. :)

This is my painting of my sewing machine. I am thinking of selling paintings/prints on Kaye Homewares but I'm not too sure. We'll see what happens on that front. :)

This is my small DIY Wall Hanging I created. I'm in love with how quirky and folklore it makes my room look.


My mirror broke... *sigh (but thank God the glass didnt break) so I used this to hang my jewellery. It is simply an awesome idea :)

In the past couple of days though, I have been dreaming up loads of ideas for my winter collection for Bend Down Boutique and a lot of products to sell at Kaye Homewares. I still havent made a sale for that shop, and its probably because I havent been promoting enough, which I am going to have to do if I am going to make any sales at all. I think once I have reviewed the business plan for both shops I can get more focused when I get back to Farnham. :) I am very excited, and I really do hope it goes well :).

Whilst I am down here, I am hoping to sell some of my old clothes on eBay, because I have way too much stuff in my attic taking up the space. And I wanna make a few bracelets.

I shall keep you updated! xo

New Love: Sugarraindrops

I have been in love with this designer's work for over a year, ever since she ran her etsy shop. I bought a ring from Laura a year ago and I was instantly smitten by them.

Sugarraindrops creates jewellery and head accessories, mostly made from resin, and is really quirky and whimsical which is more than any reason to buy them, as they are really individual!

Here are a few images from her shop:




be sure to visit her shop!

Pure Randomness.

Hello lovelies!

I have been a little busy, I am in the middle of re-organising my room to make it look more grown up. Its a bit of a slow process, since I have been majorly tired recently, but it will be so worth it when I have finished.


- This is a Wall Hanging piece that I am starting. its looking rather random at the minute, but I'm hoping it looks good when I finish it :)


- This is a ring I bought for my friends birthday. I'm hoping she likes it. After looking at this, Its made me think I would like a whimsical engagement ring, perhaps an owl or cupcake or something. I'm not a traditional or anything like that and I'm not fussed on Diamonds, I think as long as its beautifully made, its better for me :)

I have also opened an e-commerce store on folksy, a UK based handmade/supplies website. I still love etsy, and everything it represents, because lets face it, if it wasnt for that site I wouldnt have had such confidence to sell my designs, and I wouldnt have had the opportunities I've had.

I've taken the time from my break to research how to really boost my business further through The Prince's Trust, so I'm hoping that when I come back I will be even more ambitious and have more self belief in what I create!

I'm gonna take some notes now :)

Katherine xo

Taking a break.

Hey guys,

I know I was supposed to be listing some new collection stuff today, but I am seriously tired and emotionally exhausted.

I have been working non-stop for my project for uni, and then mega hard on the online shop, to the point where I have absolutely lost focus and I am like feeling really lost, and my anxiety is like all over the place.

I've decided to take a break for a couple of weeks to clear my head, and spend QUALITY time with the family.

However, this gives me the chance to make even more things for the shop, and I get to do some DIY projects which I hope to share with you all! :)

I will be leaving the shop open too, but items will not be sent until the 27th April, and then after that, 2nd May, as I will also be in the middle of moving back to London.

Thank you for your understanding!

Katherine xo

What I wore 12/04/2011

Hello all,

I have been sewing away and creating new pieces of work for university. I will take pictures sometime.

Anyway, heres what I wore:



Top: Vintage Sale at my Uni
Jeans (if you can see them): Mirage, Croydon
Shoes: Primark

about 20% of my wardrobe is vintage, and its on the increase. I love mixing the old and new, as I never like to stick to whats been in the past, and not embracing what the world has to offer as of right now. :)

As you all know, I am going to London for a few days. I will be re-decorating my room and studio there, so I will keep you all updated. In the meantime, I am going to tackle my ever growing to-do list!

Katherine xo

News from the Bend Down Boutique Closet.

I have NEW pieces for sale... I am so happy to be unleashing my summer pieces in the shop. One of my dresses actually sold more or less quickly after I had listed it, which is always a pleasant suprise.

But here are my goodies:




I have also decided that I am going to bring the dates forward for my new collection. Only because I am going to see my family in London for a few days so I want these beauties to stay a while in the shop to see if they sell before I go there. So new dates for your diaries: 14th April is the day to snap up some gorgeous goodies for this season.

So now I'm off to sew up some more goodies to hopefully add to the shop throughout the week.

enjoy the items you see! :)

Katherine xo

Kaye Homewares.

I'm just making a post about my homewares store. I opened it in February and I have yet to make a sale. Its kinda annoying but meh, what are you gonna do? I'm clearly not promoting this enough.

So, here are a few things I sell at the moment:



This is my beautiful handmade paintbrush tidy. I made this from cotton, and it fits a range of sizes of paintbrushes, and is excellent to organise your paintbrushes, especially when you're on the go. These cost £9.



These are my pencil cases. They are lined with vintage cotton, so you can be ethical and have a unique thing for storing your pens and pencils. They are made with a mixture of cotton and polyester scrap fabric. They are all a unique piece, so you never will have a similar pencil case to someone else. These cost £6.



These are my handmade coasters. This is a beautiful piece to have in the home. Is really good for the boho chic/ eclectic environment. Is washable, and is sewn securely to last. They cost £9.




This is my handmade phone case. Is fully lined with cotton, and most of the patchwork used in these pieces are handmade, which is more reason to buy these. Sewn securely and has a drawstring fastening for extra security. They cost £3.

I'd be one happy bunny if these sold, but if they didnt, then I know theres something wrong, but I dont ever give up. I'm just not consistent in my efforts, such as promotion and what not. I plan to go back to basics with it, as I am a bit overwhelmed with everyones ideas as to how to bring sales to their shops. Sometimes simple is always best.

Anyway, I need to rest- the house is in a STATE, and I'd like to clean it up and get it in a decent state before easter and before I move out. I am also sewing up the rest of my collection and then hopefully going to a bbq, but we'll see how the day goes.

Katherine xo

What I have been up to...

Hello everyone,

I have been VERY busy, trying to sort out everything for my university project, and the mini collection I have been creating.

Here is my beautiful promo banner...



It is to be released next Friday... I am very excited! I am going to work late in the night to make sure everything is done. :)

PLEASE take advantage of my discount on my website and type 40DISCOUNT upon checkout for 40% discount ! I am desperate to clearout my storage before I leave my student house!

Anyway, I am going to re-organise my life for the next week, hopefully I will get everything done! :)

Katherine xo

New Love: Twinkie Chan

Its been a few days since I had a post, and I thought because I had bookmarked so many designers pages that I would unleash the designers that I'm currently in love with.



So, I stumbled across Twinkie Chan's Blog a while ago and I love her, she has such an upbeat personality and I love how she creates yummy food themed accessories :). She lives in San Fransisco, and she's such an inspiration to me.

I love the quirky aspect of her designs, I know I would wear it if I could possibly afford it. It makes me wanna dress all cute and whatnot :D

I hope that one day I could build up my own business and create such a buzz around my products the way she does.

Well, I'm hungry, so I'ma make myself some toast. I dont know whats wrong with my appetite lately, I'm always hungry!

Cya!

Katherine xo

Just a little update.

Hello Lovelies,

I have had a busy few days, and I am truely exhausted. I havent had a lot of time for myself, what with university and then going out partying twice. I'm clearly too old for this physically (haha). I have been a little unmotivated and thats made me very unorganised, and I dont like that, so next week I am going to work harder at both sketchbook work for university, and creating new things for the shop. I hope to have at least 5 new items up this week, as well as more of an update on the new collection... I cant wait to reveal it :)

My interview with Elizabeth is online, and I am very excited about it, because it makes me feel so priveledged to even do all this!

I have also sponsored Sarah at Oh My Deer as she is one amazing chick, I feel like she is so down to earth and everything, and her blog is a joy to read.

I am way too tired now so I'll be off to bed, but once I have had some yummy breakfast in the morning I shall create an awesome blog post, if I remember!

Lots of Love xo