Patchwork Notebooks Giveaway

So, I'm in the midst of clearing out my studio for when I move out of my parent's house, and what better thing to do to de-clutter than to do a giveaway! :)

The first two winners will win 3 notebooks, worth £15! These notebooks are 100% handmade with scrap fabric, and would be of benefit to anyone who has one of these!

TO ENTER:
- Visit Handmade by Ify and name your favorite item
- Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger or Tumblr

EXTRA ENTRIES:
- Treat yourself to an item from my shop (remember to mention you are entering the giveaway!)
- Share this on your Facebook, Twitter, or Blog

This giveaway will end on 17th January, so good luck! :)

P.S- There's a discount going on at the shop, just enter JANUARYSALE, and you will get 30% off!

Inspiration: Deap Vally

Lately, I've been in love with cool band, Deap Vally. I just love the rebellious, "bad-ass" attitude that they give, and I quite love their fashion sense, because they remind me so much of Thelma and Louise, and it's quite vintage inspired, so even what they wear is quite unique. A few pieces from my upcoming jewellery collection have been inspired by them too, as I'm taking a more grunge, vintage inspired direction with some of the pieces I'm making :).











Here is a YouTube Video if you would like to hear some awesome music! I would love it if I were able to see them in concert :)

Changes to the shop

Lately I've been thinking up ways to be better with my shop, and here are some news that I'm going to share with you all!

Cheaper posting
I'm going to subscribe to the print and post option with Royal Mail, which means faster dispatch, and you save money on postage and packaging!

Gift Vouchers
I will be sending £5 gift vouchers for orders over £30 and re-introducing coupon cards for all other orders.

Made to Order listings
 Made to order listings on etsy will be available, so that no one misses out on any stylish garments and jewellery. :)

Regular listings
I will be listing new items at least twice a week, which means LOADS of things to choose from- you will always be spoilt for choice!

Upcycling service
I will be introducing wardrobe & jewellery box "surgery" listings on specific style items/your own style. Everyone needs to save money, and with people resorting to throwing away things, I want to make a small difference in saving them from the landfill and upcycling them.

These are some small changes, but I'm hoping it makes a huge difference!

January Discount!

 It's that time of year again! I'm doing a discount on all my stuff right now at my etsy shop, so have a look at what tickles your fancy and treat yourself whilst you can!

My Resolutions for 2013

Become more organised.

I always have this issue of organisation, and it's really because I take on way too much so I tend to be drowning in my to-do lists. This year, I would love to be able to work a lot smarter, so that my life would be so much easier. I have so many things I'd like to do, so it's key that I get this under control.

Move out of the family home.

I think I am at that age where I want to live my life independently, and I think I'm growing out of the whole "living with parents" stage. I love spending time with my family, but I'd like to be doing my own thing now. I'm thinking of moving to West London, so that I'm closer to work, but also I get to try and live in a whole new area.

Get in shape.

After I broke up with an ex boyfriend last summer, I joined the gym so that I could unburden myself of the grief and I could get fit and toned up. I even rode my bike to the gym and I used to work out for hours. Uni got in the way, but now I've finished, I'd like to get back into it again. 

Make clothes from scratch for myself.

In all the making that I do for my etsy shop, I forget that I should also be advertising my makes. My boss and colleagues have always said this, and it's something I'd like to get into the habit of doing. Also, it's nice to treat yourself once in a while. So from now on, I'd like to make a batch of stuff for the shop, but also for myself.

STOP SPLURGING!

I think choosing to get paid weekly is the worst thing I have ever done... because at every chance I get, whether it's a two hour break at work, or finishing work early, or having the day off, I would shop a lot. I'm not broke, but I think I could be using my money wisely now that I would like to get my own place. I'm deciding to go and treat myself once a month, instead of 3 times a week.

Travel to different cities in the UK.

So far, I have only travelled to Loughborough, Leicester, Birmingham, Yorkshire and North Wales. I'd love it if I got to visit Scotland, Bristol and Newcastle! At the moment, I'm planning to visit Sarah from Bits and Bows at her studio in Birmingham towards the end of the month, so I'll be excited to see her for the first time, and snap up some lovely treats.

I hope to keep to at least one of these resolutions! :)

Highlights of 2012

I have absolutely had a turbulent, but amazing year, I just about stayed sane for the last year of Uni, I got myself a job after graduation, and I have now been able to run my own business more often... overall, I would honestly say that I have ended the year with a smile on my face!

Here are a few really cool moments of the year:



My quirky jewellery (lips ring and dinosaur necklace) were featured in the Shop Local: London Newsletter on Etsy. I just absolutely loved the fact that people appreciated my creativity, and it still up to now makes me so happy.


I launched my textiles jewellery line, called Iffy Jewellery. I haven't been really active with this shop, but I'm currently working on some new pieces to put in there fairly soon :).



I travelled to Milan, Italy for a few days on a University trip. I felt inspired creatively, and I had made amends with someone I had fell out with a year before. This made my life so much easier.



Me and my family went to our street party on the Queen's Jubilee. It was so fun to meet the neighbours, have some yummy food and cakes and have a good ol' giggle!


This summer, I started selling in Camden with my friend. It was so fun, selling our makes to the public, making new friends, and spending time together.  I'd like to do it again in February :)



I had GRADUATED! I was soooo happy, I'd say it was the happiest day of the year, despite the fact that on that day it rained so badly, and there were flying ants everywhere, haha. It was the happiest day, because I  didn't think I would even be able to get into University, and when I did, I was always scared that I was going to fail my course (and I nearly did at one point, but thank God I turned that around). It was such a relief that all my hard work had paid off!



I caught up on some lost times with my friends. Life had gotten in the way of spending time with the people I love, so it was nice to just relax and have some great fun.


I had an amazing birthday party! I had prepared a buffet for everyone, and we played games, drank some wine and just had a stress free time :).



I got myself a full-time job at a Pub in Hammersmith, and I can honestly say that I love my job. I'm learning new things and my confidence is slowly growing! Working here has made me think a lot about what I'd like to do with my business, and has somewhat expanded my dream.

I loved this year, and 2013 is going to be an even better year- I can feel it.

What I've been up to // Honesty Post

Let me first start off by saying I'm soooo sorry for not being consistent with my blog posts- I'm still struggling to keep the balance of running my own business and working full time. I work about 42-47 hours a week and because of the kind of job I do, I get so tired after every shift because of the distance, and also, I eat so unhealthily all the time, my energy and motivation levels are way low at the moment. 

Every day I push myself to try and do everything, and it's so hard! I honestly wonder how everyone else does it, because I honestly am not one that can do it all, at least not right now- I'm my own post woman, designer, accountant, photographer and blogger, and up to now, I haven't been taking into consideration of how much easier things could be if I asked for help, or if I just had the right balance, or even just worked smarter!

The next couple of months are going to be all about re-organising the shop and refocusing it a lot more, so there's going to see A LOT of change... :).

Anyway, here's what I've been up to:

I've been making myself some new clothes, and I'm considering making more clothes that are made from scratch :). 

 

I've also been shopping a lot in Croydon, spending time with the loved ones, especially my best friend. I hadn't seen much of him lately, so we went shopping, ate some Chinese food, made some christmas presents, and dyed each other's hair!

 

I got a streak in my hair, only because my hair is so prone to breaking, and I'd never used dye that wasn't for black people, so this was just a test dye! I think I may keep the streak for the rest of winter and if I have no problems, I'll go crazy and dye the whole of my hair rainbow colours :).

That is all! I'll be updating the shop tomorrow, for anyone who wants a last minute shop before christmas!

Lots of love