New Journal

I have been feeling a need since early January to start keeping the information pertaining to my Etsy store in better order and also my design ideas together. This year as the Children will both be going to school full time it really gives me the opportunity to treat my shop as more of a business and less of a hobby.

I realised that ideally for me keeping all of the information I was scribbling in notepads would be better kept together in one place. Alternately only having one place to look ( and actually knowing where that is ) will also be advantageous!. 

So while browsing Etsy one day I saw this gorgeous blank page, bound book, with laminated covers made from a vintage doll clothes sewing pattern. It presented itself as perfect for my needs and I ordered it! The business card of the creator is bound inside the cover which is a clever idea that I like too!

Yesterday I set about creating some tabs to break my book into sections. I made these tabs but cutting patterned LilyBee paper with a die and folding it around the edge of page with a slight protrusion past it. I went to my scrap booking sticker drawers and found it most appropriate to use these old love Elsie letters for the design tab as I find Elsie Larson a most inspiring lass with a fun quirky fashion sense! 

Then layered various Washi tapes across it and love the way it looks! I found I needed a little extra length to my protruding tabs so created that with a piece of tape folded to either side of the page, this is actually perfect as the tape is flexible so wont stick out beyond the covers.

Not all my pages have titles but each section does serve a purpose. I'm so grateful to the customers who purchased Pretty things for Blythe Dolls last month as this has enabled me to invest in fabrics purpose picked by me as inspiring & appropriate for Blythe clothing designs. So I can fill the store with more Pretty things!

I'm really excited for the chance to put all my years of business management, customer service, Visual merchandising and admin skills behind a fledgling little business that enables me to do something I love from home! As a designer and sewer I am in my early stages and am growing in confidence and ability.

Today is the last Day of School holidays for us so there will be a period of adjustment in our household and family routines as we all enter an exciting new phase of our lives. 

xx