10 Tips for Organising Your Workspace

Bit of a geeky post coming up.... Recently I had a sudden urge to give my work and storage space an overhaul. It was getting pretty messy and in turn was making me feel lazy and stressed. While geeking out on craft storage ideas, I discovered some pretty useful tips that have really helped me out, so I thought I would share some of them. 

1// Categorise and have a labelling system. Storage is much more useful when you can actually find the things you are looking for. If you keep things boxed in categories then it will save time when you are looking for specific things. I have clearly labelled my new storage boxes and also included a list of the types of things kept in there. It's saving me so much stress, especially as I am often working under time pressure. 

2// Use unexpected methods of storage. Storage can be creative. I like to use lots of different types of containers to house my bits and bobs, including: vintage suitcases, jars, old packaging decorated with washi tape... These things often tend to be cheaper options than purpose built storage too.

Pretty tins as paintbrush holders...

3// Display craft materials as decoration. Sometimes I think it's a shame to hide pretty materials away. When selectively done, craft supplies can double as decoration and really brighten up a room. I am guilty of going a bit overboard with this... Less is more - especially if your workspace is in the same room as your living space. 

4// Don't forget vertical space. It may seem obvious, but the more vertical space you can utilise with storage, the more usable workspace you will have. This can be achieved with stacking boxes, but I personally can't wait to have floor to ceiling shelves :)

some great tips here from Martha Stewart

5// Use inside drawer organisers. Drawer organisers are life-savers when you have loads of little things that are easily lost or tangled. You don't have to shell out on expensive purpose made organisers, just make your own out of little gift boxes, cardboard tubes and plastic wallets.

6// When you run out of things, make a note of it. Treat your supplies as you would if you were running a professional stock room. If you use up the last pot of PVA on a project, make a note of it on a running stock list. This is becoming steadily more important for me as I am doing more freelance work and growing my Etsy shop. It's a nightmare when you have an order come in that needs to be done quickly and you find that you don't have the right materials to make it... Keeping on top of things that need stocking up is a great way to become more efficient in your work. 

7// Think about what you use most often. Speaking of efficiency, how often do you cut corners because the specific tool you need to use is hidden in a box somewhere in a cupboard in another room of the house? I know I'm guilty! Think about the essential things that you use most often on a day to day basis, and store them as close to your work area as possible. This stops you having to break work mode to get up and look for something. 

some amazing storage ideas from IKEA.

8// Set up your space in a way that maximises efficiency. In an ideal world, I would have a studio space with dedicated areas for different jobs. I'd have a bench with my sewing machine set up and ready to go, a clear drawing desk, an admin and computer area... The wish list is endless. If you are lucky enough to have the space to dedicate work areas, it saves so much time and energy to have everything ready instead of constantly having to clear space to work. Although even if you are restricted to just a desk in your living room, keeping as much clear usable space as possible helps this process. 

9// Make it inspiring. Display your ideas and motivations where they will help to inform and push your work. In my dream "one day" studio I plan on having one of those full wall pin boards.... 

10// Make time to keep it that way! This is where I need to follow my own advice the most... Just take five minutes at the end of each day to tidy up your workspace, it makes the next day so much nicer. I'm even laughing at myself as I write this, because this just doesn't happen for me. But again in my dream life, that's what I do. 

I hope these tips inspired you to revitalise your workspace! Do you have any more tips that you use in your work? 

x Rachel 

10 Party Planning Tips

Photo by Jemima Yong

Over the last year I've had to learn a lot about designing for events. It's this experience that has inspired the opening of my shop (date to be announced soon!) so in honour of that I thought I'd share a few event organising tips that I have learnt over time. 

1// Pick a clear and decisive theme. This will really help hone your decorations and tone of the event. A theme doesn't have to be tacky - even just a strong colour scheme will go a long way towards creating a great atmosphere. I often find the simpler the idea, the better you can pull it off to an impressive standard! Pinterest of course is a great source of theme inspiration. 

2// Make a detailed budget plan. This is pretty boring, and it takes a bit of practice to really stick to, but it is probably the most important part of successfully planning an event. When I start any project, I draw up a simple excel budget sheet showing the total budget split up into each section required of the design. I make estimates on how much things are going to cost and I keep working and reworking until everything stays within budget. I always try to leave a bit of contingency money too as things will inevitably go wrong at some point! 

3// Make mood boards. Use Pinterest or a real life board to collate all of your inspiration images. This is especially useful if you are going to be working with other people as it is the best way of showing your ideas quickly and effectively. I love surrounding myself in inspiration images while I work as it allows me to become completely immersed in the world I am creating. 

4// Go Shopping... Sometimes you just don't know you need something until you see it! Some of my best ideas come when I am sourcing props and things and accidentally stumble across something perfect. 

5// Present your ideas to someone else. I find that explaining ideas to a friend or colleague really helps put them into perspective. Also if you have some kinks to work out they may be able to offer solutions that you hadn't thought of before. 

6// Give yourself a strict timetable. My dyspraxic brain means that I am naturally quite disorganised. Instead of accepting my fate, I over-compensate for that by being really strict with my own time management. I will usually get a big calendar and set deadlines for completing each task to make sure everything gets done on time. I always try to allow more time than I think is needed, because usually things take longer than I originally anticipate. 

7// Think of the little things. What are the little details that will make your event extra special for your guests? Think thoughtful party favours, personal touches like place cards, named cocktails, a themed menu of little treats... I think planning these little things is the best part of my job! 

8// Know your venue. Wherever your venue is (even if it is at a friend's house) the last thing you want is to plan something spectacular and then find out it's impossible on the day. Keep communication up and go on site visits if you can and if you are in doubt about what you are able to do in a space, ask.

9// Find really simple ways to transform your space. When your party planning involves a DIY element, plan decorations that are easy and cost effective to make on a large scale. It's all very well having some really pretty and intricate decorations, but if you can't make enough of them they will just get lost in the grand scheme of things. The classics like paper bunting and pompoms are great because you can make a lot of them quite quickly and cheaply. 

10// Get help. It's the worst feeling not being able to realise your ideas because you run out of time. If the event is quite big, don't let the responsibility get on top of you; recruit a team to help run things. Or if you are having a smaller gathering, enlist your best friend to help you keep an eye on things. It takes the pressure off and is especially important if you would like to enjoy the event itself, after all the work it's nice to be able to step back and enjoy what you've achieved. 

I hope you enjoyed that little designer geek post! Do you have any questions or tips to add? Tomorrow I'll finally be sharing the pictures of this wedding! Can't believe it's taken me this long, but you know how it is... 

x Rachel 

Card Making Essentials

I spend a lot of my time making cards for people... I love giving people something that I've spent a bit of time over and that is completely personalised to them. Also it's really fun! Here's a few of my essential "ingredients" in my card making supplies: 

//Stamps - probably my most used design tools. I use these alphabet stamps and also these flowery initial stamps to create messages. I also have a growing collection of vintage style stamps (some of which I have used in my blog design - see the little bird?). 

//Ink Pads - I'm gradually building up a variety of colours, although I am yet to find a really good white ink... Maybe it's just not meant to be... Does anyone have any suggestions?

//Stickers - I have always loved stickers and you can get so many pretty ones now! Paperchase is my go-to sticker hoarding paradise. The google-y eyed ones are always a winner. 

//Pretty Papers - I have a kind of get out of jail free card when it comes to disciplining myself with paper purchases... If I see it, I usually buy it, my excuse being that I will always use it. It's kind of true, I do go through a lot of patterned paper! 

//Watercolours - sometimes, when I am feeling a bit more adventurous, I will illustrate and paint a card for somebody... This takes a lot more time but is very rewarding. 

That's all of my most used materials! Although I have been known to use all sorts of silly bits and bobs... Sweet wrappers, scrabble tiles - whatever is lying around really... 

What are your card making essentials?

x Rachel 

My Favourite Business Resources

//source//

I definitely have an addiction to reading business advice. In fact I'm sure I spend more time reading advice than following it! But I love to feel motivated, and here are some of the resources that have motivated me the most:

Books: 

//Grow Your Handmade Business by Kari Chapin - I've mentioned this one a lot in the past but it's still my favourite! If you want to learn how to make a creative business plan, this is the book for you.

//Blog Inc. by Joy Deangdeelert Cho - covers the basics to the not so basics. Great for inspiration when you are just starting out. 

E-courses: 

//Dream Job - If you are ever going to take an e-course on starting your own small business, take this one. I LOVE it. 

//Blog Love - In a similar way, if you are going to take a blogging e-course, this is the one. A Beautiful Mess is a favourite of so many, and they never fail to inspire me to follow my business dreams. 

Blogs:

//Independent Fashion Bloggers - An amazing resource for all things blogging. I wouldn't consider myself a fashion blogger, but the tips are definitely transferable to all genres. 

//Maiedae - Savannah often shares great insights into her transition into freelance work. 

//Design Sponge - The Biz Ladies series is really useful!

//Silly Grrl - Sarah runs Fix it Friday where you leave a comment and she will check out your blog and give you some expert advice on how to improve design elements. This lady is full of useful tips and tricks to do with coding, blogging and freelance work. 

//The House that Lars Built - I love Brittany's advice on scoring your dream design internship. 

//Launch Grow Joy - In particular this HUGE post with over 300 tips to market an Etsy shop. Almost information overload but a nice one to dip into. 

This is an ongoing list, I'll be updating it as I find more useful resources... Do you have any favourites I've missed out?

x Rachel 

10 Simple Photoshop Tips

Editing is a massive part of my photography process. Every one of my images gets processed through photoshop before I post it on here, so it's a pretty crucial step for me! I've shared some simple photography tips before on the blog, but I haven't really touched on editing yet. I am by no means an expert as there is an unlimited amount of things you can achieve with all sorts of editing software, but I thought I'd just share some general tips I have learnt along the way. Most of these tips are related to photoshop but some of them are transferrable to any program.

 

1// Shoot in RAW if possible. I swear by my RAW setting on my camera because it means that I can correct things like exposure errors that would have been impossible to correct in a jpeg (see below). My flat does not get a lot of natural light in the day, so I always have to brighten my pictures. If you want to read more about shooting in RAW there is a great article here.

2// Adjust the image settings in RAW processing first. If you shot your image in RAW, when you open your image in photoshop it will automatically take you to the RAW processer. This is the place to adjust all your light and colour balance settings because the RAW file holds much more information than a jpeg. I always spend a little while playing with the exposure, white balance and colour temperature in RAW before opening it as a jpeg to do the more artsy part of the editing.

3// Crop Sensibly. Cropping can really enhance the focus of a photograph, but it can also ruin it. I try not to rely on cropping too much and focus on getting the composition right on the camera, but clever cropping can be a great image saver!

4// The clone stamp is your friend. Sometimes I am just too lazy to move that wire or dust that shelf (shock horror!) so I am forever using the clone stamps to get rid of unsightly things. I also use it to repair details lost in over exposure - like the little faces of the dolls above!

5// Take advantage of actions. Actions are sets of editing tools grouped together under one handy button! You can make your own or there are loads of free actions you can download and plug-in to photoshop. I have a few that I use all the time... One of my favourites is "Quick Edge Burn" which creates a vignette around the edges and really makes the focal point of the picture stand out.

6// Experiment with curves... Creat a new layer and make adjustments to the curves on that, then you can always start again if you need to. I often use curves to give a photo a muted vintage tone. 

7// Adjust the vibrance rather than the saturation. The vibrance tool boosts the dull tones and protects the bright ones from getting over saturated - so your colours will pop without being too much.

8// Sharpen your images.  There are lots of different ways to sharpen up your images, I tend to use an action or the sharp filter tool. This is almost always a necessity for me as I make a lot of focus mistakes (shhh).

9// Create light effects  using the fill and brush tools. On a new layer play with different brush settings and literally paint light on to your photograph. Change the opacity levels to make fun misty effects. Violet from Blythe Ponytail Parades uses this method in her gorgeous photoshoots!

10// Don't be afraid to put your own stamp on things! It's great to develop your own style with your photos, and editing is a big part of that. For example, I like mine to be quite sharp and vibrant, but I also love looking at dreamy faded pictures by other people.

This is barely the tip of the iceberg with Photoshop, but I hope it gives some sort of an insight into my editing process... Do you have any favourite editing tips? 

x Rachel