Tiara King's Blog: Jewel Divas Style, page 75

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Refill your Wardrobe

Here are the next five steps in your journey to a cleaner wardrobe.

6 – Once everything is whittled down it’s time to reload. I always hang in colour, so all black, then grey, then white. These three are neutrals and I put them together. I then use the colour wheel to hang everything else in order, red, pink, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange. Not that I have much orange.

I hang suits on wood hangers with the matching pants over the hanger rail and a vest/waistcoat under the blazer so all three pieces are together, then shirts, blouses, and some cami/tank tops (if some can be hanged) then everything else. Some shirts can be doubled up, two or three on the one hanger if you don’t have the space to hang too much.

I put my coats and light jackets on the bottom rung, unless they’re too long in which case they go on the top. All of my skirts, other pants and dresses hang in the long hanging section of my closet, and all by colour. Have a look to see if you even have the room to hang anything else.

7 – Once everything you want hung is hanging nice and neat and in their colour stand back and see how much room you have. Did you make a lot of progress in throwing out as you went? Did you cut and cull and get rid of everything that is no longer nice, suits you or is manky under the arms? Great! Give yourself a pat on the back and get stuck into those shelves.

8 – You can also organise your clothes by category as well, if it suits you better. Work clothes together, causal, home, and gardening. Give each group of clothes its own shelf or drawer if you have a lot of one style, especially if you have the big built in wardrobe across one wall as gardening or sport clothes don’t need to be hung. 

9 – Fold everything else. I don’t hang tshirts (they get knobby shoulders), stretchy material or sequined tops (long or short sleeves as they become to stretchy and I even lay them flat after washing as well), jeans, jumpers, track pants, tights, cardigans, and anything that will go out of shape if hung. I simply fold them and put them on shelves in piles. A pretty storage box is a good idea for storing winter jumpers and cardigans.

I fold my tops into quarters. Fold over in half lengthways, fold in the sleeves, and then fold in half, and that’s it for the tops. Tshirts can be folded again, and casual pants, tights, track stuff can be folded length ways then in half, then over three times. I put all my tops in their colour, all short sleeves together, all long sleeves together on another shelf.

Pile up the clothes and lay them on their shelf, that way, each article is with its group and it’s easy to remember because when it’s washed and dried you just fold and put away.

You could also label each shelf for extra help, or for anyone else sharing the wardrobe.

10 – Start on your drawers. They’re ideal for underwear, socks, sleepwear, tops, casual clothes, workout clothes, light summer home clothes. Using your liners and boxes, roll up underwear, socks and sleepwear. The boxes keep them all in line and if you need to remove the lot from your drawer then you simply remove the box.

Once you’ve refilled your wardrobe and cupboards go outside and take another breath. Get something to eat and drink and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

Stay tuned tomorrow for wardrobe essentials.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Organizing Space and Storage

Make Step 5 fun!

Now that you have an empty wardrobe and/or sets of drawers, the first step is to give them a thorough clean from dust and dirt, even pull out the vacuum and give it a clean. Now it’s time for your storage. Pop in your boxes and see how many you can get on a shelf. Will all of your boxes fit? Do you need all of them? Do you have room for shoes or bags on the shelf?

Do you have shelf and drawer liners? Put them in. Do you have scented sachets and cedar wardrobe hangers? Clean out and line your wardrobe with these essentials before the good stuff starts.

Line your drawers with dividers or pretty containers for your underwear. Pull out your brand new hangers from their boxes and have a play around with space and layout.

Play around with styling and what will be best for you and your everyday life and make it your own.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we talk about filling your closet.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Remove and Check

Today is the day. It’s finally here after your week of preparation. Here we go with the first four steps to a wardrobe audit.

1 – First and foremost make sure you have the time, and either do it alone or get a friend to help out. Kids may need to be removed from the house for the day otherwise you may be constantly interrupted. Shut the bedroom door, take a deep breath, and open up the closet and drawers.

2 – As you remove each article, examine it. Thoroughly! Is it stained, dirty, stretched? You can see straight off if something isn’t looking good, so seriously question if it’s a piece you still want, will ever wear again, or you’re simply over it.

3 – Make different piles, ‘keep, maybe, rags, and giveaway’. The ‘keep’ pile is easy, as is the ‘rag’ pile. These usually consist of tshirts or tops of cotton material that are no longer wearable with holes or stains and can be used for cleaning down bathrooms, dirt, grease, or even the dog, as they absorb well, so have a big box or bag handy for throwing them all into while you go. The ‘giveaway’ pile are pieces that are still in good condition but you just don’t want, regardless of whether they fit or not, so they can either go to a charity store or be sold, and sadly, there will be some pieces you spent a lot of money on that you just don’t like anymore. Don’t feel guilty; sell it on eBay or to a friend.  The ‘maybe’ pile is the pile you just aren’t sure about… yet.

4 – Once you’ve finished, try on what is left from the ‘keep’ and ‘maybe’ piles, because now is the time to cut and cull and be even more brutal. The only way you will find out if something still suits you is to put it on and have a look. If you’re doing this by yourself, take photos of yourself in the mirror if you have one, or get your friend to do it. We don’t see ourselves in the mirror the same way we see ourselves in a picture. Is the piece too tight, too short, too long, or too garish? If the answer is yes throw it out. If you’re still unsure ask yourself this, “if I met ‘insert celebrity name here’ while wearing this outfit, would I be embarrassed?’ or “would I really want to be caught dead in this?” If the answer is yes, throw it out. If it’s too tight (and you want to lose or are in the process of losing weight) ask yourself, ‘will I wear this when I lose weight?’ If the answer is yes, keep it, if not, get rid of it. You also need to ask whether the piece works with others in your closet. You can get extra mileage from wearing pieces in multiple ways.

Letting go of clothes shouldn’t be hard. That’s why I have a ‘maybe’ pile and then really think about it when I decide whether it stays or goes. Is there sentimental value to the piece? Can you get rid of it if there is? Why are you hanging on to it? I have a small suitcase full of clothes which I just don’t want to get rid of because I’ve gained weight. They are really nice clothes and I’m determined to lose enough weight to fit back into them, so I kept them. I also have no problem getting rid of other pieces that I’ve either grown out of emotionally, or just don’t want anymore. So if you have a pile you just cannot let go of, find alternate storage, like a suitcase, for them until you’re ready.

Now that you’ve cut and culled and have smaller piles on the bed, bag up those for the op shop or for selling, put the rags in the laundry for later usage then take a break and get some fresh air for a few minutes. Breathe in and out and feel the weight lift off your shoulders that you’re letting go of stuff you no longer need or want.

Let it go, let it go, I’m one with the wind and sky…

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we tackle organising and storage.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Colour Combining

Let’s start with Skin Tone so you can have a look and find out what yours is –

People with cool skin tones have bluish coloured veins (have a look at your wrists), naturally blonde, brown, or black hair, blue, green, or grey eyes, and a pink or ruddy complexion. The majority of people fall under this skin tone category. Jewellery that best suits cool skin tones includes metals with a silver accent.

People with warm skin tones have greenish coloured veins, naturally red, strawberry blonde, rust, or orange hair, brown, black, or hazel eyes, and a yellow or fairer complexion. You can count on gold and copper jewellery to make you look dazzling.

The other way of checking your skin tone is to hold up a large piece of silver then a large piece of gold metallic material under your face. If gold is more flattering your undertones are warm, if silver is more flattering then your tones are cool.

Your skin, eyes and hair will absorb colours that match your own undertones, resulting in a sparkling appearance. When the colours you wear are of the opposite undertone they will reflect and deaden your appearance.

Getting your colours done professionally is the best way to go as it gives you the whole range of colours that best suits you and your tone.

Colour Wheels -

The colour wheel is divided into warm and cool shades with cool colours having a blue base to them and warm colours a yellow base, such as below. The warm colours are on the left and the cool on the right.

Warm colours are represented by reds, oranges, yellows and green yellows and are thought to express comfort and energy. These colours tend to make things stand out, such as the McDonalds arches in golden yellow, the sun in the sky, a red-orange fire in winter.

Cool colours are blues, greens, and purples. These colours represent stability and calm. These colours make you think of the ocean and the sky in winter. Cool colours are often used in hospitals or doctors surgeries to keep patients calm and soothed.

The neutrals of black, white and grey are also cool as they contain no colour.

While colours are divided into cool and warm colours, all colours, except for orange, have both a warm and cool presence. While this may be confusing, if you have a look at pictures below, you will see the warm tones on the left and cool on the right.

Colour combining is simple when doing the basics. It takes knowledge of colours, hues, shades, tints, tones and much more to fully understand the whole concept of colour but I will show you the basics and how they work together.

 

Primary colours are Red, Yellow and Blue. These colours make up all other colours in the colour wheel. Triadic colours are those at an equal distance from each other on the colour wheel. They are challenging to combine but when done well can be very striking.

 

 

 

Secondary colours are Green, Orange and Purple. These are the mixtures created by the primary colours. Yellow and Blue make Green, Blue and Red make Purple, Yellow and Red make Orange.

 

 

 

Tertiary colours are those made up from one primary and one secondary colour. Red-Orange, Yellow-Orange, Yellow-Green, Blue-Green, Blue-Purple, Red-Purple. When describing tertiary colours the primary colour is always put first, Yellow-Green, Red-Orange, Blue-Purple.

 

Complementary colours are opposite each other on the colour wheel and enliven one another. Used in unequal amounts, such as a blue outfit with orange and blue accessories will make them come alive, stand out and produce a strong contrast.

Colours on both sides of a colour complement are its split-complements. Wear a yellow dress with red-purple or blue-purple accessories, or a pink top with yellow and yellow green blazer, belt, scarf or shoes.

Colours on both sides of a colour are its Analogous (related) colours. If you choose, for example, blue-green, its analogous colours are blue and blue-violet to the right, and green and yellow-green to the left.

 

Then there’s Monochrome. Mono = one, Chrome = colour. Monochrome means “one colour”.  You can wear monochromatic from head to toe, either the same colour or various shades of that colour.

 

 

 

Many stylists and magazine editors say black and white is monochromatic but it’s not because black and white are not colours; they’re neutrals along with grey, the neutral they make. Wearing black, white, and grey on their own or all together is actually achromatic dressing as achromatic means “no colour” or “free from colour”.

 

Stay tuned for Monday when we finally get into that wardrobe audit.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Clothing Personalities

Ah style, something so personal it’s different for everyone. Like fingerprints and taste buds. I have always worn what I wanted, even as a teenager. Comic strip print pants, jelly sandals (it was the 80s), lace gloves (a la Madonna), berets, ties, one earring…. I did it all and I still do. I love colour, prints, funky looking pieces that spell out who I am with my personality. Creative!

We should all wear what we want, whether it’s ‘on trend’ or not. I don’t go for trends, I go for what I love and want to buy. We should also buy clothes that look good on us, fit well and are a good colour. I find I always get more compliments when I wear blues, blue/greens, and pink over any other colours. I know what I look good in, I should. I’m 40 and have 30 years of practise.

We should also buy clothes that we feel comfortable in. Have you ever seen young girls or twenty something year olds constantly tugging down their short skirt or pulling up strapless tops or dresses? You can tell when someone is uncomfortable in their clothing because it shows so much in their body language and facial expressions. Just like when one is wearing tight shoes, the pain shows on their face.

Sadly, while there are plenty of stores for youngsters to buy hip, trendy clothes that fit teeny tiny birds, there aren’t a lot of places for mature aged women to buy decent clothes from. Having said that, at 40 I do find a lot of clothes at my local Kmart and Millers stores. I can’t afford to shop in department stores like Myer and definitely not David Jones. I can’t even afford boutiques unless they’re having a huge sale, but Millers is always on sale. Big W, just like with Kmart, has some great bargains as well, but I don’t get to one as often.

Over the last 20 years it’s been wherever I could find something I could afford and what looked good. Before 2008, when the GFC hit, op shops were a big deal and I shopped there a lot, but suddenly normal shops were always on sale, prices came down and now stores are affordable, unlike op shops, such as the Salvation Army, whose prices went up.

Your weight and height will also be a factor to what you buy. If you’re tall you’ll have a hard time finding pants and jeans that fit. If you’re overweight, stores may not have your size or even anything that looks decent on you. When you’re overweight, like me, it’s hard finding pants that slide up over your thighs or fits around the waist.

We all have our own style and it’s fairly easy to figure it out. It comes down to the type of clothes you wear, your personality and what you do. If you are comfortable in your own skin you will feel comfortable in your clothes and feel like you own the world. You will strut with confidence and feel good as well as look good. You won’t care one iota about what anyone else thinks or says. You know you look good and that will shine through.

Here are the five clothing personalties with brief descriptions.

General description of a Classic Personality:

A woman of medium height and well balanced features, conservative and cautious in nature, seen as elegant and has a grace and style about her. Clothing is impeccably maintained and will not date quickly.  Precious metals and stones will be a favourite of Classic women. While you don’t wear extravagant pieces you may have over scale pearls and one simple ring. You will be known for elegant earrings in gold, silver or pearl. Your watch will have a plain face with a gold, silver or fine black leather band.

General description of the Creative Personality:

Unusual and eclectic in mood and personality you will wear pieces that go well together in a wide variety of colours and styles. Large, expressive, unpredictable! Faux pieces line your jewellery boxes and chests with beads, baubles and sparkling stones that glitter in the sun, matching your very large and elaborate  banded watch.

General description of the Dramatic Personality:

You stand out from the crowd and don’t care how tight, how short or how long. Earrings or brooches in larger sizes and your watch is large and stylish.

General description of a Feminine Personality below:

Womanly and sometimes romantic in appearance, soft features or lines to their body.  From cameos to delicate fine beads, you will love all things feminine and delicate. You will also love your pearls but they will be smaller than the Classic woman’s. Your watch will be small with a fine band, more like a bracelet than watch.

General description of the Natural Personality:

Down to earth and natural in all ways, preferring comfort to restriction. Chunky and natural in nature’s creations, from small stones to rough beads. Your watch will be functional and leather-banded.

Do you know which personality you are? Do you instantly recognise the type of clothes you wear and now know what it’s called? Have a look through your wardrobe to see which personality comes through most.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I talk about colour combining.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Magazines, Catalogues and Celebrities

Magazines are a great starting point for seeing what’s currently in style, in store, and online as many magazines give details on where to buy. Can you find articles worthy of coming into your closet? Can you not live without the latest dress from your favourite store?

Make a list of all the stores you shop in and ask yourself, is this enough? Do you shop in enough stores for yours clothes or could you go out of your comfort zone and try something different? Shop online if you’ve never done it, or shop in store if you only shop online. Yes it’s convenient, but not always the best option.

Do you follow bloggers and they’ve recommended a store, or have worn something you just have to have? Do your friends or family have favourite stores? There’s nothing wrong with thinking outside the box and exploring different avenues of retail.

Ask yourself, WOULD I wear it? HOW would I wear it? Is it MY STYLE?

And don’t forget to thoroughly read your catalogues. Many people see them as junk mail but I love getting catalogues for Kmart, Big W, Target and many other stores as you get to see what’s currently in store or new in.

Magazines and the internet are also a great way of seeing what your favourite celebrity is currently wearing or buying. Do you have their style or wish you did?

Maybe there’s a way to emulate it in your own way like the old Hollywood style of Audrey Hepburn. She had this simple, easy flow and glow about her that made her at ease with everyone. She dressed simply, walked everywhere, and didn’t give in to the extremes of celebrity life. She was graceful, swan like and simply someone to love who always had class and manners.

Or there’s current Hollywood glamour girl, Blake Liveley, who has the sun kissed looks of a beach babe. She’s got the long blonde hair, even longer lean tanned legs, the skin, the face, the wardrobe. She’s been dressed well, pulls off almost any look, and always looks amazing and natural. Not only is Blake gorgeous, she’s got a damn good body to show off all those amazing outfits on. A lot of the time it looks like she just threw on the first thing she came across and put a few pins in her hair. But you know that look would have taken hours and several people to pull it off.  She has effortless chic, can seem to never do wrong with an outfit and is constantly wearing or using the latest designer product.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen her in the same thing twice, whether it be on Gossip Girl, red carpets or every function. But then with an ever ready never ending wardrobe for her to wear it’s no wonder she always has something new on. Ever so friendly, filled with sunshine and light, Blake never sets a foot wrong. How can she in designer shoes? She never overdoes an outfit; it’s always well placed and even with just the right amount of accessories to not at all.

What about the brunette babe Norma Jean, to blonde bombshell Marilyn Monroe. She may not have had a glowingly natural talent for acting and singing, but she knew how to strut her sexy stuff. And damn, she may have sung about Diamonds being a girls’ best friend in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, but I prefer her in her Chanel ad. Hot, sexy, sultry, curvalicious.

Lady Gaga on the other hand simply blows me away. She is so unafraid of what people will think it’s unbelievable, especially considering she was bullied at school. She wears clothes or most times not, accessories with abandon, and is never afraid to wear, or not wear, whatever she likes, like an egg, a shooting bra, a mad variety of wigs and a Kermit cape which I would so wear and desperately want is astounding. If we all lived like we were nobody’s business maybe this world would be better off. She doesn’t care what people think, or maybe she does but hides it well. A meat dress to point out an issue, and egg to make an entrance, she’s not scared to make a statement or take a stand on something she believes in, whether wearing a skirt suit or a leotard, fishnets and ridiculously high she’s.

She goes out of her way to stand out from the pack, so it’s no wonder so many female artists followed in her footsteps. I can swear that when Gaga started wearing even more wild and outlandish outfits that Katy Perry, Nicki Minaj and even Madonna stepped it up a notch.

Gaga has established herself as an icon for the weird and wonderful, for the all right and no wrong, for the free and unchained, for the person dying on the inside to get out of their bodies and find the courage to be who they really want to be.

Women who wear what they want, when they want and don’t give a flying fat rat’s about what anyone thinks or says. They live life by their own dress codes, their own personality and lifestyle. Their own morals and standards and to hell with anyone who says otherwise.

We should all live by those same standards. Dress how we want, wear what we want, live how we want and to hell with everyone else. It’s just a pity there is so much holding so many of us back from doing that.

So who do you fit in with? Is there a celebrity you’d love to dress like and wish you could copy? Maybe you can, even if it means altering something you already have or buying something simple and changing it into what you want. You can dress with the natural pizazz that so many celebs seem to have, just be confident.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I tell you about clothing personalities and how to find yours.

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: Preparation and Storage Ideas

Preparation is key and I cannot stress this enough.

Take measurements of your shelves and hanging spaces and write them all down in a notebook you can carry with you because you also need to think about what kind of storage you’re going to need.

Look for pretty boxes and clothing storage online or in your local stores such as Kmart, Spotlight, or Lincraft to see what’s available and if it would be appropriate for your space. Look in your home to see if you can fit in small shelving units for shoes or bags. Can you use over the door hangers for hats or scarves? Can you use an old built in linen cupboard for shoe and bag storage or winter woollies that won’t fit into your wardrobe? Can you afford a built in wardrobe? Is it time for a built in wardrobe? Will Ikea units or portable wardrobes be enough?

Do you need to head to Howard’s Storage or Bunnings for more shelving or cupboard space? Have you got good hangers? Big wood ones for heavy coats and jackets are ideal. Wire is not as it rusts and goes out of shape. What about going online to eBay or Pink Lily for hangers and space saving ideas? Try Big W, Kmart or your local discount store for black flocked hangers. Kmart has 8 hangers for $6. That’s cheap.

So many questions, but what it comes down to is space. Can you fit more into your room? Can you use a smaller room for a dressing room? Do you have spare cupboards or will you need some? Anything that saves on space, time and money is worth a good look around the house for an hour and coming up with ideas on how to rearrange your spaces. Have a sit down and think about it and make lots of notes, then cull those notes until you have a short, sharp plan ready to set in motion when you have your clear out. Just be prepared if you are moving lots of stuff to take it a small space at a time so it’s not too overwhelming.

Also consider other storage ideas such as suitcases that aren’t being used to store winter woollies or bedding. Vacuum bags keep clothes nice and tight and bug free. Big stackable containers on rollers and coloured storage boxes are available from any discount store and can be stacked on shelves or in deep cupboards or a spare room.

Preparation is what this week is about, so you can get all your ideas and information together before shopping for storage and doing the big kahuna of wardrobe audits because that is what’s going to take the most time and energy.

Stay tuned tomorrow when we talk about magazines, catalogues and celebrity style.

TODAY’S LIFESTYLE: RSL Art Union Draw 321

RSL Art Union Draw 321 is now open for sale. The gorgeous three storey house is across the road from Currumbin Beach at Currumbin on Queensland’s Gold Coast. As the last draw for the year it goes off on December 24th so get your tickets from the RSL Art Union website now.

 

CLOSET CONFIDENTIAL: How to Audit your Wardrobe and update your Style in Two Days

With December fast approaching it’s not only time off for me, I’ll be taking the whole of Dec and Jan off before coming back to blogging in Feb, but it’s usually my annual wardrobe audit, amongst a variety of other clean-outs.

Normally I’d do it all in December, but have had so many great ideas for storage, something one must think about, that I’ve been buying a few things to see if they’d work and thinking about how I can save money and get the most out of my space.

I’m already clearing out my wardrobe in even smaller steps by removing the things I don’t want or don’t fit ahead of time so I can see what space I have left. It’s a matter of finding time between doctors appointments and blogging. I’ll also be reorganising, with new space saving hangers and maybe some pretty boxes for hand bags and knits instead of the plastic bags they’re sitting in.

 

I’ve also sorted out all of my music stuff by selling off or donating cds to the library or op shop, cleared out old videos, dvds and even vynal records and cassingles and moved what I was keeping into a huge roller container.

Of course this isn’t everything. I still have dvds in the lounge room with the tv and a box of Nancy Drew dvds and videos in there as well.

Funny, that’s what happens when you get an ipod and put all your music on it, there’s just no need for old cds any more.

 

I’ve sorted out my old desk, which held my cds, (before pic below)

and reorganised all of my fashion, style, jewellery, accessory and Barbie books and bought cute printed boxes to stand them in so they don’t fall over and are easier to get to. I also sorted out many notebooks and style notebooks and placed them into boxes too. (after pic below)

So now, with the last two weeks of November, and the last two weeks of Jewel Divas Style, I have decided to tell you all how I do my annual audit and clean out and share my tips and tricks to auditing your wardrobe and updating your style.

The first week I’ll be covering topics such as when and how I audit, storage ideas, celebrity style, plus clothing personalities and colour combining and of course the most important thing, preparation! It’s important to be prepared.

In the second week I’ll cover the remove and check, organizing space and storage, refiling your wardrobe, wardrobe essentials and that last important step….which I’ll leave until the last post.

I hope you enjoy the posts and gain some knowledge from them. I have gained this knowledge over twenty years from reading and researching the professionals, my own organisational skills and seeing what works for me as everything changes over the years, plus my styling courses. Wardrobe audits can be a big thing and overwhelming to say the least, but once you’ve done it it’s so easy to keep it up, and doing a six monthly audit will be like water off a duck’s back. 

IN MY LIFE: My Sparkling Business

I think I made my first pieces of jewellery at sixteen but didn’t dabble much after that, and I certainly didn’t start creating to set up a business, in fact, it was the farthest thing from my mind as a teenager, and the internet, eBay, and online stores for selling certainly weren’t around for new designers and creators. There were more markets to have stalls at but none in my area.

It wasn’t until my late twenties that I really started making big fancy pieces that people, especially in my area, noticed and started commenting on. The women in my local book shop suggested selling on consignment in a jewellery store which had been bought by the woman who ran it and had had a name change. Since my local shopping centre refused me a stall because of the “new” jewellery store I ended up in her shop to see if I could sell on consignment. I took in my African Safari range and even though the girl who worked there was enthusiastic about my jewellery and oohing and aahing over it, the owner had quite a sour, uninterested look on her face. It was so obvious that I felt it as well as knew it and saw it. She was uninterested and said no. No wonder she closed about a year later.

After signing up for a business name and ABN I jumped into getting a website done in late 2008, but that was a bust and I needed to sign up to a real company who then charged me $1500 for a website I seriously couldn’t manage after going online in August of 2009.

Four years later I shut it down due to a lack of sales and success. I had neither, no matter how hard I tried to get my name known or out there. Setting up a business and making it successful is damn hard, and while there are opportunities now there weren’t many back then. A lot of designers get their start at markets and jewellery parties and progress through the years with the help of manufacturing from China or India, but it doesn’t always work out for those of us who want to keep our goods Australian made.

In 2013 I chose to add personal styling to my business, and not only received my certificates in the courses of Certified Consulting in Style for Women, Men and Colour Theory at the Academy of Professional Image, but also set up a Jewel Divas shop on Madeit. If I had known about this website back in 2008 (it started in 2007) I would have signed up immediately instead of wasting money I didn’t have on people who wasted my time, money and energy.

It’s been one of the best decisions I could have made, after thinking about it for over a year mind you. It’s all done for you, the set-up is easy, uploading is easy, and filling out your details is easy. All I have to do is make my photos look real and natural and pre-write my details so I can copy and paste it all in. And you can sell just about anything as long as it’s handmade, including e-books.

But one irony in all of this is that I don’t like selling or giving jewels as gifts because I don’t know where it will end up or with whom. I need to distance myself from making for others and selling because of this. It would be different if I made and sold in bulk as I could have a couple of everything as most designers with big businesses do, but I don’t. I make one offs, or in the case of AC, different colours in the same style. It’s just a very weird feeling knowing that the person who buys it may not keep it and hand it on, or, if it breaks, it could end up in the bin. All that hard work just for it to end up in the bin or lost really freaks me out.

Did you guys have the same issues when starting your business? Making for others, selling to others, wondering where it went and if the person handled it carefully.

It’s a weird thought, isn’t it.