White Raven Designs

2011-02-12T20:17:00.000+10:30

My interview with Kellie Christie!

2010-08-06T08:47:00.003+09:30

*Doing Happy Dance!* I was interviewed by the gorgeous Kellie Christie for her blog recently and today my interview was published!
You can read it on Kellies blog HERE
Thank you Kellie!

PS: We are giving away a pair of my limited edition leather, crystal and pearl chandeleir earrings in classic ivory and crystal in the photo above! To enter the giveaway please read Kellies blog for the details.

Much love to Everyone!

Things my Grandma taught Me.

2010-07-28T08:35:00.004+09:30

I am loving the current Handmade revolution that is taking over the world, Even Cleo magazine has an article on handmade (It's not a mag that I buy often, it had a free lippy stuck to the cover - I love freebie's on magazines!)

Surrounded by all this handmade goodness brings fond memories of my early childhood when I spent more time with my grandparents than my parents and memories of my grandma are still a huge influence.

She was a feisty, Scottish lass, born in 1911 and lived through two depressions which developed habits she never lost. Everything was recycled long before it became trendy to do so, I learnt how to strike cutting and grow seedlings in food tins, How to knit and crochet scarves and beanies from recycled woollen jumpers which would then be donated to the returned soldiers home, I learnt how to sew on the old treadle machine making worn sheets into pillowcases and then dusters when the pillowcases in turn became worn, Towels became hand towels and face washers. She would even wash and reuse plastic bread bags, The paper from the butchers was turned into shopping lists and my drawing paper.
The garden always had more veggies than flowers, Jam was made from the fruit trees and excess veggies were blanched and frozen or traded with the neighbours.

We used to tease Grandma about her habit of running everywhere, well it was more of a ladylike trot - She just didn't have time to walk, every minute of her day was devoted to caring for her family, home and charitable works in typical Scottish fashion... never spending a cent unless it was absolutely unavoidable!

This is why I struggle to throw anything away, I'm always thinking that I can repurpose, reuse and recycle, at least I'm fashionable now!

Hope you all have a lovely day,
Love and blessings
Nita.

2010-07-23T10:56:00.003+09:30

Good Morning Everyone!
It's a chilly day here on yorkes, I was chatting to one of our "old timers" a few days ago and he told me that he is unable to recall such a consistantly cold winter as this one has been, day after day of only 15 degrees!
Roll on summer!

why the bracelet photo?... I'm still learning how to drive this blogger!

Maggie Beer and Kellie Christie's necklace

2010-07-22T11:28:00.004+09:30

Facebook is buzzing this morning about my friend, Kellie Christies stunning black and white flat button necklace worn by the one and only, Maggie Beer on Masterchef last night! Congratulations Kellie!
I actually missed the show last night, I had a young fellows 11th birthday party to attend... But I have seen all the photo's on facebook today!

Here's a couple of snapshots of Maggie wearing Kellies necklaces and here is a link to kellies etsy shop if you would like to see more of this talented artisans designs http://www.etsy.com/shop/kelliechristie

Sunday mornings

2010-07-04T09:38:00.003+09:30

I love lazy sunday mornings!
Coffee, John lee Hooker crooning his blues, Bacon and eggs for breakfast and a wander through Etsy.

Now if I could figure out how to add links, I will show you the perfume I just found and added to my wish list... lets see if I can get it to work!

I'm not seeing anything in the preview but I'll publish anyway and see what happens!

Seeking inspiration!

2010-07-03T13:32:00.003+09:30

Hey my friend!

It's a quite saturday here, the cats are snoozing all over the funiture, The caveman is off doing caveman stuff and I thought it would be a lovely afternoon to do some home blessing, you know, just the simple stuff, straighten the bookcases, water the plants, toss out some clutter. But first some inspiration is needed.

You know how it is.. we see so many wonderful things scattered across the interwebbynet, Amazing jewellery, cute and quirky crafts, stunning houses and gardens.
So many delights on view but you know what I always forget to do... SAVE A LINK!!!

Guess this domestic goddess will just have to make it up as she goes along!

Love and blessings
Nita.

A Little something for Me!

2010-03-22T16:05:00.004+10:30

You know that feeling you get, The one that niggles at you, Quitely muttering "It's about time you made something for your-self!"
Well Today I did just that! I created a charm necklace just for me. A slightly asymetrical design featuring a Victorian brass focal with a dainty dragonfly, flanked by clusters of stunning Czech Faceted beads, Accented with vintage bronze filigree beadcaps.
Much love
Nita.

{Personal} Post-op

2010-03-05T14:55:00.003+10:30

Hello Friends!
I'm happy to report I made it through the surgery in-spite of my Fears, Tears and Tante's, I have to say a big thank you to my darling caveman for his patience and unconditional love, for getting me all the way to the hospital on time, his hugs and reassurance that I was really going to be fine!
All the staff at the Queen Elizabeth hospital were just lovely, They could see I was very stressed and made a wonderful effort to put me at ease. My anaesthetist was a lovely lady with a soothing, gentle voice and a delightful Scottish accent and my last conscious thought, looking up at the operating theatre lights was... "Wow, this would be a great light for making jewellery..." The next thing I was aware of was her lovely Scottish voice greeting me in the recovery ward. I have to admit I was expecting a lot more pain but only had a slight ache and it took a little while for my fuzzy head to clear. (I even gave out a few business cards!)
After a couple of hours rest, it was time to head to our motel room for the night, my brother came and visited to make sure the caveman was looking after me properly(bless him) so I couldn't resist one of my infamous sneak attacks the next morning, I rang him from outside his digs "Hey Man, want a cuppa?"... "erm, yeah"... "Well ya better get ya skinny butt downstairs then" LOL! The big grin on his face was priceless. Breakfast Coffee on the sidewalk at Port Adelaide, watching the world go by before the long trek back to Yorke's.

I feel really good that it's all over... Well, over except for some check ups in a few months time, but seriously, I feel much better than I expected, a little ache fixed up with some panadol, a bit tired still but all said and done, I don't know what I was so scared of!
My love to you all...

{personal} prepping for surgery!

2010-03-01T10:36:00.004+10:30

Good morning Everyone!
I have decided to borrow another idea from the delightful Tania of Chicken ink creative (I hope this link works!) and tag each post with a "subject".

Well Girls, my week to come is the result of been careless with my health. I had been very naughty and failed to have regular pap smear tests for many years. I could trot out all the usual excuses, but fortunately we have caught it in the nick of time before my condition could have developed into actual cervical cancer.

I'm not sure how I feel about the surgery, it's called a LLETZ procedure, A fairly simple procedure, the surgeon uses a wire loop with an electrical current to cut out and cauterizes the offending cells. I'm expecting some discomfort afterwards but that's not what is concerning me at the moment.
Because I also suffer from graves disease, there is some debate over my ability to go under general anesthetic without having complications or possible damage to my thyroid, this will be decided at my pre-op anesthetic checkup on Wednesday... the other option is to do the procedure with LOTS of local anesthetic... OMFG! I hope that I can at least have some headphones with some soothing music and maybe even a blindfold! I'm also hoping that they will give me some pretty heavy duty drugs that will send me tripping off to fairyland for a while.

One thing that is has become very obvious to me is we have to take control and be responsible for our own health, the lack of support with my graves disease is horrendous - (but that's a whole other blog post waiting for another day) and I have to confess, I have given this poor little body of mine a lot of abuse over the years. But before I run off on another tangent, I would just like to remind you, my loves, don't forget your pap smears! as uncomfortable, embarrassing or whatever they may be, Make your birthday a reminder date and give yourself the gift of good health!
With love,
Nita.

A change of direction!

2010-02-28T12:41:00.003+10:30

Hello everyone!
As you no doubt have noticed, I'm still getting the hang of this blogging caper and have come to realise all my grand plans of creating a business guide style blog probably isn't the direction I need at the moment. There are many absolutely brilliant business advice blogs out there already and what I need at the moment is somewhere to express myself, vent when needed and just generally share my thoughts and feelings about life, the universe and everything!

So fasten your seatbelts - I hope you will come along for the ride, it may be bumpy, it won't always be pretty, so if you choose not to follow, go with my blessings.
Love nita.

Market and product research:

2009-12-17T08:27:00.001+10:30

When looking to turn your hobby into a home based craft business, a good place to start is with some Market research. A well researched business start-up has more potential to be profitable than if you just "make it up as you go" - trust me, I have learnt from years of "making it up as I go!"
so start by haveing a look about the web, local markets and in shops, compare different products like yours, note things like materials, finish, price range.
I'm not suggesting you should copy other people but it is vital to know your competition and to find your niche in the marketplace.

Here are a few things to consider before starting your business....Write down your answers to these questions in your journal, your answers should be able to indicate if your idea has potential. Think outside the square and be inventive.

*Define your product - what is it? how are you going to produce it? what are you making it from? where are those materials coming from?
*Is there a market for your product? where and how are you intending on selling your product?
*Market competition? how many other people are already doing "it" , what are they selling, where are they selling? does their business look heathy?
*Is your product unique? what is going to make you stand out from the crowd?
and lastly, Where do you want your product to take you? this is your motivational key, dream big for a moment! write a mission statement for yourself, make it into a poster, hang it on the wall or stick it on the fridge and look at it everyday to inspire you.

Business Journals

2009-11-26T12:02:00.001+10:30

I write everything I do into a business Journal - which can be simply a note book or a "word file" on your computer. My personal preference is a simple note book, I have never had one crash on me yet, but I have had several computers crash and wipe out all my info for me but my trusty notebooks have never let me down, yes my dears, I can see you all sitting on my bookshelf over there! A business journal eventually will become an invaluable business tool that you can refer back to for guidance, ideas and inspiration, I can refer back to 15 years worth of notes, from which I will be drawing the inspiration for my future blogs!

My Journals are also a record of my growth as an artist as well been a rough record of my business activity, As an artist making my living from my craft, I find that my creativity and my business are very closely linked. My journals are not intened for public view but have been created purely for myself. My current notebook is a student style with several dividers that I loosely group my notes into. I note everything from design ideas, supliers information, websites I'm selling on, what I have listed for sale on the net and space to fill in buyers info, daily transactions, the odd poem that I find inspiring, pictures from magazines I like, even colour combinations on scraps of fabric. it's all in there!
I also find it is helpful to start a new one for each financial year, begining with a mission statement for the coming year. I will however get to accounting and tax issues in future blogs because it is vital to keep good correct records for taxation but your journal is a good starting point.

Looking for a journal? here's a collection from the crafty peeps at madeit.com.au - books and zines listings....
Journals

A little about me!

2009-11-19T12:19:00.000+10:30

Hello and welcome to my first ever blog!

As many of you know I have been creating beaded jewels of one sort or another for the past 20 years, selling at markets, online and various retail outlets and I hope to be able to share some of this experience with you in upcoming blogs.

My news of today is that I have listed my first items on the international site - etsy.com

Hope you have a wonderful, creative day!