Petit Amoir - My New Adventure!

I thought I better do a bit of a post about what I've been working on for the last 6 months. Finally on 8th September Petit Armoir was born! She has been a labor of love and I'm more than pleased with the result. 

Whilst there's still a long way to go in both renovations, website development and stock, she's looking so good and it's been flat out since opening. 

Here's what she looks like....

Street view

Front window

Signage (which I love!)

Inside

Front counter which is yet to have the logo added. Note awesome chandelier!

Kids play area complete with perspex barrier in front of TV so no breakages!

Linen from BABU & 'and the little dog laughed'

Babies

Boys & Girls sizes 2-14yrs

There's still lots to do like wallpaper the back wall, more stock to buy, advertising to organize etc. But so far so good. I'm so proud of what I've put together and I've had lots of great feedback. It makes all the long nights after working all day in the old shop worthwhile!

What do you think? 

The Thin Line of Sanity

So apparently swapping from my current accounting and inventory system to my new one wasn't going to be so easy.......

One of the many hiccups this week as I go on the countdown to the opening of Petit Armoir.

Today I received the script for the radio ads I've booked and it was laughable. i really think I should be given a discount for all the times I've written the scripts for them. I'm not big noting myself here, a five year old could have done a better job. Cheesy and loud is not the way I want my boutique represented.

I have been doing a back and forth with my printer for three weeks now just trying to get a quote for business cards and stickers. How hard can it be? Apparently very hard because I get the same quote over and over again and my repeated calls to talk to the general manager who's sending me the quotes results in more incorrect quotes and emails. Today I finally snapped and emailed him that I would be using someone else. Actually it went more like "your gross incompetence" and "lack of customer service give me no choice but to take my business elsewhere" and that was me being reserved! I won't name them but lets just say there's no longer a 'darkhorse' in the running for my business!!

One of my major labels still hasn't advised if they can supply me by grand opening on September 8th. I've been chasing them for quite some time and I've had excuse after excuse. I email and call and no-one gets back to me. So I'm two weeks away from opening and I'm trying to decide if one, I tell them where to go, and two, who can I replace them with at such short notice since you would normally order 6 months in advance.

Telstra still haven't sorted my phone and broadband change over (surprise, surprise!) and my bank is giving me grief about the new merchant terminal I'm getting installed.

It's all happening at once and threatening to drive me insane!

The one thing that puts a smile on my face every single day is my little girl. I pick her up from childcare after a rotten day and as soon as she see's me she runs into my arms with an excited "Mummy!" and holds on tight until we get to the car. The whole way home she non-stop chatters about her day and who her friends are and what they did. She is totally oblivious to my worries and while I listen to her they temporarily fade away.

Emily is my blessing every day. She keeps me sane and keeps me moving forward. She makes me laugh and gives me the biggest, warmest cuddles.

Thank God I have this weekend off. I plan to make the most of our time together because the next couple of weeks are going to be so busy.

Seriously....More Shopping!

On Friday I took off to Melbourne for another big day of buying. This time it's to pick Winter 2013 stock. I've always found it fairly difficult to choose 6 months in advance but on one hand you at least know what customers wanted that you didn't have this winter. I also know what has sold out the quickest, so I know what to make sure I have loads of next time.

Next winter is going to be very different from this seasons colorways. There is loads of orange and purple, navy and green, florals and patchwork fabrics. I'm so excited about what I can bring to my little shop. Here's a sneak peak at what I'm looking at when I meet with my agents.....

Picking from the new range Fabrik was just delightful!

Baobab has some very funky designs

 

Mizzle basics



These gorgeous crotchet booties are part of the new Mizzle winter range and I just love them!

Four and a half hours of buying and I was exhausted. I'd hoped to get a bit of shopping in but since it was 4:30pm on a Friday afternoon and I knew I'd have to battle peak hour traffic back to the hotel in St Kilda, I decided to call it a day.

My bestie turned up at 7pm and we headed out to Mama Baba for dinner. I wasn't sure what to expect. I was ready to be disappointed since there was such a hype about George Calombaris's latest restaraunt venture and I'm not normally a fan of going to celebrity chef restaraunts.

I'm not foodie, I know nothing about wines and I couldn't care less who the chef is. But, I know what I like and don't like in a meal. There's no point in plating up a pretty dish if it's not going to fill me up and taste delicious.

Mama Baba is at the end of a little lane just off Chappel Street in South Yarra. You would never know it was there and it's totally unexpected in appearance.

 

The entrance.

We started at the bar and enjoyed a few drinks before we were seated at our table. If you don't like noise this is not the place for you. The music is loud and so are the customers. The seats are close together so expect to be able to hear all of your neighbouring tables conversations. Somehow this works well though and we had some great conversation with our neighbours.

Entree of beef carpaccio......oh yeah!

Scollop's and they were perfect

Tortellini Prawn saganaki, tomato & feta. It honestly tasted more like crab to me but it's definitely a dish I wouldn't normally order so maybe it just wasn't my taste.

Desert...... this was the Ferraro Roche and it tasted exactly like one! Oh this was heaven.

An Italian Mess. By this stage I was so over full I just couldn't fit it in. But my bestie demolished 3/4 of it!

All up I was definitely not disappointed by Mama Baba. Totally worth the 4 phone calls I made over two weeks trying to get a booking. And to Stacey on the reservations line....you are so lovely to deal with.

So that was day one of my freakin' weekend. Part two tomorrow as I'm buggered and it's time for some sleep.

Back to Work

Back at work today and I've been flat out busy. It pissed down rain all day and i really thought there would be no one about and it would be an easy day. Instead I had customer after customer and a million emails and admin jobs to catch up on.

Not that I'm complaining. Being busy is good. The day flew by and before you knew it I'd picked up Emily, served take-away chicken for dinner, bathed her and put her to bed.

I've been playing with logo's for the new shop all night and my eye's are beginning to get sore. Do I do a colored logo or a black and white logo? Do I put a picture on the side or faded behind the name? So many options and I'm terrible at making up my mind on these things.

I'm so excited about the Melbourne Kids In Style Expo coming up on 3rd August. I've booked Mum and I into the Art Series hotel - The Cullen. Mum was an art student and teacher back in the day and it's right up her alley. She'll love all the art deco furniture and original works on the walls.

Tomorrow I've got a little more stock ordering and re-organising to do, and endless amount of paperwork and hopefully get this artwork sorted. It's going to be a really busy 6 weeks ahead so this chest infection better hurry up and get better!



A Very Belated Freakin Weekend Recap

I started writing this post on Monday. Then I got sidetracked with a sick toddler, shop sale, buying and other stuff. Anyway, this is what you should have got on Monday.....






A trip to Melbourne, a sick toddler, a birthday cake & a new baby. That was my weekend.


It started Thursday (yes I know it's not officially the weekend but any time I am child free and not in the shop is a weekend to me) when I drove to Melbourne to check out a bunch of children's clothing boutiques, wholesalers and shop fitting places to get ideas and buy for the new shop. 


I stopped off at a little place in Moonee Ponds that I won't name because I don't plug businesses that are rude to me. Whilst she had a lovely set up and I got some great ideas for display, the owner was less than helpful and spent most of her time behind the counter chatting to what sounded like a friend on the phone. 

I did love the little dolls cradle and Tiger Tribe Owl Mobile though. Had she been more helpful I may have purchased it for Emily's birthday......oh well, you snooze you lose!


After visiting several shops and a couple of wholesalers I checked into my hotel and got ready for my girly night out. I finally found a blue Esprit top in the Myer sale before I left and it was a perfect match with my blue suede shoes. Hair and make-up done I was ready to rock and caught up with my girlfriends for a scrumptious meal and loads of laughs in St Kilda. 

Clearly bored I started taking selfies in the hotel room!

My bestie that I was supposed to meet up with has been sick for the past week with an allergic reaction to a medication she's taking and nothing was helping it go away. She had to miss our dinner and was so miserable at home. On Friday I stopped off at Burch & Purchese Sweet Studio and picked up some Salted Caramel Éclairs to cheer her up. 

If you're ever in Melbourne you must check it out! Talk about a sweet tooth's heaven! 

After that it was a quick stopover at Shop for Shops and Ikea for some shop fittings and then on home to my little girl who had been sent home from childcare with a 38.5'C temp. While I was away she had developed a chest infection and there's nothing worse than being in another state while you little angel is home sick and just wanting her Mummy. 

After spending Saturday in bed for most of the day she seemed to brighten up briefly on Sunday for her birthday. It may have been the massive amount of gifts she was given.......

For dinner I cooked an amazing slow cooked coriander and cumin marinated leg of lamb in my Nanna's slow cooker. I love that my friends think it's some kind of cool retro piece I purposely bought when in actual fact Nan left it to me. She was the one who gave me my passion for cooking so I love when I can utilise something of hers for big family meals. 

Next I started on the cake. This is another recipe of my Nanna's and I'll put it up on the blog tonight. It's called Beat It Bake It Chocolate Cake It. I don't know who came up with the name but it's been passed down from my Nanna to my Mum to Me and it's such a simple recipe where you throw all the ingredients into the bowl, turn the mixer on for 3-5 minutes and then pop into the oven for 30 minutes. Viola, rich fluffy chocolate cake! 

I took inspiration from the Melbourne trip and Googled a Salted Caramel Frosting which was delicious!

It went down a treat, even though she mostly tried to grab the candle and didn't have much of an appetite. Dad (also known as the Chocolate King) and I loved it! 

So that was my weekend....how was yours? 

The End of a LOOOOOONG Week

Thank God this week is finally over.....except tomorrow is Monday.

I have just worked 7 days straight...again! Today I had the Little Me Markets and it was full on from the start.

My stall set-up

Gaia Organic Cotton

Skeanie & Walnut Melbourne Shoes

Natural Blossoms Skincare

Squiggle Pop

Lots of little things for little ones

Now I'm home and relaxing in front of The Voice with a lovely stir fry. Emily is sleeping soundly and I'm really looking forward to slowing down the pace in the next couple of weeks and having some completely normal housebound weekends with my baby. 

Renovations

Enough of the wallowing, self pity and all that crap that goes with it. 


Also enough of eating the chocolate because I'd hate to see the scales after the last week!


It's time to move, time to get on with it.


There's nothing like a new project to distract you from your own thoughts and problems. My little shop has been doing really well in some area's, not so good in others. Now that I am totally reliant on myself and I have a daughter to support I need the whole business to work well. 


I've made a decision. It's a little risky and a whole lot of work to be done in less than 8 weeks, but I'm doing it! I'm going to renovate, re-name and totally overhaul this baby. I'm keeping the stuff that works (i.e. the labels that sell) and I'm turfing what doesn't (i.e. the recycled clothing). 

I've spent today contacting new kids clothing labels to add to my existing range as I'll have to double the amount of stock in here. It's not easy finding them either, especially on a Friday afternoon. I'm looking at Australian and overseas labels and hoping that by adding all these in I will get myself a bunch of new customers and really make a success of this. 


Tomorrow I drop Emily off at her Daddy's for the first time since the separation. I know it will be hard but at least this time it's only a four hour visit and she'll be back for her midday nap. 


I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow and a new blonder me will emerge. I'm going to really concentrate on eating healthy because the last week I've done nothing but eat crap at night and watch bad TV. Lets hope my modem finally arrives tonight because having no internet at home is killing me! 


What are your plans this weekend? 

The Big Chop!

When things aren't going right in your life what else can you do but chop your hair off?

Yesterday morning I woke up and decided I needed a change. I'd been thinking about it for a while but it took a major event to spring me into action.

I've had long straight hair for as long as I can remember. It has been every color but always long and straight. Yesterday morning I decided it was the day to get the big chop. Yes I was going short!

I've been trying to find something for a before photo but it's been difficult since I've hardly worn my hair out in 3 years. My hairdresser Jill said to me before I went on holidays that if I wear my hair up more than 3 times a week I need to chop it off.

This is my before picture taken in Cairns a few years ago because that was the last time I had it down.....Sad because it was still the same color and cut until last night.

We looked though lots of hair magazines and discussed lots of options. I was dead set not having a bloody fringe so Jill convinced me that I should have something that swept to the side that was "sort of a fringe, a bit like it but different".

She began chopping away, then got frustrated, told me to close my eyes and go to my happy place. She grabbed all my hair into a ponytail and did one big chop. And then it was short......

I was sure this was a small terrier dog that had snuck into the salon but apparently that's my hair!



20cm of length gone in one chop! It was freeing. I already felt lighter, like I'd lifted a weight.

So for the final result......

Sort of fringe my arse!

I wish I'd done it years ago. I wish I'd had the guts to change and do things for me, not what I thought someone else would want.

Onward and upwards I say!

In other news the Baobab and Levi stock came in yesterday and I love it! Great quality and it's going fast. This weekend I have the Little Me Market where I'm taking a heap of kids clothing from the shop and also some handmade children's clothes and accessories. Fingers crossed the sun is out and people are in the mood to shop!

Makin' Lemonade

Last night and this morning I was pretty disillusioned about my life. How did everything turn upside down so quickly? What did I do wrong? How am I going to fix something I have no control over?

This afternoon I decided fuck it! If I can't do anything about it I might as well get on with things. Everything might work out and that would be great, things might not and if that happens I know I'll survive. It will be hard and I'll have a lot of sorting out to do but I'll be OK.

One thing is still certain. I have a daughter to raise and a business to run.

While we were on holidays the shop was pretty slow. And with little money coming in and lots of bills to pay I really have to pull my finger out this week and get some extra sales through the door.

I've come up with a plan. I have a small amount of summer stock that I need to move so I thought I'd start with that. It's currently sitting on a 50% off rack but being so cold it's not moving. So I've decided to have a Facebook sale. It's a Market Night where my customers can purchase excess summer stock at below cost price in a one off offer. If you want to check it out you can go to my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bearly-Worn/123812704350325 .

The second part of my plan is to win some free advertising for the shop. Tiny & little are having a competition to win a full free page ad in their Winter 2012 issue out June 1st. All I have to do is receive the most votes and my little shop Bearly Worn wins! So I've asked all my FB fans to go there and vote. If you feel inclined (this is a bit cheeky) I would also love your vote. Just got to tiny & little and type "I vote for @bearly worn" so that the shops page is tagged and the vote gets counted.

Hopefully this gives me something else to concentrate apart from my personal problems and makes me a little money just in case.

Emily's Obsession

My daughter Emily is currently obsessed with my parents, her Mama and GD (Dad wasn't quite ready to be called Grandad when my sister had his first grandchild).

 She wakes up in the morning and asks for them, she goes to bed at night begging for them and every time we go out in the car she wants me to go to their place. When we do visit it's a struggle to get her back into the car to go home. We usually have to trick her by having my Dad put her in the car with my Mum sits next to her pretending to come with us. Then she jumps out and says goodbye and Emily cries for the next five minutes in the car on the way home.

I'm praying this is a stage she'll go through and get over quickly. It's not like Mum and Dad purposely make her love them so much, she just does. And I'm glad she adores them and enjoys them because I a lot of kids don't get to enjoy their grandparents they way mine does.

Today was my day off and a day I always try to do something special with Emily. She's my one and only so I want to make the most of it. I declared it a sewing free day even though I got the most gorgeous Amy Butler fabric in the mail today......

So we went to our local cafe this morning for a coffee and an Anzac Biscuit and just spent time together reading Thomas The Tank Engine book and chatting about nothing (she doesn't really say anything but gibberish anyway and I just nod and ask questions).

We spent some time at the shop and ordered some Skeanie and Uh-Oh! Sleepwear shoes and PJ's for our trip next week.

On the way home I thought we'd swing by my parents business Albury Dream Cottages and say hello as they were just finishing up and there is play equipment out back that Emily loves.

I really should have thought about it before we went. It was 11am and she was already getting tired. She hadn't had lunch and I hadn't bought any with us because it was a spur of the moment decision.

Well she happily played for half an hour on the swings with Mama and chatted to GD telling him big stories. Then she began banging the back door of the house, refused to put her shoes on, started throwing things and I knew she had gotten past it. Getting her into the car was a nightmare and once she was in and we were driving home she sucked hard on the dummy and hugged her pink hippo. We pulled up in the driveway and she wanted to stay in the car as she was obviously comfortable and very tired. She refused lunch, she drank a bottle and fell asleep on her bean bag in front of the TV.

I felt bad, I should have taken her home an hour earlier and given her a proper lunch. When she woke two hours later she was hot and sweaty and crying. She asked for Mama and GD. *sigh*

None of this is a big deal, none of this is anything special or out of the ordinary. I know all parents go through stages with their kids. It does make me feel better writing it down and sharing.

What's your childs obsession? 

Easter Done and Dusted.....

Easter weekend is done and dusted. It was busy.....hugely busy!

I sewed like mad.....

I worked at the shop on Saturday and it was flat out. I don't have any wool coats left thanks to the cold weather!

Eternal Creation Red Pure Wool Coat......honestly so gorgeous and kicking myself I didn't buy more!

I did the Beechworth Golden Horseshoe Night Market....

Unfortunately it was too damn cold and dark to take photo's but I at least did great sales in the first hour while it was still light and I sold my first Emily Kate Designs piece.....





We hunted for Easter Eggs....

We ate way too much chocolate.....

We played with cousins.....

And we made new best friends.....

We even managed a sleep in when Emily decided to sleep until 8:30am this morning! Now there's no more chocolate left, family and friends have gone home and tomorrow we'll return to work and day care.

This time next week I'll be madly packing and trying to get last minute things done for our big trip to Ireland.