Lone & Home Working!

As much as I love working from home; the cosy house sitter working in the warm, while it pours down outside, it can be hard work. Motivation, distraction and a complete block on any ‘new ideas’ are always a problem. The motivation of working alongside another, or even against in some cases, is something that you take for granted when working with co-workers. Someone to bang ideas about with, and even the odd bit of gossip too, is a must, especially in creative professions.

After having the constant ‘I MUST be working’ feeling nagging away in my head and, on noticing that a lot of fellow business owners felt pretty much the same, i have had a quick look at what can help in the hope of keeping more focused when working.

One of the easiest and helpful things iv found is that, when taking more notice of my daily coffee intake (I do love my coffee!) and, even then, drinking smaller amounts (a great excuse to make use of my cute vintage teacups!), it helps with avoiding the de-coffee slumps. I also mix in drinking herbal teas instead to help with refreshment and clear headedness – white tea is a good one for freshening up! I also start the day with a bottle of water by my side to try and ensure that I do not keep wondering off all the time to the kitchen, getting distracted on the way by laundry needing to be done and even healthy treats kept to hand so as to avoid sugar slumps is a good idea as well!

Here are some other tips that may help (and I am on work experience with them too!) but I would love to hear your tips too so please feel free to comment! Xx

♥ Keep to a dedicated work area;

♥ Try and keep distractions to a minimum – i.e. TV, internet, interruptions etc;

♥ Work to a specific timetable or work from a to-do list (and be stringent with it!), whichever is best for you;

♥ Don’t panic about taking ‘time out’ to clear your head if you have come to a block – go for a walk around the block or take the dog out for a run – sometimes a clear head works wonders when you are struggling to see the end result;

♥ Keep social networking and online shopping to a time limit deadline;

♥ Pick some dedicated ‘creative’ and’ likeminded’ friends to email when a second opinion or help with ideas is needed – even better if you have a ‘business friend’ – sometimes another person’s proof read is all you need!;

♥ Make sure you still act as though you work in the corporate world – get out of those PJs… on time!, get dressed, put your make-up on… the lot – it makes you work better and is a good confidence boost, making you feel like you are ready to face the world!;

♥ Tidy workspace, tidy mind – Good organisation is a must in most professional roles, don’t let it lack just because you work for yourself or at home - Beautify your stationary and work related products – it helps you to keep the good organisation up!

♥ Make your work area speak for you – I love spiritual things in my life and, as such, my area is an example of it. Make your work space an enhancement of yourself, it will be an easier environment to work in, in a more positive and productive way.

~x~ ~x~ ~x~

‘Where are our independents in women’s magazines??…’

Surely there is not enough being done to help, encourage and publicise the independent business owners that are out there, albeit hidden behind the front of the high street industry!

I, probably quite unwillingly, purchase and flick through the most boring of magazines – full of unknown (to me) so called ‘celeb-people’ just so that I can keep up to date with current trends and what is popular in colours and styles etc but, unfortunately, these days, amongst the flicking of pages, I just come across less and less, to the point of no, independent stores whatsoever and, with that, not that many online stores either (other than the usual big well known online shops of course).

‘Come on people who are in the know! – There are some great little shops out there supplying independent designs, fabulous kitsch works and something this is just a little bit unusual and not easily found on the high street – all of which many a reader, celeb and fashion follower would just love! – If only they were seen more frequently in their weekly literature!

Anyone can look to shop on the High Street, a more discerning customer seeks something else on top of that too! The High Street is good, don’t get me wrong, but a bit more advertising for us smaller or independent stores is definitely needed! - How boring life would be if all what we had available was only what we were told to buy in our well known branded stores!

Check our changes! xxx

At FunkyToadstool we have slowly being making some changes to the store!  It is a bit of an ongoing project but we would be grateful for any feedback, opinions and even ideas! - Be sure to have a looksy at the shop's website and let us know what you think! xxx

www.funkytoadstool.com

Fair finds!!

Very occasionally (very!! occasionally) I will run a business related stall for the day, but it is definitely not something that I could do on a more regular basis. I think my uncertainty is down to a combination of having to deal with some quite peculiar customers, the worry of possible stock thefts (sorry students!), lugging heavy stock around and whether, really, it will actually be worth my time! Essentially, I’ll be hoping to get a quick cash injection or it will enable me to move stock along ready for new stock arriving and, of course, for publicity for the store in general is always an added bonus!

Following a recent event were I held a last minute stall, which was reasonably successful for me, I made the mistake of having a snoop around the fair to see what else was on offer. I say mistake but, really, I was quietly pleased! I had the best intention to be taking home a lighter load than I had trudged to the stall earlier that morning but this, I am afraid, did not turn out as planned! …A handful of teacup saucers later….to add to my ever increasing collection, I was buying some beautiful trinket dishes, one of them being a Carlton Ware piece which was an added bonus too! Then there was my amazing find of a large wicker picnic basket, bought for the outstanding amount of £1.00, which I intend to turn into a very gorgeous replica of a Cath Kidston style picnic set (currently in store for £145.00!!). Finally I came across a fabulous pair of vintage style shoes by ‘Shelly’ at a bargain price. So, in the end, I found myself arriving home with more than when I left, but feeling very happy at the day’s work anyway! x

Vintage Love...

Vintage Love...

It seems as though there is a mass market at the moment in vintage clothing - Bargains are getting harder to find but they can still be found if you look hard and clever enough!
As indicated by the current celebs around at the moment, vintage is all the rage and can be great for wearing clothing that is both original and unique from what is available on the high street, thus providing the wearer with an individual style that is also affordable too!
The possibilities are endless with buying and wearing vintage fashions. You can aim to wear clothing from a certain decade that you like; 50s stylish and streamlined, 60s floral and hippy, 70s psychedelic prints or even 80s power suits or, like me, you can chose to mix and match according to what appeals to you.
After washing and, sometimes the odd tidy up of the hems and stitching is needed, the price that you pay can be great on the pocket just for a bit of extra effort in the initial finding of the right piece of vintage clothing. Remember that some older items may require dry cleaning or hand washing only - check the label before just throwing them in with the family wash!
With time, you will learn the best styles and fabrics that look right for you and from then on it is easier in future to be able to purchase at online vintage and retro stores, such as www.devoted2vintage.co.uk and www.myvintage.co.uk as well as the ever increasing little shops and boutiques that sell through online auction sites - this way you can be more confident that the clothes turning up at your door are actually going to fit and suit! Whilst researching online, I have noticed that we are now able to look at vintage clothes available at Oxfam online too, saving you the chore (if it is a chore to you!) of the traipsing round of charity shops (see www.oxfam.org.uk) - which just shows you that charity shops are 'clicking in' on this increasing market!
Having a good look round your local town shops may provide plenty of choice in vintage or retro clothing, shops which seem to have gone unnoticed to you before in your haste to get to the high street branded stores will suddenly uncover some gems of a store!
Patience is definitely a virtue when hunting down clothing that appeals, suits and fits when looking at second hand clothes but, if you stick with it, you can guarantee an outfit that none of your friends will have and one that has already lasted the test of time.
A lot of the items may be handmade, a product of the era that a lot of ladies made their own clothes due to the lack of money for luxuries as well as the individual creativity of the 60s and 70s.
Some well known vintage stores may have some items that seem expensive, normally this is on their more elaborate dresses and outfits, or items that have a well known vintage label, but I recently picked up a great little reworked vintage dress from Blue Rinse in Leeds for £15.00 and, harder that it might be to get some great finds in the charity shops, some visits do pay off, I purchased a very kitsch vintage Dunlop flight bag for £1.00 and then sold it on again myself for £25.00!
There is some great vintage clothing fairs around, such as The Affordable Vintage Fair (see www.vintagefair.co.uk) which is just one of many. Some fairs offer a great atmosphere which is ideal for pottering around, finding a few bargains with time to chill out and listen to a bit of music and having a cuppa in some of the vintage style cafes that some fairs have also.
Bear in mind also that some vintage clothes, dresses for example, may look unwearable on the hanger but, when worn on, and may be also teamed up with a belt and some funky accessories, gives a whole new look, so be open-minded when shopping and try items on, if possible and, best of all, use your imagination!
Copyright 2010

‘To Wear or Not To Wear?’

As a lover of trawling online for clothing and accessories (I find it mind numbingly relaxing to do, if not costly at the same time!) I find that, among the cute and bargainous finds, I do place a few question marks on some pieces I come across, no matter how much I initially like them! Sometimes designers do not seem to put much thought into how actually ‘wearable’ a piece is, just how it looks! Just as an example; quite a few times now I have come across some lovely looking charm bracelets for sale but surely they cannot be sensible by the mounds of really heavy metal charms! – One quick flick of a wrist and you could knock yourself out!!

This weighty gold swan lake ring is very imaginative and beautiful, so pretty – but is it really that practical for a ring? May be wearable for the careful – but, and this may just be me, I just know that this ring will be tangled in the biggest knot in my hair the moment I leave the house for a night out on the town!!

I came across this silver barbed wire bangle – a real contemporary and striking unisex piece but for the ‘oh so careful’ only me thinks!

If I am not sure whether an item is ‘good to wear’ or not, sample buying initially (some companies will be obliging with free samples!) so that you can wear the item yourself, or give to friends to provide feedback on, is a good idea – this way I can ensure that the store only supplies great quality products thus meaning no negative feedback from customers, and this goes for handmade independent products also.

www.funkytoadstool.com