this isn't about design or how to make something

I am never 100% sure if I should or I shouldn't on this blog, (do you ever feel that way?)
I have experienced moments and thought,
"man, I am SO going to blog about this"
and then, I start to type and I delete and that's the end of that.
What usually happens after that is that I don't blog for a while, even a long while.
These past couple of years have not been easy, no, they have been the hardest years of my life, and, they have also been the very best years of my life. I have felt things that I have never felt before, hurt bigger than ever, loved bigger than ever, I guess maybe they go hand in hand.

I sometimes just wish I could get things super clear and focused in terms of my blog, you know, blog about my design life, things that are pretty. But, that's not what life has been like, is life ever really like that?
For some bloggers it looks that way, but I would bet it's not. Because the thing is, we are all human, and even if we love pretty things and get excited about a new product, or some new thing we can't get enough of, we go through stuff and we bring it to our work.
I mean, come on, we are artists, we are people, we feel shit!

This morning I placed a call for my daughter's daddy. I called a place here in Montreal called Criphase, for men who were victims of abuse as children. He has been struggling, REALLY struggling for a long long time, thinking that he can just get over it,  or stop thinking about it. I can't tell you how terrifically painful it has been to watch him suffer, to see his life falling apart slowly but steadily because he simply doesn't know where to put his pain. I see the patterns in his life, his professional relationships, his friendships, they all look the same, he loses, he puts himself in danger, he goes out of his way for the people who never acknowledge him or thank him or care. He seems compelled to run from what is good and safe towards what is risky and mean and dangerous. Then he doesn't like it, and it hurts and it feels bad (as it should) and he beats himself up again for having chosen the same choice, again.
He left 2 years ago to take care of things, because he wanted to do better to "clean stuff up"...
I have learned that all I can really do, is support, care, listen and keep myself and our child safe from pain and disappointment. It really is true, you can't help someone who isn't ready to be helped. May I just say, this has not been the easiest of lessons for me to grasp.
A few days ago he brought up Criphase, he said,
"yeah, I should really give them a call and see what it's about".
I pulled the best poker face I could muster and said- "really? you think?"... We laughed.

But, then he just squirmed and looked all uncomfortable.
I thought about something my Mom once told me about people getting stuck. That we all have places where we get stuck, but sometimes with just a little help over those spots, we can do it, we can move on and get the job done, but, without the help, we quit, and we might always quit at these same spots over and over again. This is what I was thinking about, LOUD in my head... like rapid fire stuck/stuck/stuck/stuck...
I asked him if there was anything I could do to help, could this be his stuck place?
him: "Um, yes, if you want?"
me: "ok, well, REALLY? ... do you want me to call and get some information... maybe?"
him: "yes"
in my head: (HOLY COW. OK! ok, be cool, BE COOL)
I woke up Monday morning and after getting the little one to her play school I dialed the number.
got voicemail. left a message.
Yesterday morning, I woke up and saw that they had called.
I called back and got to the person who had left the message.
The first thing she said to me was:

"Thank you for calling for your daughter's dad, for having the courage to call for him".

Apparently that's all I needed to start sobbing like a baby, like REALLY sobbing.
WTF? I was not abused, I had a great childhood, I was the one who had to be strong, the one holding down the fort, the one making sure our daughter was far away from the pain, felt good, felt safe.
So much for that girl.
As soon as I could breath again, I apologized for the sudden HUGE emotional breakdown and then, worse maybe, I sort of started to laugh, a reaction to my own shock at my own reaction?... Heck, I don't know, all I know is that it apparently had to come out, and I realized, quite quickly during this breakdown that I was probably in pretty darn good hands, so, what the fuck, I let it out.
The words just seemed to flow out of me like some crazy free associative meltdown.
"I didn't expect to start crying like this, it's just, I have seen him in so much pain for such a long time and it hurts so much to see someone you love hurt so much and not be able to do anything to help, and I see the patterns and the people and the pain and it's the same thing over and over again and I just wish, hope, that he can get some help, and, he has NO money, like NO MONEY and I'm trying so hard to be strong and to help and I am... so tired"
and
I started that weird sort of laugh again...and at that point she started to laugh too and we laughed.
We laughed. And, I felt better, relieved, surprised, and maybe even a little excited by the hope that maybe he was ready, ready to get some help, a step towards, maybe. just maybe. For himself, for his kids, for us.
maybe.

Sarah's Chandelier (how to wire a chandelier to plug in)

When my Dad's Mom, my Grammy, passed away several years ago, most of what was left in her apartment was sold. There wasn't a whole lot of great value, but I liked her chandeliers. There were two, one smaller, one a little bigger. I painted the smaller one white and used it in the bedroom of the house I owned with a former boyfriend. That little chandelier, stayed in that house. When former said boyfriend and co-owner of said house turned into very angry person when I wanted to leave, and then even angrier when "negotiating" his purchasing of my portion of the house, said small sweet chandelier got caught up in an apparent custody battle.
I asked him if I could pick it up a few times, but it was clear that he was going to hold that chandelier hostage...I decided to let her go. Seems he felt quite attached to that little fixture. I moved on.
Well, for some reason, I had totally forgotten about the other, larger chandelier...A few weeks ago, as I was truffeling through my father's basement aka my storage area, I came across her... She came to the loft for a visit and I began to ponder her future.
Our loft only has 2 actual spots to wire lighting into the ceiling, one in the kitchen and one in the entrance hall, and I decided to leave the simplistic white ball lights with the foot long stems...I like them, they suit the place. So my first step was deciding that I would like to wire the chandelier to plug in, rather then wire into the ceiling.
I googled like mad and found that the descriptions were a little tedious and complicated.
I went to my local Home Depot with a few photos instead.
this was what I found at the end of the wire (this was where you would wire the chandelier into the ceiling)

 When I opened up the chandelier, it was pretty straightforward...Each of the little lights had both a black and white wire running from it (these wires are attached to the actual candles that hold each light). These wires all met under the ornate bottom cover part of the chandelier, that came off very easily by simply unscrewing the parts beneath it (don't let any of this confuse you, it's super simple and your fixture will likely be a little different anyhow, so don't dwell). All the white wires were assembled with a plastic cap and some electrical tape, all the black wires were assembled with a plastic cap and some electrical tape...c'est tout!

 I checked all the lights to make sure that the wiring was working...I had one broken one, which I was able to replace for $2, the little candles (the electrical bits that your chandelier bulbs screw onto) might look complicated, but again, piece o cake!...like any lamp, you put the white wire around one screw and the black wire around the other, tighten the screws around the wire ends, and voila, done.

So, it was really the wires just hanging out the top that I needed to concern myself with. How to get this situation to plug in. My Home Depot guy showed me how. I bought a simple wire kit with a switch on it and a plug, the ends were bare, like my wire. All I had to do was attach the ends of my wires to the ends of the plug wires, twist a plastic cap onto them to hold them in place and (Home Depot helper suggested) I wrapped each little plastic capped-wire-couple with some electrical tape. DONE!

I then held my breath and plugged her in (with the single chandelier light I had on hand)

Now came the decisions. Style decisions. The fun part. I spent a few days pondering my possibilities... I could spray the entire thing in a fun modern color (once painted, a chandelier is not easy to unpaint...which is fine, but I was not ready yet), what color candlestick covers, what kind of light bulbs...the thoughts went on and on....Finally, not being able to patiently make any decisions, because the excitement of getting it up and working was more than I could handle (you can tell where my life presently is on the excitement scale), I ran (well, I drove) back to Home Depot (whereupon we had a Zombie boy sighting) and, with Tess chatting my ear off and her burning desire to pull every single plant in the plant section off shelves, I spotted some teeny little pink bulbs. Tess approved...she actually more than approved, she did a happy dance, and song and pulled more stuff off shelves in her state of pink bulb happiness. I grabbed 10 of the them, threw her and the bulbs into the shopping cart and high tailed it back home.
Here's what happened. I did not paint, I have not even decided on candlestick covers, I put the little pink bulbs in, placed a big heavy hook into one of our wooden beams and she is so darn pretty that I might not change another darn thing about her. Tess finds the pinkish red lighting fun and exciting and wants it on as soon as she wakes up in the morning until she goes to sleep at night. I will keep you posted if I decide to continue the chandelier transformation, but for right now, I am simply enjoying her prettiness.
And to the ex boyfriend who might still have the smaller chandelier, painted in the distressed white shabby chic-like style of yore, I truly hope you are enjoying your chandelier, as much as we are enjoying ours.

Now, go forth and make something old new again! Make it yours and most of all, enjoy it!

It's super simple, sweet and not too late

Have you ever thought, on February the 14th - UGH, I should have got my $&it together and made something cute for my boyfriend/girlfriend/kids/mom/bestie/crush...etc? You know, nothing super crazy fancy shmancy, but just something heartfelt and simple (I like heartfelt and simple, you?)...Well, this year I did it, and, if you want in on this pretty little idea, I am sharing...
I simply took one of our little Mini Ribbon Boxes (which are coincidentally on sale) and crafted a little love note to fold inside. I leave the rest, (and, the rest is not imperative), but you could add a tiny heart chocolate, a little photo of yourself or yourself with your Valentine, a pretty piece of jewelry, like an engagement ring even... or a folded up gift certificate for a complimentary make-out session (choose this person wisely).
Now listen, you might say
YES! I am ordering the mini ribbon box and I am doing this! and then get to the shipping charges and get angry...don't... Realize that we have no control over shipping charges and only charge you what we pay (sometimes even less), so be a good little shopper and stock up on a few boxes, this way the shipping becomes, well, like nothing. I am so happy that we had this little talk.
Now go, make pretty things and share the love!
xo Nadine

 

as an added bonus, here is the paper print out that says - I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

This is for letter sized 8.5" x 11" paper. Print page 1 and then flip over your sheet of paper and print page 2 on the back, cut it out, fold it on the lines, and presto, you're in business! (if you have some heavy stock paper or card stock, it looks prettier!)

Harry's Birthday

I hadn't caught up with my friend Mandy in forever, I had five minutes yesterday and I called her. She didn't even say "hello" she went right into "oh my god, I was just thinking about you" in her bubbly way... She was also scrambling to get something together for her adorable Harry's 7th birthday party. Since I had an hour to kill, and let's face it, it doesn't take much for me to agree to make stuff, I offered to throw something together for her. She was thrilled, here's what she told me,
- Harry's Winter Classic,  it's a skating party and I was trying to find something cute and vintage - Coincidentally, I had just the thing!...Here's what happened,

 

Kind of makes me want to be seven again... Happy Birthday Harry!

a little new year Feng Shui-ing

As 2011 was ending, I had this feeling of urgency to really start 2012 with a bang.
I have never really paid much attention to starting new or fresh on January 1st, but somehow, this year felt different, it felt necessary.
I pulled out my old notes from Katie Rogers (my Feng Shui mentor turned friend) and looked at the objectives I had a year ago and her suggestions and recommendations from our long distance consultation.
It was pretty amazing how much of what we had discussed had taken form in my life. From my company shifting and transitioning to designing for other companies to my finances. A year can make a big big difference.
I also realized how I can easily tell myself that I haven't achieved something or haven't done as well as I should have, yet I rarely take the time to look at what I actually do get done. This year, yesterday as a matter of fact, I decided to create a little list for myself of what I have achieved in the past year, and mostly, what I am grateful for. I know, you have probably all been doing this forever, but it's new to me, and it felt really good. If you haven't done it and are late joining the party, as I am, try it, you will be in for a pleasant surprise.
Well, my urgency for starting 2012 just right manifested itself in my living space (yeah, I know, there's a shocker!). I have to say, I love this place so much and have the best time playing in it, it brings me endless hours of joy (now, how to get the landlord to sell it to me!)...Anyhow, I checked my Feng Shui list and immediately saw that I could improve quickly and inexpensively.
I started with a little more charcoal grey paint. I had it leftover from here. So that certainly made the project take shape quickly, but I'm telling you, I love the grey! Having been a "white" wall girl for so long and loving that California white washed fabulous soft, comfortable look, I just never would have imagined how warm and cocooning and wonderfully elegant I find the grey. I started with the last white wall in the loft (remember, there aren't too many walls in here and the 2 largest ones are brick)

here's the before

 and here's the after

 alright, here's the total wall...

this photo sucks and apparently my fabulous design sense
told me that I didn't need to worry about Tess' table and lunch
in the photo...ugh.

 I also started to re-arrange some of my art and my big gold mirror. At one point I thought I should run to IKEA and buy all new frames and really do it, until my better sense (*cough* bank account) kicked in and I said, meh, I can make do...which, I actually think worked out in the end. I moved the big gold mirror to the entrance hall, just to the left of the kitchen ( I was tired of standing on my coffee table to see if my shoes looked good with what I was wearing) and decided to worry about a new mirror later...Since the mirror was there now, I took my fabulous Christian Chaize photographs from 20x200 and put them on the grey wall, with Tess' blackboard (an early bluedogz design piece that I still had kicking around)...To top it off, my amazing Marc Tetro print, which pops even more than it usually does (which is hard to believe) on this wall! 

I also put my little print of the vintage NYC map on the inside kitchen wall, normally, I had my Andy Davis surf print there, but I decided to move it...mixing things up in Feng Shui is key and I felt that things were becoming a little too predictable and stagnant...not good at all. Moving stuff keeps things alive and Chi flowing (just ask Katie!), plus, it gives you the feeling that you have a new house (kind of)...and that's exciting (to me). You like so far?
Then I had to address the living room, where it looked like I had lost a tooth, without the gold mirror.
(or maybe more like a lost my "grill")

from this:

 to this (think lisp)

 to this!

So much better, right?...I remembered that this rounded corner mirror was just collecting dust in my dad's basement, so I grabbed it, and the Paris map above it had been leaning precariously on a wall for months (NOT good Feng Shui at all!) and my Andy Davis surf couple print had spent a day or so, after I had taken it out of the kitchen leaning too...This leaning thing is a slippery slope, just saying, so I figured, get it on the wall and then deal later...I did, and I am loving it. I have a few more pieces that I absolutely love and have a lot of meaning to me that I will be framing soon and that are quite a bit smaller than these, I think I might end up with a pretty cool art wall above the couch. Added bonus? My living room is in my prosperity corner, let's face it, I MUST feel good there if I want to prosper. This whole little revamp is feeling good.
I also folded up the second cow hide rug that was under my dining room table for a change, just because it was feeling tired...I am sure I will put it back at some point, but for now, it feels right without it.
Next up...a chandelier make over...stay tuned!
and hey, move your stuff around if you need a change or a quick re-charge, and if you don't absolutely love it, dump it! Happy New Year everyone!

Wholesale Pricing

I wrote another piece for the very cool Vianza, this time about wholesale pricing.
I also spent some time this past week reading all a lot of the amazing information on their blog. So much great stuff. If you are starting a business, restructuring your business, a designer, a retailer or just interested in business in general and Indie Biz...you really need to get familiar with Vianza.
here is my latest article,

and, if I don't see you before this weekend,
Have a safe wonderful holiday weekend,

thank you for reading!

The little open letter that could, an Update.

Natalie's open letter to H&M is gaining momentum, here are some more links :
Montreal Gazette
Fashionista
The Star
The Tattooed Girl

Thinking of doing a trade show?

It seems my blog posts about trade show booths get a lot of hits, especially right before trade show season starts (like here, here and here). I also get a little rush of emails with questions,
usually with a large HELP in the subject line.
I am thrilled that you like the info!
There is a new Indie Biz platform on the block called Vianza, I haven't seen anything like it and so far I like what I see. I am writing a few guest blog posts for them about trade shows and business.
Here is my first, things to think about or how to know if you're ready to do a trade show, hope you enjoy!
oh, and don't forget, if you have questions, comments, thoughts, feel free to let me know!

The little open letter that could. Happy Holidays!

This past week as I was designing, I thought to myself - I wonder if I will ever make a difference in the world. I know, sounds a little dramatic, but it's true.
Then, last evening, I received this note :

 

Nadine,

I just needed to thank you again for connecting me with Christina. I can't believe my little letter made it all the way to H&M... And to so many other readers and potential shoppers. That's all because of you. It's so important to challenge the Goliaths of this world... And today you are proof that one person can make a big difference.

I hope you're having a wonderful evening!!

Natalie xo

 

I cried. 

a lot.

I love this story.

I joined twitter a few years ago, and I love it. I follow roughly 300 people and there is probably a handful who I always look forward to reading. One is Christina Binkley of the Wall Street Journal in LA. Christina goes to every major fashion week, tweets and writes about it all and overall simply writes the best pieces on style. Christina has clout, when she writes, people read, she's big. She is also incredibly approachable and generous and I say this all from knowing her on Twitter. I read, whatever she writes. Voila, c'est tout.

 

The other person is  Natalie Karneef, a writer here in Montreal. She writes for various magazines and newspapers, but it's her blog that I read and love. Whenever she posts anything on twitter about a new blog post, I click, I read and I usually cry. She writes about her life, her in- laws, her feelings. I adore the way she writes, she doesn't have a big super fancy high traffic blog, but she should. Her writing is so heartfelt and honest and real. 

Last week, before going to bed, Tess was watching one of her shows on TV and I was flicking through twitter on my BlackBerry, squinting and trying to read. I saw a tweet from Natalie, it said something about an open letter to H&M, with a link. I clicked, (as I always do), and there I sat, desperately trying to read the post on that teeny stupid screen with my 44 yr old, (waiting just a little longer to get glasses) eyes and a loud kiddie show in the background. The letter was in regards to H&M's new line launching, based on the character Lisbeth Salander from the book The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. 

Here is the letter.

 

I was moved by the letter, I thought about how insensitive H&M was and Natalie and I sent a few tweets back and forth wondering how the mass merchant couldn't have thought of who they might offend...Blame it on the teeny screen, the kiddie show or maybe fatigue, somewhere along the way, I had not understood that the letter was in fact written by Natalie, that she was the rape victim. I don't know why I hadn't understood this...I was sure that Natalie had re-posted the letter and that it was something that was circulating on the internet or in the fashion/style bloggisphere.
Fast forward to 2 days ago and there I was, on my larger, more readable computer screen and up pops a tweet from Christina. It was something about how she was writing about H&M's launching of their new Girl With the Dragon Tattoo line. I quickly sent her a private message saying that I am sure she has read about the open letter to H&M, but if not, there was one out there definitely worth reading.
She responded that she hadn't seen it and asked me to send her the link.
I clicked over to Natalie's blog and as I was copying the URL I decided to re-read it.
That's when I understood. The letter had been written by Natalie, she was the rape victim. I clicked through all her links in the post (which are just a visual nuisance when reading on a postage sized smart phone screen) and the story started to come together.

I quickly started frantically messaging Natalie, apologizing for my oversight the previous week and what must have seemed so nonchalant in responding to her story, I felt like such an ass. I also told her that I was sharing it with Christina Binkley of the WSJ.

Then I started to frantically message Christina (remember, you only get 140 characters per tweet...so I sent a string of tweets to both of them!) telling her that this open letter was not what I had thought, but in fact, written by my twitter friend and not something circulating (at that point) widely.

I quickly got a message from Natalie telling me not to worry, that she was touched I was writing back and thrilled that I had passed it on to Christina. I also got a note back from Christina thanking me for the link and telling me that she would be writing about it. Ah, nice!

Well, this catches you up to last evening, and the sweet note Natalie sent to me.

From the note, I had assumed (and god knows, I am really in NO position to be assuming!) that Christina had been in touch with Natalie and that she had probably told Natalie that she would be sending her link to H&M. 

I just love when this stuff happens, don't you?

But wait...

Look at this .

I told you Ms. Binkley had clout. Not only did she write one of her great pieces, yet again, but she clearly put Natalie's letter into the right hands and there is a response! (Just wait, I guarantee this whole story is only starting to get legs now!)

Maybe it's that magical time of the year. 

I love and have always loved to connect people but this connection just feels different, it feels so much closer to home. I haven't worked out all that I am feeling inside, but I am so very grateful on so many levels; that Christina brought Natalie's letter to a much  larger audience. That Natalie has never given up or backed down in her fight for justice. And maybe somehow, on some level, because so many of  the most special people in my life have been hurt, abused and molested, maybe somehow, this connection is for all of you. Thank you all for being so strong, amazing and special to me. And a special thank you to the person who's abuse hits the closest to home, my perfect daughter's daddy. I will always be your witness. And I will always be grateful. 

Happy Holidays everyone, from the bottom of my heart.

still making stuff - easy vitrine redo

Even if things have been busy and transition-y...I always have little projects happening around the loft. A super quick one was turning Tess's little vitrine, where I keep her clothes, into what she now calls "the bird house".

The vitrine was purchased a long time ago when I was living in Basel Switzerland.
A jewelry store down the street was going out of business and was selling this little gem for about $100. Super cheap by Swiss standards! It has traveled with me ever since and has held just about everything, from office stuff to dishes, clothes and books. It's that great size, not too big and not too small and has lived in my various living rooms, bedrooms and home offices.

Since our loft has only one, miniature sized closet in the entire space, I decided that the vitrine would be Tess's wardrobe. It's perfect! Since Tess, from time to time, likes to "rearrange" her wardrobe, I decided that the clear glass front doors needed a little dressing. I had this great piece of... once again, all together now, "Ikea fabric" and thought it would be perfect. I simply cut two panels to fit inside the doors, used some very tiny L screw hooks and that was all...seriously, that. was. it.
I didn't sew any fancy loops or anything,
I pushed each one of the hooks right through the fabric. done.
Since this piece is actually in the living room area of the loft, I thought that this fabric was just the right combo of sophisticated but fun for Tess...she loves it, and I don't see the mess anymore, except for maybe my not so professional cutting job on the inside that I am now looking at below.
(oh well, apparently I got a little over excited!)

 

what's been going on, big hope + hard work

I always get that sinking feeling when I haven't posted anything on my blog for a while...it feels a little lonely and neglected and not very motivating. Sort of like trying to get back into shape, (ahem)...
I like to think (as cliche as it sounds), that things happen for a reason. I don't believe that across the board, there is way too much pain and suffering in the world and, I do not believe that happens for a reason, but to generalize, I try not to get too consumed by the details and strive to keep looking at the bigger picture. Sort of like stepping backfrom the painting you are creating, or climbing a tree fast to look down to get a different view on things. I try to stay excited about what might be waiting just around the next corner, rather than always planning or stressing about what's coming. I try.
I've made some pretty big decisions this past year, I probably should have blogged about every detail and event, but I didn't, I mostly kept trying to look forward and kept working and kept hoping, because let's face it, hoping and working is really what being an entrepreneur is all about. And honestly, I am not even sure which comes first, the hope or the work. There is no way I could work this hard without the huge amount of hope I seem to always have, and there is no way that I could even imagine hoping as big as I hope without working as hard as I work. I guess I have summed up entrepreneurship haven't I?
hard work + big hope, or, if you prefer, big hope + hard work.
As most of you know, BlueDogz Design is in transition, it might be safe to say that the transition has actually happened. If you look at the website, (which is where you might have been prior to ending up here), you will still see some of our best sellers available to purchase. Feel free to purchase! :-)
In the meantime, I have been busy trying to put some new projects into action.
In four words, manufacturing less, designing more.
Why?
After a decade or so of setting up and tearing down trade show booths, designing, manufacturing, taking orders, chasing or neglecting sales reps, shipping, selling out, closing out, and starting all over again, the past few years of shows started to feel a little futile. What I mean by that is when you are paying upwards of $6000 for a booth and you spend only the first day or so busy and the last dayS waiting to see if anyone will actually show up at all, this to me seems futile. I don't believe that this happened because of one thing, or even a few things, but many things. All I can really do though, is decide what's right for me. Listening to fellow exhibitors complaining and worrying, spending boatloads of money for not enough return and aging a good 4-5 years per show, because I do believe that 1 trade show day is like a year in normal life, I had had enough.
But what happens when you know you have had enough,  but are not too sure what to do about it?
I start calling, emailing, networking, basically, moving.
I decided that I would start taking on other projects and jobs, other than BlueDogz Design as I know it...I decided it was time to open up, broaden my horizons and see where I belonged again. I suppose I am still finding that out, but I can say that I have been trying like crazy, broadening and have had some interesting,  fabulous and horrible little adventures. Two New York Gift Fairs ago, I decided to pull the plug. No more trade shows for a while. On the one hand, such.a.relief, on the other, scary.as.hell. (how would I sell?) If transitioning and re-finding myself professionally wasn't challenging enough, I am also bringing up my perfect 2 and half year old on my own. Well, thankfully she's perfect right?
Here are some of the things I have been up to lately.
I helped the incredibly talented Genevieve Parent build a set for a photo shoot for a large Canadian bank.
I have sourced, product developed and written tag lines and copy for the fabulous Marc Tetro.
I have styled photo shoots.
I have designed for the wonderful Placetile Designs
I have brokered design/photo gigs for other artists and figured out how to make a few bucks doing so
(why is it always so much easier to market others?)
I have consulted for several companies (on design, branding, web design, business)
I have designed websites, business cards, newsletters and logos.
I have been a guest speaker (twice) at the John Molson School of Business on entrepreneurship (thanks to the wonderful Cheryl Gladu).
I even applied for a job as display coordinator at the soon to be first Montreal Anthropologie (more on that later).
In between I have worried a LOT, had many sleepless nights, had some great laughs, prayed, got very excited, dreamed, hoped and designed a lot. I took the advice of one of the first people I met on Twitter and whom I admire, Rob Frankel, and started making calls. He said something once that I never forgot, that if you aren't making 100 calls a day, you really aren't doing all you can to get business. Hearing that freaked me out a little. I admit, I have never made 100 calls in a day, but I started to keep a list of all the ideas I had and who I could get in touch with to help me implement these ideas. I started to email and call companies, fellow companies in the gift industry and let them know that I was available, that I could design for them.
This might have been one of the hardest things to do...on a lot of levels...but I told myself to get over it and just do it, and I just did. The response I got was overwhelming. I will never forget some of the things that my fellow gift community business owners emailed or told me. Although most explained that they too were cutting back, that they too didn't have a budget and were just trying to keep things rolling, everyone I contacted told me how much they loved my work and that, when they did have an opportunity to hire or use outside design work, they would absolutely contact me. I was thrilled. And touched.
Through all the calling, I got some great jobs. One was for my friend Kristin Bowen at www.placetiledesigns.com it was one of the first times that I got to really bring to life someone else's vision...it was an amazing feeling. I was also pushed, asked to design a piece with a golfing theme, something I had never done. I am loving these new challenges.
All through this time, I was sharing what was going on with my friend Marc Tetro. We had always bounced ideas off each other and one day he said to me, "Let me pay you for this. I would call you more and feel better about bouncing ideas off you if I paid you. Be my consultant." Here was a man who is famous in the art world, who has had one of the most successful careers around, who I admire and adore and he wants to pay me for this...I couldn't understand what he needed me for or even why, and, he was my dear friend, it felt a little weird.
I said yes.
stay tuned.

all me all the time...

The Fabulous Anne Alexander Sieder of  the decor blog Pretty Haus did a little feature on, well...ME!

I know right?!

I am crazy flattered and feeling a little shy about the whole thing, but...I spilled the beans about A LOT of stuff...so, if you want to know a little more about me, about my experience in the gift community, about manufacturing overseas, about deciding to hire a shipping warehouse and about how BlueDogz Design might just be a company you can own...

go take a look!

and Anne,

THANK YOU AGAIN!