1. Stick to it. Don’t get cold feet, don’t panic or worry - ride the roller coaster with the ups and downs.

“The thing is, there really never was a career path for you. That was something for your dad, or you about four careers ago. But those paths are gone. There’s not really even an indent any more where they were left. So, let’s just level with you now: congratulations. You’re the president of your career.”

2. Spend a day rewriting my goals. Even though a year passes so quickly and one barely gets to look at them again, it is worth writing down your goals even if it is just to get your mind looking towards the future.

3. Keep changing, growing and learning.

Now for the difficult part : application!

I got this really cute bird hanger (pic below) for Christmas. It is very handy for taking the photoraphs as you can see above especially in this picture.

This necklace is a two-piece: a big heart with stripes and a smaller heart with two sparrows (a design taken from the old South African 1/2  cent coin).

I emptied my mom’s coin jar in search of this one to show you (see below).

P.S. If you would like to see more of Chloe’s jewelry please contact her on her email address: ahaggie@mweb.co.za

I had a lovely Christmas and over the next few days I will share some of the wonderful presents I received. I also had a great New Year and spent New Years Eve day out on a farm in Franschoek - the town once known as the ‘Valley of Elephants’ but now for it’s lavender fields and vineyards. It is a lovely town sometimes referred to as ‘little France’.

The farm we went to is called ‘Clouds’ and is owned by a relative of Jeremy’s. They have a small vineyard and every year we all go there to taste the wine and bottle it. It is great fun.

They also have a small field of extra scented lavender. This is where I get the lavender for my town bags.

P.S. The picture is of one of the Beaded Wren Bird Key Rings that I have hung in my Christmas tree.

]]> http://thewrendesign.com/2008/12/25/merry-christmas/feed/ http://thewrendesign.com/2008/12/25/merry-christmas/ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/thewrendesign/~3/492900961/ http://thewrendesign.com/2008/12/23/to-go-on-holiday-or-not/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:34:23 +0000 wendren http://thewrendesign.com/?p=1501 For a while now I’ve been debating to go on holiday or not to go on holiday. I am sure every self-employed person debates this. But the more I thought about it the longer my list of wonderful things I could do in my ‘holiday’ grew. I could …

• Design some fabrics to make bags with.
• Make a new bag design.
• Finish some of my freelance design work.
• Work on my goals for 2009.
• Every year I do one of the local schools planning books and I could also do this in this break (I havent even started the books yet which is not like me).
• Get outside, soak up some sun and relax with a good book.
• Buy a magazine or two and flip through them for inspiration.

This list got me excited and before I knew it I had decided: I’m to take the break from blogging, updating my etsy shop and being always present online over Christmas and New Year  (24/12/08 - 4/01/08). I will probably slide a quick blog post in here and there and I will still check my email and post orders (otherwise I will suffer from ‘internetlessness’) but otherwise, I will be rejuvinating for 2009.

Here I go….

The photograph above was taken on Fish Hoek Hoek for the Etsy Storque Article about shopping in South Africa.

Visit my etsy shop to see these new bags.

This will be my FIRST night market at the Biscuit Mill. Last year I went as a shopper and had a really good time - good food, good people and good fun. However this year it will be a little different as I will enjoying the festivities with my bags, standing behind.

Click to find out where, what and who (last year’s pics from skinny’s blog).

One of the KEY things about 2009 that they speak about is the ‘NOW’. It’s about being relevant, being present and being ‘grounded’ (by this I mean, feet on the ground and aware of your surroundings).
They also speak about focusing on the NICHE. Having a specific message and a specific product. This again links back to being ‘aware’ and being in the ‘NOW’ as they put it.

One of my favourite ‘nuggets of gold’ I picked up is this: “Luxury will be whatever you want it to be”. Luxury is defined by scarcity. If something is rare then the value goes up and it becomes a ‘luxury’ item. What this means for 2009 is that every individual has their own scarcities and thus, their own category of luxury items. It is no longer defined by price but rather by individuals and exclusivity/rarity. Again linking to NICHE.
As Trendwatchers advices: “…in 2009, instead of worrying about missing out on the next big thing in luxury, focus on defining it”.

What I also like about these ‘trend nuggets’ is that they are about helping people save money and respecting the environment.

At the end of all of this it reflects one of the most exciting things I have read in years: that people are realizing that happiness is NOT (just) about traditional consumption.

To read the full trend report visit:
http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/halfdozentrends2009/

Each one comes with a big key ring/loop so that you can hang your new friend from a heavy bunch of keys and he/she won’t come to any harm.

There is only one of each colour: red, orange, yellow, pink and blue, so hurry over to my shop now to ensure you get your favourite colour.

David also makes the most amazing Christmas trees (see below). They stand about 50cm high and are made from only wire and glass beads.  If you are interested in purchasing one please contact me.