{open spaces}
April 3, 2012
i’ve always had a dream of living in a loft space. i had a chat recently with our neighbor who happened to live in a loft – and reminded me that the grass isn’t always greener! while i’ve dreamt of open spaces, he dreamt of walls!
i just spotted this awesome loft in the latest anthology issue – it’s the home to the couple behind something’s hiding in here – love, love the way they incorporate trinkets full of personality around their home!
[images above via anthology magazine issue 6]
{new} discoveries
March 30, 2012
just a few things i’ve come across this week that i had to share. i just got tickets to the TEDx cleveland event and i’m totally pumped for a day of ideas, creativity and excitement! i’ve been a bit quiet about it, but, behind the scenes, i’ve been doing some soul searching of late and lots of ideas and thoughts are brimming to the surface – some awesome, some sad, some enlightening. needless to say, i keep coming across awesome TED talks so thought i’d share a few of my faves. and the above video is the awesome trailer for the cleveland international film festival – notice the balloons?? it’s like the wanderlust tour!!
oh, before i forget, i’ve got an exciting announcement for next week so check back! 
here’s to a wonderful weekend! any good plans?
this {makes me smile!}
March 26, 2012
[images above: tokketok; mint afternoon]
Category: color palettes
Tags: celebration cards > paper garlands > pink and orange color palette
{weekly chat} online info – can it stress you out?
March 23, 2012
happy friday!! hopefully you guys are having as nice of weather as we are – spring came early – oh yeah!! thanks for all the great questions i’ve been getting. i’ll be answering them in the next few weeks so be on the lookout for yours!
this week i thought i’d throw out a question to you guys because it’s something i’ve found myself dealing with recently. consumption overload!! because i’m online all the time, i found that i started consuming more than producing and starting to develop writer’s block because of it – i was taking in too much info! i thought one of the most interesting things that ben, the founder of pinterest, had to say about the mission of pinterest is summarized in 5 words…
go online to get offline
um, WOW! think i was doing the opposite or backwards or round about of that…think online to…well, online! i realized that i have had this tendency to spend WAY too much time on my computer, reading blogs, checking out pinterest, even flipping through magazines…rather than getting away from the computer and creating and focusing on my own creativity & work.
so the past 6 months or so, i’ve made it my mission to take more and more time away from the computer and actually work with pen & paper or work with my hands and just create and actually talk to people in person. and i have to say…the results have been wonderful!! i feel more fulfilled, excited, creative, and connected again.
so i’m throwing it out to you guys…do you ever find that you’re taking in too much information, consuming more than producing? does it effect you creatively or mentally? do you see others already hard at work on ideas you thought about doing?
(and how CRAZY are the statistics listed below??!)
[images above: tina negus' flickr; mba online]
spotlight on {the indo project}
March 19, 2012
we headed out of town this weekend which means i grabbed my trusty stack of magazines to read in the car. able to cure boredom in a flip of the page! although, truthfully, this usually only keeps me occupied for an hour before i get antsy and start bugging marcus with inane car games! (yes, most of them are made up
but i had to share with you this article i came across in real simple on indo – it’s one of those stories that motivate you and makes you see that you CAN do what you love! indo started when one of the founders walked by a store window display that used crazy, interesting materials (think anthropologie style)
it inspired her to collaborate with a friend and start creating their own window displays using recycled materials (genius, right?!!) now they’re working on projects all over and were even able to quit their day jobs. awesome!
[the indo project; see lots more photos of their work on flickr]
Category: taking the leap
Tags: cool window displays > recycled art displays > recycled window displays > the indo project
{i want to go to there}
March 16, 2012
happy friday everyone!! i hope you’re getting as nice of weather as we’re having right now…hello early spring!! this warm weather is making me want to grab some ice cream. this cute gelato place opened up near us and i’m thinking it’s high time we checked it out (any excuse to satisfy my sweet tooth!)
it made me think of this too cool for school gelato place i came across online recently. yep, i want to go to there!
[images above via dri dri gelato]
{q&a – what’s the deal on inventory?}
March 9, 2012
just had to share this quote with you guys – came across it while i was going through this book called “living out loud” – me thinks you’ll be seeing me sharing some {funny} stories from it!!
ok, so this week’s question comes from michelle and it’s a goodie (plus, it’s one i’ve gotten from quite a few folks!)
My vision is a curated modern design shop focusing on gifts. I want complete control of packaging/shipping/etc., which leads to its own issues of wholesale purchasing. That in itself is a beast… and a whole different world to me.
I think it is tough to create an inventory and go out on that limb. It’s a big investment.
Do you care to share any of your ‘eye openers’?
this question happens to be perfect timing because i just started a 3 part series over at vianza on the ins & outs of inventory (another title could be “the good, the bad & the downright ugly of inventory”!)
whether you’re thinking of opening a shop, already running a shop or even an artist who creates products…you have to be thinking about inventory. because another way to think of inventory is that it’s money – your money – and it effects everything including the bottom line. and that’s what makes it so important.
in answer to michelle’s question, i had the same question to answer. did i want to house the inventory so i could have control over packaging & shipping or did i want to offer drop ship? there are pros & cons for each.
ultimately, i chose to carry the inventory so that i could maintain my branding – i felt it was important that each order i sent out had the OSR personal touch – through the packaging & handwritten notes as well as keeping control over timely shipping. i also wanted to work with small, indie artists and more often than not they don’t have the ability to do drop-ship.
just weight the pros & cons and you’ll be able to decide what feels better! i’m curious though to know what all you artists out there do with inventory…
how do you manage your inventory? what do you do when you’re unable to sell a particular item? for more tips on inventory, check out my post on vianza!
happy friday everyone!! enjoy the weekend!
to all my fantastic readers…do you have a question that you want included in these weekly q&a’s? please e-mail me at info@onesydneyroad.com with the subject line q&a, and i’ll get those questions answered!
{internship opening!}
March 7, 2012
**please see below this post for new posts!!!**
OSR is growing which means that i’m looking for an intern who wants to join the adventure!!
are you a graphic designer or student looking for experience or to beef up your resume? specifically with creating layouts, e-blasts, campaigns &/or working for an online magazine? then this could be for you!
i’m looking for a creative, smart, enthusiastic person who’s interested in learning the ins & outs of running a business, taking an idea and seeing it to fruition and working alongside me to design & develop some exciting projects for 2012.
must have:
- * computer
- * knowledge of graphic design & layouts
- * photoshop
- * love of design in all forms
- * creativity & enthusiasm!
details:
hours are flexible – on average it’ll be 10-20 hours/week.
this is an unpaid internship – school credit is available.
starts immediately!
apply:
please email me at info@onesydneyroad.com explaining why you’d like to work with one sydney road and also include a link to your portfolio or any work you have done. can’t wait to hear from you!
{where are you off to today?}
March 5, 2012
monday already? march already? and wouldn’t you know it…after a fairly snow-free winter, march apparently storms in with, of all things, snow!! not enough to have fun with it (build snowmen, go sledding) but just enough to be pretty yet annoying!
i’m excited to tell you all that i’m now a guest contributor to vianza!! i’ll be giving advice and information on starting and/or owning an indie shop. if you’re not familiar with vianza, it’s a social platform & marketplace for indie designers, artists & retailers. their blog is chock full of great information whether you’re building your business or in the dreaming/aspiring stage. so i’m excited to be a part of it!
you can check out my past 2 articles here:
find your online customers – where are they hanging out?
online promotions that’ll have customers cheering!
and don’t forget to submit your questions to me for this friday’s q&a (see information here) – questions can be on anything from finding your passion to running a business to whatever you have in mind!
new column {weekly q&a}
March 2, 2012
happy friday everyone! i’m really excited to kick off this series because it’s something i’ve been meaning to do for a LoOOonNNng time!! every week i get questions from aspiring biz owners to people who have been in biz a few years and i end up just wanting to talk biz and help in any way i can (i think we all have a little geek to us – this is my geek out time – talking biz! oh and finances…i know, i’m that weirdo that LOVES balancing her checkbook & budgeting!).
but seriously i’ve been wanting to do a weekly q&a for awhile now. do you all remember teachers in school always saying – “if one person has that question, then many others do too” (i’m paraphrasing – i think it was better said than that
this week’s question comes from andrea who asked:
when you’re just starting out, how do you maintain work/life balance?
i wish i could say there was a magic bullet answer to this one! but the truth is that i think whether we have a business or not, the work/life balance is always a challenge. and no one answer fits all. (i know, who wants to hear that!!) but once we realize that there isn’t one perfect answer, then we can move on to finding what DOES work for us.
for me, sometimes it’s as simple as realizing that i’m feeling unmotivated or uncreative. once that happens, i KNOW that my balance is out of whack and most likely i’m spending too much time at the computer or working. what really helps is when i set a schedule and stick to it. my schedule includes time for working out, meditation and hanging out. am i always able to stick to this schedule? of course not, it’s life and sometimes things get in the way. but the more i deviate from including some down time, the less productive i become. strange, yet oh so true!
i’ve been reading the book “uncertainty” by jonathan fields and he talks about trying to work in 90 minute sessions. this is more in relation to getting unstuck but i think it applies to balance as well. we have to remember that we are the most important thing to work on! our relationships, our health, our happiness…this all feeds what we can do.
now i want to throw it out to you guys – what has worked for you? do you think work/life balance is just a myth?
to all my fantastic readers…do you have a question that you want included in these weekly q&a’s? please e-mail me at info@onesydneyroad.com with the subject line q&a, and i’ll get those questions answered!
[images above: via we heart it; niki-lynn's flickr]
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welcome to one sydney road, the blog! think of it as a place to explore, get loads of inspiration and maybe even a laugh or two! so grab a cup of coffee and make yourself at home! and don't forget to visit the store...
