Miss Millie : Monkey Maker

Motherly Advice

So, I'm working on a prototype for a 'Make Your Monkey a Banana' kit.

They require some very basic hand sewing and I think they'd be a great little project for kids. I've not had terribly much exposure to small children so I'm wondering how old kids are when sewing starts to make sense to them and how old they should be before it's safe to let them loose with a needle and thread. I don't want these bananas to be the cause of tears or potential sibling stabbings!

I'd like to be able to put 7+, 10+ or whatever is applicable as a guideline on the packaging. I know there are some crafty mothers reading this, do any of you have a suggestion or perhaps you can recall how old your kids were when they started sewing?

Millie x

Your help required.

For our May Crafty Business session we are going to be discussing 'Selling at Fairs'. I've been working on a checklist for sellers but I'd really like to get thoughts from other crafters on what's important to remember for a successful day selling. The more extensive the list is the better! Lucy (do I need to say who Lucy is anymore? Everyone knows she's the brains behind Felt right?) offered some excellent ideas and I had a jeweler look at the list and got some good feedback about taking along specialty tools to adjust your creations on the spot if you need to.

Here's the list, I'd love your suggestions if you can see things I've missed:

Craft Fair Checklist

• Stock - sounds obvious but if you have a large range of goods it can be easy to leave something behind.
• Float - make sure it's in denominations that work with your price points. 
• Spare cash - Loose change is good for coffees, cupcakes, water etc. throughout the day.
• Calculator - if you think you might need one!
• Note book or pad - if you want to record your sales or a customer wants to place an order with you for something customised.

• Table Cloth.
• Table and Chair -  if they are not provided by the organisers.
• Props - for your display, flowers etc.
  
• Double adapter, extension cord - if your stand needs power. (be sure to check in advance with the event organiser).
• A Mirror/s - if you are selling jewelery or clothing.

• Your business cards.
• Any other marketing materials - fliers, catalogue.
• Signage - your logo banner, your price points if you have them on signs.
• Extra price labels - sometimes they fall off or you discover an item you didn't price.
• Packaging for sold items - bags to take your goods away in, wrapping/packing paper if you sell fragile goods.

• Cell phone - pre-programmed with the event contact person's number
• Helper - if you've organised a helper do they know what time to show up, what's expected of them, how to dress etc. 
• Pens.
• Portable crafty activity or a magazine - always good backup in case there are quite times.
• Jersey - it's never fun being too cold to too hot. Come prepared with some extra layers.
• Comfortable footwear - you don't have to wear your trainers but avoid heals.
• Something to eat - even if you know food is available on the day it's good to have something on hand in case you can't get away from your stall. Choose food that's easy to eat in small portions so you can eat quickly if you need to. If you are taking fruit to eat take a plastic shopping bag in case you can't get away to the rubbish bin.
• Kit of helpful extras: scissors, clothes pegs, bulldog clips, safety pins, cellotape/blu tac (be cautious about where you use these, don't stick anything to walls unless you know you are allowed).
• Specialty tools - Such as jewelery pliers. Take them along in case a customer wants to make an adjustment to the design or you discover a faulty product that you can fix on the spot.
• Buyers 'treat' - you may want to have a bowl of lollies to offer or some other little giveaway.

What have I missed? There's sure to be something!

Millie x

Greytown

I took my first trip over the Rimutaka's yesterday and into Greytown. I'd never driven over the hills before but now I understand what all the fuss is about - if you have a delicate stomach for motion I  warn you - be prepared. Even in a 2009 model vehicle with modern technology and a cautious driver I still had moments of feeling like the chronically carsick kid I use to be. I remembered Dad's tried and tested advice: deep breaths and focus on the horizon!

Of course, unless you are willing to take the train there is really no other option but to brave the hill because you don't want to miss out on what's on the other side. Firstly, you pass through Featherson which is an excellent warm up for Greytown. I'm not exactly sure how one town managed to retain such a high concentration of historic cute but Greytown sure does. They even  have a shop that makes and sells only hand painted tin soldiers.

Here's my dream house at Featherson:

Millie x

Misson Complete!

Operation 'Become Miss Millie' is now officially complete. I have the domain, a new email address, a renamed Felt shop and my web guruess has moved all the appropriate bits and pieces around so you can get here via www.missmillie.co.nz.

An explanation was promised, here it is delivered:

So, as much as I'd always liked Pink Paper Pinafore it never really sat that well with anyone else - imagine if you will the staunch courier delivery man trying to spit it out, ”um, pink… paper…pinafore?” (worried look), inquisitive friends of friends and serious business folk like the bank manager and the accountant.

I'd been working on a new name for a while. If you've ever tried to do it you'll appreciate how difficult that commitment can be. Miss Millie came to me in a moment of realisation at a Ruth Pretty cooking class. So many admirable companies are named after their own founder: Jamie Oliver, Martha Stewart Omnimedia, Trump Enterprises, Disneyland ... to name but a few of the big fish.

I often refer to myself as Miss Millie and something about it, possibly the alliteration, seems to roll off the tongue of others. It seemed the clear winner in the name-your-company-after-yourself stakes. So, Miss Millie it is. I hope you like it.

Millie x

The Times They Are A-Changin'

The keen eyes amongst you will notice that things are beginning to look a little different here. Including a name change. A full explanation will be provided in time.

Until then, I can't seem to figure out how to shut things down while I change in private so I apologise in advance if you have an RSS feed that registers every time I make a change to the design.

Millie x