On Saturday afternoon I went to a fantastic event. Kate from MissChief Maker put on a high tea for mums, grandmas, daughters and girlfriends at Rodney's Nursery in Pialligo. It was lovely to see all the little girls dressed in their finest listening to the lovely Tania McCartney reading from her book Riley and the Sleeping Dragon. We were also introduced to the beautiful European antiques and decorative items from Histoires and the lovely interior bedroom designs from Mr Mudge.

The music was excellent, the cakes were divine and the shopping....I came home with a bag packed with beautiful brooches, muslins and gloves. It was lovely to catch up with girlfriends in such a nice atmosphere. I certainly hope Kate treats us to another high tea soon.

Tags: high tea | events | networking | handmade | vintage | antiques

I met Michelle a little while ago and fell in love with her beautiful dolls, so I thought I'd ask her to tell us her story.

Michelle Williams tells us the Poppy Bean and Bloss Story

I started my online business in February 2008, but really started working towards it 12 months before that. I had been looking for a present for my niece and had seen some sock monkeys on US websites. I told myself that I could make that, and I did. I had a few practice runs (which ended up with my children) and then made one for my niece which was a huge hit. A lot of people commented on how wonderful the monkeys were and that I should sell them. I started with sock monkeys (and a business name - The Super Monkey Shop. Never let your five year old choose a name to fill the last spot on the Business Name Registration form). In the last year I have expanded my products to include art folders, some gorgeous dolls and a few other things. I have also started doing some markets around Canberra, which I really enjoy.

Highlights and Lowlights

The highlights are easy - getting feedback from customers about how much their child loves the toy; making my sons bed in the morning and seeing that all the toys he has on his bed have been made by me; the joy of making, and being able to share what I make with others.

Lowlights - the main one would be finding the time to make. All the toys I make are very labour intensive and invovle a lot of hand sewing. With three young children and a day job which I also do from home and squeeze in around the children, time is very limited. Making sure that my toys would comply with Australian Safety Standards wasn't exactly a lowlight, but was a big learning curve for me. The tests are reasonably expensive for a micro business like mine, and I have had to revise designs a few times to ensure the toys complied, and have them retested each time.

Tips for other business mums

• A good written business plan is essential (and I promise I will do mine soon)

• Prioritise - with a micro business like mine it need to fit in with the family and I need to make sure that I don't over commit.
• Don't be afraid to ask - be it for help, advice or just a shoulder to cry on. A good network of supportive people is a wonderful thing.
• Be aware of any legislative requirements that cover your products, services or industry. The ACCC can be a great source of information for consumer related businesses.

Tags: handmade | craft | canberra

Last week I had great pleasure in meeting Tamara from CanberraHandmade.com.This is a web portal that has been set up with the aim to promote artists and crafts people living in Canberra and the surrounding area (within 100kms). It's a great opportunity to promote some of our local talent, so if you haven't already joined then I'd encourage you to do so. Visit canberrahandmade.com

Tags: handmade | craft