Three Confessions of a Happy Housewife!

We all need a bit of encouragement, inspiration and motivation so here are my top three happy housewife confessions!....

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1. I confess, I don't iron! Scandalous but true. Try washing on the lowest spin cycle then removing anything you would usually iron immediately after the spin cycle has finished and hang it on a padded hanger. You can then set the rest of the load to spin again on a higher rpm. That's why I don't iron. (that, and consciously purchasing clothing with elastane or synthetic fibres, less than 100% cotton content and lots of fabric conditioner!!!)

2. I confess, I don't cook every night. Welcome to the Ready Meal Revolution! Yes, I know, it's hard to believe but at least twice I week Mr. Redressing heats up a ready meal for the 2 of us and it's delicious! Look out for offers on readies (M&S Meals are some of the best) and budget accordingly on your weekly shopping funds. Removes hassle, is speedy and fortunately the options have moved on from Shepherds Pie or Lasagna! If cooking is a housewifely bug-bear let yourself off with a pre-prepared meal once in a while (if you don't already!)

3. I confess, I don't drink instant coffee. Yes, I am a coffee snob! I have found, 3 children later, that I am in need of a rather large and rather good quality cup of coffee to start my day. I take some time with this particular cup of coffee as it's the first real chance I get to look at my 'to do list'; assess the days requirements and determine realistically just how much of the said list will in fact get done! If this is the time in my day to plan strategically, be decisive, effective and efficient then I am sure as heck not going to do that over a cup of instant coffee! I also adore the smell of fresh coffee; have a clever little machine which keeps the pot hot for a couple of hours and also have low blood pressure so can take the caffeine induced palpitations hit!!!! In line with a well known hair care brand, I do feel that I am 'worth it' and therefore my coffee reflects my values. Nectar.

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The best housewifely tip I can pass on is to value yourself and by doing so, validate what you do. Remeber dolls, you are gorgeous, inside and out!
               xXx

Accessorizing, old style! The Dress Clip

I bought a beautiful floral vintage inspired dress last week and I wanted to alter the shape of the neckline. I remembered a clever little vintage invention which seems to have gone out of fashion these days; the dress clip.

Art deco 'Duette' £47 BraceletstoBuckles. Etsy.com

The Dress clip was used to hold back gathers of fabric or to add interest and detail to a dress. They were usually sold in pairs and many, when fastened together, formed a brooch (Duette). Clever huh?!
I wanted to achieve this effect with my floral dress so I came up with a few inspired ideas.

The dress is what I would call an Audrey style and can be worn slightly off the shoulder. I was trying to get from this (above) to more of a sweetheart neckline. I tried some clip on earrings in one of my local vintage shops but they didn't have a long enough back and promptly fell off (which is why authentic dress clips had little grippers on the back), so in leiu of real dress clips I tried a brooch or two...

TaDa!

The brooch proved a really good idea as I could hold all of the spare fabric tightly together. The only problem was that I don't have two brooches the same so I tried a different one on the other side.

 

This worked well visually, but the size of the brooch meant it kept poking me under the arm! I really need to find some proper dress clips, but it's a start!

It always amazes me how many clever and beautiful things things from yesteryear have got lost over time. I love being able to bring them back. Here's some vintage inspiration for you and a few rather glamorous and gorgeous dress clips I've spied recently on Etsy.

Wallis Simpson in dress clips (source)

1940s clips £24.87 Etsy.com

Filigree clips £5.89 Etsy.com

Grapes Clips £6.54 Etsy.com

Rectangular clips £9.16 Etsy.com

Makes you wonder what else our fashion paced, fast fashion modern world has forgotten about? Have a great Wednesday folks!
            x

So you want to be Self-Employed? Hints & Tips #4- Branding and Image

Image & Branding- definitely two key buzz word in business speak! But what do they mean?!

 When you start a small business you are relatively unknown. A small fish in a big pond, especially if your business is up against others who are trying to achieve the same results, tap into the same markets or who are simply cheaper than you are. The only way to assert your business is to thrust yourself out there into the world of Social Media. Whether you like Face Book, Twitter, My Space or any of the other social media platforms available, the key issue is how you brand yourself. It's vital that you understand before you begin that as a small business or as a self-employed outfit, that you are your business. This way you can begin to establish some parameters for how you market yourself and to whom!

Firstly, you need to know the Unique Selling Point of your business and who constitutes your target market and go out there armed with both pieces of information together. Your brand has an identity so who you follow on Twitter for example should be those who reflect the same ethos, values and principles as your business which may not be the same group of individuals you personally may choose to follow. You have to know the difference! Everything you touch, post, comment on, blog about or tweet has to be in line with your business platform so ensure that it is. One thing that is imperative however is that you follow your client base/customers as you want to keep them in the loop about your business but also because real communication is a two way street. No-one wants to hear your great sales forecasts alone- they also want to know about you as a person and why you do what you do. When you own, run, manage and finance a small business, you absolutely have to understand communication etiquette correctly. Don't fall into the social media hole of trying to be someone you're not (especially on Twitter), its false and frankly quite annoying! If you believe in yourself and your business then your values are what communicates and sells what you have to offer, not a phony who will ultimately be found out.

Does your business's social media activity fully represent your brand and your image? I Hope so.
Don't forget to sign up for the "Re-Script Workshops" here too!

So you want to be Self-Employed?! Hints & Tips part #3 Accounts

As April arrives my business thoughts turn all financial! It's Tax Year End!
Collating my financial logs, maintaining spreadsheets, accurately invoicing and all the rest can be pretty taxing (ha ha!) but so completely worth it when it comes to having good, ordered financial year end reports.

vintageadbrowser.com

 I'm incredibly fortunate as one of my best friends is an accountant and has walked me through the process of accounting. The most helpful Hint and Tip I can pass on is to have a good filing system! You really do need to able to find things easily, and you never know what things may be important to keep. I invested in a fan file box and some large box files and took the time to clearly label everything!

Cathkidston.co.uk

originalbooks.net

Fan Box files are invaluable

There is some fab stationary out there and some very pretty ways to keep yourself organised! (Try Cath Kidston, Amazon or Paperchase for some good ones!)

The other serious hint and tip is to back up your financial accounts regularly- I try to do this after every day of trading, (which can be time consuming!) and then use a memory stick to keep a copy of my spreadsheets just in case my laptop dies or I need to access my accounts from somewhere else. I can't stress the importance of this as leaving your accounting, even for a few days can result in lots of complications; confusion and general forgetting of little details like the actual P&P costs as opposed to your charged P&P costs!

By updating your books regularly if disaster strikes you have relatively up to date accounts on your memory stick, alternative hard drive or remote online storage facility.

fotosearch.com

The HMRC offer some helpful advice and are really quite friendly on the telephone so if you do have queries give them a call or check out their website here.

Invest in a good receipt or invoice book; keep your spreadsheets up to date and backed up and when October (or January) rolls around you will have everything you need to complete that Tax Return and you'll have stored it safely in a pretty box file too!

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