Happy 1st birthday to Lulu Makes Things!

Wowee it's been a whole year since Lulu Makes Things was born!!

Can't believe time has flown in so quickly,  but as the cliché goes, time flies when you're having fun, and I really am!

I could never have dreamed my little handmade goodies would be so loved! :) it's a great feeling when someone buys one of my creations, especially when they're going to give it to someone as a gift!

I also love the fact that I still get to have a creative outlet. Coming from an environment where I used to get to design stuff all day, every day, to one which involves general admin work, was difficult to adjust to at first. I was worried I was going to lose my little creative spark at first, but then Lulu Makes Things was born and I worried no more!

It's funny looking back and seeing our sales from the first day compared to now. That day we sold 2 posters and a magnet and you would have thought we'd struck oil the way we reacted haha! Having someone buy something you made yourself is the most awesome experience, so the fact 3 people bought things was insane (at the time). Nowadays it's a different story. We have the stall laid out so everything can be seen and flicked through for ease, the branding all matches, we have official price signs(not bits of card scrawled on with a sharpie) and if we don't get at least 2 pages of sales in our little sales book, it's been a quiet day!

Looking at pictures of our stall then and now makes us giggle.  We hadn't a clue how to display the bunting so people could pick out their letters and I hadn't dreamt up even half the creations we have on sale now!

Love my little company and love my wonderful family for being so supportive throughout the process. My poor Dad still drives us to st Georges market every Sunday (I have a fiat500 so could fit about one box in the boot haha).

Also have to thank all our wonderful customers, without them we would have been another fading face at the market like we see coming and going every week!
So excited for what is coming next and can't wait to see where we'll be this time next year!!

Wedding guest books are so 2013!

This week I launched a new product with Lulu Makes Things, a finger print guest frame!

It's such a cute alternative to a traditional guest book and relieves the pressure on your guest to try and come up with something witty or meaningful off the cuff!

Each guest pops a finger or thumb print onto the tree as a leaf or the bicycle as a balloon and then writes their name beside it. A really lovely memento to display after the day too!

I was nervous to launch this as it's something I've been playing around with for ages, but was overwhelmed by the postivity of everyone's response!

I sold out of trees within a few hours and everyone loved the concept! I love being able to launch things and get instant feedback.  Sometimes things work right away, other things take a few weeks to get going and other things just never make it. It can be surprising the things that people love, like my little greeting cards! I never thought people would love them so much because most if not all of them are personal to me and my sense of humour.  A french lady bought a whole pile of them on Sunday so it's pretty cool to think I have a French mind twin!!

Going to work my butt off this week to make lots of new designs this week.

I really love my job! :)

Lulu makes things at St George's Market belfast

This is the Lulu Makes Things stall at st George's Market belfast!

Bunting, photos, signs and lots of other lovelies!!

Also finally have the website and facebook up and running now too!! :)

Full steam aheadddd!!!

Www.lulumakesthings.co.uk
Www.facebook.com/lulumakesthings

Go take a peek!

Too many ideas!

I confess....I am a brainstorming addict!! My handbag is filled with list after list of ideas, designs and to do lists!

During down time at the market it's the first thing I do. Grab a pen and any scrap paper I can put my hand on and start scribbling!  It's probably my most favourite thing to do in the world to write a lovely list!

This week I officially launched Lulu Makes Things! The website is good to go and Facebook is now up too! Very nerve wracking to put your work out there but thankfully I have a lot of lovely people in my life to like the page instantly so made it much less harrowing!

Now all I have to do is narrow down the gazillion ideas I have so they all fit at the stand! A daunting task but definitely high on the to do list for this week!

I love making new things :)

Christmas contemplations!

Christmas is upon us once again! It crept up like a cat on a field mouse this year!! I've been flat out with work and the stall at the market so haven't had as much time for Christmas shopping. Probably no bad thing seeing I usually over-buy everyone haha!

This Christmas has been busy but now t in the same sense as my usual Christmas experience. In my previous job I would have been stressed to the hilt making sure all customers had their orders, brides had their albums, all bills were paid, the offices were tidied and locked up  and staff all got paid in time. this year was pretty much stress free and that in itself is one of the best Christmas gifts I could have wished for.

I haven't been pulling 12 hour shifts, I haven't woken to the feeling of dread at having to face whatever mood my old boss would have been in, I haven't had to deal with the aforementioned boss ordering the wrong frames or not caring if customers orders were right and having to deal with the aftermath.

This year has had so many ups and a hideous amount of downs but has gladly ended on a happy note with my new job being made permanent and my little business becoming an increasingly big business!!

I am so excited for what 2014 will bring and will quite happily say farewell to 2013 as some of the sorrows it brought can never be quashed.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night x