Ideas Magazine - February 2015

If you've paged through the latest Ideas Magazine, I'm sure you'll agree it's a beautiful and inspired issue. It makes me so proud to have my opinion mentioned as one of the experts they consulted for their Entrepreneurs article on marketing (page 64). It goes without saying that the Ideas team offer something quite unique through all they do. I loved contributing a few of my key thoughts. 

It's a great starting point for all creatives who want to be inspired and to also learn a few valuable business lessons. Several awesome Durban locals were featured, including Max from Savior Brand Co and the What's Cutting team, who gave me a special shout-out (thanks guys). Another thank you goes to the editor Terena for a mention in the Editor's Letter too.

Besides useful advice there are several amazing DIY's which I can't wait to try my hand at. I wonder if Daniel will appreciate all the Valentine's goodies? Probably not, but I will love making them. Lastly, have you checked out their monthly Printable Paper Parcels? So pretty!
Be sure to snap up a copy of the colourful and creative February Ideas mag. 

My New Office

Late last year I announced that I will be moving into a new office space! In 2011 I took on my business in a full-time capacity and have been working from home since. I have a really lovely, big room dedicated to my work and creative projects. However, as my business grew I felt that I needed a space that I could confidently invite my clients to as well as run small workshops from. I started the search, but with little to no avail. In fact at times all I could do was laugh at some of the rent people were after (along with their strict & ridiculous requirements). I wanted it to be a solid business decision and didn't want to settle for the wrong space just for the sake of moving. And... then there was a break-through! Finally! My friend Kim approached me as she was working on a space for her business in The Design Factory / Station Road. She offered me an office and it all came together. 

It's wonderfully exciting to be working on decorating my new office. I want the style to reflect my business along with a hint of my personality. Daniel has been so supportive, guiding me and of course restoring furniture pieces (with patience and love) and slowly, but surely we are getting there. Once it's all done I will be sure to share it with you, but in the meantime here is some of my inspiration.



I've been debating as to whether or not to have floating shelves on one of the longer walls within the space, but after seeing this inspiration I have settled on two shelving units so that I can move them around if need be. Daniel and I plan to use traditional metal office shelves (the frame part) and then replace the shelves with wooden ones. I found these via Gumtree using their location listings and the seller is based in KZN - which is ideal. I think once I have added a few decor elements and styled it up a bit - the end result will be just perfect.



I really like the idea of mixing in a few pieces with history. I want a stylish space, but not void of character. This inspiration captures the look and feel that I'm after. Globe chairs are quite a common second-hand find and in this case I'm thinking that they might look good in white too or with a cushioned seat area (I'm on the hunt for fabric). I discovered a straight back version on Gumtree and once again the seller is KZN based which is making all my searching a great deal less stressful.

We are working on a few other elements and soon I'll be able to move in and start officially working from my new space. I'm so happy that I can share the journey with you (hooray)! I'll keep you posted (pun intended).

*Posted in collaboration with Gumtree. All views are my own.

Intermediate Creative Business Workshop: February 2015 / SOLD OUT

It's time to shape and build your business into the best it can be in 2015. I'm hosting my first two business workshops in February to help creative minds focus! The first to take place is the Intermediate (7th February) workshop followed by the Beginner's one (28th February - details to follow soon). The workshops have grown in popularity since I first started them two years ago.

TO BOOK: Click here to email me and reserve your spot.
DATE: 7th February 2015
VENUE: Open Plan Studio - The Design Factory, 39 Station Drive, Durban.
FULL DAY COURSE: 9am - 5pm
COST: R950
Space is very limited so don't delay.

Details:
The workshops are aimed at creative business owners in a variety of fields from photography and design to crafters or even bloggers. If you have your own business (or want to start your own) and want to learn and prosper, then the workshops are ideal for you. The topics range from social media to creative marketing ideas and there are two types of workshops – one for beginners and one for intermediates. The Beginner Workshops is ideal for business owners who would like to learn the basics. The Intermediate Workshops are for those who are in the industry and on the right track, but would perhaps like step it up a notch.

The workshops started in Durban with sold out dates and an amazing array of creatives joining in and 2013 I added Joburg into the mix as well as Cape Town in 2014. All the past attendees have given wonderful reviews. Creatives who attend can look forward to a day of learning with practical examples and case studies of successful businesses. The day is the ideal platform for networking within a creative environment. All the courses include a delicious lunch, snacks, a really lovely goodie bag and a host of giveaways from wonderful brands.

How do I know I'm intermediate? 
You already have a blog or understanding of social media. You enjoy being online and want to grow your business even further.

The Facts:
This workshop is aimed at creatives who are ready to expand, grow their business and blog readership. You would like to get an even better understanding of the various tools available to you.

What does your hard earned money get you?

Creative Goal Setting:  How to breakdown and achieve your personal and business goals.

Creative Branding:  Tying your brand and business together as one. We cover the essentials of what creates a good brand.

Blogging Tips:  Planning, scheduling and basic creative tips for putting posts together.

Social Media Tips:  We will focus on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and how these can work towards generating blog readers and in turn more sales and opportunities.

Creative Marketing Ideas:  Fun, cost effective ways to generate interest in your business or blog.

How to Approach the Press:  Want to have your products or blog featured in magazines? I will give you the tips you need, from what to say to how you to say it.

Question and Answer Session:  A time for you to chat to me about your problems, new ideas or even plans for your business.

In addition you will receive snacks, an amazing lunch, the chance to mingle and make new friends as well as network. A goodie bag bursting with wonderful surprises will also be waiting for you!

How to sign up: 
Email me (hello@nadiavdmescht.co.za) or call me (072 093 7730) with your full name, contact number and request to book your spot. I will send you an invoice and all the relevant booking details - payment is due once invoice is received.

View past workshops here, here and here.

Love Long Length Giveaway

Being tall can be both a blessing and a curse. I have always enjoyed it, but when it comes to clothes it can be a challenge. My dear friend Kristi Kyle together with her mom, Brenda (who are both tall) gave this problem some thought and decided to solve it themselves.
Love Long Length is a clothing brand created especially for tall women. From PJ's to dresses this clever pair has us covered.

"Love Long Length is the product of many years of a mother-daughter duo’s struggle with trying to find clothing suited for tall women. Brenda is 5ft 10 (175cm) and Kristi is 6ft 1 (186cm). Together, they have launched a collection of clothing to meet the needs of tall women in South Africa (5ft 10 and taller)."


 The Loungewear is my personal favourite - I like the idea of being able to look stylish while at home or relaxing. What strikes me about the brand is the hard work of these two creative business women. They offer a personal touch, an element of love, understanding and care that transcends beyond traditional business and adds heart and soul.

Currently these wonderful products are available online, at Durban's I heart Market and via private consult. For more details you can view the lovely Love Long Length site for details or contact the team via email.
Lucky for us they are offering a giveaway of one of their dresses and what makes it even better is if you win you can select the length (maxi or knee length) you would like so shorter ladies can enter too. The bonus element is that you can also select a colour should you win.

To enter - just follow the easy instructions via Rafflecopter below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Serious Stuff:
This is a local, South African only giveaway.
Sometimes Rafflecopter experiences technical difficulties like all modern technology. If you can’t enter for some reason, try again later and it should work.

Durban Craft Workshop: SOLD OUT


Details:
Date: Saturday 31st January 2015  SOLD OUT
Venue: The Benjamin (141 Florida Road, Durban)
Time: 11h00 - 14h00
Cost: R300 includes craft supplies, coffee / tea and cake (and a giveaway).

What will we be creating? We will be working on beautiful packaging and wrapping with some really awesome supplies including heaps of tape from Washi Bug. I will be teaching the workshop and sharing my tips for beautiful gift wrapping and crafty ideas for packaging.

There are only ten places available and to book you can just email me to reserve your spot or let me know if you have any questions. I will invoice you and payment is due to confirm your place.
Hooray - I'm so excited to get creative and have some fun!

*Click here to see photos from last year's craft workshop here.

My 2014 Planning Companion

In 2014 I became the overly excited and proud owner of a Planner - much like a Filofax. The reason I call it a 'Planner' is because Filofax is an acutual brand of planners (make sense?). 
I blogged about the trend in 2013 and had my eye on several beautiful versions online. However, in South Africa these stationery beauties are few and far between. I discovered mine at Typo (on sale) and have had countless emails since, asking me where I got it or if I could offer insight into where to find one. To add to the interest the most viewed posts on my blog are the Filofax / Planner related ones - each post brings in daily traffic via Pinterest. I don't mind... blog traffic is awesome, especially this kind as it means lovely creative people are reading my posts and that makes me damn happy.

This year I have not bought a new diary, but rather refilled my beloved Typo Planner. As you can see by all the photos above it was truly my 2014 companion. While I was working on the 2014 Favourite Posts recap I went through my photos and thought... yikes - I took so many photos of my humble little Planner. I love it and it really helped me through what I would consider my most organised year to date (see what I did there).

The second element to last year's journey was 'My 2014 Personal Life Changes'. On reflection I felt that they guided me and kept me anchored. They helped me to focus on what was important and when in doubt I was able to reread the post. Of course some were far more difficult than others to maintain. This year my life changes / goals continue on a very similar level or note. With a search for positivity and removing myself from unnecessarily negative situations. This includes elements of social media that I don't enjoy or no longer need. 

Goals are a huge part of what I teach my clients so I feel that they are absolutely essential to making things happen in your life and business. That paired with accountability are two of the fundamental elements for a productive and ultimately happy life. Thrown in with the life changes are of course my own business goals and personal growth that I want to attain. Currently one such goal is finishing my decor project for my new office - which is work in progress.

I'm looking forward to sharing even more of my planning, life, happy moments, goals and business knowledge with you in 2015! If you're reading this or you enjoyed this post then please leave a comment. I really love hearing from readers.

What is on your mind as the new year starts? Have you made any resolutions or goals?

 These are a few other creative people's goals I have read / watched so far:
Fathima from Happiness Is / Also check out her printables on Lanalou Style for your own goal setting.

Packaging Inspiration


Whether you package up products for your business or love sending snail mail - I thought I would share this parcel with you. It's for Danni from ohhellofriend who also happens to be one of my favourite creative people in all the world! As usual I used heaps of washi tape to create the base for my decorating. To inspire me while I wrapped I looked through Danni's Instagram and site to get a sense of what is catching her eye at the moment. It helped me to ensure that unwrapping this brings her true happiness. It also guided me to steer away from some of the usual colours that I like and to rather opt for options that suit her taste.
Do you have any creative projects on the go?

Ideas Magazine Feature: December 2014




Last year  September (how time flies) I got ready for Christmas... ridiculous or fun? In my opinion it was rather fun... all the creative elements without the pressure. Ideas Magazine invited me to share my inspiration with them which was featured in the December 2014 issue. I also chatted to the editor Terena and creative director, Dala about my ideas and work. We hosted the shoot at my parent's home and of course my dear mom gave me a helping hand in more ways than one. It really helps to have support!

Derryn Semple photographed the colourful Crimbo 'creativeness' and I decided to go with elements that represented my brand and the things that inspire me. The small caddy like box and large dining table were made by my favourite guys over at Woodnewz. Centre Piece Hire also let me use their beautiful black, acrylic cutlery which finished off the setting. The rest is a mishmash of my favourite creative bits and pieces and of course plenty of wrapping!

Did you get a copy of the magazine? I would love to hear your thoughts...

Basic Creative Business Success Tips

What I've Learnt...

It's easy to get despondent when seeing the success of others as it often highlights our own shortcomings. However, when we use it to our advantage it often leads to personal success. There are few simple lessons that have stuck with me throughout my journey...

Fuel: Envy or jealously are such wasted emotions. It also leaves a nasty feeling in your heart (life is way too short for that nonsense). My personal experience has led me to rather use my emotions as fuel. Instead of comparing I suggest exploring why others are successful and use it as fuel to lead you to new heights in your own career. Admiration leads to inspiration! Jealously shuts your heart and mind down and nothing useful ever comes from that.

Hard Work: Boring old hard work - can we ever escape it? Nope! Don't let it be the enemy - when you invest time in what is important to you the benefits will far outweigh the sacrifice. Trust me!


Smart Thinking: What is working and what isn't? Do away with things that aren't bringing your business success or enriching your life. Certain things make us feel a certain way - if an emotion isn't welcome then go to the route of the cause. Often there are small things we are able to do to ensure we don't feel unhappy, disorganised, overly stressed and so on. It might take time, but evolution is part patience, part mindset.

Go for It: That's right... go on, get out there. Success is for the taking, but we often need to leave our comfort zone to take hold of it. Embrace new things and don't be afraid to ask for what you want.

Competition: Apparently competition is healthy... how many times have you heard that? The truth of the matter is that it can assist you to get moving, make changes and take a few risks. Don't let competition scare you into inactivity.

Move Forward: Sometimes things don't work out perfectly and that's okay. Take away the lesson learnt and move on to better / different things. No job, client or project are ever perfect and neither are you. Nonetheless everything holds a lesson - use it, but don't stay stuck... get moving.

Keep these in mind as you set your intention for 2015. Make it a brilliant year for business and personal growth!

Favourite, Useful & Creative Posts: 2014

Each year goes by faster and faster. 2014 was no different. I think it was a very good year - there were ups and downs, happiness, tears, joy, success, failures and triumphs. I can hardly believe that I wrote more than a hundred posts on this little blog! Wowee! Let's take a look back at some of my favourites.

Here goes...

Photo round-up from the Joburg workshops - I loved having Mariaan of m.studio at my Joburg workshops to capture the creative details.


My 2014 Personal Life Changes - this post is a favourite as it helped me to stay on track. By writing the changes down and sharing them with you I made myself more accountable.

A Check List for Creatives: Is 2014 your Year - A few things to work on before you quit your full-time job. This post is as relevant now as a year ago.

DIY with Skinny laMinx: Getting Crafty with Up in the Air - It was an honour to prepare and write this as a special project for the Skinny laMinx team.

I featured my best friend Sam's wedding - a personal post sharing a few of the details from the day.

Design Indaba Conference 2014: A few simple lessons which are great to reflect back on.

Creative Business Tips: Dealing with Competition. Useful at any stage of your creative business journey.

Lessons via Cath Kidston: Three easy and fun business lessons via Cath Kidston. I love this beautiful and inspirational brand.

Use your Public Holiday Wisely: Three simple things you'll be thankful for later. Free time... be sure to use it.

A busy time... a glimpse at a few of my business and creative adventures.

Cookie Recipe & Label Printable Freebie - my lovely creative assistant Claire, designed this  just for you! It's an easy recipe and the gift element makes it even more fun.

The Etsy Party 2014 was a huge creative success - giveaways, freebies and of course lots of crafting.

Craft Workshop - the first of many! I hosted a small workshop where we wrapped and had fun with loads of washi tape.

I turned thirty and loved every moment of it! I was spoilt and felt very loved.

Brand Spotlight - featuring Zana, a really great and successful local brand.

Tried & Tested: Current Favourites - several goodies that are great to add to your shopping list.

A Few Thoughts via GFWS - business lessons and tips from some of the world's greatest chefs.

Snail Mail Ideas: Wrapping Inspiration - this is a new post featured just last week, but I really like the way it turned out.

Farewell 2014! Here's to an even more creative 2015! Wishing you all the best!
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