In Good Company Giveaway - Kate Spade

In Good Company have long been purveyors of delightful and beautiful things. If you have shopped online via their store or visited one of their beautiful brick and mortar shops then I'm sure you'll agree. My heart skipped a beat (or four) when they started stocking Kate Spade and ban.do... two brands that I have HUGE admiration and appreciation for. Lovely items paired with business savvy = the perfect recipe. It's a match made in heaven. 

I'm rather excited to announce this amazing giveaway courtesy of the incredible In Good Co team! How lucky are you! Enter to own your own piece of Kate Spade, a set of the loveliest travel companions. Whether you use them to jet set or to store your prettiest things in - they will come in handy. The giveaway includes:
Bits & Baubles Drawstring Accessory Bag
The Perfect Pair Drawstring Shoe Bag
To Wear & To Wash Drawstring Bags

To see what beautiful items In Good Co have in stock visit their online store or click here for Kate Spade or ban.do items.



To enter - just follow the easy instructions via Rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
The Serious Stuff:
This is a local, South African only giveaway.
Winner will be contacted via email and will be chosen via Rafflecopter.
Sometimes Rafflecopter experiences technical difficulties like all modern technology. If you can’t enter for some reason, try again later and it should work.

Business Questions via Snapchat

Have you joined Snapchat or are you wondering what it's all about or if it's even relevant to you? It's most certainly different to other social media in various ways. First off your posts or snaps don't stick around for longer than 24 hours. This might seem wasteful or silly, but it does in fact remove the pressure of having to create absolutely perfect content, especially when it comes to videos and editing.

I have started a series via Snapchat where you can send me your business question and I will answer it for you. This week I kicked off with 'how to set boundaries within your creative business'. This is something that many creatives struggle with. They battle to lay down the law with clients and it often means that they are taken advantage of or work for free. It's human nature to challenge and push boundaries and therefore it's important to communicate where they begin and end. This doesn't mean you have to be pushy, but it does mean you can manage expectations and in the end not feel as if you are being pushed way beyond your comfort zone. It's particularly relevant in terms of what you can offer in relation to what you charge for that product or service.

I would love to hear and answer your question, so join me on Snapchat, send it to me and then watch my video answer. Chat soon.

If you would like me to do a detailed post on using Snapchat and a few lovely people to follow then just leave a comment / or tweet me (@nadiavdmescht).

Does that sound too scary or do you want guided one on one help? No problem...
Here are a few more facts regarding my one on one consulting sessions:
My one on one consulting sessions are my most popular service and I personally really enjoy them. It's a dedicated time for business owners to share their thoughts, ask questions and receive my professional input on different areas of their business. It's also ideal for creatives who are still working on deciding what business to begin or how to take it to the next level. They run for between an hour to two hours and usually work either via Q&A or brainstorming, but can also take the form of a lesson if need be. These sessions are R400 each for up to two hours. I also offer them via Skype / FaceTime too for those not based in Durban. As an added extra I  set an accountability check-in via email to ensure you get the most out of your session. To book just email me (click here).

The Life-Changing Magic of Selling Things


(This photo is from our entrance hall and I recently decluttered it a bit. The mountain bike that we sold also used to stand next to these shelves - I'm happy the space is now clear.)

I'm a total nerd when it comes to organising and decluttering. In fact I can almost say it's a hobby. I love the idea of always knowing where things are and not having unnecessary items taking up space in our home. Things need a place and if they are no longer useful then they need to get on out of here. We recently had a good hard look around our home and although we are fortunate to have quite a lot of space - the challenge is to not succumb to adding more and more things. Through the cleaning out we managed to sell two huge items that we had decided to move on from. A mountain bike and a vintage style restored motorbike. Both were in the way and gathering dust. We sold these two bigger items and several other small things via Gumtree. I like to look for unusual finds via the site as I did during my office setup, but selling scares me a bit. Luckily with their helpful seller guide I was able to get my head around it. The process was simple, easy and now we have some extra money in the bank.

Cleaning out and selling things is the perfect way to feel not only liberated, but inspired too. More space is always welcome and some extra cash is ideal for reinvesting in items that you actually want. I like donating, but so often there are items that I know someone else could make good use of and in that case I would prefer to sell them, especially if they were expensive.

Thinking of having a clean out or declutter? Here are two of my favourite sources of inspiration to get going (and stay organsised).

> The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo: I'm currently listening to an audio version and I'm enjoying it. I like certain aspects and have already been putting her way of thinking into play. I do feel that you need to use aspects of it rather than take every single element literally.

> A Bowl full of Lemons: Following Toni's insight via the site and on Instagram is so inspiring. I love browsing the projects and challenges.

> Oh and of course my 'Organised Spaces' board on Pinterest is my happy place.

I hope this inspires you to get rid of a few things and perhaps to reinvest in some joyful new home decor or organisation items. The Gumtree seller guide offers the perfect tips for making a start.

Images via: 1, 2, 3

*Posted in collaboration with Gumtree. All views are my own and this is a site that I truly use in my personal capacity.

Etsy Craft Party: Durban 2015

Hooray! It's that special time of the year again! Tickets for the Etsy Craft Party / Durban are now on sale. The party is held globally on the same day with Etsy at the helm - they set the theme and offer us a wonderful excuse to get creative (not that we need one). Over the last two years the Durban event has been the only one in South Africa - which makes me pretty proud.

 Date: Friday, 5 June 2015
Time: 6:30pm - 10pm
Venue: Anthology in Windermere Centre / 163 Lilian Ngoyi Road (old Windermere Road)
Theme: Paper takes Shape
What to Bring: Scissors and your favourite supplies.
Cost: R355 (including booking fee)

Why the price increase? To ensure the party is the best it can possible be. The party is a community project, but there are still several costs that need to be covered. It's well worth it - I promise.

You can look forward to: Crafting and learning something new, lovely freebies, craft supplies, light snacks, giveaways (and heaps more).

Tickets are limited this year to only thirty people so don't delay bo. Click here to book your tickets. Quicket is reliable and safe online booking system.

To get inspired or even persuaded take a look at party pics from 2013 and 2014. 
If you would like to become a sponsor - get in touch. In the past there have been incredible sponsors from In Good Company through to Skinny laMinx.

See you there!

Out & About: Life of Late

I received this amazing leather folder last week Friday at a M-Net lunch hosted by Kershnee Govender. It was a beautiful lunch at the Oyster Box and it was wonderful to chat business with a room full of inspired people. But... this folder was the cherry on top. I have been on the hunt for something similar for years. Woohoo - one happy stationery addict!





















Tweeling Plaas in the Freestate belongs to a very dear friend of my mom's and we were invited to visit recently. Life changing... pretty much sums it up. From the loving hospitality through to meeting the most beautiful little lambs - I was in awe! It was so great to spend time out and about on the farm, eating (way too much) and taking things easy. The perfect place to gain some perspective.


The opportunity of going to Cape Town for the Creative Business Exchange was so exciting. Besides being able to do what I love and connect with creatives, I was also (very) excited to stay in a hotel. It never gets old. Plus the city view was breathtaking and made my heart want to burst with gratitude. POP! The other highlight that surrounded the event was my interview on CliffCentral (listen to it here - 22 April). Happy dance moment if ever there was one! My comfort zone was stretched, but it was totally worth it.
I'm loving office life - especially faffing around styling things and making sure everything is just right. It also really helps with productivity, focus and of course it's the perfect place for hosting my one on one consulting sessions. I'm happy (actually overjoyed) with how the space has turned out and the list of things to complete is now really short. 

In other news I would love to connect with you on Snapchat. Send me a creative business question via Snapchat and I will answer it for you. I'm also sharing snippets of my day via video - vlog style so if you want to see my sometimes boring, sometimes busy and sometimes fun days then stop by (nadiavdmescht). Chat soon!
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