Sew Is Life

This is it! The day has finally come where I launch my own skincare range online. It is very surreal, because a lot has happened since the idea was first planted. SELF Organics has been 2 years in the making. With the arrival of Leo and Luna into our lives, things have been turn busy tenfold. Then with 2012 venture of running a newsagency with my family SELF Organics was pushed to the back of my mind. However, it was never forgotten…

All our products are packaged using eco-friendly materials

It has been a dream to create organic skincare for others who feel passionate about fresh, good-for-you ingredients. The initially plan was to make it for my babies and for my Mother, who have sensitive skin. And then my love of making skincare grew and grew! My love of DIY, beauty and well being all came together in one moment and with the encouragement of my Hubz and children, I decided to listen to my heart and GO FOR IT!

You can visit the online store here: http://selforganics.com

And SELF Organics is now on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SELForganics

Come over and take a look at the new site (share it with friends and family) and pick up some goodies for yourself or gifts for Mother’s Day. 

Freshly curing ‘Lavender Fields’ soap, available for pre-order. Ready 30th April. Smells a little like Provence..

All the products are made with a minimum of 95% organic ingredients, as certified by the ACO http://www.aco.net.au/ .However the next step is to apply for the certification to obtain the special ‘bud’ logo for the products themselves.

The range is vegan friendly (unless otherwise stated) and not tested on animals. They do not contain parabens, chemical sulfates, parabens, petrolatum, dyes, phthalates or artifical fragrances.

To all my lovely readers, I will still be blogging at ‘Sew is life’ about my lively adventures..but you can also follow SELF Organic on Twitter (@selforganics) and on the Facebook page to see what I’m up to.

Please help me to share and tweet about the new online store! I’m counting on you social media hehe… 

Thank you from the bottom of my organic heart :)

E x

Besides sharing my beauty and fashion addiction on this blog, I also admit to having a problem with fabric. Yes, beautiful, uncut, soft and flowing fabric that in sense has been ‘untamed’ or not tampered with. A piece of fabric to me is like a DREAM…waiting to be moulded into a beautiful shape to fit a form such as the human physique. It is waiting to be transformed from something so basic to something very extraordinary! So here I am sharing my newest ‘fabric haul’ :)

My latest fabric buy comes from Tessuti Fabrics in Melbourne. I have bought fabric online before, but it is such a shame I am unable to touch the fabric when buying textiles this way. Tessuti made the experience easy by showing images online on how the fabric drapes and how large the pattern appears.

The main reason for me buying fabric from Tessuti is because they are currently running the annual Tessuti Awards, which is an international competition for sewing/fashion enthusiasts to work towards a brief. This year is all about Spring Racing fashion and the return of ‘Stripes and Spots’. Stripes and spots are my favourite pattern, it is so versatile and striking! 100% of the garment’s outer fabric must be made from Tessuti Fabrics. I was particularly inspired by Marc Jacobs recent Spring 2013 fashion show for New York Fashion week, he described his collection as “Very brutal, very sexy, very straightforward, no romance, no emotion, just real power and force and simplicity,”, undoubtedly resurrecting the Mod-era.

Photo courtesy of Dawn.com

Photo courtesy of Stylebakery.com

Here was what I bought from Tessuti, Ivory Yuki Small and Ivory Yuki Big. Both have a polka dot pattern, just one is bigger than the other.

You won’t believe how much this little package made me light up! :)

Such a sweet message from team Tessuti

My lovelies, how I love to work with you

The unveiling 

Come back to check on my progress and see how I transform this fabric into something wearable! This will be my first attempt at sewing a dress using a pattern…so I’m fretting just a little (OK A LOT!!) and the thought of inserting an invisible zipper gives me nightmares!! Only 4 days left to go to get in my entry…and I’m pulling my hair at the thought of it. I can’t wait to reveal the end result to you guys. Stay tuned ;)

So tell me…are you more of a spots or stripes person?

E x

I haven’t done one of these in a while…a homewares haul! Just before lil Luna arrived, I was going through an excessive ‘Nesting’ phase. This generally happens to women who are expecting a baby and there’s a primal instinct to prepare the home for their newborn by the means of cleaning, rearranging furniture, storing things away, sorting things out. You should have seen Hubz! He was a furniture removal man to use at my disposal. 

Here I share a few items I had bought for the house to the lead up to having my baby girl, mainly little things. Most of the products are from my favourite Australian Designer homewares store Top3. 

I can always count on Top3 to stock the latest and innovative home & giftwares, created by local and international designers.

A bowl that reminds me of the ‘Sydney Opera House’, love the intricate patterns and it can moulded into 2 shapes. 

Stationary for me to keep my desk organised (stacking box, clip on calculator, desk calendar)

Normann ‘Dolly’ salt and pepper shaker (this looks so cute and ‘organic’ looking)

Curtis Stone spoon holder - you can fill it up with water, so your spoon will stay clean in between stirs.

Top3 rewards members with points whenever you make a purchase, these points accumulate and you receive a voucher to spend on your next order. I’m almost up to that status! They are always clearing out old stock, so you are guaranteed to find a bargain in their ‘SALE’ section. 

A big item I picked up was a shaggy, white rug from Buyinvite. At the time of the event, they were offering free shipping so it was perfect timing. I had been looking around for months for a soft rug to have in the living room, so the kids could spread out and relax. I got rid of the coffee table, because no way was coffee or food coming near this rug! I really love this rug, I find myself falling asleep on it because of it’s ‘cloud-like’ texture. It’s super soft and doesn’t shed.

Leo enjoying the softness, rolling around with his pillow pet

I love white in my home, it makes it look clean, crisp and bigger! It may be a bit trickier to keep clean but the kids are pretty good and there are some rules I have in place that teach them good hygiene and cleanliness. I would like to inject a bit more colour in to my space, but still not 100% confident with that. Colourful cushions are a good start! 

Thank goodness my ‘nesting’ instinct has disappeared, it was making me really exhausted! 

Please tell me what colours do you use in your home to make it more comfortable for you? 

E x 

I’m the type of shopper who likes to show support for the little guys, such as buying from a local store, a small business, one that is owned and made in Australia. It is a great feeling to be able to own something that is adding value back into our country’s economy. 

However, times have been tough. The cost of living in Australia are one of the highest in the world. Property is ridiculously expensive, buying a cup of takeaway coffee even has to be budgeted for. What is going on here Ms. Prime Minister? Why do we live in a country that is so fortunate yet most of us are struggling to purchase healthy food? And YES…it is definitely curbing my will to spend on pretty things…like fashion and beauty items.

With the AUD$1 equalling USD$1.05 why wouldn’t you want to shop overseas to search for a bargain? All the big beauty brands and international labels are priced much cheaper than those sold on shore. Of course if you are looking for an Aussie brand, that is made in Australia keep supporting onshore business. However, if you are looking to shop global brands you might as well go hunting in the U.S.A.

There is currently a campaign run by the international company Illamasqua to bring a fairer pricing of cosmetics into Australian retail market. It seems we are paying a lot more than our British friends, sometimes up to 61% more just for a lipstick! You can join the fight by signing the petition here. Help us, Australian Beauty Buffs, pay a fair price for their cosmetics!

But instead of waiting around for that to happen, here are some of my favourite international online stores that I frequently browse through.

What kind of bargains are you looking for? On clothes, cosmetics, accessories?

Enjoy the bargain hunting overseas :)

E x

*I have joined an affiliate program linked to the sites above. If you choose to shop through an affiliate I will earn a small percentage of the commission. I appreciate the gesture and support if you choose to purchase through ‘Sewislife’ :) I do not earn an income from blogging, this way I can continue to write quality content for my readers. Thank You lovelies!

Lime Crime launches another new product today from their eye make up range. Not too long ago they shared their Palette D’Antoinette with the world and now a killer liquid eye liner range to go with it. These will be available for purchase at the Lime Crime online store from May 23rd. 

There will be seven colours to choose from, from $13.99 each. To save even more Lime Crime will be selling them as a collection for $73.99.  You save around 25% off if you purchase all seven. Check out the campaign photo below:

From the left: Citreuse (yellow-green), Blue Milk, Quill (shiny-black), Orchidaceous (violet-purple), Lunar Sea (pure white), 6th Element (Orange) & Lazuli (bright blue)

I love their signature purple packaging, and how they have gone with a floral gothic design. Each comes with a highly precision brush to draw sharp, intricate lines. The formula is smudge proof and easily removed if you make a mistake. The liquid eye liners come in 1.3 ml / 0.04 fl. oz tube.

Here are some examples of the eye liner being used, in the Palette D’Antoinette campaign

You can start buying them from tomorrow! Don’t be afraid of colours, make them work with your Lime Crime eye shadows or your current make up and stand out from the crowd! I’m keeping my eye on Citreuse and Blue Milk…must start saving for these ;)

Also available for purchase from mid-June by Australian online retailer, Makeupnet. At AUD$14.99 each.

Which is your favourite colour eye liner from the collection?

E x

Lately I have conducting research on online shops by using free trials offered by Ecommerce solutions. This is because I am hoping to open up my very first online store in 2012. It is an exciting time and I am buzzing every day with entrepreneurial spirit and I can’t wait to bring out new products (of the organic nature) to my potential customers. To sell online seems like the best place to start.

Having an Ecommerce website can be very useful as it can assist with the marketing of your product in a cost efficient way. Especially if your target market is surfing the net through all hours of the day (because face it, most of us sit in front of a computer at least once a day) it can make products easily available to the customer. Plus customers like to do a bit of reading up on a product and some enjoy a bit of retail therapy away from the department stores. So a website is perfect for this.

Also an upside to having an Ecommerce solution is that it will never shut down like a normal retail shop (unless you have technical glitches…and those are nightmares!)…so you can trade in all different time zones. I have since trialed the Big commerce Ecommerce solution, which allows you to try out their features for 15 days. There is no obligation to sign on, and they do not take your credit card details (as others do, and if you forget to cancel your free trial don’t act surprised, because you will be charge!). The platform needs some time to get used to, but they help you out with loads of webinars and videos. Their basic package starts from $24.95/month.

I took a look at Shopify and first impressions were really good. It looks simple enough to use, loads of creative templates and . Their free trial runs for 30 days and they require your credit card details when signing up for the trial. The downside to Shopify is the transaction fee. And their basic package starts from $29/month.

I have yet to trial Intuit, but they are offering the cheapest basic package for an Ecommerce solution so far, starting from $7.99/month. Intuit also offers a range of different, ready-to-use designs. They offer free live advice and online support from a web advisor. They have a 30 day free trial period if you wish to give them a go before hosting with them.

Do you have a passion for selling? Why not open your very own Ecommerce store and sell online. You never know…your passion could earn you some extra cash :)

E-von x

Disclaimer: I am participating in a blog campaign for Bucks2Blog for an ecommerce solution company and was compensated. However, the views and opinions are my own.