Brown Betty Blue

Day 20 March Meet the Maker - Design Process I keep it very simple when designing or thinking of ideas. It sounds like a cliche but I keep a pad and pencil with me at all times as an idea can pop in my head at any moment (normally on the school run!). Lots of different things inspire me and get me thinking. My Worry Friends was thought up initially to help my anxious 7 year old. My brother in law bought me a gorgeous sketch book for Christmas one year and it’s in there I dra...w up any ideas I’ve had. For their #nothspartners @notonthehighstreet produce inspiration ideas via their Spark team. It’s normally here that I get ideas for fabric and colour schemes. Lots of what I do is trial and error. I have many ideas half made and languishing in a cupboard 😔 But I normally know if an idea is worth pursuing or not. . . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #smallbusiness #shopsmall #worrydolls #worryteddy #anxiety #designprocess #bear #fox #deer #monkey #starfish #nursery #nurserydecor #nurseryideas
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Day 17 March Meet the Maker- What Im working on. Christmas! That is what I’m working on! Good job I love Christmas. To be ready for April/May which is when you need to submit your ideas for the press run in July, then you need to start designing in March! Ho Ho Ho 🎄 . . .... #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #christmas #smallbusiness #shopsmall @joannehawker
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Day 16 of March Meet the Maker- Workspace Yesterday’s post was about motivation and ironically yesterday that was something I lacked so I skipped day 15 😁 Brown Betty Blue is the true definition of a kitchen table business. I have a desk space upstairs which houses 3 different businesses of stock, paperwork and general toot. When I sit down to sew (which is every day) I sit at my kitchen table. Allows me to make sure the kids aren’t playing with the oven! It’s not glamorous... in the slightest bit nor is it very @mariekondo however it works for me. In honour of yesterday’s theme motivation/goals the dream is a studio in the garden (it WILL happen) . . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 @joannehawker #smallbusiness #workfromhome #kitchentablebusiness #shopsmall
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Day 14 March Meet the Maker - How I Learnt I’m annoyed I missed yesterday’s post about photography seeing as photography is my background but heyho 🤷🏻‍♀️ Today is all about how I learnt which for me is sewing. That skill comes from these 2 beauties, my aunt Jean (left) and my Mum (right). Jean made clothes for her kids and me and my siblings. Funky gingham dungarees with matching jackets 😁 My Mum was all about curtains, cushions and upholstery. I was taught to sew from a youn...g age and I grew up teaching myself to knit, embroider and later on in life crochet. For me the key thing is to try, if a craft takes your fancy don’t just assume you can’t do it you must always try. You just don’t know what new skill you could be missing out on! . . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #smallbusiness #twins #howilearnt #sewing
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Day 12 March Meet the Maker- Hands at Work Turns out I hate photos of my hands as much as I hate selfies 🤷🏻‍♀️😁 . . .... . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #handsatwork #deer #fox #bear #owl #felt #handmade #smallbusiness
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Day 11 March Meet the Maker- Reduce Wastage I buy the most gorgeous felt normally from 2 fabulous ladies @cloud.craft or @paperandstringltd. When making my little animals or cutting out letters I have a load of little off cuts. I hate throwing them away mainly because of adding to the rubbish dump but also I hate the thought of wasting any of the felt. So I have many boxes of full of this stuff! I have an idea of what I’m going to do with them but it will be a labour of love ...and take a lifetime to finish. So don’t get your hopes up of seeing an end product to this pile of felt 😁 . . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #felt #smallbusiness #reducewaste #craft #sewing @joannehawker
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Day 10 March Meet the Maker - You Probably the hardest one of them all. I don’t do selfies because they’re always dreadful. I’m rarely in photos so I don’t have many. The last photo I found in my phone of me was this one from July last year. I am one of these people 😁 . . .... #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #smallbusiness
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Day 9 March Meet the Maker - Story Behind the Name. When I had my first daughter, Grace it was undeniably the most amazing time of my life but it was also incredibly tough and lonely. I had been working as a PA for a TV presenter and due to money being tight and an element of fear around my job I went back to work when Grace was 4 weeks old. To say this was difficult is an understatement. My first day back was on a Sunday for a live show. I heard very little from the woman I ...worked for during my mat leave so I was nervous to return (adding to my emotional turmoil of leaving my new baby). It was very apparent when I got there things were different. I didn’t feel welcome and it felt awful, I sobbed the whole way home. For 4 months I continued to turn up to work, to try to get my job done but always with this feeling that everyone knew something I didn’t. My night feeds felt so dark and the feeling of loneliness grew. During those times as I sat trying to bring up Graces burp our little cat would sit with me, at times too close 😬 She would curl up next to us and kept me company. After spending my first Mother’s Day at work and eventually being told I no longer had a job, I was unemployed. I realised I had to change. I’ve always been creative, went to art school, got a degree in photography, I needed to get back to being creative. Grace’s nursery became my project! I made blankets, cushions, mobiles, teddies anything I could think of. Once I started I couldn’t stop! Before finishing one item I was already on to the next (bad trait of mine) I was swimming in soft furnishings! This led to my light bulb moment, I am going to sell it all!! Once this decision was made it was a no brainer for the name. I had to dedicate it to the warm, brown furred, blue eyed beauty who kept me company Betty. Now 7.5 years on Grace and Betty are inseparable 💕 . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #catsofinstagram #smallbusiness
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I know more than 1 post in a day is apparently a no no but what with #marchmeetthemaker and #iwd2019 today it just can’t be helped! Introducing our new cushions - featuring a cat, bunny, bear and the amazing narwhal. Made from soft corduroy with glitter canvas detail. 🐱 🐻 🐰 🐬 (let’s campaign for a narwhal emoji!) . . . .... #narwhal #bunny #cat #bear #cushion #smallbusiness #nurserycushion #kidsinteriors #kidsdecor #greynursery #glitter
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On #internationalwomensday I want to shout out to the future women. If they’re anything like the kind and considerate souls in my family then the future is brighter than it is now 💡 . . . .... . #futurewomen #strongwomen
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Day 8 March Meet the Maker - Product Range. At Brown Betty Blue I make a range of products to make your nursery or room complete. From personalised hoops, to cute mobiles, name cushions to our wonderful Worry Friends to aid anxiety in children. I am forever doodling, designing and thinking of new products so expect our current range to grow throughout the year 🌈 . . .... #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #smallbusiness #shopsmall #nursery #nurserydecor #childanxiety #worrydoll #rainbow #kidsinteriors #nurserycushion
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Day 7 March Meet the Maker - Less Glam side. Here it is, in all it’s glory, the Post Office queue, I needn’t say anymore (I actually put a filter on the photo in attempt to make it look better 😁) . . .... . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #thepostoffice #smallbusiness #shopsmall
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Day 4 March Meet the Maker - Full time or Part time. I had no idea what to do for this one because the truth is I don’t know what I do! Brown Betty Blue is ideally something I want to do all the time. But financially I’m not quite there yet. So I work part time for a construction company. I also work for a wonderful Poster company with their printing and distribution. Im also a mother of 2 small folk. So truth is I feel like I work ALL THE TIME. Doing a mixture of so many thi...ngs. Right now I’m finishing off World Book Day costumes so I decided to show just that! . . . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #worldbookday2019 #smallbusiness
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Day 4 March Meet the Maker - Close up/Detail Today I chose a close up of a new little idea I’m working on, cute ✔️glittery ✔️cuddly ✔️ Like most new products they are have become my new favourite 😁 . .... . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #glitter #sneakpeek #pink #grey #nurserydecor #kidsdecor
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Day 4 of March Meet the Maker - Tools & Materials It’s been known in our household for me to launch myself at anyone who dares to use my scissors to cut paper or (I shudder thinking about it) sellotape 😬 When you have to cut fabric especially small fiddly bits you must have sharp fabric scissors. I can not do what I do without a selection of these bad boys ✂️ . . .... . . #marchmeetthemaker #marchmeetthemaker2019 #toolsofthetrade #smallbusiness
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Day 2 Meet the Maker - How I started. After having my first child and spending many lonely nights awake waiting desperately for the burp (hers not mine 😁). I decided I needed to do something to keep me creative. Something people don’t tell you when you have babies is you will permanently have a box of odd baby socks. I kept hold of those odd fellas for weeks in the hope that one day I would reunite it with its partner. However that day didn’t come. As a child I loved to sew, ...my mum made clothes, curtains, and cushions I grew up hearing the drill of the sewing machine. So I bought a book “how to make sock animals” obviously! I spent my lonely nights and sleepless days making pigs, cats, zebras and hedgehogs out of those stray socks. With that the sewing bug was back. How I jumped to making blankets and cushions I’m unsure it’s all hazy like most of that first year of newborn baby fog! So the birth of my wonderful daughter Grace was the birth of Brown Betty Blue . . . . . #marchmeetthemaker #smallbusiness #shopsmall #kidsinteriors
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Just a little #instagramvsreality post, every single time I get the photo board out the cat just has to be there. Sitting on it, stand by my feet, mooing at me. Love him but he is a fool 🐱 . . . .... #flatlay #cat #catsofinstagram #smallbusiness #nursery #nurserymobile #cloud #raindrops #gold #golddecor
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DAY 1 - 1st of March, officially #marchmeetthemaker. Today is all about my favourite to make, which has for a long time now been this rainbow cutie. You guys seem to love it and so do I. It’s bold, bright and cheerful 🌈 . . . .... . #rainbow #rainbownursery #rainbowdecor #handmade #meetthemaker #shopsmall #smallbusiness
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