Hello Pretty is Winding Down

After more than ten fulfilling, magical years beginning in the good old days of 2012, Hello Pretty is retiring and heading off to the beach with a drink with a tiny umbrella.

Read our goodbye letter

Pretty Personal

I'm Monique, one of the Hello Pretty elves. Pleased to meet you.

Hey Guys,

So I'm writing this blog post to introduce myself, one of the team members of Hello Pretty. 

I'm Monique and I'm super happy to be a part of this wonderful small company. I have been working at Hello Pretty for nearly a year and I can honestly say that I have learnt so much! I think I've found my niche with marketing and social media as well as the curation of products for the site and homepages. I love what I do and I love the team I work with and really believe in this business, and for that, I feel so grateful.

Photo above taken at the Studio & neighbourhood tour with A Ring To It.

I'm also a single mom to a powerful, strong minded, warm little nearly four year old. This single mom life is the hardest thing I've ever done but its also the most rewarding learning curve I've ever had. I'm all about personal growth as my background is in psychology.

I've recently rediscovered my love for yoga which has opened a whole new holistic approach to my life. I'm also all about balance so I like to follow my yoga classes with a bloody mary (its 5pm somewhere in the world). And yes, I have a dry sense of humour ;)

I also love art and design so curation at Hello Pretty is definitely my thing. 

Hey ? HP Seller, Silver Song Jewellery

I am Suzanne Groenewald, jewellery designer and manufacturer of Silver Song Jewellery. I draw my inspiration from the beauty and lure of nature, specifically trees and leaves. I have a fascination with gemstones and love working with unique gems. Most of my pieces are designed around specific gemstones. I work with all kinds of metals but prefer to use silver, for its beautiful colour and character. 

I believe that jewellery is a precious treasure, regardless of the cost or material used. It is something personal and valuable, to be adored and admired. Personally I love to look at all kinds of beautiful jewellery, to admire the workmanship and design of it, to buy it and to make it, to wear it, to hoard it and to share it. I simply love all things about jewellery! Through making jewellery, I hope to share my passion thereof with anyone who wants to look at or buy my pretty shiny things.

Mid last year I took on an exciting new endeavor and opened an online store on Hello Pretty. I did this in order to share my jewellery with a broader audience and I am very happy to be part of the Hello Pretty community! Every jewellery piece that I make is uniquely designed and manufactured by hand. I never stock a large selection, as my focus is on uniqueness and quality, not quantity. Starting this online store has definitely been my business high since it forced me to rethink and reconfirm my design principles and the direction in which I want Silver Song Jewellery to go.

My advice to any new Hello Pretty sellers out there: Go for it! Let no one stop you from doing what you love and from sharing your passion with the world.
 

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

Hey ? HP Seller, Lady of the Herbs

Albert Einstein once said, look deep into nature, and you will understand everything better. Over the past couple of years, this is what I’ve been doing. My name is Roxanne Joubert, and I am the owner of Lady of the Herbs.

I live in a picturesque town named George. It’s located in the heart of the Garden Route at the foot of the majestic Outeniqua Mountains. I am constantly inspired by the natural beauty of the Garden Route and use this inspiration when making and designing products.

It all started with my passion for nature and the power of herbs. This passion leads me to my core mission which is to HEAL the world using nature.
 

The start of Lady of the Herbs
As my passion for herbs evolved, I became more hungry for knowledge and decided to study Herbal Medicine. While still studying in 2017 I designed my first herbal product ever, our Herbal Healing Salve, as a Christmas gift for my family and friends.

By the end of January 2018, I had them coming back asking me to please make more, as the salve is working wonderfully. They started sharing it with their friends and family. Soon I had strangers contacting me to buy my healing salve.

One of my favourite stories was an older gentleman who has been struggling with eczema. He had tried everything in a pharmacy, and nothing seemed to cure it until he tried our Herbal Healing Salve. This salve was the first and only thing which cured his eczema.
 

I passed my studies with distinction in April 2018 and started designing more products while growing the business.

Our beliefs at Lady of the Herbs        
Human beings have been evolving with nature for thousands of years. We've used nature for survival, food, and medicine. Unfortunately, our connection with nature has been replaced with our fast lifestyles, technology, and industrial development.
                                                                       
We believe that our lost connection with nature has a major influence on the health of our society. This is why we aim to bring nature back into our everyday lives!

Why herbs?
Our bodies recognize that herbs are a gift from nature, and respond to them in a natural, healthier way.
                                                                       
Herbs are made up of thousands of chemical compounds known as constituents, each creating their own reaction within the body. These constituents work together to create balance within our bodies. Not only do they promote self-healing but they also strengthen the body to fight and eject illness.

About our products
Our products are designed to help human beings with everyday ailments using herbs that have been utilized by, as well as evolved with mankind for thousands of years.

They are all:

  • Handcrafted with passion, love, and appreciation for nature.
  • Thoughtfully designed with the power of herbs in mind.
  • Made of good quality and natural (organic where possible) ingredients free from any harmful chemicals.
  • Environmentally conscious and packaged in reusable glass packaging.
  • Endorsed by Beauty Without Cruelty and vegan-friendly.

Business highlights
Every time I hear that our products are helping our customers with their ailments, I do a happy dance! I’ve only received positive feedback and can not be more thankful for the support I’ve received.

For nature
Walk barefoot, go hiking, sit next to a tree and absorb the powers nature has to offer. We are all dependent on our planet and as David Attenborough said: The stability of nature can no longer be taken for granted.

Consider the effects your actions have on nature and learn to give back just as much as you take to create a balance to not only sustain, but evolve with our planet.

Final message
Live a healthy and balanced life. When we are balanced within our bodies and mind we become a “superhero” version of ourselves.

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

Hey ? HP Seller, Apparition Jewellery

My name is Kristin Miles, owner of Apparition Jewellery. I have always been a very creative person, and it's been my dream to have my own store for years.  My parents encouraged me to be creative, and I realised from a young age that is the thing I enjoy most in life.  I enjoy metal music, however I also enjoy pop and classical.  I don't like limiting myself in terms of the creative mediums I can enjoy.

My store was born from this love of the arts and creativity.  I tried my hand at wire jewellery, but it didn't come naturally to me.  I had a few extra supplies lying around after my attempts, so I started putting some earrings together - something I had started doing during my years at college.  When I looked around online for types of jewellery, I noticed that a few of the items I had made were actually chainmaille weaves, and thus my business was born. 

I find immense joy in creating the pieces in my store.  Each is made with love, one ring at a time, to ensure the highest quality and care.  I used to always go buy jewellery in stores, but then you see so many people wearing the same accessories as you!  I feel that, with my business, I can offer something rather unique to people just like me, and allow people to better express their individuality.

I have faced challenges during the short time I've had my business.  I've had people upset that I do the same craft as them and them trying to smear my name.  But you just have to rise above the drama and remember what your own goals are and who you are as a person.  In business, there will always be challenges, but that is just something you need to learn to deal with.  The satisfaction I feel when I create something new that I never made before is just so amazing, and it makes it all worth it.

The highlights for me is that I can just keep growing.  There is so much for me to still learn and so much to try!  There are no limits to what I am capable of, and I can't wait to learn and do more. 

The lows so far have really only been facing the unnecessary drama others cause.  I strongly feel that as crafters and small business owners, we should be supporting and uplifting each other rather than breaking each other down or trying to hamper progress.  There are more than enough people in this world to buy your product, so there is no need to fight or try to hurt each other.

My tips for new sellers is to just go for it!  There is nothing in this world you cannot do or learn.  You are your own limitation.  People will always try to get in your way, but that's an indication that those people should not be in your life.  Surround yourself with loving, supportive people, and just do what you love.  If your craft makes you happy, then go for it.  

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

Hey ? HP Seller, actuallyashleigh

Hi, I'm Ashleigh from actuallyashleigh, although pretty much everyone I know calls me Ash. I'm a wife to a wonderfully supportive husband, and a mom (and stepmom) to 3 kids.  I'm also a mom to a Boston terrier, who is by far the neediest child of all! I'm definitely a homebody and I'm so lucky to be able to work from home, it gives me time to draw, garden, cook, fetch kids from school, and do all the other endless things that moms have to fit in. Despite not having a green finger, I love to draw plants, and I'm mad about birds.

I started actuallyashleigh (I love a good tonguetwister!) to make my drawings a bit more functional. I also have an annoying habit of having to cover empty surfaces with some kind of pattern or decoration, so plain white ceramics were a good place to do that. I began by getting some designs printed on transfer sheets, buying a few second hand ceramics, and then cutting and sticking to my heart's content. I found a friendly potter who had a kiln, and soon I had a stash of bowls with my designs on them!  It was so exciting that I carried on, sourcing different ceramic ware and drawing new designs. 

For quite a while it was only friends and family who bought my pieces, and you can only give your stuff as birthday presents for so long. Then I started doing markets and selling my things in shops. And I suddenly had to start producing more to keep up!
My business is still small, as I'm a one-woman band, and I don't mass produce anything, but I'm getting there. I have my stock in a few more outlets now, and a couple big upcoming shows this year. There are new works in progress, and some exciting new ideas in the planning phase.

The challenges include being self-motivated, finding time to take proper stock photos and keeping up with social media posts. As a behind-the-scenes type of person, I find 'selling myself' at markets somewhat nerve-wracking, but you slowly get used to it; and there's actually nothing better than meeting your customers and seeing how happy they are when they buy something they love, that you've made! The highlights of having your own business are obviously the flexible hours, being paid for doing something you enjoy, and for putting in the hours and hard work for no one but yourself.

Any tips I could give for someone starting out is to work out your pricing properly in the beginning - work out a wholesale price, and then double that for your retail price. Don't short-change yourself, and don't underestimate how valuable your time is. If you're doing something you love, you'll automatically be good at it. Market yourself and get out there!

Thanks so much,
Ash

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

These two guys taught themselves to make furniture & decor pieces, quit their jobs and now have their own design business. Meet: GRYS.

The story of Grys…

So let me start off by saying we are no writers, neither are we business tycoons that are trying to give business advice to anyone, these are just our thoughts that we want to put into words and maybe inspire one person out there reading this.

Grys.; for those of you who don’t know, is a home décor brand and interior design company that myself and Wayne Hayward started in August 2018. The idea came to us when we wanted to transform a normal wooden dining room table into one with a concrete top. After weeks of research and countless industry experts telling us it’s not advisable to pour cement onto wood and expect it to stick, we bought a bag of cement and off we went.

Without any ‘real’ knowledge of cement or the cement: sand:water ratio, we poured a 50kg bag of cement and started mixing it with water (can I also just add that we had no form of mixer, except our hands and arms as it would turn out later). Long story short, after hours of mixing, we had a mixture of concrete and we poured it onto the tabletop.

At this point, we also had no idea that we weren’t suppose to let the cement cure in direct sunlight or that we were suppose to keep the cement moist with water. Either way, a couple of hours later, the cement seemed hard and we carried the table inside the house.

Very impressed with the outcome, we waiting another couple of days before we started to use our one of a kind table.

https://hellopretty.co.za/grys
https://hellopretty.co.za/grys

At the time of this craft project, I was still employed. I was as happy as one could be in a job and industry that isn’t your real passion, yet my 7 years of studying had steered me into this position. Please don’t get me wrong, although I had days (most of them) where I just wanted to pack my back and never go back to the office, I was always grateful for a job, career and income which meant I could pay my bills at the end of the month. However, without going into too much detail as it’s not the point of the story, my security of paying bills came to an end in May 2018.

So back  to Grys...

One night, Wayne and I sat on the couch and we chatted about travelling abroad and how we could afford this, without going into debt. I suggested, why not start a business/hobby on the side and every cent we make from it, we save up for our next trip. So the thinking started and with our beautiful concrete dining room table staring at us, doing something with concrete, was the obvious choice. We started throwing ideas around and decided on making concrete serving platter/cheese boards. You might think to yourself how is this possible, how will this practically work and what will it look like. Well, the proof is in the pudding as they say. Again, after weeks of research, creating molds, testing different cement types, trying out different ratios, we got the winning formula. We actually had a product that looked beautiful, did not crack and did not break when slightly touched. So the sales and marketing began for our products and brand.

Throughout the process of manufacturing, selling and marketing our products, I decided that this is what I wanted to do full time. Believe me, this decision wasn’t a financial one. Yes, we sold the odd product here and there, but nothing close enough to sustain me financially every month. Luckily for me, Wayne was and still is employed full time as an Accountant.

So we started off by going to gift markets over weekends, thinking we would be rich by the end of it. How wrong we were. Our first market turned out ok, with friends and family members supporting us. The second market we sold one product and the third (which would also be our last) we sold zero. Very upset, we phoned our moms and asked them why everyone was lying to us, by telling us our products are beautiful, yet the sales leading up to that point proved the opposite. As mentioned, we stopped with the markets and decided to try different selling techniques.

Not to keep you reading for hours, we can now proudly say that we didn’t give up and with a lot of trial and error we are now selling our products on Hello Pretty, Takealot and our own online shop. With negotiations with a couple of other leading online shops and retailers.

The moral of the story is a cliché, if you have a passion for something, try and fail, try again and possibly fail again, however need stop trying. If one technique, regardless of manufacturing, marketing or sales doesn’t work, move on to the next one until you find THE ONE. And even then you will have days where you want to stay in bed (and that’s ok, I’ve done it once or twice), but tomorrow wake up, dress up and continue to work towards your end goal. We all have different end goals for starting a business, whichever it is just continue.

We started off with a crazy home DIY idea; today we have 15 products and working on expanding to different products and mediums.

This blog post is one in Hello Pretty's guest blog series. Each post is written by a person who is running their online store though South Africa's favourite art, design & craft marketplace.

If you'd like to more view guest posts in this series, and other posts where we interview local businesses, click here.

Wanna write a guest post on Hello Pretty? Email us at info@hellopretty.co.za to find out more.

Pretty Personal with Riz & Resh of the Dollie House

Pretty Personal with Riz & Resh of the Dollie House

Photographic duo Riz & Resh are long time friends and favourites of ours - they recently made us look fancy in our own little photo shoot, and we've had the likes of A Ring To It and Bow Peep turn to them for product photography. Bottom line is, they have mad skillz.

And to our delight, they've joined us as Hello Pretty sellers! They're selling product photography packages that are pretty darn great, and we felt that they deserved to be on the other side of the lense for a change.

Pretty Personal with Riz & Resh of the Dollie House

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  1. Hello! Tell us a little about yourself.

    The Dollie House is the home to Riz and Resh Dollie.  We're both simple beings who find great pleasure in food and greenery (not the bushy kind you're thinking of).

    Resh is a quiet individual with a vision of living clean and building a sustainable existence for his family.  He is the eldest of five brothers and is an avid yogi with an honours in Anthropology.  He is also the prettier member of The Dollie House. 

    Riz has a great passion for people and Instagramming meals.  Riz has worked in every sphere of media and has been messing around with cameras for over ten years. Riz's students gave her a pet name; B.B.D. (we will leave this open to your interpretation).

    We both travel as often as possible and feel as that it's an essential part of the growth of a person.

  2. How/why did the Dollie House?

    The Dollie House was the love child born from our shared passion for visual pleasure.  We both hail from art backgrounds and chose to focus on the anthropology of people and their memories.  We're both fascinated by human behaviour and observation, and photography was a good way for us to express what we saw and experienced through sharing brief passionate moments of peoples' lives.

  3. What do you love?

    We both thrive in any natural environment and have a keen affinity to aesthetics of the visual kind.  We love pretty things, appreciating good food and reading as often as possible  

    Riz loves talking and Resh enjoys silent conversations.  Resh loves cooking and Riz loves eating. We love constant change, hence the choice to grow The Dollie House.

  4. Can you tell us about the wonderful things the Dollie House makes/does?

    We offer a range of lifestyle photography packages and visual styling for shoots and interiors.  Riz focuses on events, family, portrait, maternity and wedding photography.  Resh thrives in making things pleasurable for the eye and desirable for the soul; he spends his time styling shoots and visually merchandising store windows.

  5. Tell us something unusual about you/your trade/etc that people generally don't know.

    We shoot weddings most weekends and because we're so passionate about our jobs, we often become family confidants for the day.  After a few hours with a client's family, we often feel like we're a part of the family.  People always feel the need to share their family histories with you.

    We both love visual storytelling, and voluntary information usually helps strengthen the visual depth of the photographs.

Pretty Personal with Riz & Resh of the Dollie House

These beautiful shots by Ronél Kruger Photography.

Pretty Personal with Cecile from Ménagerie

Pretty Personal with Cecile of the Menagerie

 

1. Hello! Tell us a little about yourself.
I come from a graphic design / film industry creative background. A while after my daughter was born I realised I just couldn't keep up the hectic hours that the film industry demands, and there is something about having kids that makes you want to do something that feels more authentic and worthy. I have a lifelong interest in handmade stuff, and since the craft movement has had such a revival I started a small but very beautiful handmade goods market (once per month) in Stellenbosch called The Treasury Market (it ran for 2 years but I now only do pop-up markets). I met so many wonderful people through the market, and was itching to do something myself and so Ménagerie was born. 

 

2. How / why Menagerie?
Ménagerie is an English word that was used to describe any collection of exotic animals that pre-dated the existence of zoos. It is now also used to describe an odd or eclectic assortment of things, which I thought was quite apt for my animal cushions. I like the name because it is derived from the French word 'ménage' meaning household, and mine is very important to me. Not to be confused with 'ménage à trois' though ;)

 

3. What do you love?
My kids, aged 5 and 2, inspire me every day. They are so unselfconsciously creative, and prove that it is still possible to do original things, something one often forgets in our pinterest/internet dominated world. I also just love living in Cape Town, visiting our many excellent markets (like the Milnerton market for finding aged treasures) and making use of our easy access to nature. I have a love/hate relationship with the interweb, I love keeping up to date with shifting trends but I feel one has to cut yourself off too so you are not too influenced by it. I am also very inspired by some local makers who have managed to build up some beautiful brands!

Pretty Personal with Cecile of the Menagerie

4. Can you tell us about the wonderful things Menagerie makes?
Menagerie makes a range of cushions that are silkscreened by hand on natural cotton. For the animal cushions I start with a photo that has some charm (for which I buy an extended license so I can use it for items for resale) and then I do some extensive photoshopping on it to enhance the charm and change it into a modern looking bitmap image. I am now starting to bring out some more colourful items and am especially excited about a screen printed doll I am designing. 

 

5. Tell us something unusual about you / your trade / etc that people generally don't know.
Once my daughter, aged 4, snuck upstairs into my studio, where she is not really allowed in office hours, and this conversation happened:
 
  She: "Mommy, what are you doooiiing?"
  Me: "I am sewing."
  She: "Whyyy?"
  Me (a bit irritated since I was trying to finish something): "So I can make money so we can buy things."
  She (looking at me dumbfounded): "But mommy, you aren't making money, you're making cushions!" 
 
Lol, until I figure out how to just make the money, I will just have to keep making cushions!

 

Pretty Personal with Cecile of the Menagerie

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Pretty Personal with Lauren Frates

Pretty Personal with Lauren Frates

We've all played a childhood game of "I Spy" on long car trips, but usually our discoveries tended more towards the mundane - cars, trees, and the like. Lovely Lauren from iSpy has a knack for finding the hidden beauty in everything around her, and uses it to create beautiful homeware with bright, bold prints. Here's her story.

Pretty Personal with Lauren Frates

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  1. Hello Lauren! Tell us a little about yourself.

    Ok, so I'm a graphic designer by day, and textile designer at night and on weekends. I spent 10 years living and working in Pretoria and Jo'burg as a graphic designer before we moved to Knysna in 2010. Taking a break to have babies and adjust to small town life resulted in an unintentional shift towards experimenting with textile design, just for kicks. At this stage in my life, I seem to be wearing many hats – wife, mom of two preschoolers, domestic manager, graphic designer, textile designer and a member of a really collective called Hands Design Collective – a good story for another day!

  2. I'm tired just thinking about how busy you are! At what point did you realise that iSpy had gone from being an outlet to a brand with a life of its own?

    Has iSpy become a brand of it's own? Awesome if it has! Living in teeny Knysna, it feels like I'm Facebooking, emailing and posting into oblivion ;-)

  3. Haha! It absolutely has, and we're so glad. Your designs definitely aren't "teeny" though - lots of bright colours and bold prints. Where do you draw inspiration from?
    Living in Africa, you'd think my inspirations would be more Afrocentric. And once upon a time they probably were. But I now find myself gravitating towards the simplicity and boldness of Scandinavian design. I love the way their designs, from furniture to product design to textiles, are so simple and clever, but haven't lost that human touch. Personality is also such a strong component in their work, as is color – they are so good at mixing up scrumptious, unexpected color palettes. Scandi design makes me smile. It has a strong emotional pull for me.

     

  4. I love that you've taken the very simple aesthetics of Scandi design but managed to make them pop. What are some more interesting facts about your designs?

    It's really important to me to have iSpy products be as handmade as possible. A lot of my formal graphic design training centered around hand rendered design and illustration, so it's always been close to my heart. I believe this adds something special and gives my products a little bit of soul. I also want to support fellow Knysnarians wherever possible. All my designs are meticulously screenprinted by hand by a small family-run studio called The Natural Hand and my products are sewn by a jolly group of township ladies called Women of Vision. The leather components of my totes are sewn by the local shoe repair guy who operates just around the corner from our shop, so my bags take their place in the queue of shoes waiting for repairs.

  5. That sounds like an amazing little community you've built up. Ok, last question. It obviously has to be "I Spy, with my little eye, something beginning with..."

    ...world domination, one town at a time ;-)

We can't say we'd mind! Living in a world full of colour and pretty prints sounds awesome, to be honest. You can see more of Lauren's work in the iSpy Hello Pretty store, and get in touch on Facebook.

Pretty Personal with Jessica Binns

Pretty Personal with Jessica Binns

Charming Jessica from Hector & Bailey is much like the designs she produces - whimsical, gorgeous, and with a really interesting story behind her! We decided to find out what that story is.

Pretty Personal with Jessica Binns

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  1. Hello Jess! Tell us a little about yourself.

     

    Hello there. I moved to Durban from the UK two and a half years ago. It was a spontaneous decision which is totally unlike me, but love was involved, so I'll say no more... I started Hector & Bailey, my interiors company, back in London and it only seemed right to bring it to South Africa to give the company a chance here. Nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say.

     

  2. And the UK's loss is SA's gain! How did Hector & Bailey come into being?

     

    Hector & Bailey was the outcome of a very sad situation. In 2009, amidst the depths of recession, the architectural company I worked for went under. I decided to take my chances as a freelance interior designer and go it alone. I had 10 years experience under my belt, so I thought it was worth pursuing. I'm very glad I did, I've been out of my comfort zone ever since, but that's what keeps me on my toes. So in conclusion, Hector & Bailey is my silver lining.

     

  3. That must have taken guts. What inspires the H&B ethos and aesthetic?

     

    I love to seek out unwanted items and nurture them into the best they can be. Everything - like everyone - has the true potential to be utterly wondrous, and I adore being part of that process. My influences tend to lean towards colour, however I'm currently embracing my neutral side. You can't fail to be inspired by the flora and fauna that reside in this country. I am also crazy mad for cats and the odd G&T too!

     

  4. We could be sisters! Cats and G&Ts are basically fuel for Team HP. Tell us a bit more about the wonderful things you make and remake?

     

    The upcycling and product ranges from Hector & Bailey began when I moved here. I had spent far too long in front of a computer and wanted to be more hands on, plus I needed a reason to work outside and soak up the beautiful African sun!  So I set to work transforming furniture from our garage. This grew to upcycled cushions and lights and then on to product design of cushions, perspex planters and coasters. I like to keep busy. :) Aside from the retail side, my day job is interior design & decor. My work has taken me to places as far as Mozambique - I love the diversity this industry has.

     

  5. I believe your mom is also very talented. Did that play a part in your story, do you think?

     

    My mum is an extremely creative lady and has been a firm role model in my life. I think my emotional responses to beautiful, well made, ethical items is a trait I picked up from her. There has to be meaning behind things, whether it's the process of how it was made to the history tied up in that one item. Emotion plays a huge role in design, I wouldn't have that any other way.

     

Absolutely right - and gorgeous design is one of our favourite things (along with cats and G&Ts of course). You can see Jessica's latest treasures in the Hector & Bailey Hello Pretty store, and stay in touch on Facebook and Twitter.

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