50 Random Facts TAG!

In this day and age we tend to know people and even call people friends that we have never met in person! Which when you think of it is a bit bizarre! I have seen people do the "50 things you didn't know about me tag" on Youtube and I thought I would give it a go on my blog!

So here goes!

1. My first proper job was being a waitress at the R.S.A.

2. I hate celery.

3. I'm a dog person. 

4. I started my business on a whim overnight with no business plan, strategy or any idea as to what I was doing!

Vintage Spice NZ

5. I have always wanted to be a mum!

6. Growing up I wanted to be a soccer player, hairdresser, vet, makeup artist, Pharmacy technician and a shop owner.

7. I did become a makeup artist and pharmacy technician and I hope to someday be a shop owner!

8. I am scared of the dark.
9. I haven't been able to watch a zombie movie since I watched the 28 Days trilogy one after the other about 4 years ago.
10. I have only been to Auckland 3 times.
11. I have a love/hate relationship with technology.
12. I love Jazz music.
13. I also love Reggae and old Rock 'n' Roll.
14. My parents separated when I was a baby.
15. I have 2 middle names Louise and Ruth they are not hyphenated as some people assume.
16. I once had a pet goat, chicken, turkey, sheep and geese.
17. I met my husband when I was 15 we just celebrated our second wedding anniversary.

18. I like my eggs poached.
19. I love to bake.
20. I am a goal orientated person I always have to be looking forward to something.
21. I am a fan of slam poetry.
22. I have been a bridesmaid twice.
23. And a bride once.
24. I have one daughter.

25. I had gallstones when I was pregnant and it was more painful than labor.
26. I had 2 surgeries when my daughter was 2 weeks old to remove them.
27. I have no plans at this stage to have another baby!
28. I have always wanted to learn to knit.
29. I am teaching myself how to sew.
30. I love slippers
31. I am a Virgo
32. I have only been overseas once when I was 10.
33. I love The Beatles
34. I have a sweet tooth
35. I am ridiculously competitive!
36. I'm pretty over the whole owl thing!
37. I like movies that initiate thought and perspective like "A Time to Kill", "Blood Diamond", "Milk".
38. I love hearing other people's stories.
39. I always hated maths at school.
40. I had the best English teacher in high school who I admired for his passion and love for his job.
41. I left school at 16 to start studying for my career pharmacy.
42. I can be a very anxious person sometimes.
43. I love medical themed TV shows- House, ER, Grey's Anatomy.
44. My dad is a plasterer by trade, my mum is an early childhood educator, my step-dad is a carpet layer.
45. I am a perfectionist.
46. I live in a really small town.
47. I love being busy but hate being stressed.
48. I never lived outside of the Manawatu
49. I love antiques
50. I am really not that interesting!

Thank you for reading if you stuck it out until the end! I tag all of you to post 50 random facts about you on your blog and send me the link so I can read yours too!


Robin x

Let's do something cool!

Hey lovelies,

Some of you may have seen over on our sister blog Crazy Mother Crafter I have a passion and believe we all have a responsibility to give back in to the world what we have been lucky enough to receive.
So I have been thinking (as I seem to do after midnight most of the time) that I would like to do something and I would love to get you guys involved to because I truly believe to make our world a better place we have to do something about it, and let's face it helping people feels good! 


Even a small act of generosity or kindness can make a real difference to one persons life.

Sooooo here is what I am offering you and it isn't going to cost you any money! 

All you have to do is bring in a can of food or a non-perishable food item to my table at this Fridays village night market at the library between 5pm and 9pm and I will give you a free mini bow of your choice! 

All food items will be donated to the Palmerston North food bank.

I only have 3 conditions...

1. All food must have a reasonable expiry date so no short dated products please we want to give the food bank enough time to get the food distributed and eaten before it expires
2. There is a limit of 1 mini bow per person (bring in 1 cans get 1 bow) so there are enough bows for everyone.

3. All food must be non-perishable (canned goods, packaged snack bars, pasta sauce, UHT milk or milk powder) please no food that must be kept in the fridge or goes bad quickly (dairy products, meat, eggs, bread, fresh fruit and veg)

Now I only have a limited amount of bows, not because I want to give away a certain number but just because I can only make so many between now and then with these two hands of mine. So you will have to get in early to avoid disappointment.
This promotion is only valid for this Friday's night market. 

When I was a girl guide many years ago we volunteered at the food bank sorting station when they had their big food drive appeal. It has stuck with me ever since, no matter a persons situation everyone needs a hand sometimes whether it be some food to tie them over for the week or a ear to listen to if they are having a hard time. 

I am not receiving any compensation, payment or advertising in exchange for this promotion. I am not using this as a tax write off nor do I have any other motive besides giving back.

So just to make this clear I am not making any money from this. I am not affiliated with the food bank in any way. I will not be raising my prices on other products to compensate loss of income. 

I hope you will stop by this Friday night and bring a couple of cans of baked beans with you! 

Love 

Robin x

New Bow Packs!

I am so excited to be offering some brand new packs for Vintage Spice! These packs of mini bows in solid colours are a great addition to any wardrobe! 

Measuring 5.5cm long they are the perfect size for little girls and women alike. 

I have put these packs together in colour pallets that work together cohesively and are on trend with fashion right now! 

What do you think of our latest range? 

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~Fancy Bun Tutorial~

I got one of these hair donuts/ bun holders whatever you like to call them a while ago and I wore it out! I used it almost on a daily basis to throw my hair up and make it look like I had put some effort in! Today I decided to have a play with it in a different way on my sisters hair.

She has very fine, curly and as you will see very frizzy hair that tangles quickly, so most of the time she wears it up.

Firstly I combed her hair using a Tangle Teaser, then worked in some smoothing cream through the ends of her hair first and then towards her scalp.

Next I sectioned the hair in half securing the top half in a ponytail.

After that I slid the hair donuts over the ponytails I used one from Equip for under $10. Shape the hair around the donuts and secure with a hair tie.

Next I sectioned the remaining hair down the middle with a comb.

I then twisted the hair up and around the bun securing it with a bobby pin. 

Doing the same to the other side this do is done!

I finished this look off with a gorgeous clip from Vintage Spice to dress it up some more. 

This look would be great for a flower girl, bridesmaid or any dressed up occasion! Super easy but looks interesting and sophisticated! 

Do you know how much I love you?

Yes Vintage Spice is a business.
Yes Vintage Spice provides me and my family with a source of income.
No Vintage Spice is not just a job.
I don't work 9-5 (it's more like 7pm-3am with little bits done during the day) I don't get the same pay check every week and I can't call a guy when I don't know what to do.

Vintage Spice is a part of my life and a part of my families life, you may have seen my husband at markets maybe even my daughter. My father-in-law made my amazing displays that make it so easy for you to see my products. My mum watches my daughter when I go away for markets and fairs and my niece has even helped me at a few markets.

So do you know how much I love you..... I don't think you do. Every smile when you see my products, that comment to your friend that what I make is really pretty, that you wish you had a girl you could buy things for because they are so lovely. All of these little things even if you don't make a purchase means the world to me.

My customers who have worn things to weddings, special occasions and even babies coming home from the hospital with a little Vintage Spice headband on. These are all moments that you will treasure with photos to remember them by and something I made with the same hands that are typing this got to be apart of that. It's actually really overwhelming to me, while I know it sounds absolutely ridiculous to everyone else! I make hair clips for crying out loud!!! The fact that I get to bring joy to other people through doing something I love makes it all so worth it!

When I first started this business almost 2 years ago I had no idea what I was doing, how I was going to do it or where it was going to lead but I am here! I'm still in business, our products have grown, our brand has evolved and our customers (and my family) have come along for the ride. I would not have been able to do this without your support. I put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed, to provide you with products that you will love, that will last at a price that makes them accessible to everyone.

Do you think I make a lot of money by selling a person one $2 hair clip-no I don't, but if that little girl or women or toy poodle walks down the street feeling awesome with their new bow in their hair it is so worth it!!

So I guess this is my long winded, way too emotional thank you for all of your support and love that you show me! Remember this business is me, I write the blogs, I make the products, I do the website stuff, email you answering your questions, talk to you at markets and posts silly pictures on Facebook. If you want to purchase from a handmade business you are looking at it! Even our bags are handmade using a stamp we brought from another small business and bags purchased 2 hours away from our house because it was the best deal!

I love it when you share your photos of you wearing your clips, or walking up the aisle carrying a bouquet I spent 35 hours making. I love it when you comment on blog posts and Facebook photos and I love getting to know you as people.

Thank you for bringing joy into my life by admiring what I create and I hope I have brought some to yours too, even if it was with a headband!


Robin x

Big Plans for Twenty Fourteen!

It's hard to believe we are almost a month into 2014 already! I have so much I want to accomplish this year I better get a move on! So far I have already got our new logo, new packaging and I am prepping for Martinborough Fair!

Here are a few other things I want to do this year in no particular order....

1. Go on a buying trip to Auckland.
2. Buy a DSLR camera.
3. Re-stock the website.
4. Keep blogging on a regular basis.
5. Do more markets further afield.
6. Re-open the Etsy Shop
7. Have better time management
8. Quit my addiction to caramel lattes.
9. Travel more
10. Take more photos
11. Meet more bloggers and small business people.
12. Update my wardrobe
13. Get a funky haircut
14. Get out the sewing machine more.
15. Read more
16. See more live music
17. Spend more time with friends
18. Renovate my daughters bedroom
19. Buy more shoes
20. Buy more handbags
21. Spend more quality time with my family (we already spend heaps of time together but I can't get enough!)
22. Be more organised!! 
23. Have more faith in myself.
24. Achieve my business goals.
25. Volunteer more.
26. Expand my cooking repertoire.

What are some of the things on your list for this year? 

Robin x
 

Shoe Wish List!

Over on Crazy Mother Crafter I showed you 3 pairs of "sensible shoes". Easy to wear practical 'chasing around after kids' shoes! 

But that is just way to sensible and a girl can dream right! So here are my top pics for luxury, expensive shoes that I would have no use for but would look so pretty in my bedroom! 

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Brought to you from the amazing Kate Spade I adore these! I have no idea what I would wear them with let alone where I would wear them to but aren't they gorgeous! At $328USD they really aren't too bad for a pair of designer shoes!

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A few years ago I found a picture of a pair of green Jimmy Choo shoes in a magazine, I ripped out the page and pinned it to the wall. I will own a pair of Jimmy Choo's they are just so beautiful and far more comfortable than other brands of designer shoes! I love these nude pumps with a touch of gold no good for NZ though with all of our unpredictable weather you can't get these babies wet! 

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These boots make my heart flutter! How adorable are these! Of course I had to include a pair of Christian Louboutin's. While sadly these will probably never be in my wardrobe a girl can dream right! 

Do you have a shoe wish list? Share it with me on your blog and post a link in the comments!

Robin x

P.S pop over to Crazy Mother Crafter to veiw our top picks for affordable footwear!