Friday Friends - Dusty Diva Part 7

Hello again everyone ! It's Friday and I have a new dusty diva to introduce.
This week is Carley from Vanilla Pixie ! I love Carley's clips and have this pair ... and this pair......
and this cute little pouch to keep them in !
Carley's designs are suited for the young or young at heart. I hope you enjoy this weeks DUSTy feature and now I will let Carley tell you her story.





The Vanilla Pixie Story

Who are you & what do you sell?

My name is Carley. I am a wife & stay-at-home mum to three (a job I thoroughly enjoy!).

For me, Vanilla Pixie was born out of necessity. I went looking for something specific & couldn’t find what I was after.

I wanted beautiful, stylish, well-made & hard-to-lose hair accessories for my girls. Inside information told me they just weren’t available. So, with nothing to lose, I made them myself.

Now, almost 2 years later, Vanilla Pixie has over 500 online sales, has stock in children’s boutiques across Sydney & continues to grow!!

Where did your business name come from?

I wanted something that was fun, sweet & obviously, new. And I didn’t want to give the name any personal attachment.

So, I visited my friends at Wikipedia & looked up words that were evocative for me (food is always a good place to start). Eventually, after much trial & error – and lots of visits to ASIC making sure it wasn’t already taken – voila, Vanilla Pixie.

Along the way I toyed with pomegranates, lavender & thimbleberries

What are your inspirations & muses?

I make anything that my daughters (2 years & 5 years) would love to wear. When creating, my 5-year-old will ask “is that for me or another little girl?” Often, I will do 2 or any given design – one for sale, & one for my girls.

Any good craft store can get the creative juices flowing too. I would just love to be let loose in a ribbon warehouse…


What does your creative space look like?

I have the use of our study as my creative space. It is *reasonably* organized Lots of ribbons in baskets, clips in various vessels & fabric exploding from the cupboard.

My work table is under a big corner window allowing lots of natural light into the room.

It also gives me a view of the letterbox, perfect for watching for the arrival of new supplies.

My creative process in 5 easy steps…

1. Sit in front of my HUGE ribbon stash
2. Reach for the ribbon that catches my eye today
3. Cut it up (eeek!)
4. Quick finger movements, dab of glue & hold for 5 seconds
5. And there you have it – a Vanilla Pixie original

What do you think is the key to achieving successful sales?

You have to believe in what you do!! If you don’t have the commitment to your product, why should anybody else?

I have also spent time working beside one of the most creative, yet business-minded women that I have ever met. From her, I learnt that you can’t afford to get lazy. Your business always has room to grow. If something isn’t working, change it. Always be on the front foot. Take every opportunity to put yourself, and your product, out there. The very worst that could happen is that someone will say no.

Tell us a little about what makes you, you. Your other hobbies, day job (if any…), anything that makes you tick.

I crave the escapism of books (there is always one on the go), shopping, hanging out with friends & family.

I’ve recently discovered, and fallen in love with, crochet.

My background is in administration – in my pre-children life I was Administration Manager to a top Australian hairdressing salon.

My retail obsession is bags (in any form) & I have a sweet tooth.


What are you most proud of in your crafting/art life and your personal best achievement?

Craft – I’m easily pleased… the fact that people like my accessories enough to want to buy them makes me happy.

Personal – my family. The last decade has been amazing – finding the man of my dreams & having 3 kids. Perfect!

Complete these sentences:
· I love… my family
· I cannot live without… books
· I hope… that the value of handmade continues to be realized & appreciated

What do you like most about the crafting/art world?

The sense of community. The artists & crafters I have had the pleasure to meet, network with & buy from are incredibly encouraging.

I feel privileged to be part of a team of exceptional women who are not only talented in their various fields, but are also amazingly supportive of each other, no matter the situation.

Where can we get more goodies from you?

Etsy – http://www.vanillapixie.etsy.com
madeit – http://www.madeit.com.au/vanillapixie

Selected styles available from Retrospections (Cammeray, NSW).

Blog – http://www.vanillapixie.blogspot.com
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/VanillaPixie
Twitter – http://www.twitter.com/vanillapixie