Meet the Stockist: Sick for Cute - Giveaway!

Our new monthly feature on the last Friday of every month will showcase stockist of independent makers, a little about them and their business, and their tips on how to approach shops in order to sell your work with them.

First up is Sick for Cute who have kindly offered to give a tote bag of the winners choice to a lucky entrant.

♥ ♥ ♥ Enter here! ♥ ♥ ♥

♥ What’s your name and where do you come from??
My name is Lindsay and I run Sick for Cute along with my husband Tyler. We're currently located in sunny Southern California!
♥ How long have you been in the boutique business and what made you get started?
Sick for Cute has been open a little over three years now. We actually started off online under the name 'Kid Pirate' which was my own line of screen printed tees and accessories.

After a while we decided that we wanted to expand Kid Pirate into a more general shop and so Sick for Cute was born!

♥ What’s your shop like and what do you sell?
Sick for Cute is strictly online, for now anyway! We have an office and warehouse where we keep our inventory, do our shipping, work on new designs, and have fun! :) Our style is cute & quirky. It's really important to me to be able to offer cute apparel and accessories strictly to adults because I feel grown ups are deprived of so much cuteness when it comes to clothing options!!

♥ What’s your typical day like - the best bits and the worst bits?
A typical day is getting to work at about 8:30 am and taking care of customer service inquiries and emails. Then we pack orders for a couple hours a day and spend the rest either working on new designs, assembling products, sourcing new products, working on the website, chit chatting about ideas and plans, and a plethora of other boring little things like inventory and restocking boxes!

♥ What do you look for in handmade goods to sell?
I look for accessible, well made goods with a quirky edge. The items typically have to be remade easily.

♥ Do you actively seek new designers, or wait for them to come to you?
Both, but mostly if I'm interested in a designer I'll contact them right away.

♥ What’s your best seller?
The Hey Sailor Ladies Tee. It's a classic!

♥ How do you prefer a designer to approach you about selling their work? Any tips?
I prefer an email with a pdf catalog or something similar. They should at least send a price list, images or links to images, and their terms/conditions. Personally I wouldn't like it if a designer turned up with their work in their pocket because I'd feel put on the spot. I like to take my time to consider things before making a decision. [Please note that Sick For Cute are not currently seeking new designers].

♥ What sort of basis do you prefer to work with your designers - consignment or wholesale?
We prefer wholesale because it's easier, but will and have worked on a consignment basis. It really all depends on the individual so we consider things on a case by case basis.

♥ Link us up!
http://www.sickforcute.com/

Sick for Cute on Facebook

Sick for Cute on Twitter
 

♥ ♥ ♥ Enter the Sick for Cute giveaway!! ♥ ♥ ♥

xoxo

Inspiration Station #6

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Rainbow!

xoxo

Little (non-food) treats for being a good girl

We all need a little treat from time to time, right? A reward for getting something done, or when you realised you've had no 'me' time at all...

I love a treat, but it's always been chocolate, or cake, or pizza.... I am an absolute comfort eater in every sense. But this has to change if I want to look ker-ching in Austin in June!!

I am compiling a list of non-food treats and would love you to tell me more! They have to be fairly cheap and accessible and able to use straight away/there and then.  Here goes:

♥ a new lipstick

 I want to try this sooo bad

♥ a magazine
♥ time to doodle
♥ a new nail polish

 'Pretty edgy' by Essie. I want it!

♥ DIY manicure
♥ a (professional) eyelash tint
♥ an extra exercise class
♥ time to write a snail mail letter
♥ inviting the girls round for brews and biscuits in fancy china

 I need a collection of really cute cups to drink out of! And this may be the first... ♥

Any other suggestions? I'd love to know your thoughts... ♥

xoxo

Inspiration Station #5

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Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker

xoxo

I heart... welcoming signs

Something that The Penthouse lacks right now is something to say the door is always open for guests (just give me a ring before you come, sometimes I like to have naked days).  here's a selection of nice welcoming homewares:

♥ Hello recycled wooden sign by William Dohman on Etsy

♥ Vintage Wooden 'Welcome' Blocks by Seahorse on Not On The High Street

♥ Free hugs we're open' sign by Sunny Champagne on Etsy

Lovely

xoxo

Sweet notes from my sweets

I went to the postbox on Saturday and found this...

 

Obviously it didn't have stars all over it - that's to stop you stalking me.  But it did have... ♥ neatest handwriting ♥ two different cute tapes ♥ a cute heart coloured in pink, where the dot should be.

And... what's this on the back...?

 

♥ Pop art!! Oh me, oh my! ♥♥♥ 

 It was a lovely early Valentine card from Samantha, my London pal... it made me sooo happy!!

I put it straight on my lovely notes board. The board may need upgrading to something more lovely soon...

I can't wait to write a snail mail back!

Here's some sweet messages in my text box today. But who are they from?! 

♥♥♥ Have a really lovely day, love-birds ♥♥♥

xoxo

A video blog: Regional dialect meme

I was name checked in the end of Samantha (aka Marthaamay)'s Regional Dialect Meme video, and so I have made a little video myself, saying some words in my West Yorkshire accent...

Say these words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Now answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

 

Have a go yourself  :) be sure to link back to me

 

xoxo

 

P.S I have an exciting new feature and giveaway coming up - keep your eyes peeled! 

Inspiration Station #4

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Bubbles!

xoxo

This is why no jewellery is getting done:

My new hobby to help get into short shorts by the time I'm in Austin, Texas.  These have just arrived!

Roller derby, roller disco and general roller skating. Retro roller cool.

I have also started Lishi, which is lovely.

Jewellery related updates soon!

xoxo

This was London: 5 Feb 2011

I went to London on Saturday! Here's a run down of ace things, chance happenings and other stuff:

♥ I managed to drag my arse out of bed at 5.15am
♥ I got two seats together on the train and took my shoes off... and spread out all nice!
♥ Samantha and I took out a flask of peppermint tea and two proper cups!

Look at how we chose a place to drink tea that matched Samantha's outfit

♥ I tried on many pairs of sunglasses for my trip to Austin later this year

♥ Samantha got papped by Elle Streetstyle team, and she was wearing the Forecast of Fun cloud necklace! Aces.

Here's the stylist taking Samantha's details. He had heard of KitschenSink already! Household name now!

♥ We popped into Selfridges to see Supermarket Sarah's new concession. I spotted my friend Magasin's work

 

♥ Fell in love with this shop 'Artbox'. Proper awesome kawaii stationery, and reasonable prices too! Forget Paperchase!

♥ Lots of lovely chocolate samples in the food hall

♥ Weird flower tea that tasted like perfume... eugh

♥ Lola's Cupcakes! 

I got a peanut butter one, Samantha had carrot :P

♥ Gorgeous olives and stuffed vine leaves from Borough Market

♥ Bumped into friends from home by London Bridge

♥ Marco made a super chickpea dish. I could be vegetarian if he cooked for me every day.

♥ Red wine and Take Me Out and laughs and reminiscing

♥ Kisses from Solina in the night!

 

Ace weekend :) Thanks to Samantha and Marco for having me ♥

xoxo

In the press: COSMO!

I'm right chuffed to have been featured in COSMO, I'm tellin' yer!

Cosmopolitan, March 2011, p167

Lovely sweet recognition from a very well known magazine! And sat next to Tatty Devine and thems :) Boom!

xoxo

Can every day be like this, please?

Ah... what a great day...

♥ I had a lovely lie-in til 8am
♥ Crumpets for breakfast and a home made orange and blueberry smoothie
♥ All the supplies I needed for the day's workshops were ready for me at the Post Office (cutting it fine, as per)
♥ I arrived in town early, so I tried on a couple of summer dresses and bought one in a slinkier size smaller than usual!
♥ I spotted two magpies together, twice! Does that mean two dollops of good luck?
♥ Local loon, Mad Mick, asked me 'How are you getting on?', and 'Have you got 50p?', to which I replied 'Ooft I don't carry that sort of cash around! It's dangerous for a girl on her own!'. To which he agreed.

♥I had a really great day running two jewellery making workshops with 70 ESOL students.  I can be quite intimidating when they're all speaking another language, and laughing... and you have no idea what they're laughing at! But they were very sweet, and very engaged in what they were making.  Here's a quick snap I took with my phone of some of the finished pieces:

A few finished pieces by the ESOL students

♥ Had a free lunch (including millionaire's shortbread, a favourite treat!)

♥ Popped into the BD1 and Impressions Gallery to see some of David Hockney's "Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm".  Two of my favourite things rolled into one! Here's a scene from Rapunzel (featuring my reflection):

David Hockney's Six Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm runs until 6 March 2011 at Bradford 1 Gallery, Centenary Square, Bradford

♥ Now I'm sitting all Carrie Bradshaw (you know - 'single and fabulous'?), writing about stuff I love to do for you to read

♥ In a while I'm going to see my longest friend (not in centimeters) and her beautiful baby boy :')

♥ Maybe if I'm not tired when I'm home I'll finish the new collection and pack up a set for the photographer

Blisssss

xoxo

Inspiration Station #3

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Pop!!

xoxo

This was January

Did you notice I have had a little blog snooze? After the mania of December sales I thought I'd kick back and spend some time away from the desk!

This was some of January:

• I watched Season 1 of Mad Men and five episodes of Season 2 whilst 
• I made all the pendants for the new collection (yeees!)
• I went bowling with a big bunch of friends and 
• I had my first Nando's experience
• I ate mainly Chinese food and battered fish butties but
• I lost 8lbs!
• I helped one of my bezzies choose colour schemes, themes and bridesmaid dresses (we try them on in February!)
• I changed my lip piercing to a black stud. It looks ok but now I think I want blue!
• I got artwork for a project that launches later in the year done and ready to roll
• I bought a Barcelona guidebook! I fly out with two friends in March! I really can't wait to visit the old fashioned Tibidabo fun fair! 

Credit

• I started to put plans in place for a bigger trip. To visit Kate P in Austin, Texas. YES!

xoxo