Ann Widner’s background is in photography. Over the years she has acculumated a growing collection of images and when she finally ran out of wall space, she began transferring them onto beads and jewellery.

Ann’s little visions now adorn a distinctive range of bracelets, pendants, and earrings. Check them out at www.annwidner.com. Buy online at www.annwidner.etsy.com.

If you’re feeling a bit sluggish after the Bank Holiday, sit back and relax for a few minutes and read all about Elizabeth Carnahan of Longcroft Soap and a typical day in her life.

The Day Begins

My day usually begins at 7.15. The first thing I do is make my way to the kitchen and fire up the espresso machine. I like a few minutes of quiet time before waking the children for school, so I’ll drink a couple of cups of ristretto while I check my orders and email, and make a plan for the day.

Along with making soap, I also run a cosmetics-supply company. Most days, I’ll have a few orders to fill, so I head over to my warehouse after the morning school run to pack parcels. Once that’s done, I go back home and make soap.

‘The best bit is adding the fragrance and colours because they’re what give the soap its personality’

There are eight varieties of soap in my current collection, so I try to make at least five kilos of each kind every week. I find this helps me keep enough stock to meet both my retail and wholesale demand. The highlight of my day is making the soap batches because I love the creativity it affords me. It’s always exciting to the raw ingredients (oils, water, and caustic soda) come together to form the soap. The best bit is adding the fragrance and colours because they’re what give the soap its personality. I love adding my signature hearts to the tops of the soap loaves.

I also try to do a bit of packaging every day. It isn’t my favourite task, but at the same time, it isn’t demanding, and I find I do my best thinking while my hands are engaged with paper, tape, and scissors. I try to use only biodegradable packaging, and keeping the products interesting can be a challenge. Lately, I’ve been using recycled scrapbook paper to wrap my soaps, and I’m really pleased with how they look.

‘After lunch, I’ll take a short walk if the weather is nice’

Lunch is usually an informal affair and I’ll generally have something simple. My favourite lunchtime dish at the moment is a cheese toastie with homemade tomato soup. Not very exciting, but it hits the spot on a regular basis!

After lunch, I’ll take a short walk if the weather is nice. If the weather isn’t great, I’ll work on my latest Showcase piece for Saponifier Magazine.

Mid-afternoon is parcel pick-up time, so I make sure everything is ready to go when my courier arrives. Then it’s time for the afternoon school run and my working day is effectively over. I collect the children from school, help them with their homework, and start dinner.

I love being self-employed because it gives me the flexibility to run a successful business and manage a busy family life. It also gives me a tremendous amount of freedom, both personally and professionally. I feel extremely fortunate to work for myself because I wouldn’t be happy stuck in an office somewhere.

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You can buy Longcroft Soap products online at www.longcroftsoap.co.uk.

A big thank to Elizabeth for sharing her day with us.

Today’s feature follows Rachael Lamb through a day in her life. Rachael is a talented designer of jewellery and bags and runs the hugely successful Hannah Zakari online store. Grab a brew, sit back and read on.

Scott’s Porage Oats and Peppermint Tea

I’m usually woken up by my husband’s alarm going off at around 7:30, if it wasn’t for this I’d quite easily sleep until 9 or later every day. I lie in bed looking at my wallpaper (it’s very nice!) through bleary eyes and think about the day ahead, what I need to do, what I meant to write down last night but forgot, and if there is enough milk for breakfast.

I run Hannah Zakari out of my flat so I don’t have far to travel to work, just from bedroom to office via the kitchen. My day usually starts with a bowl of Scott’s Porage Oats and a peppermint tea in front of my computer. I use this time to read through emails and print off any sales that come in as well as looking around some of my fave websites and Facebook, MySpace, etc to see what has been happening and if I have any messages on them. One of the best places on the net just now (in my opinion) is Polyvore, it’s one of my favourite morning rituals to check what people have been using Hannah Zakari items for.

The Working Day

I work on my own all day every day - luckily I like my own company! Sometimes it feels like I spend more time in front of my computer than actually designing and making stuff, but that’s due to the success of HZ so I don’t complain too much about that! On a typical day the main part will be made up from packing orders and taking them to the post office which can take a good few hours during busy times, the rest of the day could be spent checking in new stock, taking pictures, ‘gimping’ them and listing things on the website, doing some promotion, speaking to current designers or looking for new ones - there is always something to do.

I’m lucky enough to have a big office space, so I have separate areas for different tasks - a table for cutting fabric and sewing, my jewellery area with all my beads, chain and pliers and another bit for packing up orders. Despite this, I always seem to run out of space and no matter how much extra storage I buy, I outgrow it in a matter of weeks.

The first thing to get neglected when HZ really took off was my own line so now I try to make time each week to work on my own designs and to look through my favourite internet shops for fabric and supplies for that - I have favourites that I could spend hours on if I let myself and am totally addicted to searching for (and buying) vintage/interesting buttons!

Left Overs for Lunch

I go to the post office around 2pm every day and will have my lunch around this time too. Sometimes I might pick something up from a local deli but it usually consists of left overs from the night before (today I have Mexican - yum!). I use this time again to read online papers or go on my favourite forums while I eat and try and relax a bit before starting up again in the afternoon.

Night Owl

Around 5 pm I usually wind things down for a bit and will meet John or a friend for a latte and a gossip at my favourite local coffee shop, but I don’t think I ever really finish work! It’s very unusual for me to go home and relax after this and am regularly seen still sitting at my computer until the wee small hours getting stuff finished off. Even if I wake up in the middle of the night I’ll pop through to the office and see if the site is busy, check if there have been any sales to exotic addresses in different timezones or just other night owls. No matter how hard I try to break this habit my good intentions never last more than a week!

If I’m not working at night I am usually decorating my flat, maybe when this is finished I’ll start to put my feet up in front of the telly more often, but I doubt it somehow!

I love working for myself, I couldn’t be luckier with what I do for a living and it suits my nature very well as I enjoy the freedom of being able to choose my own hours and be my own boss. I’ve learned a lot about myself since I started Hannah Zakari - good and bad! - and I’ve also taught myself a lot of new skills, not just craft related but business skills like buying, marketing, and accounting (maybe one day I’ll even master The Spreadsheet, but I won’t hold my breath!).

It can be tough being on your own for long periods of time sometimes and it helps if you can stay positive after a hard day. I am very lucky that I have some good friends to keep me on an even keel when things are slow or I’m having a confidence crisis - it helps to have someone who doesn’t mind listening to you ranting and reassuring you at times.

Made In The Shade

This month I will be exhibiting at Made In The Shade, a collaboration between Glasgow Craft Mafia and Creative Entrepreneurs Club at The Lighthouse in Glasgow. The event is shaping up to be *the* place to shop in Glasgow on the day (no mean feat!) and will be showcasing some of Glasgow’s best young design talent - I’m excited already and planning lots of lovely one of a kind and new pieces to be unveiled on the day which I’m having lots of fun making! Sat May 25th, The Lighthouse, Mitchell Lane, Glasgow.

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Thank you Rachael!

Friday at last and what better way to round off the week than with a Day In the Life of feature. Today’s article is written courtesy of skilled designer and seamstress, Katy Goy of My Little Empire.

Dreaming About Dresses

I am usually awoken at 6.15am by a screaming cat. I then lie in bed for an hour or so thinking about dresses, fabric, things I’d like to wear, and attempting to doze while the cat attempts to suffocate me.

After all the hard work of thinking, I generally get up feeling inspired and excited for what I’m going to do in the day. The first thing I do in the morning is to check my emails. Email checking is very important for me as I like to be as speedy with my delivery of pieces to customers as I possibly can, so if there are any urgent orders then the whole plan for the day can change.

I don’t like to eat in the morning, I never have. When I was little coffee and bourbon biscuits were my thing. Now I’ve mellowed and am on softer things like fresh orange and innocent smoothies.

Inspiration Through Blogs

If the emails have not been filled with quasi emergencies, then I like to read what Susie Bubble has to say for the day. This is essential reading for me; I hate the whole snobby side of fashion and this is as far away from that as you can get. It’s a riot of instant inspiration on your screen. Then it’s over to Indie Quarter to see who my new crafty crush is this week. Often from these two blogs I’ll go off on an inspiring journey through the net for an hour or so, stumbling upon magazines that I simply must read (Lula, Preen etc.) and designers that I must learn more about (Jane Carlstrom).

What happens next depends greatly on the time of year. There are many stages of designing anything - the ideas stage, the sample stage, the production stage, the ‘it’s all wrong and I hate it’ stage. So my day can either be filled with sketching (competently) sewing (brilliantly!) or attempting to do the business side of things (with room for improvement).

Just Me and The Fluff

Generally my interaction with people is fairly minimal during the day. Sometimes I’ll be able to play with my friends from upstairs - they are involved in the film industry which is exciting to learn about. Or I’ll go and meet my musical friend for three curries and rice in Manchester’s NQ [Northern Quarter]. But mostly it’s just me and The Fluff. She’s very helpful and gives her invaluable opinion freely!

I Don’t Think That You Switch Off if You’re a Designer

The working day lasts generally as long as is necessary, so if there is lots to do I can still be going at 10pm. I always stop to eat with my partner and housemate though, as working by myself a lot can get lonely.

My favourite evening of the week is Tuesday which is often spent at The Pinch and feels like being at home except someone else makes the drinks and there is usually an interesting live music act on. I don’t think that you switch off if you’re a designer. You’re always partly at work. So going to nights like these are like design in action for me. I find myself cataloguing every outfit I see that I like, the ones I don’t like and why. This is people watching with a purpose!

After a drink and a soak up of the sounds and a chat to the gorgeous The Bangs girls it’s off home to sleep, sort of. As when I close my eyes I see designs, the fabric to use, or just the general colour pallet, or silhouette that I want to design the next piece I make in. I have to try really hard to remember all these ideas because I never remember to bring my notebook to bed, which means I go to sleep eventually through worry that I’ll forget something.

Things I Like About Being an Indie Designer

The best thing about being an Indie designer is the feeling of satisfaction I get from expressing myself creatively on a daily basis. It makes me feel complete somehow, seeing a flat piece of fabric become something three dimensional and tangible and having the skills to do that myself is really important to me.

I’m Not So Enamoured With . . .

I am however not so enamoured with the whole business side of being an indie designer. I find that I am far too timid to approach people, and promote myself as I should be doing. Oh, and I hate numbers so the accounts bit of it isn’t that great either.

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Thank you Katy.

To check out Katy’s beautiful creations go to www.my-little-empire.co.uk.

Today we have a day in the life of feature by Cherylline Price of iLE AiYE. And I know you’ll be curious about the name. iLE AiYE is a Yoruba word literally meaning ‘House of Life’. When translated into English it means ‘Mother Earth’.

Over to Cherylline.

‘Quite often I’ll pick up my knitting needles before 7am . . . ‘

Most days, even during my holidays, I wake up at 6am. I adore early mornings. I love the lighting, the stillness, and my quiet time before my partner and son raise their heads. Not to mention my noisy parrot.

The first thing I do is put the coffee pot on and almost simultaneously switch on my PC. Then I sit for at least half an hour, checking emails, my website activity, paying bills, processing orders, or browsing the web. Quite often I’ll pick up my knitting needles before 7am and start my favourite pastime. Knitting. I’ve always got a project on the go, so I feel better about myself if I can knit a few rows before I head out to work.

I work part-time at Central Saint Martins College of Art & Design, such an inspirational environment which I totally soak up. I head out of the door at around 8.30am. I can’t stand London Transport so whatever the weather - rain, snow, sun, wind (I hate the wind) - I’ll cycle to work which generally takes me 30 minutes. By 12.30 midday my shift is complete and it’s time to head home. After running errands - grocery shopping, posting orders, collecting some beads from the bead shop or buttons from the button shop - I generally reach home by around 2ish.

‘If I’m Sitting I’m Knitting’

When I walk in through the door I make a fresh herbal tea for my partner and me and sometimes a light snack. I’ll sit for a few minutes to settle into the environment, then within no time my hands start twitching and I’m reaching for my knitting needles. I’ll generally knit straight out until around 6ish. After making and eating the evening meal I’m back with my needles and knitting until around 9.30. I can’t sit around anymore just watching TV or listening to music. I read someones slogan recently - ’If I’m sitting I’m Knitting’ - that’s me too. But if I’m not knitting then I’m beading or updating my websites, or cutting up fabric and attempting to make a skirt, or a dress, or a bag or a hat. Or organising artists for the weekly Art fayre that I run each Saturday in South West London.

If I’m on holiday from my little part time job then from first thing in the morning till last thing at night I’ll be making something, or experimenting with something else and mostly during holidays I’ll be wet felting. I love felting but I find I have to dedicate extra hours to this process, so I tend to only practice it when the college is closed and I’m on a long break.

‘I love my freedom to express, experiment, learn, and play’

My days just run away with me. I love everything about my days. I love my freedom to express, experiment, learn, and play. I’m my own boss 90% of the time. I love knitting with new yarns and visualising what will come of my new ideas. I can’t read knitting patterns so everything I do is inspired from what I see around me, the colours and texture of yarns, fashion on the streets of London or fellow textile artists.

The worst thing about being an independent designer is that there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I need at least 48 hours! I have so many ideas spinning around in my head with just not enough time to carry them out. Plus I wish the general public would stop comparing the cost of handmade goods to those of Primark. I mean I like a bargain just like the next man/woman, and I try to reflect this in my retail prices, but I do feel independent designers have to sell themselves short too often.

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Thank you Cherylline.

Buy in £s at www.ileaiye.co.uk.
Buy in $s at www.ileaiye.etsy.com.