January

So it's been a busy start to the year! I began the month with a few custom wallet orders I'd collected over the Christmas break and then proceeded to add four more handbag hooks to Etsy.

Custom Wallets in Beautiful Colours

New Handbag Hooks in store

Also added to the shop this month was coin purses, where I kept the design simple and let the fabrics do the talking. The small version features a card slot which will house one or two cards and the purse closes with a top zip. I also began a large version too, but waiting for the zips to arrive in the mail delayed production, this one will have to pop up next month!

New Coin Purses in Bright Colours

Another focus this month was participating in the 30 Questions Challenge organised by Jess from Create and Thrive. Everyday a new business question was the focus to keep us handmade business owners on track for an awesome 2015. Some questions have been challenging and some have been obvious, but all have been worthwhile. This led to a lot of reflection and evaluating which also coincided with my next little bit of news.

As some of you will know, Trove was located at the Lonsdale Street Traders, a building which was only temporary as it has now closed for it's renovation into apartments. A string of events has left Trove searching for a new shop front and after my business evaluation, I realised I would need to pull out. The decision was hard to make as I loved working at Trove but it was for the best. The search for a new location has increased the amount of time and money needed and I would not be able to meet the new commitments.

However having a bit more free time again on the weekends gives me the chance to explore some of the new markets that have popped up in Canberra over the past year. Stay tuned for more on that later in the year!

My new handbag

And my last bit of news, after all of these exciting events I managed to squeeze in some time to make myself a new bag. I've been wanting a new one for quite some time now, but glad I waited as I came across this gorgeous fabric over Christmas. The fabric was a remnant found at Spotlight and when I opened it up was a bit disappointed to find it was a long narrow piece instead of short and wide like I was expecting. However it all worked out perfectly, my new bag pattern just fitting on the width! Love the design, and will be adding some on Etsy soon.

Happy Handbags...

Kerri-Anne
www.kerrianneanderson.com