Category: Planning - Miss Red

Calling all artists - take two

18/4/2015

If you've been reading my blog posts for a while you'll recall last year I put a shout out for artists to collaborate with, using their beautiful drawings, paintings or potentially even photographs along with my cross stitch design skills to create some gorgeous charts & kits.

I've been working with Heidi, of Heidi Made This & I love her work & her quirky style. If you haven't had a chance to do so already go & check out her fabulous greetings cards. The kits created turned out even better than expected & I can't wait to do more with Heidi.

I'm now also in a position where I'd like to broaden my range & this is where you lovely lovely arty types can help *flutters eyelashes optimistically*

Here's the original post, it has more details in, pretty much all of which remain the same. If you think it's something you'd be interested in, whether you just want to do a few pieces or ongoing collaborations I'd love to hear from you & can talk you through how it would all work.

I hope to hear from you soon!

Miss Red x

Resistance is futile! ;)

Pumpkins, devils & reindeer

24/9/2014

Who wants to decide between Halloween & Christmas creations? Not me!

Work in progress for this week consists of getting stuck into another of Heidi's fabulous Christmas designs...

...as well as some cool Halloween trick or treat bags for carrying all your goodies! :)

Miss Red x

Zombies & freebies!

11/9/2014

Coo, getting back into the swing of things after a couple of days stuck in bed is always difficult & that was a really horrible few days. Changing pain meds is not the ideal thing to be doing whilst trying to run a business! I shall mostly be working in zombie mode today so forgive me if I seem a bit out of it.

Anyway, more importantly, free stuff! If you've been reading my newsletters you'll know that I'm about to stop making them automatically post to Facebook & Twitter so that subscribers get that little bit extra. This month I'll be doing my first newsletter prize draw, anyone who subscribes to the newsletter AND opens the email will be automatically entered into the draw each month with various different prizes on offer, from cross stitch kits to supplies, embroidered items, clothing and, well, whatever I can think of really! The newsletters will also include subscriber only discounts and pre-sales, so if you've not signed up already, what are you waiting for? Sign up now!

Just because I'm feeling extra generous today, I'll let you in on the secret, the prize for the September draw will be this cross stitch kit, a fab Christmassy kit featuring the artwork of Heidi. I really enjoyed stitching it & I'm sure you will too :)

So, join my mailing list!

Miss Red x

WIP Wednesday

6/8/2014

Do you keep to-do lists? I do. Trouble is I tend to keep adding to my list all day more than crossing things off so by the end of the day I have a longer list! Well, today my list got shorter...and I did some awesome plotting that wasn't on the list too :D

In good news my website & Ebay listings are all now up to date & the majority of what I have to sell is now also on Pinterest. I have a draft ready to go for the next newsletter (I'm just deciding what I can do to thank my lovely subscribers for adding themselves to my mailing list), if you've not already added yourself you can do that here. I've made up a bunch of cross stitch kits so they're ready to post & have all orders parcelled up & ready to go - organised eh?

Embroidered shirt - ready to post

Today I've also been talking to another awesome artist who I'm really excited about working with but it's hush hush until things are all finalised. I might even tell my newsletter subscribers first ;)

There are also plans afoot to get more Miss Red goodies out there in real shops. Did you know that as well as using the internet you can go outside to shops that are actual buildings? I know, weird eh? :p

Unfortunately for this blog post my productive day doesn't have a whole lot of pictures I can show for it.

Here's stuff I finished earlier this week:

Short shorts

Bunting for my stall (I haven't booked a stall yet but well, forward planning!)

Millionaire's Squares - birthday tastiness for the bestie (and me)

Great British Bake Off ain't got nothin' on me! ;)

Right, I'm off to eat some of that...now I've seen it my tummy wants some! Byeeeee

Miss Red x

P.S: I'm only 7 likes off of 400 on Facebook, I'd love a little share to push me over the milestone if you don't mind ;)

Beware of the squirrels!

29/7/2014

...head squirrels that is. You know them? They're all distracting with their fluffy cuteness but if you get up close they can be quite scratchy & bitey & everything they leave behind is nuts!

I've had a right old problem with the head squirrels this last few weeks or so. For me they come out a lot in the sunny weather, my body can't regulate my temperature so I'm feeling exhausted & in pain, which in time invites depression & anxiety to take hold, meanwhile positivity is off having a nap in a dark room somewhere. Perfect squirrel conditions!

As most of you know my business is still just a new one, around 7 months in I'm still really building the foundation & finding you gorgeous ideal audience members...yeah, you there, I saw you drooling over that corset earlier, did you know you can have it in any size, shape or fabric you want? ;)

I digress.

My point is, nobody expects me to have earned my first million within 7 months of business do they? (Do they?!?) So why, when the squirrels invade, do I think I'm useless at this whole self employed lark because all I've managed is not to go into overdraft? NUTS!!!

In reality, my last wage was over a year ago & I've supported myself since then. How many people could truthfully say that if their wages stopped tomorrow without warning they could survive a year without outside financial assistance? My guess is not many!

Yes, it would be fantastic to be living comfortably & never to be thinking "jeez, I really need to get a proper job" but I'm hanging on in there & I have A PLAN & I'm not going to let the squirrels win!

I do have a teeny tiny favour to ask to help me out a little, & I suspect those of you who haven't stopped reading already are just the kind of lovely people who will help me out.

What's the favour?

If you see something from Miss Red you like or know someone else would like, share it.

You can tell just one other person about it, shout it from the rooftops, plaster it over the whole of the internet but pretty please with cherries on top, don't keep it to yourself.

You could start my sharing my Facebook page, Twitter, the website, the newsletter or even just a particular product. It'll probably take about 30 seconds, you could do it right now ;)

Thank youuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!

Miss Red x

Melty WIP Wednesday

23/7/2014

Cor, it's a bit warm isn't it?

I've been pretty broken by the weather so lots of bits & bobs going on depending on what I can manage & which room is cooler at the time.

Couple of his & hers lilac pillowcases up first. These will be being listed at £10 per pair initially but there is the option to personalise further & choose different colours.

Bit more progress on the "Tied up" cross stitch.

And a new one started...

The beginnings of something wedding-y...

...and a bit of bunting on the go for my stall :)

Phew! Time for a drink of something with ice cubes in I reckon ;)

Miss Red x

Calling all artists

16/7/2014

Are you an artist or designer by trade or do you just love creating beautiful pieces of art?

Would you like to see your artwork in a different medium?

Would you like more widespread recognition for your work?

If your answer is YES then YOU may be just the person I'm looking for!

(If not then pretty please do me a huge favour & share this with your talented arty friends, I'll love you forever!)

I currently draw all the artwork for my cross stitch kits by myself & this can be very time consuming as well as limiting what I can create - because
a) I'm no artist &
b) the length of my working day is completely dependent on my health day to day.

The idea is that artists could make my process shorter by creating the original artwork so I can focus on creating the patterns, stitching them out, editing & creating the completed counted cross stitch kits.

What do I want?

Artwork in your own distinctive style
No copyright infringement
Exclusive licence (so no-one else can create cross stitch kits using the same artwork)
A number of pieces - emailed or posted
Your logo if you have one (to credit you on kit packaging)
Details of your website/somewhere to point people at so they can see more of your lovely work if applicable
Links from your website/social media to my website so your existing fans can see the kits

What's in it for you?

A new medium & line of sale for your artwork
Professional kit creation using genuine DMC threads & quality materials
New audience
Credit for your work on the kit packaging, within all sale listings and in general on the Miss Red website & social media
Links to your own website on mine so people can see more of your work
Choice of how many pieces to submit & how often to submit
Final review of the kit before it goes on sale to ensure it truly reflects the quality & value of your work
Collaboration with MEEEEEEEE ;D

A choice of:

A percentage of profits (to be negotiated)

or

Kits and/or digital patterns to sell yourself (pricing to be mutually agreed)

Here are some of the kits I've already made:

Interested? Great!

Drop me an email or message me using the contact page - a link to some of your work would be fab too ;) Thank you for reading.

Miss Red x

Aren't you lucky!

8/7/2014

Just lately when I've started talking to new people "oh, you're so lucky" has been a frequent response when I tell them I'm self-employed.

Well, the short response to that is "hell no!"

The longer response? Lets see, I've battled for years with my health & struggled to hold down jobs my entire adult life because my M.E means I have more sick days than the average person. As a (terminally) single woman there's never been anyone to support me financially so working part time was never really an option. The result - working myself to death in temporary roles until I just can't work any more then having to move on & start all over again. Oh, and don't forget the gruelling doctor/hospital/dietician/psychologist/specialist schedule in my *spare* time!

After 14 years of fighting each & every day to stay afloat I decided enough was enough. No employer is going to give me a job that fits around my health. DWP aren't going to support me in any way because, unlike employers, they believe being able to walk from my bed to the loo on a good day means I'm perfectly capable of holding down full time work.

I decided to set up my own business. I did the research & courses needed to get up & running. I searched for funding. I went to trade fairs, put in the hours of hard work making things & perfecting my skills & tracking accounts, networking & finding out what people wanted & would buy. I bought stock & supplies instead of food & a social life, ME!

So hell no, I'm not giving luck any credit here! This didn't just happen to me while I sat idly by, I made all of this happen. I work damn hard at what I do & will continue to do so because I'm passionate & motivated & sooooo stubborn that I refuse to let this fail (despite the fact that even writing this post has taken me 2 hours because my wrists & back ache too much to do it all in one go)

I love my work & I love that the credit all belongs to me & the fantastic customer base I continue to build along the way ;)

Just for me, next time your brain tells you that you can't do something because it's too difficult, give it a little go anyway. You might be surprised what you CAN do!

Miss Red x

WIP Wednesday & suggestions request

3/7/2014

M.E has pretty much stopped me in my tracks this week but there has been a little bit of progress so here goes.

Firstly it's Avon week so I've been packing up goodies & getting books & posters out.

I decided to read a bit more of the instruction book for my embroidery machine & have a stab at machine appliqué. As a result I learned that it's best to not start with tiny fiddly things & that it's best to stick down your appliqué rather than rely on it sitting still on the sewing machine. Despite that I don't think my first attempt came out too bad at all & I shall be having a few more practice runs but then getting stuck into some of the ideas I've got for it.

Good old Cthulu, slowly getting there with this. Loving how it's looking, hopefully next week this will be a completed Cthulu!

I have to give credit to the lovely Victoria for this idea as she suggested it to me a little while ago & it's turned out fab!

I'd love to hear your cross stitch suggestions, what would you love to see me create a pattern of?

Please do send me your suggestions, either in writing or if you're an arty type send me a drawing & I'll turn it into across stitch!

Mini no-sew roller frame pack

10/6/2014

I've been trying to get a new stock item every time I re-order & this time I opted for the no-sew roller frame pack from Siesta.

This is a mini frame for projects up to 9" wide, for larger projects see my split roller frames & hoops.

In the pack:

2 x 6" side bars
2 x 6" rollers
2 x 9" rollers
4 washers
4 wingnuts
instructions

The instructions are easy to follow & assembling the frame is quick & simple. Various sizes of frame can be created using the 6" or 9" rollers & positioning them 3, 4 or 5 inches apart with the 4 holes in the side bars. The fabric is taped onto the rollers using masking tape - a bit fiddly at first but you soon get the hang of it.

This lightweight frame is easy to stitch with & has the advantage over using embroidery hoops of being able to get to the whole width of the fabric & roll up/down the length with minimum effort, as well as not having that horrid dilemma of whether to fasten a hoop over sewn stitches.
(We've all been there, worrying whether the stitches will end up smooshed beyond repair, eep!)
Also it's worth keeping in mind this would replace anything from a 3" up to a 9" hoop due to it's versatility.

Over all this is a handy little frame pack that's simple to set up and comfortable to use. What more could you want really?

And the price? This pack will be selling on my website for £8.45 here (& as usual just slightly more on Ebay)

Obviously you may well assume I'm biased since I'm selling these packs but hey, don't take my word for it, give it a try yourself ;)

Miss Red x