Getting Down To Business
Ok, let's be honest here. Any of us who run our own business, whether big or small, know that along with all of the joy, passion, creativity and independence comes one majorly horrid, blisteringly boring bit.




Finances.

Sigh!

Money can be hard to keep track of at the best of times, but I've found that getting my head around Etsy fees, PayPal fees, supply purchases, Market Stall fees, and sales can be nearly impossible. I've tried again and again to set up a beautiful, easy, functioning spreadsheet in Excel, but alas, it was never up to scratch. And so my finances went to... well, an unpretty place.



So, imagine how very excited I was when I found out that there was a brand spankin' new, super-simple, beautiful way of keeping your finances in order... for free. FREE, people. And easy. And clever.




Yes, I was over the moon! Of course, anything this exciting has to be shared with the world, so here it is. Head over to Outright.com and fall in love... then, if your finances are anything like mine were, have some fun entering data and getting all the pretty graphs up.


 
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P.S. By the way... at the moment, everything is functioning at 100% for the U.S., and Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and other are due to have a full-function 'Tax' section within the next few weeks. I clicked the little link to 'request taxes for Australia' (or whichever currency you work in) and had a response within six minutes! From a person! Wow. Great tool and great customer service. Can you tell I'm in love? So, if you're Aussie or Canadian or New Zealander and plan on using Outright, email them too so that they know the demand is there!


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6:57 PM | Category: , , | 8 Pepperberrians Said...

Enchanting, Evocative, Magical Joy!
In my three minutes of spare breathing time this morning, I jumped online and created one of my favourite things- an Etsy Treasury!

For those of you who haven't come across them before, Treasuries are beautiful, member-curated galleries celebrating the gorgeous things that are found on Etsy. Any member of Etsy can create one, and they're an absolute blast to do! Here's all the information to get you started if you're interested in making your own.

Meanwhile, here's the one I got to make! I chose to celebrate all the enchanting, evocative and magical vegan things that I've found on Etsy over time. Here's a preview:



You can click on it to make it larger and clearer, but to see it in its full glory, head here.

Have a great weekend- I hope to see some of you at the Thread Den or Shirt & Skirt Market on Sunday!

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12:04 PM | Category: , | 5 Pepperberrians Said...

Oh my, oh my, it's been a while!
How time flies when life gets crazy. I have so very much to tell you all, and I hope that you're still around to hear it!

The past 3 weeks have been filled with renovation craziness to an extent that I have never seen. Our backyard, front yard, bathroom, toilet, and laundry have been transformed into sparkling, gorgeous works of art. The walls are white, the grass is green, and the windows are so clean you could walk through them. Phew! We're hoping to put our home on the market in the next two weeks, and there's still much to be done. As you can see, the fluffy monsters have been our super-helpful assistants:




On another note, I have some Very Big, Very Exciting and Very Special Pepperberry & Co. news to share with you all. Are you ready? Pepperberry & Co. now has a home of its very own! I am the proud owner of a beautiful, big studio at Ironside Studios in Kensington. The last week has seen trailer-loads of fabric (who knew I had so much?), paper, furniture and projects moved into my new space, and I've been a busy little bee setting it all up. There are plans for an indoor garden, a gorgeous Pepperberry mural, a little shop, and sewing classes... so keep your eyes and ears peeled!



What else? Oh! Sharon and I have become the proud mums to 3 orphaned possums. Two of our furry bundles of joy are little ringtails, and their names are Bubble and Gum. They're both 3 months old and are cute as buttons! Our other baby is a little Brushtail Possum, and his name is Squeak. He's a cheeky little monster with an appetite the size of a lion's and teeth to match! These little babies will be with us until they are old enough to be released into the wild.



As if that weren't enough, I also have a Christmas Market frenzy coming up, with a total of 13 markets. Thirteen! I swear to you that I'm folding Passport Covers in my sleep. If you're around and doing your Christmas shopping at any of the following places, make sure you come and have a gasbag with Sharon and I:

NOVEMBER
Sunday 15th - THREAD DEN MARKET
10.00am - 2.00pm @ the Melbourne Lithuanian Club - 44 Errol St, North Melbourne

Sunday 15th - SHIRT & SKIRT MARKET
10.00am - 4.00pm @ the Abbotsford Convent - St. Heliers St, Abbotsford

Thursday 26th - KRIS KRINGLE MARKET
5.30pm - 10.30pm @ the Northcote Town Hall - 189 High St, Northcote

Saturday 28th - NORTHSIDE MAKER'S MARKET
10.00am - 3.30pm @ the Uniting Church - High St, Northcote

Saturday 28th - DAYLESFORD MAKER'S MARKET
10.00am - 4.00 pm @ the Daylesford Town Hall - Vincent St., Daylesford

Sunday 29th - SHIRT & SKIRT MARKET
10.00am - 4.00pm @ the Abbotsford Convent - St. Heliers St, Abbotsford



DECEMBER
Thursday 3rd - KRIS KRINGLE MARKET
5.30pm - 10.30pm @ the Northcote Town Hall - 189 High St, Northcote

Thursday 10th - REVOLVER UPSTAIRS MARKET
6.00pm - 10.00pm @ Revolver Upstairs - 229 Chapel St, Prahran

Thursday 10th - KRIS KRINGLE MARKET
5.30pm - 10.30pm @ the Northcote Town Hall - 189 High St, Northcote


Saturday 12th - MADE 'N THORNBURY MARKET
10.00am - 3.00pm @ 99 Leinster Grove, Thornbury

Saturday 12th - MARKET 3031
10.00am - 4.00pm @ the Kensington Train Station - Bellair St, Kensington

Thursday 17th - KRIS KRINGLE MARKET
5.30pm - 10.30pm @ the Northcote Town Hall - 189 High St, Northcote

Sunday 20th - SHIRT & SKIRT MARKET
10.00am - 4.00pm @ the Abbotsford Convent - St. Heliers St, Abbotsford


And finally, we have a winner for the Gloriously Ghoulish Halloween Giveaway I held recently- the lovely Monique from Blueberries in the Fileds! Thanks for all of your entries.

I'm off to cut, iron, cut, sew, iron, sew and cut now! Tell me- what's been keeping you busy?

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11:11 AM | Category: , , | 15 Pepperberrians Said...