A Birthday Giveaway and a Big Thank You

On March 1st, The Dress Tree turns three!

I got a little emotional last night as I looked back over the last three years. There's of a lot pride here and a pretty big sense of, "what the hell was I thinking??"
To say I jumped in at the deep end without a clue as to what I was supposed to do would be an understatement! A lot of hard work and late nights have gone into making The Dress Tree what it is today - a small yet viable business which brings me so much joy. It still blows my mind to imagine that there are people dotted around the world who wear something that I've made. Or that people take time out of their day to leave a comment, send me a message or in some other way, give me encouragement to keep going.
It's really hard not to get too slushy, so I'll stop here. Just know that I am deeply grateful to every one of you who have supported me over the past three years. This is more than just a business to me and you will never know how much your encouragement has meant.

As a thank you I would like to giveaway a skirt from the shop. All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning it is to answer a simple question "which skirt would you choose if you won?" You don't have to follow me anywhere, like anything or comment on this blog post. And it's just one entry per person, so everyone will be in with an equal chance.
Your choice isn't set in stone either. I will contact the winner once the giveaway has finished to find out which skirt they would prefer. And I do mean any skirt too. It could be one of the ready to ship ones, or one of the custom made ones. Although if it's the latter, it will take a little longer for me to send it to you as I will have to make it first! But that's ok isn't it. ;)

So pop on over to the shop, have a look at the skirts and enter the giveaway. I mean, only if you want to. You don't have to, it's not as though I'm the boss of you.

But I am the boss of me and that is, AWESOME!!!

The Dress Tree Shop

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here Come The Girls!

Since I made my Mojo dress last month, most of my spare time has been spent in front of the sewing machine. And two dresses I made in that time went live in the shop yesterday!

Shop

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm bloody proud of them both.

I've finally reached a point where the quality of my work is matching my expectations which makes all the late night stitching sessions and endless hours of practise worthwhile. It tickles me that I only got into sewing because I had to. Being short meant that I was forever taking up jeans and various hems.

I'm serious! It wasn't all that long ago that the petite sections in high street shops were virtually non-existent and those that did exist only included the basics. I still find them annoying today to be honest. The selection is never as good as that for regular women and some of the designs are just plain lazy.

Top tip for high street stores: no short woman wants a t-shirt emblazoned with  "good things come in small packages".
Do you even sell any of those things?? DESIST.

Anyway. What was I saying? Ah yes, dresses.
I was very good. I made both of these vintage style dresses with fabric from my existing stash. I'm going to wait and see how well these are received and if they prove popular, then and only then will look to make more.

Oh and also, another thing that's made me wildly happier than it should is that I can now list my items to buy on my Facebook page! This will make it easier for people to see what is in stock without having to leave Facebook and it's another simple and secure way to purchase. 

All in all I'm feeling quite accomplished today and not a little relieved that it's nearly the weekend as I could do with a breather!

Although something has just occurred to me..while I've banned myself from buying new fabric for shop dresses, I could totally buy new fabric to make myself one!

Oooh, now there's a thought..

The Mojo Dress

In my last post I said that I was working on a dress for myself. Dan had a work do and I wanted something new to wear. Although if I'm honest, my real motivation was to see if I could get my sewing mojo back.  

When I decided to make the dress, I'd fallen out of love with dressmaking a fair bit. I had managed to ruin it for myself by setting too many deadlines and piling on the pressure to achieve things that I was in no position to. Ridiculous stuff really and more annoyingly, not the first time I've done it to myself either.

I had no interest in spending my time sewing and was completely devoid of ideas. I honestly thought that making this dress for myself would be a chore. Thankfully, it was anything but. Even better, I'm already thinking of ideas for the next one! And it was so nice to have something new to wear on a night out too.
Though perhaps next time I'll leave the heels at home. I mean, they looked great and I got to be a normal height for an evening, but wowza. My feet were crying by the end of the night! To be fair, the skanking and jumping about on the dance floor probably didn't help. And on hindsight, it's a miracle I didn't land on my arse, so I should probably just count my blessings that I got away with sore feet alone!

With regards to The Dress Tree. I haven't thought further than this point so I'm not sure what comes next. The important thing I've taken away from this is that my love of sewing is still there. The sorts of things I like to wear (and therefore make) has changed a great deal since last year so maybe all that was needed was a change of direction after all.

For now I'm just going to continue to take things easy and play with ideas. The shop will probably be on a slow burner now for the rest of the year, but I think I'm happy with that. At least for the time being while I work out exactly where I want it to go.
Slow and steady is better than fast and furious. In this case at any rate. 

And on that note, I will leave you with this picture of me dancing like a loon in a dress that gave me back the sewing bug. Which is why I've affectionately nicknamed it my mojo dress. 

January sale and future plans

As the subject title states, I'm holding a sale over in the shop to celebrate the start of a new year.

These necklaces are the last in stock and once they've gone they won't be relisted so for this month only you can buy them at 40% off the original price.
And there's more. A further 20% off everything else when you use the code: TDTJANSALE2015.

A few weeks ago I wrote this post about some lessons I'd learned over the year. One of them was my desire to run the business a little differently, in a way that felt more authentic to me.
As a result I've decided that this sale will be the only one I hold this year. It kind of goes against the classic business model, but it feels right to me.

In other news there are other changes on the horizon that are filling me with butterflies of excitement right now.
I'm currently sewing up another dress with the aim of making it practical for breastfeeding mums. I made a similar dress for a friend last year and she planted the idea by asking if I'd thought of selling breastfeeding friendly dresses in the shop. Up until that point, I hadn't, but as I said, she planted the seed and since then I've thought about it a lot. So if you're reading this, and you know who you are, thank you.
Another lovely lady I speak to regularly on Twitter has agreed to test the sample dress for me so we shall see if the grading and the various tweaks I've made actually translate in to a wearable dress.
Fingers crossed!

And last, but not least there will be experiments with embroidered dresses. I'm a big fan of bold colours and I've fallen in love with the idea of sewing colourful dresses with embroidered designs in contrasting colours.

So in all there's a lot to be getting on with over here and I hope to have new stock in the shop very soon. All these changes are a little scary, but it feels like I'm moving in the right direction so it's also very exciting.

One thing I'm aware of is that I could easily miss out on what's going on around me if I don't remember to take a step back every now and again. I've given myself quite a lot to do (I know, I know, don't start), but as long as I make a point of stepping away from the internet and sewing machine occasionally I should be fine.

That's it for now, have a good Monday folks!

Doin' it for the dudes

Right, I'll keep it brief and I promise this is the last time I'm going to mention Movember.

For the next 5 days all proceeds from my moustache necklaces will be donated to the Movember charity, including postage.

I only have two left at £10.00 each which can be found in the shop here.

Of course if you would like to donate to the charity without buying a necklace, you can do so by visiting the Movember website.

New In The Shop - Gift Sets

Christmas is coming. The lights have been switched on here in Bath. John Lewis have released their Christmas ad (and overpriced penguin toys *ahem*) and we received our letter from Alessi's nursery about the nativity play. There's no hiding from it folks, it's coming for us all. 

With that in mind, it now seems like an excellent time to tell you about the new gift sets I've listed in the shop. If you're looking for some gift inspiration for someone special (or even yourself) then why not start here?

There are few necklace and earrings sets to choose from and all can be found here in the shop.

The Edie dresses can even be bought as a set with a coordinating bead necklace now too!

In fact I'm really loving these necklaces, so expect to see more in the future. 

I stupidly didn't take any more photos of the teal Edie dress after this so I can't yet list it in the shop. I attempted to take some photos earlier today, but oh my god. The weather in Bath today is so grim that it's proving impossible. I'll have to wait until later in the week and hope the weather decides to play ball. Of course I will keep you all posted.

I hope you're all having a great start to your week!

X

Movember, Halloween and er, Mould. Oh my!

It feels as though I haven't blogged in forever, so I'm surprised to see it's only been two weeks. I really do miss this little space of mine if I stay away too long.

The reason for the brief absence was simply wanting to give a couple projects my full attention. All the necklaces are listed in the shop now which is something I've been planning on doing for aaaages. I've made a dress for a friend and got a butt load of admin tasks done too.

Note to self though, if I have to put a day aside for general admin, stock up on biscuits. And good coffee.

Whilst I'm on the subject of necklaces, now is a good time to announce that for the month of November, all proceeds from the moustache necklaces (necklace price and postage), will go to the Movember Campaign charity. Because you know, I can't grow a 'tache myself. And before any of you (husband dear) make comments about how actually I probably could, shut up.

Necklaces are £10 and can be found here in the shop. Alternatively if you would like to donate to the charity directly, or would just like to find out more, you can do so by visiting uk.movember.com

In other news, Halloween has come and gone in a bit of a blur. We didn't take Pip trick or treating as we figured that she's still a bit young for it all. She had great fun running to the door and sharing 'her' sweets with all the other children. There were a few tears when the last ones were given away though. Opps. 

And although the weather is still unseasonably warm for the time of year, it has been very seasonably wet. Which means a damp and in some cases, a mouldy house again. To cut a long story short, downstairs can get pretty damp if we don't keep on top of it and mould tends to form in the living room. One of the external walls needs repointing, a job we were planning on doing over the summer. But then we had those storms last winter which blew down our garden fencing and well, that plan was blown away along with it. We'll try again next year. Providing nothing else falls down/blows away/blows up of course. And with this old house, who can tell.

Still, I'm not complaining. The nights are cosy and I'm feeling more connected to this season than any other that has passed so far this year. I'm looking forward to celebrating Bonfire Night next weekend with some friends and Pip has her 'ear mups' (ear muffs) at the ready in case the fireworks are too loud. And then after that I'm guessing it will be safe to crack out the 'C' word right?

If your answer to that was no then you might want to avoid my blog for a while. Just saying.

*Whispers*

Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!

New in the shop - Pine Cone Necklace

A new addition has been added to the shop!

As you can tell I'm revelling in all things autumnal at the moment and this new necklace is my new love, (I'm going to have to make myself one of these I just know it). The pendant is 4cm long and adds a touch of the new season to any outfit. No seriously it does. I was wearing my pyjamas when I made it. I held it up to see how it looked, BAM! Autumn pyjamas.

Modelled with the bottle green Edie dress.

Necklace £14
Edie Dress £28

The Dress Tree Shop

The Dress Tree A/W 2014

Here it is! My small Autumn/Winter collection is finished and finally listed here in the shop.

And it includes the new Edie dress! I've made one for myself, (for quality control purposes you understand *wink*) and I'll be posting pictures of this very soon. 

Today I will be having a quiet one and spoiling myself a little. There will be cake, coffee and not doing much in the garden with Alessi. Utter bliss.

Or at least it will be once I've tackled the giant stack of dirty plates in the kitchen. Happy Autumn everyone!

THE DRESS TREE SHOP

Almost there

The sewing is done. The photos are taken.

I am pooped.

The Dress Tree - summer sale coming to an end!

It's been a bit quiet around here of late. There's been no real reason for the radio silence either. After my last post I just relaxed and didn't feel under pressure to write anything, so I didn't!
It didn't take long for the writing itch to come back though so here I am again, only a few weeks later! Have you all enjoyed your summers? Like it or not, I'm afraid autumn is just around the corner. And as summer leaves, so unfortunately does my shop sale.

There are some necklaces including the one below for just £6 each and two statement skirts left at £10 each. If you want to treat yourself to a little something or even *whispers* make a very early start with your Christmas shopping (I'M SORRY!!) then take a look and see if anything takes your fancy.

I'm currently working on a small autumn collection that will be launched mid September so keep your eye open for that.
I will also be posting 'behind the scenes' photos of the collection over on my Facebook Page. If you would like to see those, simply like the page and don't forget to select 'Get Notifications' when doing so, otherwise you may not see all of my posts. Facebook works in some very funny ways these days!

Until next time folks.

Poll Results

Just a quick one as I'm sat here, still in my pyjamas and my tummy is rumbling loudly! Breakfast is calling.

I was meant to post this at the start of the month but time has kind of run away with me. 
Last month I launched my Bigcartel shop and asked people for feedback on both this and my Etsy shop.

I was interested to know which one people preferred and why. Thank you to everyone who took the time out to provide their feedback. I took each and every comment on board and it was really helpful and also a bit of an eye opener.

I had expected the Bigcartel shop to come out on top, but it was Etsy hands down. People liked the community feel, the fact that you can 'favourite' items and the feedback system which keeps the process trustworthy and transparent.
I think what attracted me to Bigcartel was that you are far less restricted when it comes to designing your online shop. It's something that still attracts me although if I'm honest, that is the only advantage it currently has for me over Etsy.

So I've been mulling it over and have decided to stick with Etsy for the time being. I like the handmade community feel of Etsy too much and while I'm sure I'll go down the Bigcartel route at some point, I've decided that now is not the time.

So thanks again for bearing with me and for the invaluable comments and emails. I'll soon be closing my Bigcartel shop just as soon as I can get myself organised and business will continue as usual over on ol' Etsy. Now. BREAKFAST!

Etsy Shop

Have you seen the Etsy ad on TV? If not check it out!

The Dress Tree Style - Leopard Print Kimono

Wow. I've been utterly blown away by the shop love these past few weeks guys! It's been keeping me really busy which is why the blog has been quieter than usual. And I'm in no way complaining. 

I can barely get my head around the fact that there are real life people out there wearing the clothes I've made. It blows my mind!

It's just once again made me realise how incredibly lucky I am to have the chance to do this and how much I love it. 

Modelling the wares though? Yeah not so much. This photo was taken during our stay in Wales and Dan took about 5 before this one, all of me standing there looking all kinds of awkward. What got this photo was Pip calling my name and me calling back and smiling at her. Note to self: Must. Try. Harder.

So. The leopard print kimono. This is how it looks off the hanger. And this is the point I would usually point you in the direction of my shop, tell you how many pennies they are and invite you to take a look.

However, there are none left. But hey, at least you know how the look on now eh?

Until next time!

New kimono jackets and Summer Sale

Finally the last two kimono jackets are here!

I've been ragging on about the leopard print kimono in particular, for quite some time. Seriously, I rate it so much that I kept the first one I made and ordered more fabric to make another for the shop.

Oh shush. I'm sat typing this wearing leggings with a hole in the knee. I deserve pretty things too!

Both are available in the shop at £14 each, click on the photos above to find out more.

I've also launched The Dress Tree's summer sale! Skirts, necklaces and clutch bags all have 25% off for the month of July. This rain can't last forever, so grab yourself a bargain in time for the sun's return!

These kimono jackets will be the new last stock to be added to the shop until the autumn, when I hope to launch a small Autumn/Winter collection. So stay tuned!

Etsy UK TV Advert

Have you seen the Etsy ad that's currently running on TV? If not, check it out below!



And guess what? I'm in it!

Haha gotcha! I wish.

Truth be told I didn't even realise they were making one so I was chuffed to bits to hear that it was finally being advertised on television. I really hope it manages to raise the Etsy's profile here in the UK because it really is such a wonderful community.
I've been working with Etsy now for years and sometimes I find it a little frustrating that it is still unknown to so many. Especially when it's heads and tails above the high street.
Yes, yes ok, so perhaps I'm a little biased. Sue me. I believe that handmade is King and that's not going to change any time soon.

So anyway no, I'm not in it. But if you have an Etsy store of your own you can personalise the ad so that your shop name appears at the end. I loved this idea so much so I jumped straight on the bandwagon.

And that's close enough right?

Introducing The Dress Tree Style

I've had it in my mind for a while now that really, I need to show photos of real life people wearing the clothes I make. It's the best way to see how an item really looks and I know I prefer to see images of clothing being modelled before I buy them.

But here lies my problem. I don't have anyone who I can regularly call upon to model my clothes so realistically this leaves me with what many fashion and style bloggers have been doing for years.
Model them myself.

Brain: Urmmmm, not super phyched about that one if I'm honest Kim.
Face: Nope. Not happening. You know how I go when I have a camera pointed at me.
Blood pressure: Did someone say photograph? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

I've always wanted to be one of those women that doesn't look like an awkward muppet in front of the camera. Unfortunately however, I do. If it's just me and the tripod, I feel like an absolute dickhead.
If someone else is taking the photo then it's an epic battle to stop myself from either holding my hand up to cover my face or do the whole crossed eyed, Miley Cyrus tongue thing. And we all know what a good look that is.

Still, I've decided that enough is enough. I'll get used to it with practise and it will be a positive thing for the business and this blog. I hope.

So, to ease us all in gently, The Dress Tree Style's first ever offering is going to be a 'how to style it' post using the lovely Lona's photos. Thanks always darling, you are THE BEST.

Blue Floral Belle

Pink Floral Belle

Green Floral Belle

Yellow Floral Belle

The Belle dresses are available from my Etsy and Bigcartel shops at £20 each. 

And if you would like to see more of Lona's work (and you should) hop on over to her website Lona Aalders. Her style is breathtaking. 

Now if only I could get my hands on that shoulder bag...

New In The Shop - Disco Fever Kimono

Available in my Etsy and Bigcartel shops

£14

Now I LOVE this kimono, but dang it's hard to photograph! This photo certainly doesn't do it justice. The material is a black sheer chiffon with gold glitter. One minute you can be standing in the shade looking as though you're wearing a regular black kimono jacket.
Then BAM! A ray of light will catch the glitter and all of a sudden you're a walking disco ball!

Can I catch any of that in these photos? Can I heck.

Nevertheless this has become another favourite of mine and I will be making one for myself. Along with a leopard print kimono which will be coming very soon. Stay tuned!

New Shop Launch!

I'm so excited to announce that I have a new shop!

Click HERE to view my new online store! 

Photo ©Lona Aalders

This is currently running alongside my Etsy shop and may end up replacing it, depending on where people prefer making their purchases from.

The products and prices are the same and payment is still via Paypal. The difference is that it is a stand alone online store so you don't need to be familiar with Etsy in order to use it.

Another good thing about this new shop is that I'm able to link it to my Facebook Page. So if you're on Facebook, why not come on over and like the page? I post exclusive content there, host giveaways and offer discounts that are not available anywhere else so it's well worth the trouble.

As you can see, it looks pretty basic at the moment as I want to see what the take up is before I invest more time and money into it. However I believe that it's a cleaner, more user-friendly site and I hope others will think so too.

If you do have any thoughts or ideas, please get in touch. Feedback is always welcome!

New In The Shop - 'Three Little Birds' Necklace

My latest addition to the shop is this cute bronze bird necklace. I appear to have a thing about birds on branches this spring!

£8

SHOP

It measures approximately 8cm across and the necklace length is 20cm from clasp to charm.

That will be the last of the necklaces for a little while as I'm going to focus on more kimono jackets and dresses. Keep your eyes peeled!

New In The Shop - Clutch bags

I'm listing something a little different today, bridal bags!

There are four clutch bags, made out of satin, silk and crushed velvet now in the shop and each comes with its own vintage-style brooch. There are two designs to chose from, but the one in the photo below is my personal favourite.

Of course they're not just for weddings, they can be used for any kind of do and as the brooch is detachable, it can be left plain to compliment an outfit!

It's been a while since I made a clutch bag and making these have given me the bug again. I just wish there were more hours in the day!