These
are my 2 little girls and my inspiration for "Fleurettes". They are
also my canvas, my test subjects and some of my best marketing!
My
husband and I were thrilled to find out our first born was going to be a little
girl and I was soon filling her wardrobe with beautiful dresses and matching
hair accessories......little did I know she wouldn't have much hair until close
to her 2nd birthday! Ever since I was able I have loved matching her outfits
with hair accessories. Thank goodness I didn't have to wait 2 years with her
younger sister - she already has oodles of auburn curls.
The
first hair accessory I ever made was over 25 years ago when I was still at high
school. My mother is a very talented seam-stress and I loved spending time in
her sewing room going through her drawers of ribbons, trim, beading, and
buttons. When she let me have the off-cuts, I used them to make hair bands, and
some pocket money at the local craft market.
Over
the last few years I have collected bits and pieces of trim, ribbon and
embellishments from all over the world. We are lucky enough to travel
extensively and since I have lived in Europe, Africa, America, and the
Caribbean, I have made many contacts from which I now source many of my
supplies.
I
thoroughly enjoy what I do! I now get to shop for my own ribbon, trim and
embellishments, I enjoy trolling markets and shops when we travel, and I get to
be creative and make beautiful hair accessories for other girls - big and
small!
“Fleurettes”
stated as a home-based business that kept me busy while my girls were napping
or playing on their own. In early 2010, while I was in South Africa, I opened a
workshop that is now the main production location supplying our customers all
over the world. As a native South African, living abroad for 14 years, I always
wanted to "give something back" to the country where I grew up
and was educated with a medical qualification so, I was thrilled to be
able to employ previously unemployed African’s who have an interest in craft
or, are skilled craftsmen in their own right but have never had the opportunity
to rely on their craft for their livelihood.
I
have also had the pleasure of working with Douglas, a Zimbabwean wire-artist
who came to South Africa hoping to create a better life for his wife, Sarah and
2 daughters. They are now all in SA and Sarah is also beading for us while
Douglas is working on wire critters and designing our displays for shops and,
also smaller ones for little girls bedrooms.
We
are also partnering with 2 groups of woman in neighbouring townships to supply
our workshop; the group in Diepsloot (just north of Johannesburg) does African
beadwork and is also attending a series of crochet classes to improve their
skills and ultimately supply us with those items too. The group in eTwaTwa (on
the far east rand) does exquisite embroidery. The plan is that they will be
able to work from their homes, not having to travel into the workshop relying
on the unreliable (and often dangerous) public transport in South Africa and, being
able to work from their homes with their young children, much like I was able
to do when I started “Fleurettes”.
A
special thank-you to:
My
design geniuses
·Kerry Campbell at KW Designs
·Stacey at The Pixel cafe
Website
design and ongoing backup
·Merideth
Kinney at Justspiffy.com
·Belinda Nelson at RedInk
Publishing
·
My friends
and fellow entrepreneurial moms
·Thara
Pillai founder of Rebelmom.com
·Jeannie Heilman founder
of Meart.com
·Philippa Spark at Philippa Spark Productions
Legal
Guru
·David Cochrane at Spoor & Fisher
Photographer
·Kerry Groenewald at Kerry G Photography
Constant
cheering squad and sanity-savers
·Hilary Glass
·My mom, who has been like a right-hand while I was in SA setting
up the workshop!
Consultants
·Practically every good friend and loving relative that knows me!
Especially Clare-Louise, Danielle, Tracy, and Marilynn. Thank you!
And
of course, a special thank you to my beautiful little girls and to my husband
for his never-ending support - and for stepping in to take over the care of the
girls when I am under pressure!
Thank
you very much for visiting "Fleurettes". I hope you enjoy wearing
them as much as we enjoy creating them! Please stop back again and, if you have
any feedback, I would love to hear from you.
