SHOE REBELS AND LEATHER ROGUES

Unlike many creatives I know, I can’t claim to have come from an unsupportive family. Thankfully, that does not form part of my story at all: quite the opposite in fact. My parents were always encouraging when it came to my creativity and looking back, my future path was set from a very young age. I do remember short stints of wanting to be a paramedic, (having engrossed myself in episodes of Saturday night TV drama ‘Casualty’) and also an archeologist, thanks to a fossil project that piqued my interest at middle school. But with the exception of these 2 ideas, the rest of my childhood and early adulthood believed firmly that my destiny would be a creative one. There really wasn’t any other choice. Where else would I possibly fit when I spent all my free time drawing, colouring, making and creating?

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THE #100DAYPROJECT – PROGRESS OVER PERFECTION…

Last week I passed the big 3-0 days of my #100daysofshoemaking which means by now I’m more than a third of the way through. Woah! It should also mean I have more than 30 shoe posts on my Instagram account to sift and scroll through too but do I? Here is my honest account of how the first part of the project has gone, what’s coming up next and some tips for anyone out there embarking on a similar challenge…

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10 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST CRAFT FAIR

I’m super excited to write this week as I had my first taste of selling my leather products at a small artisan Christmas fair last weekend. I had a great experience, (despite the cold and the location being slightly out of town), so this week I want to share a few things I learned that may also help you if you decide to embark on a similar handmade journey… Continue reading “10 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL FIRST CRAFT FAIR”

A little holiday does you good!

So it’s been a while since I last updated my blog. Oops. Stumbled already?! No, it’s just that we’re in full-on Summer here in Italy and sitting in a hot sweaty apartment, typing on my equally hot computer has just not been my priority these past few weeks. It’s like being 16 all over again, shut inside revising for GCSEs when all I wanted to do was to be outside and enjoy the sunshine!

As a result, I have filled every millisecond of free-time with something outdoors! I’ve been swimming, cycling, out on the motorbike, camping by Lake Garda, BBQ-ing, wandering around Trento with an ice-cream and off to Verona for a Spritz…

Most recently, we spent the weekend at the beach in a place not far from Venice called Jesolo and there I met a fantastic couple with a shop of hand-made leather goods. This will surely be my next blog post as it was so inspiring.

Well, I am off to the UK tonight for a cheeky hen-party and, (if I survive), will get going on the next blog page on my return!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend of holidays and sunshine!

Zoe x

“DO ONE THING EVERY DAY THAT SCARES YOU…”

…or so went Baz Luhrmann’s paternal advice in his hit single “Wear Sunscreen”, back in the 90’s.

Despite the monotonous voice and lack of melody, for some reason that one line resonated in my head more than any other and it’s become something of a mantra to me over the years. From moving to London to enrol myself on a BA footwear design course at the prestigious Cordwainers College, to moving to Italy 5 years later in pursuit of my design career; what I have invested in backbone I have earned back ten-fold in life experience.

Maybe that makes me sound old (I’m not, I’m 31), but there’s something to be said for confronting your fears. It gives you an enormous sense of satisfaction and spurs you on to your next challenge.

Why am I mentioning this? Because today is the day I publish my first ever blog post and this is it, my ‘one thing for the day that scares me’. Actually, it’s been scaring me for quite some time, not knowing what I could possibly say that people would genuinely want to read, but I think it’s time to bite the bullet and hit that ‘publish’ button!

The hardest part of anything new is taking the first step but, as the saying goes, where there’s a will there’s a way!

So, I guess this leaves me nothing more to say for today other than to welcome you to the first page of what will hopefully be the next, exciting chapter.

Thanks for sharing it with me!

Zoe