Archive for March, 2017

Tea or coffee?
Coffee! Every single time.

Who are you and what do you do?
Hiyur! I’m Chloe of By The Lock Handmade; a little Etsy shop where I sell zipper pouches I design and make. I like to make useful, unique stuff.

How long have you been selling on Etsy?
Just less than two years.

Do you run your Etsy shop full time or do you also have a ‘day job’?
I have a day job, boooo.

What’s the one thing you wish you had known before you opened your shop on Etsy?
I wish I had realised how much my ideas will change over time and to just roll with it. I originally set out with this clear expectation of what I wanted to be and what I wanted to make and I didn’t let those ideas evolve because I was so set on the original idea! Now I am much more “I love that! I’m making it”.

What are you working on right now?
I’m playing around with printing my own fabrics! It’s totally at experimental stage right now but I’m playing with carving stamps, hand dying and eventually I’ll be screen printing too! Making my own fabrics is really exciting. I can’t wait to start working with them.

If money and time weren’t an issue, where would you like to take your Etsy shop, brand and products in the next 3 years?
I’d have the most beautiful studio full of plants with a little store front to sell my pieces in; it’s always been my dream to have an espresso bar so maybe with a couple of tables at the side so people can sit and enjoy the shop! I’d get a couple of sewers onboard too so I can focus on printing and design.

If you could give one piece of advice for starting an Etsy shop, what would it be?
Just do it! Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to have everything perfect from day one. You learn so much as you go, waiting until the time is right will mean you’re waiting forever. What’s the worst that can happen?

Are you a dog or cat person?
Easily easily dogs. By a 1000 miles. But I love all animals so will not say no to a good cat

Tell us something fun you do or a silly habit you have when you’re working…
I almost always have a series running on my laptop even though I miss 50% of what they’re saying when my machine is running… so I usually have to re-watch it because ill suddenly be like “wait, what?! Who died!?”

What is your fuel to get through a hard week?
I always reward myself with beer and pizza. Set myself a to do list and once I’ve done it it’s vegan pizza time.

What do success and happiness look like to you?
Success to me is being able to surround myself with dogs every single day. I have a pup and it breaks my heart I’m not with her 24 hours a day. I want to be able to get to a position where I manage my own time completely, then I can adopt a small herd of dogs.

What do you struggle with as a small business? What help would you love to be provided with that you feel isn’t already available?
Time. I’d love more time to be able to work on my own stuff. Day jobs definitely get in the way so it’s hard; I have all these ideas but they take so long to finish! I do a lot of late nights and weekends, it’s totally worth it! But more time to focus wouldn’t be bad.

Thank you for dropping by, Chloe!!

You can find By The Lock Handmade on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram and don’t forget to pop over to Etsy to see Chloe’s amazing handmade zipper pouches and accessories!

Loves x xx

It was going to be one of the last rooms on our list to renovate, but last week our shower started playing up and it looks like we’re going to need to rip out our wet room bathroom sooner than we thought!

When we first moved in, the bathroom was very clearly the most recently fitted and decorated room in the house. I wasn’t a huge fan of the wet room bathroom design and as time has gone on the room just look shabbier and dirtier. The floor that has been fitted has a very rough texture, presumably to avoid any slips on the floor, but it makes the room so hard to clean and stains really easily as well – so now the floor is kind of pink from my hair dye – oops!

Having said that, I can definitely see the appeal of having a wet room – even though I’m only 30 years old I struggle a lot around the house due to an ongoing issue with a weak muscle in my back. I have to avoid bending and leaning over as my back isn’t strong enough to maintain that position – causing problems if I ever drop something on the floor… which is a lot!!
With a wet room I never have to worry about stepping over a shower tray or getting laid down in a bath and not being able to get out… but I do miss having a bath so much!

Image courtesy of Premier Bathrooms

When Premier Bathrooms asked me to share their walk in baths and shower prices with you I spotted an answer to all my problems – a mini walk in bath! I was always a shower person until recently, but I discovered the amazing healing powers of a bath through a series of Lush bath product reviews and now I’m distraught without one. Not only do they help you relax your mind, but the heat and relaxation is great for my back muscles too.

Unfortunately our bathroom is too small to accommodate a full size bath, but these walk in baths come in all different shapes and sizes which is perfect for tiny bathrooms and the little door means I don’t have to struggle to get in and out on my own – there’s little more embarrassing than being 30 years old and needing help to get out of the bath when you’re wet and naked!!

So suddenly I’m excited about the idea of renovating our bathroom sooner than expected and maybe I will consider another wet room bathroom after all – as long as I can choose the style of floor myself! Here are some ideas I’ve got floating around my head for our new bathroom renovation:

1. Walk In Bath | Premier Bathrooms  //  2. Palm Leaf Shower Curtain | H&M
3. Jakarta Bath Towel | Bedeck Home  //  4. Macrame Hanging Planter | Knotty Knotty Macrame
5. Accessories | H&M