21 April 2013

This is a collection of various updates from the past few weeks! Afraid I haven't gotten around to posting on the blog quite as often because there's so much work to do right now for upcoming events. In the rare free days I've been outside getting as much sun as possible. Unlike most Asians, I really hate being pale. That pic above was from today and I'm the shade as the cherry blossoms <_<!

1) Edelstoff_03
This event went so well! Really happy as I had a lot of new products which I want to focus on for the coming year so it was extremely useful to know what people liked best. Definitely going to apply to every possible design/pop-up market in the Vienna area in future. Was also chuffed to have gotten coverage from several press sources and blogs as a result:

Broken Cookies: http://www.broken-cookies.com/2013/04/designmarkt-edelstoff.html
Nothing But N9erz: http://nothingbutn9erz.blogspot.co.at/2013/04/design-und-brot-edelstoff-03.html
WOMAN magazine blog: http://www.woman.at/a/designmarkt-edelstoff_03-355531
Maxima magazine blog: http://www.maxima.at/magazin/post/2013/03/18/maqaroon.html
Vienna Ubahn(subway) infoscreens: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=340439966079150&set=a.152252561564559.29213.113117662144716&type=1&theater

2) Pulse London
This is the huge task that's eating up almost all my time at the moment. There are endless things to prepare for a trade show and I'm doing everything alone. I've just about sorted out new products, photography, pricing, linesheet, catalog, hotel, flight, furniture hire, shelf hire, plinth hire, stand painting, stand graphics, display racks and still have 12 giant canvases to paint and ship to London. I also redesigned the website frontpage and eagerly waiting for the go live so I can start promoting for this event. Maqaroon will be in Launchpad LP34a, Pulse website profile is here.

3) Étagère
This is a new design shop Vienna where indie brands can rent shelf space (http://www.etagere.at). The inside is a really inspiring mix of products and styles so it's worth checking out just for the concentration of cool stuff. Address is Amerlingstraße 4, 1060 Vienna (a side street just off the upper part of Mariahilferstraße). I rented two small display cases and will be filling them up with products on April 30th! They're having the official opening party on May 8th which is definitely going to be awesome, but unfortunately I'll miss because I'll be in London for Pulse by then :[.

4) New Products
As you might have noticed from the Pulse link, there are a bunch of new necklaces in store. I'm also working on some special custom pieces with Swarovski crystals and other collaborators! I hope to update the online shop in the next two weeks with new items. A reminder that Maqaroon also has an Etsy shop so please feel free to follow or collect your favourites: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Maqaroon

5) Other Life Stuff
I finally got around to getting a Nintendo 3DS and cracking on with Paper Mario Sticker Star. I love the crazy humour and happy vibe of the game. Recently discovered Ochikeron's Youtube Channel and so addicted to her super kawaii cooking videos. Successfully made korokke and will be attempting the dorayaki next. I'm delighted by the fact that there are actually books in Japan on how to make "deco roll cake". As amazing as they look, this keeps flashing in my brain whilst watching it! I've also been doing a lot of hiphop and dancehall classes because I love that sort of music, but I keep thinking that whenever I dance it probably looks like something out of a PSY video. TWERKIN IT.

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20 March 2013

For anyone in the Vienna area, I'll be seling at Designmarkt Edelstoff_03 on the weekend of April 6-7. Please drop by if you can! The Maxima blog did a lovely shout-out for us as well. You'll enjoy these perks of buying Maqaroon directly from events:

1) No Shipping Cost
Well obviously :P. Even if you live in Austria you still get to save a few euros on postage, plus you can try out everything at once to see which suits you best.

2) Free Bracelet Length Adjustment
I'll bring my tools with me and would be happy to clip the extension chain length so you have a perfectly fitting moustache bracelet.

3) Free Gift Box
Every piece of jewellery will come in a kraft paper and gold foil gift box. I usually don't ship items in the box because the thickness adds to postage costs so this is the perfect time to pick up some cute gift packaging!

4) Custom Requests
If you'd like to have different charms on your macaroon necklace, or a different colour then all that can be done easily. Provided of course, that replacement pieces have a similar size or material.

5) Rare one-off items
I like to experiment a bit and make a batch of "freestyle" necklaces just before design fairs. This year there will be various items with Swarovski pendants and crystals. These have very limited stock so aren't added to the online shop.

Hope to see you there :D! 

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2 March 2013

I've been doing a lot of work on the jewellery design in the past few months and am very pleased to present the new collection here: http://www.maqaroon.com/index.php/jewellery-c-27. After a year of starting Maqaroon, I began to gain some insight on which designs and products do well and wanted to revamp the jewellery section to give it a stronger identity. During my research, I discovered a lot of interesting things about jewellery manufacture which I want to share below. Read on to find out more about the story behind those accessories you see every day! 

1) High Street Jewellery
I 've always loved pretty costume jewellery but would get frustrated when pieces start losing their shine after being worn just a few times. The reason for this is that mass-produced jewellery is made out of metal alloy, a mixture of several cheap metals which keeps the production costs down (usually zinc alloy). This is why you can buy rings and bracelets for a few pounds in H&M or Claire's Accessories. The downside is that you never know what are in those alloys, they may contain traces of nickel which can cause allergies or even lead which is poisonous. They also oxidise rapidly upon contact with moisture and may break easily.

2) Quality Check
The only way to ensure good quality is to look for jewellery made out of one single metal (e.g. stainless steel, silver, titanium, gold) which is plated with precious metal (e.g. gold, rose gold, silver, rhodium). I've become so canny at this, recently I tried on a beautiful-looking necklace in a shop wanting to buy it for a ball. I had to ask what it was made of and was appalled to find out they were charging €50 for a metal alloy piece. Metal alloys will always lose their shine so you are effectively buying a disposable item, and paying €10-20 per use! Real gold-plated jewellery will retain their shine for at least a year regardless of wear and pure precious metals will, of course, never lose their shine.

3) Cost Per Wear
It's always worth thinking about how often you want to wear something and how much you're willing to pay per wear. I'm definitely happy to pay for cheap and cheerful costume jewellery which I know I'll only wear a few times with one particular outfit or event. Accessories that have a lot of contact with skin (i.e. moisture) such as necklaces & rings will also tarnish much quicker than brooches or belts. So any necklace that I might want to wear every day, I would definitely invest in a slightly more expensive brand made out of pure metal, not alloy.

4) Design & Delicate-ness
One of my personal silly hobbies is trying to find things which look more expensive than they actually are. You know how sometimes a bag or shoe looks obviously cheap and tatty, but a similar item from the same brand will be much harder to tell. The same applies to jewellery, and I think that the 'alloy' factor of cheap jewellery often contributes to its appearance. Because it's weak and brittle, there are limits to how thin the material can be before it will simply break too easily. I noticed that expensive jewellery are often very delicate and filigree, such as tiny gold chains and charms. Alloy jewellery tends to look clunkier, with heavy chain links and clasps.

5) Pricing
Obviously, alloy jewellery is fun and affordable for a reason. I find it totally reasonable to pay between £5 - £15 for any costume piece that I simply love the design of. (However I would draw the line at paying over £20 for cheap alloy jewellery, be very careful not to get ripped off whenever you're shopping on Etsy or in stores). Though I noticed that the next price range up tends to be over £40 for silver or other semi-precious materials. That's sort of beyond my range for a spontaneous buy, and I'd have to consider carefully whether I want to treat myself to an expensive piece.

So what was the conclusion to all this? I realised there should be a niche for beautiful, long-lasting jewellery that is priced around £15 - £30 and sits right between mass-produced accessories and artisanal silver/gold products. After a huge amount of searching, I found a lovely manufacturer who can make my designs using stainless steel and 18K gold-plating. I consciously tailored my designs to resemble fine jewellery, requesting the thinnest curb chains and tiny laser-etched tags. I was so delighted to see the results, which turned out even better than I imagined. To keep costs down, I only had the components made and still assemble all the necklaces myself by hand. 

I'm really quite excited about the new jewellery products and hope you'll be able to try it out for yourselves. The previous range is still available at the older prices. These will no longer be restocked so if there's something you like then please grab them while they're still around. (There are only a few pieces left of the green and pink eiffel tower macaroon necklaces).

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18 February 2013

You can now buy selected Maqaroon products through super cute French boutique Tamtokki! I adore the look of this store and was so happy that Maqaroon can be stocked here. Owner Jessica also did a great write-up on the blog here. Based on Facebook stats, the third largest fanbase of Maqaroon is France which I feel very flattered about as so much of this brand is inspired through lovely french things!

And a huge thanks to Tamtokki which helped get the Wa Lolita Bunny Bag featured in french magazine YokoYoko!

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21 January 2012

I've been super busy in the past few weeks preparing for Spring Fair International! This is my first trade show and I'm so excited, I have no idea what to expect so I'm just going by instinct. Have designed some cool graphics for the stand, and put loads of effort into cute promotional material and line sheets. I'm probably slightly mad doing all this alone, as I think almost all other exhibitors are companies with multiple employees and probably tons more resources than I have. But I do love a new experience and I believe in this brand more than anything I've created in the past, so I'm going to do my utmost to get it out there. 

The shop will be closed from 31st Jan to 8th Feb. I will be adding a batch of new products just before I leave but please note that any orders placed during this time can only be shipped starting Feb 11th. 

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10 December 2012

I'm gazing wistfully at a bottle of Sephora bronzing oil that I bought during the height of summer in Milan, and wondering how quickly time has passed that it's now minus zero outside and getting dark at 3pm. I'm really not a fan of winter as my hands are always freezing and I crave fresh air and sunlight, both of which are sorely lacking in this country at this time of the year. So I tend to just hole up at home and try to make my apartment as cosy and bright as possible.

I've recently been getting into the hand-made movement. I find it quite soothing to make stuff with your hands, whether it's jewellery, baking, painting, embroidery, sewing or sculpting. Here are a few things I made lately. An IKEA Pepparkaka Hus (I love that word XD) with macaroons, pocky and meringue frosting. I've also been working on some art inspired by memes. The idea is to explore the contrast between the virtual, fast nature of memes with the traditional craftsmanship required in hand-made media.

Please check out MemeGifts and like on Facebook ^_^. Maqaroon is now available on Etsy too and I'd be more than happy to fave everyone back.

MemeGifts on Etsy 

MemeGifts on Society6

MemeGifts on Facebook

Maqaroon on Etsy

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24 November 2012

The second Maqaroon Maniac contest has started so check out Facebook for all the details! Simply share and comment to the image for a chance to win your own portrait. The winner will be announced on December 23, and hope I it'll be a nice Christmas surprise for someone! Check out the illustration of the first winner Terra here.

I was feeling really inspired after Fesch'Markt and have started working on a new jewellery collection. I've learned so much in the first year of running Maqaroon, I still remember wanting to design jewellery but being totally unsure where to start. I also ended up remaking some items many times over as it turned out a clasp or jump ring wasn't tight enough. So my resolution for the coming year is to really tighten up on quality control and work on a mood board that fills the gap between beautiful delicate jewellery (eg. Orelia, my favourite brand) and super kawaii stuff. 

As a result, I won't be restocking the current jewellery items once they're sold out so if there's a particular necklace you'd like then please be sure to buy it soon!

Zooey Deschanel / Hello Giggles
The latest blog is Hello Giggles, co-founded by Zooey Deschanel. I only admire celebrities who encourage individualism (Lena Dunham is my other obsession at the moment!) and those who focus on creative achievements beyond just caring about a glam lifestyle and looking good. I'm always really inspired by the indie, retro, whimsical aura that's part of everything Zooey does. For this portrait, I drew her outfit from the 500 Days of Summer Bank Dance, probably one of my favourite music videos of all times. Oh, and it also features the magnificient JGL, what more can a girl want XD?

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19 November 2012

Just got back from a super busy weekend at Fesch'Markt, a designer's market for gifts, stationery, fashion and art in Vienna. This was my first time at a craft fair and I was most impressed by the atmosphere and inspiration of the place. I was only able to look around quickly near the end of the show when the crowds were thinner and wish I could have spent more time browsing all the othe designers and enjoying the food hall (with a lot of trendy organic/vegan brands plus some amazing cupcake and cookie stands).

Thanks to everyone who came by the Maqaroon table and the organisors for making everything go so smoothly in a fab venue. The main hall was an old abandoned brewery hall with huge rusting pillars and metal stairs that's now used for parties, exhibitions or other creative events (reminiscent of the Old Truman Brewery, must be the trendy thing these days)! I particularly liked how the kawaii-ness of Maqaroon contrasted with the derelict environment. For my table I went all out with floral bunting, fairy lights, table lamps, cherry blossoms, cake bowls, rococo frames and unlit scented candles so that everything smelled like vanilla.

I ended up selling out of many items on Saturday that I stayed up late the same night making and packaging loads of new stuff for Sunday (kudos to my boyfriend for joining in the madness despite having to study for his final exams). Needless to say I'm pretty knackered now, but it was a truly amazing weekend. 

Check out some lovely pictures of the event taken by photographer Paul Hodo.

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31 October 2012

Here are some zombie Maqaroons wishing you a happy Halloween! Also check out this tutorial on how to make a mini moustache pumpkin. Have been so busy managing the FB page this week, I'm totally overwhelmed by how many likes there have been and really thankful to every fan. It's also given me a lot of valuable feedback on the market, 94.1% of fans are female (surprise XP) and the most popular countries are Portugal, France, UK and USA.

I'm currently having an issue with the SSL certificate on the Maqaroon site so please don't be worried if you get a warning page when trying to login. I know this affected the last few days of the FB voucher promotion so I'll re-extend the offer as soon as it's fixed! Follow Maqaroon on FB to be notified of it first.

I'm also in the process of developing a new brand, it's going to start on a much smaller scale and won't rival Maqaroon in any way. It's more of an exploration into a market that I haven't seen many people go into (with finesse) so I'm quite keen to see what potential lies there. It's going to be more unisex and will still contain some of my favourite themes to work with, including youth culture, art and humour. So keep your eyes peeled for a launch in mid Nov :D

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19 October 2012

It's been a really eventful week with Maqaroon, so here I am writing it all up on a Friday night before I get distracted by weekend shenanigans. Last weekend I visited a science museum in Linz (upper Austria) and was pleased to discover an exhibit featuring laser cutters and 3D printers. Visitors were allowed to try the laser cutter so I promptly made a cut-out koala. Though I was most intrigued by the 3D scanning and printing technology. I think there's huge potential in there for the handmade/toy design scene so I'm keen to jump on that bandwagon sooner rather than later. I hope that by the end of this year I'll be able to test out some prototype Maqaroon figures and aim to start learning some 3D modelling now.

Last Sunday was also when the whole world watched an Austrian dude jump through space. Big up. On Tuesday I went to a young entrepeneurs expo/congress, and I'm constantly impressed at how many free resources the government provides to encourage people to start their own business. I've started a little side project, another brand concept, and quite excited to reveal more about that soon.

Creative Boom
The latest blogger portrait features Katy Cowan, editor of the fab online magazine & community Creative Boom. I love checking it for inspiration, interesting designers or finding out about news and trade fairs. 

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