Monday, 26 January 2015

Digital/ Printing at home- what's in it for you?

As those of you who have visited my Etsy store (or any others) would know, the “print it yourself” era is in full swing. It’s something we generally haven’t come across before in the design/ decorating space but it’s brilliant.
It gives us the tools to have immaculately decorated spaces within our homes, for a fraction of the price of designer pieces. And let’s be honest- anything that says “DIY bargain” appeals to me.

So, what is a digital “printable” purchase? Well, ideally you are simply buying the digital product that you see on your computer screen. Generally this will come in a PDF file potentially with a back-up JPEG (PDF is better quality for printing- always!) meaning that you can have the file forever to print as you please.

The benefits of having a digital file when it comes to home décor, even invitations are endless. Here’s just a few reasons why you should consider digital for your next home, or event purchase.

1.       Print as many times as you want
This is a big one. I mean, once you have purchased that cute typography quote and framed it front and centre in your living space imagine the compliments you’ll get. Better yet- make a list of the friends that compliment your new home décor and print and frame one for them! It’s the perfect, cost effective, easy, and instant (whoops, you forgot your anniversary you say?) gift! Give it for a birthday, house-warming, Christmas.. every event! Why? Well because you’ve already paid for it once and have that digital piece of gold sitting on your computer ready to go again and again..

2.       It’s awesome to have something unique to make that space in your home complete.
Seriously, the simplest of prints can look amazing in any home! Check out these pictures of examples I love…. I cannot wait to have my own office so I can decorate it with all simple, chic prints like these!
Being unique is something that is really important to me, I hate walking into someone elses home and seeing all the same standard home wares from kmart or target. In this digital era is has never been more affordable to have one-of-a-kind pieces in your home that you’ll never see in your friends places (unless you follow point 1 and gift it to them which makes it completely OK!)












3.       Print locally OR yourself!
Do you have a printer? Chances are you do, and you can easily (and instantly) print your image yourself in your own home for a big fat $0. If not, you can source a printer locally which means you are helping your local economy, or that small family owned business down the road. It’s really important in this day and age that we support our communities because without our local business these places would not survive. I find for things like invitations you can buy the digital item at around $20 for a custom creation and then go for the Kmart 9c photo prints where you can get all of your invitations printed for a small price and still have something beautiful and unique. Again, why not when it’s this affordable?

4.       Print on your choice or paper!
Now days places like Officeworks, K-mart and even your standard $2 shop stock all sorts of interesting papers. You’ll often find a stunning textured white paper that will be perfect for those simple invitations but add that little bit of pizazz you need. Or a classic brown paper that will give you invites that extra something. This gives you an added element for your digital product- and again, is a huge dollar saver! To have a professional printer design and print your invites onto any paper will cost an absolute mint. Buy the digital file for around $20, you can pick up a 20 pack of paper from office works for $7 (and don’t forget you’ll be printing 2 per page!) and print at home… that’s a cheap invitation that you’ll be proud to see on your friends fridges. Check out the different between the white & brown versions of this invite on my Etsy store. 




5.       Use for whatever you’d like!
If you’re purchasing a typographic print for your home, the uses are endless! Did you get something personalised with your details? You could pop it on a post-card, a thank you note, in a frame as a gift.. So many uses for one item.


Can you picture this in your home? I certainly can…
What do you think of "digital" purchases? Leave me a comment, i'd love to hear your thoughts!

Take Care,


K

Monday, 19 January 2015

Busy Bee's

It's been a while... the truth is, i've actually been really busy! 

I always find in the lead-up to Christmas and New Year break I feel like I have all the time in the world off and then before I know it i'm back to the grind (literally, I think the first day back I had at least 4 coffees!) and into the swing of things. 

We actually had a really pleasant holiday break, spending lots of time around the pool and getting away for a night here and there. It's something I usually take for granted living so close to some of the East-Coast's best holiday destinations but this year we really enjoyed the scenery. 

Since the new year I have been putting loads of time into my Etsy store which has been going really well. Last week (the week of my birthday) I found myself up at 6am working and shutting my laptop to go to sleep at 10pm, as well as juggling my 9-5. 

Here's some of the exciting things i've been up to, with i'm sure many more to come!

















-K x

Tuesday, 9 December 2014

Finally...

It's been a long time coming, but I've finally branched my Etsy store out onto Facebook and Instagram!

So, the back story. I couldn't actually tell you at what age I started to be creative and enjoy arts and crafts.. Probably a really young one. I can pinpoint that from about year 8 I had decided I wanted to be a graphic designer. In year 9 I did work experience in an agency where I was able to actively assist in the design process and get some idea of how the industry actually works. 
From my work experience I was sure that was my path, and in senior school pursued TAFE on the side to complete a certificate/ introduction to Graphic Design. 

In 2008 on my first trip to Italy, I saved and saved for months leading up and got myself a MacBook Pro in Hong Kong where they were a fraction cheaper than here in Australia. Still weighing in at a hefty $3,000 for a 16 year old!


After graduating year 12 in 2009, I started TAFE for Graphic Design and burnt out super quickly. I left school and went straight into full-time 4 days a week study while all of my friends had cruisey university timetables. I lasted about 4 months and had enough. 


I studied at university doing Marketing for a while, and then as every student does, changed my mind and did a semester of Psychology. During this study I gained a full-time job and we all know once you are earning money, it's hard to go back to studying full-time. 

Once I moved to Adelaide I put my career first and studied as a part of my job completing my Diploma of Business in 2013. During my 3 years in Adelaide I was always drawing still, sewing here and there and creating new things to display in our home. 

Now, being back home for the last year and a half I have really had the opportunity to come back to the things that matter to me, and start to be creative again. 

The things you see on my Facebook Page, or Etsy store are all creations that have evolved over the last year. Most of these things have evolved from favors for friends and eventually been turned into something to display. 

I guess the point behind this post is to explain that this isn't something new for me, branching out in the social media world is, but my art is not. And the reason behind that is i'm really not the kind of person who flaunts what I do, I love when people enjoy my art but it has been more about my own enjoyment until now.

Now i'm ready to share.... 


You can check out my Facebook Page here! Give it a like while you're there? 
OR follow me on Instagram @krossandco_

I'm always looking for new things to create and ideas to build on. If you have something you would like done, or are just looking for a one-of-a-kind piece for your home please don't hesitate to contact me at krossandco@gmail.com

Love, K


P.S. it's barely been 12 hours overnight since I started my Facebook page and we're already at 135 likes! You guys are awesome! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!

Monday, 1 December 2014

Our Holiday- an overview

I always have people ask me about my holiday, about the spending money, the packing, the places we visited etc. I know that pain, it’s difficult planning a holiday and knowing exactly what you’ll need, how much money you’ll require etc.. I was frantically searching all over the internet to compare as many opinions as possible and come up with one that suited us. It’s all well and good to research this stuff, but I do believe (now that I’ve been there done that) it will differ for absolutely everybody. We all have different expectations of our holidays and want to experience different things so while reading this blog about OUR holiday- please keep in mind that yours will be different and once you are there and immersed in the world of European awesomeness, you’ll forget all about the hours you spent prior reading blogs like this.

I’ll do my best in this post to cover everything we did, their costs, accommodation, transport, and other information I think you’ll need to know.

In saying that, I must admit that I learnt a lot from blogs and reading up on everything and anything prior. There is a lot to be aware of in Europe, although it may not happen to you it always pays to be super aware of your surroundings and not be naïve- know the possibilities!

So, When we decided about a year ago that we were going to book a European Holiday it was a whole new world of confusion that I never expected. Contiki, Top-Deck, Bus-About, independent travel…. It was an absolute whirl-wind trying to decide which way to go.  Our trip was a total of 5 weeks.



We booked our flights through a travel agent which was helpful- looking back now I think in future flights are the only thing I would book with an agent, it’s so easy these days to book everything else yourself online. I guess as well booking those flights yourself can be difficult planning stop-overs etc… We chose our flights to be the following-

Sydney  > Dubai (2hr stop over)
Dubai  > London Heathrow

Rome > Dubai (3 day stop over)
Dubai > Sydney

As we booked about 11 months in advance we got really cheap flights coming in at around $1,600 each…. It pays to get in early! Lock in those flights and you can book the rest later, and you’ll have plenty of time to save! We booked accommodation over the next few months bit by bit and a few different ways. We did some through a travel agent (these were our least favourite accommodation) and we booked some ourselves through booking.com and also through private apartment rentals. If I had this trip again I would probably focus a lot more on AirBnB as it’s something we use in Australia from time to time and it is very cost-effective. We found this way (booking a little bit at a time) to be our best way of saving/ budgeting as we would spend what we could- when we could, as well as save for our spending money.

Spending Money- ahhhhhh such a difficult topic. We pre-booked all of our accommodation, and I also pre-booked some attractions which meant that our spending money was purely eating, drinking & shopping. We saved around $15,000 for this… for the two of us. So about $7,500 each. Which left us with about $214 AUD per day- obviously once you convert that to euro’s or pounds it becomes significantly less. It sounds like a lot of money for each day but say it works out at around $150 per person, per day- it does go really quickly.
I guess this really comes back again, to the type of holiday you want to have. We had a “no expenses spared, buy whatever we wanted, drink whatever we wanted” holiday. And although we did occasionally check in with how much we had left and budgeted accordingly it seemed to work itself out. For example, some days we spent next to nothing because we were busy at attractions all day, other days we shopped and spent much more than our daily budget. But in the end it evened itself out, and yes- we spent nearly all of that money. We had about $1,500 left over which we spent in Dubai, of course!
Again, I know that sounds like a lot of money to need for 5 weeks, but it’s amazing how quickly it goes when you’re buying 3 meals a day, a gelato here and there, and tickets to wherever you want to go. There are obviously people out there who do budget tightly on their holidays and really consider what they are spending- that’s not the type of holiday we wanted- each to their own.

Packing- pack, unpack half your original, pack, unpack again and half again. Yes! Seriously! I didn’t wear half of what I took and I wished I didn’t take it because I wanted the shopping room in my suitcase. Take the very basics in very basic colours because you’ll be able to mix and match like a pro. Take shorts! Shorts are not a thing in Europe and I couldn’t buy a pair anywhere. Take things that go with runners.. you’ll need really good runners as you are on your feet all day and they will get sore… wear comfy shoes! I cannot stress that enough! Pack for the season you are visiting and add in a couple of layering options. Eg I packed for summer- dresses, some jeans, basic tees- and I packed a blazer which I used anytime it got cool. Keep it simple, stupid!



London- our first stop. I pre-booked Golden Tours in Australia for our first day in London (as we arrived really late the night prior) and I was really glad I did- from memory it was about $30 each for a 2 day pass. It would have been much more expensive if we had of booked it there. I also pre-purchased tickets to Madame Tussauds, The London Eye, The Tower of London, and The London Dungeon which came in at around the $150 each mark. Again- would have been much more expensive if I had of paid there, and we would have had to wait in line for much longer than we did! I spread out all of those things over two days, and we left the third free to just wander. London was exhausting! It’s quite spread out and there’s so much to see that it now feels like a bit of a blur. The hop-on-hop off buses are something I would definitely do again as it lets you see the main things in a short amount of time, even to just jump on and do a whole loop was really good.
Transport in London on the tube is super easy and if you have any problems everyone speaks English anyway.
We found we didn’t spend much at all in London only because we were so busy. We barely had time to stop and chill out for a drink. And I guess pre-buying all those tickets helped a lot too!
The absolute best thing we found in London was a Three Mobile Store- where they sell an international SIM card for 15 pounds that gives you 30 days of unlimited data in almost every European country.. the only place it didn't work for us was Amsterdam.

Paris- oui oui stop number two. We caught the Eurostar to Paris which again, I had pre-booked on their website. It’s a 2hr train… how can you go wrong? We arrived in Paris and caught a cab to our hotel, the language barrier was a real challenge we found, especially since the French didn’t want speak English unless it was in the main touristy areas. Our hotel in Paris was close to the Louvre- about 1km away… But quite a distance from the Eiffel Tower or the Champs Elysee. We found Paris to be the same, the tubes are relatively easy, it’s just the language barrier that makes things a little harder. My absolutely favourite thing about Paris was The Moulin Rouge! Oh my…. Go back and read my Paris posts for some more detail. Again I pre-booked that so it made the night easier not having to fork out the $160AUD cash EACH! Yes, expensive.
Having unlimited internet everywhere was a life-saver! It meant we could easily map out where we needed to go.
We found Paris difficult to find good quality food, again, luckily for the internet we looked up some good, reasonably priced places and they delivered with the goods.. these kinds of situations research really pays off!
We also found Paris to be a bit more expensive- but we didn’t pre-buy any tickets meaning we paid for our Eiffel Tower 14 EURO each, Montparnasse Tower 20 EURO each & Louvre Tickets 12 EURO each. If you want a life-changing opinion on Eiffel V Montparnasse Tower visit this post from my favourite blogger (and yours once you see her!) The Londoner. For us it was a million times better than the Eiffel Tower- well, because you get it in your view! See my post here about Paris. In more detail.



Amsterdam- Ahhhhh beautiful Amsterdam! This was one of my favourite stops. I suppose because Amsterdam isn’t one of those romantic, movie type cities it was something that I had no expectations of- and it surprised me how much I loved it. There was so much to do in Amsterdam and probably our favourite part of it all was doing nothing and just wandering around the shopping/ food streets. The only reason we spent about the same in Paris in Amsterdam was that we had a night out (a big one at that) and joined an organised pub crawl. Naturally- going out drinking blows the budget instantly. Beyond that, food was really affordable and some of the best food we ate. We stayed in the Flying Pig Uptown Hostel- it was one of our favourite accommodations from the whole trip! If there’s a place to experience the hostel life- Amsterdam is it!
Transport in Amsterdam is easy- it’s easy to get around on your feet or join the locals and get a bike! We found it a little more difficult to navigate, but we had a map from our hostel which helped.

Venice- I loved Venice! But I can be very easy to get lost in the whole floating world both literally and figuratively. Venice is obviously beautiful and there are a million things to buy- keep in mind that you’ll find those things cheaper a few streets back where it’s not as tourist heavy- or at any of the markets. This same principal goes for food- never eat directly near a monument or popular tourist area! Always wander away 5 minutes and find somewhere that looks affordable and is busy with locals. We did find Venice to be a little expensive but remember it is a very small place filled with lots of tourists. The best thing we did in Venice was a gondola ride which is pretty pricey at 80 EURO for 40 minutes, as well as a boat tour of the islands which was around 20EURO each but was well worth it. You can book all of this stuff near Piazza San Marco on the water side.




Rome- In Rome we hired a private apartment which was the best thing we did! It was a street from Piazza Navona and so easy to get around using the bus system, or the metro. Our apartment cost us around 450 EURO for 5 nights which was reasonable, and by this time in our trip it was great to have our own space. Rome is again, the same as Venice- walk away from the main areas to get your meals. You’ll find much better quality food at a much better price.
In Rome the thing to watch out for is pick pockets. Luckily I understand a little Italian and a lovely lady on the bus made me aware that there was a boy directly in front of me pick pocketing another tourists pocket. They are disguised, he was with another girl who was holding a map pretending she was a tourist, he was wearing a scarf (in sweltering summer temperatures) which he used to disguise his hand in the other man’s pocket…  It’s difficult on buses which are often so packed you are touching everyone around you to remain vigilant but it pays to! Always be aware- for ladies- always keep your bag on the front of you, zipped up. Boys don’t keep expensive things or loose money in your pocket!
Rome we spent a lot of money as we did all the main attractions. The colosseum we paid for a guided tour at 25 EURO each which is a little more than the standard entry but we thought it was worth it. Remember there is lots to do in Rome, it’s all very close so getting around by foot is easy. And not only is there a lot to see- there’s a lot to eat! Don’t skimp on your food, eat gelato three times a day if you want- after all- you are in ROME (and gelato is an acceptable snack there)!




Florence- We only had 2 nights in Florence but we loved it. The markets in Florence are amazing for any leather purchases. Remember to barter!! Don’t pay more than you are willing- if they’re not negotiating walk away- every store sells very similar items! We found the food in Florence to be fantastic.

Cinque Terre- one of my favourite places in the world! What more could you want than beautiful European beaches, amazing fresh seafood, relaxation, hiking whatever you want! You should really check out my posts here about Cinque Terre because I can’t possibly summarise. It is a little more pricey than your average but it’s so worth it.




Nice- Nice is beautiful, we didn’t love it all that much though. It was very expensive everywhere, and again the French language barrier was a killer. I wouldn’t suggest Nice if you are on any type of budget.

Dubai- what an amazing place! I do wish we had a little more time there but by this stage we were pretty ready for home. Just the magical structures, the malls, the beaches, the heat, the snow fields inside the mall? Ahhh too much to see! We didn’t even get to go to a souk as we didn’t have time. We did love Dubai and again, it’s very expensive there for just about everything. We even found H&M to be pricey! Transport we found to be more difficult in Dubai but everyone did speak English which helped. We mostly caught taxis around.




You can read up on every one of these in their individual posts where I go into a lot more detail, I just wanted to give a brief overview. Is there something I've missed that you want to know? Ask me!


-K

Wednesday, 26 November 2014

It's official.. I'm the Grinch

I always find the holidays really stressful. Especially the time leading up to the Christmas period from mid-November onward. Not because holidays are stressful, not because I’m madly planning my entire break- but because I tear my hair out over ensuring I give everyone the best present I possibly can. For me, it’s all about the presents I give… I love nothing more than the look on someone’s face when you can tell they truly appreciate what you've given them.

Let me break it down for you.

Around mid-october I start writing lists (it’s just what I do- yes I’m a HUGE list person). Lists of who I need to buy for and budgets.. I don’t know why I bother with budgets because I never stick to them but this year will hopefully be different given that we are in the process of purchasing our first home eeeeeeeek! I start with all these great ideas that seem to be suitable but slowly cross those off the list as I learn that they either a) already have them or b) wouldn’t like/ appreciate them.
I like giving gifts that are really personal, or really practical. But I dislike asking people what they want because I like to feel like I’m a magic mind-reader, or just very attentive to people’s needs and likes.

So this all happens mid-october and by mid-November I am no more organised than I was a month prior.
And then, there’s now… The “it’s almost December and I’m not even ready for Christmas” freak out.

So here’s my Christmas Gift Guide of past and present gift ideas…

Mum’s- I usually find my own Mum really easy to buy for. Mostly because she’s my mum and I know what she likes and dislikes and what she would really appreciate. Generally speaking (this doesn’t apply to all mums!) Mum’s love sentimental gifts that are personal- my specialty. In previous years I have given my Mum photos, framed pictures etc. And usually that’s a winner. Otherwise perfumes, soaps, candles, clothes, shoes etc are all a good fall back! I also love giving homey things like cushions, doona covers, etc.

This year I have a few new throw cushions I’ve created myself that are available on my Etsy store here. They are unique fabrics that you won’t see anywhere else- It’s really important to me to not give my family things that I’m sure they’ll walk into a friend’s house and see the exact same thing. And even better to give them something one-of-a-kind that they certainly won’t see in any stores and will be sure to catch the eye of any visitors to their home. What’s even better is you can guarantee products like these from any Etsy store, are not made in a production line where people are underpaid to provide us with luxurious items we don’t need. We should all do whatever we can to support our global environment and slave labour is something that I always attempt to avoid (it’s right up there with testing on animals, and sustain-ably sourcing materials).

Dad’s- Dads can be a hard one. Mine is again, pretty easy to buy for because he is into all sorts of outdoorsy stuff. This year he has just got himself a new boat so he will be getting boating gear from us (hope he doesn't read this! Haha). But otherwise most Dads are into camping gear (always useful), fishing gear, power tools, good leather wallets etc.

I usually try and buy a family gift on Christmas which would be something we can all use that day.. last year I got a Bocce set. It’s always good to get something that is fun for the whole family for the day.. and something like a bocce set comes in at around $12 from Kmart… that’s cheap entertainment in my opinion!

Boyfriends- Boys are a really hard one. I struggle with this every year. Lucky for me this year Dean has told me a few things he wants so that does take the pressure off. But again, if all else fails I’ll usually fall back on the same things as I’d give my Dad. I guess with your partner it’s all about being aware of things they need or things that they really appreciate. With Dean, a bottle of Jack Daniels is a sure winner- even if it doesn't last the day.

Sisters- I don’t have any sisters so lucky for me I don’t have to buy for them…. But I do buy for Dean’s brother’s girlfriends… Does that make sense? With these lovely ladies I would usually try to think about what they might need or have coming up in their lives.. For example, I know Matt and Amy have recently moved back into Dean’s parents place and are saving for their own house. So I might buy Amy (or both of them) some nice home things that they can put away for when that time comes. I really like getting them personal things and I absolutely love these... 



But again, I’ve left it too late this year as they would be posted from the US. I would also love to give them some art for their home, you can find some of my unique pieces also on my Etsy store here..


Mother-in-law- This is the one I struggle with the most… every year I end up fighting with my boyfriend and telling him that next year I am not thinking of the gifts and he has to do it himself because I get so stressed about the perfect present that I end up being a Christmas-zilla… or the Grinch? I love the Grinch! Anyway, over the years I’ve come up with some MIL presents that I am pretty proud of… my personal favorite is the family tree I gave her last Christmas.. It really is one of a kind and it was so easy! In-fact, I’ll give you a little step-by-step as it’s an awesome sentimental present that (I think) any Mum would love.

I started with these few things
·         A silver jewellery tree- the one I purchased was from OzSale at the time, it stands around 40cm high and around 30 wide. These ones are a bit smaller but a good price! 

·         Photo key rings (one for each family member) – I actually picked these up at K-Mart for around $1 each

·         Pretty blue and pink ribbons
·         And a photo of each family member (pets included!)

Once I had all these things I simply put the photos of the family into each key-ring, I removed the silver hook from the key ring and threaded through a pretty ribbon. I then hung them onto the silver jewellery tree in order of parents at the top and kids below… Simple… It’s a really easy and personal gift that now is a centrepiece in their home. It can easily be personalised with new family members or animals, different coloured ribbons- or if she decides she doesn’t like it anymore it can revert back to a nice jewellery tree.
I don’t have a photo of the final product but I’ll try to get one and post it later!



There are a few other people that I usually buy for but I always refer back to that backup list in the Dad section, or for quirky little gifts in places like David Jones or Myer.. This year I am going to attempt to get some home-made gifts organised.. I’ll be sure to post those once they have been delivered… I would hate for the surprises to be ruined!

Enough of Christmas.. here's some pictures of what i've been doing lately!
I went to The Rolling Stones @ Hope Estate

I've hung out with this babe!

And this cutie... so much love for Caleb 

We found out Coco is living a double life....

I hosted a Christmas Party for my staff.... 

Aaaand I made this costume for this little stunner for the Katy Perry concert.. and I also attended!

Do you have any cute DIY Christmas gift ideas? I’d love to see them!
Have you seen my Etsy Store? If not come check it out here & let me know what you think!

Take Care
-K