Cookie Jar in the news!

The POOL interview with me :)

Woohoo....It's such a lot of fun to be on the other side of the interviewing table :) ! POOL - a national design magazine, interviewed me about this blog - Cookie Jar, my thoughts on writing, dreams and plans. It was such a pleasant change to be giving the interview, rather than taking one.

Thanks Maitreyi & POOL Team for the opportunity! And Thanks to all of my readers, for the support and for being there :)

Dreams in my pocket - Nidhi Chanani

I’ve recently shifted to another house – a sprawling old 'fauji' bungalow with a lawn and lots of trees. There’s a cluster of bamboo trees, a mango tree laden with green fruit, a rustling pine, a tall ramrod straight Ashoka and a nut tree. I love our new abode with large windows, lots of sunshine and fresh air, and spacious rooms. But what I love best is my little studio – a square room with gauzy block-printed Kota sheers, a table for my laptop where I do my journalistic work and another table for my sewing machine and art work. I’ve parked my easel in a corner, set up a sumptuous diwan in another with a large silk cushion and dotted the window sill with plants. I’ve used Craft Maps of India for the walls and a bright orange Ikkat durrie for the floor.

This work-and-craft studio opens up to the garden and porch, and the view from here is wonderful. When I work here I feel blessed – blessed for being able to do things that I love and in a place that can be best described as a “sunny little garden room”.

Speaking about blessings and the luxury of carving out a living doing what we like to do, let me introduce you to Nidhi Chanani. She creates gorgeously cute illustrations from her home studio. Here she chats with us about what she does and what she loves.

  

I am….

a freelance artist and designer based out of San Francisco. I was born in India but I grew up in Southern California. I always wanted to express myself creatively, either through words or art... In my mid-twenties I decided to change careers and try out art school. I haven’t looked back since.

I illustrate…

everything, really! My blog is my personal work... I generally draw from my life, my love and my wonderful friends and family. I am incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by supportive and sincere people... and San Francisco! I feel as though every time I turn a corner, go to meet a friend or catch a train I am living inside a dream. This city has so much beauty... And I travel a fair amount so I draw from those experiences as well.

I also create from my imagination, the wonderful thing about drawing is that there are no limits. I can take my feelings and thoughts and translate them into a world that’s my own creation.

My bread-butter-n-jam…

I make most of my living from my personal work. I sell prints and other products with my daily sketches... Every day I think about how lucky I am to be able to earn my living through art.

What inspires and invigorates me…

I get this question a lot, so I think this time I will tell you what is currently inspiring me. My friends and my moms. I really have some of the best friends, people you can count on, lean on or simply just enjoy a few glasses of wine with!

I also have the incredibly good fortune of having an amazing mother and mother-in-law!  The time we spend together is always full of laughter and wisdom.

Often I feel like my life is bubbling over with love.... that’s the best kind of inspiration.

I enjoy…

I am a pop music lover! I love Katy Perry, Michael Jackson, and so many others. I can’t draw without music on... I also love my cats, cuddling in bed with my hubbahubba, walking around my neighborhood in the evening, checking out too many books from the library and I won’t lie: I’m a total chocoholic. Currently I’m on a chocolate croissant kick.

Instant perk-me-ups…

I’ve been feeling blue recently and calls from my hubbahubba and my best friend always make me feel better. Taking time to snuggle with my kitty always makes me happy, too.

What counts…

My hubbahubba, friends and family... and my work.

The important lessons of my life…

Go with your gut. Take risks. Love widely, but protect your heart. Be kind.

Let me share…

I think my best advice is to go for it. Don’t just dream it, do it.

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See more of Nidhi's work here. And, visit her Etsy store here.

Image Credit: Nidhi Chanani

q & a with Lisa Salamida of Savor

I'm a regular browser at Etsy. An online community of crafters and a marketplace for all things handmade, the website is buzzing with interesting products and inspiring interviews. It was while rifling through a sheaf of interviews on the site that I came across a post titled 'Quit your Day Job', where Lisa of Savor Soaps told readers about her delicious soap business. 'Savor' sounded fascinating, and so did she. Here at Cookie Jar, she chats with us about the business of soap making and life as an entrepreneur.

q. Please tell us about yourself – where you live, your family, and professional and craft background.

a. I live just outside of San Francisco with my husband, daughter, and four cats. I went to school in NY and have a degree in English, and came to SF to be an editor. After working as an editor in a newsroom for a few years (where I met my husband) I transferred to the  tech department and did tech support until I left to run Savor full time.

q. I read that you started your company in 2007. How did you choose this unique art, did you learn to make soaps from somewhere and what made you start Savor?

a. I just fell into soapmaking as a hobby. I didn’t learn it from any particular place, did a lot of reading online and a lot of it I just learned as I went.

Princess Bride Olive Oil Soap

q. What were the initial years as ‘soap artist and entrepreneur’ like?

a. The business took off very quickly, so I was working 40 hr weeks (on top of my full time job, so 80 hrs and commute time). My husband helped out a lot -- we were constantly busy and didn’t have a kitchen any longer, it was just used to make soap.

Ruby 8 Creme Fraiche Whipped Soap

q. What kind of products did you start with and how has the product line grown?

a. I made only bar soap. Now I make whipped soap, lotions, scrubs, body mist, and I used to carry lip butter. I’ll be making bubble bars and bath truffles in the future.

q. I’m sure you experiment a lot, while expanding your product line. What inspires you to create these absolutely delicious soaps and body butters?

a. I like to look at cookbooks or websites that collect photos of beautiful food.

 Indian Clementine Olive Oil Soap

q. Tell us about some of your favourite Savor products.

a.  My current favorite scent is Pacifics -- coconut milk and papaya. It is so creamy and warm -- love to use it on my daughter in the bath!

q. How do you promote your business?

a. Right now I’m not doing much promotion at all. I maintain my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/savorsoap and send out a semi-monthly newsletter with a coupon or sale inside. I buy advertising space online but only a few times per year.

 q. What is it like running a full time business from home and being a hands on crafter and creator?

a. It’s perfect. My success is tied directly to how hard I work. It’s an incredible motivator. However, my daughter is at an age where it’s very tough to get work done when she’s being playful. She goes to a neighbor’s house for two hours in the morning while I work.

Soft Parade Shea Butter Soap

 q. What is your day like?

a. We’re usually up at 6:30, breakfast at 7 and she’s off to the neighbor’s at 8:30. I work in the studio making items, and when she’s back she nurses and takes her morning nap, and I try to get my shipping done. She’s up again at noon and we have lunch, then pick up the house and we play for a while or go out and run errands, go to the park, etc. I do some more work during her afternoon nap, and then start dinner around 5. After we all eat at 6, she gets playtime, a bath, and I do more shipping while my husband and daughter play. She’s in bed by 9 and I’m usually asleep by 11.

Badedas Creme Fraiche Whipped Soap

q. What do you enjoy doing in your leisure?

a. I don’t have much leisure time. I like to read and Rowan and I go to swimming class on Saturdays.

q. Do you have any advice for people out there, who love to create things and would like be their own boss?

a. Being a crafter is not enough -- you really need a good head for business. I think it’s essential.

Dreams in my pocket - Jessica Constable

I can't get enough of good blogs and strong coffee. A few months ago, on a lazy Saturday afternoon, while rifling through blogs, I came across Jessica Constable's inspirational blog Make Under My Life. As I read, I came to know that Jessica is an entrepreneur, who runs her own jewelery brand called Jess LC. She's just the kind of woman I love to read about...yes, you got it. I love reading about women who have the courage to chart out their own career path and choose to start businesses instead of work the 9-to-9 shift.

So people...let's catch up with Jessica Constable over coffee.

I am…. 
I’m a jewellery designer in Chicago, Illinois. 

My business name, Jess LC, comes from my name and initials. But I have to admit, in 1999 the company was originally named Starlette Jewelry. As a 15-year-old living in Rochester, Michigan, I taught myself to make “totally rad” star ankle bracelets at a local pool. While making these beaded ankle bracelets, four women bought them from me on the spot. These unintentional sales changed my professional life forever. Inspired to earn my “fun money” selling jewelry rather than baby-sitting, I soon learned new jewelry techniques and sold my designs to teachers, students, and stores across Michigan. When I graduated high-school, my jewelry was sold in 12 boutiques.


In 2003, I began college at the University of Michigan and studied Business Administration at the Ross School of Business. While struggling through operations management and corporate finance classes, I continued selling jewelry and re-named the business Jess LC. My junior year, I interned in New York City at Macy’s Merchandising Group within Product Development. Though the experience was great, I found myself wanting to make changes to the designs, pricing, hang-tags, even the LOGO. Needless to say, as an intern these changes were beyond my control. So I resolved to take a CEO position after graduation… at Jess LC. When I graduated I was also named “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Which sounds impressive, until you find out that I was the only student with a business, and therefore the only nominee. Ahem.


After graduation in August of 2007, I moved to Chicago and started Jess LC full-time. Setting up shop in a small studio apartment as a one-woman show was challenging (read: really hard). But I had faith and persisted. By the end of 2008 Jess LC was sold in over 100 stores nationwide. At that point I also had a lovely team of interns, part-time help, and awesome sales reps.


I write… 
I write about designing a life with intention. It is my purpose in life to help people reflect on what they are meant to do with their lives and then help, encourage, and inspire them to then "design their life" around those intentions. The blog topics I cover which relate to this effort include lifestyle, home decor, thinking with intention, and designing a business with intention. 

My bread-butter-n-jam… 
My life is designed around doing what I love- as I've pursued my purpose through the blog the jewelry business has blossomed into a fun, exciting, and challenging endeavor. I am constantly getting inspired to design jewelry based on inspiration from my passion: interior design. I love translating the trends I see in home design into jewelry. It's also amazing to reach out and interact with customers via Jess LC and readers via MML (the blog). More and more often, those customers are now readers and vice versa. Being able to be known for not only jewelry design, but also as someone who helps people pursue their purpose is fantastically rewarding.

What inspires and invigorates me… 
Reading blogs and books about business, life purpose, and interior design get me fired up to do what I do everyday. 

I enjoy… 
I enjoy iced tea, beautiful throw pillows, Westie puppies, traveling, watching HGTV, journal writing, and graphic design.

Instant perk-me-ups… 
Prayer, running, coffee with friends, phone calls while running errands, walking along the beach, doing my nails. 

What counts…
Learning to separate my ego from my spirit, family and friends, and fearlessly pursuing my purpose. 

The important lessons of my life… 
I've learned that the more you actually go after what you are meant to do, the more opportunities arise to help you get there. It's really about taking those baby steps to make it happen and to stick with the path you've chosen. I've also learned that there are two voices inside my mind: my ego and my spirit. My ego wants to control the future, fears the unknown, and generally gets me caught up in unnecessary worry and pride. My spirit on the other hand is a calm, cool well of knowledge that is always at ease and trusts in the future being bright regardless of whether I know where the path is heading at this point in time. The more I've been able to recognize these two perspectives in my life, the better I've been able to let go of a lot of unnecessary drama, pain, and fear.

Let me share… 
I have two mantras which have helped me change my life: The first is, "You get in life what you have the courage to work towards." The second is a quote by Michelangelo who said that he could carve such beautiful statues from pieces of stone because he saw the potential within the rock and simply removed the layers that were hiding that potential. I believe our lives are like those pieces of stone: the more we remove, the more we uncover our purpose and potential. 

I'd also say that the most transformational book which has helped guide the course of my life is The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Dreams in my pocket - Nancy

Hiya! It's been some time since I posted anything. I've been dividing my time between work, embroidery, long walks and books. And this week onwards....a lot of work!

Well, time now for another interesting blogger. Please welcome Nancy of Wolf and Willow. She loves everything vintage and her beautiful online scrapbook of words and delicious pictures will have you smiling in no time. So guys...take a break from whatever you're doing and all the busy moments, to take a sneak peek at Nancy's blog and what she has to say here...

I am….

A dreamer with a wild imagination. A lover of vintage children’s books and fantasizing about the past. Growing up I travelled all around Australia with my parents, from the chilly Victorian coast to the tropical Whitsunday islands and back again. I loved writing and illustrating books. When I grew up, I spent five years at university studying all sorts of interesting arty things like archaeology and literature, then settled on being a graphic designer. Now I work as a freelance writer, designer and illustrator for books, magazines and blogs.... I spend any spare time sewing, cooking and playing with my dog.

I write… 

Wolf and Willow. I nickname it “Project Pretty”, because really, it’s a visual diary of pretty things! I post free sewing patterns from time to time, or write about vintage icons, etsy finds, fashion, illustration and decor. I have a little Field Journal section where I post about personal stuff like childhood memories, family photos and projects I’m working on.

My bread-butter-n-jam… 

I’m a freelance designer, illustrator and writer. I specialise in publishing (design, illustration and copywriting for books and magazines); interface design (blogs and websites) and surface pattern design (textiles, packaging, paper goods).

I sometimes work in-house at companies around Melbourne, which is nice, because I meet great people and get away from the daily distractions at my own studio. But I also love working from home because my dog curls up under my desk.

What inspires and invigorates me…

Sunshine. I can’t get enough. If it’s sunny, I like to take a picnic blanket and read a book under a tree, go running, ride my bicycle down to the local shops... anything outside. I also love to play 80s music and have a dance when no-one is watching... that always invigorates me!

I enjoy… 

Drinking tea of all kinds, collecting pretty teacups to drink it in, reading books, trying out new recipes, hot porridge, cuddling my dog, watching movies on the ‘life raft’ with my husband (an inflatable boat we put in the lounge room and fill with pillows – it’s like floating on a cloud!), cycling around the suburbs admiring the pretty gardens and weatherboard houses, sewing, writing.

Instant perk-me-ups… 

Raspberry and white chocolate muffins, fruit salad, phoning my mum for a good long chat, cuddling my dog.

What counts…

Being kind and cheerful and generous with your love, time, knowledge, compliments... whatever you can give, give it! Life is hard enough without us making things worse for one another, so why not try to make life better for others by being nice, even if it’s just a smile or a kind word?

The important lessons of my life… 

Be grateful for what you have every day (make a list if you have to!) and never take anything for granted. If something is really making you miserable, change it. When your life is over, you don’t get to pack a suitcase, so forget about material possessions and money, seek to be rich in love and happiness instead.

Let me share… 

A recipe for the best breakfast smoothie ever! Blend 1 cup milk (soy if you wish), 3 ice cubes, ½ handful blueberries, 1 banana, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ handful of walnuts, 1 teaspoon of honey and a sprinkling of goji berries... delicious!

Dreams in my pocket - Jeanine Hays

(Jeanine and her exotic pillows)

We met up with the very talented Jeanine Hays of AphroChic and the AphroChic blog. A lawyer by profession, she is an artist, designer, blogger and successful entrepreneur 'by passion'. Here, on a bright blue winter morning, she lets us take a sneak peek into the her pocket and the dreams and designs that are nestled there...

Dreams in my pocket…

I am….

A designer, a lawyer, a writer – just a woman who wants to live the life she wants and have fun doing it. I am from a small town in Pennsylvania, but my dreams have always been big. I’ve also always had an independent streak. At some early point I decided that I wanted to go to Spelman College in Atlanta, GA. And even though my family wasn’t behind it at first, that was my decision, and when the time came, I went. I majored in Political Science while I was there. I also learned that I was an artist (who knew?), and took my very first painting classes on Spelman’s campus. After college I was very torn. I knew that I wanted to continue with school, but wasn’t sure if I would go for interior design or attend law school instead. Law school won out – mostly because it seemed like the surest path to a stable living – and I moved to Washington D.C. to attend American University Washington College of Law. I focused on domestic violence law, and today I work in that field as a policy associate for a non-profit in San Francisco. But despite taking what appeared to be the more rational path, I never lost my desire to engage my creative side.

While working full-time at the non-profit I decided to start a blog dedicated to my passion for interior design. That’s how AphroChic was born. It began in 2007, and became a successful home decor blog in a short amount of time. Two years after starting the blog, I decided to take my dreams even further and began creating some of my own designs. Because I’ve always been a renter, and because I like to change my style from year to year, I’ve always been attracted to pillows for their ability to transform a space without requiring a huge commitment. It turned out to be the perfect focus for a new company, and in 2009 AphroChic launched its first collection of throw pillows and apparel.

I write…

A lot. My blog is all about modern and soulful interiors. But I also write articles and blog posts for HGTV. It can make for some tired fingers, but I love every second of it (and so do my fingers). When I started my blog, I wanted to explore the types of spaces and decor that make me happy, and that’s still what I look for in the things that I cover. I love spaces that include a modern aesthetic, but that also tell a story. I believe that our decor can tell our stories, not only who we are but where we come from. I love spaces that are full of culture; design that is cutting-edge; and decor that makes a space truly feel like home. Those are the concepts that I look to explore and the ideas that I want to contribute in the AphroChic blog and everything else that I write, and it’s so much fun.

My bread-butter-n-jam…

I love making pillows. Pillows make people happy. They make you smile. And they are so comfy and cozy. There’s nothing like coming up with a new design and seeing it come to life. And I love the look of surprise when someone sees our collection and how bright and fun it is. I want each pillow I make to bring a smile to someone’s face.

What inspires and invigorates me…

My husband. We work together on building our business. When we started making pillows he didn’t have a clue about decor and design, but after just one year he is getting to be a bit of a designer himself. I’m inspired by how he takes on a new thing, and about how much he believes in what we’re doing. Owning your own business can be quite daunting, but he keeps me going. He never stops believing that we are doing the right thing by going for our dreams.

I enjoy…

M&Ms, funny movies, and laughing myself silly. I love spending time with my family and friends. Every day I realize a little more just how important the little things in life are. Life happens in the little moments.

Instant perk-me-ups…

For me it’s a chai latte. It’s the ultimate pick-me-up. Warm, sweet and spicy. I always feel better after drinking chai.

What counts…

I know it sound cliché, but being happy counts for everything. I was raised by the most wonderful mother, and the one thing she taught my sister and I was to be happy, to smile, to laugh, not matter what was happening in our lives. Doing what I love, even during the hard times, I know that most important thing is that I’m happy. That’s all that matters.

The important lessons of my life…

I’ve learned to be open to the opportunities that life has to offer. When I started my blog I had no idea the doors and opportunities that would open. I didn’t have a clue that I would I start my own online boutique, that I would be writing for HGTV, or that people would ever be inspired by the things that I do. Doors open, and I’m not afraid to walk through them and see what’s next. Never pass up on an opportunity. It just might change your life forever.

Let me share…

When I was a little girl I wrote a list of the things I wanted to be. I remember very clearly writing that I wanted to be a writer, designer or a lawyer. Today, I’m all three. My best advice would be to look back and think of what you always wanted to be. I’ll bet that, deep down, it’s still what you want to be today. Now, admit to yourself that you can have it, then take a step forward and make it happen. It’s never too late to make your dreams come true. You have everything that you need.