yay it's christmas!!

i just received this lovely picture of a christmas fireplace.

check out the momumen festive cards along the mantle!

have a wonderful christmas everyone :)

handmadehongkong :: soho carnival

what a great weekend! thanks for all the support + love :D
visit our facebook page for more images

market day nov 7-8!

the handmadehongkong market day in soho is fast approaching... 2 more weeks! i'm a little nervous as this is the first market day i've done + i'm not sure what the response to mulberry cards will be! i know i know it'll be fine, thought it's easy to let doubts creep in looking at that calibre of vendors that will be there. all i can do is plan + get things ready...

1. the festive cards are at the printers + i'll be checking the colour proofs this wednesday
2. the biodegradable plastic sheets will be arriving soon via a friend coming back from the states
3. finalising display concept [while listening to the 500days of summer soundtrack - awesome]
4. working on a little roster for the day if people are available to come help! if you have an hour or two to spare on nov 7-8, 12noon - 9pm please please do let me know - thanks!!

order your festive range now + get a gingerbread latte!

click here to view the online version

christmas is coming!

i've been working on the christmas range of momumen cards + it has been bringing up lots of memories of christmas + excitement for the season ahead!! i'm actually heading to the uk to celebrate with family so that'll be really good. hopefully will be able to meet up with some card companies + distributors while i'm there. uk is one of the largest markets for greeting cards!

in the meantime here's a sneak peak at one of the cards in the festive range 2009! more to come soon...

offset all the way

I've just completed a few different design + print jobs and it's be fun working on these projects [pictures to be posted later]. The only issue I will have to make sure stands going forward is using offset printing, only. Due to various factors, mainly budget + small quantities, a few clients have opted for digital print. Which is fine if they want to go that way, and are happy with the finished product, but in all honesty it just doesn't look as good. From now on I will only be providing offset printing with soy ink + recycled paper. This is important for my business + keeping true to the mission to be earth friendly while using sustainable materials where possible.

On the topic of printing, I've had an issue with a printer of not providing a colour proof before the final print run! This is really frustrating as the final product on both occasions had problems which could have been easily rectified if a proof was given + checked. What a waste of material + time... note for the future, make sure you get a proof!

momumen cards available

finally our first mulberry moment range of cards featuring momumen - our signature characters expressing emotions + moments are available

:: in hong kong at graze cafe a neighourhood cafe serving wholesome comfort food. check it out :)

:: online at etsy.com/mulberrymoment

if you are interested in stocking our cards in your store, please contact us at thegoods@mulberrymoment.com. display units are as below



enjoy your mulberry moment!

do what your heart desires

In the last couple of days I've finally managed to catch up with some close friends, which has proven a difficult task in the past few months as everyone, myself included is always busy! I really am thankful for the flexible I can have with my time, although I had to catch myself recently, as I felt that I was spending too much time doing that. So when I got home at the end of the day, I worked and worked till the early hours of the morning to make up for time lost. Which there wasn't any of... I was just losing sleep! I know how easy it is to slip into the mindset of working yourself hard and being productive, but I'm learning to shift that focus to other areas, such as investing in relationships and personal growth. So a coffee date here or there, or spending some time reading a book is ok, and is in fact a good thing.

Going back to those long awaited catch ups, it was wonderful to hear my friends' life stories and being able to share our dreams. It's really encouraging to see people going after their passions, whether it be writing, dancing, music, brand management or even perfecting their coffee making. Everyone has a particular desire that stirs their heart, and it is a big thing to step out into it. Despite all your fears and barriers in front of you, if you commit to your desires, the passion that drives you will get you through to see those dreams come true.

If you don't know already, set some time aside to find those desires of your heart. It's worth it.

a little teaser

the first range of mulberry moment momumen* cards have arrived!! the cards will soon be available in select stores as well as online. if you would like to see the full range + place a direct order please feel free to email us at thegoods@mulberrymoment.com

*momumen are our signature little characters who express emotions + moments. the 4.75in squared cards are printed with soy ink on 100% recycled card and come with a matching embossed envelope.

check out our facebook group for the full collection, in the meantime, here's a little sample of the cards

third time is a winner

So I've had a few runs at my business card and finally am happy with this one...

naturally inspired

The other day we went to Turtle Cove and it's a beautiful tucked away little beach, I fell in love with it right away. We only had less than half an hour of sun there, but that didn't matter, it was so peaceful and serene.. it almost felt like we were in a different place. While others decided to lie on the sand and chat or go for a swim, I was captivated by the wonderful collection of shells washed up on the shore. I spent the next hour or so crouched down, sifting through and searching for beauty created by nature.

Here's a sample of the treasure I found



I love how they have been smoothed and shaped by the tides rolling over them and the details and curves are beautiful. Nature is full of colour; the hues and shades of flowers, leaves, plants etc. are great material for design. I'll soon be working on a range of cards that is naturally inspired :)

Below is a picture of my potpourri that makes my room smell like a garden!

a first birthday card

I recently went to a friend's baby's first birthday party! It was an amazing event, with babies of all ages, helium balloons, cupcakes, finger sandwiches and rubber duckies everywhere! What a wonderful thing to celebrate.. the first year of your child :) I wanted to make a special card for the birthday girl, even though she's not able to read yet, it'll be something nice for her to look back on. The ribbons took a while to tie, but we got there in the end!

the month of may

It's been a while since I've posted! It's not that I haven't been doing anything, quite the contrary. The wedding invites have been finished and printed and will be sent out soon, so will post some pictures later. They turned out really well!!

Had a bit of a disaster with my business cards.. I'm not happy with the finishing and it's not because I am a perfectionist, which I am, but I want to be able to give out cards that represent the company and brand properly. I'm finding an alternative for my business cards. Though I will still give the printed ones out, I don't want to waste paper!

Speaking of which, I've been doing a lot of research into being earth friendly and reducing waste and so on. The path the world is currently on is leading to a polluted and depleted world.. our desire for consumption and more consumption, demands the manufacture of more products, packaging and transporting goods around the world, creates more greenhouse gases causing climate and environmental change. It's not to say we have to stop consuming "stuff" which would be a difficult, and fairly impossible task to achieve, but we should be wise and educated about what we buy and use and how to dispose of them properly, and understand how our decisions can better the world we live in.

For mulberry moment, we need to understand and realise the implications of the paper stock used and how they can be reused or recycled. What's In Your Paper? Paper Steps helps us understand what environmentally paper should be and what we can do to be more earth friendly. Recycled paper is actually a lot easier to recycle again!

In addition to the paper we'll be using, printing with non-toxic, acid free ink such as soy ink will be a huge focus for our products. So more about that later.

special occasions need extra special cards

wedding day

first year anniversary

introducing mulberry moment

After 15 or so colour combinations and attempts we finally have the mulberry moment brand! Thank you to everyone who has contributed in ideas, suggestions and comments.

Click on the image to get a closer look at the mulberrymoment logo.

the logo

As you may know we have been working on the logo and have, through the advice of some talented designers created the logo for mulberry moment.. yipee!!



The coloured version is being worked on now.. it is important to have the logo looking good at it's most basic i.e. black/white for the purposes of photocopying, faxing and so on. So we'll keep you updated on the final look of the brand soon :)

Current mulberrymoment work
:: wedding invites are nearly done.. finalising the details and hope to go to print next week - YAY!
:: mulberrymoment business cards will be completed with the brand and printed soon
:: the first range of cards are being developed and we aim to have them available in time for summer :)

milestones

Last Tuesday I went and registered the company, so now mulberry moment is officially a business in HK! Exciting.

Also I finally had a catch up with an incredibly talented person whom I have worked with for over 3 years. It was good just to talk about my ideas and concepts and hear her input and her natural flair for creative ideas was inspiring. She also is remarkably practical, and asked about how I was planning to do things and suggested ways to focus my resources more effectively, which is really important at this time.

It's challenging starting a business on your own.. you have to do everything yourself. From the planning, budgeting, designing, sourcing, marketing, web stuff and so on. It's good, I'm learning A LOT to say the least, but realise the need to focus on the important things first and go from there.

Currently we're working on the logo and hope to finalise this soon!!

**mulberrymoment is on twitter - feel free to follow our tweets :) [I'll figure out how to add the update to this blog and vice versa]

notepads

4" x 4" hand stitched notepads, with 16 blank pages made from recycled paper. Fill them up with ideas, lists, pictures.. whatever you want!

wedding perfection

I've just taken up a new project: some friends are getting married this summer and I'm helping with their wedding invitations. It's quite fun and yet daunting at the same time as weddings come around once [in most cases], and everything must be perfect, down to the finest detail! I can only imagine what it's like to plan a wedding, so I'm taking time to pay attention to those little details and touches that will help make the day even better for them.

Designs to come later :)

Working on this as well as various other designs, I'm learning to organise my time and keep to goals. There's a lot of work, but it's a good thing.

pocket calendars :)

Handy sized calendars to fit in your wallet, purse, card case or even Octopus holder!

work work away..

That's been a little saying I've hummed to myself while getting into work, whether it be writing out text, jotting down ideas, figuring out concepts or playing around with designs.. it makes me smile and keeps me going :)

This morning I was asked what my goals were for the day, to which I replied a number of things including exercising, and starting work by 10am, going through photos for ideas, making some pads, creating a card template and blogging. I can pretty much check all of them off.. so it's been a rather productive day!

One thing I have been learning while working on mulberry, is to be realistic as to what can be achieved within a given period. Most of the time we are our own worse enemies [I know I am!] setting high expectations and being disappointed when the list of tasks haven't been completed and then being hard on oneself for not doing more. It's a vicious cycle.. so it's important to have people around you who encourage and support you in whatever you do. I have some wonderful people in my life who are just that to me.. you know who you are. Thank you.

Another encouragement - I had sent a card and some CD's to a friend, and unknown to me, she had a CD player in her room, but only one CD! She found the package in the kitchen as she was making a cuppa..

I made my cup of tea before I opened it - I wanted to savour the moment. I slowly peeled away the sellotape, taking care not to rip the paper, to find a card and two CDs inside.. when I saw the CDs and the playlist, well there was not much else I could do but start laughing, laughing deep from the inside and almost crying because it touched me so much..

Work work away.. it's worth it :)

Focus - faff not.

There's something about having a goal - where there is no vision, the people perish - I know we don't have to be as dramatic as this, but there is an element of truth to it.

It's like trying to climb to the top of a mountain. You have your goal to get to the top and when you're at the base of the mountain, you can see the peak from every angle. However you can keep circling the mountain without getting any closer and still have the peak in view.. which can be soul destroying. With every vision, you need to have a plan, one that is clearly laid out and of course, achievable.

I had started out with a vision and a plan for mulberry, however I seem to have been presented with other routes on how to go through with it all, which has left me a bit flustered. Just focus the concepts and ideas and stop faffing around in order to move up the mountain.

Slow and steady she goes, ay.

A few of the first products

Recycled paper is used, and is acid free, totally chlorine free and is 100% post-consumer waste.





Matchpads - little notepads that can fit in your purse, bag, wallet, pencil case, pocket.. perfect for when you need to jot something down.

inspi[red] - more than a tshirt

Last night I couldn't sleep and started thinking and coming up with different ideas.. it's amazing how the night cultivates inspiration. It's a perfect breeding ground for creativity, quiet, dark and mysterious, the other side of midnight. It was pretty dark before Creation! So I stayed up late [way past my bedtime] with a side lamp on drawing, sketching and writing ideas and concepts down. And you find that once you start, it just keeps going, your creative juices flow and you fill up page after page of scribbles and illegible thoughts. I wrote down a list of things to do before the lights went out so I wouldn't forget. It felt really good and I was excited to start today.. so much so, to curb the tiredness I had an energy drink which left me buzzing for a while! But things are going and the list is being checked off. Yeeaah!

**Received the initial designs for the logo!! Very exciting :) More on this soon**

A box full of cards

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has a box full of old cards and letters that they've received over the years! I'm a words person, so I love going through them from time to time reading over the stories and encouragements. These messages from friends I've known for a long time and others just a short while, never fail to bring a smile to my face and make me feel loved..



Just wanted to share a message from a wonderful friend whose card, no matter when I read it, always brings tears to my eyes -

Another year older, another year wiser - more adventures & memories, new experiences & relationship and new perspective on life. I believe most of us seek a path in life, to serve a (greater) purpose & find meaning & I believe your journey will soon begin (if it hasn't already begun). As we enter a new year of 2008, I hope you find what gives you the greatest satisfaction and happiness in life, to fulfil your passions & put you in your ultimate element.

"Everything is possible.. for him who believes" - Mark 9:23

A theme song

I'm currently enamored by Sigor Rós' song Samskeyti.

As I listen to this song, I can't help but close my eyes and breathe in deeply and slowly and start thinking about people I love, my family, my friends.. it brings up wonderful memories that make me smile and want to cry at the same time.

It's just beautiful, and it inspires me to do what I'm doing with Mulberry Moment even more.

Paper trails

While waiting on some print suppliers to get back to me, I've been spending some time checking out card shops, stationery and craft shops. I have to say, I love it! The items are lined up so tidy and perfect on the shelves according to colour, shape and purpose, it's exciting to look at and I'm a very tactile person so I like picking things up and feeling textures.. so paper shops are even more fun. This certainly doesn't feel like work :)

After a few days of venturing around, I've collected a range of crafty tools, card samples, paper and envelopes, as well as a few accessories. So the other day I started experimenting a few ideas..

And so the story begins

I had barely started this all when the other day I found out that an ex-colleague is also doing greeting cards! How random is that? But as it's said, a little competition is a good thing and it's made me even more adamant to do a good job of this.

So you might be asking how the name Mulberry Moment came about..

China is well known for their Four Great Inventions these being gunpowder, printing, the compass and the creation of paper by Cai Lun in 105AD. Cai Lun combined strong fibrous bark from mulberry trees with hemp waste, fishnets, old rags and plant fibers to make sheets of paper. Paper mulberry bark fibers are still used to this day, and are treated and mixed with other ingredients to enhance the paper quality.

As with many people, whenever I think of the people that mean so much to me, I always want to do something to let them know I care - but I never do. I get distracted, busy doing stuff.. there are always excuses. But I realise how important moments like these are, when we decide to put ourselves, our situations aside for just a little bit to let someone know that they are loved and valued. These moments, if acted upon, can have an amazing effect on people's days, and even lives. Seriously!

So I thought I'd better start putting this into practice and sent a dear friend a card to her work address. She texted me today saying she had received it and that she was having a hard day at work and the card made such a difference. That is exactly what Mulberry Moment is all about!

A dream comes true..

For the past year I have been thinking about "what do I want to do?" and taking a step back from that - "what do I enjoy doing?" Strangely enough, I found these questions hard to answer and wrote out a list of things I had been thinking about, which included being creative, working with people, planning and organising. It wasn't until I was falling asleep one night in last November when the idea of creating my own greeting cards came to mind. Well, actually I had this idea earlier that year, but didn't think much of it, but this night, it was like a new fresh idea.

At the start of 2009, I felt that this was a year for new things and new beginnings and the idea came even more strongly and I thought "why not?" Everyone has been amazingly supportive and I'm really blessed with a great family and friends. Thank you. Thank you all. Especially to Ben who has been a wonderful encouragement over the past year. Not to mention incredibly patient!

And so I'm starting my own company!

This is the first week, and I'm currently working on the business plan which I know I need to focus on and not procrastinate! I've been researching existing brands and shops, and just decided on a name, and bought the domain name, set up paypal, and the logo designs are now being worked on. It's all go now!

I'll keep this blog up to date as much as possible.. I'm sure there'll be lots of things to write about as I go along this journey.

Thank you for your support :)