We've got a new HOME!!!

So I know it's been a little on the quiet side here lately... That's because there are GIGANTIC changes happening for Buttercup Ink!

The blog is now over at Buttercup Ink HQ where you'll get a weekly dose of business + life tips.

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See you there!

V xx

The battle of SOCIAL vs SEARCH

A great infographic showing the importance of both search and social media for businesses...

BUSINESS {and life} TIP

Get clear on what you want and BELIEVE it will come

V xx

TOP TIPS for naming your business

"Do you have any advice for choosing a business name?"

I've been asked this question a lot lately so I thought I'd share my tops tips and things to consider when naming your new business...

Want a SUCCESSFUL business? Here's how to make it happen...

People often think, "I'll be happy when _______." (fill in the blank with money/house/holiday/car/etc.). But in actual fact, it works the other way. We first have to BE HAPPY in our current reality to receive into our lives all the other stuff we dream about and desire.

I believe the same theory is true for business. New business start-ups often think that they will be happy and proud of themselves when they are 'a success'. But is regarded as a success? Is it financial gain? Is it having your work published? Is it praise from your peers? Is it getting 10,000 Facebook fans?

I like to look on it as you are ALREADY a success. You have had the inspired idea. You have started to put plans in place to make it happen. You might even be ready to quit your day job to give all your energy to your new business! The courage to take the leap, regardless of how big or small, means your are SUCCESSFULLY creating your future! Stay in this positive place with your eye on the prize and you will get there!

V xx

Hello blog... is there anyone out there?

Being a small business owner, I know all too well the importance of social media and connecting with existing and potential clients on a personal level. But, if we are honest, there are times when we feel like we are talking to ourselves. The hours spent composing blog posts and searching for the PERFECT images to go with them; the continual Facebook updates and tweets... to get little or no interaction. 

Well here's why! A FANTASIC article here about what the majority of us (me included!) are doing wrong and what we should be doing to engage with our audience and inevitably make more sales!

V xx

CALLING ALL FABULOUS BUSINESS LADIES!

Live your WILDEST dreams!

What would you wish for if you could have ANYTHING in the entire Universe? A better job? Bigger house? Nice holidays?

I've spent some time recently thinking about this and I've realised that when we are asked what we wish for most, we are often very modest and reserved with our ask. We try to pick something that seems 'within our reach'. Something that we think is realistic. And not too 'greedy'.

But really, if you could have ANYTHING by simply just asking, why not ask for it all? Instead of the slightly larger house, why not ask for your DREAM beach house, filled with light and air, where you can entertain your friends and family and do your morning yoga practice on the beach? Rather than that promotion, why don't you ask to be an AMAZING business person, doing what you LOVE and making more $ than you could ever have imagined? I think we often don't want to appear materialistic or greedy but if having all of these things allows us more time to spend with our family, the freedom to spend that summer travelling Europe, eating gelato in Italy and sipping expensive champagne in France, wouldn't that be ok?

I'm making a conscious effort to dream BIG. Why not join me! What is there to loose?

V xx

NEW Facebook timeline graphics

By popular demand, the Facebook graphics package for the new timeline layout has been extended for a week! Head over to the shop to order!

V xx

Be interesting...

Go out into the weekend and make it AWESOME!

V xx

Should your business be on Pinterest?

This is a GREAT infographic to help you decided if Pinterest is right as a means of promoting your business. Personally, for Buttercup Ink, it's sending TONS of traffic to my blog, website and shop. And as a visual person, it just works for me.

I know many small businesses owners, especially those of you are the everybody to the company (designer, marketing exec, accountant, sales exec, IT support, business development manager...) are reluctant to take on the responsibility of MORE social media.

I'm not on Twitter and instead choose to focus my social media communications to my blog and Facebook. But what Pinterest does is it instantly gives my brand personality. By combining business boards together with my own personal style, travel and home decor boards, it lets people know the person behind the brand - something that is so important to me.

9 Quick Tips for Keeping Your Home Feeling Serene and Organized

This is a great post today from one of my favourite reads, Positively Positive. 


I'm guilty of letting the car get to ZERO before filling it up - I think it has become a kinda of weird challenge with me, "Just how far can I get on this drop of petrol?!" And I've NEVER got cash on me which can make me feel a little anxious. I'm definitely going to put these tips into action this week!

1. Be wary of bargains, sales, hand-me-downs, and give-aways. Do you really need this thing? Or love it? Beware: because of the “endowment effect,” we value things more once we own them. Once that thing enters your home, it will be tough to get it out again.
2. Never label anything “Miscellaneous.”
3. Remember: most decisions don’t require extensive research. Aim to be a satificer, not a maximizer.
4. Don’t let yourself fall into “empty.” Keep cash in the house. Keep gas in your tank. Keep an extra roll of toilet paper squirreled away. Keep your phone charged.
5. Don’t keep excessive amounts of anything. Those glass vases that come from florists. Those ketchup packets that come with take-out food. A house with two adults probably doesn’t need fifteen mismatched souvenir coffee cups.
6. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Lower the bar. Actually spending ten minutes clearing off one shelf is better than fantasizing about spending a weekend cleaning out the basement.
7. Clean while you cook (literally and metaphorically).
8. Put things away in a specific place. It’s much easier to find things later, and it’s oddly satisfying to slot things into their precise places. “Ah, this particular basket on this shelf is the place for the AAA batteries.”
9. Make your bed. I know it sounds trivial, but it’s a bigger happiness booster than you’d expect.

V xx

The Karma Project : week 4 : complete

So many books and so little time! I had a tough time deciding what book I should send that special person this week. But I kept going to have to one... The Secret really was the book that introduced me to the Law of Attraction and positive thinking. I know there are a lot of people out there who don't rate it very highly but I think it really opens your eyes to a whole new world and encourages you to delve deeper. So a copy is on its way to a very special person as we speak...

What are your most inspiring reads?

V xx

Gratitude

Recently, I've started keeping a little daily gratitude list. Every night, before I go to sleep, I write a list of all the things I have been grateful for that day. It's such a lovely way to end the day and I find really reinforces my belief that every day can be AWESOME if we just pay attention to all the little miracles that are happening all around us, all the time!

V xx

The Karma Project : week 4

PROJECT FOR WEEK 4

Give a copy of your favourite, most inspiring book to a friend.

I'm a bit of a bookworm and have A LOT of favourite books! I've posted here before about some of my favs. But everyone has THAT book that they need THAT person to read! Wouldn't you just LOVE to curl up here with a good book!

When you plant a seed of love, it is you that blossoms.

V xx

The Karma Project : week 3 : complete

My random act of kindness this weeks project was for a friend AND a neighbour - a beautiful girlfriend who lives around the corner who just welcomed an adorable baby boy into the world last week! Noah and I dropped round for a quick visit this afternoon and took them a little dinner. I know how thankful I was for gestures like this when my boys were born. One less thing to think about and more time to spend staring in awe at our new the little miracle!

V xx

Take 5 minutes...

... to do something you love today!

V xx

ROCK YOUR BUSINESS!

All custom branding and social media graphic packages now available to purchase in the Buttercup Ink shop!

V xx

The Karma Project : week 3

This weeks project is pretty straight forward...

PROJECT FOR WEEK 3

Carry out a random act of kindness for a friend or neighbour.

 It can be anything at all. Let's get creative!

"How people treat you is their karma: how you react is yours."

Happy weekend!

V xx

The Karma Project : week 2 : complete

What a great week! My little men and I had SUCH a fun time sneaking around delivering our postcards in the neighbourhood! We left them on peoples windscreens, in letterboxes and on cafe tables! It really is the most amazing way to start the day. And can I tell you, my day just got better and better.

It was just beautiful to see Gabriel fully immersed in our little project. He was so excited!

Check out the pics from our secret karma mission! Apologies for the sub-standard photos but we were in stealth mode!

My little secret karma assistants!

Empty table outside the cafe...

Just bursting with excitement!

A random letterbox!

Laneway at child care.

Ssssshhhhhh!

Windscreen of a car at the child care car park!

Dropped into a letter box on our street.

Project for week 3 to come...

V xx

Get your brand ready for the new Facebook

I know there are some haters out there, but from a design perspective, the new Facebook timeline layout is awesome! It really give your business page that WOW factor.

As of 31st March, the new layout will be compulsory for all business pages so it's time to think about your Facebook graphics. It's a great opportunity to have a bit of a face-lift and make sure that your online presence is as pulled together as possible.

I've put together some packages for the new graphics. I'd LOVE to work with you to rock your social media!

I'm also doing a special this month so drop me an email and we can make your Facebook page SING! Or dance... or do whatever it is you do!


V xx

Buttercup Ink Face Book Time Line Packages

Stop and remember...

This is a great one for me. It's so easy to let our minds wander aimlessly and get stuck in a rut but we can change our mood at ANY time. We just have to change what we are focusing on. Easy!

Have an AWESOME day!

V xx

Spreading the love with The Karma Project

It's been a busy day here at Buttercup Ink HQ. It went something like this...

8:30am: morning walk in the sunshine to child care with Mr. 1 (and Mr. 2 in the pram)
9:15am: quick tidy up and laundry switch-over
11:00am: client meeting (while Mr. 2 was asleep!)
12:00: our daily lunch date with Ellen. (yummy veggie omelette for me and milk for Mr. 2!)
2:00pm: off to my weekly training session with the beautiful Linda of Plus One Mums

Whilst out and about, I started spreading the love with my little notes for week 2 of The Karma Project. It feels delightfully sneaky! I love it!

How is your day going?

V xx

Daily inspiration

A little reminder to dream BIG!

V xx

Makeup Free Monday

Happy Makeup Free Monday!

P.S. What do you think of the new glasses?!?! They just arrived in the mail this morning!

V xx

Monday inspiration

Some wise words to focus our week!

V xx

Beautiful prints in beautiful spaces

Happy Monday! Hope you had a relaxing weekend and are ready for another amazing week!

I spent some time over the weekend freshening up my art print listings and had an inspired idea! It makes such a HUGE difference to see the artwork in situ - don't you think?! I love how they look in the beautiful interiors!


V xx

The Karma Project - week 2

Time for the next project for The Karma Project

PROJECT FOR WEEK 2

Write some 'love notes' and leave them in the neighbourhood.

Last Valentine's Day, Gabe and I decided to spread a little extra love in our local community. We wrote inspiring and motivating messages on some little postcards and left them in random places for strangers to find. It was so much fun so we've decided to do it again!

If you'd like to join in, take some sneeky pics of your postcards in position and send them to me and I'll post them here next week along with mine!

"Like gravity, karma is so basic that we often don't even notice it"

Happy weekend!

V xx

The Karma Project : Week 1 : complete

This week saw a MASSIVE wardrobe clear out for the whole family. And can I tell you, it feels sooooo good! As I was going though my seemingly endless clothes, I was reacquainted with a few old favourites! I stayed focused though and only kept a few things I'd forgotten about. 

On Sunday night, as all the plastic bags were by the front door to be loaded into the car and dropped off at the op shop, I went out to the mail box to find a pink bag stuffed in there with a little flyer saying that there was to be a clothing collection on Wednesday! PERFECT! Thank you, Universe!

My item of choice for week 1 of The Karma Project was this little black polka dot dress. 

I have lots of great memories in this dress - from celebrating friends weddings to big days at the races...

To add a little more fun and good-feeling, I wrote a note from the dress herself (I called her Stella!) and pinned it to the lining. It fills me with such excitement and joy to think that someone will get to read this!

If you participated this week, I'd LOVE to hear how it went and what item you parted with!

Week 2 project coming shortly...

V xx