"The Assistant" Renee, "The Intern" Jacqueline, "The Token Guy" Zach and "Ms. Manic Trout" Sierra
We had a wonderful Manic Trout Thanksgiving yesterday which “The Assistant”, Renee was gracious enough to cook for us and tasted incredible!!
As I sat around my kitchen table with my wonderful crew, yesterday made one larger by Zach, the “Token Guy” who works in the studio during the holidays, I got to thinking about being thankful. I am of coarse thankful for all of the obvious…loving family & friends, my health, a lovely life and Faye (duh!). What I am really thankful though is that as I pour my heart, soul and life into Manic Trout, that I actually make an impact on some of you. I received one of the most touching letters yesterday from a woman in Virgina, whom I have made women feel special and girly and appreciated just by ordering from me. It made me so happy to know that as hard as I work and as much as I sacrifice for work, that I make a difference in peoples lives in my own little way.
I am so thankful to all of you who support me in some way, by ordering from Manic Trout, lending a hand when I need it, listen when I need to vent, or gush, or simply blather on to about nothing and just simply for being in my life in some way…thank you each and every one of you.
The assistant and I just went to lunch in the village and I had to laugh at how small of a world a small town is…forget that we walk in and everyone knows my name, that’s just the tip of the small town iceberg. The most amusing anecdote of the day was that there was this girl having lunch who could be my sister Holly’s twin in every way…from her size and how she looked, to her hair style and outfit…and aside from all of that, she looked like the ideal Manic Trout costumer!
As I was getting ready to leave I ran into the gentleman who owns the local paper and after I sent him an email about my upcoming Trunk Show, suggested I run an ad…he said the graphics guy was having issues with my ad so we were chatting about this as I had been emailing the graphics guy about it and needed to figure out if this was new information or not…while talking he asked if I knew Amy. As it turns out, Amy is the girl I was looking at and when introduced, she asked if I was Sierra Bailey.
As it turns out she in fact went to school with my sister Holly and SHE IS A MANIC TROUT CUSTOMER!!!!
Vogue Germany, October 2009
Not in the “What are your hopes and dreams?” way but more of the…”if I could buy whatever I wanted, what would that be?” way. Â Well now you can keep track of all the Manic Trout little pretties that tickle your fancy and fill your dreams in one place! Â You can create your very own Wish List for those rainy days when it comes time to spend your pennies!! Â
If you would prefer that your loved ones do the spending or are a tough cookie to shop for, you can create a Gift Registry and have a list of the items you desire sent directly to that special someone’s email!
So what’s on your Wish List?
I redid my inspiration boards last night…always a great feeling to have fresh motivation in the studio…
It was brought to my attention last night by the lovely Nyla of Cherry Coloured that my blog has not been allowing comments for a while now..as in a couple of months…doh! I must have accidentally checked something in the back end…but have no fear, you may comment your hearts out again!!! The really good part of all of this was that I felt a bit rejected about the lack of comments, so I was pretty pleased to discover that there was something to blame other then not being loved…
Just imagine Faye on the couch...
I have heard that decorators will actually go and buy books just for their spine colors to achieve this affect in houses…which is really a bit sad…but part of me really wants to rearrange my book shelves to this effect. I have created my dream room filled with books, my painting supplies and a big comfy couch…sadly I do not have time to even go in there right now…but whatever, I smile whenever I walk by it. I really need to rearrange the bookshelves and part of me wants to spend a day doing it just like this room this winter…if I do, I promise to share it with you…
From Halloween during an interview about my Invisible Plane
The studio have been functioning impeccably recently…between the assistant, the intern and myself…Manic Trout is on its A GAME! I released the Sweetest Thing Collection today…which includes the beloved earrings and the new neckalces and clip on earrings…yee haw!
As I forgot to share yesterday…I was interviewed over at Oligo yesterday by the lovely Paulette Beete. In addition to the normal questions, I got to answer my fav ones, such as what I’m wearing and what’s on my current playlist…if you’d like to learn a bit more about me and Manic Trout, please check it out here!
The assistant and I also discussed how well the brainstorming has been in the studio lately. Today there was a bit of a situation with text for an ad I am having done for an upcoming 2 days to come in and shop at Manic Trout thing. I listened to my mother who advised that “I didn’t have to come up with the words in the next 5 minutes, I was allowed to give it half an hour” and checked out a few advertising copy articles online. Combined with studio brainstorming, I was for once really happy with the text I came up with…yay, we’re learning and growing here at Manic Trout!
I am now off to take a much needed quiet walk with the dog…
I try as hard as I can to take Faye for very brisk 40 minutes walks 4-5 nights a week. Millbrook has oodles of well lit sidewalks and hilly streets that wind in loopy tree lined routes all around the village. If we walk after 11pm I rarely even see a car as the two of bustle along silently. I usually have my ipod motivating me as we go, but as I seem to have worn out yet another one, I have been starting to really dig the crunch of leaves underfoot and the sound of silence around me these past few days. At first I was a bit anxious without music filling my head, but tonight for the first time I let myself enjoy it. Don’t get me wrong, these walks are a time when I mentally problem solve design issues and business stresses, so I am by no means in a meditative state. I have however started to realize that during the holiday craziness which has just begun, that it might do me a world of good to skip the music and just be.
I actually had a great conversation recently with an older veteran of the long hours and hard work of entrepreneurship who gave me some fantastic advice which really hit home. If you decide to take the time time to have a cup of coffee and read the paper, hang out with a friend, or spend some down time with your special someone…then really do it. Focus completely on enjoying that time, no matter how short it may be or how much work you know you have to do….if you don’t take the time to enjoy your little snippets time off, you’ll burn out and never be able to put in the long hours necessary.
Since I was offered that advice I have started to put it into action…I even sat on a couch Friday night for a few hours just being silly and watching tv with a special someone. I had a hard time letting myself let go at first, but I managed to get over myself and just do it. And you know what…it felt incredibly liberating to just stop and do nothing absolutely guilt free…I might just try it more often…
I have to share with you what I have had up my sleeve for a bit and will release next week…
No idea why it so long for me to think to make these, but as of next week you can buy a pretty necklace to match your flower earrings…if you’re into that kind of thing. I also will have the flowers available in CLIP ONS!!!
In know, its so rad that I had to share a bit early…are you excited? Well get excited…the Sweetest Things Collection will debut in less then one week!!!
