Clay Jar People

Its been a while since I posted make up photos – so here are some from my last bride. Doesn’t she just look radiant? Like only a bride can! The venue was gorgeous, the old buildings of Bishops High School in Rondebosch.

I think everyone read my very upset post from Friday. I would like to now take the time to say, Emilia, the co owner sent me an email apologising for the unfriendly and rude email her staff member sent:

Dear Lizanne

I’m the co owner and founder of Rhubarb & Custard which was established in 2006.
I learned about the email exchange between yourself and our office
late this afternoon. I have read through the emails and am really
disappointed that you received such a short sighed and unfriendly
response. It is with quality customer care and attention that we have
carved a place for ourselves in a very competitive market and today we
have failed you as a potential customer.

I would unreservedly like to apologise to you personally for any upset
our employee has caused you. When I get to the office on Monday, I
will email you the dimensions of the changing bag as I have absolutely
no problem in sharing that with you. We did not “invent the wheel”
when designing this product but are glad to say that it has had very
favourable customer reviews.

With best wishes for a good weekend and renewed apologies,

Emilia Knight
Rhubarb & Custard
076 837 4231

I am quite impressed that she took the time to do this, and would therefore like to retract my encouragement to “boycott” their company. As she rightly says they are a company thats thriving in a competitive industry, so they must be doing something right.

One rotten apple doesn’t always ruin the whole basket…

On that note, I will also say, I have deleted my “blog-cum-online shop” as I was not actively doing anything with it. I will however continue to sell the Cherub Tree nappies and make burp cloths on order for anyone interested.

(Image source via weheartit)

I really don’t like making a scene unless one is called for – but today I feel there is.

I have been searching for a funky, mommy friendly nappy bag since I was pregnant. Its lank hard to find affordable ones that one would actually want to wear. Oh, I have found millions of tutorials to make, but my sewing skills are limited and now my time too.

Then yesterday I found the most beautiful bag – in my price range – but sadly, there were no size indications. As any mom of a baby knows, you leave the house with everything AND the kitchen sink… So I need a good size bag. Therefore I did what any normal person would do… I emailed the company to ask for measurements. Now, please note – the picture on there site is barely a thumbnails with no option for enlarging – so I can’t see how the bag is made or anything. Another thing you need to know is I attempted (it never took off), an online baby shop with stuff I made. The only stuff I now sell are Cherub Tree nappies.

Here is the response I got from the shop I emailed:

Hi Lizanne

Before replying to your mail, I went to have a look at your
blog-cum-eshop. Because of what I saw there, I will not be giving you
the measurements of our changing bag. I would also like to make clear
that Rhubarb and Custard does not give you permission to place any of
our images on your website, as you have done with other people’s
products that you plan to copy.

Regards

Annalisa

I will be looking up all the images you ahve used, and notifying the

Yes the email is incomplete, she sent it unfinished… But here is the thing:

1. My baby shop never went public – no one ever ordered or even viewed it.
2. I was purely mailing as a person interested in buying – she could have asked me WHY I wanted the measurements first.
3. About the images, I did a credit on the “shop” site, as I always do when using other images than my own.
4. As my shop was mainly geared at friends in the first place I was unaware that its a sin to make and sell things that millions of other people also do.
5. I emailed this very rude woman back to say I will never buy her products, or shop at anyone who stocks them.
6. I also said I would tell everyone I know not to buy there… Call that overreacting? I think maybe professionalism was called for, not to be treated like a common thief, without her checking facts.

I would never usually have done this kind of blog post – but I have not even received an apology – they can just be glad I have limited readership.

I’ve finally decided to take the leap and start a crafty shop … please check out the beginnings of this at my new tumblr site… I would love your feedback!

Dolly Parton said that…

I found this quote this morning, and I thought that it is the quite fitting for my life at the moment.

Sadly the last thing I bravely tried, failed and has led to my plan for this year not going quite according to what I expected. However, I will NOT stay fallen! I will get up and be brave, and try again. I will do what makes me happy, and brings honour to my Lord. I am young, and have my life ahead of me. Since we have no kids, this is the perfect time to move into doing what we love and work at getting our own businesses started.

I hope and pray that the Lord will lead and guide me in this venture, and that I can be the godly woman He designed me to be, by doing whatever I do for His glory.

I will let you all know what the “secret” plan is as soon as its a bit less fuzzy… Watch this space :)

I am a developer; or rather I enjoy developing so much that someone has decided to pay me for it. In my job, deadlines aren’t so much definitive destinations as tour guide suggestions for swell places to visit sometime in the future – a fact that I’m not all too proud of. Business, it seems, is taking this trend to heart…

Schools have systems in place to punish learners for not completing their homework on time – systems that exist because a) learners avoid their parents at any cost when it comes to homework-time, or b) parents just don’t care about homework-time.

Wherever we look, we’re faced with an overall attitude that it’s ok to promise and break promises, even before we’re out the door. It’s ok to say one thing when we know perfectly well that there’s a solid chance that we won’t deliver. And that it’s ok to do so, over and over again. When I say ‘we’; of course I mean everyone, but Christians in particular should know better.

‘Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, or you will be condemned.’ – James 5:12

We should know what we can and will deliver when we say we will, and our word should be good enough. Our word should be good enough.

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