In The Spotlight: Bok Bok B'Gerk

I would like to introduce to you one of my fabulous stallholders Michelle who is also very funny, I am sure you will enjoy reading about her. She will be at Piccadilly Market on 4 August.

Tell us a little about yourself?  Hi there!  My name is Michelle and I am a Ballarat based mum of two little ones, aged 3 and almost 2!  I create laser cut jewellery under the label Bok Bok B'Gerk, which is stocked in a number of retail stores throughout Victoria.

How did you come up with your business name?  It took me a very, VERY long time to come up with a business name and in fact it came to me in a haze when I was ill.  Once I recovered and thought about it some more, I realised that I really liked the name so I registered it that day.  I get a lot of comments on the name when I do markets and it usually makes people smile, especially when I say it my best chicken-like voice while dancing around flapping my 'wings'!  Perhaps she could provide the entertainment at the next event

Tell us how your product/range/business came about?  I had seen laser cut jewellery in shops but found it too expensive for my budget and not quite what I wanted.  Like a typical creative person, I thought "I could make that!" and so I did just that.  It took me a while to source a local business that could do my laser cutting but once that was sorted, the business was off and running.

How long have you been in business for?  I am just heading into my third year of business and I am SUPER excited about it.  In a few weeks I will be wrapping up my part-time corporate job to focus on Bok Bok B'Gerk full time. Yippee!!!! I have a lot of new product ideas swimming around in my head, so it will be great to have a bit more spare time to get them out.... hang on, who am I kidding?  Spare time!  What's that??

What inspires you?  Most of my inspiration comes from things the kids ask me to draw, or from things I daydream up myself.  I find the more creative I am in my spare time, the easier the ideas flow, so I try to do regular creative activities to keep those juices flowing.  Not all of my ideas for designs make it in to production.  Some of them are just a little too crazy for public viewing! 

Have you always been ‘creative’ or has it bloomed later in life?  I was creative when I was younger, but that side of me became a bit stifled in my teens.  It has only been since I had the kids that I have allowed myself to get back in touch with my creative side.  I believe that expressing yourself through the art of making things is beneficial to the soul... and a lot cheaper than therapy :) I wholeheartedly agree..

When you are not busy creating what do you love doing?  Driving fire trucks, fighting dragons and building elaborate structures out of cardboard - All the things you do when you're a mum.

What is something cool that most people wouldn’t know about you?  I am absolutely awesome at Dance Dance Revolution.  Like seriously, if you're at a party and you see me approaching a DDR mat... do yourself a favour and just walk away.  I am laughing out loud over here and seriously need to book her for entertainment

If money was no object what would be your dream destination? Without a doubt it would be where ever David Bowie was at the time.  It would be preferable if I could live WITH him, but if not then I guess next door would be good enough.

What are you reading right now?  The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.  I just finished another of his books (Do the Work) and I found it really inspiring.  I usually opt for non-fiction books, but on the odd occasion I feel like reading fiction, I opt for teenage/young adult books that require little brain power.

What is your favorite website(s) ?  I have to say Pinterest at the moment, though I need to set a timer when I visit there as I can waste away hours and hours (and hours) of my life on there.I am nodding like crazy

Michelle is kindly donating this gorgeous Fox Brooch to our Hamper giveaway on 4 August.

Who Says Money Doesn't buy Happiness?

If you missed my column on Saturday you can read it on the Geelong Advertisers page.

My original was a lot longer but due to space restrictions I had to cut a fair bit out so here is the full version. Would love to hear what you think, if you agree or disagree.

The age old argument continues to pop up in conversations everywhere but I am going out on a limb here and am going to say that yes it does indeed come close to buying happiness. I do however think it needs to be teamed up with some other important factors.

I have sat on both sides of the fence a few times, as a teenager when my parents marriage dissolved and again as an adult when my marriage did the same thing. Of course I had my heady student days of eating 2 minute noodles and travelling the world sleeping on rooftops of hostels to save a few dollars but that doesn’t count.

Being poor is not fun, it can be very debilitating, confidence can be lost and it can be extremely hard to put on your happy face for the world to see. Lying awake at night wondering how you are going to pay the bills can be paralyzing. Even if you have the love of your life lying next to you the lack of money can start to do it’s damage. Many relationships have ended due to economical issues. To me that debunks the theory that love is all you need to be truly happy. In fact just today someone was referring to a couple that were divorcing and had a lot of money and out it came “see money doesn’t buy happiness” I am tipping that marriage would have broken up regardless of how much or how little money they had. I can categorically tell you that being poor on top of a marriage breakdown is no fun.

If life has not turned out the way you had hoped and you find yourself in your 40’s single and childless, can you imagine also having no money on top of it? I have a few school friends who have found themselves in the unmarried/childless life but luckily they have well paying jobs and travel the world on their vacations and live life to the fullest. They can address their health issues and look good at the same time. Knowing your life didn’t turn out as planned but being able to sleep at night because you can pay the bills, dress nicely, catch up with friends for dinners and take fabulous vacations sure does take the edge of.

I feel very sad for people who got stuck somehow in the cycle of poverty, they can’t afford to dress well to even turn up to a job interview, they cant afford a computer in their home to be able to look for jobs, better educate themselves or to simply connect with the world out there and feel less lonely. The rest of us have multiple screens and take it for granted.

2 years ago I volunteered for the Salvos on Christmas Day in Corio and I met a man, in his 40’s who was so crazy excited because a friend had given him his old mobile phone as a present AND it had $20 credit on it. He was on cloud 9 and trying to decide who to call first. That possession alone made him happy and also made him feel important.

Don’t even get me started on health. They say bad teeth are the first sign of poverty and it is true. Tooth pain is excruciating and not covered under Medicare so can you imagine just having to live with the pain because its also highly likely you cant afford the pain killers.

There is a new study that has been done by University of Michigan economists Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfer. They have examined data from more than 150 countries from sources including the World Bank and the Gallup World Poll. The husband-and-wife team found that the more money people have the happier they are. In fact, the study found zero unhappy millionaires. No surprise there.

Money, while it doesn’t always buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards and I am sure that in turn makes us happier.

Nobel prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman has also received lots of attention with research that says money makes us happier. He does however say that beyond about $75,000 in annual income – enough to fund a moderately comfortable lifestyle – more money does not make people much happier, he said.

For me personally, a little extra income in my life has had a dramatic change on my happiness levels. I want to be clear that it is not just the money but how I spend my money. Here are my top 5 happiness tips.

1. Planning a holiday is right up there in increasing my endorphins. Even if it’s a few years out, knowing it is coming keeps me going. I would way rather spend my hard earned money on experiences over possessions. That has been my creed in life since my teens. The memories of experiences last a life time, a brand new shiny car lasts but a moment. I have never once hard my kids or grown ups say “remember the day I got my new computer, I felt so ______” but I sure do hear a lot of “remember that holiday we went on 1/5/10/20 years ago and how amazing it was”

2. Less television and commuting makes me a happier girl. Those two are known to be the least happy use of our time. I watch very little and am selective in what I choose to subject myself to. The news just makes me miserable. I choose to work from home to avoid the ugly commute.

3. Spending quality time with my family and friends, taking a walk on the beach, having a picnic, throwing a BBQ, seeing a movie, sharing great food.

4. Volunteering to help others makes a lot of people happier. There is a great satisfaction in helping others and I am instilling this in my children.

5. Being grateful for what I do have and not concentrating on what I don’t have. They say people who keep a gratitude journal and write in it everyday are much happier people.

You can find my column in the GT on the 3rd Saturday of every month.

Win your own High Tea with a Higher Living Tea Prize Pack!

Who Loves Tea???

I do, I really do and especially as I am not a coffee drinker. I am one of those rare beasts that cant stand the smell or the taste of it...ewwww!!!!!!!  Can't even do Mocha or a slice of Tiramusu.

This means that tea making and drinking is a real ritual for me. I love a beautiful service in lovely teacups or mugs, I do lean towards a big kick assed mug though.

image from eightcherriescanaries

I MUST pre heat my mug first and have piping hot tea and if it is a regular non herbal cup of tea then it positively, absolutely MUST be full cream milk. While I am here I do have to have a little moan about cafes and restaurants not having full cream milk available. It astounds me. Recently I went to an award winning Coffee establishment that by the way made awful tea and they had no full cream milk and told me it was healthier for me to have lite milk. WHAT!!!!! are you kidding me? How dare they make that decision for their paying customers. The jury is still out on whether low fat is better for you anyway. Why not tell me I should eat the fat laden piece of cake they sell too?

Then yesterday I asked twice for full cream and I got served lite, I can tell immediately, it tastes awful. How dare they try to trick me or think I wont notice.

I digress....

I also love a beautiful herbal tea to sip on throughout the day and have recently discovered a brand of lovely tea with some great flavours. Higher Living is the brand, their tag line being Better Brighter Bolder which is true of these teas.

All Higher Living Teas are organic, 100% natural and are naturally caffeine free so you can be sure that you are getting the very best from your cup of tea.

These inspiring infusions have a vibrant taste and an inner strength that’s sure to lift your mind, body and spirit. There’s an infusion for every occasion, whether you’re raring to go, unwinding at the end of the day or simply sharing good times with friends. 

Delicious flavours include:

·         Licorice, Ginger Kick, Cinnamon, Evening and Vitality

Higher Living Tea also supports fair trade wherever possible by sourcing herbs from suppliers who either have or are working towards fair trade certification and ensure that their farmers and workers get a better deal.

Total Prize Pack Value: $29.90

Contains two units of each flavour including-

·         Licorice, Ginger Kick, Cinnamon, Evening and Vitality

Try one today and be inspired! 

Available in Woolworths and local independent supermarkets

To enter, leave a comment telling me your favourite flavour of tea and feel free to weigh in on the milk conversation.

Please leave your name so I can announce the winner back here on the blog.

Entries will close next Friday 14th June at 7pm and winner announced shortly after.

Good Luck!!!!!

Winner was chosen randomly, please email me on janina@piccadillymarket.com.au with a mailing address.