Hive + Honey Update!

Hey honeybees! Just wanted to pop in and let you know that I just updated the Hive + Honey shoppe with over 40 new fabric bows and hair pieces! They're all up and ready to be purchased so shop to your heart's content! And don't feel guilty about treating yourself -- Every single dollar made from Hive + Honey goes directly into the Honeybean Mobile Boutique fund! Help ensure that we get to come to your city and make our dreams a reality! (Every order comes with a coupon code, too! It's the shoppe that just keeps on givin! ;P) 

CLICK HERE to shop! 

PS; Have you bought from Hive + Honey?! If so, send a picture of you wearing some H+H pieces to kaelahbee@gmail.com and include a link (or Twitter) so I can share them here on the blog and send some lovely people your way! xo

Hive + Honey

Hey honeybees! There's a new batch of goodies up for grabs in the Hive + Honey shoppe! Yesterday I added 15 new fascinators and 20 new bows! With more bows coming today! Below you'll find a few examples of what can be seen in the shoppe! Happy Wednesday! xo

The Next Step...

I recently shared with you all my trials and tribulations with my current job. While the hours are minimal, the grief and headache are plentiful. I'm just not happy. I plan on staying there as long as I need to, however, because I know jobs are hard to come by. A few weeks ago I started daydreaming about the idea of taking my shoppe mobile before trying to plant myself in a brick and mortar shop. My career goal has been to have my own independent retail shop since I was in 11th grade. I took a detour from the course for a short time to fulfill my NYC magazine dream (I did it... twice!). Now I'm back on course and more determined than ever.

If you guessed the camper doodle was the secret yesterday, you were right!

What got me thinking about this was my lovely blogger pal, Amy (Punky) and her Haberdash. (Fun fact: Would you believe that she was the first person to ever blog about my outfits? Truth. Four years ago today! We were friends on MySpace and StyleMob! So long ago!) I've also taken Indie Biz 3.0 and was inspired by Jill of Lune and her first mobile branch! I know mobile vintage shops and the like are really trendy right now, but this will allow me the freedom of movement... to change location and destination. We had every intention of staying in Nashville permanently after finding our little home sweet home at the end of March. We nixed Wilmington because of all the competition. Well honeybees, it seems new little boutiques are sprouting up everywhere these days and unfortunately the supply currently outweighs the demand. I think competition is a vital necessity to a flourishing business, without a doubt. But when you enter a crowded market with the same inventory, you're bound to be let down. With that being said, a mobile shoppe will allow us to travel to new destinations, meet new people, spark interest and network. And once we find that sweet little home for our brick and mortar, the little shoppe will always be part of it. The mobile branch will also allow me the ability to buy wholesale from other small, indie designers and offer their wares around and about! This will give me buying experience when it comes time for the big deal!

The exciting thing: We've already found a little family biz that will do all of the renovating for us! We had thought long and hard about whether we wanted to do it or not, but with our lack of handyman ability, limited schedules, and all around absentmindedness, we thought it best left to professionals. We looked at 4 or 5 campers today, but we're waiting until we find "the one"... and I know she's out there!

We have our heart set on a 1960's Shasta camper. Something about the little wings on the side gets me everytime. We have paint colors and a custom paint job already picked out (Pale peach and white, with small scalloped lace-like edges!) The tough part will be parting with everything on the inside. We haven't fully narrowed down exactly how we want the interior. Both of us want to keep some of the features but know that it will be hard if we plan on having a lot of the inventory on the inside. We'll figure it out though!

With all of that being said, from here on out, 100% of the earnings from Hive + Honey, Kaelah's Closet, and 50% of the earnings from Little Chief Honeybee will go toward our little mobile dream shoppe! I can't wait to make this a reality and to share with you all of the branding we've been concocting! It's going to be so much fun! xo

PS; My bike is going to match the trailer! How cute is that?!

PPS; Are there any other mobile retail shops you just love and would like to share? I'd like to pick the brains of so many of the fabulous ladies! I only know of Jill and Amy in the retail world! xo

Around These Parts...

Today has been one of those days. One of those days where it seems like everything has gone wrong. "When it rains, it pours!" they say. Indeed. But instead of letting it get the best of me, I put on my big girl britches (or dress) and was productive anyway. Maybe not quite as productive as I had intended, but still, I got things done. Among those things were five new fascinator designs for the shoppe. I'm doing an overhaul of inventory with new patterns added to the existing collection, and bows, and new headbands, too. I just need to get all of my ducks in a row!

I attempted using my kitty cat fabric to make some fascinators but the print was too large. Still, they're kind of cool if you're into creepy eyeballs. Just sayin. I already cut enough for at least three of the cat ones so they'll go up in the shoppe soon in hopes that they'll sell. If they don't, well, I tried. Also going up is a new giraffe-style print, berry blossom (my favorite!), slate grey, and a floral bit. I'll also be working on bubblegum pink, bright teal, baby blue satin, two peachy colors, and a matte black. And even more than that. I'll be a busy bee! Hopefully you'll each find something you like!

Georgia is going back to the vet tomorrow to have her Cortisol tests run. Hopefully it'll come back with good news for her/us. It's hard to get back into the groove of things when you've been gone... Yow!

PS; I still have one large and one medium sponsor spot open for July! Email me at kaelahbee@gmail.com to snag it up! I'll even throw in a 10% discount! 

PPS; Get 20% off current Hive+Honey inventory with the code: CLEAROUT

Introducing... hive + honey

It's been in the works for quite a while now, that's for sure! But I'm happy to finally unveil my newest shoppe endeavor, hive + honey. hive + honey will be an exciting handmade adventure for me and it will focus around the handcrafted fascinators you've seen on the blog recently, as well as some other projects and collections which will launch at a later date. It was so important to me to brand the shoppe in a way that was cohesive and implied, not only through my personal branding, but also that of this little blog. That's why I'm working on a possible redesign for Little Chief Honeybee as well! I've loved the coral pink and blue for a while now, but even if I decide to keep the colors, I'll be updating various bits of the overall design to be more matchy-matchy.

The shoppe will be launching within the remainder of the month, and you'll be able to snag up one of the fifty-or-so pre-made fascinators that I've been laboring away at. All of my promotional materials have not arrived so they will be added to orders once they are delivered.

Why a new shop? you might ask. Well, it's simple. You know by now that my two little gals, Pipkin and Georgia, are very near and dear to my heart. They are my pride and joy and I treat them just like they were my children. (I mean, c'mon... they both have health insurance, and I don't!). Their health and well-being is top priority in my book. Pipkin is laying in my lap this very second with a stitched up tummy and a bloody nose. She had two surgeries this morning (a routine spay and she had her nostrils clipped). Her pinched nose was causing her a lot of breathing difficulties. Georgia, my sweet little baked potato, is having two eye surgeries on Thursday. These will be her fifth and sixth! You can imagine the financial damage that does on one's wallet, yes? I've decided to use this as motivation to get my shoppe back up and running again under a new name and new direction.

Capitalizing on the "Bee" aspect of my name, I'm continuing to brand the under the umbrella of Kaelah Bee and Little Chief Honeybee. There will be lots of exciting things rolling out in the next few days/weeks/months and I hope that you'll all be a part of it! xo

PS; Feel free to weigh-in with your thoughts in the comments below!