Fall for change

Sometimes you just need a change of scenery

Fall is the perfect time for change. Most people regard January as the time for change and new beginnings, but for me it's always been September. Must be that whole back to school thing: clean slate, fresh start.

And so the change for Bellabagu for Fall is a brand new work space!

Okay, okay, same space. New colour, new layout, new light (I hope!)

Why? Why you ask, are you doing that now at the busiest time of year? That's easy! In order to be my most productive and most creative I need to be surrounded by beautiful things. For me, that means a work space that I will love walking into every morning, and hate to leave every afternoon (okay who am I kidding, evening). A space that even if I'm not feeling the calm and creativity before, once I enter I will be inspired.

Took me ages, but I finally found the right shade of grey. I knew all along that grey was the colour for me. Always has been. But finding that perfect, mid tone grey with enough life and the right under tone, well I wasn't prepared for just how long that particular journey would take. Oh brother. But I did find it - thank you once again Benjamin Moore.

Looking forward to sharing the after of my new work space...Picture it: lovely grey walls, mostly cream furniture, touches of honey toned wood, a crystal chandelier, and shelves of little glass jars housing the most beautiful semi precious stones.

Ah, I can see it already...can't wait to get in there and create.

Jewellery Trunk Show

Have you ever thought of hosting a jewellery trunk show in your own home? What could be better than spending some time with your jewellery loving friends, and shopping from the comfort of your dining room?

It's that time of year...Fall is about to kick into high gear and the calendar is filling up fast with dates for Bellabagu Trunk Shows. So now you're asking yourself, what is a Trunk Show? Well, that's when I pack up all of my jewels and an impressive amount of lovely props and displays (but that's another blog post!) and head to a client's house to set up a little Bellabagu Pop Up Shop in their home, usually right there on the dining room table! The hostess invites whomever they think will enjoy the jewellery, they prepare snacks and maybe tidy the house and then we show up and do the rest!

Never a hard sell - because I have never been one that responds well to that myself. Instead, I let the jewellery speak for itself. No tupperware party type demonstrations here! Just a few hours spent with great company and beautiful jewellery. 

Oh and of course the hostess is rewarded for all of her hard work. It really is a lot of fun. The trunk shows for me, are a way to watch and learn and listen to clients. And that always translates to more inspiration!

What's in a name?

Bellabagu? What does that mean?

Yup, I get that a lot.

Okay let's start at the beginning. When you are deciding to create your own company the name you give it is one of the first decisions and most important things. Bella struck me as being a great name. I'm half Italian. I love the way beautiful sounds in Italian. It's also what I call my three amazing nieces who are indeed beautiful little people inside and out. So Bella seemed like a good idea. Yup, we're calling it Bella! And then I quickly realized how many companies were named Bella. I remember I was going to rethink it entirely, until my sister said "no, no we can make this work. It just needs something..."

And so, over afternoon tea with my sister, aunt and Mama ( a girl needs trusted advisors and these women are VERY trusted, full of advice and amazing support) the name BellaBagu was suggested. First I laughed and then I LOVED it. It was so personal. No one else would be named Bellabagu, that was a certainty. It was sweet and charming and required a wee bit of an explanation.

Bagu (pronounced buhgu, not bag - very important) is the childhood nickname given to me by my sweet Mama (who is awesome for many reasons, not just her ability to give great nicknames). The full version is Donna Bagonna Bagu. And there is a song. Yes, a bit silly to you, but very normal for my household. You kinda have to know my Mama. And that song, she would totally sing it for you if you asked. Guaranteed.

So there you have it a combination of childhood nicknames and Bellabagu bracelets & things was officially created.

the Bellas