thanks

Fabulous Friends & Filigree

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“A friend is one who walks in when others walk out”

-Walter Winchell

I have been contemplating what to write that might appeal to our readers; jewellery or something else?

To date my ‘something else’ posts have been the most popular so I am going to go with another one of those today and maybe try to alternate jewellery:non jewellery posts after this.  Let’s see what happens!

So, I have decided  to write something to thank all our friends who have been so supportive of our endeavours to date, be it a LIKE on our facebook page and feedback on photos there, a jewellery purchase or a voice on the phone/Skype.  Thanks! It means a lot to both Doka and I to know we have the support of our friends and families.

Having recently moved to Croatia to start a new business with my husband and still knowing very little Croatian, I am finding myself spending more time on-line than ever before. The majority of this time has been focused on this blog or our new facebook page, (SebaDizajn) and learning about how I can use social media to promote our business.  Most recently I have opened a Twitter account to help spread the Seba Dizajn word on a new level – you can click on the links at the side of the blog to join us on Twitter or Facebook if you are interested.

I have found a strong and supportive network of on-line friends, many of whom I have not yet met but their help and encouragement warms my heart.  How nice to find people so willing to help when they don’t even know us.

I grew up in New Zealand and although I left home 12 years ago I still have many good friends there, we may not get to see each other but when we do it’s the best thing.  The internet allows some of us to catch up more often than others, yet there are many who I have no regular contact with and that’s ok too.  We will and do meet again and pick up right where we left off, magic!

This is a group of friends from my University years who gathered together in March this year to help us celebrate our recent wedding in Croatia – this is at the NZ version of the celebrations.

I have lived away from NZ for 12 years, although I am not sure how this happened! I left in 1999 for a year or two, with a visa to work in Canada and an onwards ticket to the UK to and a visa to work there for two years.  Now I’m married and living in Croatia! The latter two pieces were not part of the puzzle when I left home – I am not even sure I would have been able to locate Croatia on the map when I left NZ in 1999.

My two years in the UK somehow turned in 10 part time years, managing a Fair Trade business based in the highlands of Scotland where my passion for Fair Trade grew and flourished with the opportunity to travel regularly to Nepal and meet artisans there.

I feel so blessed to have been able to meet so many wonderful people in my travels and know that I now have friends scattered around the globe who mean so much to me. You are constantly in my thoughts, this short piece is dedicated to all of
you.

Thanks for being a part of my life, can’t wait to meet with you again!

A Vote of Thanks

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I am still so new to this social networking business –

  • launched facebook page June 2011 www.facebook.com/SebaDizajn

  • started blogging July 2011 – here!

  • opened a Twitter account 10 days ago @SebaDizajn

I am learning more and more everyday, and loving it.  What I have found the most interesting is the vast, possibly endless amount of free information and advice that is available on-line, it’s amazing.  There are so many helpful websites and blogs for me to refer to, I just have to find them!  The links to links and tweets to links are constantly being updated, and I have spent more time on-line this last week than I ever imagined that I would (or could).

This very short post is my thankyou to everybody offering advice, answering questions and generally sharing ideas and advice just because they can.

For anyone that is new a newcomer to Social Media I would like to recommend any of the 30 Challenges offered by Nikki Pilkington, I have learnt so much in a short time from these well pitched and easily followed Challenges, an additional thanks to you Nikki.

http://www.nikkipilkington.com/the-30-day-blogging-challenge-ebook/

Nepali school girls, eager to learn.
This photo is of school girls eager to learn in Nepal, in my previous job we raised funds for two additional classrooms for this school in the Kathmandu valley, enabling village girls to continue their education without having to leave home.We are about to launch our Seba Dizajn Christmas shopping website and 5% of all sales will go towards purchasing school uniforms for village girls whose families are unable to afford the uniform.
www.SebaDizajn4Christmas.com – coming soon

Something Nice

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Today I want to share how great I feel when I think about my lovely friends, near and far in this world.  Yesterday I took the early morning ferry to Split to meet a friend from Scotland whom I had not seen for a year.  Thanks for visiting Hilary, it is great to see you and to have this week to swim and chat, wine and dine. 

Life in a new country and culture is interesting and fun, but often isolating, mostly due to my lack of language skills!  It’s pretty hard to develop any friendships with a great depth with my current lack of skills.

So, to all of you near &  far, thanks for being part of my life.