Sorry if my spelling is weird...but I'm British!

It was a while back when I asked on the Etsy forums for some feedback for my shop. I felt very brave and was steeling myself for the critiques about to come my way. What I didn't expect though, was that some of my American Etsy reviewers would critique my spelling.

"You spelled jewelry wrong on your banner", said one reviewer. Oh no! Panic set in. After checking, I realised what was going on. My British spelling was throwing people off. And it still does, on occasion.

So here I am, giving you a heads-up that I won't be changing my spelling of the following words (sorry,  it just doesn't feel right):

organise
realise
oxidise

labour
colour
favour
behaviour
favourite

aluminium

jewellery
jeweller


Mata ne!
Victoria


P. S. And I also measure in cm and mm.....
P.P.S Even Blogger is pointing out my errors on this post by putting helpful red dots underneath!

End of Year Sale

I'm having an end of year sale on my Facebook page. Lots of OOAK jewellery available with free shipping.
Thanks for looking.

Victoria

Click below to visit my Facebook page:

bikudesigns END OF YEAR SALE

Such a waste!

Japan is very fond of the leaflet. Everyday we find a stack of high-quality printed material in our post box, which makes me kind of sad. I always go through each piece of paper to see who is advertising what, and then promptly dump it in the recycling bin. What a terrible waste. 

Not only is this a waste of paper, printing ink and energy, but the people who created these leaflets probably studied for many years at design school, worked late night-shifts to get the work to the printer on time, toiled over which font to use, the perfect background and the most impactful layout. And I just come along and throw it away. Makes you think, doesn't it?

So, the next time you come across a piece of junk mail, spare a thought for the person who created it and try to re-use in some way before tossing it in the bin.

Mata ne!

ビクトリア

What's in a name?

People often ask where the name 'bikudesigns' comes from.  To me it seems obvious, but to anyone living in another country I guess it's not that easy to understand.

As I have been living in Japan for most of my adult life (wow!), it seemed appropriate that I sent a little nod to the country I call home when I set up my little studio business several years ago.

The name 'Victoria' in Japanese translates to 'ビクトリア' which is pronounced, 'bee-koo-toh-ree-ah'. My friends shortened my long name (too many syllables) to 'ビク' (bee-koo) and added 'chan' (a term usually used for young girls or between friends). From there it was an easy step for me to take the 'biku' part and use it in my company name.

So there you have it...bikudesigns was born in Japan, and continues to grow in a little Tokyo studio.

Please check back for new work coming VERY soon or follow me on Facebook for more up-to-the-minute updates: https://www.facebook.com/bikudesigns

Mata ne!

ビクトリア