Sharing how I create a vintage flat lay. From sourcing my objects, to styling the layout, to taking the photos and editing!

Steal my secrets with these 5 steps!

Instagram burnt me out creatively. I didn’t just want to stop creating for Instagram, but it made me want to stop creating in general! It was so disheartening to spend time making something only for it to be ignored. I thought of leaving the platform altogether.

But then I decided to try a different approach – a static grid.

When branding your vintage business, I want you to think of the emotional journey you want to take your customers on. Through this, we can distil your vintage business’ “vibe” into something that is easier to express visually.

I want to take you through a few journeys that you might use to establish the emotions of your dream customer. Picture yourself in each of these scenarios and see which one most represents how you want your customer to feel when interacting with your brand.

You probably haven’t noticed but I’ve been taking a bit of a break from Pretty Content over the last few months.

I decided to take a break over the summer to refocus and explore other activities. And I’ve come out the other end, excited again for the next few months in my business.

Since Instagram has been trying to become more like TikTok, I’ve definitely been more drawn toward Pinterest. I use it for pinning ideas for future design work, ideas on what to make for dinner, and finding new ideas for tattoos… yes, it is an ideas machine.

A few of my Pinterest pins are quite popular, so I thought I’d share them and maybe a bit extra about each pin.

Have you designed your business to according to your end goal? I hadn’t, but now I have thanks to a little soul searching and some well-timed coaching!

Talking all about taking Pretty Content from generic web studio to vintage-inspired brand boutique!

Introducing… Anthologie Books. I love a good antique (or antique-esque) bookshop.

The vision for Anthologie was a bookshop established in the mid-30s but that enjoyed a touch of art nouveau flair. The shop specialises in antique and one-of-a-kind books, as well as other old artefacts and gifts for people who love a bit of mystery.

So much of modern design is based on vintage trends, and you might be thinking “what is my vintage design style?” Or even, “do I have a vintage design style?” I’ve created a tool to help you find out!

My guess would be that everyone is drawn to at least one of the vintage design styles in the quiz, even if it’s not immediately obvious. For example, I see parallels between Art Nouveau and some design trends from the 70s.

Balancing your mental health while running your own business can be difficult. We’re putting a lot on our plates and it’s easy to get caught up in anxiety over our success (and failure), perfectionism in our work, and comparison to others that we see as more successful than us.

I asked Kayla Chorley, the therapist behind Pineapple Therapy in Edmonton, Canada (and Pretty Content client) to give us her perspective on small business ownership, from her own experience as both a new small business owner, and as a professional helping millennials and teenagers navigate the world alongside their anxiety.