ts.JPGI’m on a constant quest for pretty, cute, fun and affordable sweet-as-sugar treats to bust-up an outfit, and luckily for me, and now for you ladies of fabulousity, I present my latest accessory find: Temporary Secretary.
Think sailor-girl earrings, cup cake rings and good-enough-to-eat hair slides - oh, and snail mail-inspired love letter jewellery - oh my heart!

Meet Sarah, the total talent behind fab new label, Temporary Secretary!

Describe Sarah, the girl behind the label, in 5 words…
small, silly, loyal, dorky, diplomatic!

So what is you do exactly, lovely lady?
I’m a fashion student, who dabbles in a bit of craft! I love colours, pretty ribbons, cute bows, kitsch buttons and charms that makes me “aw” and “ah” all day long. I like making accessories for girls who dare to stand out. Or for those who are sick of high street shop ripping them off with such ridiculous prices.

How did you get interested in becoming a designer girl?
Like any girl, I love things that’s are aesthetically pleasing. And since being a student, I can no longer afford the pretty things I reaaaally want to buy. And sometimes, once bought, they can be a disappointment - I once bought a bangle from a well known brand, for £25, and the jewels dropped off one by one, day by day! RUBBBBBISH!!! So I decided to make my own things. That way, if it falls to pieces, I have no one to blame by myself!

Tell us all about your new online shop, Temporary Secretary…
Well, I used to sell on ebay but I believe that the new changes on ebay have pushed a lot of sellers to boycott them. I don’t believe that there’s enough support for sellers, the people who pay the fees and keep them going! But on a lighter note… I set it up because I am too lazy to get a real summer job! But this is something I can do during summer and beyond, I want to prove to myself that I can do something right! And to not give up, or rely on anyone else! Who knows where it will lead.

How do you decide what prods to sell?
Sometimes, I just decide to sell it because it is simply just cute! Super duper cute! Studying what I study makes me very observant of fashion around us, and I am able to identify current trends and perhaps predict new ones by doing research and shop reports. I currently have a lot of nautical products on the site, which is a big trend this summer.

Do you create prods yourself too? If so, tell us all about them - how do you create them, what’s you inspiro?
I make half of the things, and I source the other products from companies who are based all over the world. But whatever I buy, I make sure I customise it and give it a Temporary:Secretary make over! Some pendants are from Singapore, the buttons are from China, the charms are from America and some accessories are from Australia! My intention behind every product that I make is to make someone smile when they see it.

What 5 tracks would be on your shop soundtrack?
-My first one, I am obliged to say, has got to be Temporary Secretary by Paul McCartney (even though it drives me up the wall after a while!)
-Sunday Girl by Blondie
-Love at The First Degree by Bananarama,
-Mind Your Own Business by Delta 5 (or Roxy Cottontail)
-A Smile and A Ribbon – Patience and Prudence. (Because of its novelty sound. And it creeps me out. But it’s quite cute!)

What makes you jump in the air happy?
Various things! Most recently, though, as boring as it sounds, I was practically jumping and skipping around when I handed my marketing essay in. It was draining the life out of me! It was the most boring thing. I WAS SO HAPPY WHEN I FINISHED IT! And even more so when I handed it in!!!!!

What’s your style bible - fave website/magazine?
Susie bubble. She’s so on the ball, she’s great.

How has setting up an online shop been for you?
It has been a nightmare to begin with. I spent about 2 weeks coming up with a name! Spent more than I should on stock and supplies. And spent forever messing about with which provider I would go with. (Which then turns out to be a really rubbish one), So after another few weeks of pondering about, not knowing what to do, I set myself up with bigcartel, and all things have gone smoothly so far. Touch wood!

Quick fire round - what’s your fave:
colour: It used to be purple, but now I like ALL COLOURS! It depends what mood I am in.
book: Fashion Babylon. Cliché, I know. It is a fashion horror book!
Food: Japanese. It is pretty food, it’s so well made and looks so perfect. I love sushi, noodles, sashimi, soup, pickles, all of it!
magazine: I adored celeb gossip magazine… until I worked at one last year! I can confirm, that everything is indeed made up, and material is taken from PerezHilton. com! I’d love to say Vogue, but I don’t buy it. Its too heavy!!
Place: Hong Kong. I miss it. I love it.
City: London. However, last time I went though, I was really jumpy. I let all these stories about Knife crime get to me! This innocent, sporty, friendly runner zoomed passed me and yelled “excuse me”, really loud, and I thought it was a yob! I thought my time was up!!

What’s your motto for life?
Everything happens for a reason!

Best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
The less you talk, the less trouble you will be in!

What advice would you give to wanna-be creative girls who wanna set up their own shop?
Draw up a plan of all your ideas, no matter how big or small, rough or concise. In hindsight, this is what I should have done.

List your budget, think of all your designs and calculate the realistic cost of it, consider marketing and promotion, the branding, the graphics, the layout. The whole package.

Keep it all exciting, experiment with materials, contrast and complement …. and look for good suppliers who are reliable and trustworthy!

The colour pink. Discuss.
I have a love-hate relationship with the colour pink.
I used to love it a lot, I used to think it represents and draws a conclusion of how girly and feminine you are. My bedroom was pink, I had pink clothes, pink toothbrush, pink scarf, pink bomber jacket (I’d love to say I was joking….)

But on the other hand, I get put off by seeing the tackiness of pink! Think:- Girls in their corsas, pink fluffy dices, pink fluffy steering wheel, pink playboy bunny sticker….

Then I open my mind up, and think of hot pink. Which I think it the best shade of pink, I love it. I think its quite cool.

But if I think about it too much… Barbie comes to mind…!

I have a pink Nintendo DS Lite. Which i love! But now they have got new colours available, I quite fancy the turquoise or bright green.

I can never make my mind up about pink!