Interior Designers Making A Difference for Australia and Its Wildlife

Many of you may be following the news on the widespread fires in Australia. How heart wrenching and a concern for us all to watch the horrific news, photos and videos of its devastation! It's been very painful to sit back and watch while feeling helpless and leaving us all full of despair.
A couple of weeks ago, I went to dinner with designer friends and the topic of the devastation in Australia came up in conversation. The wildlife really saddened us, the koalas, kangaroos and all the animals that have been burned, injured or died from the fires. We felt so helpless, yet wanted so badly to do something. Anything!!! How could the three of us make a difference? We then discussed giving out a couple of raffle baskets for donations at an event that Miko + Boone was going to host in a couple days. Perfect! My motto is that "we can all help each other stay in business". Why not use the same philosophy that together our design community can band together to help Australia?

Working with designers on a daily basis, we felt strongly that they too were most likely feeling…HELPLESS!

We collected $480 in donations at the event from approximately 30 designers and our team. Miko + Boone matched it to make the total $960.00!!! Raising this money with very few designers gave me an idea to research further on how we can spread the word to more designers, so that they too can help make a difference for Australia!

I spent hours and hours researching which charity to give the donations to. It was important to me to make sure that the money donated would go to a reputable foundation. Then, I found the foundation I was looking for - WIRES! Just to be sure, I needed a second opinion and contacted my designer friend that I had dinner with, Susie. She has a big heart for animals as much, or even more than I do (if that’s possible)! She confirmed that WIRES was the one she researched and would donate to as well.

The next step was to find a fundraising platform that our interior design community could donate to. I found “mycause” on the WIRES website and started the Interior Designers Making A Difference fundraiser to collect money. Here, you can donate and it will be a tax write off. The link to the fundraiser is: https://www.mycause.com.au/page/221812/interior-designers-making-a-difference

Please join us in spreading the word on social media, asking those who support you- your clients, friends, family- and donate to this much needed cause.

Please scroll down for more information about the fires in Australia and WIRES.

Let this campaign be the first of many campaigns to not only make homes a beautiful place, but the world we live in as well.

TOGETHER OUR INDUSTRY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR THE WILDLIFE IN AUSTRALIA AND BEYOND. ~ XO, Amy Ferrer, owner of Miko + Boone Trade

Won’t you join us in helping the wildlife and their habitat? With 1/3 of the population of the Koala’s and Kangaroos perished in the wildfires and over 1 billion animals have died from it, they need help.

See more below for more information about the organization - Wires”

WIRES is The New South Wales-based Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service Inc., Australia's largest wildlife rescue organization. They are a wildlife charity that relies on community support to operate rescues and care services for wildlife 365 days a year and are extremely grateful for support at this difficult time.Donations fund the rescue and care of animals affected by the fires. In December, WIRES received more than 20,000 calls and volunteers attended more than 3,300 rescues, according to the organization's website. All animal rescuers are volunteers. Learn more at wires.org.au.

Making it happen

 

It's been 3 months since we opened our shop in Roswell, Georgia.  Time has flown by!  The residents of Roswell, as well as the surrounding cities, have been so gracious, kind, and supportive.  It's been wonderful meeting new people and neighbors that come into the store.  Not to mention getting to see my daughter, Britt Bass Turner, her husband Ren, and my grand puppy, Birdie, most every day! Britt has her studio and shop two doors down from me.  If you haven't seen her paintings yet, you can find them at her studio, Miko + Boone Home, or Britt's online shop.

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Britt Bass Turner  |    37 Oak Street, Roswell Georgia 30075                                                                                                        Photographer:  Kathryn McCrary

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We have this beauty in the store and Britt's online shop.

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And this one too.

It's been a special treat to meet many talented creatives and to listen to their inspiring stories.

Recently, I had lunch with a dynamic and creative business owner, Brittni Adams.  She is one of many gifted people I have met since opening Miko + Boone Home.  She started her business, Whitby Handbags, in late August after learning about modern day slavery.  In 2011, Brittni discovered that it was the second largest and fastest growing organized crime network worldwide.  Girls were forced into prostitution, bonded labor, textile mills and domestic servitude. Since then, the passion and desire to do something to make a difference was the driving force for her to step out on faith and begin her journey as a small business owner.  Brittni chose handbags as a resource for sustainable funding.  30% of the net proceeds of every handbag sold goes to sponsor a young girl. Sponsorship includes enrollment fees, school meals, health checks and school uniform.  

Check out these gorgeous bags below.  They are for sale on her website and presently in our shop.  Yes Please!

For all creatives who want to start your business and follow your dream: listen to your heart, and if you feel it's the right thing for you then take that first step toward your goal.  It will be a lot of hard work and and some days it will be a struggle to keep moving forward, but that's okay.  Hard work is a good thing if you look ahead to see the goal you are reaching for.  The struggles that you feel, at times, is normal and those are the days you get on your knees and pray.   Take time to reach out to others that are on the same journey as you are to give each other encouragement along the way.  Hire a business coach to help guide you to reach your goal.  I have been meeting with my business coach, Michele Williams, with Scarlet Thread Consulting for several years now and I would have never taken the journey of opening a shop without her guidance and direction.

Michele, sitting on a table in our Shop with creatives that were taking a two day pricing class from her in our Designer's Resource Studio.  Photographer:  Christina Wedge

Remember, if you feel scared and excited all at the same time, you must be on the right path. Don't quit your day dream...

Amy

Grand Opening event...Yay!

Wow!  What an event!  It was a rainy night in Georgia and to our delight our friends, family, vendor reps and the community made it such a memorable evening.  The Shop was packed and the entire Team's hearts were full.  Thank you all for your love and support.  It's been a wonderful journey and the nice thing is it has just begun :-)

Don't Quit your Daydream - 

Amy 

These outdoor chairs are so fun outside of the Shoppe!

Great to see my Designer friends.  Thanks for your support girls :-)

This is the best Team anyone could ever hope for.  I can't imagine going through this journey without these truly amazing women! Christine Bieber (Shop Keeper), Laura Pearce (Office Manager), Me :-)  (Principal Designer), Erin McKendry (Senior Designer) and  Leigh Brown (Shop Keeper)

Working hard and not quitting my day dream...

I can honestly say that, I have given every ounce of me to this new and exciting shop that we are about to open.  It's hard to believe that today it's been 7 weeks since we began our Retail journey!  I'm looking forward to seeing the unfolding of this long awaited adventure not only for myself but, for my team, the creatives we work with and my family. Below are some pictures of the process and work that we've accomplished.

Stay tuned for daily updates as we prepare to open our Retail Store.

Don't quit day dreaming..

-Amy

Moved the Design Studio into the new space after the buildout.  Crazy how many boxes we packed and how we needed two truckloads!

While waiting for the delivery at our new space, the team couldn't wait to peel off the signage and make the shop their own...so cute!

Many decisions to be made like what color to paint the floors.  Can't wait for you to come in and see what color we chose!

Painting is not my favorite thing to do but when you wait 16 months for a Retail space it's great!

Deliveries are coming in daily.  Getting ready for the opening day.  Check back daily for updates!

Don't quit your daydream...

Don’t Quit Your Day Dream…

So thrilled to share with you my exciting news of opening a retail store in Roswell, GA. It was euphoric to finally pick up the keys today! After 16 months of searching for a space, I am right where I need to be and thrilled to be part of such a wonderful community!

There have been many times people have asked why I am still looking for a space after so many doors have opened and shut .  I can only say that when you have a burning desire to do something you are passionate about,  you have to persevere and keep following your heart.

These words inspired me through my journey… “if it’s both scary and exciting you are on the right path”. 

Thanks for reading my story and I hope you continue to stop by for more updates!

Keep day dreaming…

-Amy