Momiko Organics

The Girl Effect

2010-07-25T21:33:00.001-05:00

Amazing Photography at Pitter Patter Photos!

2010-05-15T23:06:00.013-05:00

I recently met this amazing Austin area photographer who took some incredible photos of my new spring and summer clothing. As you can see, she did some great work here - and she was juggling four of my very active and adorable models all at once! The girls definitely had her spinning around, but this photographer handled it with ease and finesse. And turned out some fabulous photos in the process!

Her name? Naomi Worley with Pitter Patter Photos. I highly recommend Naomi and would use her again as a photographer in a heartbeat. And so would all of my models - at the end of the shoot, Naomi gave each of the girls a little treat to take home. Now that's smart thinking!

The girls loved her and so did I. I can't wait to work with Naomi again! You can find more of her work or contact her at http://www.pitterpatterphotos.com, and her email address is n.worley@pitterpatterphotos.com.

Aren't these photos gorgeous?

Check out the rest of her work on her website, and book her now - you won't be sorry! And you can see the rest of this shoot in my Etsy shop - happybanyan.etsy.com.

Tiny Birds Organic Baby

2010-05-07T19:26:00.002-05:00

Well I have some great news that I am super excited to share. One of my favorite stores - Tiny Birds Organic Baby - is now carrying my clothing! They have an incredible store filled with amazing merchandise, and I feel so lucky to now be included. Their website is also great and they offer free shipping to the U.S. and Canada!

Here is their information: http://www.tinybirdsorganics.com/, 1050 Meadows Drive, Suite 407, Round Rock, TX 78681. Another great thing about this store - they donate all of their profits to non-profit groups such as Half the Sky Foundation. Isn't that wonderful?

Thank you for supporting Happy Banyan, Tiny Birds Organic Baby!

Adorable Customer Photos

2010-04-22T10:48:00.007-05:00

I just received some amazing photos from a customer who took some pictures of a dress she purchased from me on her adorable little girl. They are so cute I just had to share them with you. Isn't she beautiful in this super cute and fun eco-friendly dress?

This organic knit top is so soft and comfortable - it's good for the environment and safe for children.

The incredible photography is courtesy of Megan Garrison Photography. See more of her gorgeous work at megangarrison.com.

The top of this dress is 100 percent organic cotton and is sleeveless - perfect for summer! With black and white stripes and ruffles on the top attached to an adorable cotton candy pink Robert Kaufman cupcake pattern skirt.

Isn't it wonderful to know that beautiful clothing doesn't have to come at the expense of our planet?

Spring and Summer Dresses

2010-03-29T20:26:00.004-05:00

I've been working on new spring and summer dresses. This season I've made some adorable organic halter dresses that are so cute on! They are perfect for play, comfortable, and the best news yet - good for the environment. Here are a couple - check out the rest in my shop on Etsy.

j caroline creative

2010-02-15T15:12:00.005-06:00

I got online to check one of my favorite fabric stores, j caroline creative, this afternoon and found some sad news. I have bought organic fabric from this store before and they have always been super fast and very helpful. I was really surprised (yet happy) to notice that they were having an amazing sale on their entire organic selection. But then I noticed that almost all their other fabrics were on sale for an incredible price too. So I poked around on the site a bit and found this on her blog:

"What's going on, you ask? Well, the bulk of our business has always been crafters that make and re-sell items and for those of you in that world, you know what is going on. Retail on any level is not doing well and hasn't for at least a year. We noticed a significant change in buying activity last March and by my own stubbornness and conniving were able to plow through any way waiting for the uptick. Well, in my humble opinion, the uptick isn't coming soon and it isn't going to be significant enough to undo the hurt caused by operating by the skin of our teeth for a full year. So, after much consternation and hand-wringing, I have made the decision to bring the site to a soft landing before other parties force us to crash land.

Where we go after we significantly reduce our inventory is still somewhat uncertain. I do plan to keep the jcarolinecreative.com website up and running with some selection of items-- at this time, I plan to offer webbing, some hardware and our jacquard ribbons. The tutorials and how-tos on the site will also still be available and I do plan to add more. At this time, we do not plan to offer fabric or as large of a selection of ribbons. Jcaroline Home will continue to operate, but probably with fewer fabric selections.

The jcaroline blog will also still be around and updated. In fact, it should get updated more as I can focus more time on sewing and other creative endeavors. I also have some ideas to expand its scope as a fabric/sewing/crafting blog.

So, yes, I and my business in some form will still be around, but we are proceeding with a necessary transition at this time. Thank you for your support for the last eight years and I'm hopeful for another eight years in some form or another.

The upside of this is we are holding one heck of a sale. To beat all sales. Until it is all gone. Start shopping."

And she really is having an incredible sale! I couldn't believe the prices. You must check it out - and fast too before it's all gone!

Zola Kids!

2010-01-22T23:15:00.002-06:00

I am so excited about this amazing wholesale order that I received this week! The order is from an incredible eco-friendly children's boutique in Saratoga Springs, New York called Zola Kids.

If you are ever in the area (north of Albany), stop in and check out this wonderful store! Not in the area? No worries - they will soon have a web site up (March or April) and you'll be able learn about them and their products. I'll let you know when their website is up and running.

Their information is:

www.ZolaKids.com (site up in March or April)
380 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, New York

A Friend Needs Help

2010-01-20T17:52:00.003-06:00

I found the following via cole & josephine who found this via knackstudios and thought I would pass it on as well. I also can't imagine being in this situation, and I hope this little bit helps. Please repost if you feel moved as well.

....friends, I just found out today that one of my blog friends Gina Drennon from the shop Feather Your Nest lost her husband tragically to a heart attack last week. He was only 39, and they were highschool sweethearts married for 16 years with two beautiful children. Below is an excerpt from the email I received this morning.......

"She quickly decided that she must close her store so she can focus on her family & find a job that will provide a steady salary & benefits that they've now lost. The problem with doing it now is her store is located in a tourist resort & it is currently "off season" which will not begin to even pick up for several months and not fully until late spring/early summer and her store isn't even open in January regardless. Selling as much as possible online as quickly as possible, will certainly help her out.

We've all seen the mountains a group of bloggers can move when we band together. I'm kindly asking that each of you post something on your blog to encourage your readers to shop with her, and/or pass it on to others, tweet it, whatever. Gina does not know I am doing this, she is first very proud and would never ask for help, and dislikes any attention. But she is a generous soul and I have watched her donate goods and money to others in need more often than anyone. I feel helpless watching her struggle from afar & am trying to think of anything I can do to help.

Currently she is trying to get her store back online. She had a friend just delete all the files off the site after his death and when I e-mailed her earlier she was attempting to re-upload all the files and then post notices....hoping to finish within the next 24 hours. She will start out with all merchandise at 25% off site-wide. "

http://www.shopfeatheryournest.com/
www.shopfeatheryournest.com/blog
twitter.com/featheryournest
facebook.com/featheryournest

....just wanted to pass this along......whatever you can do friends...........xo

A New Dress

2010-01-19T21:13:00.005-06:00

I have finally posted a new dress and here it is! What do you think? Stay tuned - more to come soon...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T11:19:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year!! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful holiday season!

So I've been busy working out some new design ideas and finding new fabrics for the spring and summer. I'll admit it's been a bit of a slow process lately. But I'm hoping to have some new things posted in the next couple of weeks.

In other news, I've become a huge fan of a couple of websites that have saved me a ton of money lately. I check these sites daily, and I am always very appreciative of the amazing deals that are posted. So I thought I'd share them with you and hopefully you can take advantage of the great deals too. I figure in an economy like this, who couldn't use a deal or two?

One of the sites is www.hip2save.com. This site contains incredible savings on pretty much everything. I love it! Another is www.mommysavers.com - great ideas and great deals too. Thanks to both of these sites for finding and sharing ways to cut costs!

London-Jack

2009-12-05T14:29:00.003-06:00

I am so excited that a brand new webstore has launched today and they are carrying my line! It is www.london-jack.com. They have some very cute merchandise and are doing a great giveaway today for a free iPod shuffle. Check out the site!

Wonderful Simplicity

2009-11-30T22:19:00.004-06:00

On Black Friday, I found the most fantastic deal on a Simplicity Bias Tape Maker that I simply could not pass up at Joann Fabrics. First, it was $40.00 off. Second, I was able to use a 20% off coupon on top of that. So I bought one, a bit skeptical about whether I would like it or use it. I'm happy to report that I've tried it out tonight and I am so happy with it! It is truly wonderful.

Before the bias tape maker came along, I either made my own bias tape or bought the premade kind - neither option being the best. Making it myself is time consuming and sometimes painful having to iron the fabric so much. Buying the premade kind, while easier, is not the most economical option.

But now, I have this awesome little machine that in 60 seconds does what used to take me 10 minutes. I LOVE it! I can't imagine not having it, and I am already so attached to it. It is brilliant.

Two minor things I wish were different about it: I wish it would make multiple sizes of bias tape - it only makes one size. This is ok as the size it makes suits many purposes just fine. And I also wish it would make double fold bias tape - a pretty easy fix with an iron and an additional few minutes.

Even still though, I see myself using this handy little machine all the time now. Wonderful. Simplicity.

Water's Edge Organics

2009-11-27T08:03:00.004-06:00

I am so happy that this week I've received my first wholesale order! I'm very excited about it!

The order is from a web store that will soon launch called Water's Edge Organics. They will carry an incredible selection of organic and earth-friendly products. I've seen some of the products they will offer and they are truly amazing - this store will take eco-lux to a new level!

The site will launch soon - I'll post their grand opening. When it's open, you'll find the store at http://www.watersedgeorganics.com/.

New Styles

2009-11-13T19:35:00.002-06:00

Are coming soon! Plus I am expanding the sizes I offer to include up to size 8. I have been fabric shopping and I'm very excited about the combinations I've found. Stay tuned!

The Best Roast Chicken Recipe Ever

2009-11-08T13:22:00.008-06:00

As you know, I have been browsing Foodgawker endlessly. I've been in kind of a food rut lately, and Foodgawker has snapped me right out of it. The split pea soup that I made from the recipe I found on Foodgawker was amazing. It was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. It was creamy and simply delicious and perfect for a cold day.

So, I have been on the hunt for a good roast chicken recipe for a very long time. I've been looking for a recipe that is simple and easy and that doesn't require a special trip to the grocery store. I have tried half a dozen different recipes that have never quite been the perfect one, until now. You know, the fall back recipe. The one you can make anytime for anyone and always have it turn out well.

And I finally have found it! The best roast chicken recipe ever thanks to Foodgawker, Thomas Keller, and Ninette Enrique at BigBoldBeautifulFood.blogspot.com. This is a photo from Ninette Enrique at BigBoldBeautifulFood.blogspot.com featured on Foodgawker along with the recipe down below.

This recipe is amazing and only requires salt, pepper, a little thyme, and of course, the chicken. The result was tender, juicy, perfectly seasoned, and completely easy. I will be using this recipe again and again.

Thank you Foodgawker, Thomas Keller, and BigBoldBeautifulFood.blogspot.com!!!

Here is a link to the recipe:

http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/2009/10/roast-chicken-la-thomas-keller.html

Front Page!

2009-11-07T07:04:00.006-06:00

Dear Etsy,

Thank you so so so much for putting one of my dresses on the front page. You have made me so very happy today!

Love,
Happy Banyan

Oh FoodGawker, I Love You

2009-11-04T20:40:00.005-06:00

I have fallen in love with Foodgawker.com. Until recently, I didn't even know FoodGawker existed. But I've been exposed to CraftGawker through the Etsy forums, and of course CraftGawker has a link to FoodGawker at the top of the page. I've never clicked on it until now. And I am hooked!

There is quite a collection of delicious looking recipes on the site, each leading to wonderful food blogs with more recipes that look delicious. Genius. I have shelved my cookbooks while I explore all these incredible worlds.

First up is a split pea soup recipe. I've never made it before, but I found some split peas on sale at the grocery store today and thought I'd give it a whirl. Plus with cooler weather on the way, it sounds pretty yummy. I found this recipe from foodpeoplewant.com through Foodgawker.

Doesn't this look delicious! Thank you FoodPeopleWant.com. Here is a link to the recipe:

SPLIT PEA SOUP Food.People.Want

Posted using ShareThis

My First Treasury

2009-11-04T10:15:00.003-06:00

I just created my very first treasury last night. It was fun to put different things together, and I think I found some gorgeous finds from some amazing Etsy artists. I chose items using the colors chocolate brown and orange.

Here it is:

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list_west.php?room_id=74397

What do you think?

NewParent.com

2009-10-30T18:39:00.002-05:00

Wow! Today I got an email from NewParent.com - a site for expectant, new and toddler stage moms and dads. The email said that they were adding items to the shopping catalog at NewParent.com and that they wanted to add some of my items. I of course said Yes! So now you can find Happy Banyan there!

Check out the link: http://newparent.com/go-shopping/

Thank you so so much NewParent.com! And a big big thank you to Etsy too!

Into Stores

2009-10-29T21:16:00.002-05:00

So the next step is to try to get into some stores. Which ones? Not sure yet. How to do it? No idea.

But there is a really good thread in the Etsy forums right now that may put me on the right path. Check it out here:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=6201294

Photo Tag!

2009-10-26T20:03:00.010-05:00

This post is in response to Elan Vital Anthology's blog post, which is in response to Cabin + Cub's blog post about "Photo Tag", a game I didn't know existed either. But I am so glad I've been tagged! What fun! So, if your name is below, or, if you just want to play - the rules are as follows:

1. Open your first photo folder.
2. Scroll to the 10th photo.
3. Post the photo on your blog and tell the story behind it.
4. Tag people to do the same.

So this is a photo taken at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center over the summer. It was so hot, somewhere around 102 degrees. And this is a view from under this beautiful trellis that walks into the Center.

Who's "IT":

Domino Earth and Media Kits

2009-10-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

I also found this great article on creating a media kit and thought I would share. As you probably know, a media kit is a packet of information about your business that you share with the press. They are great tools for promoting a small business, and relatively easy to put together.

Happy creating!

Create a Media Kit for Your Small Business

Great Green Picks

2009-10-24T13:13:00.005-05:00

I've been trying to be a little more green lately - recycling more, not using plastic or paper shopping bags when possible, and other small things. I've also been on the hunt for great green products that are affordable. Here are a couple of wonderful green products that won't break the budget:

Princess Tiana's hair detangler by Carol's Daughter is paraben-free and gentle on your child's hair. It's also gentle on the budget, costing only $10.00. Granted, this is more than the cost of Johnson & Johnson's detangler. But, this one is earth-friendly and will last for a long time. Totally worth it. Go to: carolsdaugher.com.

Another great find is a set of four makeup brushes in the Eco-Tools kit by Alicia Silverstone. The entire set is only $14.99! The set is soft and cruelty-free and the bag they come in is made of hemp with nontoxic inks. Wow! What a great deal and green too! You can find this set at Target.

Do you have a great green find or green tip? If so, share it here and help us all shop more earth friendly.

Not-So-Top-Secret: Policy Sneak Peek

2009-10-21T15:43:00.001-05:00

I have an item featured in the Storque!

Not-So-Top-Secret: Policy Sneak Peek

First Order

2009-10-21T14:13:00.003-05:00

I'm almost ready to ship my first order out! My very first sale was 2 of these dresses:

Yay!!! I hope that this customer and her little girls love the dresses when they get them!

I Made A Sale!!!!

2009-10-20T15:29:00.002-05:00

Woooohooooo! I made a sale! Yippppeeeeeeeeee!!

Excuse me now while I go do a happy dance around the neighborhood!

We're Open!!!

2009-10-18T12:24:00.001-05:00

I just opened shop and posted my very first dress!! It's the preview dress that you see below. Later tonight, I'll be posting another dress, so stay tuned!

Visit the shop and let me know what you think!

www.happybanyan.etsy.com

It's a Preview!

2009-10-16T19:13:00.014-05:00

Tonight, I thought I'd give you a preview of one of my dresses, and here it is! The photograph below is from the photo shoot we did with the talented photographer Brandy Lewis.

The lemon yellow bamboo leaf print is part of Robert Kaufman's greenSTYLE line and is 60% cotton and 40% bamboo poplin (excluding the red trim.) This sustainable fabric is low-impact dyed, leaving less (or no) harmful waste.

The dress is a wrap-around, so it will grow with a child. It can be worn as a dress, over a pair of jeans or tights, or as a tunic next year. Throw a long sleeve tee under it and wear it all year long. Or I can make it with long sleeves or 3/4 length sleeves if you prefer.

So, what do you think?

You can see more details on this dress when I open my shop in a few short days!

Everything's Amazing

2009-10-14T20:00:00.005-05:00

Commercial Break

2009-10-12T15:42:00.001-05:00

While I work on getting the shop set up, I thought we'd take a look at what really happens during those commercial breaks on the news...

Photo Shoot

2009-10-10T12:35:00.016-05:00

Rather than figuring out how to take good pictures before opening an Etsy shop, I had Brandy Lewis, a very talented photographer from one of my mom's groups, take them for us. We met her this morning at a local park to take the pictures. Brandy did an incredible job and she was so nice to work with!

After an entire summer of temperatures over 100 degrees, this morning the weather decided to be chilly and cloudy. We delayed the shoot for an hour to let the temperature rise a bit, which it normally does here in Texas. Still hoping the weather would warm up, we decided to take pictures of each dress on the form before putting the girls in them.

And then I stepped in a big pile of dog poop.

In the end, the temperature decided not to cooperate with us at all and lingered around 57 degrees all morning.

Despite the weather, I think we got some terrific shots. As it turns out, searching for ladybugs, playing with sticks, and watching a big puppy run around make for an excellent photo shoot.

You can see a sneak peak of our photoshoot on Brandy's site here: http://brandylewisphotography.wordpress.com/2009/10/10/talented-momma/

Etsy Opening Date!

2009-10-08T22:35:00.006-05:00

Yay! Everything is almost ready for the Etsy shop opening. All the clothing is complete except for a few final touches. All the business and legal steps are in order. We'll take photographs on Saturday and have them ready to upload by the end of next week.

So, that means that we will now open on Monday, October 19!!

Perfect Red

2009-10-07T22:55:00.007-05:00

Today I made a dress out of the most beautiful red organic cotton fabric. It's a very deep, rich red that would be perfect for Christmas - especially Christmas pictures.

I am a big fan of wrap-around dresses. Wrap-around dresses are comfortable for play, they grow with a child, they can be casual or dressy, they can be worn with jeans or tights or alone as a dress...the list goes on and on. Needless to say, I have designed a wrap-around dress for my Etsy opening, and today's red organic cotton dress is a wrap-around.

All night long I've been looking at this dress on the form trying to figure out why it doesn't quite work and I've finally figured it out. This is a grown up's dress. It's a dress that I would wear. I think I've subconsciously designed something for myself in this wonderful, beautiful, perfect fabric that happens to be my favorite shade of red.

Since there is no way this dress will ever fit me, I must somehow figure out a way to "toddler it up." I'm going to look in the kitchen right now for something gooey to spill on it...

Brand New Day

2009-10-04T23:38:00.006-05:00

I finally managed to shake off my bad dress day and created two new dresses for the upcoming shop opening. Now, the original plan was to open shop on October 5 - which is tomorrow. But I am a bit behind on that plan. I'm not sure when the new opening date will be yet, but I will keep you updated every step of the way!

In the meantime, here is an amazing tribute to Disney's birthday - which was October 1. It is a really cool video technique called tilt-shift and features an entire day at the Magic Kingdom. Enjoy!

Dress Gone Awry

2009-10-03T09:51:00.004-05:00

I started making this very cute little dress yesterday. I was almost finished when I had this genius idea to add a reverse cuff to the sleeve, which used to be a long sleeve.

The cuff just didn't work, and instead of simply taking it off, I proceeded to hack it off. Yep. That was my brilliant fix. So my long sleeve turned into a 3/4 length sleeve. But the sleeves weren't even. So more hacking. And more. Until now I'm left with an uneven, sleeveless mess, mocking me.

I Have Seen the Light

2009-10-02T08:39:00.005-05:00

With model measurements in hand, I have set off to sew. I've never worked with eco-friendly fabric before, and I am in LOVE! Especially with bamboo - we'll get to that in a minute.

First, organic cotton. It turns out that being left untreated does wonders for fabric. I never realized before how much softer organic cotton is - mostly because I thought it would be too expensive to buy. But with all the research I did, I was able to find some beautiful options for about $11.00 a yard, a price that includes the shipping it took to get here. That isn't too much more than the fabric I used to buy in the fabric stores around town, and in some cases it's even cheaper.

That being said, organic is now the only way to go for me. Having worked with organic, there is no way I can go back. Admittedly, there are fewer cute options with organic right now, and some of those options are very expensive still. But there are more and more manufacturers going green and producing green products. That means more choices are being made everyday!

Now on to bamboo. Bamboo fabric is by far the most luxurious and wonderful fabric I've ever touched in my whole entire life. I want to be surrounded by bamboo fabric. I want to sleep in it. I want to sleep on it. I want to wear it everyday. If I could wear shoes made out of bamboo fabric, I would.

I've read before that bamboo is really soft and feels like silk. I never got it until now. It's way better than silk. It's incredible, and I am in love with it. The best part is that this fabulous and amazing fabric is sustainable. It is fabric heaven.

Model Behavior

2009-09-30T14:41:00.002-05:00

This morning I took my very first official set of measurements for my two models. I've decided to go with two models because the attention span of my first model is a little, well, let's just say - short. And these are definitely two of the most beautiful and gorgeous girls I have ever seen. Ever!

So the measurement session went something like this: come on in!, play, play, play, oh trains!, play, play, play, oh a slide!, play, play, quick measure, play, play, play, play, bite of lunch on the run, play, play, play.

Overall, a very successful session for 2 two-year-old models hard at work!

Fashion Fuel

2009-09-29T22:12:00.008-05:00

Fabulous Fabric

2009-09-28T10:06:00.012-05:00

I have done some research lately on eco-friendly fabric sources and today, I'm going to share those sources with you. I'm really happy with the selection I've found both on Etsy and on the Internet. There really are some beautiful options available at each of these sources. So, here we go!

The first fabric here below is a really cute and fun fabric that I found in Baby Bird Design's Etsy shop. All of the fabric in Baby Bird Design's shop is 100% organic cotton and is certified by Global Organic Textile Standards. I think this fabric would make a beautiful little girl's dress for the holidays!

I found the next beautiful fabric at Fresh Fabric Australia's shop on Etsy. Fresh Fabric Australia has a lovely collection of fabrics from independent designers and some very nice eco-friendly options. This particular fabric is a print by an independent Australian designer Bianca van Meeuwen (Hollabee). It is hand screen printed with eco-friendly, solvent free inks on an unbleached cotton/linen blend.

Some other non-Etsy sources that I have found with great eco-friendly options include:

http://www.nearseanaturals.com/
http://fabricandart.com/
http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/
http://www.wazoodle.com/

So this is what I have so far. What do you think - any sources to add? Let's make sure our favorite places stay in business by sharing and promoting!

All Work and No Play...

2009-09-19T09:50:00.003-05:00

Today we are taking a break from the fabulous world of retail to indulge in a little soul candy.

I first saw this really cool video clip on another blog that I read, Bacon is My Enemy. It's a clip of Bobby McFerrin at the 2009 World Science Festival. This clip is so awesome I've watched it a dozen times now. Without fail, it makes me smile.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.

The Messenger is Here

2009-09-17T16:18:00.014-05:00

I have decided to reward myself with a little browsing on Etsy since it has been a pretty productive week. For example, I finally found some eco-friendly fabric and I'm waiting for it to get here. I received the hang tags and stickers I posted yesterday, and I'm still waiting on my fabric labels to come. So, that gives me a little shopping time I think.

Today, my focus has been on messenger bags. To find the perfect one, I look to Etsy. I was very happy with the selection of eco-friendly messenger bags I found and finally settled on this hemp bag from Uzura as my favorite:

The bag is 55% hemp and 45% organic cotton so it's good for the environment. It's also beautiful, durable, and most importantly, functional. I love it!

Hooray for Hang Tags!

2009-09-16T11:48:00.012-05:00

Today, I received the hang tags and stickers that I ordered! I was so excited to see them in the mail, and I could hardly wait to get home and tear open the package. It felt just like Christmas morning! When I opened it, I was so happy. They turned out great!

I had them done by Nina at The Paper Kingdom on Etsy. She was so nice to work with, and she chose the perfect colors as borders and accents. She gave me some great advice and tips on what would look best for me. I'm so glad I listened to her. And she lives in Athens, Greece! How cool is that?

So, the hang tag is on top, and the sticker is on the bottom:

One step closer!

A Whole New World

2009-09-15T09:36:00.006-05:00

This morning, I woke up to a wonderful email from a very nice reader, Mary Rogers. This email has opened my eyes to an incredible online marketplace - Spoonflower. The creators of Spoonflower are genius!

At Spoonflower, you design and print your own fabric on demand. They have several base fabric options, including organic cotton and a bamboo-cotton blend. So they use eco-friendly fabric! And Spoonflower fabrics are always printed with water-based, nontoxic inks that are wash fast and light fast.

You can browse other people's designs on the site, and there are really some beautiful creations. I could spend hours looking through all of the awesome fabric prints.

Spoonflower even has a weekly fabric design contest. Juliann Law is this week's winner and here is her fabric design:

What a cute print! This fabric is available for purchase on Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=30683319.

Thank you Mary for your email!

Mission Impossible?

2009-09-12T20:24:00.003-05:00

I have spent the past several days looking for the just the right fabrics. The mission: cute, playful, and affordable fabrics that are also sustainable. Sustainable meaning created in a way that is easy on the environment. So we're talking organic fibers, bamboo, and hemp dyed with earth friendly dyes and dying methods produced and sold under Fair Labor/Fair Trade conditions.

Trips to the local fabric stores were a complete bust - terrible selection with matching terrible prices. So, I have turned my attention to the internet. As it turns out, there really isn't a great selection of fabrics that meet all of the criteria: cute, sustainable, and affordable. But I am narrowing a few sources down and have found some online stores that seem promising. So, the search continues.

In the meantime, if you know of an awesome fabric supplier with sustainable fabrics, please share!

Desperately Seeking Fabric

2009-09-09T21:15:00.002-05:00

The Perfect Shoes

2009-09-05T12:47:00.007-05:00

Since we have accomplished so many things this week, I thought we'd take a break today and explore Etsy a bit. In exploring, I ran across the perfect pair of shoes for little girls at HydraHeart's shop. These shoes are adorable, eco-friendly, and affordable. I think they would be a perfect compliment to the clothing we will sell on Etsy very soon. Here is a link to the shoes above: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=23563952.

HydraHeart also sells some very cute shoes for women. I absolutely adore ballet flats. They are perfect for dressing up or down, comfortable, and convenient for women on the go. I love these from HydraHeart:

The best part: these are eco-friendly too!

Thank you HydraHeart for bringing us beautiful, eco-friendly shoes that are affordable!

Love Earth

2009-09-03T21:21:00.009-05:00

This week, we have been focusing on laying the groundwork to start a business - doing some necessary things like deciding on a business structure and suppliers. These are all extremely important. But I thought I would take today to talk about some of the reasons we are so committed to producing sustainable clothing at Happy Banyan.

Unfortunately, beautiful fashion often comes at the expense of the environment. Much of the time, the production of textiles is done in a way that permanently damages non-renewable resources such as our waterways, our air, and our groundwater; harming marine life and entering our food chain along the way. Sometimes, production takes place in sweat shops by workers who are poorly paid and work long hours in horrible conditions.

These are a few of the many reasons we support sustainable clothing. Sustainable clothing avoids the depletion of natural resources and seeks to conserve an ecological balance between what is used and what is replaced. To protect our environment, we believe in using natural and organic fibers, reusing and recycling, and in the conservation of resources.

We believe it is time to change the way we consume, the way we produce goods, and the way we affect the environment. Join us in our commitment to the Earth!

A Day of Shopping!

2009-09-02T20:13:00.009-05:00

It's been a day full of shopping - but not really the fun kind where you shop for shoes and cute dresses all day. This has been a day of shopping for suppliers. Yes, today has been all about finding fabric labels, hang tags, and dress forms. I hope I've made some good choices. I'll update you on the orders I've made today and on the suppliers I have chosen after I receive the goods!

It's the Feds!

2009-08-31T12:32:00.016-05:00

Today I've been focusing on number 5 of this week's to-do list: federal laws to consider relating to children's apparel. The first is the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. We'll call it the CPSIA. The purpose of it is to help identify the source of production for children's goods in order to improve their safety. Apparently, there have been problems locating children's products that have been recalled for safety reasons. This act is meant to help with that.

So this law applies to children's products made on or after August 14, 2009. It applies to anyone who manufactures such products - including makers of handcrafted goods and clothing made primarily for children under the age of 12. That means that we at Happy Banyan must meet the requirements of this law.

What I've learned so far is that the law requires a "tracking label" for children's products. This tracking label must include, at a minimum:

1. information on the location of production (country, city, and state); and,

2. the date of production.

There are other parts of the law such as product testing that do not appear to apply to children's clothing, so we are not going to talk about them here.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has a very helpful FAQ section on their website. Here is a link: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/faq/103faq.html#103q8.

They also have a Guide for Small Businesses, Resellers, and Handcrafters that is very useful. Here is a link: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/smbus/cpsiasbguide.pdf.

You can sign up for email alerts about information on this law from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission by going here: http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html.

In addition to the new labeling requirements of the CPSIA, it appears there are some general label requirements under the federal Textile and Wools Act. Under this Act, the label must disclose fiber content and country of origin.

Here is a helpful publication on the Textiles and Wools Act from the Federal Trade Commission: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/business/textile/bus21.shtm#covered.

All in all, I'm very glad I read all this before I ordered fabric labels for my Etsy grand opening! Now, I just need to figure what else, if anything, federal laws require for handcrafters of children's clothing.

Chime in if you have anything to add on this topic, and if you have pictures or examples of the fabric labels that you'll be using because of the CPSIA, please share!

Hello Logo!

2009-08-29T19:21:00.020-05:00

I am so very excited to announce that Happy Banyan now has an official logo!!!

I have been working for the past couple of weeks with a wonderful graphic designer named Kirsten from MorningstarArtistry to create an image that is just right. Being as in love with Etsy as I currently am, I of course found her through her Etsy store. Kirsten was quick, responsive, and helpful through the entire process, and I am really pleased with the result.

So I think the final logo expresses the joy, the spreading roots, and the sense of coverage and community that Happy Banyan is intended to represent. Without further ado, here it is:

Kirsten also designed an Etsy store banner for the upcoming grand opening of Happy Banyan scheduled for October 5, 2009. I think she did a great job on this too:

Please let me know what you think about the logo and the store banner. I can't wait to hear your opinions!

And check back often - coming soon is the Story of the Happy Banyan, why it was chosen as our company name, and what it represents.

A Picture Says A Thousand Words

2009-08-28T19:26:00.006-05:00

When it comes to buying clothing online, the consumer isn't able to touch the fabric, determine the fabric's quality and weight, or try the piece of clothing on for size. These are all very important parts of buying clothing. To compensate, online photographs of apparel for sale have to be good. Extremely good. Especially when it comes to handmade apparel. And on a site as well-done and as well-known as Etsy, there are downright beautiful photographs being taken by some amazing sellers.

But here's the thing. I know nothing about photography or how to take a good photograph. There are important things like lighting to think about and so many other things I have no idea even exist yet when it comes to good photography. Having taken a few not so great photographs of my designs, I have a newfound respect for photographers.

All this to say that the countdown to the Etsy store launch is now 37 days! 37 days to get up to speed on how to take an awesome photograph and everything else.

I thought I might start by reading the instruction manual to my digital camera. After that, maybe I need to figure out how to get the lighting right.

Does anyone have any ideas?

The very beginning...

2009-08-25T20:25:00.008-05:00

For many reasons, it is time to enter the world of entrepreneurship. It took some time to find my passion... but I have! I was apparently meant to succumb to the beckoning siren call of fabric destined to be cute children's clothes!

I am now embarking on a quest to build a company that embodies my vision for attractive and practical clothing for young girls (and possibly boys!) that tries to be eco-friendly and sustainable wherever possible.

Based solely on a two-hour class about sewing in a local fabric store, I learned that I could in fact manage to sew a cute dress or two and perhaps have fun along the way. As it turns out I love designing and making clothing! A big thank you to Cynthia at the Bernina sewing center in Hancock Fabrics in Austin, Texas who taught that class!!!

Shortly after the initial course and the first half dozen dresses, it became clear that I would have to share some of my creations with the world at large or risk drowning both self and family under an avalanche of dresses.

So with no more than a newly discovered passion and talent for sewing I am working to launch a new fashion brand and e-commerce business.

Follow along as I relate my experiences and feel free to share your experiences with me!