Well, I'vet finally joined the social networking crowd. I've discovered Pinterest. I started using it as a way to compensate for my limited memory. I created "boards" so that I had a place to keep track of photos and ideas that I found on the web. A board with ideas for the Creative Women booth; another for places I'd like to see; one for my travel photos; tabletop ideas, home decor ideas; and, since my lakefront flooded last year, one for ideas on how to "decorate" the shoreline after the flood.
Pinterest Board
In the past, I have created too many files with clippings of inspirational photos. I either forget about them or can't find them. Or I have too many computer files of urls that I never remember. These boards are the perfect way to quickly clip, organize and find ideas that I don't want to forget.
Once I pinned a few photos on my boards, I started receiving emails from Pinterest telling me that someone (or some 4 people) repinned my photos on their boards, or liked my pins, or were following me. I've never been sure that I liked the idea that someone is following me, in the traditional sense of following. But I learned that a friend from Ethiopia who now lives in Austria, and a friend in Swaziland, and one in Montpelier, VT were following me. And I like that idea that while I am enjoying organizing my thoughts, visually, they are able to get, just a glimpse of what I am thinking about.
It's just the right amount of exposure for me ... and I can actually find these boards a week later.
Just spent 5 days inside the Javits Center, exhibiting Creative Women's hand-woven textiles, at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF). Each day I walked to the Javits, about 1.5 miles, mostly along the the High Line, the park in the sky that was once an elevated train line and is now the talk of NY. Good design abounds on the High Line.
HighLine
I would climb two flights of stairs and as I reached the top steps, started smiling as I saw this view. Natural plantings, chunky chaise lounges attached to the original train tracks, elegant drinking fountains, comfortable benches so you can watch the foot traffic on the High Line or the car traffic below you on 10th Avenue. By the time I reached the end at 30th St and 11 Avenue, I was ready to spend the whole day inside (although I would have rather been outside).
Once inside, I rarely left my booth, even though I wanted to see what was new and good looking. But I realized that I didn't have to go far to see some innovative and pleasing uses of something old ... or to see a new take on a traditional object.
Two aisles down, I met the women from Makaua,(MAKAUA in the ancient Nahuatl language
has two meanings:“hand to hand” or the act of “giving a hand”).
Makaua
Makaua hires over 400 people to grow the palm fronds, dye their amazing and contemporary colors, weave the wonderfully shaped baskets, and market them around the world. They epitomize the concept of using tradtional skills to bring new life to craft.
At the end of the show I realized that I really hadn't spent much time looking around, so I looked across the aisle at BittersCo, the wholesale and retail general store, out of Seattle, and founded by sisters, Amy and Katie Carson. This is a booth filled with interesting reruns ... one product tweaked or reconfigured that becomes something new. Their set of tin boxes, nested within each other and perfect for storing kitchen and desk paraphernalia, are hand-made in Mexico from old oil barrels. Good looking, useful, "green" ...
bitters
And, how can I resist showing our Creative Women's new throws and blankets from Guatemala ... our contribution to the new and lovely at the NYIGF?
Atitlan
NYIGF time again ...
We've mailed our postcards, sent our Eblast, maxed out our marketing budget. Just as I was trying to figure out some new, and inexpensive, way to reach new and old buyers, I got an email from Vianza, a social platform + marketplace for designers, indie retailers, & suppliers to buy, sell, source, & profit –free from geographic limits, asking me if they could interview me and include us on their blog. The media goddess must have sent them to me!
My thanks to Vianza, for the interview and the space on their blog. Take a look, at our story and their concept. Very creative and interesting.
GreenwichSt
See you in NY;
Ellen
Creative Women, Booth 6308,
PurpleRunnerBean72511
New products, ( Beyond Burlap runners, Dots Tablecloths, Rattan Napkins and more) media kits, price lists, re-organizing our booth ... these seem to be the hot topics on my mind lately. But, at the same time, I'm trying hard to make time to enjoy my garden (it's lovely this year except for the rabbits and the leek fungus), take a swim in the lake, walk before the birds stop singing in the morning, and watch the sun set each night. I'm also trying to be "laid back" (I am a product of the 60s ad 70s.) by not counting how many days 'til August 13 and the beginning of the NYIGF. Rather, this year I've created a contest between the NYIGF and my lovely purple runner bean. I'm betting my runner bean will be at top of my pergola (see picture of runner bean and pergola above) before I leave for NY on August 10. Certainly more fun than counting the days on the calendar.
In case you want to know who wins, come to Creative Women's booth at the Show ... 6308. You'll get to see our new products and find out the race results.
Ellen
How does it happen? Before I even finish writing to all the people who visited our booth at the NY International Gift Fair, the show managers are asking for my (hefty) deposit for the next show. But no complaints, this NYIGF (1/29-2/2) was an amazing show.
Creative Women had more buyers, first time lookers, media folks, friends, and sales than ever. And, NY had another big snow storm. We never lacked something to talk about ... what kind of boots do you wear in this weather (here I am, from VT, and I didn't have the right kind); what's it going to be like tomorrow; the reason it's quiet now is that everyone is afraid to come out in the snow; it's busy because the sun finally came out; you need a kayak to navigate the floods in the intersections.
But while everyone talked about winter, we listened to the oohs and ahs over our new Dotted towels and beach blankets. More of that fabulous Ethiopian cotton, this time used for beach and picnic ware.
Our new Dots Beach Blankets.
I found myself day dreaming about the waves at Montauk, the sand on the Vineyard, and the breeze and cliffs at Point Reyes. I love NY, but ...
Back in VT, more snow, and more shipments to unpack with summer scarves, pillows. And in just a few weeks, I'll be sending in our deposit for the Summer NYIGF ... where we'll be showing new wool/cotton scarves, cozy winter throws, maybe even some felt containers. Better take some time to enjoy my summer daydreams.
Gauzy cotton from Ethiopia.
Ellen
The New York International Gift Fair, some new and exciting orders, revamping our web site, the holidays spent in NY during the HUGE snow storm (attacking snow banks with my grandkids) ... no wonder I forgot about our blog. But now that I want everyone to know we have a new website at Creative Women, it's time to talk.
Deciding to revamp was an interesting process. After about 5 years with basically the same site, I realized that the old site suffered from "web site drift". It looked ok, all the products were there, but we had lost our image. And, some of the text was just too cute for Creative Women ... purveyors of clean, yet slightly rustic, natural, but not crunchy, and quietly stylish accessories. The new site is "fresh"; some new photos, new text, a login that brings wholesale buyers right to the prices and shopping cart, and lots of white space, so that you can think.
Take a look ... let us know what you think, if you want. Come see us at the NYIGF, Booth 6308 (January 29-February 2).
Ellen
It's been a few weeks and I've still got the NYIGF on my mind. Yes, we still don't have all the Blue Stripe Napkins and tablecloths that have been ordered (if anyone has advice on how to keep inventory, please be in touch), but I've decided to think about the more pleasant parts of the show and this business. So, for the next few blogs I want to tell you about some of the people I met at the show and things they have "turned me on to."
To start, if I didn't own Creative Women, I probably would never learned about Edna Lewis, the Grande Dame of Southern Cooking. But thanks to Angela Hederman, who ordered thirteen Striped Napkins for her friend Scott Peacock (another grand name in southern cooking), I now have watched a fascinating video about Edna and her influence on cooks, especially Scott.
About.com described Edna this way: "A tall, commanding woman, Edna Lewis was also a giant in the culinary world as well as in life. The granddaughter of freed slaves, Edna would grow up to be a great chef, culinary ambassador, and caretaker of genuine Southern cooking. She would inspire a generation of young chefs and ensure that the traditional folkways of the South would not be forgotten. More than a skilled cook, Edna Lewis touched the lives of those around her with grace and the beauty of life. She will be deeply missed."
So many women have made a difference; Edna definitely is one of them. I seem to be meeting a lot of them along the way … Creative Women all over the world. And I just thought that I'd learn more about business when I started Creative Women.
 Scott Peacock and Edna Lewis |
|
|
~ Ellen
Just back from the NYIGF (well I took a few days off in NY to see family and move at my own pace, rather than the show's pace). Definitely our best show … great location, good customers who I really enjoy seeing, and a chance to see the friends we've developed among the other exhibitors over the years.
I used to be so nervous before each show. Now I'm a bit more confident that our booth will hold its own among all the others in the Handmade section. And the press seemed to agree … HandEye, an exciting and elegant on-line and print magazine featured us during the show. And otto included Creative Women on their site during the show, with a close up of our booth. Good press is priceless!
In photos, our booth seems to look like a collection of unrelated textiles, rather than the story I try to create. But people ooh and aaahed; I'm happy. Take a look at our site, if this photo doesn't move you.
Booth_0810_300
Nice to be back in Vermont,
~ Ellen
I love this time of year in the office. There's so much happening, and so many different projects to coordinate, and samples of new products coming in, and … well, let's just say that there's a lot going on.
Ellen's getting ready to head to New York for the International Gift Fair (we'll be in booth #6308), so for the last two weeks we've had piles of blankets, scarves, tablecloths and napkins in various places around the studio, waiting to be counted or ironed or packed. And there are many lists in circulation, from products to be displayed to the booth furnishings on which to display them.
My lists revolve around new items that need to be posted on our website (have I included all the new colors? Do the links work? Has the price list been updated?), and then updated in the on-line catalog that NYIGF posts for us. Lots of fussy little details, but I love the finished product.
It seems odd, but despite all the details that have to be handled, we've been very calm here in the office. Is it possible that practice really does pay off?
 Bare_Mannequin_200 |
| Our poor mannequin, stripped of her usual scarf & shawl, waiting to be boxed for shipping. |
~ Amy
This morning on my walk, I was thinking about how I now need to create a Hassle List on our white board. I believe that if I don't stay on top of my hassles (become the "squeaky wheel") then those hassles will never be resolved … or at least not in my favor.
On the way to work, I checked my IPhone and found out that the bank in Mali, which had been sitting on my $1600.00 wire for six weeks and not depositing it in the account of Cooperative Djiguiyaso, my supplier in Mali, finally was convinced the money belonged to Djigui, not the bank. Hassle #1 … settled.
Vermont_Road_300Then, at work, I got an email from my broker at UPS, forwarding Customs and Border Protection's ruling that I had complied with their requests and they would not be charging me duty on my current shipment from Ethiopia. Of course, under AGOA (African Growth and Opportunities Act) they were not supposed to charge me duty, but they had the right to ask me certain questions: they did, I replied. After more than a bit of wrangling, they agreed with me. Hassle #2 … settled.
It's a beautiful day in Vermont, we're almost ready for the New York International Gift Fair (Booth 6308); things are looking good.
Come meet us in NY … see the wonderful accessories our colleagues make for us. It's one of those days when things go right.
~ Ellen