My Fancy Woven Labels are Finally Here!

Tweet When I first decided to set up shop on Etsy, I knew I needed to order labels for all my goodies.  I think they make everything look more professional, plus the more people see the name bobaloo! the better.  However, my startup capital was probably about $7, so I knew I needed to find the most inexpensive option.  I ordered some labels from Mommie Made It on Etsy (twice, actually – I ran out of the first set pretty fast) and have been perfectly happy with them.



However, I knew at some point I’d want to order some super-fancy woven labels like you see in ready-to-wear.  So about a month ago I sucked it up and spent the money on custom woven labels.  And they are AWESOME.



Ladies, meet my labels.  Aren’t they great?  They just came yesterday all the way from Hong Kong.  I ordered from Fancyweaver and they were so fast and helpful.  They have an Etsy shop, too, but the ordering instructions on the website were more clear so that’s where I ordered.  It was super easy.  I designed them in Photoshop, sent Fancyweaver a .jpeg, and they emailed me a proof in a day or so.



They are folded in half, so they’re two sided.  I’m working really hard on being compliant with FTC and CPSIA labeling regulations, so I added some tracking information on the back (at some point I will post about all these confusing label requirements, I promise).  I followed Faye Malone Designs’ advice in this Etsy post for the back.  The line of letters and numbers at the bottom is a code for the date of manufacture – the years at either end, plus the first initial of each month.  I’m marking a little dot on the appropriate year and month for each item.  Also, I changed the little blurb under my logo to “cool stuff for cool kids” instead of my Etsy shop url since I’m selling in more places now.



I’ve only used them on a couple of items so far.  They are just sewn into a seam instead of stitched on all four sides like the old ones so they save me time.  And they are actually cheaper than my old ones – about $80 for 600 of them.  The only drawback is how long they take to arrive (patience is not a virtue I possess).

What are you guys doing for labeling?  I’ve seen some DIY label tutorials out there, but I’ve never tried that method.  I’m probably going to need to add another label to cover all those children’s product labeling requirements, so I’d love to hear ideas!

Giveaway Winner, Take Two!

Tweet We have a new winner in the CSN Stores and bobaloo! product giveaway!

Congrats Emily!!  Now wasn't that the easiest Black Friday shoppping EVER?  Email me your address, Emily, and which bunting or print you want from my Etsy store and I'll ship it on out!  The gift certificate code will be emailed to you straight from the lovely folks at CSN Stores.

I'll be enjoying some time with the family and recuperating from too much eating and shopping for the next couple of days, so I'll see y'all next week!

Come out, come out, wherever you are!

Tweet Just a quick post - the winner of the $20 CSN gift card and product giveaway hasn't claimed her prize.  If I don't hear from the winner by Thursday, I'll draw a new one from the original giveaway post and post the new winner here on Friday.

Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!

Craft Show Recap – Ben Davis Homespun Holiday

Tweet So it finally happened.  I had a big letdown of a craft show experience.  Intellectually, I knew it would happen at some point, but it still stunk.  I didn’t even get to play with my dongle, for heaven’s sake!

 

Let me preface this by saying the show itself was run BEAUTIFULLY.  It was organized so well – the band kids helped unload my stuff, they had free coffee and bagels, the tables and chairs were all set up when I got there.  They even delivered lunch to my booth!  Sadly, this does not translate to people fighting each other to buy Crayon Aprons and Necktie Bibs.

I got there at 7:30-ish (the show started at 9) and set up my table.  It was kind of a challenge to fit everything onto 10 feet of table space, so I put out one of each design and kept extra stock under the table.  Here’s my first indoor setup:

 

My husband had the awesome idea of making the clothesline.  It’s just two blocks of wood clamped to the table – he drilled holes in each to hold the dowels, then cut a slit in the top of each dowel to hold the clothesline.  I think it adds lots of height and makes my table stand out.  I had to ransack my house to find display props.  That’s the stand I usually keep my produce on with the burp cloths on it, and the white boxes are usually scrap fabric storage.

I had a couple people come by right away and buy a few things (all with twenties, I might add – I had my sister bring me extra change, thinking the day would go on that way).  Then nothing.  Nada.  A couple browsers, mostly of the “Oh, I sew!  I can make all of this!” type.  I sat there for six hours, staring at the bejeweled Colts gear across the hall from me, making small talk with the very nice cupcake lady next to me.

 

I think this show just wasn’t the right one for me.  There were a LOT of old-school crafts like crochet doilies and glittery plastic Christmas decorations.  There was also a lot of food-mix stuff and baked goods.  There's nothing wrong with any of those things, but I guess the people that shop at those booths don't necessarily shop at mine.

So after subtracting my booth fee, my hotdog lunch, and the cute earrings I bought from the girl next to me, I made a whopping $27.  I shut down my Etsy shop during shows, so had I kept that open I probably would have made that much anyway.  Oh, well.  It’s a learning process, right?

Anybody else had a bummer of a show before?  I can’t wait for the Handmade Promenade show in a few weeks so I can go back to feeling happy about shows.  I just know it’s gonna be a good one!

Tutorial! Crayon Apron

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Jaime at Prudent Baby invited me over for a guest post yesterday, so I wrote up this Crayon Apron Tutorial.  I thought you guys might like to see it in case you didn't catch it over there (but you really need to go over to Prudent Baby, it's one of my favorite blogs).  Crayon aprons are also available in my Etsy store – stop by and take a look! 





Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1/4 yard main fabric (a fat quarter works, too)
• 1/8 yard contrast fabric (for the waistband)
• thread, scissors, and pins
• a marking pencil or pen with water soluble ink
• ruler

 

1. First, cut two rectangles from your main fabric - one that measures 20” x 6” for the body of the apron and another that measures 20” x 3.5” for the pocket.  For the waistband, cut a 4” x 40” strip of your contrasting fabric.



2. Finish one long edge of your pocket.  I usually use my serger, but you can also just zigzag it on your regular machine.  Turn the finished edge under about 1/4” and press.  Topstitch close to the folded edge.



3. Lay your finished pocket right side down on the wrong side of the main apron piece, matching up the long unfinished edges.  Serge (or stitch a 1/4” seam) the bottom edges together, open the pieces up, and press the whole thing flat.  Flip the pocket piece to the right side of the main apron piece and press again, enclosing the bottom seam.



4. Serge or stitch the short sides of the main apron piece, joining the pocket and main piece together.  Turn both short edges under 3/8” or so to the back side of the apron and topstitch close to the folded edge.



5. Now for the fun part – the little crayon pockets!  Starting in the middle and working your way out to both sides, use your ruler to make little marks at the top of the pocket every 3/4”.  If you’re worried about stitching straight lines, you can also mark the bottom of the pocket (and even draw in the whole stitching line if you’d like).



6. Moving top to bottom, stitch straight down the pocket through both the pocket and main piece of fabric, making 24 individual pockets (you’ll have a little space left at each end).  Don’t forget to backstitch a few stitches at the top and bottom of each line of stitching to keep the pockets nice and secure.  I usually don’t bother snipping the threads until the very end – it’s faster that way and easier to just lift the needle and move to the next line.



7. After trimming all those little threads, gather the top edge of the apron.  I usually set my machine to the highest tension (9 on my Brother machine) and longest stitch length (5.0), but you may have to fiddle with your machine settings a little.  Run a line of stitching about 1/4” from the top unfinished edge of the apron.  It should gather up quite a bit on its own.  Pull the bobbin thread to gather the fabric tighter if you need to – the top edge should measure about 11” once it’s all gathered up.

 

8. Match up the center of the apron piece and the center of one long edge of the waistband right sides together with the raw edges even.  Stitch the apron piece onto the waistband with a 1/2” seam.




9. Now we’ll finish the ends of the waistband.  Turn under both long edges of the waistband 1/2” and press flat.  Fold the waistband in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch a 1/2” seam at each short end.  Clip the corners and flip right side out, so the waistband is folded in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and the pressed-under edges are sandwiched inside.



10. Match up the long folded edges of the waistband and pin together, aligning the folded edge with the row of stitching on the apron piece.  Stitch 1/4” away from the long edge of the waistband to join the two layers.  Iron the waistband flat.

 

Now load that crayon apron up with a fresh box of Crayolas and put it on your favorite kiddo!

Please use this tutorial to make adorable little aprons for your own kiddos or as gifts, not to sell.  Thanks!

Giveaway Winner!

Tweet And the winner of the $20 CSN Stores giveaway and a bunting or print from little ol' me is...

Mrs. P, who said:

"I stop by bobaloo every once in a while, but decided to "follow" so we could see you get to 20. I am just starting out with blogging, but From an Igloo is one I like to stop by time to time.... http://www.fromanigloo.blogspot.com/"

Congrats!  Send me an email at contact AT bobalookids.com, and I'll get your prizes right to you!

I'm guest posting over at Prudent Baby today with a tutorial to make your very own Crayon Apron - go check it out!

The Square Card Reader = Awesome!

Tweet I heard about the Square credit card reader a few months back on Etsy.  Basically it’s a little tiny reader that plugs into your smart phone to read and process credit cards.  At the time, I had my Zach Morris flip phone, so I couldn’t use it (I decided to go with Propay, which is I’ve been happy with).  A few weeks ago I broke down and bought a fancy new phone, so I ordered a Square reader and let me tell you, I’m in love!

I got it in the mail last weekend and had to try it out, so I ran a charge on my credit card for $1.  I wonder how many $1 charges Square processes from everyone getting new readers and wanting to try them out?  Here’s how everything looks when you process a payment.  Sorry for the kind of crappy pictures – the screen on my phone is REALLY reflective and I was having a horrible time taking pictures without the reflection of our overhead lights.

Plug square reader into headphone jack.  Evidently this thing is called a dongle, which I find to be a very funny word.  I almost titled this post “Fun with my Dongle” but I was afraid of what kind of traffic I would get.  Anyway, make sure it’s pushed in all the way – my first try I didn’t push hard enough and it didn’t read my card.

Open the Square app.  I use a phone that runs on Android, so I just downloaded it from the Android Market.

Enter payment amount.  You can even take a picture of the product (or the purchaser, I guess) by tapping on the little camera icon.

Swipe the card with the magnetic stripe toward the thicker part of the reader (toward the back of phone).  A message will pop up that says “Authorizing”, but it was gone too fast for me to get a picture.

The customer signs the signature screen and taps “continue”.

Next, the customer can choose to receive an email receipt by entering their email address, or they can skip it.  Just a note – their email address (and credit card number) aren’t stored anywhere, so you might want to reassure the customer that he or she won’t end up on a mailing list.

The confirmation screen will pop up, and you’re all done!  You (the vendor) get emailed a payment notification and the customer gets an email receipt right away.  The customer’s receipt even has a map showing the location of the purchase!

It’s all super easy, and I’m really excited to try it out next weekend at the Ben Davis Homespun Holiday show.  The fees are low – 15 cents + 2.75% (or 3.5% for typed-in cards).  I have to say, from a vendor’s point of view it’s much easier – the money just gets deposited into your bank account after a few days. 

What do you think, if you were a customer would you be okay with paying on one of these? 

My Fantasy Book Buying Binge

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Chronicle Books is having a contest right now that I just couldn’t resist participating in.  You pick out $500 worth of Chronicle Books and post it, then one blogger and one blog commenter each win that list!  Picking out $500 worth of books was heaven, I tell you – they just have loads of crafty books.  I am usually a borrow-it-from-the-library kind of girl, so actually owning this many books would be UNREAL.

Without any further ado, here’s my list.  Leave a comment so if I’m the lucky winner, you win too!

The Exquisite Book (39.95)  I keep reading about this one, and it looks so cool!  It’s a collaborative effort with a bunch of artists, who continue each other’s drawings.  Awesome!

Cake Pops by Bakerella (19.95)  I make cake pops for my kiddo’s birthdays every year and they’re always a huge hit.  I’d love to have this one to expand my repertoire!

The Book of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks (14.95)  OMG, I had no idea this existed.  I’m kind of a grammar junkie, and unnecessary quotes make me CRAZY!

Handy Dad (24.95) and Holiday Hero: A Man’s Manual for Holiday Lighting (9.95)  The first one is full of projects for kids and dads – the hubs would LOVE it.  I would just love for him to read the second one.  I always need a drink when it’s holiday lights time.

Mom’s One Line a Day (16.95) and My Quotable Kid: A Parents’ Journal of Unforgettable Quotes (14.95) Because the kids’ baby books are woefully neglected.

Top Chef: The Quickfire Cookbook (29.95) and Top Chef: the Cookbook (29.95) I love me some Top Chef!

Eric Carle’s Dream Snow Pop-Up Advent Calendar (10.99) and The Backyard Birdsong Guide (29.95)  I guess I can’t pick out books JUST for myself.  The little guy will love the pop-up book, and Princess B loves birds.

Dirty Little Secrets from Otherwise Perfect Moms (12.95) and I Was a Really Good Mom Before I Had Kids (18.95)  Who doesn’t love a little reassurance that you’re not the only imperfect mom?

Amy Butler’s In Stitches (24.95) and Amy Butler’s Style Stitches (29.95)  Love her fabric, love her patterns!

Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book (19.99), MOMA Modern Play Family (12.99), and MOMA Modern Play House (19.99)  I’m going to pretend like these are for my kids, but they’re really for me.

Every Day’s a Holiday: Year-Round Crafting With Kids (22.50)  Sometimes I struggle with what crafts to do with Bridget.  Plus I LOVE Heidi Kenney’s stuff.

Subversive Cross Stitch (14.95), Paper + Craft: 25 Charming Gifts, Accents, and Accessories to Make from Paper (19.95) and Stencil 101 (24.95) I work so much with fabric these days that it would be fun to play with some embroidery floss, paper, and paint!

Handmade Nation: The Rise of DIY Art, Craft, and Design (24.95) and Creative, Inc (19.95) As you all know, I loved Craft, Inc and I really want to read this one, too.   It’s inspiring to read about the handmade movement and all the success stories.

I’d love to hear if you guys have read any of these.  If I don’t bring in the mother lode in this contest I may actually bite the bullet and buy a few new books!

By the Numbers

Tweet One thing I love about running my business through the internet is the MASSIVE amount of stats available.  I looooove numbers and I pretty much obsessively check Craftopolis, Google Analytics, and Blogger Stats. For some reason, this week I have reached some big numbers, so let’s have some sharing time!

Number of Blog Followers through Google Friend Connect – 21!  I love each and every one of you lovely ladies (and my husband, who was the first).

Pageviews of the blog – just broke 5000!  That seems like such a huge number to me!  The tutorials I posted were both on One Pretty Thing, and that really boosted visits to the blog.  The Fancy Burp Cloth Tutorial is the most viewed page BY FAR on my blog.

Number of sales in my Etsy shop – 26!  I was excited to reach 20 on Monday, but then a had a few more sales Tuesday and Wednesday.  I’ve been listing new stuff like mad so I’m sure that has something to do with it.  I had my first repeat buyer this week, which is awesome! 

Pageviews in my Etsy shop – just over 12000!  Holy moly.  That makes my head spin.  Some big contributers to that number were being on the front page of Etsy in September and the giveaway going on at luvinthemommyhood (go over there and enter if you haven’t!).  Speaking of, if someone with a big blog offers to host a giveaway, DO IT.  Totally worth it for the number of people going through my shop this week!

Sweet Little Boys in my lap helping with my post – 1!  Isn’t he the cutest?  His big sister is at a sleepover, so it’s just the two of us this morning.  His doctor referred to him as a toddler yesterday.  He may be walking, but I am still insisting he’s a baby.

Have a great weekend!  I have a meeting tomorrow that will hopefully result in some good news – I’ll fill you in Tuesday.  Oh, and don’t forget about my gift card giveaway!

Hooray! A Gift Card Giveaway!

Tweet So we made it to 20 followers and that means I get to give away something super fun – a $20 gift certificate to CSN Stores!  Whether you’re in the market for some new kitchen stuff, some cute children’s luggage, or a sweet new bag, you can find it at one of CSN’s 200 online stores.  Go check out their website now – I bet you can cross someone off your Christmas list (even if it’s you)!

AND I’m adding in a little bonus – you can pick a bobaloo! print or bunting from my Etsy shop, and I’ll ship it right to you!  See, another present you don’t have to buy!



I really and truly appreciate each one of you who stops by to read my blog or takes a look at my shop.  As a brand new Etsy seller and brand new blogger, I get a little thrill every time someone sees something I’ve written or made.  So I want to give you an opportunity to give your shop or blog some exposure, too!

Here’s how to enter:

1.  Leave me a comment and include a link to your own shop or blog so we can all check it out.  If you don’t have either, share one of your favorites!

2.  Get one extra entry by tweeting about the giveaway so other new sellers/bloggers can come and share their stuff.  Make sure to include my twitter name (@bobalookids) in your tweet.

3.  Get a third entry by liking bobaloo! on Facebook.

Leave me a comment for each entry, and I’ll use random.org to pick the winner on Thursday, November 18th at 2 pm EST.  Good luck, and thanks again!

Just a note - CSN stores approached me about hosting a giveaway and I’m not getting anything in return (although I could really use a new bag).

Holiday Madness and a Giveaway!

Tweet My very first blog giveaway is going on over at luvinthemommyhood!  Shannon contacted me a while back with some very sweet comments about my shop and I’m so happy to have my inaugural giveaway at her blog.  Go check it out – there’s even a special discount!



Speaking of giveaways, don’t forget my giveaway to celebrate 20 followers that’s coming up right here!  I have a special goody for you guys (and maybe a kiddo in your life) all planned out.  It will definitely help your holiday shopping!  So if you haven’t already, click “follow” over on the left side of the screen so you don’t miss it.

I’ve been sewing like mad to get my Etsy shop ready for the holidays.  I’m trying to make multiples of everything to make the best use of my limited amount of time.  I cut out 27 bibs the other day, people. 27!!  And last night I got to work on a whole mess of crayon aprons.  Those two tend to be my best sellers at shows, so I’m stocking up!  Doing a bunch of the same thing saves time in lots of ways – it’s quicker to pick fabrics, one photo shoot covers a stack of stuff, and clicking “relist” on Etsy when something sells is much easier than writing a whole new listing.



I’m also frantically trying to fill up the ol’ inventory wardrobe because I signed up for ANOTHER holiday show!  I was going to be part of a holiday show at our airport, but unfortunately it got cancelled.  The very next day Martha of Sunday Afternoon Housewife fame emailed me and invited me to be a part of the Handmade Promenade Last Minute Market.  Funny how things work out, right?  It’s going to be way cool – it’s a nighttime show at a restaurant and there’s even live music!  I have a family event about two hours away that morning, so it’s going to be a really hectic day, but I’m REALLY looking forward to it!

Here are a few new products that are coming to the shop this week.  I have so many listings all ready to go that I can hardly wait to share them!

Welcome to my Sewing Room, or How to Fit 10 Pounds of Sugar in a Five Pound Sack

Tweet My sewing room looks like a tornado hit it right after a show or busy time in my Etsy shop.  After the mess from preparing for the Irvington Halloween Festival last weekend, I spent a few hours Tuesday straightening things up.  I thought I’d take some pictures so I could share my sewing area with you guys – after all, it’s where I spend all my free time these days!

This room started off as our game room.  My husband has always been a fan of pool, and we bought the house when we didn’t have kids so we had plenty of room for one (and the expendable income to buy one).  As two kids took up our two spare rooms, the office-y stuff got moved in here. All of our household paperwork, our board games, and old pictures and CDs all ended up stored here, too (we have a tiny attic and no basement).  So I guess this room is now our game-room-office-storage-unit-sewing-room.


Much to my husband’s dismay, the pool table has become my work table.  I don’t usually cut fabric there – the island in our kitchen is higher and big enough to cut most things comfortably – but sometimes I cut smaller things on a cutting mat on top of the pool table.  I have come thisclose to cutting the felt a couple of times, so I have to be extra careful.

My husband built me this awesome corner desk after he bought me my serger for my birthday last winter.  I LOVE it – it’s big enough to use both machines, plus has room for the stuff that gathers on top, like that square plastic thing that holds thread and bobbins waiting to be put away, and the big tin bucket of pens and markers.  He also made the shelves above the desk, which hold my works-in-progress and future projects (in the Liberty print bins), boxes of scraps, my plastic boxes full of thread, and some fabric.  Above the desk are my two inspiration board areas, where I keep ideas for bobaloo! and stuff I want to make for myself.

 
One of my favorite things in my sewing room is this metal organizer bar from IKEA.  The little buckets hold groups of different tools – one has my sewing machine and serger feet, one holds my pins and seam gauges, one has my marking tools (like rulers, chalk, and disappearing ink pens), and one has sewing machine and hand sewing needles.  The little hooks hold my scissors and rotary cutter, my hammer for attaching snaps, and whatever else I can hang up there.  The whole setup keeps everything I need close at hand.

The stuff I don’t use as much is on the storage benches on either side of the room (which the talented hubs also built).  This drawer tower (also from IKEA – do you notice a theme here?  This one is similar) holds all of my fabric for bobaloo!.  The top level is interfacing, stabilizers, and fleece.  The drawers all hold fabric – the bottom is yardage, the next one up is big scraps, and the one above that is little scraps.  The top drawer is home dec and specialty fabrics.  They are organized by color right now, but chances are pretty good that won’t last long.


This bookcase holds my non-business related fabric, my knitting stuff, and lots of binders, books, and patterns.  On top is our bragging area – my State Fair ribbons, our medals from runs, and my husband’s pool trophies (from back when we actually used the pool table for its intended purpose).  We also have a big wardrobe from IKEA in our bedroom that holds most of my shipping boxes, all my packaging supplies, and my completed inventory.
 
Thanks for joining me in the tour of my sweatshop!  I have some fun things coming up – I shot a couple of new tutorials yesterday – plus my first giveaway is coming up.  When I reach 20 followers, I’ll have a 20-related giveaway, sound good?  So go ahead and click on the “follow” button on the left so we can get to the giveaway quickly!

Craft Show Recap – Irvington Halloween Festival

Tweet My second festival, the Irvington Halloween Festival, was another success!  Despite the inclement weather (SUPER windy and pretty stinking chilly), sales were good and I met some great people.  Plus there were load of people and dogs in costume, so I had plenty of entertainment!

When I got there to set up at about 7:30 it was 30-some degrees – not so much fun.  Luckily I had my big ol’ Thermos of coffee and some warm gloves.  I had some help to set up the tent and tables (thanks Mom and Mike!) and I had everything ready by the time the show officially started at 9 am.  Unfortunately, this would be the time I realized I forgot to put the memory card in the camera, so I don’t have any setup pictures – sorry!  You can see in the pictures how the wind just blew my tablecloths around.  I ended up taping them to the undersides of the tables.
 
Thanks were s-l-o-w at first – it took a long time for the weather to warm up, and I was at the very end of the street.  I had a few browsers, but I did a lot of coffee-drinking and jumping up and down to stay warm and not a lot of selling.  Around 11 am the taco truck showed up and seemed to bring the people with it.  It was parked next to me and was EXTREMELY hard to resist, but I didn’t think people would want taco filling on their bibs and burp cloths, you know?

The products that sold were certainly different than my first craft fair.  At Rocky Ripple it seemed like I was selling small amounts of stuff all day long, whereas at Irvington I made fewer sales for bigger amounts.  People were crazy about the portfolios and shoes at Rocky Ripple, but everyone bought bibs and changing pad clutches at Irvington.

 
I met two people that have retail locations around Indy – Heather from the Little Green Bean Boutique and Erin from Enroute Spa at the Indy airport.  I can’t wait to go check out Heather’s shop - It’s brand new and I’ve read some great reviews.  Erin organizes the Hip and Handmade shows at the airport and I’m hoping to be a part of the holiday show.  I’ll keep y’all updated. 

So, here are my lessons from this show:

• Dress in layers when it’s going to be at all chilly
• Make sure your displays are reasonably wind-proof – thank goodness I sell beanbags or I wouldn’t have had anything to hold products down!
• You can’t use fancy phones with gloves on
• Bring weights for your tent (mine scooted over three feet from the wind!)
• Practice with the knucklebuster.  I just could NOT get it right and ended up just hand writing all the credit card slips.  I’ve got the Square card reader for my phone on order – hopefully it shows up before the next show!

Let me know if you guys have any questions!  After selling a good amount of stuff this weekend I get to refill my fabric stash – first I’m going to ransack a friend’s Etsy shop and then tear up Fat Quarter Shop!