New shopping cart

In an interest to add yet another "professional" layer to this business, we've developed our own shopping cart. Very cool.

You can view it here.

We are actually using PayPal, because it's safe and secure, and millions of people already have accounts. So, we've made it even easier and quicker for you to buy our products. Hooray!

See you at the checkout line!

Kicking Wordpress and HTML's behind

Or, how I finally found time and motivation to update my website.

It has certainly been a learning process, but as with most things worth learning, very rewarding. The website is now so much better for the following reasons:

1. Finally updated the list of product categories and products available for sale, so there is no disparity between the website and the Etsy shop.
2. SEO optimized.
3. Which also led to better, more concise writing and descriptions.
4. Which also led to Woolly Boo-related websites being the entire front page of Google search. Yeah!

Next frontier: shopping cart!

This will be interesting.

#49

It's the number Woolly Boo entry for the EtsyKids May Design Challenge. Ha?!?

I know. Here is the breakdown: Etsy sellers, such as yours truly, organize in groups or teams based on a specific theme. For example, Woolly Boo is a member of 4 different teams: EtsyKids, EtsyNJ, EtsyMom, and The NewNew (New York City Metro artists and crafters). Obvious choices, right?

So, one of my teams, EtsyKids, runs a monthly design challenge - a theme is picked and all the members can enter, if they choose to, provided their creation meets the criteria. This month, the challenge is "flowers", and we entered our new product: Everlasting Bloom Cup Sleeve.

Now, there are total of sixty three entries, all awesome. Woolly Boo is #49. Because this is my team, I am not saying vote for me, and I am not going to run the voting campaign I did last week. But should you feel inclined, Woolly Boo is #49.

Thank you.

Another day, another trademark

I am very happy to report that as of today, both our name and our logo are registered trademarks. As you see, this has been a long process, but certainly worth the monetary and time investment.

The funny thing is, when the examining attorney called to talk to me about it, my daughter decided that is an opportune time to speak to me about something rather urgent - the pancake syrup. I joke not. You should have heard and seen this joggling act, which also included finding the right spot in the house for the cellphone reception.

So, there I was hopping around the kitchen, looking for a quiet corner with at least three bars on the phone. My daughter is chasing me, asking to give her more raspberry pancake syrup, because she licked her portion off already (without eating the pancakes). My son, standing on the table, on the pancake syrup high, belting his favorite song. Examining attorney for the trademark, calling from Washington, trying to explain the details of next steps. Phew... As I said, you should have been there.

But, all is well that ends well.

Woolly Boo Presents: Seventh Annual Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival

This weekend was certainly the whirlwind of activity: craft show by day, BHFF by night, parties, VIPs, and no sleep. But, it was all in good fun, and each event great in its own right.



Being a BHFF sponsor was a fantastic experience. It added a definite touch of glamour to otherwise not so glamorous existence of a crafty mom of two little kids. I got to play dress up, I got to wear make-up, I got to talk to other adults, none of whom had children, and consequently didn't care about mine, except in passing.

This is a photo of me with Zlata Filipovic, a writer, and Sabina Vajraca, a filmmaker. I am the old one in the middle.

Verona Park Show recap

Finally, I got my act together enough so that I can join words into what might be comprehensible sentences. Reason? I have simply stretched myself too thin this past weekend. Between the show, a volunteer event, and a sponsorship event in NYC, I got about 8 hours of sleep between Friday and Monday. Oh, yeah. But, I survived, and here we are today.

What to say? The Verona Park is stunning. It is such a gem. The setting and the location were chosen very well, and judging by the attendance, so was the demographic. The traffic flow was constant. On Sunday even more so than on Saturday.

A lot of people were interested in Woolly Boo products, and I gave out a lot of brochures. I am very happy about this. Because, and all crafters will tell you this, an educated customer means satisfied customer. They know exactly what they are buying, and there are no returns and no arguments.

Truth be told, since most of my products are comforters and sleep sacks, I have expected a lot less interest, and am truly humbled by the attention we've received. In addition, there were a number of very seasoned crafters/artists/vendors present, so I also learned a lot from them. The camaraderie was impressive. I am looking forward to the rest of the summer.

To view the photos from the event, please click here.

WINNER!!!!

Oh, it feels so good to say that!

While it would have been great just to be featured on Cafe Handmade, being a winner is a special honor.

Thanks to all our friends who voted for us. You made this happen and we are very grateful for your support.

Cheers to all of you!

This weekend

We are in the amazing Verona Park in Verona, NJ. That's as next door to us as it gets. But, Montclair having an abundance of parks, we just never ventured there. Well, that's about to change. And, because we are so close to home, I think the kids are coming along as well. This will be interesting.

A little history lesson - this is another one of the magnificent parks that were designed by the Olmstead Brothers at the turn of the 20th Century. I am talking the Olmstead Brothers of the Central Park in New York City. While Central Park is amazing, and really well maintained, believe it or not, it is not the best park they designed. Personally, I believe that some of their best work was on this side of the Hudson River, in the Montclair/Bloomfield/Verona/Newark neighborhood. It's just that the towns and the State have fallen on hard times, and the park were neglected for a little while.

However, there is a concerned effort to return them to their old glory, and it's working. I recommend day trips with a picnic basket. You won't be sorry.

Here is what you can find in Verona:



Yes, that is a Boat House. This one was actually built AFTER the one in Central Park, so it's a new and improved version.

See you there!

Tent weights

Inspired by this blog post about making your own weights for the show tent, I embarked on a little DIY project after I packed the kids off to bed.

My husband looked at me all perplexed, as in why is she mixing cement at 9 pm? Then he gave me all the moral support he could muster at that late hour.

I followed all the steps, except a few changes: I couldn't find anyone to custom cut the pipe for me, so I used pre-cut 2' pieces that were on the shelf. I figured with the curtain weights and ground stakes I should be OK. Also, I coudn't find the cap ends that she used. Rather, I found the 4" white cap ends, but they simply wouldn't fit on the pipe. So I used the black adjustable ones. I think they actually might be a little better. As I was walking off the lot, a few guys looked at me with all this plumbing stuff in the cart, and one actually asked me if I was going to do all that by myself. I proudly said yes. He just laughed in support.

Back home, I start assmebling my project. When I was about to go to the final step, I realized I don't have enough cement. Going to Home Depot at 10 pm wasn't really an option, so I started digging around my basement. Wouldn't you know it, I had a 10 lbs bucket of fast setting cement just hanging out next to the furnace. Yeah me.

While I was at it, I decided to paint them as well. I mean, the PVC pipe red stripe and the bar codes just didn't mash with my display. I used green spray paint in satin finish. I think it will bring a bit pizazz to my display. I may try to paint some flowers on them tomorrow, just for kicks.

This is the final result. I am very happy and hope they will give me many, many years of steady tents.

Weighting your curtains or how to fix your mistakes

You all know that old saying about measuring three times and cutting once? I do too. I just happen to forget it when I most need it.

You see, about a year ago, I decided to have the curtains for my tent display custom-made. So, I shopped around until I found the right place. Working with fabric, as I do, you might ask: why not just make them yourself? Several reasons:

1. The bigger shows require the use of flame-retardant materials. These are not that easily available, and there are just a handful of companies that distribute them. We are lucky to be living so close to New York, as these are used heavily in Broadway productions.

2. I didn't have a faintest idea how to make a show curtain. I was certain there were so many details that I would miss, that I'm better off paying someone to do it right. And I was right to do it. When I first opened the box and looked at the hems and grommets, I thought to myself - thank God.

So, when I picked the company, the fabric, the type of curtain, etc., they asked me for size. Without actually opening and measuring the height of my tent, I blurted out: 8 feet. Well, those of you that know tents, know they are not 8 feet. But, I read that somewhere on the package, and I thought I was right. Typical.

The curtains arrived just a few days before the first show. When I went to put them up I realized they were too long. This had bad and good things about it. Bad, they drag around and get dirty, and they look a little unkempt. Good, I could wrap them around weights, so that we don't fly away.

Finally, a few days ago, I broke down and decided to shorten them. I cut off the extra 2 feet, rolled them up and left them in the corner. Why? I realized that I needed to weight them down, unless I wanted to be blown to Kansas, and I had nothing to weight them down with. After a few days of agony, I called a friend who makes drapery for living. And she said ball chain.

Now, have you ever gone to Home Depot and asked one of the guys to help you find ball chain? Oh, get your mind out of the gutter, will you?! After going through hardware, then plumbing, then hardware again, I decided that ball chain is simply not going to do it, and that I needed something sturdier. So I opted for the good old double twist. It comes in several different sizes, and I picked the one that I thought would do the job the best.

First, I secured the chain to the bottom of the curtain using needle and quilting thread. That stuff is awesome. Really strong.



Then I simply hemmed the curtains, 4 inches, like the original was.



I used double-stitch, just in case. You really don't want your chains rattling all over the place when you are trying to set up or break down for the show.

The end result - fantastic! It drapes perfectly. And it's so much easier to fold. I wish I had the audacity to do it before. It would have saved me a lot of headaches and a few dry cleaning bills.

Showing your age

Oh, yes, the bad word - age. I think I am at the point that if I don't tattoo it on my arm, I know it's not going to happen. Here's what I forgot to tell you:

My friends at the NewNew Team from Etsy are organizing a series of giveaways to promote the show we are doing this Saturday, May 8, Crafts in Chelsea. Yes! New York! Yes! Free stuff! And not just any stuff... This is good.

Here is what we have so far:

Day 1 Giveaway

Day 2 Giveaway

Day 3 Giveaway

Day 4 Giveaway

And what is being given away? Glad you should ask. The answer is a boat load of amazing and unique art, jewelry, decorative items - you name it, they are giving it away.

You should click here. Now! Because, after May 8, it will all be gone.

A little popcorn, a big screen, and it's a date!

We at Woolly Boo are very proud to announce that we are the OFFICIAL SPONSOR of the Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival. Considering we are importing their amazing organic wool for our products, it seemed like a great fit to support this community-based event.

If you are not familiar with Bosnian-Herzegovinian film industry, than let me enlighten you:

• It is a rather small country, the size of West Virginia.
• It has only about 4.5 million people.
• Yet, the films made by Bosnian directors have won just about every major award there is, including the Oscar ("No Man's Land" by Danis Tanovic in 2001, in competition with "Amelie").

Are you impressed yet? You should be.

For more information, and to buy tickets, please visit their website.