Branding Sweet Little

I mentioned that I have been working on starting a small business for the last few months selling girls dresses using a variety of wax print fabrics; being an architect has both made this task easier and harder at the same time. Creatively, its been fun to have a playful project to work on (especially since its all mine) but the learning curve has been steep for me because I have never owned a business, I knew nothing about retail business/e-commerce (except for my own shopping habits), I had never designed a website for E-commerce, I knew nothing about marketing and my husband and I are simultaneously trying to get our architecture practice up and running.

So I took the risk anyway and dove into with a kind of optimism I hadn't felt since I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania almost 10 years ago. It all started with one item my aunt has sent over for my daughter, a little dress that drew a lot of attention at a wine festival that weekend. I was inspired, and excited, so I immediately got out my sketch book and started drawing and planning out some ideas which have become the basis of the business I've named "Sweet Little" dress shop. This has come together quite nicely over the last six months considering I have a full time position teaching college level architecture courses and only work on this on weekends or on the train. The first thing I did was decide what I would sell and decided on a simple design model; making 6 classic dress silhouettes in 6 sizes from 6 months to 4T in a variety of fabrics.. I also had to design a logo which appears on the website for the company and on everything from dress labels, hangtags, mailing labels etc. The images are a few options for how this becomes the hangtags to be used to package the dresses. 

A. Three Quarter Sleeve dress                      B. Classic Shift dress

A. Mod Pinafore dress (reversible)          B. One Tier Ruffle Dress

The branding process includes anything from logo, colors, images etc and is extremely important, it provides a visual (or other) reference for the business making it easier to remember or recognize and if done effectively has been associated with increased sales and productivity. In addition, I find that when I order from a site online, the way in which it is packaged when it arrives leaves a strong impression and if its elegantly done or unique in some way I am more likely to order form them again. It feels special. So branding, from the website (point of sale) to the packaging (point of connection) prove to be even more valuable to the E-commerce business, these are two points when you can either gain/lose a customer. 

Initially, I thought of ordering printed packaging boxes but I quite like thee simplicity of using a small tag preferably from recycled paper/card-stock and a natural fiber rope to tie it together. It seems to go along with the business model, products and process, "using wax print fabric and handmade with care." The items are rather small  and don't need an elaborate wrapping so I may just wrap them in tissue and seal with a 'Thank You' Sticker. Anyway which tags so you like the best? 

Day Off

Theres nothing better than a day off in the middle of the week when I know everyone else is at work and I purposefully make an effort to loosely make plans to accomplish something that day but feel fine if I don't get it all done. Today is one of those days, Thursday..odd right? Who gets Thursday off anyway? I do! Although I have a lot that I can be doing, I have chosen to let my day be guided by whatever my little girl wants to do. This includes, watching mickey mouse, eating breakfast at least three time, building legos, nap time and later making rice crispy treats. How can I object to any of this considering that every other day consists of me rushing her through breakfast while getting dressed, rushing to pack her lunch and mine, rushing to get her to preschool, rushing to get to work and basically not getting home until after 7pm only to rush to make dinner, eat and get ready for bath and bed. I am also at the stage where I can't get enough sleep and crave sweet snacks (combination of trying to sleep with a watermelon sized belly and congestion from an early allergy season I suppose) so I am open to anything involving these two things.

I had a thought while we sat on the floor building our lego towers, what will I do when theres a newborn to look after as well? Both the normal weekdays schedule and my 'day off non schedule' will be affected right? I don't want to have to miss out on bonding with her but certainly the demands of a newborn cant be taken for granted either. I will strive to make it work. But for now (the next 3 months), Thursdays belong to me and my little buddy, and as it gets warmer, we'll hopefully get outside and play.

A. Playing in her room

B. In her room

C. Pretending to sleep with Dora

Week 27.

A. The baby nursery

I just received my weekly email from the fine people at 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' and although I do keep track of how far along I am, it became very real when I saw it in writing..I am 13 weeks 6 days away from becoming a mommy of two.. little girls. We're all really excited but for some reason, I am a little less organized than I was for my first..ok who are we kidding, I have nothing done!

By this time in my first pregnancy, I had painted the nursery at least three different colors, bought enough clothing to last the entire year (from newborn sizes to her first birthday party outfit), the nursery was fully furnished with the Casa Kids Ola! crib, dresser, armoire, a Luca glider by Monte designs, a Binth alphabet poster and more. We had already had a baby shower and received everything we needed from our family and friends and I had made the decision to use an epidural for pain (which I assumed meant I didn't need a class to learn about childbirth!)

 This time, I have basically done nothing, everyone assumes that since "I already have a girl so I have everything I need" and maybe I do but I don't know for sure. Its been 3.5 years and I have no idea what I have in my basement. I definitely have a bassinet which we will use for the first few months and I bought a few things from the Gap last week but thats it. In a way I am happy to not be so caught up in the material necessities and want to really focus on enjoying being pregnant (I know..this may change in a few weeks as she grows heavier), spending time with my little girl and learning how to properly prepare for a natural childbirth..maybe actually take a class this time.

Portrait of a Mother

The last three years have resulted in some quite fascinating changes for me; certainly it didn't seem so at the time but any opportunity I get to look back over the last three years and envision where I was (physically, emotionally, professionally etc.) and where I am now in almost every aspect of my life-what I thought my life was or should have been, I marvel at the many differences. Some of these changes have been carefully planned and highly anticipated, like the decision to become a mother and some have been somewhat uncontrollable and unanticipated, like giving birth to a baby girl. I had always imagined being a mother to boys so I never ever mentally prepared for a daughter, in fact it never occurred to me to think about what it might entail. Don't get me wrong, having a child whether a boy or girl  and at any age, can have a profound effect on any woman's life but for me personally, facing the prospect of mothering a little girl presented a different kind of challenge. The reasons for this are still somewhat elusive in my mind even after 3.5 years.

I am now having to revisit those feelings, I am 26 weeks along with another baby and its a girl so I am again questioning my ability to raise girls without a clear understanding of why I feel so intensely nervous by this. I myself was raised with 5 sisters, I have friends and family raising two or more girls and have recently read about the intensity by which the lack of an opportunity to have a daughter affects some women's lives.

A. me with my daughter

My daughter has changed my life, she is my best friend (under 3' tall), I have transformed myself and my life without even realizing it to accommodate her, to be with her, to protect her. She has reached back into the depths of my life and reshuffled everything I 'knew' my life would be, what I thought was my passion, how I defined my life and its value. Any mother will tell you how amazing their kids are, it comes with the territory like a girl scout badge everyone gets once they have conquered the nine or ten months of pregnancy and experienced bringing a human being into the world. I have nothing to compare the effect of motherhood to, except the intensity and hurt brought on by the sudden loss of my father, which effects have persisted beyond my own comprehension..but thats another story for another day.

B. my daughter

I recently decided that one possible reason why unexpected and/or dramatic change has such a polarizing effect on me, has to do with the fact that I have always relied heavily on making anf following very detailed lists...sounds inconsequential right, maybe, but when 'The List' becomes almost like a map or script for your life, something to rely on as if it would come true as it was written, there wasn't any room for improvisation. I don't do improv very well, I don't like impromptu, I follow plans..regularly..without realizing it, I had invested time into planning many years of my life on paper,  trained myself to rely on whatever the list said was going to happen or what I would achieve as my reality, so when life didn't go the way it was written (by me obviously..which is why it unravels) or even worse, something that hadn't even crossed my mind was devastating to me. 'The List' allowed me the comfort to confront life with the confidence that  I (thought) needed. And then she came....

She has taught me to see life differently, value myself more, be willing to laugh and love. Its taken me still a few years to release a bit and become vulnerable to life's changes, I still write lists but they are more trivial, like what to buy from Target (so I don't get sucked into the abyss that is Target) or things I need to do on Saturday etc. but never anything beyond a few weeks. So I guess, baby steps may seem small but sometimes thats all one needs to really effect change.