What’s New Wednesday…A Call for Your Help

Hi there! Hope your day is going along smoothly. I on the other hand experienced some technical difficulties this morning called “my car won’t start!” a.k.a.—a VERY DEAD  battery. Luckily all I needed was a quick dose of AAA and a car mechanic…problem solved!

So speaking of technical…part of my 2011 goal of growing my biz included designing and creating a brand spanking new website.

Ya see, the site I have now is really just a blogger blog that I’ve kind of rigged into a “make shift” website. However,  I realized if I am serious about growing the business I needed my website to reflect this growth and function like a “real, grown-up” site.

So with all that being said, I have been working quite diligently and obsessively to get my site functioning the way I would like. If I haven’t already mentioned it, I decided to ATTEMPT  to create my website without hiring a web designer, but with the assistance of web designer Tara Gentile and her webdesign course. This has been an absolute crazy ride full of anxiety, frustration, “aha moments”, pride, defeat, and triumph. I can say without a doubt that this has been a challenge that I have embraced fully and that I’ve developed a love/hate relationship for. My Mr. keeps telling me to go ahead and hire a web designer but I scoff at the idea! He should know me better than that…I will meet this challenge head on as I usually do.

So, as much as I would like to do this on my own, I realized I am not building this site for me. I am building it for YOU. Therefore, I would like to ask for your help.

I want my site to be pretty and reflect me and my brand. More importantly I want it to function so that all the information that you as a visitor would want and need is right there for you to peruse and share easily.

If you have a few moments, I would love your feedback about what functions you would like to see on the new indobay inc. site.

When you  visit a website, what are the things that frustrate you as well as make visiting someone’s site a pleasure. I know for me, if I don’t see an easy way to contact the person, I usually won’t take the time to find out how.

Whatever information you think would help me in my endeavour will be highly valuable. If you see a website that you love, please feel free to share the link with me and let me know what it is about this site that you love and that makes you want to go back to it.

Feel free to leave me a comment below or if you’d prefer, you can e-mail me at tania@shopindobayinc.com.

If all goes well, I am hoping to launch the new site at the end of this month. Wish me luck and thank you so much for your feedback. I really do appreciate it.

live SIMPLY, live LOVELY

{click photo for source}

Happy Monday…I’m still here.

{image via A Slippery Maiden}

Hi all! I hope your weekend was something to talk about…in a happy, good way! I had my sister in law visiting from California which is always fabulous!

I didn’t want you all to think I’ve run off to some deserted island, although getting away for a few days sure sounds nice. I’ve been making, making and making for shop orders and for a local craft market which is this Sunday…yikes! Between us, I’m soooo not ready for the market. But,it’s not in my nature to throw in the towel when things get a little rough.

I’m hoping to have a few days to breathe again after this Sunday and I’ll be back to blogging and business as usual.

~live SIMPLY, live LOVELY~

 

Simply Thought{FULL}…Finding Balance.

{Beautiful photo by Hannah Mayo Photography on etsy}

So as my craft business has started to grow a bit and I am spending even more time working on getting orders filled, I’ve started to feel like other parts of my life are getting a wee bit neglected. I won’t even begin to tell you about the pile of laundry that keeps threatening to fold itself {oh how I wish you would}. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining as I’ve worked very hard in growing my business and I’m happy to see some small successes. Yet, I sometimes wonder how I will be able to handle it all.

Lately my thoughts have been about my life, my work and the idea of BALANCE. If my biz grows even more, which of course I want, will I be able to handle it? My priority is my son and my partner. Will I still be able to be there for them the way I want to be? Aside from anyone else, will I be able to take care of myself the way I know I should? So many questions lately.

Ask almost any woman I know what the most difficult part of their day is and the typical answer is finding enough time to get “it” all done. That “it” is different for all of us but the eternal quest for BALANCE seems almost universal. Between taking care of home, family, your work in whatever form that takes, and many more responsibilities life can get a bit hectic.

Through my own experience I’ve come to the conclusion that we can’t have it all or do it all, at least not all at the same time. Now some folks might disagree with me. But for the average working woman with a child/ren some things just have to give from time to time or else that thing that gives just might be your sanity.

Which brings me back to the point of trying to find BALANCE. For a long time balance to me was something to attain. It was a state of being that I strived for because it meant that finally I would somehow magically be able to do it all and do it all effortlessly. I realized in my search for balance I was just adding one more thing to my already too long to-do list and setting myself up for failure.

Balance now represents something different to me. Balance doesn’t mean trying to do it all but rather knowing when to take away a little here and there when you have too much going on in another area of your life. For me today, that meant that the pile of laundry did not get folded. And you know what, the world didn’t end just because it didn’t get done. I’ve also come to realize that balance doesn’t always look nice and neat. It is inevitable that at certain times in your life some areas, such as work, might carry a heavier weight. But eventually you will be able to shift some of that weight and attention back to other areas in your life. This process of shifting and “balancing” will probably continue as you move through your life because that is life and that is just fine.

P.S. I will soon share with you a new shop that will be carrying indobay products. Hint: indobay is heading to the windy city!

So I was curious how you all go about “balancing” your life? Any thoughts on what “balance” means to you? I’d love to hear some of your ideas and feedback in the comments. Thanks! :)

Happy Monday & Block Printing tutorial with Urban Outfitters…

{image of a linoleum block I carved to create a teepee}

Hi all! Hope you had a wonderful weekend and that you were able to feel Spring in the air!

I love Springtime because for me there is such a sense of renewal and energy. This time of year is when I feel the most energized to create, organize and to also try new things.

So as I was thinking about what new things to try I started wondering about all of you and if you also get that same desire to be more creative and to try something new. Then I started wondering if any of you would like to try what I do which is Block Printing. Just in case you aren’t sure what block printing is here is wiki answers definition:

"Block Printing" or "Woodblock Printing" is a method used to print text, images or patterns on textiles and later paper. This method was widely used throughout East Asia and originating in China in antiquity.
How it worked:
Patterns and letters were carved into wooden blocks, so that the letter or pattern is chiseled and protrudes so to speak from the wooden block.
These blocks are then coated with Ink, and brought pressed firmly and evenly onto the paper or cloth.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_block_printing#ixzz1HFYJBVf8

If you’ve been following my blog for a little while you’ve definitely seen images of what I create. My napkins, tea towels, pillow covers and even the images I use for the journals are all created using the block printing method. Some folks have asked me why I chose block printing instead of screen printing or printing images using computer resources. Well the truth is that I did go to fabric design school for a little while where I was learning how to create images on the computer which could then be printed onto textiles. Even though to a large extent this would have been easier this wasn’t the direction I wanted to go. The images were just “too perfect” for me.

{spring & whimsy cotton hand printed napkins}

I like the imperfections and the more weathered look that block printing creates. So that venture in Fabric Design school was many years ago and it wasn’t until fairly recently that I felt that itch to get creative again.

About a year and a half ago I picked up this book by Lena Corwin, Printing by Hand and this book, Lotta Prints, by Lotta Jansdotter and the rest is history. I read each book cover to cover, ran out to buy the products they suggested to get started, and basically taught myself how to block print using rubber blocks and then later, linoleum blocks. indobay inc. became a result of my passion for something I only recently really came to know.

So if you have a creative itch that you are wanting to scratch how about trying block printing. I would suggest the books above to get you started because they are very easy to read and understand. However, there are also tons of resources online. If you Google “block printing” you will see a variety of sites and links.



Here is a video I found from Urban Outfitters that I think does a good job of presenting block printing in an easy way. In the video a rubber block is used to carve out the images. If you are new to block printing I think this is a wonderful way to begin. The rubber block is much easier to carve into than linoleum and actually quite pleasant to work with. The video mentions obtaining the supplies at Urban Outfitters but you can find at any art supply or craft store. Dick Blick, is also a great resource.
I hope your creative juices have started flowing and that you give this printing method a try. It really is quite addictive once you give it a try.

If you have any questions about the block printing method please don’t hesitate to ask in the comments. I LOVE talking about what I do and would be thrilled to offer any tips or resources that might help. Happy Printing!

~live SIMPLY, live LOVELY~

What does Monday, a teepee and a river have in common?

Hi all! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. In our household, Spring arrives early with the onset of little league baseball. So from now until the end of May, our weekends are pretty much baseball oriented. Sitting on hard metal bleachers isn’t so bad when the sun is shining and the temperature is reaching towards the high 70’s. No complaints here!

So what does that picture of a carved teepee have to do with baseball you might be wondering? Absolutely nothing but I’m super excited about it! So much so that I couldn’t wait til “what’s new Wednesday” to show you.

I’ve been slightly obsessed with images of teepees, feathers and stones. So it only seemed inevitable that some of these images would show up somewhere in my products. So in between working on a few wholesale orders I’ve been carving, designing and block-printing.

I always begin with sketches before I carve. Once I have the image carved and ready to print, the next step for me is figuring on what medium I’d like to print the image on. For example, some images look great on napkins but not so great on a tea towel or notebook. It really is a lot of trial and error and testing in the beginning stages.It really is these first designing and playing stages that I absolutely adore! After a few tests prints, I was really happy with the way the tea towels turned out!

So without further ado…I’d like to introduce you to the latest addition to the indobay family, {teepees & rivers}. I imagine dreaming big dreams in a teepee by a gentle, lazy river…

 

You can find teepees & rivers here.

I’d love, love your feedback if you have a few minutes. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below. What do you think about the grey and citrus green together? Do you have another color combination that you think might suit this design as well? Thanks in advance! :)

Hello Monday…

As I’m writing it is now Monday evening but, nonetheless, still Monday. I didn’t want to go without giving you all a sneak peek at some of what is heading to an Atlanta shop first thing tomorrow morning. I have been working feverishly to get these items made, packaged and shipped. Even though I did feel a little overwhelmed at times I had such a blast crafting it all and making sure it was leaving looking just the way I like…simple, but lovely!

Watermarking the journals is so meditative for me. I just love the look of the water mark on the inside of the journals…so subtle but so pretty!

 

Just recently started printing on a new 100% linen that I’ve purchased from this wonderful shop, Acorn Papery. Printing has never been so good. Truly, the linen is so beautiful that at first I don’t even want to print anything on it. I just want to admire it’s white linen yumminess. Then I print and the result is just so lovely!

 

Lots of wine tags were cut, glued and printed along with linen tags printed with words like, “happy”, “renew”, “play”, “dream” and “joy”. Making these little guys make me very happy!

You will also be able to find my Spring & Whimsy napkins, Simple List Tea Towel and my Vintage Modern Tea Towel. I really am so excited! Once the items have actually reached their new home I will let you know the shop and where to find if you happen to live in the Atlanta area.

Thanks letting me share. :)

~live SIMPLY, live LOVELY~

be careful what you wish for…

…it just may come true.

So for 2011 my goal for my small indie biz was to grow the wholesale side of things. Every week I have pitched to certain shops, online & brick and mortar, that I think indobay would be a good fit for. The response at first was slow and I was a bit disappointed but figured, heck, it’s only February. The year is still young. Well, in the last few weeks a few requests were granted and I am happy to report indobay inc. will soon be in Atlanta and New York! I will reveal the stores once my items have actually arrived to their new home.

So what does that mean? This lady is staying contentedly busy. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and think, how will I accomplish the biz side and the household, family side. Then I just remember to breathe and just keep doing what I’m doing. It will get done with heart and with care…it always does. Wish me luck! :)

So please pardon some of the organized chaos I have going on…

My biz has definitely taken over our small abode lately. No room is safe these days. I think it’s just the risk of running a biz from a home studio. Luckily my boys have been ridiculously understanding.

   

I’m secretly hoping that one day my mister will get so tired of all my “stuff” everywhere that he will beg to turn the garage out back into my studio.

Nothing wrong with dreaming.:)

I hope you have a fantastic weekend and I’ll see you all next week!

~live SIMPLY, live LOVELY~