BLOG HAS MOVED!

Yo. Moving my blog here:

http://recyclefashionably.blogspot.com/

This way I can drum up some blogginess about my biz!

-A

Bikram Yoga Lexington

Here is the first order for Bikram Yoga Lexington! Shipped out today. I get to put an "I am here" sticker in Kentucky when I get home!

I also got a pleasant surprise today - Bikram Yoga Park Slope in Brooklyn called me today, and they want their first 10 bag order as well!

Here's to hoping this spreads like wildfire *taking a swig of beer*

Ahh!

Rage Against My Machine

I don't think I have said so many F bombs my entire life. Simon thought I might be murdering someone. But no, it's only my new Love/Hate relationship with The Beast.

The Beast is an industrial sewing machine that sews like A ZILLION stitches per minute, and kicks my little home-sewing machine's ass. The zig zag stitch I have to do on The Sweat Sacks takes FOR-EVER to accomplish on my home sewer, so I bought this guy from Vanity Fair (they moved their sewing shops overseas - boo) to enable me to sew faster, hence sell more!

First of all, this sucker was delivered bolted to a palate, and took me an HOUR just to get unwrapped and unbolted. Then, after buttering up SUPER HOT and MUSCLY husband, he helped me shimmy it from the garage to my sewing room. And I do mean shimmy - this sucker must weigh over 200 goddam pounds. Yup, he loves me!


The machine itself AND the giant motor underneath that runs it is all made of cast iron. Plus its bolted to a giant table with a metal foot pedal, so we both got hernias trying to move this bitch. He carried one side, and I the other, and, with red shiny veins popping out of our necks and foreheads, we would move it about 3 feet, then stop to rest.

It took us AN HOUR to move this guy to his final resting place. Then began the hell-on-earth that was learning to use this thing.

It hates me.

I seriously think I am headed straight to hell simply for the lava of filth that flowed from my mouth that first week. Patience is not a word I am familiar with, clearly! But, after a LOT of time spent and a good cry, I got this sucker to hum!

Now, I might say I am in love. I can whip through bags like a slave child who needs to bust out 100 bags before he gets a bathroom break! This machine is going to launch my biz, baby! I've tamed the beast!

Grandma says "Sex"

It's actually true that, during a photo being taken, you look much more like you are smiling if you say 'SEX' rather than 'CHEESE'. My grandmother pointed this out mere seconds before this picture was being taken - the one previous to it has us all looking like we are gonna pee our pants.


You can thank my grammy for that little tip - and for all our fab smiles in this picture! Just thought I'd share our little Mother's Day outing at my brother's restaurant. Yay fam!

Sweat Sack Media Frenzy!!!!

OK, so it's not EXACTLY a frenzy, but THIS is our first real attempt at actually LOOKING for business. Well, except for the $8 sticker I put on the back of my car, but that doesn't really count since it's always covered in snow. :)

Omar the ULTRA-RAD has created us a super sweet flyer! The green part folds up perfect so it catches your eyeball right when you pull it out of the envelope (or, as Sy says, unless yer dumb...or blind...or maybe both).

We are SO VERY excited! My new sewing machine is on a truck on its way over here, and our first order is being made in our local sewing shop. If we are not ready RIGHT NOW, we never will be!




We packaged up 20 mailers for our first try, and sent them to local hot yoga shops. Go little flyers, go!!

Here fishy fishy... ;)

Kids don't forget ANYTHING.

I swear, you can't even mention something in passing if you are not absolutely 100% committed to following through. I don't have kids, so I had NO idea.

My nephew, Junior, was hanging out at our house a few months back, and mentioned how much he LOVED the quilt I made for his older sister. I was cooking at the time, and he had wrapped his little body with the pink and green frock, and was parading around the kitchen in circles, all the while rambling on and on like 6 year olds do.

I can't cook as it is, so I was just muttering a rhythmic "Um Hmmm, Um Hmmm" in response to his mumbling in order to pay attention to NOT burning the chicken. In my multi-tasking haze, I apparently agreed to make him the very same quilt, but to his specific details.

"This pink square should be greem....this purple square should be blue....I want a greem and blue blanklet....some brown is nice, too, but I don't like brown THAT much..." (spelling errors are purposful - he says it just like that! Aw!).

Not realizing at the time that I had agreed to ANYTHING, he reminded me after dinner that night with squeeky excitement: "Arowa, when are you going to make my blanklet?". Then, he asked again before he left for Monte Vista. Then again on the phone a few weeks later. Then again via an email from his mom ("Mom, ask Arowa about my blanklet!"). And so on.

I went to the fabric store to get supplies for a bag order, and also picked these super cute fabrics for the resolute 6 year old. So, regardless of the fact that I have hundreds of bags to sew, I will have to delay an order to make a blue and greem quilt for my newphew, who's memory is clearly unyielding. ;)

Hello Humboldt House!

OK, sniff sniff, whine whine, I'm over it. I am actually VERY EXCITED about the prospect of having my very own sewing room (that statement makes me feel about 80) and lots of space to store finished products.


Simon is working on a new marketing plan to send out mailers (thanks for the AWESOME flyer, Omar!) to Yoga studios to start REALLY getting our name out there. I am putting in my first order for bags TODAY (yeah!) with a local sewing shop. I am super excited about this, and nervous, too! What if this thing blows up? What if it doesn't? What if Jennifer Anniston gets ahold of one and it appears in US Weekly? ;)


Anyway, we are still unpacking at our new place, but, as you can see from the picture, the cats have settled in nicely! These stairs are like the BEST cat climby that you could ever buy. They are on them ALL DAY LONG. I caught one of them hanging off the stair by ONE PAW. Maniacs! Stop laying around, lazies, and help us unpack!

Overall, we have all settled in nicely, and are looking forward to having our first BBQ in the backyard (once our new patio is finished - splurge!).

I think we will be very happy here. :)