Born on Earth Kids - our mompreneur journey part 2

Our new Hang-Tags

In addition to finalizing our brand, logo, hang-tags, etc., over the last few months it has also been really inspiring to finalize the actual products. There is quite a degree of complexity involved in creating a T-Shirt from scratch...you have to create a design, make a pattern, make a sample, fit the sample, change the pattern, dye/wash the sample, approve the final sample, source the material, design and product hang-tags, and then you move into production (which involves many pieces too...dying, cutting, sewing, printing, embellishing, washing, etc.). We are learning so much, and have found apparel creation to be a wonderfully creative and expressive process. Here are a few things we've been working on recently:
Finalized Patterns and Completed Samples: Working with Kelly from KellyB couture, finalized our fits, patterns and samples. My daughter Tessie and Julie's son Jake were our adorable if slightly reluctant fit models.

our fit model Mr. Everest

Picked the Color Palette for our line: We are going with a beautiful palette of pink, lavender, light blue and slate grey for our Spring/Summer line...so many beautiful colors to chose from...Finalized our Dye/Wash Technique: We looked at a bunch of different techniques to acheive a unique, vintage-esque style. Everything from tye-die (too 70s for us), to dip-dye, to mineral wash, to brush dye.

Evaluating different dye and wash techniques

Sourced our Organic Materials: We were able to source luxurious, super soft 100% organic cotton right in LA. All of our work will be 100% based in USA, and 100% organic. I love the feel of our cotton.organic cotton plant

Designed our Hang Tags: Hang-tags are an important part in expressing your brand in the apparel world. We love our new hang-tags (the top of this post). Hope you do too!

Born on Earth Kids - our mompreneur journey

I promised that I'd periodically share our journey of becoming mompreneur kids fashion designers. So far this journey has been wonderfully creative, inspiring and exciting. jules and I are also finding that we love to work together and compliment each other very well (lucky us), and most importantly that we both love being fashion designers! So far so good.

Over the next few posts I'll share with you what we've been up to for the past few months, starting today...here's what we've been up to:
1. Created our new brand!

We are so excited to unveil our new brand. We worked with our wonderful designer Lyndsay to create a distinctive mark that blends nature and couture. We wanted something that is free and expressive, fun and playful. We are very happy with our new Born on Earth brand and hope you love it as much as we do - please share your thoughts with us.

2. Finished our Spring/Summer 2009 collection! we worked long and hard with our miraculous apparel designer Kiira to end up with a collection for Spring/Summer 2009 that we are really proud of. I'm not going to spoil the surprise yet by posting the finished photos , but I'll give you a sneak peak of one of the appliques on one of the girls shirts...hope you like it!

detail of one Spring/Summer 2009 girls shirt

Lots more has been happening and I'll share what we've been working on with patterns, samples, manufacturing, material sourcing, and hang-tag creation in my next few posts. Stay tuned!

oliver.handmade: Hand Made Organic Onesies

I always find it inspiring to stumble across eco-mommas who are building new businesses using sustainable materials and personal creativity combined with great technology like blogs and etsy stores.
i stumbled across Erin from oliver.handmade the other day, and thought her onsesies were super cute. They are all handmade, and use organic and sustainable (and sometimes recycled) materials. Check her out on her Etsy shop. Way to go Erin!

Electifying MINI!

sassy and electric - the new Mini E

Throughout my life, I have really cared less about cars. I never understood how some people can be so 'into' cars. However, ever since i got my first Mini, I have become a true Mini-lover. Each day when I see my tiny little Mini, it still makes me smile. Minis are fun, happy cars to drive and to look at. I have always loved Minis for both their efficiency/small size as well as their performance and style. Mini (BMW) has done a superb job of creating a more sustainable solution without sacrificing style or performance. However, even though the gas-fueled version is pretty fuel efficient (37MPG highway), it still utilizes fossil fuel and emits pollution. Happily, yesterday ushered in a new era of the electric Mini when BMW officially released their new Mini E - a zero emissions, 100% electric vehicle. I can't wait to get mine when they go mainstream...right now there are only about 500 of them, and they cost over $60k. Check it out at Mini USA.

sweet ride - the Mini E

The Mini E goes 150 miles on one charge, and is just as cute as it's gas-powered sister. Only challenge is that there are only 2 seats (in order to have room for the battery). I'm hoping they electrify the Mini Clubman and keep its 4 seats. It's exciting to see products like Mini delivering sustainable, high performance, stylish solutions with great creativity and innovation.

The time is now for NAU

My husband has been in need of some new clothes for a while. While he's a fashionable guy, he's not a big shopper and often complains about the lack of sustainable options around the stores. Today, I remembered a brand I had heard of in the past - nau.

NAU creates sustainable, stylish, unique and functional clothing for men & women. Additionally, they donate 3% of every purchase to a philanthropy of your choice. They have scrumptious clothing for men - I especially love their 'bunny goat hoodie' and all of their coats. Also the clothing is designed to last which means I can buy a few signature items that will wear for years. And the women's clothing is super cute too. NAU shares our design philosophy for Born on Earth Kids - embrace sustainability without sacrificing style and functionality. You can check them out at nau.com. Enjoy!

Organic Bubbly for the New Year

Its time to ring in the new year, and why not ring it in green with a little organic bubbly? Organic wines are a great way to both celebrate and support the environment. Organic wine is made without the use of insecticides, fumigants or herbicides. Organic farming promotes biodiversity allowing plants other than vines to grow, and works in conjunction with insects, mites and spiders. Treehugger has a great list of recommendations for organic champagne and sparkling wine, as does the Organic Wine Journal. I recommend checking out some California sparklers from Domaine Carneros, a leading organic winery based in Sonoma and Napa. The winery was the first sparkling winery in the United States to become organic certified with all estate vineyards certified. They produce a Brut Rose called Cuvee de la Pompadour (named after Madame de la Pompadour, a great courtesan and mistress of Louis VX...ooh la la!) and a premium vintage Brut, the Brut Cuvee. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Christmas Tree Recycling

Now that Christmas has come and gone, its time to dispose of your real tree in a positive way by recycling it properly. For those of us who have opted for a cut tree, it is really the right thing to do.

No need to toss that real tree into the trash and landfill; here they only take up space as they are unable to decompose properly. Real Christmas trees are being recycled and reused in great programs nationwide, for things as common as mulch, and as fantastic as wildlife habitat creation.

Earth 911 has made it easy; by entering your zip code on their website you can find local treecycling options in your area. My community in San Diego has both a curbside program and is hosting a treecycling event. One way I can be a slouch, they other, a go-getter. Either way, its nice to know I'm doing the right thing and ending the holiday season on one final eco-friendly note.

Shop Local & Homemade

Etsy.com - the place to buy & sell handmade things - has a Shop Local feature that allows you to search for handmade sellers near you. Buying goods that are both local & handmade is a highly sustainable way of shopping. Local goods mean that you are not transporting the items far, which reduces the 'carbon footprint' of your purchase (versus buying something that was shipped in from China for example). Additionally, you support your local economy by keeping your dollars in your neighborhood. Finally, most handmade processes are environmentally friendly and non-toxic.

I found a few great sellers near me:
Megan Rhodes PhotographyLuLuBug JewelryBette's Cache of Jewells

Vintage Box 1947 Rtisan's Shop
Pick up some unique, handmade, local items near you. Enjoy!

Green Toys for Christmas - Safe, Recycled Tea Sets

Today I was listening to NPR and heard Robert van Goeben, the entreprenuer behind Green Toys, speaking. His sustainable toy company is based in San Francisco, and utilizes 100% recycled milk jugs to make their toys. The plastic used in milk jugs - high-density polyethylene (or HDPE) - is considered one of the safest, cleanest plastics around. You can't go wrong with these toys - they are recycled from California milk bottles, manufactured locally in San Francisco, and utilize the safest plastic around for the health of your kids. And they are so cute! They also have a variety of other toys - check them out here. You can use their store finder to find a retail outlet near you.

Gorgeous Eco-Toys for Babies

This year there are many wonderful options for safe, beautiful eco-friendly toys. Check out these adorable textured blocks and organic rabbit rattle - so much better than having your little guys chew on toxic plastics.

soft, organic blocksOrganic Rabbit Rattle

You can find these sweet toys at Natural Pod. Ban the plastics and bring imagination, fun and health into your daily lives. They also have toys for bigger kids, like this cute natural baby stroller.