Calling all Local Crafters

The 2nd annual Fun Fair for Northwest Center Child Development Program (NWC) will be Saturday, October 3, 2009, 2-6pm. If you live in the Seattle area, please join us and definitely bring the kids! This event is for the community. There will be a bake sale, fun for the kids, live music, a silent auction and local craft vendors. Please see the website for directions to the Queen Anne school at 2919 1st Ave N, Seattle, WA 98118.

Satch & Sol will be offering a sample sale, as one of the vendors, with very low prices for discontinued colors and styles of slippers, apparel and animal ornaments.

If you are a crafter or small business looking for a family-focused audience, please email me for a vendor application at susan@satchsol.com. NWC has a modest fundraising goal for the event, so all vendors will be asked to donate a flat dollar amount or a percent of sales made at the event - you decide.

I have been involved with NWC for a few years and absolutely love the place! We all enjoyed attending the inaugural Fun Fair last year. My kids are so excited to go again this year.

eco summer fun

The boys are getting increasingly crafty this summer. Suddenly, I am not allowed to put anything into the recycle bin...at least not until it has been made into a boat, a bridge, or something else and repetitively played with.

I am overjoyed that my thriftiness and desire to leave a small footprint is rubbing off on our sons. Their efforts (even beyond the consistent art projects) have inspired me to look for more eco-friendly products and business practices for Satch & Sol. Here are a few of our recent efforts below.

Recently, we decreased the size of our Seattle city garbage can to the smallest available, about 2 cubic feet. We (work and home combined) still don't fill it. Affording ourselves less weekly garbage space has made us even more cognizant of our purchases at the grocery store and elsewhere, i.e., to purchase less and to search out items with very little packaging.

Although some boutiques still require a paper catalog to make their purchase consideration, I have narrowed it down to just one simple page (from three previously) and I continue to print on recyclable, high PCW content paper. More and more, boutiques are happy with web images and emailed paperless brochures to view on their screens.

I applied to Green America for certification of Satch & Sol! I hear that it is a long application process, so I will provide an update on the blog when I hear about acceptance or suggested improvements to be made. I am looking forward to this process.

summer helpers

Having a family business means a lot to me. I enjoy the flexibility to participate in my sons' events. I like working in my home office. I don't think twice about evening and weekend work. Everything weaves nicely into our family schedule somehow, although not without lots of planning.

During a mini (unprofessional) photoshoot a few days ago, I had an unexpected helper, age 5, who was eager to play the part of the photographer. Once I completed the images a buyer needed for her boutique, my oldest son and I had a great time playing photographer.

I can't wait to show him his photos on the blog later. Enjoy.

Fundraising with Satch & Sol

It's a win-win opportunity. Savings for you, friends, and family when you shop online. A check to your school or non-profit organization for a percent of total revenue.

In a nutshell, you can raise funds for your school or organization by spreading the word about Satch & Sol. Anyone who uses your group's savings code online will be saving a little from their purchase. And, a percent of total sales revenue generated by the savings code users will go to your organization by check at the end of the designtated time period.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please email me at handmade@satchsol.com.

At Satch & Sol, we love to support schools and family-oriented nonprofit organizations. We want to help you grow!