Busy Busy...Waldorf Faires this weekend

December swept upon me. My birthday is the last day of November, yet December always takes me by surprise. Satch & Sol has been happily busy. Tonight, I am preparing for two wonderful local Faires. There will be many beautiful handmade items at both Faires. Come see Satch & Sol for great sample sale prices.

Dec 5 - Bright Water School, Sugar Plum Faire, 11am-3pm, 1501 10th Ave E Seattle, WA 98102
Dec 6 - Seattle Waldorf School, Winter Faire, 10am-3pm, 2728 NE 100th St, Seattle, WA 98125

Seriously, I think I bought all my family's holiday gifts at these two events last year.

Enjoy the weekend!

Felt again for Halloween

This might be the last year for Halloween costumes made by Mom. Solomon (6) made his own adorable tree costume and Satchel (4) made an awesome super Satchel costume, but they BOTH insisted on specific super heroes this year for trick-or-treat.

Thank goodness for the library and a sticker book. I had no idea what Iron Man and Blue Power Ranger look like. I'm not sure how my boys know so much about these heroes since we lack a television and their schools don't have commercial action figures lying around. I think super hero knowledge must travel from kids-to-kids wherever they play! (I think Solomon really wanted an LED light shining from his chest.)

I hope they will get a lot of wear our of their costume PJs. (Thanks for the hand-me-downs Aunt Jody!)

Happy Halloween!

Halloween reminiscing

As we completed Halloween costumes tonight, Solomon asked what his costume was when he was a baby. The truth is that he was brand new and tiny at his first Halloween, lying in a little light-up bed fighting jaundice and the billirubin count. I don't think that counts as a costume, but we have a photo of him in a bear hat next to a jack-o-lantern. He is yellow. The pumpkin is orange.

I love making costumes for my kids. I love that they make costumes themselves now, too. And, of course, we use a lot of felt.

Here are a few of my favorites from over the years, in no particular order.

Video from Mongolia

I wish I had video to share of the artists creating Satch & Sol slippers. I do not. However, I found this video of the making of felted ger walls on youtube. The heavy felted walls are MUCH bigger than slippers, so they are beaten down by dragging on horse back. Horses are not used in the felting of Satch & Sol slippers, hats and mittens, all of which are felted around a mold to be seamless. The similarities in the processes are the lack of electricity to beat the wool into felt, the small group work, and the fact that many of the artists live in gers themselves.

Someday, I'll record a video, if the artists will allow me to. Until then, I noticed several youtube videos about felting process and found them all to be very informative, espcially the ones showing Mongolia specifically.

Ebjoy!

Weekend = Sewing

Weekends are a great time to catch up on sewing. Labor Day weekend is no exception, especially with our very winter-like chilly rainy weather today. I am sewing tags, sewing slipper embellishments, sewing unique adult size slippers for local fundraiser sales...and, recently, sewing buttons and thread felted wool animals to make ornaments.

Made from slipper scraps, the lovely felted wool creatures have arrived! Here in Seattle, I sew a unique button and thread to each animal so it is tree-ready. Of course, the thread and button can be easily removed and the creature can stand on its own.

My new favorite is the elephant, but it's hard to steer away from the woolly grey billy goat. The recent arrival of the felted wool animals from Mongolia inspired my family to go to the Woodland Park Zoo this afternoon. The snow leopards (native to Mongolia) were our favorites today.

Artisans receive a well-earned grant

I cannot say enough wonderful things about the talented artists who create slippers for Satch & Sol. I love love love their traditional wool felting craft. Even more, I appreciate their willingness to hone their skills to innovate for Satch & Sol and their willingness to incorporate my design input.

Of course, I am certainly not the only person to be so impressed by these fair trade micro and small businesses sprouting successfully in Mongolia. Congratulations to one of the largest felting cooperatives upon receiving a modest funding grant from EBRD (a European Bank) to finance their continued growth through training and innovation.

I am honored to have been asked for input regarding innovation. I am confident that they will surpass even their own expectations as they take on this new challenge. And, I am eager to see their future work.

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.

Satch & Sol Introduces Fair trade, Eco-friendly Slippers in Adult Sizes

Seattle, WA (April 13, 2009) Satch & Sol announces the addition of adult size slippers to their collection of felted wool slippers handmade by fair trade artisan cooperatives in Mongolia. Using traditional felting skills, artists create eco-friendly Satch & Sol slippers using 100% seamless felted wool, soft suede soles and hand-stitched detail.

The original collection (Fall 2008) includes children’s felted wool slippers, size US 3 infant to 3 youth (EU 18-34), in refreshingly unique and colorful styles, such as ladybugs, puppies, flower petal cuts and moccasins. New adult sizes range upward to US women’s size 11½ (EU 42).

“Mothers of children wearing Satch & Sol slippers contacted us asking for their sizes,“ says Susan Bell, founder of Satch & Sol. “We worked with the Mongolian artists to create a line of felted wool slippers for adults.”

Adult size slippers have an MSRP of $42 - $60. Children’s slippers have an MSRP of $36 - $40. Wholesale information is available upon request. Each pair of slippers ships with an eco-friendly hangtag, attached with repurposed button and thread, stating the fair trade origin of the slippers.

About Satch & Sol

For the love of family and earth, Satch & Sol partners with fair trade artisan cooperatives worldwide to offer a handmade collection. Satch & Sol strives to be eco-friendly through product selection and business practices.

Mom-owned and operated in Seattle, Satch & Sol began business in 2008 with a focus on the family. In addition to slippers, Satch & Sol offers hand knit sweaters, felted wool mittens and hats and a variety of other items handmade by fair trade artisan cooperatives.

Satch & Sol aligns with artisan cooperatives that share their love for fair trade, earth-friendly products and handmade loveliness. Fair trade prohibits child labor and enables adults to live and work in their hometowns, strengthening their families and communities. Following 70+ years of Soviet rule, Mongolian artist entrepreneurs set forth to create their own businesses. Today, Satch & Sol works with artist cooperatives in Mongolia to design and create the Satch & Sol line. In a historically nomadic culture, Mongolian farmers and artists practicing traditional crafts naturally focus on the ethical treatment of animals, natural materials and waste minimization.

Satch & Sol continually works to reduce their environmental footprint and support their local community. The company currently uses only repurposed shipping materials. When shoeboxes are required, Satch & Sol provides recyclable shoeboxes made with 100% recycled materials, including high PCW content. Satch & Sol donates a portion of company profits through monetary and in-kind product donations to local education and family-focused organizations.


CONTACT:
Susan Bell
Satch & Sol LLC
206-232-0999
susan@satchsol.com
www.satchsol.com

Start-up Nation Contest

I entered Satch & Sol into a contest for mom-owned small businesses. To check it out and vote, please go here. Thank you for helping me move the needle!

Wow! This first quarter of 2009 has flown by. I look forward to sharing new products and upcoming events on the blog soon.

more adult size slippers are here!

New slippers for grown-ups are in Seattle. I will add them to the online boutique Wednesday afternoon. Please watch for woolly grey hitch, more raspberry moccasin sizes, missy pinks, and sunshine flowers - all for grown-ups!

Happy Mongolian Lunar New Year Happy Valentines Day....and please listen to me on the radio (yikes!)

This month brings two holidays to celebrate at Satch & Sol…and we will be on the radio tomorrow!

Happy Valentines Day AND Happy Mongolian Lunar New Year!

Tsagaan Sar is the Mongolian lunar New Year's festival. The White Moon holiday is celebrated two months after the first new moon following the winter solstice. After Naadam, Tsagaan Sar is the second-most important Mongolian holiday. Around the New Year people greet each other by saying 'Amar mend uu?' or 'Amar bain uu?', a very formal greeting which one says to one's elders. Mongolians also visit friends and family on this day and exchange gifts.

Many pink and red items have been marked down for Valentine's Day gifts. Newsletter subscribers receive a savings code by email to celebrate the Mongolian Lunar New Year, so please sign up today here, if you would like to receive savings codes. Please check the box to receive the newsletter.

http://onegreener.com will be interviewing Patagonia and Nau tomorrow (Wednesday, February 4) about sustainable clothing at 10am PST. OneGreener plans to add me to the interview at 10:20am to provide my personal small business perspective. I am nervous and excited about this live opportunity tomorrow. Although I am not a public speaker, I am passionate about the topic and hope to contribute well to the discussion. You can listen online, if you like. I would be very grateful for the support.

Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Mongolian Lunar New Year!

More adult size slippers arrived today!

Hooray! Tuesday afternoon, I will add the following to the online boutique:

- roses, flower cut, green with red
- sunflowers, flower cut brown with yellow
- green hitch

All of the above will be available in sizes 4 youth (5.5 womens) - 10 youth (11.5 womens)

I will take photos and have them up as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience and thank you for your inquiries. It's great to hear that so many children are enjoying the slippers and that many grown-ups look forward to trying them, too.

a beautifully busy first season

Where did November go? Many times, I thought about doing a blog entry, but here we are in December. The lovely blog posts by Amanda Soule and Amy Karol in late October spread the word to many wonderful people seeking slippers. So a busy business schedule last month, combined with 11 days of house guests (very gracious house guests!), Thanksgiving, my 40th birthday and, of course, 2 small boys who had a lot of non-preschool days, made for a completely full schedule. December shall bring more busy fun:

December Sample Sale fundraiser events:
- Brightwater Waldorf School Sugar Plum Faire, 11am-3pm, Saturday December 6
- Whidbey Island Waldorf School Faire, Saturday December 6 (No, I won't be in two places. At this faire, the parent-volunteers run 'the store'
- Seattle Waldorf School Winter Faire, 10am-3pm, Sunday December 7
- Hutch Winter Craft Sale, Friday December 5 (employees only, I think)

Satch & Sol short-list of BIG projects:
- Grown-up size slippers are enroute from Mongolia. Please sign up for the newsletter to receive notice when they arrive.
- New testing requirements for all child products sold in the USA. I have a plan in place and will have this new mandatory testing done for all products made after November 12, 2008, as required. As a mom, I am happy to see this new law take effect, eventhough it is so burdensome on small businesses. I would love to connect with other small businesses to see if we could streamline our efforts in this rollercoaster process. Thankfully, the testing timing will coincide with Satch & Sol's new styles to be online in late January.
- Grown-up boots. Styles and sizes to test will arrive soon. My boot wardrobe is about to greatly expand and I'll need some test help for sizes 9, 10 and 11 womens.
- Pajamas! I am looking for fair trade artisans worldwide who make PJs from natural fibers. I would love to have several styles from multiple locations.

This photo of my two favorite superheros was taken in late September along Green Lake. It has nothing to do with this rambling blog post, but I love it!

Satch & Sol has been TreeHugged

All the way from Barcelona, Jenna Watson wrote about Satch & Sol on TreeHugger. I am ecstatic to see Satch & Sol and the Mongolian artists' work (those super cute aqua mocs!) appear on such an amazing site. My sister-in-law shared TreeHugger with me awhile ago. Their site is a great resource for me as I actively look for ways to green my family and my business. I appreciate their ideas for greening our Halloween. It's a great honor for Satch & Sol to be mentioned on such an trusted and eco-friendly site.

Working with children in tow

Separation between work and home seems to get slimmer the more I dive into Satch & Sol, but it has been a natural and welcome progression. Sometimes, Solomon practices his sewing techniques, by my side, on his designated pair of sewing slippers. (I can't wait until he is done, so I may photograph and share his creation!) Once when the boys were angry about what they saw as an 'early bedtime', they hid two slippers and negotiated an extra bedtime book for their safe return. They know how important this business is to me and our whole family. Both my boys have learned to be patient when I am fulfilling an online order or diligently embroidering a special order. Afterall, preschool is only 3 days per week, but Satch & Sol is 7. I love my time at home with the boys and I am so grateful that they don't balk when I stitch at the playground or sort slippers while we build legos. Recently, the boys were thrilled to help me wrap our first palletized order and even more excited to watch the forklift take it from our garage to the big truck. Satchel told the grocery store checkout guy all about it. With Sam nicely helping update my QuickBooks account, we are now a true family business.

small business growing & a slipper-give-away

A pleasant surprise of launching online retail has been hearing input, encouragement and hellos from friends & family. It's been great to reconnect with some old friends, too, and to receive questions and comments from new folks.
To that end, a good friend here in Seattle introduced me online to www.mormonmommywars.com. I got lost in a thread instantly. It's enjoyable to read, and in the case of the particular thread that absorbed me, totally spot on to the interests of this mom. Since MMW has had fun offering give-aways in the past, we decided to give it a try TODAY. Check it out: www.mormonmommywars.com