Main Street Car Free Festival and Blim Market June 10, 2009

This Sunday June 14th, local vendors will be taking advantage of the Main street car free festival. Fifty vendors will be out flashing their wares and adding to the bohemian spirit of Main street. Here are some of the vendors that will be there:

Blim (clothing and accessories)blim.ca
Poodle Breath (accessories)www.poodlebreath.etsy.com
Rad Attack (clothing)www.shawnamclellan.com
Bead Freaks ( jewellery)www.beadfreaks.ca
Kaori Kasai (accessories )www.kaorikasai.com

and many, many more

Check it out at blim.ca

There’s a Hole in My Bucket June 8, 2009

Or should I say there’s a “head” in my bucket?

Yes, another plug for Milk Factory, but listen, we want to keep our local market robust.

The Milk Factory Bucket Hat has arrived. I have blogged about the many benefits of Milk Factory clothing before and we have combined artistic forces for our Milkseed project. I love Milk Factory clothing because you don’t have to put it in a clothes dryer. It hang dries like a dream. Local and smart makes me happy. But listen! My son did not take the hat off the moment it touched his head! That is a miracle! He actually asked for it yesterday when the sun broke through the clouds (joyous operatic choir sounds). If you have a child that refuses to wear hats, this could be your hat. Its so light they hardly notice it on their heads. It wicks moisture away. . . what more could you ask for in a child’s hat? hhmmmm a bike on it?
Amy
The Big Kahuna
Shirtseed Clothing

Throw Stones? No, Three Stones! June 2, 2009

Something for mommies:

Okay so not every thing is available in organic, but supporting local designers is important too. I do happen to have my favourites. Three Stones is a Vancouver label that makes jackets and hoodies that make people swoon. . . no really, my Three Stones hoodie made people stop me in the street.

AAAAND they are having samples sales. Cannot wait! (BTW cash only all sales final)

TIME:
THURSDAY JUNE 4: 3-7PM
FRIDAY JUNE 5: NOON-5PM
SATURDAY JUNE 6: 10AM-5PM
SUNDAY JUNE 7: NOON-5PM
MONDAY JUNE 8: NOON-5PM

LOCATION:
SUITE#104 – 1338 WEST 6TH AVE.
VANCOUVER, BC V6H 1A7

Happy Birthday Beansprouts! May 25, 2009

Beansprouts is six!

Next Saturday they will open their doors for their famous sidewalk sale, a huge wooden toy sale, face painting and more !

Angie Heintz has build a main street mecca for children’s clothing. Over six years she has perfected a selection of unique, organic, new and consignment clothing that appeals to the main street customer. Edgy, hip, wholesome, cute and cheeky clothes are neighbouring a careful selection of very special toys, skin products and baby slings. And of course Bumbleboo baby onesies, caps and blankets, made by Shirtseed!

We encourage you to support Beansprouts to keep unique, local business’s thriving in Vancouver!

SATURDAY, MAY 30TH from 11-6 PM

Happy, Happy Earth Day April 23, 2009

Another earth day is about to pass and what have we done?

MY one in a million acts of green.
Hang drying my laundry. Yes! DO IT! That’s an order! You can leave the 400 pound denim pieces that take a week, the other heavy cottons and let’s not invade towel territory. We all hate crunchy towels. Polyesters, lycra and dri-tech fabric don’t need to be tumble dried. Since Bamboo is a Shirtseed specialty we’ll focus on that for a moment. Bamboo is absorbent. It can hold a lot of water. A lot of water in an enclosed space equals condensation and moist air, equals everything else inside the dryer will take longer to dry.

I still say bamboo wins over cotton because for some bizarre reason, if you hang it dry, it dries faster than Vegas in an August wind storm. That’s fast.

20% of your house’s electricity is consumed by a clothing dryer. You don’t need to be a statistician to figure out that if everybody started hanging some of their laundry, we might just save the world.

Whew just under the wire for Earth Day. EARTH DAY! Earth day is every day. You should wash in cold as well but we need something to talk about next year.

For now go to BC Hydro and check out what they have to say. They do have to do something to make up for the dams.

Signing off Earth Day
Amy

Healthy Families Conference April 16, 2009

Have you ever wondered if your family could be healthier? Is that a rhetorical question? This is Vancouver isn’t it. Join Shirtseed this weekend at the Healthy Families Conference at UBC. Imagine spending those $$ for professional development on family development instead. Just putting that out there (wink).

Shirtseed is really proud to be a part of such a great event. Don’t miss it!

Promise to make blog posts shorter. Promise, Promise, Promise!

Milkseed? March 18, 2009

Important time out from eco-rant:

Shirtseed’s “celebration of self propelled movement” meets Milk Factory’s “performance gear for kids on the go”. Okay Shirtseed fans you wanted made in Canada you got it.

Milk Factory ‘Performance Gear for Kids on the Go’ is Designed to mix and mingle with children’s active lifestyle. The sporty and modern Quick Wick Activewear is made from quick-drying, performance fabric with a natural UVF 40 sun-protection. From beanies and bodysuits to tees and pants, Milk Factory has your little athletes covered – ages newborn to 5 years and are proudly made in Vancouver.

Sporting the Shirtseed “Chopper” and the “Antique Trike”,the t-shirts look so cool with the contrasting stitch. They are available for purchase on both websites. Limited edition only available while supplies last.

Milk Factory

Shirtseed Clothing

You like it? Tweet it!

Over and out,
Amy Rogerson
Commander and Chief
Shirtseed

Eco-judgment February 26, 2009

In the first year of Shirtseed there was a lot to learn about being green, social responsibility, certifications in this and that. There are perceptions and there is reality. There was the argument over bamboo and was it really green. There is the argument where the most ethical place in the world to manufacture is and if your raw materials are picked by hand or machine and if your textiles are created in a “closed-loop” system. Is the textile ink water-based and do you treat your waste water for that too?
With all the good intentions a small and medium size producers may have, distrust and apathy is common. We have learned well that its good to question where things come from, although our judgments are based on newspaper clippings and short films on You Tube. Frankly, it’s not our fault. How much can we be expected to know! Unfortunately, if we assume that the environment is going to be saved by suppliers we will probably always choose products based on clever marketing and price and not weather it is truly the most “environmentally friendly” widget. The fact is that if governments don’t protect the land, sea and air they are the custodians of with law, then the fate of the environment is left for the ill-informed or apathetic consumer to decide.
There are some really powerful, wealthy entrepreneurs that are beating governments to the mark on the issue of the environment and social responsibility, but even they will tell you governments need to act! Well who are governments accountable too? It seems like nobody in Canada.
The question whether hemp or bamboo is greener, its petty and unproductive. Ask yourself, did you vote in the last election? What was your party’s green policy? Did you understand it, or ask any questions? Why don’t we have a Green member of parliament? It’s important to spend thoughtfully, but don’t expect responsible consumption to save the world. After all isn’t it consumption that got us here in the first place.

Amy

Eco-judgment February 26, 2009

In the first year of Shirtseed there was a lot to learn about being green, social responsibility, certifications in this and that. There are perceptions and there is reality. There was the argument over bamboo and was it really green. There is the argument where the most ethical place in the world to manufacture is and if your raw materials are picked by hand or machine and if your textiles are created in a “closed-loop” system. Is the textile ink water-based and do you treat your waste water for that too?
With all the good intentions a small and medium size producers may have, distrust and apathy of green products is common. We have learned well that its good to question where things come from, although our judgments are based on newspaper clippings and short films on You Tube. Frankly, it’s not the our fault. How much can we be expected to know! Unfortunately, if we assume that the environment is going to be saved by suppliers we will probably always choose products based on clever marketing and price and not weather it is truly the most “environmentally friendly” widget. The fact is that if governments don’t protect the land, sea and air they are the custodians of with law, then the fate of the environment is left for the ill-informed or apathetic consumer to decide.
There are some really powerful, wealthy entrepreneurs that are beating governments to the mark on the issue of the environment and social responsibility, but even they will tell you governments need to act! Well who are governments accountable too? It seems like nobody in Canada.
The question whether hemp or bamboo is greener, its petty and unproductive. Ask yourself, did you vote in the last election? What was your party’s green policy? Did you understand it, or ask any questions? Why don’t we have a Green member of parliament? It’s important to spend thoughtfully, but don’t expect responsible consumption to save the world. After all isn’t it consumption that got us here in the first place.

Amy

Good web designers can be important support for the one man show. February 11, 2009

Shirtseed is vertical one-person entity. Although sometimes I think it makes more sense to be some kind of consultant if you want to be a lone wolf. Maybe some people are so brilliant they can design a product, marketing campaign, promotional materials, website, all on their own but I doubt it. The Shirtseed style has always been aligned with Microsoft’s, “just get it out there” strategy. Although at times it has left the company looking like the fat geek with coke bottle glasses. I guess the Shirtseed theory is that no one knows better than your customer, so you measure the response and make adjustments accordingly.

Still, as a sole owner/operator, there is only so much one person can see and do. Friends and family quite often have no idea but still think they do and they think that what they say is helpful. It is wise to . . smile and nod. Its great to be a part of a networking group if you can, although finding useful, consistent, trustworthy networking relationships is difficult. Connecting with someone you are not in direct competition but have common interests with is elusive, but oh so valuable.

When your all alone your web designer is your best friend. To take the pressure off being the expert on every marketing decision you make, try to choose a web designer who actually has a marketing and e-commerce background, have them set you up on contribution software so you can take care of little changes. Keep as few entities involved as possible (graphic artists, web designers, SEO specialists, yadi yada). Just find one well rounded person who knows a bit about everything pay the price. This isn’t supposed to be a do this do that blog so you can work the rest out for yourself : )

To some it up, if you are going it alone, there will be one very important person to have on board with you along the way. Your web-designer. Its kind of like getting a tattoo so check out their work and get referrals or pay the price later. If you like the Shirtseed website you can try Latham Communications. Highly recommended!