New Duds

Family and Finance Friday - Spending Fast Recap Month 1

2012-02-10T15:59:00.000-05:00

Veggie Art by the talented : Torrey Valyou

I promised an update of our Spending Fast 2 weeks ago, a little slow in coming but here it is.

As January came to a close we managed to save $1300.00!

And we put $400 into our retirement accounts this month. So really its like $1700! Wowza!

This is awesome!

We did however spend more on groceries than we have in previous months. I attribute most of that to having pretty bare cupboards after the holidays so we had to really stock up those first few days of January and us eating healthier. We did start buying quite a bit more produce. I could cut out all this 'good for us' food and we could be really thrifty and go back to eating more processed foods, starches and cheap meat but I just don't see the long term value in that. If we are being preventive by eating healthier then we should be saving money in the long term on doctors appointments and health issues. We did sign up for a local meat CSA for the spring and we will be getting a Veggie CSA also once the Farmers Market season rolls around. I am so excited for that!

I also have decided what I am going to buy once this fast ends. A JUICER! I have wanted one for months, then watching the super documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead on Netflix this week solidified it. I think we are going to save up for the mother of all juicers.

The Breville Juice Fountain Elite

Even though we are saving money for it and paying out of pocket I still already kinda dread forking over the cash. Saving money is so addictive and we have such awesome goals - Family / House/ Retirement. Its hard to step back and throw some cash down for something we really want but may not need. But that is what money is for, life. Not putting anything on a credit card like I would have a few years ago is just glorious. I just have to remind myself of that and really enjoy these things we choose to spend our money on.

Does anyone else struggle with this though? Once you start saving and you reach your goal its hard to actually spend that money on what you want without still feeling a bit guilty?

Lastly here are my goals for February - Spending Fast month two

1. More expected savings - from not getting these items this month
High Quality Pet food (bought it last month so we shouldn't have to buy it this month)
Zumba - guilty pleasure / girl time/ sanity helper (paid in advance for 2 months of classes last month)

2. Spend a bit less on food - We are going to try to freeze more leftovers and eat more from the cupboards than we already do.

4. Put all remaining money into savings at the end of Feb - (so far we are keeping it in our checking account).

It never gets old

2012-02-09T10:45:00.002-05:00

I have come to decide you never get too old for potty humor... check out these clips and let me know what you think?

I need to watch this show if not just for its outtakes

your welcome

Great tip for sellers

2012-02-07T15:33:00.003-05:00

A friend who is also in the business of being her own business pointed out this great web video. Its a common topic among people who are small business owners. The "Friends and Family" Discount. Its hard to accept money from those you love and it is also hard to feel okay with charging full price for a product or service that you know deserves it. This video shows some really great ways to comfortably avoid the awkwardness that comes with selling to friends and family. Enjoy!

Finished Sewing area re-do

2012-02-01T12:58:00.000-05:00

I was waiting for my table to come in to take some updated pics of the sewing area. Torrey and I can not believe how much better we like the shop after the re-do. The space works much better and has a much more inviting, creative and open feel. I no longer feel closed in by all the clutter and almost everything has a home. Its amazing what a couple years of working in this space has taught us. So without further ado here is the finished sewing area, my new home :)

The entry way into the sewing area has lockers where we store our catalogs, books, coats and jackets. Torrey and I each have a long locker and first thing every morning our coats and stuff go in. It feels like being at school again, and they even are from my old Saratoga Springs HS girls locker room. They remodeled the school right after I graduated and my dad scored them on Craigslist. LOVE!

We have started our display section for my bags/purses and pouches next to them. There will be a shelf and a couple more hooks above that first row. As you can see I am finally back in production and it feels so good!

Right next to the bag display is my new production table getting good use already!

I have all my patterns hanging with easy access

Then on the other end under the windows I have my sewing machines all in a row. Plus quite a bit of storage for all the odds and ends. (The paintings are from my college days at UVM.)

Storage - Catnip Eyeball production, thread, hardware, scrap fabric.

Nancy also spends her days over in that area with her toys, bed and chair. Torrey is back to printing full time and is loving the new dryer location. It feels like we are officially back in the swing of things.

APPAREL CLEAROUT

2012-01-30T12:20:00.003-05:00

Our Apparel Clearout sale is going strong! This week only buy at either one of these locations and save!

Our Etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewDuds

Our Website :
http://www.newduds.net/

Or our Workshop:
New Duds Headquarters
182 Hegeman Ave
Unit 1 Suite 2
Colchester Vt 05446
Hours: Monday - Saturday 11am - 6pm

Hope to see you there!

HOPS!

2012-01-28T15:28:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to share some pictures of the process of our new Hops shirt! (This is Torrey again, I know 2 posts in 1 week! Crazy!) This is more or less a start to finish on this design.

The original drawing..

3 colors separated onto film

Washing out one of the screens after exposure

Dried screen ready for printing

picking out and mixing ink colors

the final print!

Enjoy!

Family and Finance Friday - Know your limits

2012-01-27T14:27:00.000-05:00

(source)

QUIZ TIME!

3 Questions

1. Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate was 2 percent per year. After 5 years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?

a. More than $102
b. Exactly $102
c. Less than $102
d. Do not know

2. Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account was 1 percent per year and inflation was 2 percent per year. After 1 year, would you be able to buy more than, exactly the same as, or less than today with the money in this account?

a. More than today
b. Exactly the same as today
c. Less than today
d. Do not know

3. Do you think that the following statement is true or false? “Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.”

a. True
b. False
c. Do not know

These are from this past weeks Freakonomics pod cast and this article in particular. Can you answer them?

If this was a little over a year ago I don't know if I would have gotten them correct. I would have probably been like, "What the heck is a mutual fund?" and "blah, blah, blah. These words make my brain hurt". Thankfully, after really educating myself and gaining control over our finances this past year I was able to pass with flying colors. Woohoo! I think I need to sit down and look at how far I have come in just a couple of years. I don't know if it has to do with running our own business but I am sure that has given me the kick in the pants to get to know our financials. I wonder if I would have taken charge anyway? Is it all just part of growing up?

(Are you annoyed I haven't told you the answers to the questions yet? Check the bottom of this post for the answer key.)

According to the article "among respondents age 50 and older, only half of them got the first two answers right and only one-third of them got all three answers right." Folks that age are nearing retirement and should have lots of experience with money. Gosh, that's scary.

On another related topic...

When we first started New Duds I remember someone telling me that Ben & Jerry's almost went under their first couple of years because of bad finances and bookkeeping. Then they got their stuff together with a bookkeeper and accountant and it literally saved the business. I don't even know if that was true, but it stuck with me. This mantra that a lot of small businesses fail because of poor bookkeeping and accounting.

From the very beginning I knew I did not know anything about finances. Yes, I took economics and some class where we balanced a check book (was that home ec?) in High School. I don't retain things very well if I don't use that knowledge on a day to day basis, and in High School it might have well been a different language they were teaching me. I learned enough and kept enough records for the first few years of New Duds to get along with our taxes, but I always felt like I was doing it wrong and never very secure in my actions.

I think it was better that I knew I was ignorant and uneducated in the area of finances. I knew it was something I couldn't stubbornly muster through. I can't stress enough how much having an accountant has helped us. I believe it is a necessary investment for anyone trying to be self employed. Having the security of someone who knows their stuff is well worth their pay. Plus, they have always been so understanding and helpful, never shaming us for 'doing something wrong' and we totally did some stuff wrong! Sometimes its scary to ask for help and give away a little control. I know now that knowing what to delegate to others is one of the best skills a business can have. DIY is not always what its cracked up to be.

This post went on a tangent I wasn't expecting, they do that sometimes! Next week will be a recap of our first finished month of our Spending fast, things are looking good.

P.S. - I noticed folks really liked my Roth IRA post on how we set ours up. It has the second highest views of all time on our blog! I read this great article yesterday with more tips about Retirement savings I wanted to pass along :

11 Things You May Not Know About Your Retirement Accounts

**************
The correct answers from the questions at the top are

1. A
2. C
3. B

Thread

2012-01-26T15:26:00.002-05:00

Vintage thread given to me by my Mom. Photographed on this weary winter day to bring a little vibrancy into our lives. The colors are so inspiring.

A couple print jobs

2012-01-26T13:49:00.000-05:00

I (Torrey) thought I would do a quick post on some things that I have been up to here at the shop. I've had the pleasure of working with Sherman Hollow Organic Farm. Sue contacted me a few months back to help them design a logo for their maple syrup and honey labels (which you can see at the top of her blog). She originally sent me this wonderful piece of art below to work from.

I cleaned it up a bit and changed a few colors so it would look nice and crisp when shrunk down to label size. This is the final product I came up with for their logo.

I made a couple different labels for them, but what I'm really excited about are the t-shirts that I finished up yesterday. For these, the number of colors in the logo had to be reduced to save a little money on the setup and printing. But I still wanted as much of the tonal qualities as possible. So with a little help from photoshop and some halftones this is the way the shirts came out!

I printed them on Comfort Colors, they are dyed right here in Vermont and have that wonderful vintage/faded look to them.

Here is a close up of some of the halftones in the design.

My other project was printing some concert tickets for Angioplasty Media and MSR for the Thurston Moore (of Sonic Youth) show on Sunday! These were designed by the amazingly talented Patt Kelly. I've done a couple other prints designed by Patt and they are always so much fun. I just finished up 450 of these this morning to give to them. Here are a couple shots of the printing!

Color one!

Color two!

Finished close up!

I've been enjoying the past month at work, as it has been a bit slower and I've been able to get some drawing in. And thankfully that it is a bit slow as I did something to my back and am in a bit of pain at the moment.

I'll leave you with this picture of Tess using her new table!

Cheers!

The TABLE is here

2012-01-24T14:55:00.000-05:00

The Table is here! My new cutting/ production/ folding table has arrived. All 400+ lbs of it on a truck this morning. I heard they can be a brute to get together, but with Torrey, our shop assistant Josie and myself we got it together in a little over an hour. No so bad!

The pallet it came on probably weighed 70lbs itself. But since it was made out of the same wood board as the top of the table we were able to save a few pieces to make some shelves out of in the future.

We were worried there were no instructions, but then we found some. They were kind of helpful,

kind of.

Some of the parts

We got the legs together and things went pretty smoothly, we only had to take apart and redo two pieces that we put together wrong.

There were LOTS of nuts and bolts to assemble.

Almost there! Just putting on the support bars.

One side of the top on then more support bars to hold the middle together

So close!

Ta- da! One big table, 5.5 by 8 feet. Now I can throw down my 60" bolts of fabric and cut away. So exciting! I will post some photos of the full sewing area once all the little things are put in place. Then look forward to lots of new bags coming out in the next couple weeks!

Shop'n at New Duds

2012-01-23T12:26:00.002-05:00

We like to keep a tidy little 'store' section at our workshop. Someday we may have a brick and mortar store to sell all our wares locally but until then its pretty much either come to us, order online or meet us at the Farmers Market in the summer.

Before this section wasn't the first thing you saw when you came in the door. With the shop overhaul we wanted to change that. It is usually the tidiest place in our workshop so it only makes sense to have it be the first thing you see. We still either want to paint a 'rug' design on the floor or get some FLOR tiles for this and my sewing area. But other than that it is up and ready for our SUPER APPAREL CLEAR OUT sale! Its great for easy visual inventory too, though we do have a back stock area tucked away behind a wall as well. Once I have some bags made I will also have a small showroom area incorporated into my sewing area for them. I cant wait for my big table to get it all done!

Here are some pics of the 'Store'

Family and Finance Friday - Fix It!

2012-01-20T14:06:00.000-05:00

Do you remember this from last election SNL? So funny!

This goes along with last weeks Family and Finance Friday post. "Make do and Mend", today we 'mended'.

We have this chair... this desk chair. I got it for 5 bucks at the local re-use center ReSource. I was excited because it had wheels and I love things with wheels. That's one of the main reasons we love our new computer desk from CB2 so much, it has wheels!

But the wheels that came with said chair were bad wheels. So bad they weren't even round anymore...

Nancy was terrified of this chair, every time she heard us forcefully move around in it (you have to use quite a bit of force to move square wheels) she would startle. She likes to lie down right behind us when one of us is at the computer. Many times we would accidentally roll over her furry tail with the dreaded wheels, leaving a little tuft of fur behind.

So instead of buying a new expensive chair we decided to just FIX IT!

We bought 4 new wheels that are like a dream, smooth riding now.

So next time you are frustrated with that wheel, wobbly toilet seat or screen door latch remember... you dont need a whole new thing, you just need to fix the one you have!

Nancy is much happier with this chair, its much easier to navigate around that tail now.

P.S. - Love the comments to the last post! You ladies are so right on! Because I am a bit slow when it comes to the behind the scenes blogger stuff, I can't figure out how to set it so I can respond directly to the comments as I have seen in other folks blogs. Anyone want to share??

P.S.S. - This is happening staring next Monday at our shop and the week after online... check it out!

Made here

2012-01-18T09:34:00.000-05:00

I want to bring up a topic Torrey and I think about constantly.

USA manufacturing.

Below are some related comments we hear quite often. I want to be able to answer them here, also I want you to know we do think about this stuff. I haven't done a ton, but I get a little bit of time to read, listen to podcasts and research, and this is what I have found. These are just my opinions from our businesses point of view.

1. "Wait? You don't make these t-shirts?"

I think it is confusing for people that we are screen printers not apparel manufactures. Most people don't know what screen printing is and that it can be an art form in itself, so I understand the confusion. I will be doing more on explaining the process in future posts. To us the apparel is like the paper we use, the or canvas a painter uses. Its just a great background for our original artwork.

I also get a little dumbfounded with this question too. There are two people working at New Duds. Torrey and myself, that's it. I mean, I wish I had 8 arms or some magnificent machine in the back room but there is NO way I could sew one t-shirt let alone hundreds. I would love to make a garment exactly how I want to. I am constantly grumbling about the teeny tiny 'womens' sizing, the limited color ranges or the actual quality of a 'high end' blank apparel line. But come on... really? That shirt would be a hell of a lot more expensive if I made it, and probably a lot crappier looking. And if I got it custom made for us? The minimums are in the thousands of pieces, we have looked into it, that's just too much risk for our little biz.

2. "But you sew bags that are pretty sweet, what's the difference?"

Okay, that's like saying why can't that cupcake baker make a killer braised beef. Or why cant that History PHD fix my broken arm, she is a Doctor right? Okay, that's a little extreme, but honestly I can't make clothing. I have tried for myself, and failed, I have turned out some sad looking garments. Its different training, machines, passion and desire. Its a whole different cup of tea.

3. "Okay so then why do you buy from American Apparel? I have issues with their owner/advertising/working conditions."

Well, honestly that's is our best and almost ONLY option. What they are able to do in America is no small feat. They are the most successful vertically integrated company I know. They are USA made and as open and transparent about how they make their products as any company I can think of. Check out the factory tour! Do your homework and you will find they are the ONLY choice when it comes to a good selection, options, quality and decent pricing that are USA made. I love their fabrics, love, love, love! They make killer basic tees, (their women's cut is super tiny and it erks me to no end but so is every other 'fashion' blank apparel line). Really... there is NOTHING else. If they disappeared tomorrow we would be in trouble. We would have to switch 90% of our designs onto non-USA made garments that aren't nearly as nice of quality. We have a few other companies that are USA made we work with but their selection leaves much to be desired. I don't much care for baby pink, black, white, baby blue, ash grey and red as my only color options, vom.

4. Okay, if its not USA what about Organic?

Oh gosh, I don't think I really want to go into this. From our standpoint if the Organic t-shirt is made in China by small children in a sweatshop is it really that much better? Ehhh, its a sticky situation. Again we have a very limited/almost no choice when it comes to responsibly made organic apparel.

5. What happened to USA manufacturing then?

Its GONE. Sadly, at least in medium to large scale apparel manufacturing its almost 100% gone. I really, really, really, want it to come back. But there are just loads and loads of reasons why it might not be able to. I do wish more people start manufacturing companies here or in Canada (I love you Canada!). But where will the money come from? It would cost MILLIONS just to get a basic large scale apparel manufacturer up and running. We need all new equipment and people who are willing to sew/assemble 8 hours a day. Just because someone is sitting behind a sewing machine with 30 others around them doesn't mean its a sweatshop. We need those skilled workers, who know how to sew and use machines. It may not look like a glamorous job but it doesn't mean someone wouldn't LOVE to do that job. If I could have worked in a sewing factory at some point locally and learned that way I would have. I would have enjoyed that much more than some of my crappy minimum wage jobs I had. I know there is massive unemployed but there isn't even a basic infrastructure to build upon.

Here are some very good articles on this topic:

This Marketplace Money Article really covers it well : Double Digit Unemployment - These firms cant find workers?

Fashion Incubator - Why you should start your own sewing factory

Marketplace - What Happened to the factories in Mr. Rodgers Neighborhood

I will end in saying our goal at New Duds is to make killer designs that are 100% original and to get those to you on a functional product. We love making art that is wearable, that says something about who you are as a person. Torrey is so skilled in screen printing and drawing it BLOWS my MIND on a daily basis. It is truly a labor of love for both of us. I manufacture bags, cat toys and infinity scarves from scratch because that is what I love to do and something I can do. It is a way for us to manufacture at a scale that is attainable, achievable, and do-able. For us to be able to pursue our creative talents in ways we never thought we could. We are so grateful to have the support of our community, friends, family and buyers from all over the globe.

I have learned if you really want to impact this world with your purchase you need to buy in at least one of these ways; from small businesses, locally, and from people you know and trust. Do this as much as you can. If they make a product 100% from scratch or not your purchase will DIRECTLY sustain a company, a community and a family.

Okay...getting down from my soap box now...

Let me know what you think?

(All photos are from American Apparel)

Shop Makeover - Before and After

2012-01-16T14:59:00.000-05:00

Its pretty awesome how our shop looks and feels now. It is, and always will be, an industrial space with big machines and a bit of a mess. But after painting and moving things around the flow and feel is so much better. We each have our own areas and I cant wait until my new giant production table (5.5' X 8') comes to get back to making bags. Unfortunately its coming on a truck and wont be here until late next week. So only small projects in the mean time. Torrey will be doing lots of drawing and printing this week, and loves the new layout! We still have to re-arrange/organize the 'retail' area, and paint the bathroom and one more wall. Other than that we are back in action!

Here are some before and after shots:

BEFORE - walk in/ print area

AFTER - Walk in / store area

BEFORE -Print / tools/ storage

AFTER Print Area

AFTER : kitchen / storage / drawing/ folding table

BEFORE: Desk and shipping area (two different spaces)

AFTER : Combined into one section! Finally!

BEFORE : Sewing alley

AFTER: sewing area! - Once the big table arrives I will get more photos of the finished area

And here is a panoramic of after to get the idea of the new layout

Nancy is very happy we are done moving things around and she can have her chair back ;)

Olympic Marathon Trails

2012-01-14T11:36:00.001-05:00

Congrats Meb, Ryan and Abdi and Ritz - 4 American men under 2:10 is crazy! And only the top 3 get to go to the Olympics! And Meb is 36! WOOOHOOO Now for the finish of the women's race.

I really wish they would show this live somewhere on TV or Online. Its crazy they dont. But I think its on at 3pm today somewhere on TV. I follow on FloTrack :) (photos also from FloTrack)

Added 10 min later...

All going to the OLYMPICS!!!

Shalane Flanagan

Desiree Davilia

My personal favorite : Kara Goucher!

Congrats Ladies!

Family and Finance Friday : Use it up - Wear it out

2012-01-13T13:34:00.000-05:00

Before I get to the topic of this Family and Finance Friday post I want to give you all an update on the Spending Fast and Food Cleanse. Why I decided to do both at once I do not know. I will say that the Food Cleanse is way harder than the Spending Fast. At this point I am so used to not shopping and we have been so busy at work that the spending fast isn't so bad. Though if we didn't have our Christmas gift cards to our favorite restaurants it would be harder to have to say no to our dinners out with friends.

The food cleanse on the other hand is HARD! The first two days I felt kinda crappy, I dont know if it was from being overwhelmed with our shop overhaul or what. Not being able to go to the comfort foods of bread, cheese, meat, and pasta was hard. But now I feel great! I did slip a bit and get dessert last night at our dinner out but I have found myself eating much healthier overall. Going for fruit instead of almost any other snack has been helpful. Not being able to eat what Torrey eats (bagels, steak and noodle soup, poutine on french fries) has been tough but I find if I dont even taste it its a lot easier to not want it. If I get weak even for one taste then I am in trouble. I feel like I have already kicked some bad habits of just eating all the time because I can (no boss to ask for a lunch break). Instead I have been having good hearty breakfast and letting myself get a little hungry before lunch and dinner. More consistency has to be good right? I will have to keep you all updated as it goes on.

Back to today's Family and Finance Friday topic:

"Use it Up, Wear it Out, Make it Do or Do with Out"

This old wise saying has been repeating in my head lately. I am sure with the recession many more family's have probably been chanting this as well. In the past few weeks I have learned some good lessons. With the spending fast I have decided to use up as much of our 'products' we have around the house before buying any new. Things like 3 tubes of toothpaste, little odds and ends of shampoo, our 7 bars of handmade soap, cleaning supplies, tape, canned food, dried fruit, envelopes, cards... I could go on and on. We also have found the same thing at our workshop by just cleaning up and finding homes for everything. We have jars of slightly used screws and nails, tons of wood we didn't know we had, electrical equipment, paper, envelopes, tacks, magnets, thread, art supplies... honestly we have had to buy very little during this overhaul because we found so much stuff we didn't even know we had!

So will you join me? Go through your cupboards and see all the "stuff" you have but dont use and make a pact with yourself to USE IT. Before you buy anything similar or anything that could be used in the same manner, use it up! Shop through your house before you go shop at the store. You will be amazed at what you already have!

I will leave you with these cute little Etsy items to remind you as you go along your way...

"Make do and Mend" Print by Farouche

Embroidery Pattern by SarahJaneStudios

The Process - Shop Re-Do

2012-01-12T14:45:00.000-05:00

We are rearranging and re-doing our shop space this week. Though its not done yet we have made a lot of progress in the last day or so. The first couple days of painting was the hardest to get through. Now we get to actually move things around and see what works. We have been planing this in our heads for months now and its great to see it coming together!

One thing we were really worried about was moving our Screen printing dryer. This thing is a beast! We bought it off the person who was in the space before us so we really haven't moved it more than a few feet. This time we were moving it clear across the workspace. But surprisingly a few trusty dolly's and it was done in a flash!

The dryer was sticking out from behind the pole

Then we painted and cleared the space

moved the electrical

got it all cleaned up

Then once we put it on the dolly's it was easy to just push over into the new location. So much more room now!

We also have finished a few small areas in the shop, including building a new kitchenette! All our cabinets and counter top were sourced from our local Recycle Center Re-Build

Before it was the tool area

putting up the cabinets and then we cut the counter top to fit

Ta-Da!!! So nice!

More pics of the final areas to come :) I cant wait to get back to work next week!

Food Fast?

2012-01-09T22:15:00.001-05:00

Ok so no food fast per se, but I am going on a bit of a Food Cleanse for the next two weeks in conjunction with our spending fast. I tend to eat a bunch of junky food around the holidays, nothing too bad but lots of meat, cheese, bread, cheese, beer, cheese. Leaves me feeling a bit bloated and sluggish afterwards. Combine that with less fresh veggies and fruit available here in Vermont during the winter and its not the best start to a long winter.

So I was looking into some sort of Food Cleanse, I am not one to drink only liquids or give my self enemas but I knew I could be eating and feeling better. So today I stumbled upon...

bon appetit's The Food Lovers Cleanse

Its perfect! It is geared towards available winter veggies and fruits that I can easily find that the local supermarket and winter farmers market. Plus yummy! We just did our first batch of grocery shopping and man it was all veggies and fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, spices and really lovely ingredients! We aren't doing it exactly day by day and Torrey is going to be eating bread and some of the 'off limits' foods because he really doesn't need the caloric restrictions. But I had a date smoothie with almond milk and a delicious salad for dinner with a bit of a White Bean hummus on top. Its good on bread or really anything, Torrey whipped it up for me but I found this recipe that is very similar.

White Bean Dip

Family and Finance Friday - Spending Fast and our ROTH IRA

2012-01-06T10:03:00.002-05:00

Pillow from My Bearded Pigeon

This has nothing to do with finance but I think this pillow was made for me.

Spending FAST day ... 3

This spending fast is much easier than when I have attempted it before. I think our lifestyle has toned down a bit in the spending for needless things area. It really is nice to just STOP. I have had to fight a few urges to go shopping just cuz'.

I have calculated if we spend only on NEEDs this month, by looking at past months finances on Mint.com, that we should have over $1,000 extra. Are you kidding me?! I do really hope I am right and that is not just a mistake with my math, that would be amazing.

We have done one of our financial GOALS! Set up automatic monthly payments into our ROTH IRA!

We will be able to retire someday! Well at least have some money for it ;)

How we set up our Roth and why you should get one too:

We don't have a retirement plan through our employer. Even if we did, all the experts I have heard say ANYONE should set up a ROTH (unless you don't qualify for it but most people do). You just have to have some earned income for the year and not be too rich, har har har.

In a nut shell it lets you put up to $5,000.00 away each year for retirement TAX FREE. Well, you do pay taxes on that income when you get paid, but a ROTH IRA is Tax Free when you invest and all the earnings you take out when you reach 59 1/2. Lovely!

The other mantra I hear from the experts is to invest early and as much as you can. Yes, it seems a long way off but look at the numbers!

This obviously depends on the markets but if I invest $5,000 a year for the next 32 years (until I'm 60) then I will have put in 160,000.00

but it will have grown with earnings (7%) to about = $633,000.00!!!!

That means I got $473,000.00 FOR FREE!

If I waited until I was 35? It would only be $365,520 total! That's only $35,000 less invested but much less in total earnings.

I am no tax expert or financial guru, I just learned what a Roth IRA was this last year but damn those are some pretty numbers. Here is the calculator I used, obviously its not a future predictor so take it with a grain of salt. We can't yet put in the full $5000 a year but any amount gets us on our way. We will probably make some other investments in the future so we have enough to live on. That amount above wont take us to the grave but it is pretty nice huh?

I set up our Roth's (one for each of us) through Vanguard's website. It was CRAZY easy. If you want to know we picked the STAR fund because I read about it here and it had a low initial investment.

I hope someone finds this helpful! Even if you are self employed you can save a little for your future, you CAN retire someday without winning the lottery ;)

read all Family and Finance posts here

Want to stop itchy winter skin? My solution

2012-01-05T12:18:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I had a problem. Every winter my skin would get so itchy and dry. Torrey had to smack my hands when I would go at them all itch crazy at night. Then I made the switch that made things so much better.

I started buying and using Handmade Soap. I was using some fancy body wash but all that did was strip my skin and make it super dry. I got my first bar of handmade soap that winter and have not looked back ever since. I know there is a big variety out there of handmade soap but almost ALL that I have tried have been AMAZING. Torrey loves them too.

If you are looking to do a switch and try it out I would highly recommend fellow Etsy'er

Pro Soap Propaganda

And guess what?! Here is 10% off your first order too, just use coupon code SUNSHINE when you check out on Etsy.

Handmade soap trick : Cut the bar into thirds with a kitchen knife before use and it will go farther, plus much easier to hold!

Family and Finance Friday on Wednesday - Spending Fast

2012-01-04T11:10:00.002-05:00

I just couldn't wait to post this on Friday!

Spending Fast 2012

Last year, before I really starting tracking our money I did a one month spending fast. I noticed I would go "shop" when I was bored or after I had been influenced by pretty things in a magazine. I never really enjoyed the experience at the mall. I always got stressed and sometimes bought something w/o even trying it on or just because. Its not like we had the extra money and I definitely used credit cards sometimes. So for one month I stopped needless spending. Food (groceries), utilities, rent, car, insurance and gas were the only things I purchased. You know what that month was? LIBERATING! I could go to stores with friends but because I wasn't going to buy anything and I knew that ahead of time I just enjoyed the experience. Its funny how I felt LESS pressure to shop when I couldn't buy ANYTHING.

So after reading a fellow bloggers ( Pro Soup Propaganda) post about her spending fast and finding the amazing blog And Then She Saved. I decided to give it a go again this year. We have about 6-7 gift cards from friends/family from Christmas, so we can use those to eat out/ go to the movies/ shop. But other than that NOTHING not needed. For two months! (maybe longer?) This time I have Mint.com to track our money so I am really going to see what is left over and be able to compare it to our budgets previous months. I also have a goal to set up some sort of automatic payment into our Roth IRA's and our savings account. My goal is to be able to put $400 in each, each month. I am not going to lie we are going to give ourselves a little pay increase as well (about $500 more a month). So more can go into savings not so we can have more play money.

I am excited! I loved the way the last spending fast made me feel. I don't know if I can do it for a year but I plan on also using some tips from And Then She Saved this time around.

* I am going to dye some old jeans, faded blanket and anything else that could use a color boost instead of buying new. Its fun to do socks too! I will take all my cheap white tube socks and make pretty colorful ones! I have used this dye in the past and it works great because you can do it right in the washer :)

* I am going to try to use the food we have in the cupboard first to plan our meals around. We are big grocery shoppers and by using Mint I know relatively how much we spend each month on groceries and I am hopefully going to bring that down a bit. We have all this food just sitting in the cupboard for some rainy day or Apocalypse, silly!

* Use all my lotion/ soap/ cleaning supplies up before I buy more. I think most Ladies will say that we have bottles of lotion that never get fully used. Before I go buy a new pretty scent I will use ALL of my stock.

I think its liberating, exciting and a fun challenge! I will let you know how it goes, anyone else in?

Year in Review

2012-01-03T14:03:00.001-05:00

2011 was a good year for blogging. I fell in love with reading blogs and writing blog posts. I really enjoyed sharing some of our day to day business and life experiences with the world. Our business continues to be such a large part of our lives I think it is really important for our friends, family, customers, fans and folks in general to see a little behind the scenes action. Even though time wasnt always something I had extra I tried to make it a point post and really enjoyed the process.

Here is a little review of our Year in Blogging

* We posted 149 times in 2011! Considering the previous years I only had about 16 posts that is much improved!

* I tried out a couple of weekly series posts like : New England Made Wednesdays and Family and Finance Fridays that I look forward to bringing back in the new year.

* Our most view post of the year was: New Feather Tote
That one is a mystery, maybe it got mentioned somewhere? Kind of random for the most viewed post!

* Our post with the most comments was : Weapon Of Choice and a close second was Marriage is Awesome

I also have been following some awesome blogs this year and I wanted to share a couple with you:

* Aux Petits Oiseaux - Claudia and Dan, a lovely couple living in Montreal. They had their little girl Alice this year so lots of exciting and interesting posts on parenting, babies, living simply and other goodies.

* Dani Cakes - A local friend who blogs about the amazing treats she makes as well as being a super speedy runner, adventures with their CSA and other topics. She is also an awesome photographer!

* Home Cooking in Montana - You have to try the home made Cheeze Its and wheat thins! Lots of great recipes and treats!

* Lovin' from the Oven - Seriously some of the best sweets I have ever made came from this blog. They are to DIE for and she is a funny writer to boot ;)

* Sparkle Power! - The lovely Candace and her growing family. She runs a super awesome Etsy shop filled with vintage fabric creations. We loved being a sponsor on her blog this year and participating in our first blog give away!

* My Milk Toof - If you haven't seen the adventures of these two little teeth yet you need to check them out. So lovely and detailed, just amazing work!

There are just too many great blogs out there to share them all. But thanks everyone for reading this past year and check on back as we get into the swing of things again for lots more posts! Feel free to share some of your favorite blogs or posts in the comments sections :)

I am off to the blue mail bins, this time of year it requres full winter wear just to walk a few buildings down from us!

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T16:21:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

I hope you all put on your dancing shoes tonight and have fun!

See you in 2012 - Cheers! - Tessa and Torrey

Post Christmas Cleaning

2011-12-28T09:01:00.001-05:00

You know that big pile of wrapping paper, boxes, presents and ribbon left over after unwrapping on Christmas morning? Well that's what our shop looks like only with t-shirts, ink, boxes, fabric scraps and thread. Needless to say after the holiday rush and our rush out the door for our own personal holiday we go back to a workshop that isn't at its best. So today is a cleaning day, and inventory and putting our online shops back in order. I am pretty excited to do this, finally!

Things to look forward to from New Duds Blog in the new year...

* Lots more posts!

*Giveaways and first dibs on our rare sales ;)

* A workshop overhaul complete with painting, moving heavy equipment and walls! Before and Afters to come for sure

* Lots of new design work, paper prints and Torrey's lovely drawings

* Lots of new purses and pouches

* Projects for the Home

* Pine Wood Derby #3 in the spring and Chili Cook Off #4 in the Fall

* Who knows what else, things change so quickly around here and we have some exciting ideas now to just turn them into ACTION!

Wishing you all the best in this New Year and thank you all so much for supporting us!

Around the Shop - Circle Scarves

2011-12-14T15:18:00.000-05:00

We are super busy here with Holiday orders. I also managed to fuddle up my sewing machine, so while it gets an emergency fix today at the sewing machine Docs I am cutting up some more fabric for Circle Scarves. These are my new favorite thing! I found the most amazing Bamboo/Organic Cotton blend as well as a Soy / Organic Cotton blend. They are just the softest thing ever! I should have them up for sale in the Etsy shop tomorrow and at this weekends Holiday market.

And for a reminder please place all orders for Christmas by this Friday (12/16). I will still ship out until Tuesday morning of next week but they may not make it to you in time!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Tips for Holiday Shipping

2011-12-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

Actually this applies to year around shipping too.

Over the years we have shipped so many packages all over the globe. I have become good friends with our local post office, and learned the most economical way to ship things. Sometimes, if they aren't busy, the workers at your post office can be your best friends. Really! We have a couple local ones we avoid but are lucky to have 2 post offices that we absolutely love. They will help us with anything! Just be really nice and look for the person who seems to be the most efficient and ask them. If they are good they will be very willing to help you.

But if you have crazy postal folks I am here to help too ;)

Here are my tips to getting the best rate for what you need to ship this holiday season. I am not talking about doing your shipping online (thought this applies to that too) but mostly for the casual shipper who still goes into the post office.

PRIORITY MAIL TIPS

(Over 13oz, or if you want to get it there fast with a tracking #. 2-3 days delivery in country, do not use for international unless you need to)

1. - Mailers are your friend... BOXES are your enemy! - If you can ship in a mailer, do it! If you can ship in THIS mailer, do it!

Its FREE at the post office and can be folded to fit your size package. Its about $5 to ship it anywhere nationally with a 2-3 day delivery. That is if its under about a pound (about 2 t-shirts or a small sweatshirt) over that you will pay anywhere from $8 up.

Why do boxes suck? Mostly because they are heavy... you are paying to ship a box not your item. However they can be needed if its breakable, big, heavy...you know.

2 . Please do not ship a t-shirt in a padded mailer. The t-shirt is padded enough. Padded mailers are good for jewelry... I guess. I don't really know what they are good for. Again, you are paying more to ship the added weight of the padding.

3 . Please DO NOT SHIP in FLAT RATE PRIORITY! - I know they have a pretty kiosk in the post office and all those boxes are free. But look at the back of the kiosk, those are free too and don't cost you your first born to ship. Please search for the priority mailers that DO NOT say flat rate!

Unless you are shipping: Pennies, lead weights, box of nails (Torrey helped on that one, haha), dishes. Get the picture? Really heavy, small things go in those boxes otherwise you are paying TOO much!

Corporate USPS really wants you to use those Flat Rate boxes, but most post office workers will advise you against it if they can. But if you are already at the counter after waiting in line with a ready Flat Rate box all filled out its hard to think about the savings.

Other Priority Mailers are free and you can take them home with you and package your items then bring them back. Its really super!

Usually we go the cheapest route

FIRST CLASS SHIPPING

If you have light items and don't mind taking about a week to get to your destination (sometimes MUCH quicker) and not getting a tracking number than go First Class. Anything under 13oz (do you have a kitchen scale? that works). We ship the vast majority of our packages First Class. A t-shirt with its packaging weighs about as much as that thread in the first photo. We ship in boring old manilla and Poly envelopes from Uline. Since our customers pay for their shipping we like to be as economical as we can.

All international go first class also... unless you really want to insure it or get it there super fast. Its VERY expensive otherwise ($30 +). Here is a post on Customs Forms.

Other Random Tips :

The postal workers have to ask you if its "Liquid, Fragile or Breakable" Please tell them if it is. It will help them out and help get your package there safe. It doesn't necessarily mean it will cost more or they will throw you out of the place if you say yes.

They also have to ask you about a bajillion other questions. Mostly about insurance, and buying more things, cash back...yadda yadda. Please listen politely, don't roll your eyes or cut them off. Just say 'no thank you' when they are done. They HAVE to ask. I am sure they wish they didn't have to hear themselves say it for the hundredth time too. Just have your money ready for when they are ready and sit quietly and let them do their thing. They really do wonderful work. Thanks postal workers!!

UPS/FedEx is great for things that weigh a couple pounds or more. For light stuff it can be a waste of money.

This is what works for us. We don't offer free shipping, sorry! We would have to hike our prices. But we do keep it as low cost as possible. Anyone else have tips for shipping they would like to share ??

Chili Cook Off

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000-05:00

3rd Annual Chili Cook off and Studio Sale tomorrow at our shop!

Check our the info here

Photos from Chili Cook off #1 2009

Inspiration

2011-11-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Torrey and I are planing.... hard. New Duds is going to be moving and a shaking in the next bit. We have some big goals. Sometimes these are also very scary goals, I can be a bit of a chicken. To the outside it may look like we are just growing normally but damn, every move is thought about so much! What seems like a smooth progression is actually lots of late night chats, long pondered over decisions and scary leaps of faith. Not to mention lots of hard work.... and I LOVE it! Every little bit. So here is some inspiration I have found to keep going in the direction we want to and to follow our dreams.

I have been reading this book... SO much INFORMATION!

(source)

If you are into making your own stuff you probably already know of Fashion - Incubator. The brains and brawn behind them both is Kathleen Fasanella, she is a dream and a nightmare all rolled into one. I wish she would have a tech update to the book, just to see what she thinks of all these Etsy shops and such. There is probably something in the blog, I can spend hours on there. BUT I did find some amazing links to just the tools I was looking for. I squealed for joy when I found my next tool (update when I get it this week and get to use it) HONESTLY I had been looking for it for over a year, I knew it existed but didn't know what it was called or what it looked like. That's the way it goes with most things. A search for the proper name is always the hardest.

Imogene + Willie

This lovely Denim shop just makes me drool and gives us so much hope and inspiration. I have watched it 3 times. Along with the Roy Denim videos I could live stream them over and over again all day. One day I will know what all those machines are for and have used them myself!

A note: Does anyone else want to change how they buy because of stories like this? Yes, I will pay $300 bucks for a pair of jeans if I know this much about the company. If I had 12 well made pieces in my closet it would probably be overall the same price as all the junk I have in there now, and last longer and look better... I need to get down the their shop and buy some in person. That place is amazing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

pssssttt - A little secret ... if you use coupon code FACEBOOK in our Etsy shops you will get 10% off your entire order this weekend.

NewDuds

and

hannapt (catnip cat toys)

Mini Quinn Satchel

Mini Donovan in Grey and Navy

Mini Donovan in Brown Stripe

Mini Donovan in Mustard Plaid

I just listed 4 new mini purses to the shop today. Plus a one of a kind Circle Scarf and the last Giraffe pillow with the floral vintage stripe on the back. I hope everyone has a super awesome Thanksgiving tomorrow and shops local and/or handmade this holiday season!

New goods

2011-11-16T13:51:00.001-05:00

I loved all the response I had to that last post. Its amazing how much of a hot topic marriage can be?! I felt more apprehension talking about that than our finances. I don't know why... but I'm glad I did and I loved all the feedback.

We have a new hoodie up in the shop today. This wolf was a long time coming and I adore how he turned out. Check it out, here!

Another question: Torrey just got an iPhone if you can tell by the Instagram photos lately. I am totally jumping on the bandwagon with this one. They turn out so well I want to use some of them in our Etsy listings. But I don't know, I feel kinda corny for doing it. What do you think? What photo do you like better for our first photo in the listing?

Marriage is awesome

2011-11-15T09:23:00.002-05:00

I am listening to Mindy Kaling's book right now audio style while working. I ordered it without really knowing what to think. I know she is a writer for The Office and that she is Kelly on the show but ... is she really like Kelly? Because if so... then maybe I don't want to listen to this book. She even admits that most people just assume she is like Kelly and that it erks her. Well without giving much away she is pretty freaking awesome. Girly and super smart and witty. Its a very enjoyable listen.

She talks a bit towards the end about how she is sick of married people she knows acting like it is almost a disease to be married. That it is 'a lot of work' and a 'struggle' and blah blah blah. She wants to have hope for marriage, she wants to be contently married to her 'pal' like her parents. But everyone makes it seem like it is crappy and not worth doing.

Torrey and I have talked about this quite a bit. He used to work with some people (older, but by no means old) who shit on marriage and their marriages on a daily basis. Like it is such a crappy crappy thing to be 'tied down' to a woman. And don't even get me started on what they said it was like to have kids. At the time Torrey and I were engaged. I don't know if they were just doing what everyone else does, or if people feel like they want to fit in with the marriage complainers. But come on people. There are a few folks who seem to have awesome marriages we can look up to. They don't bitch about it but they are less vocal, so...

If I want to be honest with myself (and why should I feel like I cant?) my 2 years of marriage (many more years of togetherness) has been freaking great. And I spend 24/7 with my husband, so really we spend more time together than most couples have in years. Sometimes I think that is helpful. We can separate work from home and I don't take arguments we have at work home with me. I know the difference. Plus its really hard for me to hold grudges or stay mad. Torrey usually makes me laugh within 5 minutes of me being angry. There are bigger things in life to worry about that the little things that bug me, and I know it. Its awesome to trust and love someone and have someone there when you need them. Its so much fun to collaborate on home improvement projects, raising our pets, cooking, and just living our lives. I always have someone to bounce ideas off and discuss opinions or things that are bugging me or awesome things that make us happy. I cant wait to have kids so they can experience Torrey as a father and me as a mother.

So there it is... and I will try to never needlessly complain about the wonderful husband and marriage that I have. So Mindy, marriage is great and you will love it. The wedding is a great party and a stepping off point. It gets even better after. And if you don't love your marriage? Well.... that happens too, try again.

Working on a wolf design

2011-11-14T12:42:00.001-05:00

Finally finishing up some drawing on this wolf. We are going to have some new hoodies very soon that I'm very excited about!

Sale!

2011-11-14T10:34:00.001-05:00

We don't usually run sales but we want to do something special for our wonderful customers. So for this week only (11/14 - 11/20) our Fan of Feathers tees are on sale! Both men's and women's styles. They are so soft and I love the golden color, perfect for fall! Grab one while you can :)

Circle scarves

2011-11-10T15:09:00.002-05:00

Making more feather circle scarves today! Check them out in our shop here.

Afternoon walk with Nancy

2011-11-09T13:56:00.001-05:00

Getting some energy out on this unusually warm November day.

neat-o

2011-11-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

I have always wanted to run the NYC marathon. Last year we went and watched a good friend then I tried the lottery this past year and didn't get in. One day I will! But this is the coolest thing I have seen come out of a marathon in a long time. This guy drew every mile! Check them out here.

Pressing leaves

2011-11-02T12:01:00.001-04:00

I have been a little absent lately, busy getting ready for the holidays. Our posting may become a bit more sporadic in the next few months but I will be sure to keep the updates coming here and there.

I have been working on a little side project I wanted to share. A couple of years ago Torrey and I bought some amazing belt buckles from an Etsy seller named ByKali. They are so lovely and look just as great today as they did when we bought them.

Yes, those are REAL LEAVES in there! I love the leaves as they are a bit of an ode to this Vermont state we live in. This fall I had a little extra time on my hands from not coaching Cross Country and decided to send Kali a note to see if she could use some leaves. Since there are just so many beautiful leaves here and she lives out in Utah where they are much different I wanted to share some Vermont love. So she took me up on my offer and off Torrey, Nancy (our pup) and I went on some great walks to collect the finest specimens. I haven't collected leaves since I was a little kid and would press then into book marks or put them between wax paper and hang them in the windows.

It was a great excuse to get outside and really enjoy the changing seasons. People drive for miles just to come to this state to be a 'leaf peeper' and sometimes I forget to take advantage of the gorgeous colors myself.

With Kali's advice I pressed the leaves in phone books (with about a 1/4 inch space between sets) and put a big 40lb weight on top. They were ready for their trip out west in about 2 weeks.

She just received the first batch will be working her magic on them shortly. I can not wait to see what she makes with them. So this Holiday season if you are looking for the perfect present for the perfect someone check out her shop. She has more than just leaves and belt buckles as you will see. But really how can you get any more unique than a leaf from Vermont made into a beautiful timeless piece of art handcrafted in Utah? ;) By Kali !

new photos

2011-10-26T15:25:00.000-04:00

Sometimes things don't sell... well not as fast as I would like them too. And my FIRST trick to get a item in my Etsy shop to get a moving is to re-photograph. Some people put things on sale but honestly I am trying to make a living with my handmade products and really don't give them a ton of markup so to sell them cheaper would just be selling myself short. Most of the time a new photo session and maybe a re-do of the description then renewing the item and bam wam thank you mam its like a whole new product!

Sometimes I am in such a hurry to get an item up I don't wait for a good weather/sun day and the photos turn out a little less than desired. So today I got Torrey to get behind the camera for a re shoot of some zip pouches. I LOVE how they turned out. It took just a few minutes and I just changed the first photo of the listing and they look so much better :) What do you think?

Before

After

Before

After

These zip pouches can be found here and here.

I still think they are cooler in person than in a photo, but the photos are improving!

Family and Finance Friday - Making Extra

2011-10-21T15:21:00.000-04:00

We are pup sitting our landlords dog for the weekend, Rocket. Hes a dachshund mix from the same rescue that we got Nancy. Actually Nancy made such a great rescue dog ambassador that he decided to get Rocket just a few weeks after we got Nancy. He is a perfect fit for their family.

This is our first paid dog sitting venture and it made me think about ways to make a little extra cash outside of the full time job. Sometimes you can only scrimp and save so much without feeling like you are missing out on things. I think there is another part to building your wealth safely and responsibly. Having your eggs in many baskets, and trying to earn money in multiple ways. Since we already have a dog, dog sitting really doesn't take much more time or energy and its a great way to make a little extra cash. We also just painted a mural for a local bakery and without even realizing it, are bringing in a little extra spending/saving money without it feeling like we are 'working'. My mom tailors and repairs ballerina costumes, clothing and upholstery and my Dad does odd jobs and makes his own Adirondack style chairs. When I think about it a lot of people I know already do this. It only makes sense to use a skill you already have to make a little extra money. Do you have a skill that you bring in some added income with? I would love to hear about it!

Here is an article along the same lines from a favorite personal finance blog : Get Rich Slowly

* Above are photos of a walk in the woods with the pups today at work, they are now sleeping away the afternoon. What a good life ;)

Finally a clear day!

2011-10-20T11:27:00.000-04:00

After waiting about a week the light was just right this morning for a batch of photos. Its been rainy and blue around here lately. Even the breeze is a bit warmer today :) So here are a bunch of new products that have just been sitting around waiting patiently to be photographed and listed. Enjoy!

Finally photoed a slightly new version of the Waxed Canvas Adrian in Spice Brown. These new ones have little leather tabs on the straps, just to make them look more finished. It was a customer suggestion and I love it!

Waxed Canvas and Leather Adrian in Spice Brown

Then I made up some new little zip pouches. I have had this Vintage fabric for a bit now and have been waiting to do something with it. Its thick and lovely.

Vintage Fabric Zipper Pouch

Then Torrey printed up some new awesome Tentacle scarves! The fabric is sooooooo soft and lovely, long and perfect for wrapping around multiple times.

Tentacle Scarf

For a wedding this summer I made a fold over clutch out of some black leather I had. I loved using it so much I decided to make a couple for the shop to share. I was all out of black but I had this lovely olive leather that I was dying to use. I think they turned out great! Big statement clutches that can be dressed up or down.

Large Leather Clutch

I love the plum of my sweater with the olive of the leather I think it is one of my new favorite color combinations for fall ;)

Learning from the past, Preparing for the future

2011-10-18T12:41:00.000-04:00

In Nov 2007 I sold my first thing on Etsy (pictured above). A pair of catnip eyeballs that were fully hand stitched. Made from random scraps of fabric around our apartment. I remember Torrey waking up first and telling me they had sold the morning after I listed them. I remember trying to go back to sleep but being too excited to do so. Little did I know that it was my future knocing and keeping me awake. That first year I learned a lot! And with the help of a sewing machine, a small diecut machine and a perfect source for recycled sweatshirts I have continued to sell those little eyeballs. They are a nice added income expecially around the holidays.

For the past 3 years I have told myself I will make the "carcasses" (the unfilled outer part of the cat toy) ahead of time so I dont have to spend days and nights making them come mid December. Its ALWAYS super hetic that time of year and having them done and just having to fill them would make everything so much better! But every year came and went and even though I tried to push some extra out in Ocotber my stock was always used up by mid November when the rush really starts and I was scrambling to get helpers to make them last minute.

This year is different. I am doing it! For real!!! I no longer coach Cross Country and even though I miss my team and fellow coaches so much, I am finding I finally have the extra time to devote to preparing better for the holidays.

Here is my progress so far ;)

A painting of our cat Butters done by our friend Megan who also designed our Honey Bee tee, an original set of catnip eyeballs from the very beginning complete with a kitty chewed bag, and my goal sheet with "The Amazing Individual Eyeball Production Meter for the Fall of 2011" designed by none other than Torrey Valyou.

According to last years numbers I need to make about 800 individual eyeballs to be ready for the holidays. As of today I have 575 made and am busy working on the rest to hopefully be done by next week. So as of the end of October I will have enough carcasses for the whole holiday season. Then I can focus on filling orders, making sure our inventory of printed apparel is up and making bags. This makes me so happy!

575 made 'carcasses' - I like to stuff them only right before they sell for freshness ;)

Sewing more today! A great project for a audio book listening day :)

And just in case its not enough I have some pieces cut ready to be die-cut. Maybe with my ready inventory in place I will be able to focus my attention on marketing them more and selling more this season than ever before!

So if anyone is debating working on Holiday inventory today or say cruising the internet I say work on your inventory. It will TOTALLY pay off in the end ;)

Happy Crafting!

P.S. - Etsy is finally about to let us change our shop name if we want! I made our Cat Toy shop before New Duds existed so it is named after my old Dog, Hanna. Hannapt was also my AIM screenname back in the day, its kinda a lame joke that goes back to when I was 13. But it really makes no sense and I am now thinking of what to change it to when we can. Here are some ideas:

New Duds Pet
New Duds .....catnip eyeballs....ummmmm..... that's really all we got. Any help??

Sneak Peaks

2011-10-13T15:56:00.000-04:00

Well, we have been quite busy here at New Duds headquarters since our awesome vacation to Maine this past weekend. Catching up on orders, emails and custom printing we havn't had much time for anything else! I am hoping to get back into blogging more by next week. But for today here is a sneak peak of some products to come for this holiday season!

We just got in an order of AMAZING hoodies - I love the colors! A deep cranberry/maroon and a nice browny grey. We should be printing and listing at least one of these by next weekend. They are gonna be killer! So excited!

I also just made a prototype for a great collaboration project. I am teaming up with the awesome P J Devilliers of ShallowTree fame for a custom Backpack Version of the Leonard. We will be printing one of his sick designs on the inside. He also is responsible for the awesome Shallow Tree tee design in our shop, we will be doing a new version of that as well in the near future.

There are a few kinks to work out but I think the prototype turned out great and the design process was a bit smoother than expected.

The pattern and my notes from working it all out. I never thought I would use math again in my life but it turns out that it comes in handy for pattern making!

The Prototype Waxed Canvas Backpack!

I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the great fall weather! I will leave you with a shot from our vacation this past weekend. We couldn't have asked for better weather or better friends to spend it with, it was also our 2 year Wedding anniversary!

New England Made - Maine Favorites

2011-10-05T14:59:00.002-04:00

Torrey and I are about to escape for a couple of days to Maine with some good friends. I am so excited after a week of rain it looks like its going to be a GORGEOUS weekend. I can not wait for lobster, beach breezes, nature hikes, running in Acadia National Park and all the other adventures that await. So with Maine on the brain it is only fitting this weeks New England Made is dedicated to the great state.

All the photographs and prints by this artist are wonderful, it was so hard to choose one to showcase so go to her Etsy shop and check them all out!

Maine Landscape by NatureMandalas

I just love this cuff, big and beautiful, but simple enough to wear with anything.

Hammered Cuff Bracelet by SweetSincerity

And because we are suckers for other screen printers out there...

Angry Waves by KrisJohnsen

and...

Organic Linen Mussel Napkins by Madderrot

I just love the detail in this etching

Etched Pocketknife by Lindalayden

And the combo of scents in this lip balm, vanilla pear just sounds so tasty!

Vanilla Pear Lip Balm by LongWinterFarm

People who know me know I just love pickles. Their beautiful essence is captured in this watercolor so perfectly.

Pickles Watercolor by WorkingWoman

Couch saver

2011-10-03T18:27:00.000-04:00

Just a quick tip for anyone with cats and furniture! We have two cats and even though they do have a scratching post and do use it, they also love our couch. Its not just the scratching but also the kneading with the nails that makes all these little annoying pulls in our couch fabric as well as the fur that just does not come off. We have this soft textured fabric that probably wasn't the best choice with pets but... ah well. Ive tried lint rollers, the vacuum, some Velcro like stuff and even just plucking out the loose fibers by hand but nothing really worked well. The other day I was in Old Navy and you know how they have that isle before the checkout just chock full of stuff you don't need. I happened upon something I did need and love!

I sweater saver stone.

Its just a piece of black pumice stone but it works so well! It gets off all the fur and the pills and the couch looks younger and cleaner. Its a little silly how excited I am about this but it really was worth the $5. Now to only try it out on an actual sweater ;)

Family and Finance Fridays - adjustments

2011-09-30T15:33:00.000-04:00

Aweosme art by matteart on Etsy ... check him out here

I admit it... I'm a junky. A personal finance junky. I am on a huge kick, I have found control and am now devouring everything I can get my hands on about personal finance. I want to do this right, while I am still young. I am learning so much and LOVE it, its like being in school but I want to learn, or like having a new hobby. Since my once hobby (sewing, etsy, making things) turned into my JOB now I have a new one!

I have learned some very important things in the past few months that totally change our goals for our money. I am sharing these with you because I know others must be going thought this process too and it will help keep me accountable.

These are the old goals: Circa 2009

Get out of debt
Save money for a house
Buy the house

Sounds good right? I thought as soon as we were out of the little debt we had then we would save for a downpayment on a house then buy it and ta-da! Life would be good.

I didn't know HOW to save for that down payment, I guess I figured we would just take more money out of the business and be able to save it. I knew our rent was the equivalent to a mortgage, or even more than one on the type of house we wanted but without that down payment we weren't going anywhere.

But then there was no money left at the end of the month to put into savings. We were just paying ourselves based on our montly living expences and it seemed like there was very little wiggle room or extra. Years past and our savings only increased slightly.

Something had to change if we were going to be able to do what we wanted to do.

So here are the NEW GOALS and How we are doing so far:

Get out of debt - CHECK!
Get an emergency savings account set up, filled and dont touch it
Get our retirement funds (Roth IRA) set up and try to max them out every year
Save for a downpayment for a House/ and for a Studio
Buy the house/ buy the Studio

There are now two new goals before that house. And I am okay with that, Torrey took a little convincing, but since I am the family CFO he knew I probably knew what I was talking about. Emergency savings (at least 3 months basic living expences) will give us peace of mind for now and our Retirement Funds will give us piece of mind for later. And let me tell you nothing is better than piece of mind! It means we can be in control when we buy that house, with money saved if the roof goes or whatever people always warn homebuyers about.

And guess what? Since I started tracking our expenses and we reduced our debt we now have almost enough left over every month to put our monthly goal amount into savings and retirement. We NEVER had that before AND we didn't increase our paychecks. Lets just say we take home about the same amount as a single teacher does each year... for the both of us. Most of our money we make goes back into New Duds, that's just how these itty bitty new businesses work. But now with our goals I know how much we need to bring home and how much we will need to make in the future to keep it all running smoothly. Glorious!

Sometimes it just takes a little honest look at yourself and some readjustment to get back on the path to financial security. I don't think its ever too late :)

Do you have any new goals or ways you have readjusted your goals to share? I would love to hear!

Local News and info on small biz Credit Card processing

2011-09-29T10:22:00.000-04:00

We had the local paper, The Burlington Free Press, do a bit of an article on us and how we use Square for credit cards processing today. Kinda exciting!

ARTICLE HERE

My take on Square

If you are a market'er and don't know about Square we highly recommend it! It is AWESOME. Some weeks HALF or more of our transactions are done by Credit Card and people who use a card tend to buy more products. Before when we manually accepted credit cards, we had to swipe the card with a carbon copy machine then take the copy back to our computer at the end of the day and punch them in. That means if a card was declined we didn't know until we got home. Plus it took about an hour of extra time after markets to do that work.

With Square the card is approved instantly. Its safer than shopping online* because it requires your signature and we can ask for ID if we want to verify the user. We also don't have access to your card number and info (before we had to keep the copys secure then destroy them) its all encrypted. Its really is just like any other store CC machine. But portable and a much better deal for the seller. I mean really, working through a bank they were going to charge us a MONTHLY fee and a fee per transaction. Sometimes the monthly fees would be $60 bucks or more. We are so small some months we took very little card transactions, it was just not an option. I am so glad Square came along and am proud to be one of their best business users in Vermont.

*My two sense about Credit Card security Online -We chose to do a lot of our purchasing online, it really is the only way to run our business successfully. I also have always been signed up for online banking and since using Mint.com and Quicken it is super easy to keep and eye out for fraud. I can keep a daily lookout of my transactions online so I trust most services that accept credit cards. IF something does happen (our business card has been hacked twice probably because we use it online so much) I see it the DAY it happens on my online statement. Then just call up the card and maybe the company where the stolen card info was used and fix it. Its really not that bad, takes a few phone calls and they give me my money back and send a new card in just a few days. I think its funny how obvious the wrong charges were too... one person bought $300 in FLOWERS and the other... $300 in skin care products, shipped to ITALY. Come on people. Even the IRS would have a problem with us calling those 'business expenses' ;)

Anyway, just my thoughts. Hope you enjoy the article and give Square a try.

New England Made - Vermont Favorites

2011-09-28T14:33:00.000-04:00

I couldn't pick just one theme for this weeks New England made so instead I chose some of my favorite Vermont Etsy sellers. Here is a peak at just a bit of what the Green Mountain State has to offer. So many creative and talented folks!

I have been personally drooling over these items myself for months.... one day I will make them mine!
Perhaps for Christmas?...wink...wink...nudge...nudge

Handmade Copper Hoops by JenKahn

Oscillate Shirt by ThimbleAndAcorn

Butterfly floral relief painting by SarahRyanStudio

Chunky weight wool/alpaca yarn by BlackSheepDyeWorks

Pufferfish Bowl by Fadelee

Feather Bobby Pins by Tamar

Family and Finance Fridays - Is this apartment too small? Or...

2011-09-23T12:27:00.001-04:00

I have lived in 6 apartments in my life... 4 of them with Torrey. When I lived with friends I kept my 'stuff' mostly to my bedroom. When I moved in with Torrey that all changed. Now the whole apartment was ours, to fill as we please. That with a combination of being free from parents and feeling like no one could tell me what I couldn't buy led to too much stuff. But over the past few years and mostly the last few months we have scaled down.

I will say our last place was tiny, 500 sq feet with a husband, 2 cats and a dog, tiny. No closets.... seriously small. We could see ALL of our stuff. It always looked cluttered no matter how 'clean' we tried to keep it. So when we moved into a place double the size with lots of closets and it looked kinda empty. But all of a sudden we were much cleaner just by having less stuff everywhere. This was a great realization! All those neat people and spaces I envied, they keep themselves neat by not having too much crap, not by cleaning all the time! What?! Just look at this space from apartment therapy's home tours...

Source

Clean! Clean! Clean!

So here are ways I have gone from being 'messy tessy' (my nickname from my parents growing up) to semi adult neat.

1. Remember what my parents taught me : I have always been messy. It was always a struggle for my parents to get me to keep a neat room. My mom eventually gave up and told my brother and I to just have a path cleared to the bedroom door so we could escape in case of an emergency. Really, I love her for that. So here are some things I now remember and USE! thanks mom... and dad ;)

1.a. - Everything has its place and everything stays clean - Make a box for your financial records, get a big book shelf you love, get under the bed storage for seasonal items, stacking shelves for the hall closet, get a bin for pet toys... if everything has a home then you always know where to put it! Then it doesn't float around your house, always in the way.

1.b. - Invest in quality pieces - My parents were both teachers and we didn't have a ton of extra cash but there was always a Consumer Reports lying around so my dad would know that we got a quality appliance. They also were big antiquers and fans of Stickley Furniture that was locally made, very durable (we tested that out often) and beautiful. If it lasted for the past 100 years it was sure to be around for the next 100.

1.c. - Fix it before you chuck it - If its not cheap and plastic you may be able to fix or refurbish something rather than buy a replacement. If everything is well taken care of it will last longer, look better and cost you very little in the long run.

2. Clean out that closet! - I have gotten really good at this. These are the questions I ask myself when going through my clothes. I do this at least twice a year.

Did I buy this for a time when I would be skinner/fatter? - If so, let it go
Did I wear this in the past year, and like the way I felt in it? - If so keep
Will I wear this in the next year ? realistically ? - If so keep

Then I look at what items I really am drawn to daily and try to keep a mental note to get more of those next time I need to go shopping. Example : Long cardigan sweaters, nicely fitting tanks, dark wash jeans, sneakers without laces (yep, this is because I am lazy and dont like to tie my shoes).

I also look for items I really want to keep but I don't have the right top/bottom/shoes to go with it and I make a note to shop for the complementing item next so I can wear it. Or get rid of it. Then everything either gets chucked, turned into rags, or sent off to the thrift store.

3. Less stuff = More money! Enough said.

4. Lastly my secret to cleaning out when I don't want to?: I just watch an episode of Hoarders. About 10 min. in I am going through my closets and getting rid of excess junk.

Does anyone else think that Extreme coupon show is just a neater version of the same problem? Until they start making coupons for non-processed whole foods I just wont really get it. I try to remember this little gem from last weeks Marketplace Money...

"An elephant for a dime is only a good deal if you need an elephant and you have a dime."

************************

What are some ways you stay tidy??

New in the Etsy Shop

2011-09-22T13:01:00.000-04:00

Original Hippo Drawing done by Torrey

Cutting out recycled hemp/ organic cotton fabric pieces done by Tessa

Printing Hippo done by Torrey.... sewing and stuffing Hippo done by Tessa

TEAMWORK!

Check out the Audacious Hippopotamus pillow HERE

Also in the shop today a few more Fiona Pouches made of vintage fabric and soft brown leather.

One Of A Kind

New England Made - Fall Apparel Edition

2011-09-21T11:56:00.000-04:00

As these days get shorter and the air gets cooler I am loving adding layers to my wardrobe. Its still warm enough to go sans jacket but wrapping a cotton scarf around my neck just makes me feel oh - so - cozy. I know it will only be a few weeks before I am throwing on some real cozy wintery things. Shop now and get your New England Made Etsy finds before you kick yourself for not having them.

Hand Knit Woolen Mitts by RedCombVintage (Vermont)

Red Cowl and Plaid top by NicoleCarey (Vermont)

Chunky Crochet Cowl by LarkinAndLarkin (Rhode Island)

Vintage Wool Coat by Vintanthromodern (Connecticut)

Hand Knit Socks by Lady and the Camp (Maine)

Red Plaid 50's Sport Jacket by KingDogVintage (Massachusetts)

Never Ending Cowl by ThePoppyStudio (Massachusetts)

Vintage Wool tweed hat by OhFiddleSticks (Connecticut)

Adult Knit Wool Hat by BigKnitWit (New Hampshire)

Stay Cozy!

Shop Organization

2011-09-20T13:13:00.001-04:00

Over the 3 years that we have been at our workshop its amazing how quickly we have filled this place up with stuff! I remember moving into this 1000sq foot space and thinking we would never fill it. Now we are trying to organize and clean it up a bit, we will be repainting this winter and we are working on continually using the space better so we don't have to move into a bigger shop. The goal is one day having a workshop with more presses on our own land but until then we are going to try to stay put.

So here are some of the ways we stay organized and as clean as a workshop can be ;)
I have added these photos to our flicker page so if you click on them you can get see all the little notes I have made on the image.

Above is my sewing tool caddy. My mom had this, I think its for office supplies or the kitchen and gave it to me. It works so great as a tool caddy. Now I always know where my scissors/ rotary cutters are. Love it!

Here is my fabric storage. I have tried many different ways to organize my fabric. By color, by texture, by print. But the best way that works for me... by usage. So the fabric for my bag linings is in one bin, my leather another (separated by size), my vintage scraps another. This makes it easy to find what I need on a per project basis.

Here is our packaging/ shipping table. Torrey made the table at standing height and that works great, no bending over. The shelves have all our envelopes, mailers and bags and the top holds our biz cards, stickers, customs forms, tape, tag gun and writing supplies as well as our paper cutter.

We use these sweet old gym lockers for a wall divider and catalog storage.

Our paperwork is all organized in folders. Its easy to know when we still need payment or what is coming in/ going out. You can find used filing cabinets everywhere! I don't know why anyone would buy one full price.

Lastly over in Torrey's area he uses a chalk board for his 'lists', all print orders coming in. His sweet metal flat file holder holds all his print images and was a cragslist steal. Though those drawers take some major muscle to open and close! We made some pegboard tool holders just by cutting some pegboard to size then buying the little holders at Lowes. So cheap and easy! They remind me of Julia Child's kitchen organization :)

I just love browsing through peoples creative spaces on flicker... have you added yours? I would love to see how you stay organized!

Family and Finance Fridays - Living Happier?

2011-09-16T18:34:00.000-04:00

Our door, lots of happy smiles

Its not that I spend money I don't have, its that I want things I don't need. That WANT feeling leads to spending money we don't have or a feeling that nothing is never enough. I know money cant buy happiness and that some of the richest people are the most unhappy (like so many actors that have cut their lives short). Sometimes it feels like its all about keeping up with the Jones's in America. Wanting what others have and not loving what you do have.

I read this article the other day on one of my new favorite blogs Get Rich Slowly that really got me thinking.

Here is the main point, taken from James Montier's research on the Psychology of Happiness.

The Three Components of Happiness

"About 50% of individual happiness comes from a genetic set point. That is, we’re each predisposed to a certain level of happiness. Some of us are just naturally more inclined to be cheery than others.
About 10% of our happiness is due to our circumstances. Our age, race, gender, personal history, and, yes, wealth, only make up about one-tenth of our happiness.
The remaining 40% of an individual’s happiness seems to be derived from intentional activity, from “discrete actions or practices that people can choose to do”."

I love that last part... so along with trying to notice when some act makes me truly happy and doing more of that I am also trying to cut down on wanting things that wont make me happier.

From other articles I had read and hear along the same line they all tend to point to one easy way to take the first step.

STAY AWAY FROM NEEDLESS ADVERTISING

(I know I am a small business owner and this may sound silly from someone trying to sell things for a living but its what I believe. Maybe that's why I am not the greatest salesmen ;) I like to think Quality trumps Quantity and handmade products live in their own little world, but more on that later )

You cant want what you don't know exists right? So here are some ways I have tried to avoid advertising.

1. Unsubscribe from emails - I didn't know I wanted those shoes, shirts, pet meds, or plane tickets until I got that email from companyX. They make it look so good and so easy, don't they? At the bottom of each one there is an unsubscribe button. I clicked them all... it felt so good! I did keep my Tretorn and Jetblue emails but they are both tried and true things I love so they win and get to stay.

2. Ignore TV commercials - I may get rid of TV all together just to make this easier, I HATE most ads. The iphone, tampon, or yogurt they are trying to sell me is NEVER as cool as that commercial makes it out to be. I either hop between a few to get back to a show, put it on mute, or try to get up and do something else for a few minutes.

3. Magazines? You mean ADgazines (dorky, I know) - We subscribe to Cooks Illustrated, and love it and it has NO ads! Yippie! But so many magazines are full of adds and sneaky ones at that, they make it look like an article. This happens in newspapers too. Eww so sleazy.

4. Don't go window shopping - If I decide I need something like a pair of jeans I have gotten so much better at going to one store and if it fits, just getting it. If I end up looking around for a better deal I will end up seeing so many sale items or other items I didn't know I wanted and being sucked in. Or just wasting my time when I could be spending it doing something much more fun.

What things make you happy?
What ways work for you to avoid the more stuff = happier trap?

(Torrey's awesome art)

fabulous friday

2011-09-16T14:26:00.002-04:00

This week totally got away from me... is it really Friday already?! I totally mind farted on my Wednesday New England Made but, no worries, I will bring it back next week. And later today I promise to do my Family and Finance Friday post! But for now a quick one about some things that have made my work easier this week.

First off my new BALL JAR COZY! I love using Ball Jars for my coco/coffee/tea but they always cool off so fast so I made up a little cozy from some double sided fleece I have had since 10th grade. I made a bunch of scarves for friends in high school out of it for Christmas presents. I have kept just a bit since then. It works perfect and reminds me of High School ....awe.

Other things I can not live without in my studio

Blurry pictures of myself!! Just Kidding....

That Ipod and those little scissors. My industrial machine does not have a thread cutter and it never fails that I sit down to sew and am not within arms reach of my scissors. I got these tiny little guys from a friends grandmas sewing stash and they are awesome! So sharp and prefect for cutting threads. I made a little string necklace I put on when i get into the shop and it makes me so happy. Simple Pleasures :)

And on my Ipod today, my go to favorite, Robyn. Because honestly, how can I not love that woman? Here is one of my favorite songs...enjoy!

New in the Etsy Shop

2011-09-13T16:12:00.001-04:00

A couple new purses and a new Kids tee are all in the Etsy shop today! Check them out

Plum Adrian

Made from deep plum waxed canavs, gorgeous brown leather and lined with Recycled Hemp/ Organic Cotton duck cloth. That little toggle on the zipper closure?A sweet recycled skateboard bead by

COOB Orignials.

I just love this leather! Rustic and distressed it is instantly broken in. This full size Quinn purse is lined with stripe upholstery fabric and has lots of pockets :)

Plum Donovan's are also back in stock! With the fabric / leather combo charm I just love. It is also lined in our Recycled Hemp/ Organic Cotton fabric with pockets galore.

This Kids tee is so bright and fun. We had a toddler/baby version already in stock but just printed the design a bit bigger for the bigger kids version. Check them out here

More to come this week: A Hippo pillow, New Mandrill Tee, New England Made and Family & Finance Friday!

Family and Finance Friday : Debt Pt 1 - Credit Cards

2011-09-12T15:04:00.002-04:00

( I know its Monday, Friday just got away from us and I never got this posted ;)

There was a time not so long ago, before the days of New Duds when I was new to credit cards. I had a couple cards and had some debt on them. I didn't know how they worked. I knew I had an amount I could spend and that I had more money on them than I could pay off in a month. I was working a very low paying job and used them when I didn't know what I had in my checking account. If I was 'iffy' at the checkout line I would use the Credit Card instead. This is something I still do, it's a bad habit I'm trying to avoid by having more control with my money. I would forget about that money I put on the Credit Card and it would just add up. Sometimes, if I didn't feel like I could put a dent in the amount I wouldn't pay anything that month. I didn't really know what the minimum amount was and how it worked. I didn't really know much about money at all. I knew Credit Card debt wasn't good and I wanted to keep it low, but that's about it.

I think this scenario is pretty typical, post college struggle, using cards to be 'normal' on a very sub par income. This story could end badly, thousands in debt, creditors calling, low credit score and just one big mess. Fortunately I got my act together and in the last few years have been cutting down my card usage and paying them off better. And as of this week I have NO money on my cards, yes I still have them, but they are empty. WOOOHOOO!

Here is what I have learned from those pesky Credit Cards:

1. Having Credit Cards = High Credit Score, yes or no? : Yes and No. Its good to have multiple lines of credit for a healthy score (loans and credit cards) But if you cant control your spending and pay them OFF (total amount, not just the minimum) each month then it will do more harm than good having them. Now I have cards, use them only when I know I can pay them off each month or keep them for absolute emergencies.

2. USE your LOWEST rate card first : This is new to me, for years I have been using my AMEX instead of my VISA just because. Turns out the AMEX rate is 19+% and the VISA is 14%. They have to show it on your statement now so its easy to find. Now I USE the low one, then if I do have to have a balance on my card I am paying the lowest amount in interest. And you can ask for a lower rate, I haven't had the guts to do this yet but maybe in the future.

3. Pay at least the minimum payment.: Honestly, I didn't know what that minimum payment was for on there, the number seemed so low how would that make a difference?! I didn't know that if I didn't pay there would be credit score/collections consequences. Until I got a call from AMEX while wandering around TJMaxx one day, asking for any amount. That got my butt out the door empty handed and shocked some sense into me. They do call...

4. Put your minimum payment/full payment on automatic deduction/bill pay from your checking account : I haven't done this yet but plan on doing this with more bills. That way there is never a late payment and I don't have to worry about it. It always seems that I notice bills a couple days after they were due and that leads to a big ol' mess and wasted money in late fees.

5. Don't use more than 30% of your limit: They don't tell you this one when you sign up for that card. If you have a balance of more than 30% of your limit your credit score can suffer. Plus if you use more than that amount it is going to be much harder to pay off that much money at the end of each month. This was one of the ways I got my spending down, I tried for this amount first. baby steps ;)

6. Screw Points and Rewards: If you are super good with money and have the control to use a card and pay it off in full each month then those flyer mileage points/ rewards may work for you. I know people who can and they get sweet flight rewards. For me those things just make me want to spend more money I don't necessarily have just to earn points. I saved points for a year and got 200 bucks twords a flight, but paid $149.06 in interest and fees that same year. So I really only got about 50 bucks from the whole thing. Also I probably bought things I shouldn't because I had the card on hand, so I could have not used it and saved more. In a lot of cases people are holding a balance and paying way more in interest than they get from any rewards program.

Check out some more Debt tips here

Do you have any tips to share? I would love to hear

And the video clip is from SNL... I LUUUUV it
Check out the full version here : http://www.hulu.com/watch/1389/saturday-night-live-dont-buy-stuff

New England Made - Pup Edition

2011-09-07T12:56:00.002-04:00

So our lovely mascot Nancy is about to celebrate her one year anniversary with us. It has been a great year and we love her to pieces. She is also about to start doggie obedience classes and we are so excited! She is super smart and I know the key to teaching her will be us learning the best way to do it.

So in honor of her time with us, this weeks Blog Post is all about the Dogs

I just snagged one of these Ducks for her present

Manfred the Mallard by CattitudeCreations (Vermont)

And I love this ID Tag... since hers is a little outdated this will be perfect!

Custom Pet ID tag by TheCopperPoppy (New Hampshire)

And how about some super soap to make sure she is smelling her best

Dog Wash Shampoo by BNoelAromatics (Connecticut)

I love this collar with the bees, and the hemp lining is an added bonus!

Bee Dog Collar by CodysCreations (Massachusetts)

And a lovely leather leash, this is just too gorgeous!

Leather Acorn Leash by CostalMaineCreations (Maine)

Its easy to be organized if everything has a home, so a leash hook is oh so handy

Leash Holder by TannerGlass (Rhode Island)

And because she is a mutt and I cant get any of those breed specific items for her why not her own silhouette as art ?!

Custom Pet Silhouette by Besty (Vermont)

I know this is a little silly but with all that fur she sheds I could even get some yarn made up. Maybe Torrey would like some Nancy Mittens ;) hehe

Custom Spun Dog Yarn by IndigoFiberArts (Connecticut)

Double Rainbow!

2011-09-06T15:06:00.000-04:00

Caught this beauty outside the shop last week... something pretty from all this rain.

Family and Finance Fridays : Goals

2011-09-02T14:45:00.003-04:00

Check out the series here, here and here

So I struggled with what to write this week. Before I started this series I wrote down 6 weeks worth of topics that I wanted to address. This week was Wants Vs Needs and living simpler. But I keep coming back to the idea of Goals first (week 5's topic). In order to live simpler and feel okay with cutting out some wants from my life I had to start by having solid Goals to look to and keep me motivated.

Goals for our business, our life and our financial future. They keep me on track and help me stay focused and determined when the going gets tough.

Its funny that each of these following goals could and will be their own blog post in the future. They match well with my 'list' of posts I made a few weeks ago. I have also started some of these goals in our Mint.com account so we know how much we have to put towards them every month and how long they will take.

GOALS :

Have a 6 month emergency saving fund

Start our ROTH IRA retirement funds and put in as much as possible every year

Save for a down payment on a house - as close to 20% as possible

Grow our family ;)

Use Credit Cards as little as possible - always cash first - no holding a balance

Maintain excellent credit

Learn more about investing and growing our money for the future

Have savings for travel/fun

Purchase long lasting items that are well made that will be an investment in our future, no more buying 'junk'.

Buy a house / build a shop on the same land with as small of a loan as possible

Expand our print area and hire a few employees

These are both short term and long term. I have this idea that if I give myself 7 years (I will be 35) to do most of these that I wont feel too rushed and can be more patient about them. I found a great website that was a spark for some of these goals called the Motley Fool and also the book 12 by12 by William Powers.

The Motley Fool has this 13 Steps to Investing that I love. I have only read the first 3 because that is pretty much where we are at. But they break it down so nicely and make me feel strong and in control of my financial future. I love that even though its the '13 steps to investing' they start with getting your life/spending in order. Wonderful!

The book 12 by 12 could be a little intense at times but it really got me thinking about what is important and what living simply is all about. Lots of stuff does not equal happiness. Find what does make you truly happy and focus your money and attention on that.

Maybe I have just switched all my WANTS over to GOALS.... now these are the things I WANT the most ;)

What are some of your financial/life goals and have you written them down so you can remember them in times of weakness?

Mud Mud Everywhere

2011-08-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

All Photos taken from the Burlington Free Press Website

Its hard to imagine on this beautiful Vermont day that people are going through their mud/silt covered houses and businesses with tears in their eyes and trying to recover after the record flooding earlier in the week. I kept sitting down to write my weekly "New England Made" Weds. blog post but cant bring myself to do it. Instead of buying something today made in these great states please donate what you can to these recovery funds. We have donated ourselves and will be going out later this week to help some friends clean and scrub the grime and recover their lives.

Text FOODNOW to 52000 to automatically donate $10 to the Vermont Food Bank, it can provide up to 25 meals to people in need in the state

Donate anything that you can to the Vermont Red Cross here

Help local farmers rebuild after two floods in one year here

We thought about doing a tee or bag and having the proceeds go to the state. Instead I urge you to just donate the money you would in that purchase straight to the greater good. Even if you have never stepped foot in Vermont know that we are little and strong and every penny you donate will go to a family/person in need. As Vermonters we know what a 'mud season' is and are used to being a bit dirty but this is a whole different story. We thought down trees and no power would be the result of Irene, not towns completely underwater. The water went where it wanted to and destroyed everything it touched.

Please do what you can... thanks :)

Cleaning house

2011-08-31T12:15:00.000-04:00

I am finally going through my buckets of scrap fabrics and cleaning shop. I am selling them on Etsy for basically just the shipping cost, I just want them out of here! Gorgeous vintage pieces, designer fabrics and other little cuties all available here.

If you are local and interested in some just come on over and pick them up.... free for local folks!

New Mini Quinns !!

2011-08-30T13:33:00.000-04:00

4 New Mini Quinn Purses up in the shop today

Great colors and textures for fall with just enough room to hold your essentials and not bog you down. Grab one while you can!

Available HERE

Irene

2011-08-29T13:21:00.000-04:00

Vermont was hard hit by Irene yesterday. The same people that had severe flooding issues this past spring with record rain were hit again last night with even worse flooding. The rivers are busting at their seams. We are safe and dry here in the Burlington area but you could see the impact and fury of the Winooski river and can only imagine seeing that same water in your street/town/house.

This is the view of the river we can see locally here

Normally it looks like this this time of year (taken last summer)

Now the river is at high speeds dumping into Lake Champlain

Many histroic covered brigdes have been washed away

And some of our favorited town centers are underwater

Please donate to the RED CROSS of Vermont if you want to help.

Or Volunteer locally if possible

Our hearts go out to those who are dealing with flooding once again, please stay safe and avoid dangerous areas today.

Family and Finance Fridays - Gain Control

2011-08-26T15:17:00.002-04:00

For previous blog posts on similar topics check here and here

The second week! I loved all the positive feedback I got after last weeks blog post. So much of your personal happiness has to do with the ones you choose to share your life with, and keeping those petty arguments to a minimum is always helpful!

Another big aspect of me being centered and balanced instead of stressed and irritable? Torrey might answer "keeping me fed" and yes thats true ;) but also, Being in control.

If someone else is strongly taking the reins and leading knowledgeably then I am all for following behind. In fact I tend to be quiet and shy in some groups. But Torrey will tell you if we are with a group of 'non decision makers' (you know, those friends that are like "I don't know what do you want to do/eat/see", or the "I don't care" folks) I am the first to get frustrated and impatient on the lack of direction in the conversation and make the decision for everyone. I can't stand not knowing what is going on, even if I really should butt out.

So lucky for me this is helpful in my new hobby.... personal finance!

I hear a lot of people my age talk about their income/money/debt situation as something they have no control over. Something that is out of their hands. During parts of my life this was the case for me too, when someone was giving me a paycheck its easy to just look at that one final number and ignore everything else. It all seemed too confusing, stressful, and above my head to actually know what is going on with my money. But you know what is confusing and stressful...... NOT knowing!

Oh ... I am getting excited to share! The SUPER easy way I gained control over my moolah.... so easy...and pretty too.

I will preface this by saying I am no 'salesman', for the most part I hate sales pitches and salesmen because I have trouble telling the difference between someone/something that is honestly a good thing and a sham. So I tend to write off them all and can be a little stubborn when it comes to someone giving me advice. So trust me that I am not trying to sell you anything, I am just sharing what works for me, because I use it and LOVE it!

The secret to knowing my personal finance....

Mint.com

OMG, if you use this already you are awesome. If not I strongly recommend getting an account and KNOWING YOUR MONEY.... because.... ITS YOURS!

Mint.com why I love thee...

#1 - Easy to use - I set it up in an hour and loved every minute. It takes you step by step to link up all your accounts and add everything in. I kept calling Torrey in to show him how easy and awesome it was....that man is so patient with me.

#2 - I can look at our two checking accounts at different banks, one saving account and two credit cards with different companies as well as any loans all in ONE PLACE! I mean come on... I didn't even know how great this would be until I did it.

#3 - IT DOES THE MATH FOR YOU - no more adding your bank statements together, then subtracting your CC payment, then figuring if you will have any money left over... its all there... all together.

#4 - Here are some other benefits all in one : Its pretty, clean, simple, safe, has charts and graphs of all your stuff, lets you set goals, helps you save, its FREE, its safe (did I say that already), it makes your life easier, it helps you GAIN CONTROL!

My only negatives about it - I cant link our business account with Peoples United Bank up because the log in at our banks business section is something that Mint.com doesn't work with.....darn it! (If anyone at Mint.com ever reads this please fix it, that would make me squeal with delight)

And I am not in love with the 'Ways to save' section because I don't need 20 more/different credit cards shoved in my face thank you. It is probably how they make their money with those 'adds' so if it keeps it free than alrighty.

Lastly its kind of like working out... if you are starting from square one and dont do anything you need to start basic and small first. Dont try to bite off more than you can chew. This worked for me because I was an art/sociology major with little finance/economic background. Its a stepping point and a way to start, I am sure there are stronger programs out there (quickbooks and such) but this is easy so it works for me!

What works for you?
What dosent work for you?
Have you tried Mint?
What do you think?

Next weeks agenda - The eternal struggle of Want VS. Need

New Audiobooks

2011-08-25T12:53:00.000-04:00

I just got two new audiobooks with my Audible account today. I will let you know how they are! Listening to podcasts and books is such a motivational tool when I am sewing away :)

New England Made - Man Edition

2011-08-24T11:31:00.000-04:00

Torrey's birthday is coming up in September and I love buying him handmade items. So this weeks 'New England Made' is dedicated to men. All items are handmade or vintage and can be purchased on Etsy. Support your local small businesses and buy New England made!

Honestly, this is awesome! Torrey would no longer misplace his glasses and keys if this was on his nightstand. And hes always wanted a killer mustache ;)

Nose Eyeglasses Stand by ArtAkimbo (Connecticut)

And who dosen't want their fella to look and smell fancy

Vintage Fedora Hat by Sprinkles101 (New Hampshire)

Vintage Tie and Book by PomegranateSeed (Massachusetts)

The Hiker Lotion by Plunksoap (Connecticut)

Torrey sure loves his Coffee and Beer

Rocket Ship Mug by Danmade (Vermont)

Coffee Sack Wallet by ApRi (Rhode Island)

Vintage Beer Mug by Violets and Grace (New Hampshire)

He has been begging me to make him a backpack... but I think this one is pretty kick ass

TichBags Backpack by Tichbags (Massachusetts)

Last but not least, we do yearly visits to Maine and its only fitting that we have a vintage map to remember our favorite destinations

Vintage Maine Map by SurrenderDorthy (Maine)

Limited Awesomeness!

2011-08-23T14:13:00.002-04:00

When our shirts sell we can never predict what sizes will sell the most. We do our best but never the less we end up with random sizes left at the end of a run. Because we don't usually print things exactly the same the next time these sizes end up sitting around. I don't LOVE putting them online when I don't have every size in stock because someone inevitably does not read the description and will buy it anyway and ask for a size we don't have. But I do want these to sell and for people to see and love them as they are usually a small limited edition and pretty unique. So I have added a section to our etsy shop for things that fit into this category. Once they are gone, they are gone, no reprints.

Check them out and keep an eye out for some One Of A Kind (OOAK) pieces to crop up in that section too. LIMITED SIZES AND OOAK shop section

I also wanted to thank everyone for the positive feedback on last Fridays blog post, I look forward to more to come and I love the comments!! Thanks for sharing!

Lastly, we have Burlington Hoodies back in stock in new colors and ALL sizes! Snag one while you can!

Family and Finance Fridays

2011-08-19T14:37:00.000-04:00

Intro :

Oh how exciting! I am officially starting a new weekly blog series. You will be learning, along with us, our steps to getting our finances/spending/and life in order. It will mostly be focused on my growing love of personal finance. Over the past year or so I have really gotten interested in micro economics, personal finances and just being in control of our money in a positive way. I know a lot of friends and family members who struggle with this and also many who are an inspiration when it comes to savings and personal finance. I am hoping to be able to share what I have learned and show our process as well as get tips and tricks from all of our readers!

Why share such personal information on our Business Blog?? Because New Duds is our life. We are a husband and wife team ( I will also be sharing some tricks on being with your significant other 24/7 and still loving each other ;) New Duds money is our money. New Duds success is our success. New Duds ability to grow and save is our ability to grow and save. We are so intertwined, and like it that way.

You can see a previous posts on a similar topic here

So now on to this weeks post!

Division of Labor and Specialization of Tasks : Spouse / Business Partner Edition

Definition of terms: Refresher - I think I learned this stuff in 8th grade but do I remember it now? nope.
Division of labor - The process whereby workers perform only a single or a very few steps of a major production task (as when working on an assembly line.)
Specialization - The situation in which people produce a narrower range of goods and services than they consume.

Torrey and I spend 24/7 together. We get asked quite a bit from friends how do we do it? How do we not get sick of each other? How do we run a business with a partner smoothly?

I am not saying we know how to have a perfect marriage or partnership and we are fairly new at this (7 years together, 2 years married, 3 years business partners). But I am saying these are things that work for us to make everything run just a bit smoother. For more tips along these lines check out this awesome book : Spousonomics

If I think back to every time we have had a business or personal argument they almost ALL revolve around us both trying to do the same task. Naturally we have different personalities and like to get things done in different ways. But by applying a division of labor and specialization to tasks we have cut down our 'petty' arguing a ton. You know, when you fight about silly things like the household chores, who takes out the dog, if you really each are doing 'your part' or 'your half' of the work. Those arguments that no matter how many times you fight about seem to come up again and again. Those are the ones I hate, the ones that make me think the other person isn't listening or paying attention. It makes me equate their love for me with these little tasks. Not cool.

The solution : We specialize.

I will give examples with our household tasks but it also applies to work tasks.

We really thought about what chores we like to do and what we don't. I'm not saying I am 'in love' with doing the laundry but I would MUCH rather do that than cook. So I took laundry, vacuuming, cleaning the litter box, making the bed, and cleaning the bathroom. Torrey took cooking our meals, doing the dishes, fixing any electronic issues and most vehicle maintenance. We both still do the dog chores but for the most part he takes her out and feeds her in the morning and I feed her at night.

So when the laundry needs to be done we don't fight about it, I just do it (And really I love warm, fresh laundry). Torrey makes the most amazing dinners and he just does it, ta dah! Sometimes I do the dishes for Torrey and he vacuums for me and its a nice surprise but we don't expect each other to do it. Oh, and the major factor for this to work, you MUST trust your partner to accomplish their tasks on their time frame and the way they want to do them. Don't make a peep or nag. So the dishes sit in the sink a couple days more that I would like, I know they will get done and I have past experiences to prove to me it will happen. I TRUST him. We no longer fight about who will do what chore next, you know, the 'I did it last time so you do it this time' argument. Then he says ' I did it twice the time before that so its really your turn', gosh, I don't miss that one bit. It may not work for everyone but boy does it work for us.

Plus we actually spend less time doing chores! Its a proven economic theory! We each apply ourselves better to our specific tasks and are generally better/faster at them because we enjoy it or at least have a lot of practice. So we are done quicker and with less negative experience and that means we are happier overall!

I hope this makes sense and maybe helps someone out. They talk about it a bit in this weeks Freakonomics podcast on Parenting also. I highly recommend it and the book above, check it out!

Next week : A super easy and fun way to manage your personal finances, really!

Scenes from the Shop

2011-08-18T12:43:00.000-04:00

Busy Blog week here. I will be starting a new weekly post tomorrow so check back in! Today is the day to share some scenes from the shop.

Our tees in the 'retail section' - Lots of inventory

Torrey is busy printing while listening to this weeks Freakonomics Podcast. Its one of the BEST podcasts I have heard in a long time. Check it out here

Some of the screens waiting for cleaning

In the sewing section I am working on some more Indifferent Giraffe Pillows

And Nancy, she is relaxing in her new favorite summer spot. Under the desk... that cool floor just feels so good.

New England Made - Splish Spalsh I was taking a bath

2011-08-17T11:19:00.002-04:00

This weeks New England Made is divoted to that very special room in the house, The Bathroom!
Check out these awesome, local, handmade, vintage, ETSY finds that will make that room just a little more charming ;)

These vintage facuet handles have that smooth feel that is oh, so inviting. Replace your own handles or turn them into vanity door knobs. Perfect for the bathroom!

Faucet Handles by Tipple and Shack (Vermont)

Why not dry off those hands on something that just makes you smile? I love the cheery colors of these handwoven towels.

Handwoven Cotton Towel by Bristolloomsri (Rhode Island)

This old window turned Mirror is such a great idea! A pop of color and something truly unique

Mirror with stripe by aReflection (Maine)

Keep those tissues looking just ever so charming with this Vintage tissue box

Flower Power Tissue Box by TippleandShack (Vermont)

And for travel time these Dopp Kits come in handy! Plus they are made out of beautiful, durable, hand- dyed hemp.

Dopp Kit by SarahWinterClothwork (Connecticut)

There are just too many great products from New England for this room, I must keep going!

Oh, handmade soap,

I love you.

(P.S. - The lovely Nadine at Green Mtn. Soap works would like to offer all readers 25% off their next purchase from her Etsy shop. Use coupon code: COUPON252011)

Handmade soap from GreenMtnSoapWorks (Vermont)

And last but certainly not least, I adore these wall art starfish. Don't they just look amazing on the glass shower!

Starfish Wall Decal by GreyWolfGraphics (New Hampshire)

Botny - Favorite Etsy Shop

2011-08-16T11:39:00.001-04:00

So I have been eyeing some new earrings from my new favorite Etsy shop Botny. I have been an Etsy believer and fanatic every since we started our own shop there in the winter of 2008. Buying handmade is the BEST.

One of the best things about Dana's art at Botny is that she draws all the designs with colored pencils then makes the earrings from scratch. I love the sellers/crafters that follow this motto. Its much easier and takes much less skill to place a few beads together with all store bought materials. But these are truly handmade and I love them! I heard about them first through another blog that I follow and love, Red Planet. About a week or two later Dana contacted me that she made an Etsy treasury with one of our items and I quickly told her I loved her stuff and we set up a trade! I got TWO pairs of her amazing earrings, a pair of studs and these lovely flower dangly ones.

Another bonus! Botny is running a earring giveaway right now on her Facebook page so check it out and get entered to win your own earrings!

That Torrey has been busy

2011-08-15T14:52:00.002-04:00

As I sew away, blog, etsy and all those good things that I do, Torrey has been NON-STOP working. He just finished up this awesome artwork for this years 'Whats Good' catalog from 7Days (Vermont's Independent kick ass newspaper) It goes out to all the incoming freshman at the local colleges and is also available where you can get 7Days (I think).

One day he went around town on his bike and got photos of all the local hotspots and buildings. Then he came back here and drew away. They are so awesome! I love all the hand drawn details :)

His art also shows up on the inside pages

So if you are local pick one up, there are so many great tips and local happenings inside. Gotta love 7Days!

Customer Requests

2011-08-11T11:57:00.000-04:00

We finally got around to printing some customer request tees

These are all available in our web shop and our etsy shop

1. Men's Knit Fox on the same super soft, lovely, heather blend as the women's tee

2. We had requests after our first Topographical map tee came out to do ones without the 'run'. I love the way they turned out :)

Before

After

3. Burlington tee back on Alternative Apparel

You may remember this post, and we did love the new men's version of our Burlington tee the women's tee ran too small. This is something we struggle with CONSTANTLY, all the brands we love make their women's tees way too small. The small sizes are good but the larges, xl's and xxl's are tiny! I don't know why they do this and I wish they wouldn't. We try to work to find tees to fit our customers the best we can. Yes, there are tons of junky sweatshop tees out there that run larger but the ones we love never do. So back to these Alternative Apparel unisex tees for a women's version. Honestly I LOVE how they fit the ladies and they run normal so that is nice ;)

New England Made - Kitchen Edition

2011-08-10T11:26:00.001-04:00

This weeks 'New England Made' blog is devoted to one of my favorite places to be - The Kitchen. Though I am not much of a cook myself, Torrey makes my life easy by being an amazing one. Here are some of the best Kitchen finds from Etsy and they are all handmade in New England!

I love the colors in this little jar, perfect to keep salt, garlic, or spare change

Colorful little jar by AbbyT Pottery (Vermont)

And how about these measuring spoons! So cute and always handy

Bird measuring spoons by Beehive kitchen ware (Massachusetts)

Of course something to wipe your hands and dishes with

Turquoise handwoven farmhouse dish towel by Nutfield Weaver (New Hampshire)

A scrubby soap to get all that grime off

Coffee Scrub Kitchen Soap by Rocky Top Soap Shop (Maine)

And isn't this the coolest thing? A magnetic knife rack made of beautiful wood. These are so handy!

Wooden 24" knife block by Dragonfly Wood Wrights (Rhode Island)

And lastly, since you aren't the only one pigging out in the kitchen, how about a handmade bowl for the pup or cat in your life?

Handmade personalized Stoneware pottery bowl by TwistedRiverClay (Connecticut)

New Feather Totes

2011-08-08T12:22:00.001-04:00

Its been a busy weekend full of Vermont activities. Farmers Market, Hiking, cooling off in clear streams, eating delicious food and drinking local brews. Oh how I love Vermont in the summer. Now we are back to work!

Today I just listed 4 new feather totes. I love these bags and one of these days I am going to have to keep one for myself. These have leather handles, hand printed Hemp/Organic cotton outer, waxed canvas bottoms, and lots of inside pockets. Check them out in our Etsy shop here.

We also just printed more Burlington tees and a new version of our Vermont Map tee. I am hoping to have them up listed in both shops in the next few days. We just have to get our models here and keep the rain away.

What new things have you been creating lately??

New England Made - Kids edition

2011-08-03T14:37:00.002-04:00

I love buying local and I love Etsy... so here are some local Etsy finds. Each week I will highlight some awesome handmade finds with a different theme.

This week New England Made - KIDS!

P.S. - Please buy online even if you are buying local/handmade. Most sellers online work out of their homes (they do attend some local shows) but you might not have any other way to purchase their awesome items and this is how they make their living! Just because you are using your computer doesn't mean you aren't buying local. I know sometimes it seems silly to purchase something from one town away but you are supporting ALL local people by doing that even the local post office workers... whom we love dearly ;) Shout out to the Winooski and Essex Post office folks, best post office workers EVER!

These would be perfect for kids rooms!

MISTER FOX by NativeVermont (Vermont)

Bunny Boo by erinflett (Maine)

Vintage Globe by Vintagecals (New Hampshire)

For Playtime

Natural Wooden Rattle by Jo-Be-Mac Studios (Massschusetts)

Blob the Bunny Pattern by CraftHedgehog (Vermont)

123 Blocks by Seven Acre Toys (Rhode Island)

For taming those unruly masses

Colorful Bobby Pin Set by NestPrettyThingsKids (Vermont)

Or just covering them up, Winter is just around the corner ;)

Organic Little Trapper Hat by WorthyGoods (Maine)

Baby Pumpkin Hat by AvaLoo (Maine)

Ready, Set....go!

2011-08-02T10:56:00.001-04:00

A lot of work and thought goes into each one of the bags I make. The series of bags I call the Donovan Purse its a mixture of vintage wools/ upholstery fabric/ leather and waxed canvas. Each fabric is carefully selected to complement the bag on a whole. From the pattern in the fabric to the color and texture in the leather every piece is selected for a specific reason. The joy of making and buying handmade products is partly the thought that goes into each piece.

Here is an example of all the parts that go into three Donovan Purses. Now that they are cut out its time to get sewing!

Ingredients

2011-07-31T21:14:00.001-04:00

Being part of our local Farmers Market weekly we are lucky enough to get great ingredients and food for our weeks from amazing local farms and vendors. One of the many benefits of living in a small city in a pretty green state, farming is close and local food is very accessible. Torrey and I watched this great movie tonight and wanted to share it with you! Check it out on Netflix Instant if you have it, its a great film. There are also some great small business tips and theories that can apply to any small business. Enjoy!

Ingredients the movie

Vermont Nature Lesson

2011-07-29T13:10:00.003-04:00

A couple new shirts up in the shop, and on Etsy !

Our new Vermont design - Its great as an overall design but we made it a sneaky vermont tee.... do you know why??

Those little birds are the Vermont state bird, the Hermit Thrush. And the flowers are the Vermont state flowers, the Red Clover! This is a design I created and Torrey drew and printed, a true team effort.

We also printed up a super limited batch of Adult Manrdill tees. I love that primate!

It is a nice cotton maroon tee with light blue ink. We used Discharge ink for this tee so the print is super smooth and you cant even feel it after its been washed!

Custom Bike Panniers

2011-07-27T14:24:00.001-04:00

I mentioned last week that I made a couple of custom bike bags. Though I don't think my machine is capable of the type of sewing that is required to produce these bags as new product, I was able to make it work for this set. Basically to get around the bottom corners it was a lot of fighting and grumbling with my machine. If I had a long arm machine like this Juki TSC 461, it would make the process so easy and is something to think about for the future.

Looks pretty sweet huh?
Overall I am very happy with how these bags came out. I got to use thicker leather than I ever had in the past and got to experiment with some new hardware and closures. They will be rugged bags that I am sure will last quite a while. Big thanks to Bert for giving me a lot of room to experiment in making them!

P.S. : I also wanted to thank everyone for the great comments and support lately! I love reading the comments, and just getting comments in general. Its nice to know people are reading our little blog! Thanks again - T & T

Ties

2011-07-26T16:44:00.000-04:00

Did you know we can screen print on ties? They are perfect for weddings! We first did it for our wedding with our bittersweet berry silhouette and this past month we made some more for Torreys brother Tyson's wedding. The feather was a theme for their invitations as well, its a great way to 'tie' everything together, hardy har har ;)

Bittersweet ties - Plum ink on Golden yellow microfiber ties

Feather ties - Light silver ink on navy microfiber ties

downs and ups

2011-07-20T11:28:00.001-04:00

I havn't told to many people this, most of my market buddies know but not many others. A couple weeks ago at our Saturday local Artist market, someone stole one of my bags. My first Grey Adrian to be exact. One of my favorite bags I have been making lately. We were in a new spot where it was a bit harder to keep an eye on all of our stuff. And Torrey and I were taking turns leaving to go inside a local building to cool off or to run errands. So we could have done a better job looking after our goods, but come on people! In a state where no one locks their car doors theft at the local craft market isn't something that happens often. We love being at the market and the vast majority of the people there respect the craft that goes into making our own products and are the BEST customers! But when I looked over and my Adrian was missing my heart stopped.... I went through everything and it wasn't hiding. It was gone...

It totally bummed me out. I know this happens in stores often but the thought of someone using my bag without buying it sickened me. I work really hard on those things! I try to keep the cost at a reasonable rate for all the time and energy I put into them. Even when I sell one its hard to see it go sometimes.

Fortunatly after about an hour we had some really lovely customers to cheer up our spirits. Not to mention all our vendor friends being even more pissed then we were and promising to beat up whoever they saw with the bag (hehe, thanks guys!). We pretty much got over it. Stuff happens. We were joking about it by the end of the day, every time I left Torrey to run to the bathroom I told him to "not let anyone steal anything this time". It still bugs me but I guess 'live and learn'. We are keeping a better eye on our products now.

Anyways, for some reason I haven't made a replacement until today. I went through a couple week slump, I think I was a bit burnt out, and I didnt want to make a single bag. So after finishing up some other projects (hey, new webpage!) I got back to work. So far this week I have made two Olive Green Leonards, 2 Custom leather bike bags and 2 of these Slate Grey Adrians. I tweaked the design just a bit, handles on the outside with heavier leather and a slightly smaller drop to the front, and I LOVE how they turned out.

And we just released a new screenprint design!
Its a sneaky ode to Vermont even though its a pretty universally appealing design
Hand drawn and hand printed by Torrey of course ;)
Vermont state bird = Hermit Thrush
Vermont state flower = Red Clover

Our Clover and Thrush tee:)

"When the going gets tough, the tough get going"

New Shop!

2011-07-18T12:07:00.001-04:00

We announced last week that we were working on a new website/shop. Well it is officially launched!
Check it out : NEW DUDS
We still have some kinks to work out but we needed it to be working in order to really see how well it can be used. I hope yall like it !! :)

P.S. - GET 15% off all this week by using this coupon code when you shop : NEWSHOP
We never do sales like this so take advantage!

Small business money - the personal side

2011-07-17T09:43:00.002-04:00

Once in a while I get a little wordy on this blog, but I swear its all information I am really passionate about and just cant help myself ;)

When my husband and I graduated from college neither of us really understood money. I had focused mainly on running during high school and college ( I ran track and XC in both) so I didn't even get my first job until the summer before my senior year of college. Now this doesn't mean my parents paid for everything either. A lot of people here have perceptions of out of state college students, that they are loaded and mommy and daddy pays for everything. UVM, our alma mater, is one of the most expensive state schools in the country.

A photo for your enjoyment - freshman year of college, aweeee so cute and little!

But I was able to run my ass off (literally! it was much smaller then ;) in High School and went into college with a 3/4 scholarship, I wouldn't have been able to afford UVM otherwise. I like to believe that I paid for 3/4 of my schooling myself with a job of a different sort. I got so much out of running on my teams and loved every minute of it. But because its a 3 season sport (ha! more like year round) there doesn't leave much time or energy for jobs. Torrey had worked part time jobs since he was able too, mostly in the food industry. But again he paid for his fun/living expenses mostly himself and there wasn't much saving going on early on.

As that as our background, and a couple of sweet Art Degrees we jumped into owning our own business! Seams smart huh? All you business majors cringing out there?? But guess what? One of the benefits of owning your own business and working on all the aspects yourself, you learn that somethings you never thought you would enjoy you actually love! On the flip side you also learn somethings that you should let the professionals handle ;)

I learned I love economics and learning about money management. I am no super star in this aspect. But I do have some good influences (my mom kicks ass at saving) and have found the best resource out there for basic money management learning MARKETPLACE MONEY! I love that show more than anything, I get so giddy when I come in to work on monday and have the hour long podcast to listen too. Seriously, I am now a nerd. And I would like to share with you some of my nerdy learnings.

One of the BEST things I have learned from that show (one of many!) is the 50/30/20 budget. Now keep in mind when you own your own business and both you and your husband have ONE income this makes it a bit easier. But we had to figure out this past year how much we should be taking out monthly as pay. We give ourselves our own paycheck and we wanted to get on a nice little system. We have also hired a wonderful Accountant in the past year so he has helped IMMENSELY, I do NOT pretend to know anything about taxes or laws so that is all him. Trust me paying what seems like a lot of money for an Accountant is TOTALLY worth it. Plus New Duds is a S-Corp now so there is no way we could do any of that ourselves, its like a completely different language. But when it comes to Bookkeeping and budgets its all us. (p.s. - I did not know the difference between a bookkeeper and accountant until about a year ago so don't be ashamed if you don't know squat, that is what google is for ;)

But back to that budget. The article where I learned this info: 50/30/20 and a different site that goes more into it in detail, here . There is also this book, The 10 Commandments of Money by Liz Pulliam Weston, that I might just be stalking up Amazon.com for today. Basically if I wanted to see if I was running a tight ship we had to work with this budget to get a montly living expense figured out. We want to start saving for those finner things in life (house, kids, vacations) so I wanted to get on track. Here is my breakdown of the plan.

This is after tax income:

50% : no more than 50% of income goes twords NEEDS. Needs = rent, mortgage, electric, heat, food (not dinner out, just daily need to eat, food), car, insurance, child care and things like that. Now you can include phone service and internet but maybe if you have one of those jacked up cable/internet plans that isnt the most necessary you should just add in the minimal amount for now and save the extras for the 30% bracket

30% : Wants! I want, I want, I want! : eating out, vacations, gifts, most clothing expenses, you know all those little things that make you happy!

20% : Savings and debt - Credit card payments join this club, also retirement savings, personal savings, and some loans. The minimum payents for loans can go up in that 50% catagorey but if you want to pay more that the minimum that goes down here. And honetly I dont think my credit card would EVER get paid off if I just made those insanely low minimums each month.

Interesting huh?? We took out our bank statements and CC statements from the past month and added them all up in the categories. We just have one of these little boxes for storage of our bills.

This way we figure out how much money we needed each month. Now I will say that we have a pretty simple life and are lucky enough to not have any student loans or car payments. Since we both drive 13 year old clunkers maybe the car payment thing will change soon ;) And we dont have children yet or any major medical problems. Money, so far, is pretty easy to manage. But I find it so soothing to the nerves to be able to sit down and see where your money goes each month. Its WAY better than stressing out and not really knowing. It puts YOU in charge of your finances not them in charge of you.

One more thing I learned from this plan, is that you cant wait around for that 20% to put into savings to just be there at the end of the month. Let me tell you, its not! It does a magic disappearing act. So we are trying to think of our savings as a bill we pay each month. Something that is not optional and is just as important as those Needs. Not a lot, but a little each month goes a long way for our future.

This plan can also be a goal for some, if your needs are more than the 50% maybe that means its time to start looking for a better job, or go back to school or whatever you can in this economy. But its a GOAL and something to strive for, its always good to have goals.

Anyone else have some sweet budget ideas that worked for them. Or a favorite organizer, tool to help you manage your money?? I'd love to hear!

Those dang apples

2011-07-15T12:47:00.001-04:00

I loved this so much I had to share it ;) enjoy, Happy friday!

Exciting news

2011-07-12T16:40:00.001-04:00

We have some exciting news here at New Duds. We are building a new WEBSITE!

It will still be at www.newduds.net but now with a new look and new features.

We are working out the kinks right now but are looking at a launch date of next Monday 7/18

The main reason we are updating our website??

NEW DUDS SHOP!

We are keeping our Etsy shop but are excited to announce you will be able to buy New Duds through our website too! Even though we love Etsy I know some folks would rather not sign up for another account with another online shop so this will be a great way to purchase New Duds easily! So keep your eyes and ears open as we are planing a bit of a sale to launch the site.

WOOOHOOOO!

P.S. - Torrey just left to teach his first screen printing class! Hes working through our local Artists Center and will be teaching classes this summer and fall. Its nice to have the shop to myself ;) If you are interested in taking a class with the super screen printer that is Torrey check out the BCA website and keep an eye out for the fall class lineup coming soon :)

Sticking to the Plan

2011-07-10T22:59:00.000-04:00

When you are your own boss sometimes its hard to know what path is correct. The benefits of owning our own business are so numerous I would lose track keeping count. But we are also constantly struggling to know if the path we are on is the right one for us and the long term success of our business.

New Duds is our life plan. We aren't about to jump ship and try something else, or go back to working for someone else. We want to have New Duds be successful enough to be able to buy a house, raise a family and retire comfortably some day. The Great American dream right?? We aren't looking to be multi millionaires or have a giant franchise making corporation. Not that there is anything wrong with that, its just not for us. We are Artists at heart and keeping our hands and minds busy creatively is what we love. That is were we want our business to be.

Most of all we are on the right path. In the past 3 years we have made a little business that could. Something that is sustaining us and allowing us to grow and start to save for the future. But what now??

We are beyond start up but not yet sure we have found our true footing quite yet. We know we need to grow a bit more to be truly long term sustainable. But grow how much? How fast? and with what risks??

This is where we sit down and chat... but there are so many directions. The business plan is ever in flux.

Though we don't know quite where the next few years will take us, we are growing strong and hoping that our instincts and the kind help from others will bring New Duds down the right path. Here's to the future!

Donovan Purse

2011-07-08T12:34:00.000-04:00

Last week I found two lovely vintage wool skirts at the thrift shop. I love getting large, unshapely womens wool skirts and turning them into great bags and purses. I almost kept one for myself as it wasn't that unshapely and was quite cute, but the wool was just way too itchy! So instead I snipped it up and paired it with my favorite leather so far. A deliciously textured rusty brown that goes so well with the vintage charm of the wool.

These Donovan purses are perfect every day bags with all the features you need

* Adjustable strap! Can be worn over the shoulder/handbag style or fully out messenger style

* Lots of inside pockes! 4 to be exact. One large zipper pocket, one open large pocket, one smaller open pocket (perfect for cell phones/ ipods) and one pen slip.

* Each is hand crafted, very unique and one of a kind.

Check them out in our Etsy shop or at the BCA Artists Market this Saturday from 9:30 to 2:30 in City Hall Park in Burlington, Vermont.