Seattle Public Library - Friendshop

Vivi Dot will be a featured artist at the Seattle Public Library (central branch) this coming Thursday, April 7th! Come by the Friendshop from 3pm to 6pm to browse all of my latest products and shop for a cause. Half of all of my sales will benefit the library; supporting programs, services, events and other special initiatives. In addition to feeling all warm and fuzzy for supporting a fabulous cause you'll also get to see the incredible library itself.

Take a tour!

Ride the chartreuse escalator for a great view of Elliott Bay and beyond.
Check out what else the Friendshop has to offer. Just look at how cool it is opened and closed! I'll be stocked with extra bookmarks and Book Lover Polaroid Necklaces for the occasion. Hope to see you Thursday!
(click on the images to link to their source)

POOL Tradeshow Video

Duncan put together another awesome video montage of our most recent trip to Las Vegas for the POOL Tradeshow.

Vivi Dot at POOL Tradeshow from Vivi Dot on Vimeo.

Make sure to check out my booth neighbors who were shown in the video as well. Plastique and Feisty Elle are two of my favorites.

Crafty Moving Pictures

For someone with a video editor for a fiance I sure don't have many videos up here on the blog! Now that Duncan has a new camera he's really excited to use I'm hoping to change that starting with this video from the Urban Craft Uprising show where we had a booth last week. As I mentioned before, my Grandma Dottie (yes she's half of the Vivi Dot name) came by to check out the event. It marked her first time seeing Vivi Dot in action so make sure to watch out for her special shout out in the video. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Vivi Dot at The Urban Craft Uprising from Vivi Dot on Vimeo.

UCU Finds

I did some speed shopping at the Urban Craft Uprising show last weekend, usually on quick trips to and from the bathroom. I always had to hurry back to my booth so I'm sure I missed some good stuff, but I found lots of great items. There are a few I'll have to keep under wraps so holiday surprises won't be ruined, but there are some things I can share. Dave from Manticore Stencil Art was right next to the Vivi Dot booth. He stencils iconic pop culture characters onto records. His wife made a trade with us at the end of the second day so I got this rad Labyrinth Bowie record and Duncan got a crazy one with E.T. and Michael Jackson on it. Good stuff! I don't know why it's such a strong memory, but I totally remember watching Labyrinth at my friend Erin's house when I was little. We ate popcorn and dipped it in Taco Bell hot sauce while we watched. Random, but true!
Next up is this pretty little notebook I picked up at the very end of the show. It's by R&L Goods, comes with a moleskin notebook and good old #2 pencil!
Duncan and I love our hot sauce so we bought this spicy bottle of Tabasco by Rakkadeer for our kitchen.I'm pretty sure my not so subtle hints may lead to one of these under the tree for me this year. Heather from Material and Movement makes the most stunning and unique jewelry with pieces she makes from fine china with pretty patterns.
Last, but certainly not least is Berkley Illustration. I'm hoping I'll end up with one of these this Christmas too though I have no idea how Duncan would be able to choose which one! If you're still looking for holiday gifts may I suggest jumping over to Scissor Quirk's Blog Party. Michelle has all sorts of fabulous giveaways going on this week including a gift certificate to the Vivi Dot shop for 40 big ones! Go, go now!

An Urban Craft Weekend

My first Seattle show is complete and I am so happy to report that it was a great success. It was actually my most successful consumer show yet! The Urban Craft Uprising was held at the Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, right in the shadow of the Space Needle. There were 120 vendors which seemed like the perfect size with tons of great stuff to choose from without being totally overwhelming. I bought so many great gifts that I wish I could show you, but I worry I'd ruin the surprise for the people they're for.
It was also a special treat to have my family finally be able to see a Vivi Dot booth in action. My sister has been to my shows before, but this was the first show for my Mom, Aunt Diane, Cousin Katie and Grandma Dot. Yep, Dottie half of the Vivi Dot name was there and helping out in the booth. She also reads this blog so, Hi Grandma! Thanks for coming and helping out! Duncan shot a bunch of footage of the show on our new camera so I should have a nice little video to share with you in the next few days.

Now that my big show for the holidays is complete I'm hoping I'll have some more time to decorate my house and blog about some fun gift wrapping ideas I have. I'm also headed down to San Francisco on Thursday morning for work. I'll be packing in some client meetings, an office holiday party, as well as some dinner and shopping with some of my San Francisco friends I miss dearly. Can't wait! Oh and.... my sister, Emily, should be having her baby girl any time now! She's due on the 11th so we're just waiting to hear 'it's time!'

What are you up to this week?

Let's Catch Up!

Poor, sleepy little Dot Girl Blog. She's been out like a light for weeks now, but she's up and ready to go now so let's catch up! What a few weeks it has been! I think it's best to fill you in by sharing some photos of what's transpired.

Duncan and I packed up our life in San Francisco and said goodbye to a city we love. I was in our Yaris with Olive, Indy, and this little guy as my co-pilot: Duncan and Ciccio became truck drivers: Many, many hours and one overnight in Oregon later, we hit the Emerald City: We were all happy to have made, but I think Olive was the most excited to get out of that car: We went out to a nice dinner and to an Autolux show downtown to celebrate our arrival and my birthday: Day two in Seattle was all Vivi Dot prep as I readied myself for a trip to Las Vegas later than night. I was on my way to the POOL Trade Show and was excited to share my new items with all of the buyers. Here's a little look at my booth this time around: After another successful show I was so ready to head back to my new home to start getting organized. First up was getting my desk area set up so I'd have a nice place to settle into working my day job from home. So much Vivi Dot stuff to organize:The kitchen was also a priority:So now we're back in the swing of making delicious dinners. I discovered just how good red cabbage can be! Especially on fish tacos: And just last night we made the delicious pizza. We caramelized onions from the Ballard Farmer's Market and spread them all over the dough instead of the usual sauce. We piled on mozzarella, potato slices and fresh rosemary. It was just perfect finished off with fresh grated gruyere cheese. Yummmmm: Thanks for catching up with me! What have I missed while I've been MIA? Please let me know in the comments.

Step By Step (Oooh Baby)

Step by step and day by day, we're getting closer to the big move date and we're busy, busy, busy! I'll be packing all weekend and having a garage sale too. If you're in SF (we're in the Outer Richmond) and want to come by please email me for more info. We'll be selling some furniture, craft supplies, records, clothes, and I'll even have a Vivi Dot table where everything will be 50% off! We'll be selling from 10am to 2pm so come help us clear out some of our stuff so we can fit everything into our Uhaul.

Duncan and I had our engagement photos taken last week by our dear friends over at Love Me Sailor (you can follow them on Twitter too). We thought it would be perfect to have some casual photos taken of us in the city we met and fell in love before we take off for the city where we'll marry. I haven't seen any of them yet, but I'll be sure to post some here once I have them!

I really can't wait until I'm moved, back from POOL and settled in. I'm keeping a list of blog worthy things I can't wait to share once I have my life back and have some time after work to post here again. Hope you'll stick around in the meantime!

We'll also be cramming in one last little dog walk with D-O-G (say it 'diyogi') tomorrow too. We'll really gonna miss this little guy and his parents (Duncan's parents) too!

Capsule Street Fair

The Capsule Street Fair is this coming Sunday (May 23rd) in Hayes Valley from 11am-6pm. I have built up my inventory over the last few months and I'm looking to make some space for my upcoming line. This means the biggest Vivi Dot sale I've ever had. I'm talking buy two get one free and 30% off discounts. I'll be at booth #6 right on the Octavia Green (see a map here). Duncan and I will be there slanging Dots and having drinks with our friends so stop by and say hello!

Pool Trade Show Booth Display

I posted a video that Duncan put together after we returned from the POOL Trade Show back in February, but I just realized I never shared anything else. I put a lot of thought and sweat equity into my booth display this year so I'll start by filling you in on that.
I had a vision to turn the cork covered table that is supplied for all Cash and Carry exhibitors into an upholstered masterpiece that resembled a booth at a swanky bar or a headboard in a well designed bedroom. I was a bit nervous about executing this big idea since I would have to ship the supplies straight to Las Vegas and roll with the punches once I was there with no practice run. I ordered some black vinyl that I was really happy with as it was mistaken for leather a few times and it held up well to the abuse I ended up putting it through. I also ordered a huge rectangle of upholstery foam, a heavy duty staple gun and a bunch of upholstery nails. I tried to think through the process as much as possible beforehand, but knew it was just going to take throwing myself into the project and that's exactly what I did.
Set up day was Monday. Duncan didn't arrive until the first day of the show on Tuesday so I headed out to the Las Vegas Convention Center from my sister's house on my own. Here's how the cork table looked before the project began. I started by attaching the massive piece of foam to the cork board with my trusty staple gun. The foam was much thicker than I anticipated so this step was much more difficult than I imagined it would be, but it was eventually secured. I shaped the the edges with scissors so there would be a a nice smooth edge where the table top attached to the front of the display. Next up I marked up the foam to plan where the buttons would be. I stapled these areas in hoping that the indentation in the foam would take some of the pressure off of the upholstery nails. Again, this was not very easy with the thick foam so by this time I was breaking a sweat and giving myself a staple gun blister. I was making progress though so I was still very hopeful at this point. I laid the black vinyl over the table and weighted it down from above to see how this was all going to pan out. I knew pretty quickly that the upholstery nails that I had attached Vivi Dot buttons to weren't going to come close to cutting it so I headed to Ace Hardware. I grabbed an electric screw driver, screws and washers and headed back for round two. I decided to put a washer between the foam and the vinyl and another in front of the vinyl to do the job the button covered nails would have done. I quickly realized that my dinky electric screwdriver was not going to cut it and borrowed a hand held to put my muscles and blistered hand to use instead.
It was impossible to get the screw through the foam because it would just wind up and unwind after I took the screw driver away. I ended up having to pull out all of my staples and cut holes in the foam where the screws needed to go. Lining this up wasn't easy, but it all ended up working out with just a few unwanted tears that were covered by the washers. Each screw took at least three tries before I could get it to catch and remain secure. I didn't think it was going to come together at this point, but people started to walk by and compliment my progress so that gave me a little bit of hope. I was never able to get the very middle screw in as far as the others. It just wouldn't catch, but it wasn't that noticeable and not worth risking ripping the vinyl to try it again and again. At this point I was more than happy to live with it as is. I glued a black ribbon to the edge of the vinyl that would cover the top and my hours of labor finally felt worth it. The silver washers weren't as polished as my pretty Vivi Dot Button Nails would have been, but overall I think it turned out really well. Here's how it looked with the products present.I really wish I could have salvaged the whole thing and transformed it into a headboard, but that just wasn't in the cards. I do plan to use this experience to do it again for a more permanent piece for my house some day.I had to rearrange the contents of my luggage on the way home because one was over the weight limit and one was way under. I needed two pounds out of the heavy bag and Duncan instantly suggested the staple gun. I found it and sure enough, it was just over two pounds. I said to the lovely Virgina America employee that a staple gun really is a must have for all travelers. She said she wasn't there to judge, but I'm sure she thought we were crazy.

POOL Trade Show - February 2010

I'm back! Duncan and I made it through another round of wholesale madness in Las Vegas at the POOL trade show. I'm happy to report that it was an even bigger success than our first round back in August. Vivi Dot will be in more stores across the world very soon. More on that later, but for now please check out the awesome video Duncan put together highlighting the the new Spring/Summer line, the Vivi Dot booth and some of the fun we were able to have after the show was complete. Watch out for appearances by Neil Patrick Harris, Perez Hilton, Christina Hendricks, the Cirque du Soleil Elvis performers and more.

Vivi Dot at POOL from Vivi Dot on Vimeo.

You can check out more of Duncan Hooper's editing skills at his website DuncanHooper.com

Get ready for a Handmade Ho Down - Etsy Style

This just in! Vivi Dot was accepted to the first ever San Francisco Handmade Ho Down put on by the lovely folks at SF Etsy! It's gonna be a spectacular event with 60 diverse vendors, live art, music, booze, raffles, gift bags and oh so much more. And since it 'tis the the season they'll be raising money and collecting art supplies for DrawBridge (a non profit organization that strives to provide art programs for homeless children in the Bay Area).
I'm already cooking up some extra fun holiday items and will be selling some all new products at this show. Make sure to mark you calendars and come by for a good time and great shopping!Here are the details:
Thursday December 3rd
6pm- 12am
Free Admission
21 and over
1015 Folosom, San Francisco
Go to www.handmadehodown.com for more information

Renegade Holiday Craft Fair - San Francisco

I'm in! I just got word that I was accepted as a vendor at the first ever (in San Francisco) Renegade Craft Fair Holiday show! This is the first time I applied for this show so it has been anticipation station here at Vivi Dot all morning. The show is at Fort Mason on December 19th and 20th, just in time to take care of all your final Christmas shopping needs. Mark your calendars and save the date!
You can check out a previous post about what I bought at the Renegade Craft Fair last time I went as a shopper.

Pool Tradeshow Las Vegas!

I made it through my first trade show! Vivi Dot had a booth in the Cash and Carry section of POOL at the beginning of September and it was a great success. Backing up just a bit, I'll explain how this show differs from all of the other shows I've done. POOL is a part of the huge MAGIC trade show where many, many clothing and accessory companies present their lines to buyers from across the world. Buyers from department stores, owners of small town boutiques and everyone in between come to place orders for their businesses. Most brands set up extravagant booths that display their pieces that are currently available for order. The Cash and Carry section that I was in allows buyers to purchase items on the spot so they can try newer lines like Vivi Dot out before they place a larger order. This section also makes it easier for small timers like me to get our foot in the door in the world of wholesaling.

I've been in stores in the Bay Area for a few years, but getting Vivi Dot ready for world wide expansion was a huge undertaking. I started out by redesigning my packaging to give everything a consistent, noticeable look. Hanna Nation, of Gadabout Paper did some amazing drawings of my products as well as created a few of her adorable girl drawings with some Vivi Dot product accents. I incorporated these into the cards I use as well as my line sheet (an informational catalog for buyers).

After the packaging was all squared away it was time to come up with an edited assortment of prints and products. Now that I'm designing my own fabrics for the products I'm no longer limited to what I can find at the fabric store. Duncan and I went through numerous iterations and color tests and decided on our favorite prints to use for the show. Since the fabric I get printed is limited in some respects (the saturation of certain colors, etc) I supplemented my designs with some of my favorite prints from Pea Pod Fabrics. Here's the final collection of swatches that were offered:

The last important step in preparing was mass production. I sweatshopped myself right down to the last minute with devoted help from Duncan all along the way. I've done big shows before, but nothing where someone might come by and want to buy 8 of this item and 10 of that item so my mind was reeling with all possible scenarios and how I could prepare myself for each of them.

Finally it was time to go so I packed up my things into two heavy suitcases and hopped on my Virgin America flight to Las Vegas. My sister, Emily and her husband Bryce live in Vegas which was a huge advantage. I was able to have a home for my home base instead of an unfamiliar hotel. I was also able to use some of Emily's plastic drawers for under the table storage, a cooler for our food and drinks and other items that made everything so much easier than if we had to bring everything ourselves.

Emily, Bryce and I headed to the convention center on Sunday afternoon to check everything out and set up what we could the day before. There were surprisingly few people around, likely due to the fact that the air conditioning was off making it ridiculously hot inside. Later that day, I picked Duncan up at the airport around 8:30 and we headed back to the house to finish putting all of the products on their newly designed cards. This task, as always, took much longer than expected so I was up until about 2:30 am getting every last thing together.

Four short hours later I was up and headed to the show. My first sale was from a salon owner from Phoenix. She purchased twenty items and started the day off in the right direction. A few hours later I had completed a few more big orders and already covered the cost of the booth! I was getting great feedback on my new packaging and it was amazing to finally hear what people thought of everything after so much preparation. I must have been running on adrenaline because my lack of sleep didn't even hit me until after dinner. I felt initiated after day one was complete and was happy to know what to expect for the next two days.

Click any of the images to see them enlarged.

Even though we were exhausted, Duncan and I headed out to dinner and then to the POOL Opening Party at the Hard Rock Hotel pool. We really wanted to see Glass Candy perform, but we were too exhausted to stay and wait for them to go on. We called it a night around midnight and already couldn't wait to do absolutely nothing after the second day of the show.

Day two and three went really well for us too. It would be slow for a while and then our energy would be recharged after another order was placed. I also had time to do some shopping at some of the other vendor's booths. The awesome items I picked up are worth a separate post of their own.

After a full night's sleep and the completion of day three it was time to hit the town. I treated Duncan to an amazing dinner at Koi at Planet Hollywood for all of his amazing help before and during the show. As you can see in this photo we had an incredible view of the Belagio Fountains and the strip.
After dinner and some tequila we played some quarter slots and in an unexpected turn of events I couldn't lose! I started out by putting in $10, bounced around to a bunch of different machines and continuously won. I never hit a big jackpot, but would get $10 here, $25 there and eventually ended up walking away with over $200. Duncan wasn't quite as lucky, but he was happy only spending about $20 to play the slots and have never ending 'free' bud lights all night.

I'm really happy to have my first big trade show behind me. Now I can go into the next one with more confidence knowing I've made it through one before. I'll be sure to update you soon about where to find Vivi Dot across the US and Canada!

If you own a boutique and are interested in carrying Vivi Dot products please visit the Wholesale Page and submit your information. After that's complete I will follow up and provide you with my line sheet, pattern swatches and order form.

Poolside

So there really is a valid excuse for my lack of blogging as of late... I'm prepping for POOL! I'm laying low and keeping busy behind the scenes getting ready for my biggest show yet. I'll be in the Cash and Carry section of the Pool Tradeshow in Las Vegas August 31st through September 2nd. As I've mentioned before, I'm working on an entirely new line of fabrics made especially for my one inch dots. I'll be posting about these items in the coming month(s) as they become available in the Vivi Dot Online Store so please continue to stay tuned. Photo credit goes to the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. I'm dying to sit poolside with one of their alcoholic snow cones in hand, but prepping for POOL is going to have to win out over sitting by one for now.

I've also commissioned Hanna Nation (aka Gadabout Paper) to draw images of my products for my marketing collateral, line sheet, etc. I saw her gorgeous stationary last week and instantly knew I needed to utilize her amazing skills. I can't wait to see what she comes up with! To top it all off I'll be moving the Vivi Dot headquarters (and the rest of my apartment) at the end of June. I'm overwhelmed with everything that has to be done between now and then (plus a weekend away in Seattle), but some how I'm sure I'll manage. Posting will continue to be sparse, but I hope to have some fun before and after photos of the new place and refinished furniture to share soon.

Here's to the hope of great, productive weekend (drinks raised). Happy Friday!

Catchup!

I've recently returned from an extended weekend road trip down to LA and Santa Barbara. Now it's catchup time as I have about 3 days to sweatshop myself after my day job and crank out as much inventory as possible for my first show of 2009 (Noise Pop N Shop). I've also been very busy designing and producing many sets of save the date magnets for people who have happened upon my post about my sister's magnets. I'll be posting about that entire process as soon as possible with lots of photos to each of the designs I've created for many lovely brides to be. To top it off our hardwood floors are being refinished so we (Duncan, the kitty Olive, the pup Indy and me) are all quarantined to our bedroom. Interested in keeping up with the madness? You can now follow Vivi Dot via Twitter!

Noise Pop And Shop

I’m thrilled to announce that I was accepted to be a part of the Noise Pop & Shop event for the second year in a row! It's exciting to feel that in a tiny little way I'm a part of this 17 year tradition of independent music, arts and film. For those of you who are unfamiliar…

Noise Pop prides itself on bringing exposure to emerging artists, many of whom have gone on to widespread acclaim, including the White Stripes, Modest Mouse, The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins, Bright Eyes, The Donnas, Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco) and Silversun Pickups. The festival has also featured underground music legends such as Bob Mould, X, Frank Black (of the Pixies), Sleater Kinney, and Television. A sincere willingness to experiment over the years has yielded results like the Noise Pop Education Series, the Noise Pop Film Festival, gallery art shows and more.

The Pop & Shop portion of the festivities will feature over 40 Bay Area designers and artists selling clothing, jewelry, limited edition screen-printed concert posters and more. There will be delicious refreshments (both edible and drinkable) as well as the obvious stellar music.

Saturday February 28th
Noon-4pm FREE
The Verdi Club
2424 Mariposa St.
San Francisco, CA

Quote and Noise Pop Artwork credit go to Noise Pop Industries

MMMM Mulled Wine

I made my first batch of mulled wine last year for a Vivi Dot friends and family holiday party/trunk show. It was a huge hit and after making it again at this year's party it's now officially a tradition. You really can't beat the way it makes the whole house smell like the holidays and the recipe I use is especially tasty.

I tend to wing it a bit since I make an extra big batch. For instance if I triple the recipe I don't need to triple the oranges. I also suggest letting it sit for at least the 15 minutes the recipe describes. The longer it sits the better it gets. Just be sure to keep an eye on it once the wine is added so it doesn't get too hot, boil, and take the 'fun' out of it. Also, there's obviously no need to spend much money on the wine since you're adding water, sugar, etc, but if you're like me and want to avoid the instant two buck chuck hangover I'd step it up one notch and go with something in the 3-4 dollar range from Trader Joe's.

Here's the full recipe courtesy of the Food Network

Ingredients
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
4 cinnamon sticks
6 whole cloves
1 fresh whole nutmeg
2 oranges, thinly sliced
1 bottle red wine

Directions
Combine 2 cups of water with the sugar and spices in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the orange slices, remove pan from the heat and let sit for 15 minutes. Stir in the wine. Reheat gently over low heat, never allowing to boil. Serve hot, in heated glasses.

Indie mart is Moving on Up

Moving on up to the Western Addition that is. Come by this Saturday (December 13th) for the last Vivi Dot appearance before the holidays. You'll find the fun at the Independent from 11-4. Details are below and you can find out even more at the Indie Mart website.
Hope to see you there!

12/12/08 UPDATE:
Here's full list of vendors you'll find at this Indiemart:
5733
Taxi CDC
Turk & Taylor
Vividot
Rock Candy
Porcelynne
Leonleaf
Featherwitch
Nooworks
Perish Trust
CC Rider
Mama's Little Babies
Velvet Surrender
Kaching Designs
Funkier Than Thou
Hello There Friend
Bug Under Glass
Project Transaction
Laura Wiley
Extra FuerteAnimal Instincts
Chelsea Gai
Patron Saint
Sprout Studios
Kate Durkin
Feathered Leopard
Pop Junkie
Ofina Jewelry
Blackbird Photography
Octopuss Me
Transaction tiger
Minnie Wilde
San Fran Psycho
Gangs of San Franicsco
Shotwell
Wayward
Deadbeat Sister
Noli
McG
12 Designs Secession Art & Design

Readymade Holiday Party

Attention San Francisco readers! The Readymade holiday party and gift bazaar is this week and you're invited! Vivi Dot will have a table along with many other local designers. Throw in some music, dancing, drinks and lots of merriment making it a holiday event you won't want to miss. Check out the details below and make sure to RSVP to ReadyMade if you plan to attend.

Capsule Design Festival

The Capsule Design Festival is this Sunday in Hayes Valley! Come visit Vivi Dot on the corner of Octavia street at Hayes. Duncan and I will be selling dots from 11am to 6pm so don't miss out! I've got some fun, new, fall friendly prints (private school plaid, houndstooth, and more) and there will even be some items featuring the awesome Tim Gunn image Duncan made (see the previous post). Hope to see you there!