Tea in the Woods Interview & Giveaway!!

With us from the start, we got a chance to get to know Zac of Tea in the Woods a little bit better. A company derived from his travels to the Basque Country, Tea in the Woods offers some great designs for their t-shirts and (luckily) we carry them here at SEED!!

SEED: Hey Zac! Thanks for sitting down with us today. We love having Tea in the Woods at Seed and would love to share what you are all about! Can you start by giving a brief description of what Tea in the Woods is all about?

Zac: Tea in the Woods is a linguistic and visual contrast. Based on language, craft, shape and color, it is a craftsman line made for the creative.

SEED: How long have you been at Seed?

Z: A little over one year.

SEED: One of our originals! So you know how we're all about being eco-friendly..How is Tea in the Woods eco-friendly?

Z: We have a growing number of organic cotton options and we use water based inks when dying our shirts. Where and when green options are possible, all efforts are to be made to include them.

SEED: We love that mentality. How did Tea in the Woods get started?

Z: It was based on a project I did while living in the Basque Country of Spain. The stark contrast of the Basque language and culture against the backdrop of Spain and France was something I had not foreseen. The artistic, cultural, and linguistic contrast proved to be the basis for a project we would later call Tea in the Woods.

SEED: Living in Spain, I'm sure you were surrounded by inspiration daily. Now that you're back in California, where do you find inspiration?

Z: Shape, color, texture, and language.The inspiration for this line was derived from a mix of language and culture and time spent abroad, and it will continue to be so.

SEED: Traveling makes for a great form of inspiration. So what does an average work day look like for you?

Z: Depends. Some days I get to work on design and layout and figure out how to tell our story, while other days I'm in excel working on purchase orders or invoices all day. I'm also often out at current prospective accounts checking or showing the line. I guess at this point there is no average work day. My day is based on whatever is necessary,

SEED: I'm sure that keeps things exciting! Do you sell Tea in the Woods anywhere else?

Z: Yes. I sell in about half of Active's stores, Infinity Surf Shop in Dana Point, Mitch's Surf Shop in La Jolla, Azalea Boutique in San Francisco, and Shelter Surf Shop in Long Beach. We have begun some small runs of distribution to Japan as well as selling select pieces ourselves at www.teainthewoods.com.

SEED: Wow! Fantastic to hear that! Any advice for those looking to start their own business?

Z: If you love the concept of the business you want to start or the product you want to create, do whatever you have to do to make it happen. The pride you will be able to take in that creation is significant.

SEED: What do you see in the future for Tea in the Woods?

Z: I see it developing into a full line, with a continued focus on language and craft as the driving forces. I look forward to getting more people involved.

SEED: And we wish you the best of luck in pursuing those goals. Thank you so much for spending some time with us!!

Tea in the Woods Giveaway

How to enter the giveaway:

1. Become a fan of Seed People's Market on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook link on the left hand side of this page.

2. Become a fan of Tea in the Woods on Facebook by clicking here.

3. Become a follower of Seed-Feed by clicking "follow" on the right hand side of this page. ( you do not need to have a blog to be a follower!)

4. Leave a comment below on this post with your first and last name.

Once you've done all of the above, you are officially entered!

:)

We will randomly select a winner and announce them Friday, October 29th. So hurry up and enter for this GREAT giveaway!

Contest ends Friday, October 22nd!

Sass&Peril Interview and Printed Fox Card Giveaway!

Our wonderful local artist Shannon of Sass&Peril found some time in her busy schedule to sit down with us to talk about her adorable hand screenprinted cards and prints that, might I add, sell like crazy at SEED! But that comes as no surprise!

Read what we learned about Sass&Peril and be sure to enter the giveaway below to win a Sass&Peril hand screenprinted fox card!

SEED: Hey Shannon! Thanks for meeting with us today. To start, can you give a brief description of what Sass&Peril is all about?

SHANNON: Sass&Peril was born out of a desire to get out from behind the computer and work with my hands. It started with a few plush creations and has now evolved into screenprinted goods as well.

SPM: How long have you been at SEED?

S:Since May of 2010.

SPM: Still going strong! Knowing that we're an eco-conscious store, how is Sass&Peril eco-friendly?

S: I use recycled papers and eco- friendly recycled felt for all my goods. I also only print with non-toxic waterbased inks. These are just a few examples but I’d like to incorporate more ways of working that are earth-friendly in the future. It’s important to me!

SPM: Glad we share the same thoughts on the importance of being eco-conscious! So how did Sass&Peril get started?

S: I came up with the idea for the name back in college and it was meant to serve as my Graphic Design alias, but over time it has evolved into my handmade goods brand.

SPM: Funny how that happens!! Where do you find inspiration?

S: Travel, nature, vintage books and posters, museums, blogs, children’s toys, pop culture, food, my kitties...I mean, you can pull inspiration from a lot of things!

SPM: We agree! What does an average work day look like for you?

S: Well, I work full-time as a Graphic Designer so I’m up at 7am (this is when my 2 hungry kitty alarm clocks go off!) and then I’m out the door around 8am for work. My day is full of meetings, designing, managing freelancers, and more meetings. When I come home around 6pm I follow up on emails, orders, listings, and if there’s any creativity left in me I’ll design new ideas for cards, prints, or plushies. I do the bulk of my printing and sewing on the weekends that way I can dedicate most of the day to being in my studio. I’m a weekend warrior ;)

SPM: You are a busy bee!! Do you sell Sass&Peril anywhere else?

S: I sell online via Etsy and I am also in Songbird on 4th St. in Long Beach. I have plans to do some farmer’s market craft fairs this year and some of the bigger craft shows.

SPM: Best of luck to you! Any advice for those looking to start their own business?

S: Believe in yourself and stay true to what you love. Sure, your look and product offering is going to evolve and change over time but you’ll know when you’ve hit on something really special. Don’t try to be everything to everyone, do what you do well! Also, research this business! Read books, online articles, blogs, forums, and ask a lot of questions. Never stop learning.

SPM: Awesome advice. What do you see in the future for Sass&Peril?

S:Goods-wise, perhaps a line of tees and textiles with my designs. More shows, more networking, less shoulda-coulda-woulda- and more DOING!

SPM: We love your positive attitude! Thanks again Shannon!!!

Enter to win this top-selling Sass&Peril hand printed card!! 

How to enter the giveaway:

1. Become a fan of Seed on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook link on the left hand side of this page.

2. Become a fan of Sass&Peril on Facebook by clicking here.  

3. Become a follower of Seed-Feed by clicking "follow" on the right hand side of this page. ( you do not need to have a blog to be a follower!)

4. Leave a comment below on this post with your first and last name.

:)

We will randomly select a winner and announce them Friday, October 22nd. So hurry up and enter for this GREAT giveaway!

Contest ends Friday, October 22nd!

Cynthia Morehouse Jewelry Interview & Giveaway!

We are excited to share with you Seed's first ever video vendor interview! There was no better vendor to kick off with than our local artist and jewelry maker, Cynthia Morehouse!  Be sure to watch our interview with her and enter to win this incredibly beautiful, uniquely handmade Cynthia Morehouse necklace!

  A $120 value that could be yours FREE!!

 

How to enter the giveaway:

1. Become a fan of Seed on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook link on the left hand side of this page.

2. Become a fan of Cynthia Morehouse Jewelry on Facebook by clicking here.  

3. Become a follower of Seed-Feed by clicking follow on the right hand side of this page. ( you do not need to have a blog to be a follower!)

4. Leave a comment below on this post with your first and last name.

:)

We will randomly select a winner and announce them Friday, October 15th. So hurry and up and enter for this GREAT giveaway!

Contest ends Friday, October 15th.

Delve Interview and T-shirt Giveaway!

Get to Know: Delve 

We're excited to have our local artist Ryan with us to talk about his screen printing t-shirt company, Delve! Ryan was also a vendor in our Last Saturday's event this past month where he set up his screen printing machine and handed out Delve tees! Check out his interview with us and enter our giveaway for  a FREE DELVE T-SHIRT! See below for details!

Seed: Can you give a brief description of what Delve is all about?

Ryan: We really have no idea what Delve is about or what it is doing. Funny given the name Delve. Although we are for sure way into it. What I would love to hear some day on the street is "I have no idea who or what Delve is but damn, I can't keep my eyes off them those dudes are so cool". In the future when that Kid says the above quote and he looks into why he loves Delve he will find he loves it because of its charge to continually gather artist and attempt to quench the creative thirst of all the other right brained wave rats out there. He will love us cause:

We surf and doodle as often as we can, We sponsor two high school surf teams in the area and support the scholastic side of the sport.

We hope no style banded ever goes with out a Delve shirt cause he could not afford it, So we give to communities free shirts as often as we can.

Delve has big plans for the future. We have no idea what that is yet, but we can't wait to find out. 

S: How long have you been at SEED?

R: A while ago we made the Rope Belt which started off as a necessity for me cause I needed a belt and all I had around was a rope. I tied it on and some one said, "Sweet, I didn't know Delve made belts". We all laughed and a short time later, I put a little more effort into the rope and made a Rope Belt. Shortly after that, some good friends of ours turned us on to SEED and low and behold we found ourselves selling Rope Belts at SEED. I guess that was about a little over a year ago. Since then, SEED now carries a number of Delve tee shirts and a few wallets. In the future, we hope to look for more knits, wovens, pants, ect... 

S: How is Delve eco-friendly?

R: Delve recently started their own Near Zero Waste Program. One thing we do is avoid hang tags on the tees and any garments we produce. Less trash for the consumer to throw away when they get home. Also, our shirts are not individually raped in plastic bags. On the production side, everything is done in the USA and we do every thing we can to reuse what ever we can. Along with that program, we were invited to be part of O.A.C. (Oceanic Awareness Collaboration). OAC is working on spreading the news and making more aware to the younger generation the "worlds wounds" through art, music, and fashion. Specifically the North Pacific Gyres (trash island). Their goal is to create venues for younger generations and experience what kind of damage we are doing to the environment. This will be done through art shows featuring a broad range of the industries artist/activist in the form of visual arts, music, and fashion. Check out their web site . On a side note, at my house I have a grey water system, Cali native plants, cloth diapers for my son, and we let the yellow mellow. FYI.

S: How did Delve get started?

R: Delve Started many moons ago in 1994. As a senior in High School. My doodles needed a name. I called them Delve. In college, I took a silkscreen class and out came Delve tee shirts. Dec 1999 I purchased the little silkscreen co. that I worked for and almost completely turn the heat off of Delve all ready siting on the back burner. I ran American Silkscreen for ten years and then changed it to The Graham St. Press (.com) and just recently sold it to my partners so I could concentrate on Delve. I am unsure of a start date for Delve. Its all ways just kinda been there.

S: Where do you find inspiration?

R: We have so many good friends that constantly inspire each other. I could not pinpoint one source of inspiration. But here is a list things that have definitely given me a pat on the back:

Friends, family, son, kid on the way, wife, surfing, conversation in-between sets, the little fun waves in-between sets, skate boarding, old boxing posters, jealousy, vacations, love, heartbreak, books, books with pictures, being bored, walking with my family, opps paint at home depot. ($5 gal.), colorful grainy pics of other peoples vacations.

S:What does an average work day look like for you?

R: Not so average. Lately I play the Mr. Mom card. In the morning, Oliver (my son) and I enjoy a good bike ride around our neighborhood and down to the water, grab a cup of joe and head home. It's there that I find my computer and answer emails, do art, research "fashion" while Oliver finds a ball, a train, a vacuum, a dog, a sand box. Nap time. I try to fix some thing on my house and create some thing new for Delve to think about and more friends to collaborate with. I contact my contacts and make connection for Delve to grow and others to enjoy. Later today I am creating our Delve, Drink, and Draw nights. Three things we all have in common around here. Delving, good beering, and drawing. More to come on that though. You'll have to follow up on that via facebook or at delveclothing.com 

S: Do you sell Delve anywhere else?

R: We are keeping Delve in our back yard for now. We hope one day to grow geographically but of now we really want to just establish good roots and relationships here in the Orange and LA counties. So far though, Delve can be found at Shelter surf in Long Beach, Harbour surfboards in Seal Beach, and Golden State Goods in seal beach. 

S: Any advice for those looking to start their own business?

R: Contact your local SBA (small business administrator)

Keep a great relationship with stores

Be the nicest business person you can be.

Pay for product on time.

Don't let money run your business.

Be patient, give it years to explode.

S: What do you see in the future for Delve?

R: Benzies (plural) murdered out.

And to be featured on Cribs.

Thanks Delve!!

Enter the giveaway below!

 How to enter the giveaway for a free Delve t-shirt:

1. Become a fan of Seed on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook link on the left hand side of this page..

2. Become a follower by clicking follow on the right hand side of this page.

3. Leave a comment below on this post with your first and last name.

We will randomly select a winner and announce them Friday, October 8th. So hurry and up and enter for this great giveaway!

Contest ends Friday, October 8th!

Smirligans Interview and Feather Earring Giveaway!

See below for how to enter the giveaway!!

Our local artist Heather of Smirligans was kind enough to sit down with us and tell us a little bit more about her fabulous and fun vintage feather earrings! Read the interview below and enter our giveaway to win a beautiful pair of black feather earrings accented with drop green beads.

SEED: Can you give a brief description of what Smirligans is all about?

Heather: Smirligans is vintage inspired accessories hand made with local feathers.

S: How long have you been at SEED?

H: About one year now.

S: How is Smirligans eco-friendly?

H: I use feathers from local farms either on the central coast or my husband's family range.

S: How did Smirligans get started?

 H: I have been collecting vintage clothes and accessories for fifteen years and crafting my whole life.

S: Where do you find inspiration?

 H: I find a lot of inspiration from the 20's, 30's, and 40's for my headpieces and from the 60's and 70's for my earrings. Each piece has it's own modern twist to it as well.

S: Do you sell Smirligans anywhere else?

H: I do. I sell on Etsy where my main focus is custom wedding headpieces, but I love selling locally the most because I get to see people around town or at shows wearing my products. It's very gratifying.

S: Any advice for those looking to start their own business?

H: Do something you love! Make a product that you would make for fun  to never lose sight of your reason for starting a business.

S: What do you see in the future for Smirligans?

H: I would like to expand the brand to the central coast and continue to create beautiful wedding accessories.

THANK YOU SMIRLIGANS!!!

 How to enter the giveaway:

1. Become a fan of Seed on Facebook by clicking on the Facebook link on the left hand side of this page..

2. Become a follower by clicking follow on the right hand side of this page.

3. Leave a comment below on this post with your first and last name.

We will randomly select a winner and announce them Friday, October 1st. So hurry and up and enter for this great giveaway!

Contest ends Friday, October 1st.

Get to Know: 31 Bits

31 Bits was generous enough to not only answer some interview questions for our readers, but also donate a 31 Bits bracelet for one lucky reader! To enter the giveaway:

-like us on Facebook

-be a follower on Seed-Feed

-leave a comment below with your name!!

*giveaway ends Monday, July 12!

Seed: Can you give a brief description of what 31 Bits is all about?

31 Bits: 31 Bits is a socially minded business that seeks to create sustainability through fair trade in developing countries.  31 Bits sells beautiful hand crafted jewelry that is made by displaced women living in Northern Uganda.  Through fair trade, 31 Bits partners with 60 ladies in Northern Uganda in order to provide a sustainable income and livelihood for the ladies and their families.   31 Bits provides English and finance training and seeks to give women the resources to rise above poverty. 

Seed: How long have you been at SEED?

31 Bits: We started selling at SEED around November of 2009.  We love SEED!

Seed: And we love 31 Bits! How is 31 Bits eco-friendly?

31 Bits: 31 Bits beads are made out of 100% recycled paper.  The beads are hand rolled and soaked in a water based, eco friendly varnish that makes them water proof and hard.  : )

Seed: Why did you start 31 Bits?

31 Bits: 5 of by best friends from college and I started 31 Bits as a response to something that was bigger then all of us.  We saw need in Uganda and we could not ignore it, we had to help.  We started 31 Bits with 6 women and we have grown so much in the last 2 years that we now employ 60 ladies.  We felt it on our hearts to start something and what started as something very small is now changing lives of women in Northern Uganda.  It has been an absolute privilege to be apart of the change that is taking part in Uganda through organizations like 31 Bits. 

Seed: Where do you find inspiration?

31 Bits: We find inspiration from other socially minded businesses such as Krochet Kids, Toms Shoes, International Princess Project.  The ladies we work with in Uganda inspire us.  Our jewelry designs are inspired by various fashion magazines and blogs. 

Seed: What does an average work day look like for you?

31 Bits: There is always 1-2 of the 5 founders living in Uganda full time.  The Uganda side of the job consists of hanging with our ladies while they make the beads, traveling to and from the capital city to get loads of recycled paper, and working with our project managers on designs and program development.  An average day in the US consists of fulfilling online orders, scheduling meetings with different partners, packaging up jewelry to send out to stores, and working hard to spread the word about 31 Bits!

Seed: Do you sell 31 Bits anywhere else?

31 Bits: We sell 31 Bits all over the nation.  We are compiling a list of stores that we sell in to be listed on our website.  In Southern California we also sell at Almond Surf Shop, Mariners Bookstore, Yoga Works,   Westerly Boutique, Toes on the Nose, and SEED!

Seed: Any advice for those looking to start their own business?

31 Bits: Be ready for a lot of work, but if you feel something on your heart go for it! We started 31 Bits our junior year in college and we ran it out of our 3 bedroom apt.  If we can pull it off, so can anyone!

Seed: What do you see in the future for 31 Bits?

31 Bits: We would love to get our jewelry in a large retail store such as Nordstrom or Anthropology.  We want our programs to be sustainable and beneficial for the community of Northern Uganda.  We want to see more and more socially minded businesses being born.  And lastly, we would love to one day expand our programs to other developing countries around the world. 

 We recently stocked up on our 31 Bits jewelry and it's been going fast! So come in and get yours before it's gone! Big thanks to 31 Bits!!!