Goodbye 2012. Hello 2013!!!

Where do I begin...?

2012 had a great start. I went to BMAC as a guest and joined the Art Business Institute workshops, which kick-started the shift-gear from Bunnies Can Dream to Harlequin&Lionhead in 2012, resulted in a 400% growth in revenue for Harlequin&Lionhead (a small pat on my shoulders but more to do in 2013!)

Things progressed really fast in Q1 2012 and then a slow Q2, and a crazy Q3. A trunk show at Henri Bendel followed by a Fashion's Night Out event - definitely highlights of the year! I felt like I have pushed myself forward by leaps and bounds. The lesson learned from here is you will never get what you want unless you ask for it! So don't hold back because you may feel inadequate. There is nothing to lose but your dignity if you get rejected. It is just a small price to pay in order to grow, and gain an unforgettable experience and precious learning experiences.

I have the fortune of some really good friends who have been my support and ally. And I started to see familiar faces coming to my shows at different locations looking for my jewelry. It gave me the greatest joy to see your happy faces when you found the perfect piece to take home every time!

Then came the very challenging 4th quarter, both emotionally and physically. It was an exciting and depressing one at the same time. Some of you were there with me and I have to apologize for my temper and my sometimes psychotic behavior :P I want to say I now realize how blessed I am to have the support of my family in what I am doing. We grow stronger together through the tough times. I can only imagine how this is an important preparation for what may be coming our way in the next few years!

One thing I regret most is that I didn't manage to learn driving. That is going onto my 2013 to-do list. No more procrastination!!!

2013 - I have mixed feelings about it. A year of great things to come, and a year to push myself above and beyond my comfort zone. No matter what, this will sure be a milestone year for me. What will 2013 be for you?

Who are the bunnies behind Bunnies Can Dream?

As a tribute to Toffee, who passed away 3 years ago, I am doing a rabbit highlight here on Bunnies Can Dream's blog!

Yes, Toffee will always be my special boy. 

He and Charcoal were the original inspiration for the name of the line, Bunnies Can Dream. They are also the two bunnies in the logo my husband and I created together.

Toffee was born as a harlequin (because of the mixed colors in his body) and a dutch (according to my vet) in 2001. He and Charcoal moved with me from HK to NY. It was a terrible trip for them but they took it like solders. Toffee developed head tilt syndrome back in 2008. The little trooper, being always positive and kind, and could eat like a pig, bounced back with a tilted head the same year, and continued to eat like a champ until his last day on earth. His kidneys were attacked and crystalized, a painful illness that he managed to hide and continued to live with happily until both of them gave up on my high spirited boy on Sept 6, 2009. He has since then lived between Rabbit Heaven and on earth in our hearts and possibly sometimes late at night in our house. Recently, I suspect he is either reincarnated into Roxy or my new baby niece. Both are equally happy, energetic and hungry like Toffee.

Charcoal is such a strange creature.

Charcoal was born a lionhead angora mix a few months later than Toffee but he looks much smaller and acts younger somehow. Charcoal has a princely air about him. More like a cat than a rabbit, he is the fuzziest rabbit ever.  Grooming for his appearance was his most favorite thing to do in the world until Roxy came along. Charcoal is also a very emotionally sensitive creature, although he may not be very sensitive about YOUR emotion. He went into a period of intestinal statsis problem when he was living with us alone after Toffee died. When he was turning 11 last year, we got so worried about his health that we finally decided to get him a friend. It was very hard for me to accept a 3rd rabbit and I think it probably wasn't very fair to Roxy when she first joined us. But the addition of this new young playgirl to Charcoal's rabbit mansion seems to have given him a new found joy in life.

Roxy Rock Rock, my girlie girl

Roxy is my first shelter rabbit. We didn't know how old she is but the vet said she was probably 1 or less when we picked her up Sept 2011. I looked it up and she is a british butterfly dwarf. She has almost symmetrical pattern on her body and her face. We thought she looks like a cow, but she is a bit sazzy so we thought we will have to name her something with an attitude. We called her Roxy, short for rorschach. And then it evolved from a simple Roxy to "Roxy Rock Rock" which is what I usually call her around the house, when she is not a girlie girl. This kid has a strange crush for Charcoal when they first met at the shelter. She was obviously keen on playing with Charcoal, who was only keen on having sex with her (oh well can you blame the poor 11 year old virgin?) She kept pushing him off but kept going back to him. We thought, here is a rabbit who knows what she wants and can keep her man in check. That's my kinda girl. And in the 12 months she was with us, she literally took over the place, turned it into a dirty quarter and put on one full pound (that is like 1/3 of her original weight, say equivalent to 30+ pounds?) Talking about white trash...oh well. We only love her more.

So here you go. The inspiration as well behind these animal necklaces I recently made. Both silhouettes for Toffee and Roxy found a nice home last week. And I have decided to keep the Charcoal silhouette to myself. I am looking forward to some toasty down time this X'mas with Charcoal and Roxy. And if you see a cloud in the sky that looks like Toffee, say hi and eat a carrot!

Meet me in Brooklyn this Sat!

Dekalb Market I am back!

I will be at this great gem of Brooklyn on Sat. Come say hi!


Date: August 25, 2012
Time: 11am - 6pm

Where:

138 Willoughby Street (@Flatbush Ave)

Brooklyn, NY 11201

How to get there:
B, Q, R to Dekalb Ave
A, C, F & R to Jay St. Metrotech

A little adventure into an out of city handmade market

I made a new friend on Sunday at the organic farm, Garden of Eve, in Long Island!

This creature is the funnies thing ever - a rooster (or hen) and a rabbit combo it seems to be. There are 3 of them (see below) and they are so super fluffy if it is not because of the beak I would really touch it. 

They were really noisy too roosting all day long. But it was more hilarious to me than annoying. Despite the super fatigue I was experiencing, from only having 2 hours of sleep.

It was all for the fundraising event for the Forgotten Friends of Long Island. Me and Jessica, who owns Hans-My-Hedgehog Illustration and was also the driver for the trip (because I failed my to-do list for the year and didn't get a driver's license yet), started off 5:15am to pick up our rental car. Drove all the way from Queens to Long Island to be at this lovely little farm where the event was hosted. 

Not only do they have a chicken coop, lots of beautiful herbs and vegetable for sale, a lovely barn turned cafe with great quiche, they have a small lavender patch made into a labyrinth for children to play in! And on the day of, they have a little birthday party and a pony was brought in to let kids have a taste of riding.

We were there to work so I didn't get to enjoy much of the farm but people were just all very nice. I had my tent up, and from time to time when the sun was gentle we would just sit in front of the booth at the wooden table and chairs provided for patrons to sun bath a little. I had my lovely organic meal of the day and helped out the animal organization a little with my sales. It was a great day for Bunnies Can Dream and Harlequin&Lionhead!

BTW, my mascot porcelain rabbit has retired. I have this constant fear I would break it one day so I got this carved wood rabbit in Hong Kong instead. It has a black friend who crouches. I'll show you next time :) 

Meet me in August at these locations

August brings some really exciting events. First off is a very meaningful one for animals in need of adoption and the kind people who take care of them in the interim. 

Event: Fundraiser for Forgotten Friends of Long Island

Date: August 18, 2012 (rain date: Aug 19)
Time: 10am - 5pm
Location: Organic Farm - Garden of Eve
4558 Sound Ave, Riverhead, New York 11901
(At the intersection of Sound Ave and Rt 83/Northville Tpk)

Forgotten Friends of Long Island was established in the spring of 2008 as a rescue organization that would help the neediest animals in our municipal shelters. Their mission statement was to reflect the belief that all lives should never be forgotten. The folks at the organization decided to rescue the animal that was continuously overlooked by others or the one in need of medical care. They constantly host adoption events. Check out their website here.

Garden of Eve kindly offers their space for this coming fundraiser. For more info regarding the organic produce, click here.

For this special event, proceeds of all vendors' sales will help support the organization and their efforts. Bunnies Can Dream and Harlequin&Lionhead will be donating 20% of all sales. I will also have (very) limited quantity of these lovely animal silhouette pendants available at my booth.

These little pendants are all about 3/4 of an inch tall or less, made in brass with satin polish, hung on a delicate plated ball chain of 16 inches long. Do you see your favorite animals here?

My other portfolio

It has been awhile since I post something here. I have been very busy with Harlequin&Lionhead this year, I don't think I have given enough love for Bunnies Can Dream recently. But then again, I am a busy bun dreaming big dreams. I thought I'll share a little milestone here with you.

I have recently put together a set of samples of Harlequin&Lionhead to be circulated with a company. Here are some shots of it and a quick note on how you can do it for your own line easily, if you have not already.

Case

If you are in New York, visit Midtown Display on 30th Street between Broadway and 5th Ave. They sell some nice portfolio cases for jewelers there. I bought the bigger ones. One for each of my collections.

The problem is that there is no card slot on the front. So I just print a tag containing my brand, my website, email and phone number, and use a super wide packing tape trimmed nicely to seal it on top and stick it to the cover. It is good to have all your info there because if a buyer or a shop owner lost your card, they can simply find your info on your portfolio. And if (touch wood) you lost your portfolio in a public area, some nice person can also call you to return it. 

And then of course, I put down the name of the collection and mark it as "Samples" on the front.

Inside the portfolio there are space on the left for chain necklaces with straps to keep everything in place. My pendants are pretty big so I use u-pins to keep them tightly stuck so it doesn't swing around scratching each other. On the right there are 2 rows for studs, and 4 ring pillow straps which I love because my rings are too big for usual slots. At the bottom there are also spaces for chain bracelets. But for my rose bangles, I simple use the faux leather clasps for chains on the left, snap them off and hook around the elastics on the bottom right through the bangles. It keeps the big bangles tight in place. (see top image)

Reference tags

What is key is that you have a little label for each piece. I included my line sheet with the samples but you can never assume the buyer will have your line sheet handy when reviewing your samples. What if they pass the portfolio to someone else in the office? Or worse still, what if one of your pieces is separated from the portfolio on someone's desk? How do you expect them to remember this is yours (of course they should if you have an unique style, but they could be reviewing a ton of stuff everyday). 

Even if they do have everything in one place, help them refer the piece easily to the line sheet by quoting the sku number and item name. I also included a small note if one of the variations I listed in the line sheet is not among the samples I sent them. So they will not be confused - "where is that 2-tone plated version in black and rose gold? I only see one color here...oh wait, ok it is not available right now. Got it."

And as I said, include your contact on the tag. How do you get these tags done cheaply and quickly? Print everything at home! 

I got nice textured paper from Paper Presentation on 18th Street between 5th and 6th Ave. I type everything out (or rather, copied from my line sheet) onto a word doc, set the column wide to 1.5 inch and do 2-3 columns on one sheet. Print it out from my inkjet printer. Putting the other side of the text on the tag is easy. Get a inkjet printable label sheet instead of trying to line things up on word. 

Cut everything up quickly with a paper cutting board (you can get it cheaply there or at any art supplies store), use a small size paper hole puncher (which I also use for earring cards) and...Voila! Done in no time. Loop through about 6-in long string per tag, and tie a knot.  The tags can go around any jewelry easily.

Line Sheet

I put everything in a nice folder. Card, line sheet and bio. Get the folder from Paper Presentation as well. Many colors to choose from. I use the same textured paper from Paper Presentation I used for the tags for the cover as well, to give it a bit of charm and consistency. And the same paper is used for the business card. I print everything in small amount on my inkjet. Of course, you can always print business cards easily with Vista Print or Moo. But I like mine with embossing. Get embossing powder in different color or even metallic from Paper Presentation or Michael's cheaply and get a heat gun while you are there. You'll never run out of the powder and the heat gun is great for plastic shrink wrapping and many other craft purposes. 

Keep your line sheet simple - pictures on white or black or gray background, no texture. 1-2 images max. per design. Put all color variations on one shot if possible. 1-2 lines of product spec (no fancy write up, just dimension, materials...etc), and wholesale price point (no sales tax needed for wholesale!) If you have specific terms and conditions, include it. And remember to include an order form with fields for the customer's contact info and tax ID! 

Make sure you create simple enough SKU numbers. Never too ridiculously long, or you and your customers will have a hard time referring to it.

Hold it all together in one place

Last but not least, if you are leaving it with a company, make sure to find a good bag for your portfolio and line sheet to sit together.

I have not printed my own bags, so I got a white shopping bag, and print out labels of my brand, with my contact info, and stick the labels on both sides of the bag. And I stapled a card on the bag with the buyer's name and contact, and my info on the bag. So if any chance the whole thing got circulated around their office, it will go back to my contact person.

One set done. A couple sets to go and I am ready to venture out and talk to more people. Sell sell sell!!!

A grand review and forecast!

2011 is definitely a year of blessing. A few ups and downs. But most importantly, no regrets. It was a year of confirmation and reinforcement. The past 12 months I am able to see which direction I should proceed and set a good foundation for 2012.

After leaving my stressful job in advertising back in May 2010, I have been working on my own terms. I met many new friends and propelled my jewelry shops from a hobby to an initial business. I am a much happier person, and a lot more patient and relaxed. To a point, I would say I have become a little less organized and a little more forgetful! But I love every second of it.

2012 will require some major changes. Big things planned and I am not sure if I can do it all. But I will try my best.

Here is a quick list of 2011 major incidents:

1. Finished 12 handmade markets!
2. Met some really talented people and made a few good friends through Etsy
3. Launched a brand new macrame line on Bunnies Can Dream
4. Launched a brand new polymer clay Whirls collection on Bunnies Can Dream
5. Got my first wholesale order for Bunnies Can Dream
6. Found a stable supplier for Harlequin&Lionhead
7. Launched a brand new Whirls collection on Harlequin&Lionhead
8. Got my first custom order for Harlequin&Lionhead
9. Triple my billing for my jewelry shops
10. Purchased my first work bench ever!
11. Helped Charcoal find his new love, Roxy
12. Became an aunt to my baby niece, Tegan
13. Finally went to Niagara Falls, thanks to my mom
14. Carved my first pumpkin, thanks to Jessica
15. Recovered from a bad little accident

And here is a list of 2012 targets:

1. Triple my 2011 billing
2. Get the Rose and Whirls collection into boutiques
3. Find a fashion related full time job (that would still allow me to work on my shops!)
4. Get into at least 2 major handmade markets
5. Get into at least 1 major trade shows
6. Squeeze in a stone setting course
7. Create a collection of polymer clay Whirls art piece
8. Become a mother (unwillingly :P)
9. Learn to drive
10. Visit a lavender farm

The higher the target, the more anxious I get. But we still have 11.5 months ahead. Maybe, just maybe, the carrot is not too big for the bunny that dreams big.

Next Stop - Columbus Avenue Holiday Pop-Up Market

Finally I have all the info for my next market. The Columbus Avenue Holiday Pop-Up Market organized by the Astoria Market. It will be at the beautiful Church of St. Paul the Apostle, where the Radio City Rockettes practices during the week ;) And it is just steps away from Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle and Central Park.

Date    : Dec 10, 2011
Time   : 11am - 5:30pm
Where : Columbus Avenue (9th Ave) btw W59th St & W60th

45 plus vendors that will be featuring their unique handcrafted and vintage wares out of the spacious 9000 square foot auditorium. You’re sure to find amazing holiday gifts such as art, jewelry, toys, body care, handbags, clothing, stationary, scarves and hats, pottery, and more!

Read more about the market here:
NY1: http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_community_calendar/events/#18957
Queens Mamas: http://www.queensmamas.com/queens_mamas/2011/12/shopping-made-easy-holiday-shops-and-markets-in-queens.html
City Limits: http://www.citylimits.org/calendar/15337/columbus-avenue-holiday-pop-up-market-on-12-10
Pretty City: http://nyc.prettycity.com/events.cfm
Markets of New York: http://www.marketsofnewyork.com/2011-new-york-holiday-markets-guide/
NY Free Guide: http://www.nyfreeguide.com/content/columbus-avenue-holiday-pop-market

Remember, you get special discounts when you buy from my table at the holiday markets. And you can order online and pick up at my table so you don't need to pay for shipping :)
I hope to see you soon!

My table at the Dekalb Market last Sunday, Dec 4.

The new Harlequin&Lionhead corner on my table - all of the Whirls Collection will be available and some of them are available at the market with a special 20% off. So come check it out.

Hans-My-Hedgehog will be sharing my table at the market. Get some pretty holiday cards and ornaments for your loved ones this Christmas!

Holiday Sale and My Next Few Stops!

Bunnies Can Dream is now on sale up to 25% OFF!

Click here to the Sale section.

More exciting new items are on promotion!
Sign up for my mailing list and you get an exclusive offer ;)
And don't forget if you are already an customer,
you get 10% off your next purchase!

***

So where will I be in NYC this December? More details to come but here is a quick schedule:

Dec 4 - Dekalb Market, Brooklyn

10am - 5:30pm

138 Willoughby St

This lovely market is getting better and better. Come check out the weekend market vendors and the 24x7 retailers in recycled containers! A larger and better food court and lots of live music and art installation. I was vending there last weekend and I love the fried donuts, BBQ chicken panini, delicious ginger carrot soup and yumyum chocolate from Jacques Torres.

The shops opens around 11am though the weekend market and food vendors will be ready for you at 10am. The place does not close until 9pm I believe but as the sun goes down, lazy bunny me will be packing up around 5pm so come visit me before then.

Getting there is easy! The BDMQ line is right outside the market. Or take 2,3,4,5,G line you will be right around the area. 

If you crave from some cheesecake afterwards, Junior's is just right there.

ATM machine at the food court too but I take credit card now ;) yippee~~

Dec 10 - PopUp Holiday Market in Manhattan!

More details to come on this one but this is managed by the Astoria Market organizer and it will be at The Church of St. Paul the Apostle on Columbus Avenue between 59th and 60th Streets in Manhattan! 

I'll be selling with my pal, Jessica Boehman of Hans-My-Hedgehog with lots of holiday greeting cards.

Upper West Side, here we come! 

Dec 17 - Brooklyn Craft Central Holiday Market

Noon - 6pm

633 Degraw St. in Park Slope/Gowanus

This event is an annual highlight of X'mas shopping! This year it will be on Dec 17 and Dec 18 though I only appear on the 17th. It is an indoor event at Littlefield, a warehouse-turned-club and each day will feature different vendors. So you get lots of choices of quality gifts you last minute shoppers!

It is accessible by R train, 2 blocks from the Union Street stop. 

Will post more later about the events as it gets closer. Hope to see you all there!

"Whirls" Collection

"Whirls" Collection
The “Whirls” Collection is launched in Bunnies Can Dream as a crossover line to Debbie’s other jewelry brand, Harlequin&Lionhead. The polymer clay version is featured at Bunnies Can Dream, while the metal version will be available at Harlequin&Lionhead on Nov 1.

The “Whirls” Collection showcases clusters of organic shapes that are perceived differently by different people. It could be interpreted as feathers, flowers, leaves or even coral pieces. It is edgy but with a subtle sensitivity. Each piece is handmade by Debbie in New York and not produced in mould, so they are one-of-a-kind with its own personality.

The clay pieces are made of polymer clay, heated to harden, and treated with layers of gloss and matt protective finishing to create different textures and increase durability.

Check out the details of each piece at Bunnies Can Dream on Etsy here.