What a happy time it is for us!  We are so proud to announce that our lovely, unique tie dye is now available to the retail marketplace, online and ready for purchase.

You might be asking yourself why this is such a huge and wonderful event for us.  Up to this point, we have been unable to offer our tie dye to the marketplace due to the cost effectiveness of the tie dye process. 

Back in the day, we would build up inventory by dying up a particular color way (say for example, our ever-popular fuchsia heart design) so that we would have goods available for immediate delivery. However, we found that if stores did not order that color way our profit was sitting right there on our warehouse floor.  Not only that, the white garments that we used to dye that color way were now not available to dye the color ways that people were interested in.  It was a lose/lose situation all the way around.  

Also at the same time, we had been accommodating our store customers by allowing them to buy one of this (say for instance a gold heart pattern) and one of that (a different color way).  We soon found that this was not an effective way to run a tie-dye business.

So we had a collective meeting of our tie dye minds and decided that the only way we could make this work was to apply minimum orders to those stores who ordered from us.  Our tie dye artists decided that 12 was the magical number - the number of garments needed to dye up a single dye lot.  And so that became and continues to be the norm with our wholesale business.  Well, the retail buying public does not buy in groups of 12.  Therefore, we were unable to offer our ever-so-popular tie dye on a retail basis.

But we found a way to do so. We were taking a look at our inventory and discovered what we like to call “a treasure chest of tie-dyed garments” . . . . . . dyed garments that had been made as extras for orders, samples of brand new colors we offer and tie-dyed garments that happen to be among our best sellers.  And then it hit us, why not offer this beautiful collection to the retail public.  And so we created a web site featuring all of these beautiful items called Tie Dye Baby Clothes.  

We have designed this site to be your “go to website” when you are looking for that unique and original and really cool gift. We will continue to stock it with one-of-a-kind treasures.  We will showcase the site with brand new colors and designs.  You will find tie-dyed outfits that you will not find in the stores anywhere.  That’s a promise!

This is where you will see our creative energies blossom into full swing.   This is our tie-dye artists’ haven.Come visit us and see what we are talking about.  Our web address is www.tiedyebabyclothes.net.  We welcome any comments or suggestions you might have on our new site.          

We love babies . . . . all babies so much so that our wonderful design staff, headed by Karen Jacobson, created an applique awarding every brand new bundle as the “Best 2008 Baby.”  

Because we wanted this applique to be perfect (just like those precious babies wearing it), much thought and time was invested in this project of love.We think of babies as being soft and sweet. So we thought we would use a soft felt fabric for the applique in those ever-so-lovely and traditional shades of pastel blue and pastel pink. We wanted to add a bit of shine to the award, so we selected the subtle brilliance of a blue and a pink faceted-metallic rhine stud which we think nicely frames the beautifully embroidered “2008″ in the center of the applique.

And we opted for the shape of an award-winning ribbon minus the ribbon part, mostly to prevent fraying of the ribbon and to keep the integrity of the applique after several washings.”Best 2008 Baby” is substantial in that it is constructed out of two pieces of nice, thick felt finely stitched together with a running stitch. Why you can even say it is 3 dimensional in that the rhine studs are raised ever-so-slightly from the applique.

We are very proud of this finely constructed, well-thought-out unique applique that, up to this point, has not be found in the marketplace.We envision this to be our signature applique. Not only does this little treasure mark the year of sweet baby’s birth, but it is meant to be kept as a keepsake to be placed amongst the collection of precious things to be appreciated and remembered for all time. 

We would love to hear your comments, input or opinions on our new “Best 2008 Baby” applique.  Would you please share your thoughts with us? 

To view a larger image of the above photos, simply click on them.Thank you.

I remember meeting with a graphic artist some 11 years ago when I first started Tiny Bundles.  It had taken a while for me to come up with our name.  My first inclination was to call our company Tiny Bundles of Joy. Way too long.  So I shortened it to be just “Tiny Bundles.”  Sure from time to time people get confused and call me tiny bubbles (a tribute to Don Ho, I suspect), but I think the name works.

“Tiny Bundles,” well what images come to your mind when you hear these words?  A tiny bundle of cash, perhaps. Or something small that needs special attention and protection. I have always intended our company to be associated with love, somehow, someway.  I explained to this young graphic artist that I wanted my image to impart love - the love between a parent and a child.  And this is what she created:  This logo carried us from 1996 until 2005.

Then when we hired Avant Studios to create a wholesale site for us, we found out that they also created corporate identities.  Right then I said to myself, “hmm, maybe it is time for an update, a new look.”

In speaking to Stuart and Spencer Smith of Avant, the image I had for Tiny Bundles remained the same.  

Recently, I visited Avant Studios’ website at: www.avantstudios.com.  I clicked on their “portfolio“ link and that link took me to their “corporate identity“ link.  I selected the icon for my logo and proceeded to read what exactly went into the development and creation of the logo that I love and even more so now that I know what went on in bringing it to life.  I want to share their words with you.

    tinybundles logomark 

LOVE.

Such an ethereal and broad concept is difficult to communicate without using a commonplace or overused icon like a heart.  So our focus turned towards outward demonstrations of love - a hug, an embrace, a gaze.

MEANING

The tiny bundles mark represents the unity (oneness) of parent and child.  the bond of love, a simple embrace, an intimate interaction, a glance. Other interpretations of the form could be a child within the womb, or a rattle.

FORM

The form is one continuous line, but creates two distinct circular forms.  This simple elegant stroke is “loose” and freefrom, which makes it playful. Yet the thickness of the line makes the form strong and stable, keeping the logo from feeling like it will blow away.  Wit and playfulness balanced with strength and stability are two essential qualities in both a logo and the company it represents.

QUALITIES

This form is simple and easily identifiable.  The repetition and interplay of circular forms make the mark both interesting to look at and memorable.  The abstract qualities will let people create their own interpretations, and will keep them guessing. Because of its simplicity, it will be easy to apply to almost anything, including the smallest of clothing tags.  All these contribute to the timelessness and flexibility of the Tiny bundles logo.

For corporate identity, you can’t do any better than these two talented young men at Avant Studios. Our logo - it says it all and for that we are thankful.                                                  
 

AvaBaby’s Preemie Wear –  A valued Client

I had received an e-mail from Rebecca of AvaBaby’s. She was requesting information about our Tiny Bundles’ preemie clothing.

She had mentioned in her e-mail that she was the grandmother of a granddaughter that had been born at 26 1/2 weeks.

I had walked the walk of having a preemie baby, but had not walked the walk Rebecca had.  As I came to learn about Rebecca’s experience, I realized that she had walked a very different walk than I had.

First of all, my stay in the hospital was 4 days.  My baby came home with me in my arms.  She weighed all of 4 pounds, 4 ounces.  She was tiny.  And her arrival time was 5 weeks early.

Rebecca’s granddaughter, Ava, weighed 1 pound, 15 ounces and measured 13 inches in length and her first 3 months were spent in the NICU, a very different walk indeed.

“The arrival of a micro preemie and the NICU experience is entirely out of the ordinary and understood only by those who have been there,” says Rebecca.

One of the first pleasures the family had was being able to dress sweet baby Ava.  The difficulty in finding clothing for micro preemies during this most trying period, left Rebecca with the feeling that she would like to offer these hard-to-find items to other families in this same situation.

What really sealed this desire was the birth of Ava’s brother, Cash.  Also a preemie, he stayed put a bit longer.  His arrival was 7 weeks early and although he weighed 5 pounds and 6 ounces, he had a short stay in the NICU as well.  Even at this weight, it was still hard to find clothing that would fit him at the local mall.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Rebecca while delivering her Tiny Bundles’ order.  She had shared with me one of their experiences while in the NICU.  She said that she and her husband were able to bond with Ava by placing one hand on top of Ava’s head and the other hand at her feet.  They were able to cradle her with love this way and bond in this special way that no one else could.  How that touches my heart.

Rebecca has scoured the world to find clothing designed to fit the tiniest of preemies ranging from 1 to 6 pounds.  After visiting her website at www.avababys.com, I think you will agree that she has done a fine job of securing clothing and accessories for micro preemies.  Her Internet retail website is nicely designed with the use of calm, tranquil colors.  You want to stay and visit a while.  Make sure you take a look at the image of baby Ava while still in the NICU.

 Our hat is off to you Rebecca for not only seeing the need but filling the need for those families with very early arrivals.

I was turned on to him by my web masters at Avant Studios. Avant had designed both my wholesale and retail web sites. My wholesale site at www.tinybundles.com was primarily informational whereas my retail site at www.tinytinyclothing.com was created for well, retail purchases.

My retail site had been established for well over a year with next to no activity. I had asked my guys at Avant about referring someone who could optimize the search engines for my retail web site. They were reluctant to give me any, as they were unsure of how they performed. Then back in November, the guys finally gave me the name of a person that they heard I could trust.

This is where Brian McCullough comes into play. I called him and explained my plight. He told me he would visit my web site and then put a proposal together of various options that would be available to me.

True to his word, Brian sent me a proposal that contained four different options. As I read through the categories of each option, some I was familiar with, most I was not, like social networking marketing, Facebook, Pay-Pre-Click management, blog campaign and solidifying external web content, it was like trying to read Greek. Sure, I am bilingual, but Greek isn’t one of the languages I speak.

The last time I had to think about search engine optimization was way back in 1997 with the development of my first “retail only” web site. The competition for businesses selling preemie clothing way back in the day was not like it is today. The only thing I really remember about utilizing a service for search engine optimization was that I paid Yahoo a certain dollar amount to appear in their first few pages.

After trying to make heads or tails of these presented options, I had the good fortune to meet Brian face-to-face at a local Starbucks.

In walked this confident, nice young man. I enjoyed meeting him from the moment I saw him. Enthusiasm and passion is what I saw on his face as he explained his business to me. I thought, “here is a man who is on top of his game and he has got it really going on.” Boy was I impressed. I had many questions to ask him about the categories I knew nothing about. As he started to explain the categories, I think I kind of zoned out for a moment because a lot of what he said was simply flying over my head. I started to feel like an old cassette in a new CD world.

His patience in answering all of my questions, helped me understand the categories that up to this point had only been mere concepts, if that.And he did so with kindness and communicated to me without making me feel like a fool.

That is when he asked me if I would be interested in setting up a blog. I was embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even know what one was. He told me that it was basically a journal where I could write whatever I wanted to about my company. He told me to take a look at other people’s blogs to get a better feel of what blogging is all about.

Brian is a firm believer in the power of the blog. He explained to me that many of his clients had blogs and that he would network all of us together. He mentioned that blogging could also optimize my search engine ratings. I decided to have him set up my blog at www.tinytinyblog.com.  By the way, tinytinyblog is the wonderful name he came up with.

And can I tell you that I just love my blog. I am having the time of my life with it. I hold my blog dear to me as it gives my business a voice, people can see what Tiny Bundles is all about. I think that is cool, very cool.

With the combination of Brian’s optimization program and creation of the blog, I can tell you that I have seen the traffic to my tinytinyclothing double and on its way to tripling its figures. All this happened in a few short months. But even more important than this, the site has started to generate sales. My site had remained dormant for so long, that it was nice to have some orders to make sure everything on my site was working properly. I am so grateful to Brian and the results I have seen that I will always sing his praises.

I had asked him about his company, Interloop Media, yesterday and he explained it to me in a way that made sense. He said that his business does not replace anyone. He optimizes the marketing dollars used by a company on a project, say like a press release that may only be read once and then kind of disappears, maybe even forgotten, and archives it through all sorts of media - hence the name Interloop - looping the media - presenting it to many medias. He is basically helping companies get the best bang for their buck. And who doesn’t want that?

If you are looking for an Internet Consultant, Brian McCullough is whom you want on your team. He is a key player on ours and he should be on yours too.