Ring in 2013!

Oh what a year 2012 has been for COTS!  If you have been following our story, you know 2012 was the year it all began.  It has been a year of creativity, learning, laughs, hard work, late nights but most of all, a lot of fun!  What can our faithful customers expect for 2013?  . . . More great designs for COTS’ classic tea towels, tile coasters and wine stops, faster posting of our items on Etsy and a couple more “popular” items to add to the COTS classic designs, just to name a few. 

Before we ring in 2013, I’m sure many of you will be wrapping up 2012 by putting away the holiday décor.  I will admit that I loath dragging out the holiday decorations. It’s more of a love/hate thing. Hate the thought of the actual “dragging” of bins, boxes, and bags, but love the moment when it’s all lit up and you can actually see the finished product. The in-between prep work is a blur!  There’s something so unnatural about “fluffing” up a Christmas tree but I just gave in to the notion that it was an Arizona thing to do and why is it always a struggle to get all the lights working?  After all the work is done, the end result is so beautiful!  Lights, garland and ornaments everywhere, one can’t help but get into a festive mood.  Until Hallmark makes the holiday season a year long celebration, all the beautiful decorations do need to be put away.  Here’s my holiday clean-up tip for you.  Go to your local grocery retailer and get a wine case box to store your ornaments (or if you’re like Brenda and me, wine is purchased by the case so you already have a box or two).  These boxes will hold TONS of ornaments.

Finally from Brenda and me, thank you for helping COTS become our little success story for 2012!  The master plan is that this will be our 1^st success story of many. Not one to make resolutions, but rather reflect and continue to make progress to move towards next year’s success story. We’ve met repeat customers and have received wonderful feedback and support.  We are grateful and will continue to do what we love and that’s Cranberries on the Side!  (Update from our last post:  Our website is up and running hooray!  www.CranberriesOnTheSide.com)

Grand Opening!

I think since I last blogged, we were busily trying to get the last minute things done to open up our online boutique (www.etsy.com/shop/cranberriesontheside).  Our goal was to open in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  We managed to do that and had three sales before the end of the weekend!  Woohoo!!!  Naturally, we aren’t able to retire from our day jobs and run COTS full time but, let me tell you, dreams of cranberries were dancing in our heads.

Of course we’re still working on some major details such as getting our main website up and running - yeesh what a nightmare for the tech challenged.  Once the dust settles, we’re hoping to have our online boutique, blog and website in one location.  Keep your fingers crossed that happens soon.

In the meantime, we just love this time of year and never think there’s enough hours in the day to get it all done.  I have half of the Christmas decorating done, baking still to do and, of course, filling all the COTS orders we’re getting either online or in-person.  If you’re local to the Phoenix Valley, we’ll be back at the Central Farmers Market on Saturday 12/1, 12/8 and 12/15.  We have the BEST $20 and under gifts for everyone on your list so check us out and tell a friend.

Through all the holiday hustle and bustle take time to enjoy each other and the sights and smell of the season. 

Merry Christmas!

Brenda and Julie

Countdown

     Oh my goodness there is so much to do to get a business up and running!  There’s test marketing to find out which products sell, licenses, website, photos, blogging, social networking . . . of course you can’t have a business if you don’t have a product and I know I have must have forgotten something. Luckily, I’m not doing this alone and have a fabulous business partner.  Brenda and I are like most of you, we both have demanding jobs and family (not implying that our families are demanding, well not all the time) and we both have our own successful business.  Why in the world would we take on this endeavor known as Cranberries on the Side?  We just love and believe what COTS is all about.  It’s about life’s little accessories that puts a little special something to what you and/or your children are wearing or have around your home while still making it all look effortless.  Will things always be perfect?  We’d like to think so but there is only one of us and just 24 hours in a day, and besides, the universe (specifically our husbands) can only deal with one invisible crown wearing perfectionists at a time.  Therefore, we may not blog as often or have our fabulous products in as many boutiques (although our towels are currently in three locations thanks to Brenda) our promise to you is that we will never ever skimp on quality or passion that we have for COTS!  So we invite you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, pin all our cute accessories on Pinterest because although Brenda and I have each other, we can’t do it without you.  That’s right, we’re counting on you to tell your friends where you got that great COTS bag, tea towel with the cute saying, one-of-a-kind wine stop and coasters or precious baby onesie . . . just to name a few of our great items.  You know what I find exciting about this whole endeavor, is that like fine wine, it will only get better with time.

     Brenda and I send our thoughts and prayers to everyone affected on the East Coast by Hurricane Sandy.



Fall

It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . . no I don’t mean Christmas, I mean Fall of course.  Living in the Southwest, it’s easy to overlook Fall because it’s still in the triple digits, (that’s code for in the 100’s for non AZ readers) however, it’s the beginning of the holiday season.  You see it everywhere, the stores have Halloween decorations AND Christmas decorations out at the same time.  There are so many decorating options that it can almost be overwhelming to the design challenged.  COTS advice is to use what makes you happy.  WHAT?  you may say, what kind of advice is that?  Let me show you what I’m talking about.  I decorated my buffet and there’s a little bit of shabby chic with the white pumpkins, glam with the glittery silver pumpkins, country chic with the burlap prints, the hurricane glass pedestal brings in some Tuscan flavor and hiding in the back is the large glass vase filled with mini pumpkins, gourds and tall twigs which in a natural kind-of-way, brings it all together.  My point is, mixing the different styles in your home makes the overall design look effortless, and most importantly makes me happy.  Effortless styles is what COTS is all about!

It's All About Trial & Error

We didn’t forget you, we’re just busy making this venture official that the tedious steps barely seem blog worthy.  During all of this, we still keep our creative hats on and have worked on a few new tea towel designs and other creations for the upcoming holidays.

I think we gave you a little hint in our last entry about a new tea towel design that hit us when we were at the Sourcing at Magic convention in Las Vegas.  Let us know what you think?  Our tea towels are a huge hit and living in the Southwest, this seemed just perfect.

As we enter the last quarter of the year, we’re getting ready for the holidays.  WAKE UP PEOPLE, yes, we are approaching that time of year and it looks like you and 3 thousand of our best friends can find us at the Central Farmers Market for the Fall Crafters event in October. We have been asked to set up our fab little shop 3 Saturdays in a row; (October 13^th, 20^th, & 27^th). We’ll take the month of November off to recover (while eating turkey and pie), and gear up again for the first three Saturdays in December (12/1, 12/8, 12/15).  Mark your calendars, plan to visit and get some (or all) of your holiday shopping done. There will also be a gift wrap station at the market to make your life easier!

Here are a couple of Halloween costumes we have available.

Wait, I think I kind of drifted away from the theme of the entry before I even started chatting about it.  What was the topic again, oh yes . . . Trial and Error.  Here at COTS it’s so important to us that we bring to you unique, top quality products.  Our most recent trial and error has been working with freezer paper.  Oh that darn freezer paper!  Brenda was brave enough to tackle the freezer paper and the 18 steps it takes to get a less than acceptable finished product. Earlier last month, I took a different approach with the freezer paper, and unfortunately…..not acceptable.  The moral of the story is that some ideas take time.  After all, it’s not called Chanel No. 1, it took five attempts before Chanel No. 5 was what it is today!

What happens in Vegas . . .

On Monday, we took our “show on the road” to where else…Vegas, baby!  Okay, maybe COTS is not really a road show but we did attend the annual Sourcing at Magic tradeshow.  Let me tell you, it was an eye-opening experience.  If you are a designer and/or buyer in the fashion industry, this tradeshow is for you!  At times, we felt like fish out of water but we learned a lot and found some potential suppliers for items like ribbon, bags and hats.  Although we may have been able to find the suppliers online, we are hands-on, 100% involved so we can see and touch everything, and besides, this particular portion of the tradeshow was free (who doesn’t like free), and we were excited to receive complimentary Square readers (again with the free), we got ideas for tea towel designs, and got to share some laughs on the flight home. We cannot wait to share our new ideas and designs with you, and if you’re local to the southwest, we have one you’ll LOVE!  As with any growing business, we want to learn from our experiences and I learned to ALWAYS bring a cloth napkin everywhere I go (it’s just one of my things), and beware of the cab driver that will rip you off…correction, try to rip you off.  COTS may be a new venture, and always learning but we will do our best to not be taken advantage of so we can pass all of our deals onto the best part of this ride, you, our customers.

Just a reminder, our next Central Farmers Market appearance will be Saturday, September 1^st from 8:00 to Noon.  As we are working towards launching our internet boutique soon, we are starting to narrow down our regular product line.  If there’s anything you want us to start carrying, let us know. 

Until next time, enjoy the rest of your week!

Lady Lanie Lou

   

     At this past weekend's Farmers Market, we were formally greeted by royalty in the form of a princess . . . enter, Lady Lanie Lou, the cutest little girl.  She was dressed in her proper Farmers Market attire consisting of what else, but a tutu and tiara!  Lady Lou was full of energy, definitely more than the average 3 year old princess.  Her bubbling personality had enough mischief to keep her Farmers Market subjects entertained.  Lady Lou had us all wanting to walk around wearing tiaras and tutus (come on you know you have at least one of them collecting dust in your closet).  Imagine how much fun the laundry, house cleaning and grocery shopping would be if we wore our princess gear as well as Lady Lanie Lou. Until next time, have a great week and let's take a cue from Lady Lou by wearing our tiara while we Stay Calm and Carry On!

Design Inspiration

     It has been awhile since we last posted but Brenda and I have been busy traveling and visiting family. Brenda spent time in Chicago visiting the in-laws and I had fun visiting my sisters and baby niece who happened to be born on my birthday (I know what you're thinking and yes, I am the best auntie ever!). No matter where we are, we constantly keep our eyes open for design ideas. Many COTS designs are original such as our burp cloths, tutus, tea towels, jute bags, flower clips, pillow bands and onesies; however, we're just like you.  We get A LOT of our ideas from Pinterest. Pinterest has quickly become our favorite website and our biggest down-time obsession (I prefer to use the term "researching".)! I'm constantly telling friends that Pinterest is a life changer. I don't think, I'll ever have to buy shampoo, laundry soap, cooking and/or bug spray ever again! We realize and are betting that a fair amount of you pin a lot of ideas but rarely get around to doing them. You're not alone in the "I can do that" department. There are so many ideas running through our heads as we pin idea after idea onto our boards imagining how we can make it by using a certain material, style or color we're drawn to. Some Pinterest ideas that we've put our own twist on are: picture frame dry erase boards, metal tray chalk boards, and wine corks. We're currently working on tile coasters, dry erase menu boards, monogram canvas bags, and about 113 other ideas, all in our heads of course. We also believe once we figure out what to do with freezer paper (another Pinterest pin), the design potential will be endless. So as we try to master the next "I can do that" thing, happy pinning!

The Many Purposes of a Tea Towel

One of COTS most popular item is our “oh-so-fab” tea towel.  Why so popular one might ask?  We believe our tea towels make the PERFECT hostess gifts and kitchen accessories. They go even better when delivering baked goods to your friends or neighbors. Yes, people still do that, and then your kind gesture turns into an extra special treat delivered.



Fourth of July and Team USA Towels




Giada De Laurentiis has a COTS towel.



Here at COTS, we strongly believe that life’s accessories should not be expensive so we priced our tea towels at $10.  Perhaps I should go back to the basics and explain the history of the tea towel.  Traditionally tea towels were used to cover warm scones or tea pots to prevent heat loss.  I’m sensing that is where the name came from.  A dictionary definition of a tea towel is a towel used to dry dishes and/or utensils.  Hhhmmm, All-righty then….. how about I just share what we like to do with tea towels.  Like the dictionary definition, I tend to grab a tea towel when I dry any silver, glasses and plates.  They leave what I’m drying completely spot and lint free.  Brenda recently taught me that because our towels are made from 100% cotton 28”x29” flour-sack material, they are perfect to use when rolling out pie crust, cookies or pizza dough.  Simply lay our towel on the counter, sprinkle some flour on it and then proceed to roll out the dough.  Once done, just pick-up the towel containing the loose flour and shake it outside.  However you decide to use your COTS tea towels, we are confident that there is a design that best suits your personality, or your friends, since you’ll soon realize it’s the perfect, affordable gift to give for any occasion or simply because they are oh-so-fab!



Central Farmers Market

Once a month COTS is invited to participate as a guest vendor at the Valley's fastest growing Farmers Market in Central Phoenix, (we're certain the growth and success is due to our presence).  This Farmers Market has quickly become a fun family ritual where on Saturday mornings, the locals will walk to the market pushing strollers or pulling wagons while drinking their morning coffee and walking the dog.  It's wonderful to be a part of the neighborhood and see everyone supporting local businesses,  taking an interest in fresh produce and purchasing the latest unique treasure.  To say thank you and contribute to the community, we donate a percentage of our day's proceeds to the church.  For all you locals reading this, the Centeral Farmers Market is conveniently located on the southest corner of Central and Northern at the Crossroads Church with special summer hours from 8:00 a.m. to noon (regular hours are from 9:00 to 2:00 p.m.) and runs year round.  That's right, this Farmers Market is open rain, snow or shine.  Okay, maybe it is a stretch to say "snow" when referring to weather in the Valley of the Sun, but Brenda and I have braved the April winds and drizzle to most recently enjoying the 110 degree heat.  We promise that you'll find something (or 3 things) that you won't be able to live without.  The Vendor's quarterly schedule will be out any day, so check back and we'll let you know our upcoming Market dates.  Until then enjoy the photos.  UPDATE:  Our next Farmers Market dates are 8/4 and 9/1, we hope to see you there.

COTS is the little way we all try to freshen up the look of our homes, seeing the eyes of a 3 year old light up when she gets her first tutu, a smile on grandma’s face when she opens her flower pin gift, or a simple flour sack tea towel hung in the kitchen.

We are passionate about all the little things, “on the side” so to speak, and it seems as though it’s the little details that complete a look and are easy enough to change when the mood strikes . . . . all while making it appear perfectly placed and natural . . . effortless!

Although we don’t sell cranberries or food, the COTS notion was quickly translated into terms of a fab Thanksgiving dinner.  We do not provide the furniture (or turkey), in your house, we provide the little sweet details to a home and your family.  Sort of the accessories of life, at least the sweet ones!

COTS' first post.

Welcome to COTS' first blog post.  Brenda and I have been friends for a couple of years.  Both of us have a day job but also own our own businesses (TuTu Cute by mini M, Baby K Bugs and ShugaFix).  We were constantly exchanging ideas and joking with each other that we're "building empires" when one day one of us casually said, "We should start a business together."  I think at the time, we didn't give it a second thought as we both have busy lives but it didn't take much time when we thought, "Why not?"  This year is all about creating our business, test marketing different designs so we can officially launch our internet boutique in January 2013.  Part of creating a business is branding yourself, learning new skills such as blogging (BTW, I think there is a blog for absolutely everything), taking risks all while maintaining a good attitude.  We hope you enjoy our COTS journey!