Monday, March 30, 2009

Official press photo


Couldn't resist! Lacy had her professional photo taken at the Barking Beauty Pageant and of course, I got sucked in by those moon eyes and bought one. She does look cute ;)
Go to http://www.stevenrosenphotography.com/ if you want to see the rest of the "contestants" on his blog. Great fun. I enjoyed watching him work.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

What a trip........


Lacy may be my muse and looked beautiful in the sweaters at the Barking Beauty Pageant on Sunday, but there's no chance of her becoming America's next top (dog) model. Being the consummate diva, she outright refused to walk onto the center area but was, however, gracious enough to pause and sniff a hello, one by one, to each of the spectators sitting on the floor. Unfortunately, the time allotted to us was very brief (and there was no Miss Congeniality award to earn). My visions of her prancing, head held high, proudly modeling my designs (maybe turning slightly and coyly glancing over her shoulder at an adoring audience) fell totally flat and I ended up picking her up and walking her around, while the moderator explained that this old girl was a diva in the truest sense of the word. The other dogs were all adorable and their owners were at various levels of fixation on their pets, from nonchalant to manic obsessive so it was an education for me as to what my potential customer is willing to do for their pet...... I handed out business cards and information about Lollypups Petwear (and accepted the accolades on their uniqueness and originality) so all in all, mission accomplished. I hear there may be coverage of the event on The Learning Channel. Stay tuned.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Upcoming Barking Beauty Pageant











Lacy will be debuting a couple of the Lollypups sweaters this Sunday March 22. Sorbet Valentine was custom made for her and strictly for publicity purposes, the other I haven't decided on yet. However, check out the earlier posts with pictures of the 3 styles in development.
The details for the pageant are as listed on the website:
http://thebarkingbeauty.com/nyc and the pagaent benefits BARC, Brooklyn Animal Resource Coalition, which does great things for shelter animals. Erika, Emily and I had the honor of taking out 3 of the dogs for a day of undivided attention and love (plenty of that available from we three)

Lacy can use all the support she can get since her only purpose in life is to eat, poop and look pretty. She does sit (after several commands--she's such a diva and will do it in her own time)

and dances on her hind legs (tempted by a treat) but those are all the "tricks" she's capable of so chances of her winning the "talent" phase are slim. However, it's for a great cause and good exposure for my Lollypups Petwear. The more spectators cheering her on, the better, so if you can, do come. It should be fun!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Samples are on the way.....and I say YEA!

Spoke to China this morning and Vera sent an attachment of the two counter samples along with the proto for comparison. All I could say was WOW! Secretly, I wasn't sure they could do it but outside of a couple of mistakes (miscommunication being the biggest problem in dealing with China), they did a stellar job of interpreting the Lucky and Misty styles. Happily, Vera says the factory will remake the samples correctly based on my comments.
Note to self: China takes EVERYTHING literally so what they get is what they'll produce. I found that out with the first factory and realize that maybe it's just the norm. Nothing that a trip to Asia wouldn't remedy but I know now to be very thorough and make myself very, very clear. Tomorrow I get the breakdown of costs (yikes!) (insert uncontrollable teeth chattering here!!)
Then onto the next step of this incredible journey. I need more funding now that the initial seed money has done it's job so I have to figure that out. Production is another story altogether. I'm convinced I have a really saleable product so, armed with that knowledge, the ability to produce, and with the upcoming publicity establishing the brand, I'll start the marketing strategy, get the website completed and begin showing the product to high end boutiques.
Should anyone ask me if I'm having fun yet...........I'd simply say...........ha........no brainer!!! Have I bitten off more than I can chew?...........ABSOLUTELY! It's what makes me even more determined to make Lollypups Pet Wear work. More to follow..................

March came in like a lion and is still roaring..........

Crazy busy........feverishly creating :)
Communicating with the factory on final details and the counter samples are finally in the works. I'm told they'll be shipped this week so fingers are crossed. Meanwhile, Lacy will be wearing a custom design at the Fourth Annual Barking Beauty Pageant taking place on Sunday, March 22, 2009. I'll post a picture of it after the pageant which is being held at the Richmond Shepard Theatre -309 East 26th St. between 1st & 2nd Avenues. Should be fun and good publicity with Modern Dog Magazine in attendance .......bring on the pupparazzi! (sorry, couldn't resist)

Next up, the FIT pet wear fashion show brought to you by the FIT event planning students and featuring the pet wear design department's creations on April 22nd. "Professional" doggie models will be used so Lacy will not be the "next top model" in this event.Don't want her to get too into the diva mode anyway so it's a good thing. More on that later......bedtime beckons!