One thing I am consistently thankful and totally grateful for is the ever insatiable desire of mine to create! Thank God I always feel like I have something to do, something to think about, and something to make! I cannot begin to understand someone who is bored, or who says, “I can’t find a job”, or “I have no idea what to do!” Are you kidding me? There are a million and one things to learn to do, to make, to love, to be inspired about! If I could do one thing for someone it would be to instill creative inspiration or expression in them, may it be writing, sewing, crafting, photographing, building, ANYTHING! To hear of someone not doing a thing with their life breaks my heart into a billion pieces! It is imperative that you search for and FIND your passion in life and may it be helping others and helping yourself at the same time! Life is terribly exciting and the challenges of achieving your goals are the bread and butter of life!

I was reminded of this today when I took a visit to a ROCK STAR of the fabric designing world’s private home, Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom fame! To be in her presence is a total treat for someone like me! She is a total inspiration for crafting and learning about design. Her home is one of bohemian elegance and George, her dog, is an unbelievable lover of human kind. He gave me plenty of kisses and got to show off his chair to me.

Jennifer is of the same ilk as me regarding life and excitement. She loves what she does and now has a new book out called Girl’s World, which gives some great patterns for sewing up some girl’s clothing! Her home is like being in a live fairy tale! It is rich with color, texture, pattern, and products made of her beautiful fabric. I got to take a gander into her private stash of fabric today and it was indelibly wonderful.

I feel very fortunate to know some super stellar people and Jennifer is one of them! I cannot wait for all of you to see my new Sis Boom Belt Collection inspired by Jennifer Paganelli! It is going to be colorful, whimsical and totally girly! YAY! Saturated color with a vintage flair…. that is alright by me!

If you are in Utah this week, Jennifer will be at the Quilt Mart signing her book and stopping by the Free Spirit Booth to talk to the shoppers! That will be a great event indeed.

This is a quilt made of Jennifer’s Designs, DELICIOUS, right? It is like a candy store! Love it!! See! Quilting is not just for your grandma anymore, although I don’t quilt, I appreciate the art and the designers who create some unbelievable fabrics! They inspire me! Yay, it’s fucking summer bitches! Let’s sew, create and Rock!!

www.olivergreenonline.com will be there! come and shop for hard to find gifts, get a head start on your spring wardrobe, hostess gifts, and teacher gifts!

http://www.earthangelstoys.com/index.html

 Jen O’Connor 845-986-8720

Wow, all these creations are incredibly inspiring to me! Jen O’Connor has created this unbelieveable collection of women artists and sells their creations on line! You cannot imagine a more complete dream of all things magical! I love this site and could look at the products for hours and hours. I hope you visit this site and gain more perspective into simple things, creativity, magic and the spirit of life! I am naturally high on inspiration from these images!

a cuff bracelet! to die for...

Seriously, I just stepped into “wonderland”…..

Totally genius idea and designs from an old college friend, John Michael Schlotter who hails from the upstate NY region who now dons the streets of Greenpoint Brooklyn’s fashion row. Congratulations to John for opening a UNISEX clothing store! YES! I love to wear men’s separates and now someone finally has fused together separates for the fashion foreward and has also combined the use of organic and recycled materials! How can you go wrong? Plus, the clothing is exceptionally cool and I would expect nothing less from the handsome young Schlotter whom I met in art school in the 80s!

Not only can this man paint and draw, AND IS A GREAT FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER –but his clothing is modern, fresh, simple, with some very innovative design elements all mixed in! He has lived in Italy as well and that Euro sensability combined with Asian edge is reflected in his line Artists and Revolutionaries. I love the distressed combat style boots he shows. Genderless clothing is ground breaking and media friendly! I can’t see how this won’t be a total WIN for John! I find it exhilarating and totally NECESSARY, Modern and forward in terms of spirit and philosophy.

One of my favorite clothing lines is All Saints Spitalfields and I have purchased harem jeans, STYLE: Gun, but have found that I need to lift the crotch a little with my sewing teacher due to the inability to run in them. I always wear clothing I can run in, just a necessary for me. I like to be able to move in case my mouth gets me into trouble! ha ha ha.. The Gun at All Saints is a little too aggressive in the harem department due to the heavy duty denim, but you can sling in some jersey cotton harems for sure…My H&M Harem jeans today are perfect. I had my sewing teacher take them in on the waist but the crotch hang is totally bad ass and perfect for movement, comfort and style!

I mention harem because John has, of course, incorporated this trend into his line and has a bad ass pair of cropped harems, and prolly more than those, I think I saw some cottony jersey type too… AND unisex… and I love them. Do it JOHN! I so knew you would do somthing “revolutionary”… in terms of philosophy, art, fashion and style…

Here is a story on John, scroll down:http://brooklynbased.net/email/2010/11/eastern-district-and-the-north-greenpoint-retail-explosion/

Here is a link to the other page: http://www.peopleofthefreemind.com

Description of the line: (inspiration)….

Artists & Revolutionaries is an organic and eco-friendly fashion label based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Designed and created by John-Michael Schlotter, the label presents a unique and forward-thinking approach toward fashion. Artists & Revolutionaries dissolves the boundaries of conventional design, offering unisex, size-free clothing.  The designs are, as described by John-Michael, genderless and created for everyone.

Artists & Revolutionaries draws its influences from Japanese aesthetics, in combination with a rebellious punk attitude.  The label is a modern interpretation of upscale-underground and grunge, with Japanese influences.

Artists & Revolutionaries’ philosophy is to create unique handcrafted items, using eco-friendly materials and processes. Merchandise is made from organic, repurposed or up-cycled materials and natural dyes. Materials commonly used in Artist & Revolutionaries’ designs are washed cashmere, repurposed leather, hemp and organic cottons.

My Pile of New Belts, I love MADRAS!

On my snow day, Wednesday, I was shoveling and thinking, who wants the easy way out? If I didn’t have a challenge standing before me regarding achieving my business dream, what would I have at all? I know I am grateful for having self confidence, curiosity, a supportive family, and smart, good friends. At times I can become focused on what I haven’t accomplished yet with my business, but that doesn’t do any good! I have even been known to be envious of other women who’s husbands fund their ventures, but for real, from the bottom of my heart, I have to say now I wouldn’t have it any other way! I never in a million years thought I would come to that conclusion, but there is a lot to be said for being “self-made” for going through it all, learning, and enjoying the journey. I am enjoying it so much now, especially because I have taken a major step in educating myself about “business”.

I am more the creative force behind the brand, make the product and do literally everything right now, and it is invaluable, tiring, but stimulating! My second class at SCORE Norwalk kicked major a$$! It was lively, engaging, and informative. I also signed up to work with a mentor and am excited to find out who they pair me with now. Mr. York told me that his mother in law had a similar business to mine in the 60s which is neat. Maybe I can go talk to her sometime and get some wisdom. All I know is that I get a steady stream of phone calls from clients telling me they love my belts, they want more large, they want more men’s, they want to sell them, they want to carry them in their stores, and that used to frustrate me because I knew I couldn’t fulfill all their desires, but now that I am on the road to growing it, I feel much happier for those calls. I used to feel overwhelmed when customers would come into my tent and say you should do this, that and the other thing, and I would say, “Yes, I know, but I am one girl with a sewing machine.”

I had a great time talking with my friend Sue S. as well. She is taking the classes as well. She is a seasoned business woman who has a fresh perspective! It’s super fun to have something to be passionate about and I urge you, if you don’t have anything, try to think of something you can do for yourself or grow into a business. It is like the hardest puzzle or game you could conquer. It is not for everyone, but it sure is fun! You will have to go without, you will have to live smaller than you think, but you have purpose.

With that being said, I got a big pile of madras fabric to sew up, and I am pretty excited because it is great for men too! I will be making some larges too! YAY! Bring it on weekend, I have a lot to do and am grateful. www.olivergreenonline.com

Today was monumental in the fact that I actually attended a SCORE class tonight and it was packed! It feels like a step in the right direction to assist me in finishing up my business plan. I have already learned some stuff I didn’t know with respect to company formation strategies, etc. I also learned that I am an entrepreneur through and through, meaning when times get tough, I don’t fold.

Class at SCORE

SCORE Counselors chatting and getting ready for class

The Cover of the Handout Binder

I am excited about learning more about business and trying to figure out where to go next with my creative company, www.olivergreenonline.com ! I also signed up for a sewing class that begins in the Spring! I can’t wait to learn about patterns, lingo, and being able to make whatever it is I want. I am a master craft-er, but when it comes to being a seamstress, I fall short. I am a DIY’er to the core, and can figure most things out, but this sewing thing- making garments, totally intimidates me! If I want, I would love to try out for Project Runway, but I will have to know much, much more than I do now!

p.s. I also signed up for a couple hour course on energy and auras, a short one, cheap, and sure to be interesting. Oh, and today, I wondered why there aren’t a lot of Mercedes in my hood, ha ha ha, and today, the same car drove by twice, a gold Mercedes wagon, once with the lights off. I wonder if my accidental psychic powers are kicking in again!

I cannot believe how incredibly genius and forward thinking this service is! This just reinforces all my diatribes about how “we the people” are now the “media”!!

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Today was absolutely a day of eating mixed with productivity in terms of building my belt business. I finally got around to getting on paper my skeleton business plan. With that many discussions were had in terms of ideas and lots of thinking. Thanks to Diane and John, we came up with some pretty interesting scenarios. As I drove home from Greenwich, I felt inundated with thoughts, possible plans and food for fodder. I have saturated a small market within Fairfield and Westchester counties, as well as national orders from my web site. The brand is well known locally and trusted. I have lots of repeat and loyal clients and that always makes me feel good. Developing and creating a quality product has made me proud. Having a demand that I cannot possibly meet, frustrating. At every show I am met with comments like, why don’t you have more men’s, more larges, more smalls, any kids? I always have the same reply, I am one woman with a sewing machine and limited time, I focus on what I sell the most of, size medium. My medium belt fits a wide range of sizes. Women sized 2 to 10/12, which is most of the population which wishes to accentuate their waist. I will be in my fifth year as of March 2011 and I am faced with the reality that I do need to grow. I reach such a small population of craft show attendees in upscale areas, and participate in boutique shows in various locations, giving back to charitable organizations. Within this smaller specialized market I do rather well for one girl with a sewing machine. One year I managed to live off it, doing it full time, lots of shows and lots of sewing. With my limitations in making them myself and participating in shows, and the economy, I have secured other work for a safety net which takes me away from a company I know could produce a fine living, if grown into other retail markets.

I am recognizing that I have some wealthy target markets and a middle class affordable market as well. Due to the variety of fabrics, my customers also range from ages 10 to 85! That is a huge demographic! People are driven to specific fabrics, colors and widths, all a personal decision and my ability to reach and attract such a large audience is a huge accomplishment. My clients are fanatical and buy more than one belt most of the time, and I have never had a return in 5 years of business! I also have only had two exchanges, and that was only because they thought one fabric might be better suited once they walked the show and thought about it. Every store I have approached has bought, and If only I had the time to manage those relationships, re-orders would have occurred. I have had interest in re-orders, but find my time so limited that I cannot fulfill them.  I am always too busy selling them outright to make more money for my hard work in making them. Much attention to detail goes in every belt, and the quality is unmatched in any other fabric D Ring Belt out there! My customers wash them, wear them daily and beat them up and they last years! They also stay tightly fastened due to the extensive experimentation with d ring, fabric and webbing weight combinations. They are soft yet hearty and sturdy. Any oliver green customer will tell you, they love their belt, wear it all the time and consistently get compliments on them. They are comfortable due to the design and practicality (they work and keep your pants up) are loved by equestrians and golfers alike due to the fact that they can’t feel them on, light weight, and they don’t have to keep retightening, all the while adding significant style to their appearance.

Why am I writing this blog post? To remind myself, that I have a great product, brand recognition and a true ability to grow as the demand is there. Sometimes it just helps to get something out so that you understand things a little better. This is no different than a note to someone about something, this is a note to myself. To not give up, to pursue growth and put a great product out there to a much wider audience. To not be deterred and to have total confidence due to experience. I have been in front of my customer for 5 years now, in person, listening to them ooing and ahhing and telling me how much they love my belts, and how excited they are that the “belt lady” is here- that they’ve waited all year to see me and buy more. They all know I have a web site, but they love the selection, seeing the mind blowing display and the interaction with me. People also buy you when they buy your products. I also need to remind myself that so many people say, OMG, you need to be in Cape Cod, Nantucket, pro shops, tack shops, cool stores like Fred Segal and Kitson! I love it when a husband of a customer gets so into talking to me about my company and the business aspect of it. They love to talk about the business itself and compliment my product. My favorite is when people say, I cannot believe you haven’t been bought out by a bigger company! I say, “What is there to buy, me and my sewing machine?!!” Perception is everything, and the product reeks of big company quality. I was also approached by a large fashion company professional who now manufactures riding apparel who was interested in putting her label on my product! That was a great compliment. I was also approached by an event company in LA who puts together exclusive private gift show events for the major awards shows, the one in particular that they wanted my product in was the 2011 Academy Awards Gift Bag Red Carpet style event. They found me and extended the invitation! I have even had other vendors try to copy my product and fail miserably in the quality department! So, again, this is a note to self, you are recognized, you are putting out a quality sought after product, NOW GROW. With that being said, I will be putting together a business plan and seeking investment! I just put it out into the world, universe, hear me loud and clear, the world is ready for oliver green!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

This weekend, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting a young businessman who is making things happen for himself. Grant Tankoos, formerly of Vineyard Vines fame, has struck out on his own and created an innovative product that coincides with his love of sailing. Cutting boards with cleats that are customizable with just about any image in his library or if you have a jpeg file, he can create that as well! Many people were putting initials on them, yacht club logos, pictures of islands that are meaningful to them, and wedding dates. They make a great gift for a bachelor who might have a particular hobby whereby you can create a most personal gift.

You don’t have to buy a board emulating sail deck wood with cleats, as he has many different styles to suit everyone. He suggests them for housewarming, gifts for a weekend stay, and to commemorate important life events. They are sturdy, attractive and have been sanded, bees waxed and prepared to last a life time. The only thing you need to do to maintain it is wash it with warm soap and occasionally put some mineral oil on it. His boards were popular this weekend at the Apawamis Country Club in Rye.

Grant is young, driven, and has grown his business very quickly, only having began it two years ago. He loves the challenges of being an entrepreneur and customers love his quality, unique and personalized product. He has recently come out with a horse bit handle on his new boards, which are equally beautiful. You can order them off his web site, go into an specialty gift store in fairfield county, or at your local Vineyard Vines! He is professional, and a pleasure to deal with. Web Site: http://www.soundviewmillworks.com/Cleat_Boards.html

This exact model, 1979 Sans Spoiler

I was chatting with Eli today on Facebook and holy sh$T who knew! This boy is the sole definition of bada$$! I love, love, love muscle cars and if I had my way would be driving an old school Impala daily! Eli grew up in Greenwich, CT of all places. I am totally a fan now that I have found him and you can bet he will be a guest on my blog talk radio show and SOON! Growing up in upstate New York, this sort of thing is akin to me and my roots. My first car was a black Firebird and all my local biker guy friends would work on it for free. That thing hauled a$$~!  I dream of owning a classic muscle car or truck again someday. So now, back to Sweets! Read below about him and look for him soon on a relevant cable network! I love what he does, and cannot wait to talk with him. Talk about a passion and living it, he is DOING IT BIG!

Check him out here too: http://sweetrods.com/index.cfm?page=video

This is a little blurb about his show: Sweet Rods

Cable Network Buzz; The Sweet Hotrods show is quickly becoming network televisions must see cable TV show coming this spring. The show’s host Sweets brings viewers along as he searches the country looking for hopeless and or deserted ”old School” automobiles, (also known as barn fines) which he restores back to life, with his own distinctive twist.  The relationships he develops with many of these car owners gives a glimpse of the attachment people have with their cars no matter what the age or condition it may be in.

During this very entertaining and informative 1/2-hour hotrod restoration show, sweets teaches viewers his unique grassroots car building techniques once used back in the early days of hot rodding. Sweets amazing fabrication skills become very apparent during the shows first few episodes as he restores to life a 1965 Mustang as well as a 1941 Chevrolet coupe.

Sweets old school car building fabrication skills were honed as a teenager while building getaway cars for the infamous underground Bootleggers referred to as, “Dim Old Shine Boys” while Running White Lightning throughout southern Maryland and Virginia. Reverting back to his southern racing roots sweets found illegal Street Racing and Moonshine Running to be a great catalyst for his creative inventions, building true American Hotrods.

Sweet Daddy, or “Sweets” is an exceptionally gifted, urban, hip, witty, street smart, hustling, nose to the grindstone builder of custom old-school street rods.

His fabrication skills were honed as a teenager , when he found illegal street racing and moonshine running to be a great catalyst for his creative inventions.

Shunning cookie cutter manufacturing, Sweet Rods was born with the ideology that custom built means 1 of a kind, not 1 of thousands.

Sweets’ wide variation of associates, peers, admirers, competitors and friends led to his realization and appreciation of the fact that everyone loves to have their own personal stamp on their hot-rod. Thus by taking the time to interview and spend time with his customers before beginning a custom build, he is able to create appealing custom cars that mirror the personalities of their owners and are appreciated by all regardless of where they come from or what they do.

His unparalleled skills draw a interest of folks from a variety of backgrounds, from the rich and famous to die-hard car enthusiasts that accept nothing less than the apex of custom built street rods.

A true artist that freestyles like a rapper or musician, but instead of using a microphone or instrument to reach a crowd, he uses metal, paint, and gears.