New Meaning to Feathered Hair?

Feathered hair is that whispy long-layered hair style that Farrah Fawcett wore so well…right?  Well, now maybe not so much.  

image courtesy of Fashion Matters

This new style of real feather extensions or clips is everywhere I go! Denver, Dallas, Austin…and I just can’t get enough.  So my new love…FEATHERS.

My new feather extensions...straightened...

...and curled!

This new look merges with the style of Driftwood of unique, free spirited, and organic.  I even think Farrah would have rocked these locks back in the day!

Lovin' the Colors
image courtesy of KeenanEvans

I was first exposed to the feather extensions while scrolling through the Free People Blog.  It wasn't until I saw them on a few stylish girls in LoDo, Denver that I knew I had to get some “feather love” in my hair.  Ironically enough Blake’s cousin, Lisa of Lisa Kennedy Styling in Austin, TX started selling feather clips on her etsy store!

My new feather clip from KS etsy store

Just after I ordered my clips I stopped in the Free People Dallas store to find they were having a "feather event".  Without questions asked I got my first feather extension.  They last a few months and the best part is that you can wash, dry, brush, style, straighten and curl them…fabulous, I know. 

My Free People gals giving me feather extensions

Check out the looks below of more feathered locks...just picture each model wearing the "Lola Bag"... ":)

Taryn Manning hosting NYE at the Bol in Vail with her feathers
image courtesy of Feather Locks

Bohemian Babe
image courtesy of Bella Via

Rockin' Black
image courtesy of Condition Culture

Pretty in Pink
image courtesy of Plume Your Hair

Oh the many colors..
image courtesy of Feather Junkie

The Famous Feather Braid
image courtesy of Rock'a Feather

Long Full Feathers
image courtesy of Urban Outfitters

Sturdy enough for the Summit Runs!
image courtesy of Rock'a Feather

How cute is she??
image courtesy of Rock'a Feather

Multi-Plume Grizzlies (I know too much)
image courtesy of Feather Junkie

A Natural
image courtesy of Condition Culture

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First Public Event: Contemporary Western Art Exhibit

We are so excited to showcase our latest samples of the "Lola Bag" this Thursday, January 6 from 5:30-8:30pm at Translations Gallery. It's an event where you can see a number of artists showcasing the culture of the National Western Stock Show and we are honored to be a part of it. If you're local to Denver or already plan on being there stop on by to see us! Check out the bags, grab some info and chat it up. Hope to see you there!

Quick Response (QR) Codes

These funny looking chessboard-like squares are popping up everywhere – magazines, business cards, airports…even on cupcakes!

What is a QR Code you ask? They are really pretty cool. QR Codes are similar to barcodes. They’re two-dimensional codes, that when scanned by a QR reader (usually in the form of an app on your phone) they can display text to the user, add a vCard to the user’s address book, compose a text message, play a video or audio recording, or direct a user to a website.

QR Codes have been around since the mid 1990’s and are common in Japan but have just recently become more popular in the US. This technology is being used in many ways allowing for creative and engaging connections between the physical and digital worlds.

FYI - The act of linking from real world objects is called “hardlink” or “physical world hyperlinks”.

(Rachel took these photos in Denver International Airport. These are great examples of how CLEAR and 1^St Bank are using QR Codes.)

At Driftwood we plan to use QR Codes in a big way. We’ve designed t-shirts, stickers and our business cards to link to our website when scanned with a QR reader.  

(Scan these and go to our website!!)

TapMedia makes a very functional QR Code reader. Download if free on iTunes here.

Scan it with your new QR Reader!

Look for tweets and Facebook updates announcing scavenger hunt contests where by scanning QR Codes in “top-secret” locations you can receive discounts on our products and maybe even a free handbag!

Driftwood and social media

It’s undeniable that social media and social marketing are more than fads. There are more than 500 million Facebook users and 190 million twitterers.  Companies of all shapes and sizes have profiles on every social site. In 2009 American Apparel and others were among the adventurous few from the fashion industry to embrace social marketing. After encouraging results, many other companies have followed.

Rachel and I are becoming self-proclaimed social gurus in order to grow Driftwood Designs. We plan to share every step of creating our company, selling awesome handbags, and anything else. Keep up with our musings on the blog. You can check out our website, follow us on Twitter, be fans on Facebook. We’re on YouTube, Etsy…really everywhere.

Check out this video on how HUGE social media has become.

We want to hear from you. Input from our friends and family will be essential to the company’s growth. So please keep in touch. Let us know how we’re doing and how we can improve and in the mean time if anyone has any advice on how social media can help us, we’re all ears. Please leave a comment.

From Calligraphy to Logo

The name “driftwood” was a creation from staying up way too late, looking at magazines, browsing the internet and looking at my favorites on etsy.com.  We knew the logo may take more than one late night especially if we wanted to do it right.  I started sketching the word “driftwood” in different ways and didn’t quite fall in love with anything.

That’s when I stumbled on PerchPapiers on etsy.com.  Heather is a calligrapher and I fell in love with her work and handwritings within moments of seeing her samples on picasa.  So we placed an order as quickly as we could.  She started by writing driftwood and some other motto words over 40 different ways.  Only a week or so later I received a beautifully wrapped collection of “driftwoods” along with a sweet note from Heather herself.

In Heather’s note she recommended cutting words and letters from the pages and using them as puzzle pieces.  I couldn’t believe she would suggest cutting up her work, but she was the expert so I got to snipping….and it was kind of fun! Sure enough I came up with a “driftwood” that I fell in love with!

PerchPapiers…well Heather to be specific… helped us take this handwriting and develop a digital image that is now the logo, look, feel and essence behind Driftwood Designs.  We couldn’t be more satisfied and excited about the logo.  We think it has a sense of playfulness, artsy, edgy but elegant look that we were going for. Tell us what you think!

Quality Control: Meet Lola

  

Well it was going to happen sooner or later…you were going to have to meet Lola at some point.  Might as well get it out of the way.  This is Lola.  She is my 1 year-old Miniature English Bulldog and best friend in the entire world.  You will often hear me refer to her as a number of different nicknames including but not limited to:  Lola Grace, Lola Bear, Crinkle Butt, Crinkle, Crinks, Chunker, Butterball and Fat Kid.  I know most of these names we wouldn’t be fond of having ourselves, but she doesn’t mind.

Lola has served as an integral part of this design process.  When we first showed our samples to friends and family there was a recurring question…”these horns are so beautiful…how do you know they are real?”.  The funds haven’t allowed us to make the trip to India yet, so we couldn’t say for certain they were.  At least not until Lola got a hold of a horn. 

It started at night when she would jump off the bed and whine at my dresser.  It took me a few days to figure out she was wining at my purse I put there each evening.   Sure enough I mindlessly threw my bag on the floor the other evening and discovered Lola sniffing and licking it like it was the best bone she’d ever found.  

It was official.  The horn was “Lola tested”…100% organic and Lola chew toy material.  

She left me a little slobber as she licked her lips

Working with foreign manufacturers…over the Internet

Note: typing s l o w e r and in ALL CAPS does not help.

Rachel and I scoured the Internet for our manufactures. We have spent at ton of time on G Chat and emailing with dozens of people across the globe. (the World Wide Web is pretty amazing!) I’m not sure exactly how we settled on our handbag and horn manufacturers… As newbies to the manufacturing process, Rachel and I have been skeptical of everything.  I guess after several days conversing with our handbag and horn manufactures we felt comfortable moving forward with the design process and ultimately ordering our first samples. 

The design process initially has consisted of emailing pictures, sketches, and written descriptions of our designs to our manufactures, decoding their cryptic half English responses, and then corroboratively working toward the production of a sample to be mailed to us. Check out this email…haha!

We have finally found that Photoshop is the best tool for communication. Pictures with arrows, circles, and descriptions like “same”, “just like this”, and “NOT LIKE THIS” have helped curb misunderstandings due to language barriers.

My dad will politely remind me that I can always work on my patience. Well Dad, this has been a good exercise…

At Driftwood Designs we want to design and produce the best product possible. Our handbags are made of high quality cowhide and expertly assembled in Guangzhou, China. In the late 1600’s Guangzhou emerged as one of China’s most successful ports for international trade and has remained so today.

Our horns and hardware are polished and then assembled by artisans near Moradabad, India. Moradabad is famously known as “Brass City” because of its huge export of the metal.

We just received our 3^rd horn sample and the 3^rd iteration of our 2nd handbag sample!!  We’ve been glued to our iPhones the past week… Trackthis is an awesome app that sends push messages as your packages travels through various checkpoints on its journey to you…simply thrilling.  

The process of designing and redesigning sample after sample has not been easy and inexpensive (and we still have to make our full first production order!!!) but these handbags are going to be freakin’ awesome (Rachel has been getting TONS of complements when she wears the samples) and I can’t wait to share them with everyone…we can’t afford this otherwise… :)