Elephant Collection

Elephant Kind of Day

  Curated By: thecrazyeleph...

ArtFire.com

Handmade Gifts

Work Space

We did a remodel on our shop, so it is high time our workspace got a little work too! I used to share my workspace with Jayne's homeschool. This year I took over the room. We never got around to rearranging it though and it wasn't exactly user friendly.

Computer, clutter, and kids posters...it's time to go! Plus the doggy who's favorite spot is to lay on my foot while I sew.

Now that we have it rearranged the process from start to finish is much more fluid. Plus my rather large sewing desk is now in the larger part of the room. This odd shaped hallway of a room has never looked so big! We still need to take out some of the clutter and there are still some homeschool items that need a home. Some decorating and rearranging need to happen on the walls too. I would like to repaint as well. I am thinking elephant blue.

Great progression from sewing to photoing to stocking the shelf. Plus 1 kiddo that can't keep himself out of a pic.

Festival Basket

For the last 3 years a part of our holiday tradition has been to design a tree for Festival of Trees. The event benefits Hiawatha Homes, an organization that helps those who are differently abled. Since it is an area thing, just imagine a huge room filled with dozens of beautifully decorated Christmas trees. Christmas?! I know your eyebrow is raised, but festival sign ups are in the summer and it takes a long time to get a tree design together, these aren't your mama's tree!

This year we sold our 1 and only car, green and cost effective. It means we can't drive in to do tree setup and maintenance. Bummer, but we can still participate. I put together a sweet little gift basket for the silent auction and it turned out just wonderfully. Here it is...

There is a little of everything in there, all from The Crazy Elephant Boutique!

Tutorials Anyone?

Are you ready and waiting for some fun tutorials? If you are, you will be happy to know that they will be coming along as soon as the weather cools down and I am trapped in the house again. The plan is to do photo tutorials for reusable lunch bags, freezie sleeves, burpcloths, and more. In the mean time here is a little ditty about making your own cloth tissues...

This is a super easy project that anyone can do! Cut some money out of your budget and some extra paper from the landfill. Make your own kleenex with fabric. My favorites are made of flannel, which can be 1 layer, or t-shirt type material. This is a great way to use old shirts of other clothing items.

Decide how large you would like them to be. I either use an actual kleenex as a pattern or work with the size that my fabric is. Next you sew around the edge. Finish your tissue by pinking the edges and you are ready to use. I like to use 1 layer of fabric for heavier materials like flannel, but do 2 layers for lighter materials.

We just switched to fabric this year and I am very happy! None of us have had the crusty, red, dried out noses that we used to get with paper. It has been a very comfortable winter.

Don't sew? Turn those old shirts and whatnot into tissues anyway. Just cut them to size and when you are done using, just toss them. If the material is going to end up in the trash, it might as well get 1 more use. This is also a good way to use scraps from cutting up fabric that are not big enough to really become tissues.

Photogenic

Photos are so very important to an etsy shop! It makes me sad to see a poorly shot item. That item might be amazing if given half a chance. Now I'm not saying our photos are perfect, there is always room for growth and correction. I saw this photo on a competitors page and realized it used the same flannel that I have on some of my pads. Check out the difference here:


Competitor shot

The colors are so dark! I almost didn't recognise the fabric, if it weren't for the bees. They were a dead giveaway. Below is our shot. The colors are bright and as true to color as we can get. My hope is that our photos give our customers a good grasp for what they are going to get. I would love to hear how all of you like our photos. Feel free to share your photo to purchase stories!

Our shot

Cutting, Cutting, and More Cutting

Snow? Dandruff? Bamboo fuzz!

I think I still have fuzz up my nose! I spent 4 hours finishing up the cutting for our pad drive yesterday. Today is the last day of the official pad drive, where every 3 pads sold = 1 pad donated. My fantastic customers ordered enough for me to send 27 pads! I cut 34 to cover any orders I get today (plus some extras...I dare you all to make me have to cut more). I also had some donations for supplies to make additional pads to send and the total pads cut from that are 75. That makes a grand total of 109 pads! Thank goodness I have some sewing vollunteers. The plan is to work on them over the summer and send out about 20 at a time. A smaller package has an easier time traveling  overseas. I also want to throw out thank yous to our contributors, of time and money, We couldn't have hit our goal of sending 100 pads without you!

These are just the heavy absorbs of the 75, they make up about a third of the total pad stack.

Happy Allergies

Little Tissues in Bumblebee Buzz

Crazy thought, I know! Allergies have always left us misserable most of the summer. Between us we went through many , many boxes of tissues. By the end of the summer our poor noses were so sore and red. It is crazy to think that people ever switched to paper tissues in the first place. They are rough on your nose esspecially over long periods of time. Of course, our noses healed just in time for cold season, go figure!

One day, when we didn't feel like buying more tissues, we broke out the fabric scraps and the first little tissues were born. It is one of the best things we ever did for our family! Fabric tissues, and flannel in particular, are so soft and gentle on our noses. We never reach for a tissue and groan wondering if we wouldn't rather have our runny noses than blow them again anymore. Our days of sore and red noses are a thing of the past and we are loving it!

Our little tissues are made with 1 layer of flannel and are super soft for noses in need. Their small size is great for little ones and to pop in a pocket on the go. They are super easy to clean, just toss them in the laundry whenever you like. Plus when you run out, you don't have to go to the store, just wash and reuse!

Little tissues are about 9in X 7.5in and made with 1 layer of flannel. Fraying around the edges is natural and keeps the tissue from having a bulky edge that is hard on noses. All of our products are made in a nonsmoking home. Pattern placement may vary.
What our customers have to say:

"These are super cute and useful! Me and my son love using these!!"

"Very happy with my purchase! Arrived as described and can't wait to give my niece and nephew their new "nose towels!"

"These are so cute and soft. Plus super fast shipping, I love it. Thanks!"

You can find all our tissues at thecrazyelephantboutique.com!

Review and Giveaway

Here is your chance to see what our pads are all about from one of our fantastic customers! Plus we are giving away a starter set of peanut pads. So watch the video and comment (on the video, not on this blog) to get entered...

Restocking

Sewing, sewing, sewing!

It has been a lot of fun restocking. My sewing basket has been stuffed since we came back from vacation, and not from lack of sewing. Adam has been helping me cut and has taken over the job of photography and edits. This means I have more time to sew and build up stock. This month has been a little slow with the shop having been closed for several days for our vacation. It has been kind of nice though because the shop was nearly empty after the Spring Cleaning Sale. The first week was al about getting the new bamboo pads listed and now that most of them are up I am working on restocking the heavy pads, since they keep selling almost completely out. I am happy I was able to get in some tissues and nursing pads too. Tonight we will be at it together again sewing and photoing so there will be more new listings all week!

Bring in the New

Last week was the big break and we spent 2 days straight redoing our shop. Now that the shop has new photos and graphics it looks fantastic! Here is what our shop looked like before:

The photo backgrounds were different variations of white and gray and the photos were very random.

And look at it now!

All the product backgrounds are now a nice crisp white and each product section is very uniform, making it easy to find just what you are looking for.

Another new thing you will notice in the shop now is that the selection of items has been narrowed down to all the best sellers. We now only carry Pads, nursing pads, mazes, tissues, and bows. We will still happily take custom orders for the other items we have carried in the past, but by reducing the different types of items we carry it makes it easier for us to keep the most popular ones in stock.

Heavy Peanut Pads

Our Heavy Absorbency Pads are great for heavy flow days. They are a little thicker than the medium absorb pads but are still soft, fluffy, and ultra comfy. They breathe while still giving me the protection I need. No more moisture lock and irritation from plastic lined disposable pads. They are made with 2 layers of cotton flannel, a layer of super absorbent Zorb, and a layer of fleece on the bottom to help with grip. Stitching down the side of the pad keep your flow focused on the center of the pad and helps the pad to conform to your body's shape. The fleece keeps your pad from sliding around even with it's wingless design! Peanut Pads are environmentally friendly and come in super fun prints!

The edges are cut with a pinking shears and will fray. This leaves less bulk than sewing the edges under and makes them more comfortable as well as helping to conform to your body. All our products are made in a smoke free home. Our fabrics are pre-washed before sewing.

Here is what our customers have to say:

"I am very pleased with my peanut liners and pad. The bottom fabric really does keep it in place all day, the top fabric is absorbent and dry. Very thin for an everyday panty coverage. Plus the seller is really easy to get in touch with, I will return!"

"So happy with purchase!! Very fast shipping!! Product is top quality!!"

Peanut Pads come in 2 lengths:The Short pad is roughly 10 inches long, 3.5 inches across at the widest point and 2.75 inches across the narrowest point.
The Long Pad is roughly 12 inches long, 3.75 inches across at the widest point and 3 inches across the narrowest point.
In 1 spot absorbency testing the heavy absorb pads held a whopping 2 Tablespoons (or 1 oz, or 6t) of water.

You can find all our peanut pads at thecrazyelephantboutique.com!

Medium Peanut Pads

Our medium absorbency pads are great for normal flow days. They are soft and fluffy but not bulky. They breathe while still giving me the protection I need. No more moisture lock and irritation from plastic lined disposable pads. They are made with 2 layers of cotton flannel, a layer of super thin bamboo terry cloth, and a layer of fleece on the bottom to help with grip. Stitching down the side of the pad keep your flow focused on the center of the pad and helps the pad to conform to your body's shape. The fleece keeps your pad from sliding around even with it's wingless design! Peanut Pads are environmentally friendly and come in super fun prints!

The edges are cut with a pinking shears and will fray. This leaves less bulk than sewing the edges under and makes them more comfortable as well as helping to conform to your body. All our products are made in a smoke free home. Our fabrics are pre-washed before sewing.

Here is what our customers have to say:

"Outstanding! TY Michelle for your skilled sewing, innovative, comfortable product & super fast shipping! Finest cloth pads of the many I've tried."

"I am very pleased with my peanut liners and pad. The bottom fabric really does keep it in place all day, the top fabric is absorbent and dry. Very thin for an everyday panty coverage. Plus the seller is really easy to get in touch with, I will return!"

"Arrived before I expected them to, super quick post! Beautifully packed and very comfortable to wear A+++++ I love them!"

Peanut Pads come in 2 lengths:
The Short pad is roughly 10 inches long, 3.5 inches across at the widest point and 2.75 inches across the narrowest point.
The Long Pad is roughly 12 inches long, 3.75 inches across at the widest point and 3 inches across the narrowest point.
In 1 spot absorbency testing the medium absorb pads held 3 teaspoons (or 1 Tablespoon, or .5 oz) of water.

You can find all of our peanut pads at thecrazyelephantboutique.com!

Little Peanut Panty Liners

Every woman knows the “joy” of having a monthly visitor, be it monthly or not. While I can’t help you send her away I can help save your pocketbook while she visits. It is time to get our little peanut panty liners. They are perfect for light days or to just stay fresh every day. Unlike disposable pads, our pads breathe keeping you comfortable and happy. These liners are perfect for light flow days or just to stay fresh. They are made with 2 layers of cotton flannel and a layer of fleece on the bottom to help with grip. The fleece keeps your pad from sliding around even with it's wingless design! Peanut Panty Liners are environmentally friendly and come in super fun prints!

The edges are cut with a pinking shears and will fray. This leaves less bulk than sewing the edges under and makes them more comfortable as well as helping to conform to your body. All our products are made in a smoke free home. Our fabrics are pre-washed before sewing.
Here is what our customers have to say:
"I love these liners, they stay in place really well and are long enough to be really useful and comfy without being too big. Thanks again!"

"These are so cute! And they stay in place well in my underwear. These shipped quickly too. Thanks! :)"

"Love these; wish I had discovered them sooner!"
They run about 7.5 to 7.75 inches long, 3.25 to 3.5 at the widest point across and 2.75 at the narrowest point. In 1 spot absorbency testing they held 2 teaspoons of water.

You can find all of our peanut panty liners at thecrazyelephantboutique.com

Countdown and Update

Our break is almost here and we couldn't be more excited! You have just a little more than 24 hours to get your last minute orders in. The sale section will be gone at that point and our look and prices will be different when we come back.

I also want to thank everyone who has made purchases since we started our pad drive! We are currently up to 19 pads to be donated from your purchases and we have a ton of materials to make way more from donated funds as well. I am happy to see the drive going so successfully and I will let you know when we make our first shipment!

You can learn more about our pad drive here!

Graphic Set

TCE Avatar

Last night I set to work on one of the bigger projects in our Crazy Elephant remodeling project, the graphic set! Adam came up with the concept and I realized it. I am really happy with the way it turned out too. I did a banner, which you may have already noticed, a mini banner (etsy's banner size is dreadfully small and hard to work with), the avatar, and business cards. To think, a year ago we were a children's boutique still trying to find our niche and now we are going strong as a pad shop, but we still have some goodies for the kids too. Here is a peek at the new graphics...

Etsy variation banner

Full banner

I ordered the business cards last night and they will come in about 2 weeks. If you want to see what they look like, you will just have to place an order when they come in. I can say that they will stand out, these will not be your same old business card!

Farmtastic Treasury

Check out all these great artisans here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzkxMjcwN3wyNzIwMzMxMzE5/a-day-on-the-farm

Product: Thong Liners

Some times a girl likes to go minimal! That doesn't mean she can't do it in style and comfort. Every woman has to manage her period and when it comes to minimal the Tear Drop Thong Liner is the way to go. This liner is perfectly shaped for maximum coverage in less than maximum panties. Unlike disposable pads, our pads breathe keeping you comfortable and happy. These liners are perfect for light flow days or just to stay fresh. They are made with 2 layers of cotton flannel and a layer of fleece on the bottom to help with grip. The fleece keeps your pad from sliding around even with it's wingless design! Tear drop thong liners are environmentally friendly and come in super fun prints!

The edges are cut with a pinking shears and will fray. This leaves less bulk than sewing the edges under and makes them more comfortable as well as helping to conform to your body. All our products are made in a smoke free home. Our fabrics are pre-washed before sewing.
Here is what our customers have to say:

"These are a really nice size and stay in place really well despite not having wings. Thank you!"

"I am very pleased with my liners and pad. The bottom fabric really does keep it in place all day, the top fabric is absorbent and dry. Very thin for an everyday panty coverage. Plus the seller is really easy to get in touch with, I will return!"
You can find all of our Tear Drop Thong Liners at thecrazyelephantboutique.com!

Description

Over the next couple of weeks I will be doing some product info posts. They will all be linked in a tab so that there is 1 easy stop to find all the info you might want to know about. Have you had a question about one of the items we carry? Let us know and we will make sure that that information is included in the post!

Pads on Sale

1 of the things we are doing when we remodel the shop next month is giving our medium absorb pads an upgrade. Now we use a cotton terry cloth core. Our updated line will have a bamboo terry core making them more absorbent and even lighter weight than before. So, what are we doing with the cotton core pads that everyone already knows and loves? We put them on sale of course! Check out all the pads and other goodies on sale in our SPRING CLEANING SALE section in our shop. The last run of pads we had in the sale section went very fast, so if you want to get your pad stash up for a stellar (and limited time) price, get in there fast!

Medium Absorb Short Peanut Pad in Birds in the Trees - SPRING CLEANING SALE

Also, another reminder that we will be closed for our much needed vacation and shop remodel from the 8th to the 15th. The sale will be over when the shop reopens. You can find all of our sale items at thecrazyelephantboutique.com! The sale pads do count toward the pad drive as well, in case anyone was wanting to know.

Up Coming Break

We have been going strong for months on end! Seriously, I haven't put the shop in vacation mode for an actual vacation since we opened in 2009! We have had so many changes in the last year that we think it is time to do some updates. We will be closing for a week from June 8-15. Our whole shop will be getting a make over and here are some of the areas we will be working on...

We will be doing a makeover on all of our graphics. The elephant will still be with us, so don't worry about him. Our shop has changed drastically in the last year and our look should too.

Our photos are going to get redone so that all of them are beautiful and crisp and enticing.

Last, but certainly not least, our pads are going to become permanent fixtures. Are you confused about that one? If you haven't been a Crazy Elephant fan very long then you might not know that our pads have only been around for about 6 months! We have decided that the trial run for them is definitely complete, meaning new descriptions, photos and prices that are more comparable to our competitors since they are no longer in testing.

We are making some big changes at The Crazy Elephant during our week off. We are making a move from being a hobby that is sold to having a business mind. The ultimate goal being that we are able to support our family and make this both our full time jobs. We have always had quality and service in the highest importance, but our new mindset is to push out nothing but our very best making our shop an amazing experience for everyone!

Reviews

We really love hearing from our customers! I mean it! I got this feedback in my shop a few days ago and it made my day:

"Outstanding! TY Michelle for your skilled sewing, innovative, comfortable product & super fast shipping! Finest cloth pads of the many I've tried."

Now I have all of my favorites in one spot. If you look at the tabs at the top you can find our customer reviews. Each one that is posted on there gave me that "I love what I do so very much" kind of chill!

Have a Heart Give a Pad

I know how we all just adore our periods! Ha! That'll be the day. As much as we dislike our periods here, it is far worse for others. If you are reading this there is a good chance that you have a bathroom drawer lined with period relate products, you may know when it is coming, and are as mentally prepared for it as one can really be...if you are reading this and are a woman that is.

I can't imagine what it would be like to not have my period relatively under control. I also never imagined that making reusable cloth pads could actually help anyone. When I was contacted by a volunteer from The Luhwahwa Youth Development Foundation (www.luyodefo.org), I knew it was a match made in heaven!

The Luhwahwa Youth Development Foundation is a non-profit, community based, non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides support to marginalized communities across the Kasese district of western Uganda. In developing countries, the issues regarding menstruation and lack of access to sanitary products are often kept silent and what should be a right of passage into womanhood is often a gateway to dropping out of school. Menstruation is a silent issue; half of adolescent girls consider it a disease and don't know how to deal with it. Most girls/ women are unable to afford sanitary napkins. The lack of feminine products and information lead to girls dropping out of school early as they have no opportunities to maintain their hygiene during menstrual periods, miss lessons and fall behind. Most often, girls face the embarrassment of blood leaking through their clothes (spotting). This lack of protection leads most girls to miss up to five days of school monthly. That is a lot of days over the course of a school year, 6 weeks!

The pad project is not just about raising attendance. It is about raising the profile of girls at home, at school, and in the community. It is about teaching them to advocate for themselves. It is about telling them to be proud, and that they have the right to be healthy and educated. The implications of this are significant. Today’s young girls will teach the next generation about puberty, sexuality, and reproductive health. The conspiracy of silence will have been broken. Through this project helping girls feel empowered, we really can create social change. Girls who feel empowered are going to ask questions and push to get their questions answered. They’re going to understand what’s happening to their bodies, and be able to make informed decisions that keep them healthy and safe.

The project is also about environment concerns. As any one can imagine a week worth of used pads damped on the dirty roads allover the villages, as there is no garbage cans for waste disposal for regular garbage pick-up, these used pads would end-up contaminating rivers and streams.

What can you do?

There are 3 main things you can do to help:

• Place a pad order at thecrazyelephantboutique.com! For every 3 pads ordered will will send a pad to the women of Uganda.
• Place an order at thecrazyelephantboutique.com for donation! Every pad that is ordered for donation will be doubled. That means if you order a pad (make sure to let me know in the message to seller) I will send 2 to help the women of Uganda.
• Go to the foundations website and get your own campaign started! (www.luyodefo.org)

Thank you to luyodefo for the information on the project!

Veggie Treasury

I am going to start posting a weekly treasury. I can toot my own horn all I want, but there are a plethora of fantastic artisans on Etsy and I love to share!


You can find the treasury and all the fantastic shops here: http://www.etsy.com/treasury/NzkxMjcwN3wyNzIwMjYzMjAx/walking-in-the-vegetable-garden

Thong Liner Launch

Give your period a little love!

Summer is coming and we will all be barely there! Now The Crazy Elephant will be too with our new line of tear drop thong liners. I have never used thong liners, but after trying out my design (because I am not about to let them go untested) I have to say they are super comfy! That was certainly a peasant surprise! They are made the same way our classic peanut pads are and are always high quality and fast shipping as are all of our items. Here is some customer feed back on them:

"I am very pleased with my liners and pad. The bottom fabric really does keep it in place all day, the top fabric is absorbent and dry. Very thin for an everyday panty coverage. Plus the seller is really easy to get in touch with, I will return!"

I love when my customers are happy! You can find the thong liners and all our other goodies at thecrazyelephantboutique.com!

They even come in a pair...one to wash and one to wear!

Take a Bow

I will be honest, closing the shop for a day drove me crazy! There is something about taking it easy and not really having anything nagging at me that just, well, nags at me! It must be the mom in me because the same thing happens when I have a kid free day, not that it happens very often. So, back I came and what is the first thing I sell just hours after the shop opens back up? 6 of my hair bows! I am very excited because the bows are a new item in my shop and this is the first sale of them.

You can find my bows in the shop tab above or click here!

It is interesting to watch what happens with new items, how long it takes to make the first sale, if it will float or sink. I have seen many of my new items flop despite their popularity in views and traffic. This was the way of the egg matching game, in case any of you were around back then. And then there are things that I don't expect to take off, like the panty liners. I made them because I liked them and thought, "why not add them to the shop?" So, the item I added just to see if someone else might like them to turned out to be the item that would shape our shop. I don't know where those 6 bows will lead, but it will be fun to find out.

Silent

The shop is closed today, along with thousands of others, in silet protest to Etsy. Etsy has been lacking as far as handmade. Handmade is supposed to be what Etsy is all about. The last straw that caused this protest was their artisan feature that featured a seller who has her finished products shipped to her. I won't go into detail because so many others have already. You can read more about it at protesty.com and feel free to join us by not selling or buying on Etsy today.

Launch is Coming

Today is Wednesday and around here that means it is my Crazy Elephant sewing and production day. That doesn't mean I don't work on custom orders and such other times of the week, but this is the day I get the bulk of it pushed out. Today is extra exciting because I will be sewing for a new product launch! What is this super fantastic new item? Thong panty liners! There has been mention of how it would be cool if we carried them but when I had an actual request for order I knew it was time to go for it. So, I will be sewing them today and I will do a post about the full launch when the time comes. In the meantime, here is a preview of what is to come!

Thong panty liners will be available soon!

Welcome

Welcome to The Crazy Elephant blog! I look forward to many fantastic posts about our shop, running a boutique, and toutorials to make green goodies of your own. In the mean time, bear with me as I get the shop set up and situated.