For all the yummy mommies out there, our designer for this week is Julie Sperling who designs a line of ’super swank blankets’ called Superfly Lullabies. You will find her at Make It Vancouver and Calgary this spring with stacks of gorgeous, brightly colored blankets galore!
1. What inspired you to start Superfly Lullabies?
I started Superfly Lullabies, as the coming together of a few different notions, actually.
I really had a crisis of identity, after becoming a mother, living in the ‘burbs… carrying around this awesome little baby, in all these pastel-ducks-and-bunnies-adorned blankets: all of a sudden, having more in common with these ladies in the grocery store lineup with their kids in tow, than their hipper counterparts I’d always felt more at home with, cruising around the city, day or night. It sounds kind of trite, but I found myself again, by putting fashion first. By saying “no” to what I perceived as the typical suburban-mom-stereotype, I was quite able to draw my boundaries, and let myself, and the world know that this baby was fitting into my lifestyle: not the other-way-around. And I did that with a cool blanket covering my kid in his stroller. Is that weird??
I was also in dire need to exert my own creative outlet, in a big way…. this seemed like a good fit.
Also, the hubs was a full-time student, and the maternity leave funds weren’t quite bringing in the bacon.
….sometimes things just have a way of coming together, non? Aaaaah, kismet.
I really had a crisis of identity, after becoming a mother, living in the ‘burbs… carrying around this awesome little baby, in all these pastel-ducks-and-bunnies-adorned blankets: all of a sudden, having more in common with these ladies in the grocery store lineup with their kids in tow, than their hipper counterparts I’d always felt more at home with, cruising around the city, day or night. It sounds kind of trite, but I found myself again, by putting fashion first. By saying “no” to what I perceived as the typical suburban-mom-stereotype, I was quite able to draw my boundaries, and let myself, and the world know that this baby was fitting into my lifestyle: not the other-way-around. And I did that with a cool blanket covering my kid in his stroller. Is that weird??
I was also in dire need to exert my own creative outlet, in a big way…. this seemed like a good fit.
Also, the hubs was a full-time student, and the maternity leave funds weren’t quite bringing in the bacon.
….sometimes things just have a way of coming together, non? Aaaaah, kismet.
2. Was the start up process all that you expected or were there some crazy hurdles you had to overcome?
Starting up the way I did, was admittedly a fairly low-risk way to start a biz. Etsy really helped me test the waters, to get a feel for the market and made things safely self-sustaining for awhile… which was perfect, as a new mum: I only had a certain amount of time I could really put into it anyway. My goals have really kept themselves at par with the growth of my business – which is really handy! – and the growth of my kiddos, so as they grow, I’m able to take on more and more.
There were definitely craaaaazy hurdles too: don’t get me wrong. There were some pretty major health-impediments that kept stopping my efforts… that was really disheartning: each time I’d get a little momentum behind me – I’d get sick. I had some pretty severe post-partum depression after my second birth, which took our whole family for the ride of our lifetime. I’ll spare you the gory details, but expect hurdles. Unexpected hurdles always seem to get in the way. But kick ‘em down. Fuck ‘em. Fight ‘em! Nothing worth doing comes without a fight.
Starting up the way I did, was admittedly a fairly low-risk way to start a biz. Etsy really helped me test the waters, to get a feel for the market and made things safely self-sustaining for awhile… which was perfect, as a new mum: I only had a certain amount of time I could really put into it anyway. My goals have really kept themselves at par with the growth of my business – which is really handy! – and the growth of my kiddos, so as they grow, I’m able to take on more and more.
There were definitely craaaaazy hurdles too: don’t get me wrong. There were some pretty major health-impediments that kept stopping my efforts… that was really disheartning: each time I’d get a little momentum behind me – I’d get sick. I had some pretty severe post-partum depression after my second birth, which took our whole family for the ride of our lifetime. I’ll spare you the gory details, but expect hurdles. Unexpected hurdles always seem to get in the way. But kick ‘em down. Fuck ‘em. Fight ‘em! Nothing worth doing comes without a fight.
3. On your website it says you create ’super-swank blankets for super-swank babes.’ What makes a blanket ’super-swank’?
I’m so glad you asked.
This is the ‘cool’ part, alluded to, above. In order for a blanket to be “super-swank”, it has to be:
{a} a stop-you-in-your-tracks awesome-patterned fabric,
{b} excellent enough to adorn your babe,
{c} made with -seriously- the. best. fuzzy. fabric. ever.
{d} one of mine. ;)
I’m so glad you asked.
This is the ‘cool’ part, alluded to, above. In order for a blanket to be “super-swank”, it has to be:
{a} a stop-you-in-your-tracks awesome-patterned fabric,
{b} excellent enough to adorn your babe,
{c} made with -seriously- the. best. fuzzy. fabric. ever.
{d} one of mine. ;)
4. What is the best part of your day?
Oh! I am a lover of life! I love every part of my day …particularly when it doesn’t including the whining of two darling children.
But if I’m getting specific, one of my faaaavourite things about doing what I do, is the mobility it brings: after dropping the kids off at their respective day-gigs, my morning ritual includes a large, daily dose of the finest cuppa joe, this side of the Fraser River at the Watershed Arts Cafe, a local haunt for all of us little business people, needing to get out of our own spaces for a bit of community {+ free wifi}, and do the techy part of my work. I can literally feel LIFE creeping into every part of me, drinking that coffee, chatting with friends, plugging away on photos and spreadsheets… and of course, catching up with my little twitterverse.
5. You sell at Make It Vancouver and Calgary as well as online through Cargoh.com. Do you think it is important for designers to do both? Would you say shows and an online presence are complimentary?
I’m not sure you can have one without the other? At least, I wouldn’t want to. You double-your-fun, being at both!! And, being from Vancouver, we’re all about the fun, aren’t we?!
Shall I start with Cargoh? {and I’m stating for the record: I lurve this site. Aesthetic + Hip + Edgy + Etc. = AWESOME.} Scenario: As I needed a bit of startup, I launched on Cargoh, and made some money! That money then went toward paying for my fees for markets like Make It!
And venues like Make It! are where your customers get to come and talk, and see, and touch, and try it out for themselves: it’s hard to offer all that, in a photo, on a computer screen. Being a part of this Handmade Revolution going on in Vancouver right now, Make It! is the place to be. The hype-y buildup before the shows is un-rivalled. The traffic through the door is just ridiculous. Like seriously, crazy-busy. And Press: Bloggers. Newspapers. Magazines. This is where you get to connect to your buyer and make relationships with your awesome customers: and if you have an online presence, you have somewhere to send them to buy for later!
Do you see the cycle here? Cargoh + Make It do it for us, as their loving vendors. They take care of the promotions, the money, the {outstanding} organization of the events and promotions…. It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing, through these eyes.
And as a vendor selling at Make It and Cargoh: having cards {or, whatever} to give to that unsure buyer, to your most loyal customer, or someone just browsing…. you’re giving them that option to keep shopping, even if you’re not there, at that market, with them.
{Whew. Thanks again, guys. Do I say that enough?? xoxoxo}
Shall I start with Cargoh? {and I’m stating for the record: I lurve this site. Aesthetic + Hip + Edgy + Etc. = AWESOME.} Scenario: As I needed a bit of startup, I launched on Cargoh, and made some money! That money then went toward paying for my fees for markets like Make It!
And venues like Make It! are where your customers get to come and talk, and see, and touch, and try it out for themselves: it’s hard to offer all that, in a photo, on a computer screen. Being a part of this Handmade Revolution going on in Vancouver right now, Make It! is the place to be. The hype-y buildup before the shows is un-rivalled. The traffic through the door is just ridiculous. Like seriously, crazy-busy. And Press: Bloggers. Newspapers. Magazines. This is where you get to connect to your buyer and make relationships with your awesome customers: and if you have an online presence, you have somewhere to send them to buy for later!
Do you see the cycle here? Cargoh + Make It do it for us, as their loving vendors. They take care of the promotions, the money, the {outstanding} organization of the events and promotions…. It’s a beautiful, beautiful thing, through these eyes.
And as a vendor selling at Make It and Cargoh: having cards {or, whatever} to give to that unsure buyer, to your most loyal customer, or someone just browsing…. you’re giving them that option to keep shopping, even if you’re not there, at that market, with them.
{Whew. Thanks again, guys. Do I say that enough?? xoxoxo}
6. What is your favorite part about selling at Make It?
Getting to talk to my customers, face to face… because it’s becoming more and more common to depend on emails, and texts and calls, and whatnot. I’m a people-person. I thrive in the Make It environment! I luuuurve talking to, and just hanging out with my clients!
And of course… the vendors. I get so excited when it’s Make It time!! The hype before the shows… even hauling all my stuff in, is such fun, because of the community there! There’s always someone to lend a hand, there’s always someone to say hello to, there’s always someone to bounce ideas off: the wealth of knowledge I’ve acquired and depth of friendships I’ve forged at shows like Make It have been so unexpected, and if you’ll forgive the gushy-sentimentality; probably what I treasure most, in being a part of the Make It community!
Also, live djs on-site, and a licensed bar is certainly nothing to complain about now, is it. 
