Today, we bring you a giveaway from SouleMama Sponsor, UB2 Urban Baby Bonnets. In Colette's words:
"unique & totally original fabric combinations define our hip, artsy approach to kid’s apparel design. like you, we’re mamas, too, and we think we’re still kind of hip. we’ve done all of our own product design. our kids have done the product testing. with UB2, you get an honest product with distinctive design flair. everything we sell is handmade. no sweatshops, no outsourcing, just beautifully handmade, heirloom quality clothes & accessories for your little one."
SouleMama: What inspires you?
Colette: my daughter is my inspiration. she's why i do this work. and she is the center of my life. i am an artist at heart, and wouldn't be happy if I wasn't creating, but before my daughter was born, I was a painter, a sculptor and I even did some installation art (check out: www.ecologies.org to see my work… it's a little out of date, but you get a feel for my style). once she was born, though, i wanted to make things that were for her… and that's part of the inspiration behind why i got started on bonnets in the first place. when she was about 3, we had a real scare with her health. i thought we were going to lose her. and while it turned out to be nothing to worry about, it still set me on the edge of my seat. I had been planning to "go back" to work eventually (I have a PhD and an MFA and used to teach environmental philosophy and art)… but after our "moment" I knew that what I really wanted to do was stay home with her as long as I possibly could. Running UB2 let me home school her for her kindergarten year (she's reading books and writing sentences!), and we have a really, really close bond that I hope I can continue to foster for the rest of her life-- even when she does enter school full time. She'll never need before or after school care, and I will always have time for her and for the things SHE wants to do. I love knowing that the very structure of my life and work makes this possible. Plus, she gets to see me in a professional role WHILE I am being a mom. I LOVE it! I feel so lucky to have UB2… and that's partly why, as a company, we're so dedicated to working with other work-at-home moms. I want to give other women a similar opportunity to spend work time with (ok, well, around) their kids, too.
SouleMama: What's the product or offering that you are most excited about in your shop/class right now? Tell us about it.
Colette: This spring, we released the modCap-- a fun, funky and totally cute sun hat for BOYS! And this is one of the things I'm really excited about right now. It seems like there's a sort of dead zone for boys clothing. You can put a little guy in jeans and a tee, but beyond that, there's nothing like the selection for little girls. And hats used to be the same way! You could go ball cap (too plain!)-- but then he's just yanking it off of his head. Or, you can try a bucket cap (very cute!), but it's also just too easy to pull off. Our modCaps have a big brim, our classic adjustable snap strap (the hat stays ON!) and a classic newsboy shape. So, they really are appropriate for the little guys-- even dad'll agree! they provide great sun protection… and with some SUPER cute fabrics.
I am also really excited that UB2 will be launching our own blog! It's called baby + bonnet… and we're really stoked about it! We have some great guest writers lined up and some regular features. our vision is that it will be a place where we can give back to the community of moms that have made us successful. probably the most popular feature will be out UB2bie of the month-- each month we'll select one winner (based on images submitted via Facebook) and they'll be interviewed and featured and they'll win a free bonnet, too. we will be launching in the beginning of May-- so stay tuned! If you want to be sure you don't miss the release, go to our website (www.urbanbabybonnets.com) and sign up for our newsletter-- we'll announce it there and then do occasional updates.
Past the blog and the new modCap, what really gets me going is FABRIC! I love it. Can't get enough. I am kind of a fabric junky. I keep ordering it. My favorite shop, Hawthorne Threads, certainly HAS to know me by name. WHen I get their flat rate enveloped stuffed full of fabrics in the mail, I can barely contain myself! I tear them open and start matching, pairing, re-matching. I keep working like that until I find a combination I really love… and then it becomes a bonnet! But, I get excited or inspired by other materials, too. Like buttons. I have a serious button habit! I can't get enough of them. I've started putting them on the mamaCaps (the adult version of the new modCap)…but I also just like to touch them, feel the different materials, and drool over the gorgeous designs. Many of the buttons in my collection are from Victorian times. That's so cool to me! They're so old and still so amazing! But I also love ricrac, thread, tape, paints, markers, pencils, stamps and stamp pads…you name it! if you can make something with it…it'll catch my eye!
~ 1 bonnet of your choice!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In addition, UB2 Urban Baby Bonnets would like to offer SouleMama readers free shipping on any order placed between April 13 and May 13. Just enter " SOULELOVE" into the gift certificate box at checkout. You will need to create an account and sign in to receive the special offer.
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To enter today's giveaway, please leave a comment (one entry per person, please) in today's post. I'll close comments by 8am EST on Monday, and announce the winner, chosen via Random Number Generator, shortly after. Comments closed! The winner is:
so cute!
Posted by: Ariel
Thank you, UB2 Urban Baby Bonnets!
