What's my name?!?!?

Backpacks

One of my pet peeves is when people get my name wrong.  My name is not Daniel or D or Denny, it's Danny.  While I understand that some times people mis-hear me or it was a little loud when we were talking but I'll also get emails that say, "Hi Fred or Hey Dennis or Hello Benny" and that's after receiving an email from me that has my signature in it!  I know that there are those viral videos going around that claims Starbucks actually purposely spells your name wrong to get in your head.  That's just plain mean.

So if you're like me and can't stand it when people goof up on your name, let us help.   Let people know your what your name is so there's no mistake about it.  Get your stuff personalized!  We can personalize almost anything...just give us a call and we'll do our best to make it happen!  Just ask for George. ;)

What's up doc? We do lab coats. PC: Medilita.com

Chef's coats

Bath towels

Duffle bags

Hey, my fellow Small Business Owners...are you ready?

One of the greatest challenges of being a Small Business Owner (SBO) is having to wear so many hats.  Not only are you the owner but you may also be the book keeper, cashier, sales person, compliance, janitor, driver and gopher all at the same time.  Here are a couple of things going into effect this year that may be helpful for you to know or prepare for if you haven't already done so.  Just looking out for my fellow SBOs. :)

For those of us on Oahu, starting on July 1, 2015, the plastic bag ban goes into effect and we can no longer provide plastic packaging to our customers unless it is a compostable plastic bag.  There are exceptions of course.  While it may be better for the environment, it's an added cost to buy biodegradable bags, paper bags or recyclable bags.  Not that in the long run this isn't a good thing, just something we have to be aware of.  For more info, go to: http://www.opala.org/solid_waste/archive/plastic_bag_ban.html.

Second, for those of us who accept credit cards, we need to upgrade our terminals to the EMV card readers that can accept the chip cards by October 15, 2015 of this year.  If we don't, we the MERCHANT would be responsible for fraudulent charges and not the issuing bank.  Again, not a big deal as the new terminals are more secure and may also allow you to accept new forms of payment such as Apple Pay as well.  We recently upgraded our terminal and have been happy with it.  Still waiting for someone to come and make a purchase with Apple Pay though. :)  I got this in an email from Checks Unlimited, which I thought summed up everything up regarding the EMV card readers quite nicely.  I know it's a little hard to read so click on the pic and it'll go to an enlarged version.  Hope this bit of information helps.  Happy selling!

Source: Checks Unlimited.com

HOLE-Y CRAP! Fixing embroidery mistakes...

It happens to the best of us...we ALL make mistakes.  Like mama always said, it's not a bad thing as long as we learn from them.. Well, I made one this morning while working on an order for a good client of ours.  People often ask, "what do you do when you mess up?"  So rather than hide in a corner in shame for the blunder, I've decided to share the boo-boo and the fix with all of you.  While embroidery is fairly permanent some times we can find a solution.

So what happened you ask?  One of our machines got hungry and ate one of the shirts!  It happens every now and then....machines can get fussy too.  See image below.

The machine left a 1/4" inch hole in the middle of the diamond

This is how the final logo should look with the color of the shirt showing through the diamond.

Rather than panic, freak out and shout profanities at an inanimate object, I thought to myself WWMD (What Would Mama Do?  And ding, ding, ding...this is what I came up with.  I added an extra layer of backing to the design to give back some stability it lost from the missing piece of material and digitized a fill of the diamond in the same color as the shirt.  While this increased the stitch count quite a bit, it was a small price to pay to correct the mistake.  Check out how it turned out....

TADA!  All is good in the world again. :)

On to the next order, hopefully the machine has had enough to eat!  BTW, if you are ever in the market to buy or sell jewelry or precious stones, gems, art etc., please do see John at the Honolulu Trading Company on Pensacola...some of the nicest people you'll ever meet. :) http://www.honolulutrading.com.

Thanks for reading! 

It's Gotta Be the SHOES!

That's my ode to Spike Lee and the awesome Nike commercials of the 90's.  But now to this week's Threads Talk topic....Embroidered shoes.  Ahhh, this is a question that we get asked quite a bit especially for weddings, "can you embroider shoes?"  Sorry to say...we can't.  Not because it's not possible but because we do not have the shoe clamp equipment that is required to mount the shoes on the machine for embroidery.  It's a pricey little thing and we just aren't able to justify the cost at this time.  But not to worry, just because we can't do it doesn't mean all is lost.  We try to help in any way we can so we've scoured the web and found a couple of places that offer some options to spiff up those wedding kicks after all.  Dig your Chuck Taylors and Vans out of the closet and get ready to pimp them out.  Please note that we've never actually ordered from these places before so we can't vouch for them.  Please do your due diligence before ordering.  Hope this helps.  If you do order, let us know how the shoes came out, we'd love to know!

Option 1: Etsy

The sellers on Etsy use flossing which means they are actually hand embroidering your name/design on the shoes.

Etsy sellers:
baileybanksgirl 

Photo Credit: Etsy

Flossworks
 

Photo Credit:: Etsy

Option 2: DesignMySoles.com

This site uses machine embroidery and also donates $1.00 of every sale to various charities according to its website.

Photo Credit:: DesignMySoles.com

Subtle Touches for a SUPER-Wedding!

Photo Credit:: Dulce

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a SUPER-wedding!  So what makes a wedding super?  Well, that's an easy one.  When two people who are in love are able to share their special day with their family and friends with great food and fun...that's a super wedding in my book.  :)  This post will be a little biased since the wedding I'm calling "super" is my very own.  I recently married the love of my life and we had the best day ever.  Being able to celebrate with our loved ones was more than we could ever ask for but the fun that we had was icing on the cake.  We incorporated our interests and favorite things (i.e. Superman and love birds) to create a theme that was all our own and represented US.  By personalizing and customizing our gifts and favors, we were able to add some subtle and not-so-subtle touches to make our wedding unique to us.  C'mon now, you knew I would tie in custom printing and embroidery somehow! :)  It is Threads Talk after all.  Check out what we did and feel free to comment.  Enjoy!

Man, those are some "fly" socks!  Photo Credit:: Dulce

It's all in the packaging.  Photo Credit:: Dulce

That's "off the cuff!" Photo Credit:: Dulce

Word play w/ transfers - Wedding Date: 12-22-2012  Photo Credit:: Dulce

Embroidered favors...classy!  Photo Credit:: Dulce

Name droppin'!?!?

In most cases, name dropping is used by those obnoxious guys who act like they know anybody and everybody or by people who are trying to get a discount.  You know those people who say, "Oh, do you know Jim?  He's my brother's best friend's cousin's son in-law."  It's usually not so great when people name drop.  But in the wonderful world of embroidery, name dropping is AWESOME!  By using pre-digitized stock designs such as the ones below, we can create a custom logo for your sports/school team easily and efficiently.  No setup fees, no fuss, just let us know your team or school name and VOILA, it's done!  Name dropping is terrific for people who don't have a custom logo and/or limited design skills or budget.  Cool huh?  Drop it like it's hot, drop it like it's hot... :)

BEFORE

AFTER

   

Product of the Month: Calculator Business Card Holder

HAPPY NEW YEAR!  Welcome to 2013!  We hope all of you had a fantastic holiday season and are raring to have another terrific year.  Last year was fabulous for us and we're looking forward to having even a better 2013.  So let's start things off with something totally practical and will help to get your business off to a great start.  This handy dandy business card holder is not only a carrier for your contact info. but it also has a built in calculator to help you seal the deal or at least figure out tip for lunches or dinners. ;)

Calculator Business Card Holder
SM-3105

Product Features

Includes solar calculator with business card holder/dispenser. Silver metal twist ballpoint pen with blue ink.

Material
Plastic

Item Size
2-11/16" H x 3-7/8" W x 7/16" L

Decorating Information

Silkscreened
1/2"H x 2"W

Item Size
2-11/16" H x 3-7/8" W x 7/16" L

• Setup Fee: $50.00 per color
• Min. order: 150 pieces
• Turnaround time: 10-15 business days

•   $2.57 each

  *shipping cost not included

Promotional Product of the Month - Book Light w/ Laser Pointer

Help your clients see the light this new year with this nifty Book light w/ Laser pointer!  They'll thank you for helping them read their sales reports and zapping out the numbers that they don't want to see with the laser!  Okay, it's really not that kind of laser but it's cool nonetheless.

Book Light with Laser Pointer
SM-9755

Product Features

Single white LED book light. Red laser pointer. Adjustable neck. Magnetic base. Durable metal clip

Material
Lacquer-coated brass

Item Size
6-1/2" H x 1/2" D

Decorating Information

Silkscreened
5/16"H x 1-1/8"W

Laser Engraved per side (silver engraves gold, black engraves silver)
5/16"H x 1-1/8"W

Item Size
6-1/2" H x 1/2" D

• Setup Fee: $50.00 per color
• Min. order: 150 pieces
• Turnaround time: 10-15 business days

•   $4.37 each

  *shipping cost not included

Promotional Product of the Month: Tech Tip Stylus

With the newly released iPad Mini, Nexus 7 32GB, Galaxy Note and the iPad 4 aka the 4th generation iPad, it's a sure bet that tablets will be more ubiquitous than ever.  It's likely that some of your best Clients will be toting these babies around to meetings or just for fun.  The holidays are just around the corner so what better gift to give than an accessory that they can use with their tablet (with your biz name on it of course).  Check out this handy dandy Tech Tip Stylus.  It has a stylus to help keep the tablets fingerprint-free and when it does get smudges, there's a built in microfiber cloth.  Double bonus!  No way!  Yes way. :)

Tech Tip Stylus
#CA500

Product Features

Soft rubber stylus for touch-screen devices.  Pull off cap to expose microfiber screen cleaner inside.

Material
Plastic

Item Size
2-1/2" W x 1-1/8" L x 7/16" H

 

Decorating Information

Silkscreened per side
3/8"H x 1-1/2"W

Item Size
2-1/2" W x 1-1/8" L x 7/16" H

• Screen Print Setup Fee: $50.00 per color
• Min. order: 250 pieces
• Turnaround time: 10-15 business days

•   $0.99 each

  *shipping cost not included

Jersey Time....

Nope, we're not talking about the Jersey shore or the New Jersey Nets moving to Brooklyn but about some good old b-ball jerseys for your leagues.  The NBA season tips off in a week and you know how we all get when we see the stars do their thing....we start wadding up paper balls and tossing them towards the waste basket at work and shooting imaginary jumpers to practice our form.  Next thing you know, you've signed yourself or your kids up for three b-ball leagues at your neighborhood rec park.  So since you're gonna act the part, why not look the part too and get your team some nice jerseys to show off your team pride.  Those duct tape and sharpie name and numbers on your old, nasty t-shirts aren't going to cut it this season!  While you can get some uber-fancy get ups, most of us just want something simple and affordable like this Holloway Halfcourt Tank.

HOLLOWAY HALFCOURT TANK
Style 229508

Description

• Dry-Excel™ Perform close-hole micromesh, reverses to dry-Excel™ Fresh Micro-Interlock, polyester knit
• Wicking and anti-microbial n Fully reversible
• Bottom hems not sewn together for easy decoration access

Sizes

XXS, XS, S, M, L, XL, 2XL, 3XL

Available Colors

Black/white, Forest/white, Light Gold/white, Maroon/white, Navy/white, Orange/white, Purple/white, Royal/white, Scarlet/white

$30.00 each (XXS-XL)
*Includes team/school name and 6" number on the front and 8" number on the back.

Minimum order: 12 pieces
Turnaround time: 10 business days