Giving thanks where thanks is due

So, I must give the ultimate big huge appreciation energy to my cousin Darin who truly is the mastermind behind Bento Baby. I know I had mentioned that he was the tech genius behind getting me rolling, but honestly, I know that my drawings would still be sitting in my notebook behind my Japanese vocabulary list if it weren't for Darin. He is the kind of guy that will take an idea and make it into a reality.

Picture this... it was a grey day in Spokane, and Darin and Kisha were visiting from sunny Arizona for a business trip. Granted, if it was a gorgeous summer day, maybe we wouldn't have been housebound and Bento Baby wouldn't have come to fruition, but no matter. It was a grey and dismal day. I think we had just discovered the lavender mate lattes at Huckleberries... Anyway, Darin, who is always on his computer, or cell phone, or some kind of plugged in cool techie device saw my drawings and we started talking about how I wanted to put them on onesies and have a website. He opened a drawing program and quickly rendered my drawings into the designs that they are today. I was so impressed... it is not an easy task! If any one has ever tried to take something drawn and reproduce it on the computer you know what I am talking about. Then, since I already had the domain name, he got me going with webhosting, the fulfillment company and voila! Bento Baby was born.

I bounced many ideas off my friends and family regarding the packaging, and after a few misses, came across the packaging I am using today. Next Sunday we will have a photo shoot with the new onesies (locally screen printed). A friend of mine is an AMAZING photographer, and she is going to take photos of Toby, my nephew, and a friend's baby for the website that will soon focus primarily on the three designs that I will be working with. The evolution continues, and I am defenitley not doing it on my own. I am being held up, supported, and encouraged by a wonderful community. It is quite Japanese actually. The success never belongs to an individual, but the group.

Uniquely Chic Boutique

The good news is that I am in another Spokane shop! Uniquely Chic Boutique is now the proud purveyor of some Bento Baby goodies. I am branching out into different areas of our mini metropolis. The shop is on Northwest Blvd. in an old house that the owner has converted into a boutique. She sells all sorts of housewares and lots of lovely little things.

Some friends were in Seattle over the weekend, and I sent a sample, the name of two stores in Freemont, and price list with them. There are so many great shops in Seattle for me to approach, and I look forward to a little "business trip" of my own in the near future. I will be heading to Vancouver and Portland this upcoming week, so I will do my research and hopefully find a good match once I am there. Once I make a sale to a shop I will mention it in my blog. I am only a wee bit superstitious, so I won't actually name the shops until the deal is done.

What is a bento?

Some people have asked me, "What exactly is a bento?" I figure I should probably explain...
A bento is a Japanese lunch box. In Japan, kids and adults who take their lunches to work and school bring their rice, fish or meat, pickles, and so on in a reusable, small , rectangle or oval, plastic container or lunch box. Many bento boxes have very cute designs on the lid, and are wrapped in furoshiki, or a square fabric. Almost all bento boxes are lovingly packed, cooked, and arranged by Japanese mothers. The bento box contents show the care, consideration, and time the mother puts into to her loved ones meal. When I taught English in Japan, I was always amazed at the English Language club girls' bento boxes that thier mothers had packed for them. There was a formula to the bento box, a certain amount of rice, protien, pickle, and sometimes fruit. When you take the shinkansen, or bullet train in Japan, you can buy a bento box at the station to enjoy on your journey. I just love the concept of a great little package packed with love.... which is why the name Bento Baby is close to my heart!