VENDOR HIGHLIGHT: CINDY AND SARAH of BUMBLEBEE AND SOPHIE

The second vendor in the featured vendor series is Bumblebee and Sophie, a boutique clothing and accessory line, just for little ones. While these guys are not specifically wedding related, they sure are talented and I am really excited to share them with you here! And, to all you photographers out there, they offer unique business card holders for when you are out and about networking. You can read more about that here.

So let's get to know Sarah and Cindy!

Names: Sarah Canney and Cindy Bressoud Website: bumblebee-and-sophie.blogspot.com Contact Info: bumblebeeandsophie@gmail.com Favorite Color: Cindy- I think my favorite color has always been blue, but my living room is now tan and red... getting away from blue; Sarah- I feel like I'm in an aesthetic transition period: it used to be blue but now it is plumb and antique white…that may change next week. DZP - Hi lovely ladies of Bumblebee and Sophie! Could you share with us little bit about your selves?

B&S - I (Sarah) love my husband, we've been married almost seven years and he's super supportive. I love to run too, it keeps me sane. I used to be a high school English teacher, the truth is that I don’t really like English, I just like working with high school students. Becoming a mom last year made life so sweet. Motherhood is a real joy, I didn't really expect it to be this good. Staying at home for the most part is also a great thing, never thought I'd like that either. And for something unique: when I was 9 we were in the middle of reading "Little House on the Prairie" aloud and I wanted my mom to make me a prairie dress. She did. It was mint green with little peach roses all over it and peach piping along the seams of the bodice. It had these puffy Victorian sleeves and the skirt was so full I could twirl and twirl for hours. I loved that dress. I (Cindy) love my hubs, he is a wonderful life partner (going on 32 years!). I love fabric and without a little self-control could spend loads of money on fabric, just because I like to look at it and touch it... I have been sewing since I was 9 or 10, took Home Economics all through Jr and Senior High School and once had aspirations to be a home ec teacher. I like to run too, thanks to Sarah. I have run numerous 5K’s and 3 half marathons, and hope to be healthy enough to run for a long time, maybe not fast, but moving.

DZP - In a few words, can you describe Bumblebee and Sophie?

B&S - Bumblebee and Sophie is handmade baby clothing and accessories. It is stylish, playful, bold and unique. Many of the designs are original, created by Cindy. Together we choose the fabrics with a specific aesthetic in mind: unique, eye catching, a little retro, a little vintage, yet timeless--the kind of piece that makes people go "Where did you get THAT? I love IT!" It is so easy to dress your baby in clothing purchased off the rack from those big box stores (of course everyone needs essentials) but our pieces are those one of a kind, standouts that add a little flavor to your baby's wardrobe.

DZP - What inspires you and your collections?

B&S - The original inspiration is Sophia, my (Sarah) daughter. When she was born my mom (Cindy) started sewing. I started making requests: one of them for unique bedding. We had so much fun together picking out the fabrics and designing the bedding ensemble that it got my wheels turning: "We should do this!" I figured there had to be other women, new moms out there, who wanted something different, who thought that the whole baby blue for boy and pastel pink and purple for girl was a little "old."

DZP - Where do you get your materials?

B&S - We love the designs of Amy Butler, Anna Marie Horner, Art Gallery Fabrics, Michael Miller and so many more. There are some amazingly talented fabric designers out there. We try to purchase materials that make you go "WOW" that is so cool, so unique. If it does it for us then we figure the customer will think the same thing.

DZP - How do you go about picking fabric and choosing your designs?

B&S - This year we've done two collections so far: Summer and Fall/Winter. Our summer collection was a lot of blues, greens, white and coral. For fall we wanted to pick some warmer tones: browns, oranges, dark pinks, plumbs, creams, the kind of hues that make you feel cozy. As far as the designs, we've done several sun dresses for the summer collection and a loose peasant dress and tunic for the fall. Its fun to follow the fashion trends in adult clothing and see if they translate well to baby clothing.

DZP - What are some of your favorite products that you have created?

B&S - I (Sarah) think the tunic is my favorite--super cute with leggings! My (Cindy) favorite was Sophia’s bedding set, I just like to put different fabrics together.

DZP - How would you like to see Bumblebee and Sophie continue to grow?

B&S - I (Sarah) would love to see more baby boutiques carrying our pieces and a greater online presence. That would be great. And of course you always dream of a feature that would put you in the lime light. I (Cindy) would love to see us grow to the point where we see our creations all over the place. It is a tall order, but dreaming is fun!

DZP - What has been the best thing about beginning this business?

B&S - I (Sarah) love the creative aspect of it: designing the logo, website etc. Also the act of sewing and producing a product is so gratifying. And it is great to network with other artisans and crafters, it opens up a whole new world. I (Cindy) get to be in business with my daughter, what could be more fun!? I also love to sew and create with fabric!