Thursday, April 10, 2008

Boing! Boing!

My plantable handmade lavender cards got featured on an insanely popular blog sometime early this morning. I woke to a nearly cleaned out store. ALL of my plantable cards had sold out. I found out I got featured on the blog when I logged on to the etsy forums to ask whether people had seen them anywhere. It didn't take long at all for someone to provide a link to the website that gave me a TON of absolutely FREE advertising at boingboing.net, a "directory of wonderful things."


Wonderful, indeed.

The exposure got me several wholesale inquiries plus a really, really exciting one from a company based just over the mountains. The want me to create 1,000 cards for them to distribute at a trade show. I even get to keep my biz info on the reverse of the cards. I cannot imagine having 1,000 of these cards out there in the world. You can't buy that kind of advertising! Next thing you know, Al Gore will be knocking on my door.

It wasn't all rosey over at boingboing. Being a blog that allows comments t be posted means people from all over can comment on my cards. Well, some of them thought I am an environmental EVIL-doer. I even got lumped into the same crowd as Big Tobacco at one point because evidently American Spirits cigarettes distributed something like this. And no - their paper didn't have tobacco seeds in it!

This is by far the best negative comment:


But this one had my coworkers (at my other job) wonder what I was laughing about:
"Lighten up FNARF. Sheesh. OK so we have to avoid invasive species, but you combined evil Big Tobacco, ecological catastrophe, cheap gimmickry and empty-headed liberal tree-hugging do-gooderism into the simple act of sending a card and planting a seed. It's not like we're sending cards with atomic zombie boll weevil eggs.

Although now that I think about it, that would make Mother Earth so very happy...."

I particularly enjoyed the empty headed liberalism bit and the atomic zombie boll weevils.

Oh, and someone else chimed in and said "I hate to be a party pooper because I adore this type of stuff, but I have never gotten paper-seeds to germinate. And I'm a farmer, so I kind of know what I'm doing."

.... emphasis on KIND OF.

I suppose the 30 plus seedlings coming out of paper I made are just my imagination.

You can read all of the boingboing comments if you click the photo and scroll down.





15 comments:

Unbalanced Reaction said...

Wow, congrats! Boing-boing is a great site.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations. That is really exciting.

Sorry to hear about the nasty remarks. Seems some people have nothing better to do with their time. That's the one bad thing about pop blogs, sometimes.

I've never gotten them to grow either, but I just figured I was doing something wrong since they never came with instructions. I figured I planted too early, not deep enough, too deep, or watered too much or too little. I am just learning to be a green thumb so...

miznyc said...

haters abound. just let me know if I have to wield a jewelry hammer at anyone ok? or maybe write a stern remark. I need the hammer. ;D

yellowfish said...

congratulations! ha.. love the atomic zombie boll weevils...

Lisa Holman of XSBaggage and Co. said...

Wow! That's great exposure! Congratulations on getting noticed on boingboing and on the terrific sales day!!

I would ignore the negative comments, some people just can't help but share their unhappy little selves.

Now get busy packaging those orders! ;D

Little Lovables said...

Congrats! Haha, I love those comments! I love your cards. I can't make seeds grow for anything, but I am also an expert at killing live plants as well. (I killed a cactus and an aloe vera plant...)

Twice said...

Wow! How exciting! Congrats!

KieutiePie said...

Well, I'm happy for you for having your idea take off so well. It is indeed a concern of having wild flowers become an invasive species, but who knows. I would've planted it indoors, not out in someone's field or something!

HAMISH AND ELLEN said...

Congratulations! Funny, I've never once thought lavender could be regarded as something evil. Or even close to evil. You've got a good attitude about the nastiness!

I personally LOVE the entire idea behind your card! Keep them coming!

Moonchild Dancing! said...

Wowwee! Congratulations. I'm glad I got my cards when I did! lol :D Yay!

Waterrose said...

Congratulations! You're famous! And starting a controversy as well...you are one talented, creative person... Remember, water off a duck's back...

Anonymous said...

Congratulations! I plugged you in my blog today before I read your blog. So fill that shop because I get decent traffic! Actually I mentioned you because I am paper making today (a wedding card for a friend) and your cards just so remind me of my kids when they were young :)

Patricia Hecker said...

I say, "Good for you!" Love the fact this may propel you higher!
Reach for the stars!
I have our blogs linked and love reading yours!

Patricia
http://www.tattoodreams.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Wow!! Congrats! Boingboing--that's awesome ! (minus the negative comments). But like someone else said... they abound everywhere. Just ignore them :) Good luck with your newly booming business!! :)

Anonymous said...

How exciting! I'm so happy for you! I wish you lots of luck (and energy!) as your business continues to grow! :)