“live what you love, love what you do”

Hi! I’m Jenna Short and I am the founder of ShortbreadNYC. I am excited to share my photo tips with the Abe’s Market Community because I know that my sales have drastically increased once I put time and effort into my photography skills.

I originally started off as a graphic designer (I still am) with a minor in photography, so naturally aesthetics are something that is extremely important to me. Something I learned early on is that people eat with their eyes, then with their nose… and of course, their mouths.

When I was younger everyone always taught me to not judge a book by its cover. Well, in the digital age, we can’t afford to buy into that one bit. That’s ALL we do!

Having a brand and a visual voice is one of the most important things you can do for your company. Even if that means just having a logo, website and some stickers; that alone can create a seamless visual for your clientele. Think about one of the most successful brands out there: Apple Computers. They don’t skimp on anything as far as design and that is HUGE part of why they are so successful. Every aspect of marketing from the ads, colors and people working for you play a huge roll in the overall service you provide.

With that being said, you don’t need formal training to do any of this. There are so many great online “do it yourself” reasources from a quick fix, to a complete overhaul. If you do however seek some professional assitance with your brand, logo or website, our comapny can create that for you as well!

For photography, all you need is a good eye and attention to detail. For example; if you have a food blog and like to take photos but can’t afford the fancy equipment or SLR camera, all you have to do is be mindful of lighting.

DIY Photo backdrop:

• Supplies: Run to your local drug store and pick up a few tabletop prop mirrors,  some colored paper and black, white and gray cardboard from your local art supply store.
• Camera ISO Range: Turn off your flash and use your camera’s built in ISO. ISO range is available on all digital cameras and it goes overlooked for causal users. So what is ISO? Basically, ISO is the camera’s sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO number the more light sensitive the camera is being. In natural lighting (near a well-lit windo) place your camera’s ISO on the hightest number which will let you shoot with faster shutter speeds giving you less chance of movement blur.

• Backdrop: Use the colored paper as your back drops. You can tape them to a wall or create your own photo box like the image above. Be sure to take pictures by the window with all the natural sunlight you can get and use the card board and mirrors to reflect the light and get the contrast you want.
• Compose your shot: It’s easy to feel intimated by the composition (styling) of the shot but don’t be. Try different angles, close-ups and details. Think creatively and add details like raw ingredients, utensils or actions (cutting, sewing, etc) into your shots. Try everything and see what feels right for your brand.

Looking back if I could change anything up until now I probably wouldn’t. I think that every event in my life has lead me to the place that I am at right now! Every person I have met and place I have lived has made an incredible contribution to the success of Jshortdesigns & Shortbread NYC. (even though i think deep down my mom still wishes I was a dentist

Guest blogger Tonya is back to share her thoughts on the powers of shea butter…..

Perfect Organics Unscented Shea Butter

When a friend recommended I try shea butter as a natural moisturizer,
I hoped it would work well, but I didn’t think it would be
multi-functional.  Each time I discovered another way to use shea
butter, not only was I happy and surprised, but it saved me money (on
synthetic products I no longer need).  The first one I tried was 100%
Shea Butter, unscented, from Perfect Organics.

Since I switched from synthetic body and facial washes to natural
soap, my skin is no longer dry.  As a result, I don’t require daily
moisturizing.  Instead, I use shea butter as a moisturizer only where
I need it.  Over time, I have discovered many other uses for this
versatile little product.

• Eczema treatment – My daughter’s eczema decreased a lot when we
  switched to natural soaps, and shea butter clears up the little
  dryness that remains.
• Diaper cream – If corn starch doesn’t clear up all the redness, a
  little shea butter does the trick.
• Hair balm – I rub a small amount into my hair to moisturize it and
  add shine.  With this trick, I no longer use any synthetic hair care
  products.
• Allergy related itch relief – When indoor or outdoor allergies flair
  up, the delicate skin below my eyes becomes very itchy.  I can stop
  this itch with a coating of shea butter under my eyes.  It works, but
  I don’t know how!
• Nail shine – Instead of buffing my nails, I can give them a great
  shine by rubbing shea butter into them.  I actually haven’t broken a nail since I started doing this, and they are long, strong & beautiful.

Blends for Life Organics Ony Shea

Although my daughter prefers unscented, I would like to try any of the
great scents also available. But I may have to wait a while, because a
little shea butter goes a long way!

Me and a mid day treat

Most of us drink coffee – lots of it. (I take mine straight up. Black.) And coffee is a hot topic with regard to sustainability. The sustainability issues cover the life cycle from how coffee is produced to how it’s consumed to how it’s disposed of.

Working backwards, the issues aren’t too confusing. The best way to dispose of coffee grounds is to compost them. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen and aid bacteria in turning organic matter into compost.

The consumption issue is also relatively easy. The main thing is to drink our coffee in durable mugs, not disposable cups. Carbonrally.com claims that Americans drink 100 billion cups of coffee annually, of which 16 billion are in disposable paper cups. Placed end-to-end, these cups would wrap around the earth five times and weigh around 900 million pounds, equal to the combined weight of 927, 747 airplanes. The estimate for 2010 is 23 billion disposable cups of coffee in the U.S. To make those 23 billion cups, 9.4 million trees will have to be cut down to harvest the 1.4 million tons of wood needed, equivalent to 352 Central Park’s worth of trees. The astounding stats go on and on, but the last one I’ll provide is that it’s estimated that 4 billion pounds of CO2 are released into the atmosphere during the production and distribution of coffee cups. If a single, mature tree can absorb an average of 48 pounds per year of CO2, it would take 83.3 million trees to soak up all the CO2 released in the cup-manufacturing process annually. It’s pretty clear: disposable cups = not good.

But what about coffee production? What should we really care about? Let’s start by discussing 3 common terms frequently associated with coffee. What do they mean?

Organic: The easiest one. Organic coffee is grown without the use of chemicals, pesticides, herbicides or artificial fertilizers. It makes for a healthier coffee for us to consume, and it’s safer for the growers and the populations in coffee-growing regions.

Fair Trade: Per Fairtrade.net, “Fairtrade is an alternative approach to conventional trade and is based on a partnership between producers and consumers. Fairtrade offers producers a better deal and improved terms of trade. This allows them the opportunity to improve their lives and plan for their future. Fairtrade offers consumers a powerful way to reduce poverty through their every day shopping. When a product carries the Fairtrade mark it means the producers and traders have met Fairtrade standards. The standards are designed to address the imbalance of power in trading relationships, unstable markets and the injustices of conventional trade.”

Shade Grown: Julie Craves, who blogs at Coffee and Conservation, writes in detail about the intricacies of shade grown coffee. Coffee has traditionally been grown in forested, shaded areas, which, “discourages weed growth, may reduce pathogen infection, protects the crop from frost, and helps to increase numbers of pollinators which results in better fruit set.” Shade grown coffee is also generally believed to taste better, as longer ripening times yield more complex flavors.

In an effort to drive faster, larger coffee yields, some coffee producers have taken to growing coffee in sunny conditions. Beyond the adverse impact to the coffee quality, growing in sunny conditions reduces the biodiversity of the coffee plantations. This has led increasing numbers of consumers to value shade grown coffee.

Organic.  Fair trade.  Shade grown. You decide for yourself how important each is to you.

As Lisa and I share a passion for coffee, we’ll be happy to wax poetic on it more later. For now, kick back with a cup of Larry’s Beans or Zoka Coffee or Cafe Altura and enjoy. In a mug.

It was great to wander the aisles of Natural Products Expo West this weekend. Richard and I spent time with some of our current sellers (Nicobella, Eco-Me, Bag the Habit and others), met some soon-to-be Abe’s Market sellers (I’ll keep you in suspense for now), and spoke with some companies that may or may not sell on Abe’s, but they have great products and inspire me. Of the hundreds of companies I spoke with, here are are a few non-Abe’s sellers that stand out for me:

Preserve A pioneer in the natural products world, Preserve makes stylish, high performance, eco-friendly products. Using innovative methods, they turn used materials into razors, colanders, cutting boards, tableware and more. Cool concept. Great design.

Innovative Kids Books, games, puzzles and toys that help parents and kids cut through the clutter that makes up today’s over-marketed toy market.

Wow Baking Company All-natural wheat-free and gluten-free baked goods. These moist and chewy baked goods pack taste that rivals any traditional baked goods. You’d never guess them to be wheat-free and gluten free.

Vermints  All-natural mints from the Green Mountains of Vermont. Taste great. Fresh packaging with fun design. Organic, gluten-free, nut-free and kosher.

As a longtime marketing guy, I’m fascinated by what drives product successes and failures. Classical marketers will cite the necessary 4P’s:

• Product – needs to be a good product that fills a consumer need
• Price – needs to be perceived as fair
• Place – has to have reliable distribution where shoppers shop
• Promotion – must be marketed in a compelling way that speaks to the target audience

But there’s more. What is it that drives some products to explode on the scene ala Rubik’s Cube, Beanie Babies and, more recently, Webkinz?

While we don’t reveal Abe’s Market sales figures, I can say that we have a runaway hit. Multibox mania is running wild. After quickly running out of inventory on our first order, we compiled a long waiting list of wannabe Multibox customers who wanted to be notified when we were replenished. We just listed the product back in stock a few hours ago and already it’s flying off the shelves.

So, what is it about Multibox that makes it a soon-to-be cult classic? Sure, it easily checks the box on the 4P’s. My kids love it. Parents love it for its combination of design, function and education. Parents magazine coverage certainly doesn’t hurt. And Green Lullaby, maker of Multibox, has a compelling story of a momtrepreneur who develops safe, environmentally-friendly toys and furniture for her own kids, then turns it into a business.

But what’s really driving the mad rush over and above a normal hot product? And why don’t more toys (or toy makers) know the secret formula?