Frequently asked Questions about indobay inc.-handprinted textiles and modern goods

WHY DO YOU DO WHAT YOU DO?
Short answer — because I LOVE IT!

Long answer — indobay became the beginning of a new story for me after a tragedy. I lost my husband in a car accident in 2003. This event in my life taught me that life is too short not to go after your dreams and to live the life that you imagine. You can read more of my story {here}.

WHERE DO YOU DO YOUR PRINTING?
I have a home-based studio, which is really just an extra bedroom that I am fortunate to have in our home in the downtown area of Orlando, Florida. However, if you ask my Big Mr. and my Litte Mr., they will tell you I’ve taken over the entire house. They just might be correct.

DO YOU SELL TO RETAILERS AT WHOLESALE?
I am happy to help support fellow entrepreneurs so I welcome all wholesale inquiries! E-mail me at tania@shopindobay.com with some information about your shop such as where you are located, are you a brick & mortar shop, online shop or both, do you have link to a website – and I will gladly send you my wholesale information. You can also visit my wholesale contact page {here}. There you can enter all your information in a nice, neat form that will get to me right away. I can’t wait to hear from you!

DO YOU WELCOME CUSTOM ORDERS?
It really does depend on the request. You can contact me {here} with your request and I will get back to you within 1 or 2 days. However, if I cannot honor your request I would be glad to guide you to another maker who I think would make you very happy.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE FABRIC TO PRINT ON?
Hands down 100% LINEN! Linen just takes on the textile inks like magic. However, I also do print on cotton to provide another price point to my customers. Right now linen is more expensive than cotton.

WHAT TECHNIQUES DO YOU USE FOR PRINTING ON FABRICS AND SURFACES?
Practice, passion and permission to make mistakes!

My printing method of choice on fabric is block-printing which gives a lovely imperfect aesthetic which I adore! However, I have taken an interest in screen-printing and am attempting to teach myself this art of printing.

If you’d like to learn more about block-printing, check out this post where I describe how I learned to block-print and also includes a tutorial video from Urban Outfitters. It’s pretty cool and simple to follow!

I also print and illustrate using ceramic pens, stamps and inks. My ceramic pens of choice are Porcelaine 150 pens by Pebeo. My stamping inks of choice on wood surfaces, or paper surfaces are “a la mode” dye ink by Hampton Art, ColorBox Pigment Stamps, and Pigment Inks by American Crafts brand.

I’VE NOTICED YOU USE THE TERM “HEART-CRAFTED”. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

It means just that…items that are genuinely made with a lot of heart, passion and love for the process of crafting the item.

I am commited to bringing you the best quality and care however “heart-crafting” does not mean perfect. Due to the nature of the hand block-printing and hand-making process, variations and “imperfections” will absolutely almost always be found in the items I create. These imperfections are in no way an indication of less quality but rather the marks of a heart-crafted piece created with a great amount of care and attention to detail using a printing technique that has been used for many generations.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?
I’ve always been a creative soul at heart for as long as I can remember. It wasn’t until October, 2009 that I took three major steps:

1. I began to seriously consider crafting a new life.

2. I felt the fear (lots) and did it anyway!

3. I began selling my products online.

All with NO regrets!

DO YOU DO THIS FULL-TIME?
Yes…although I also am mother, partner to a man that rocks my world, dog walker to Snickers the Beagle, care-taker to three outdoor cats, teacher, daughter, sister,…need I go on.

I am fortunate to have a fabulous partner, and the ”bestest” child EVER who support my crazy creative energy, pitch in with help around the house when orders come in, and who inspire me to go after my dream of making a living doing what I love!

HOW BIG IS YOUR COMPANY?
Right now, just me but I see the need for a part-time intern coming really soon. Know anyone in Orlando?