wanted: office dog

description
flora&fauna is seeking an exceptionally loving dog to join our eco-fashion company.

reporting directly to the designer, the office dog is responsible for enrichment of office environment, and enforcement of daily fitness regimen. working closely with the flora&fauna cats team to ensure all office furniture will be gradually destroyed.

other key responsibilities and duties include:
• daily development of peepoo
• frequent hugs and kisses
• napping and snuggling with the flora&fauna cat team
• research and assistance during hikes and camping trips

qualifications
• must be cute as a button on a kitten's cardigan
• must get along with cats, or is willing to learn
• strong knowledge and understanding of love
• no experience neccessary, we are willing to train candidate

why join?
as a member of the flora&fauna team, you will work in an environment that fosters personal development, health and fitness, and community involvement. We emphasize goal setting and self-improvement, we give progressive benefits (like treats from the dinner table!), and we have a lot of fun.

also, we already love you.

NOTE: Only those applicants under consideration will be contacted. Please accept our utmost appreciation for your interest.



Shopping for business cards...

-okay, okay... so i am officially feeling guilty about going with a less-than-totally-green web hosting service. watching the 11th hour last night only made me feel worse. T_T

with that said, i am going to be much less inclined to make compromises on everything else. i am starting to look at making some business cards. my criteria is simple:

- paper: 100% post consumer waste and/or tree-free paper
- inks: vegetable based non-toxic inks
- process: totally cholrine free
- packaging: paper banding (no shrink wrap)
- milage: printer must be within greater vancouver area (preferably accessible by foot/bus/skytrain)

i have found 2 interesting prospects via internet. prices seem reasonable enough. but... i am also thinking of doing a DIY batch of recycle paper and hand stamping/cutting the cards... anyone interested in a recycle paper party?

the pros and cons of DIY recycled paper method:

pros first:
- it meets all the above criteria
- business cards can be made as needed (no overstock or wastage)
- stamp can be used on other stuff (paper pattern, hang-tags...)
- fun!!

cons..:
- lacks (conventional) professionalism
- design colour (ink stamp) limited
- paper colour/quality inconsistent from batch to batch

love to hear from anyone with experience with this process.

future home of the flora&fauna website


after spending too much time researching different web hosting services, i finally decided to go with netfirm. i DID find a few others who met the criteria in my below post.

as much as i really wanted to go with smaller providers (like solar energy host based out of salt spring island and is the first web host in canada to uses 100% solar power for their servers. or ethical host in toronto who uses wind power indirectly by green tags energy services.), i realized that i need the quality and reliability of a larger, proven provider... especially since i am planning on opening on online boutique. for a few days, i was juggling the risk factors and my desire to support the small potatoes of the web hosting world. since flora&fauna is a small potato as well (actually, more like a tiny sapling), i need the security and support of a stable, healthy environment, to ensure flora&fauna will be well rooted..

my decision concluded with netfirm (based in Toronto), after receiving numerous recommendations for them from my web designer friends, and other friends - one of whom brought netfirm's greening efforts to my attention.

i also learned a valuable lesson for my own product design. although many consumers are often willing to pay more for an eco-friendly and/or ethically made products - few are willing to compromise on quality.

and finally... future home of the flora&fauna website will be here: floraandfauna.ca
there's nothing on there yet, so don't bother checking. i'll let you know once any progress has been made on the website.

f&f wishlist...


there are a number of tools and luxury items i would like to acquire strictly for my business. this olympus (shock-proof, crush-proof, water-proof, freeze-proof digital camera with 10.1 megapixels and wide angle zoom lens) is definitely at the top of my wishlist...

it's hard to justify yet another expense... especially when i can see how the $400 (which i don't have) can go towards something much more crucial for my business.

i just can't stop daydreaming about tossing this little camera in my backpack during a hike or surfing, to capture all that little critters and textures i meet along the way...

shopping for web hosting...

i am putting together a website, which will evolve into the f&f online store - so... i have been doing some research to find the best match!

i have to admit, i know little-to-nothing about building website, and am not even too sure what i should be looking for... but... here's my checklist so far:

- sustainable, reliable power source (or at the very least carbon neutral)
- supports e-commerce
- super user friendly (preferably WYSIWYG)
- email with webmail access
- 24/7 technical support
- reasonably priced
- preferably BC-based or Canadian

next week marks the halfway point in my Business program at BCIT. i can't wait to get out of the classrooms and put my new set of skills to use!

p.

the beginning...

the idea of flora&fauna has floated in my head for over a decade. At times it had a different name, or a different style, but it was always there. so i guess this first blog post doesn't mark the beginning of flora&fauna, but it does mark the beginning of my documentation of the start-up, growth, and challenges of what flora&fauna will become.

(and i am happy that you're here to read about it.)

p.