Design Group Interview With Ivylane..And A Contest Too!

Who is the leader of the group, and are there any Mods?
We have 2 co-leaders (Kirsten oli*beli and Jennifer *pouty*princess*) and 2 moderators (Erin thevintagepearl, Jenn little*red*wagon). We all work together to help make sure the group runs smoothly and everything gets done.

How long has your group has been around?
IvyLane has been a group for 3 years this past February.

What are the requirements of getting in over there?
When we look at new applicants we look at each person’s creativity, skill, presentation and reputation. We ask applicants to submit photos of their work and a letter of interest. If there is interest in adding the applicant to the group we vote. It’s pretty simple.

How many members do you have?
We have 16 members.

Are you going to be launching regularly? Are there going to be set dates
for the year?
We are going to try to launch every 5-6 weeks, but in our group family and life come first, so if we need to postpone or skip one it is fine.

How are you going to come up with your launch ideas?
We come up with them the same as most groups I think. We toss out ideas and decide as a group what we would like to focus on.

How would you define the group’s style? Do you like to have a range of
designers that specialize in different areas, or does everyone have a
similar style?
We have a wide range of design styles in our group but if we had to narrow it down we would call it sweet and whimsical. We have some designers that focus on more vintage inspired designs while others focus on smocking and painting.

Once a designer is invited in to the group, are there any requirements for
them to continue to be a member?
There are no requirements for them to continue to be a member, we just ask that each designer bring their enthusiasm, energy and fun attitude to the group, and work to promote us as a group. But as with all busy moms sometimes we have to take an extended break to take care of home matters and that is completely fine with us. We want everyone to have a wonderful happy home life with no outside pressure from Ivy.

Are you currently accepting applications from new designers to join?
Yes we are accepting applications, but do not have “spots to fill” currently. We are very happy with our group dynamic at the moment but wouldn’t pass up a great opportunity from a great designer. Our group email address can be found at out blog http://boutiqueivylane.blogspot.com/

Do you inspect other designer's work before inviting them into the group?
We just look at photos of their work mostly. In the 3 years of IvyLane we have never asked a designer to submit work for inspection. As we said before, we try to look at each designers presentation and reputation ( feedback etc..) before inviting them to join the group. This method seems to serve us well.

How would you handle a group-mate when she has upset her customers?
Each member’s business is their own, so we would trust that designer to handle the “problem” quietly in privet.

Where do you plan Ivylane to be in 2 years?
We would love to continue on our path, winding though it may be, it is the journey and the friendships made that make it fun and worth all the effort.

How long have your members been selling on eBay?
We have all been selling for different amounts of time. I think our longest selling member has been at it about 6 years.

Do they plan to list and launch on Etsy?
Many of our group members do list on etsy, and we have thought about having a launch over there but don’t have any solid plans to do so at this time.

What do you think goes in to making a group successful?
Without a doubt it’s the energy and enthusiasm of the members. When you have a group of excited, energized. talented designers there is nothing you can’t do. Good communication is essential, as is honesty, trust and hard work.

What can we look forward to seeing from Ivylane in the future?
We will be offering some great Spring and Summer listings starting with our "In the Garden" mini launch that starts March 12th 2009. Also the IvyLane kids will be welcoming a new sweetie in a couple weeks.. ;) Everyone will have to look out for baby Zoe pretty soon.

Can you give us a list of the designers in the group?

*Pouty*Princess*

Oli*Beli

The_Vintage_Pearl


Little*Red*Wagon

**jjbb**

MomosClothes

PolkadotsAndPigtails

TadaCreations

Missy*Lulu

*Lula*Bee*Boutique*

TheBowVine

Emerson*Rose

Painted_With_Grace

My*Hearts*Delight

Bella*Tessa

DollieDimplesBoutique

How many of the original members are still with IvyLane?
If by original members you mean members who have been with IvyLane since it’s very first day three years ago, then we have 2, Kirsten (oli*beli) and Jennifer (*pouty*princess*)

How do you meet the challenges of group rebuilding after membership changes? What has IvyLane learned from these changes? I would like to give the current members a BIG CONGRATS for having such a cute launch going on now. Oh, love their graphic art too.
Every great organization experiences changes during it’s lifetime. We look at these changes as opportunities to grow and learn. Every time we have been faced with the challenge of growing our little family we have always been rewarded with the luck of the Irish by finding amazing designers ready to jump in with both feet and have some fun. We have learned that change can at first look like and uphill struggle but it often is a blessing in disguise because it’s that change that can sometimes be exactly what the doctor ordered. And we wanted to say thank you for the sweet words on our current launch and our darling graphics.

Are there any new directions for the "new" Ivylane?
The “new” IvyLane is all about fun and friendships, new and old. We all firmly believe that family life comes first, IvyLane is happy to take a backseat. We will be focusing on striving to give the buyers what they want while maintaining a NO stress environment for our members. We will continue to offer the creative, quality products we are known for while we will still push to present those products in a beautiful and graceful manor. Expect great things from IvyLane now and in the future, we won’t let you down!

***Contest Time***

The girls over at Ivylane would like to offer a contest at all you faithful readers. All you have to do is search Ivylane listings from now until Tuesday, March 24th. Then come back here and leave a comment saying which is your favorite listing. The generous prize will be a pair of ruffle pants from Debbie of PolkadotsAndPigtails, and an appliqued tee from Susan of DollieDimplesBoutique. The lucky winner will be randomly drawn on Tuesday, so check back to see if it is you! Have fun searching those gorgeous listings!

CLICK HERE to go to all of Ivylane's current designs on eBay