Interview with Amy of tiny giraffe

tiny giraffe, amy mcgrath, handmade heirloom wooden blocks, handmade for children

One of the things I truly love about editing Oh My! is the chance to get to know people and watch their business grow and change. I first connected with Amy of tiny giraffe nearly a year ago and since then have seen her change her branding, collaborate with artists (& OMHG contributors!) and develop her brand. I am so happy to get the chance to share a bit of her journey with you.

Amy creates beautiful handmade classic wooden blocks with both modern and vintage styles. Choices range from classic paper dolls to artist illustrated sets-all perfect for little hands to play with and then pass down to future kiddos. Amy’s blocks make a perfect holiday gift or stocking stuffer so be sure to enter the giveaway and take advantage of the 10% discount code below and get a leg up on your Christmas shopping!

tiny giraffe, amy mcgrath, handmade heirloom wooden blocks, handmade for children

Hi Amy,  I am really thrilled to have the chance to share your business and story here. Please tell us a bit about yourself and tiny giraffe!

Tiny giraffe™ is the perfect balance between my passion for creating and love of business. After graduating with a degree in economics, I worked in the music industry in performing rights by day, then managed indie artists and even hit the road with some big names by night.

With the birth of my first daughter, I made the decision to give up working in music to start my most exciting job yet: raising my children. I created tiny giraffe™ as an outlet for my creative and entrepreneurial energy. I opened this etsy shop in February 2009 on the very night my second daughter was born. I launched the shop, loaded the graphics, and just minutes later was on my way to the hospital to give birth. Crazy, yes, but that’s how I operate! Now, just two years later, tiny giraffe™ blocks are sold in baby boutiques both online and across the U.S. from NYC to LA.

You had a busy summer re-vamping your brand with the help of one of our contributors Lisa of Moxie Pear. I would love if you could share that process with us by giving us a behind the scenes look at your brand before and after your makeover. 

I had so much fun working with Lisa, and in addition to coming out of the creative process with an awesome new brand, I also learned a lot about the direction I want to take the tiny giraffe™ brand. My initial conversation with Lisa was all about exploring my goals and working to identify a few key words to describe my brand. I find myself going back to those key words often, and am so grateful to Lisa for taking me through that process.

Take a look at the before and after logos. The old logo was too bright and busy for the product I offer. tiny giraffe™ is about simple and classic wooden blocks for tots, and I wanted my new logo to reflect that look and feel. The new logo has a simple white background, earthy color palate, and a hand-drawn giraffe. I absolutely adore the way the giraffe appears to be drawn with crayon — it conveys that the brand is for children.

tiny giraffe, amy mcgrath, handmade business rebranding, moxie pear

You also teamed up with another OMHG contributor, Joanne Gibert of Drawn to Letters to create a beautiful set of illustrated blocks. Tell me about that collaboration, how did it come to be & will you collaborate again with other artists in the future?

Joanne contacted me about a possible collaboration, and after just a few minutes on the phone we realized if we put our strengths together we could create something amazing. Putting Joanne’s beautiful watercolor drawings on classic wooden blocks is the perfect medium for babies and toddlers to get their hands on the alphabet and form those first words. It’s so satisfying for both Joanne and I to see the product of our collaboration, and tiny giraffe™ customers are returning for second and thirds sets after purchasing their first.

Of course, I would love to collaborate with other amazing artists and am always on the look out for unique spins to put on classic wooden blocks.

tiny giraffe, amy mcgrath, handmade wooden blocks, drawn to letters

We love hearing how & where makers make! Can you tell us about your workspace? 

We moved just a few weeks ago, and now I have my own studio ::squeal!:: The biggest benefit of dedicated space is that there is no setup and tear-down time. In the past I spent an obscene amount of time preparing to work, and now my supplies are at my fingertips ready to create. I’m still settling in and have my eye on a handful of handmade goodies to adorn my blank walls!

You took the summer off and are getting back in the swing of things-are there any tips or tricks you can share with our readers about getting back on track after spending time away?

Getting back on track after spending time away can be a challenge. Having a plan is important in order to get up and running on day 1. After taking the summer off, I reach out to my retail locations, as well as any online shops selling tiny giraffe™ blocks to make sure that they are stocked for the coming season. I also try to offer new designs upon reopening to create buzz and to keep repeat customers interested in my product.

What are you planning for tiny giraffe in the future? Any exciting projects or products in the works? 

The holidays are upon us and I have just added the Christmas 2011 set to my etsy shop. Every year I create a stocking stuffer for tots, and have many customers who are collecting each year’s Christmas set. This year I’ve put together a set of three retro Christmas blocks (pictured above) with a drawstring bag hand-stamped with the words “elf made”, and the set ships free in the U.S. (with super affordable shipping worldwide!)

tiny giraffe, amy mcgrath, handmade wooden blocks

Amy is offering a generous giveaway and discount for US and Canadian OMHG readers of any item in her etsy shop!  She is also offering a coupon code good for 10% off your entire order by entering OMHG10 at checkout. The code is valid until Wednesday, November 2nd so get shopping!

How to Enter this Giveaway

Leave a comment about tiny giraffe and my interview with Amy (can I get a WOW on her launching a biz + a baby at the same time-talk about multi-tasking!)

AND/OR 

Visit tiny giraffe and let us know what you would choose from the shop

Get extra entries by leaving a separate comment (1 comment=1 entry) if you:

This giveaway closes at midnight EST on Wednesday, November 2nd with the winner announced at the bottom of this post on November 3rd (comments received after this time will not be published until the winner is announced).  By entering this giveaway you agree to the oh my! handmade giveaway policies. 

This giveaway is now closed! The lucky winner is:

 

71 comments

  1. Simone says:

    love these wooden blocks!! adorable!

    Am looking forward to seeing what design/s Amy might come up with next (hint: I have a 2.5 yo who loves everything with wheels and is practicing his counting).

    I would love to get any of these current sets as a gift for my new nephew 🙂 oh, and love the personalized bags too!

  7. Rose says:

    Great interview! It is fun to watch how shops evolve over time.

    Very generous giveaway, too! I love the ABC block sets from Amy’s shop.

    randomcreative28 at gmail dot com

  9. Joanne says:

    So nice to see your story here Amy and learn about your collaboration with Lisa too. Thanks for putting my ABC art in a blocks. I just love the vintage Alice prints! Happy sales to you.

  18. Lulu says:

    I have feelings fro the wooden blocks, nostalgy) Did you know that almost all the blocks for children are made of paper now?
    I really love the Alice in Wonderland blocks…

  32. Cyndy says:

    Love the designs. I would choose the classic paper doll. It would be fun to also have a classic boy paper doll for my little giraffe next door!

  39. Brianne of PetalPetal says:

    Thank you Jessika and Amy for sharing your story! I am beginning the process of revitalizing the branding before I launch my Spring Collection so this was a great inspiration. I also just had a chance to collaborate with an amazing illustrator and I agree that collaborations are so much fun and can be such a blessing.

    Following Tiny Giraffe on Twitter via PetalPetaldsgns

  49. tiffany says:

    i love the new logo! i’ve been a fan of tiny giraffe for a while, and i think the new branding is fabulous. congrats on such an adorable shop!

  58. Tahliah Y. Fuller says:

    Hi, I really enjoyed reading the interview and was so inspired to follow my dream project. I absolutely love the stocking stuffer Alice blocks. I got a really warm and fuzzy feeling, a real sense of nostalgia. Best Wishes! T

  67. Margaret says:

    This gal is amazing! She has a lot of similar interests and aspirations as me in terms of graduating with a business degree, but working in the entertainment/media industry… as well as wanting to raise a family and own a business! What a go-getter. Plus her shop is adorable to boot!

    xo,
    Margaret

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