Two neighborhood Trumbull moms were feeling the stress of the economy when they had a stroke of genius: why not bring one of their favorite craft projects to the masses? In following through with the idea, Spots and Ladybugs was born.
“Alison and I started talking,” recounts Ailis Martin, Trumbull mother of four. Alison Zajac is Martin’s next-door neighbor in Nichols. The two hit it off when the Martin family moved to the neighborhood seven years ago. The two moms started their company Spots and Ladybugs in 2009 while developing their first product: the Sandy Feet Casting Kit.
Both Alison and Ailis enjoyed making beach casting of their kids’ feet on family outings. “When I first started doing this craft, I remember hauling 10 pounds of plaster to the beach with my two daughters,” explains Zajac.
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Both Martin and Zajac thought that if they could package that idea and make it more convenient for parents, they would have something special. “We made it into a single serving option and brought it to the masses,” says Martin. Now, families can have a souvenir of their beach trip because the kit uses beach sand, and a casting of their child’s foot as a keepsake.
One of the appeals of the Sandy Feet Casting kit is that it’s something people want to have in their house explains Zajac. “A lot of the pre-packaged crafts on the market are not something you want to keep as a keepsake. How many paper-plate ladybugs can a house have?” she adds.
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The Sandy Feet Casting kit has taken off in the past three years with about 15,000 products sold. “We have the product in tons of stores from Connecticut to Hawaii,” Martin explains. “Our furthest sale was Saudi Arabia. It’s also very popular in coastal areas.”
Building on the success of the Sandy Feet Casting kit and the Sandy Foot Casting kit (a similar product, but available in color), Martin and Zajac are extending their product line to include their new Easter Grass-kit. Both women are excited about bringing this eco-friendly project to market.
“This Easter Grass-kit is popular and timely,” says Martin. Essentially, the kit fits in a muslin bag and has a disc of soil and a bag of wheat seed. Martin suggests families start the project on Palm Sunday. By Easter, lush green grass will grow in their basket – just in time for the Easter bunny to bring his eggs.
Zajac believes this product is not like anything on the market right now. “I think we’re on the verge of something really great,” she says. The Easter Grass-kit is “easy to use, a green product, fun, and educational. There are so many different components.”
What comes next for Spots and Ladybugs? The Trumbull duo is busy developing new products, that is, when they’re not busy with their mom-day-job. “Our inspiration comes from living with kids and seeing what they’re interested in,” Zajac maintains. Their goal is to deliver products and crafts geared towards children, especially young children with limited attention spans. “The next product will be fun,” Zajac promises. “Because if you’re not having fun, then it’s not worth it.”
Spots and Ladybugs’ Easter Grass-kit is currently retailing at Flourishes in Trumbull, among other retail outlets. For more information on this product, or Sandy Feet Casting Kits, visit their website at www.spotsandladybugs.com.
