The Purple Alligator came after much consideration as to what I should name my business -- which came about after friends found out I was making bows for Isabella. They told me they were cute and that they would buy them from me if I would sell them. Well, I have yet to sell any of my bows to people I DON'T know. I have gotten so much work from word of mouth, that I have not even had time to set up a web site yet! All I have done is create a little store on Etsy to sell my digital images, and get a few clippie sets up there. I guess I shouldn't be upset about that...word of mouth really is the best advertisement that there is!
But back to how I came up with the name... I went back and forth with all different kinds of names. All kinds of cute names, and nothing seemed right. I wanted it to be something significant in regards to Isabella. After all, she was the reason I was taking this step. It was because of Isabella that I even began making bows in the first place (well, once she got hair after her 2nd birthday). So many of the girls who do this have words like "cute" and "princess" and "diva" and "pink" in their business names...you know, all of those girly words. I wanted something different, but nothing seemed to fit. I mean, after all, Isabella does march to her own beat! I ran a few things past Chris...The Dainty Dragonfly...The Little Ladybug...The Lovely Ladybug. "Nah." Was his answer after everything I offered. He told me that they just didn't sound right. So after giving about 5 or 6 different possibilities, I looked at him and said, "What then, The Purple Alligator?" He looked right at me and said, "That's it!"
Why The Purple Alligator? Well, at the time that I was trying to come up with a name, Isabella had become extremely fond of a purple alligator bathtub toy. It was a tiny, rubber alligator that went everywhere with her - and when I say everywhere, I really mean everywhere! If she did not have that foolish thing at naptime or bedtime, there was no sleeping until she was located!
And so it is...The Purple Alligator...named for the tiny tub toy that my "Little Lady" was so fond of at the time I began my journey. This business, and everything that I do in it, is all influenced by my incredibly sweet (and many times, spicy) Sandbox Princess, Isabella Joy.
If it wouldn't be good enough for my daughter, I would not sell it to anyone else for theirs. And you can hold me to that!
