Tote and Tee

Check out the Tote and Tee Facebook Fan page.  It’s a fun way to connect with other “fans” and share info and pictures.  (sounds so funny to say I have fans! Anyone want my autograph? Just kidding…)

As the page grows, I plan to use it to do giveaways and special promotions.  It’s so easy to use!

Hello Friends!

I just wanted to announce a big change here at Tote and Tee.  Eek, a change! I am a little nervous but also VERY excited!  Starting this Wednesday, all the items you see on the website now will no longer be available at all times.  On Wednesday morning when you come to the website, you will see only 4 featured items on the front page.  Those 4 items will be the only things available for the week.  Every Wednesday morning there will be new items.

I am excited to bring a new feel to the site and be able to rotate my items for sale more often.  I plan to have lots of new things to offer, some old favorites and fun accessories! I even have some themed weeks and guest sellers coming in the future.  It is my hope that the new format will keep things fresh and fun for you and me too! I love Tote and Tee and wanted to find a way to make it work for me but still keep it going.  I am a busy mom and since I do 95% of the work myself still, I needed to come up with a plan to limit the products I make but still have it be a fun place for you to shop!

With these changes, I am also limiting the amount of special orders that I take.  I am going to offer “custom” or special requests once a month as one of the featured items.  I will always give a weeks notice before I put a “custom” up as a listing.  This will give you time to figure out what upcoming events you may need a tee for.

I am hoping that the changes will be fun for you too and I will strive to keep Tote and Tee a cool place to shop.

And don’t forgot, if there is something listed on the website that you have had your eye on…please get it now! The changes go into effect on Wednesay morning of this week.

Thanks and please email with any questions, suggestions, thoughts and hugs!

Your tee shirt making friend,

Amy

www.toteandtee.com

It’s been another great year here for me with Tote and Tee. It’s hard to believe that it’s been 5 years and I am so lucky to say that some of my amazing customers from the beginning are still hanging with me! Makes me a little weepy actually!

There are going to be lots of new changes in 2009 within the children’s industry with the passing of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). I haven’t figured out how I am going to work my business after it goes into effect on February 10th, but I am sure things will be changing. If you aren’t familiar with CPSIA, basically it was passed to protect our children against harmful toys and other products. Sounds good right? Well, the way the law was written ALL products for children ages 12 and under are required to be tested in a lab (I hear there are only 15 certified labs in the WHOLE country). The thing that really sucks, my products DON’T contain lead (I had one of my sweatshirts tested, not official…but tested) but in order to save my butt I still need to have them officially tested which means WAY more money then I can afford and just not possible for my style of business. I like to make few of a kind tees, you want a pink tee with red dots? Sure, I will do it! But once the CPSIA is implemented, I would have to send that tee off to be tested in a lab before I could legally sell it (or even give it away!) Doesn’t seem right, does it?

For those of you that know a little bit about my business, it’s JUST me. I work from my cozy workroom at home. My grandma helps me a lot with cutting and things like that. But we are Small…like a tiny business. I LOVE what I do, I really do. I love the relationship that I have built with my old customers and I am always excited when I get new customers! I am hoping that the law is changed a bit to make it possible for small children’s businesses to stay in business.

If this is new info for you, pop on over to this great article on Boutique Cafe for more info. It has great links on petitions you can sign and tons more info, probably explains it a lot better than I can too! (remember…I just like to sew, bring you fun new things and have sales…all this legal talk is totally not fun for me!)

Ok, enough about that…it’s starting to give me a headache! What I came here to say is…SALE! Big one! It’s the Year End sale and everything is 40% off!

Hi! I am here to share with you my favorite new thing. Twitter. Have you heard of it? If you haven’t then you are probably looking at me(your screen) funny. If you have, maybe you already know how cool it is!

Twitter is hmm, how do you explain it. Basically you sign up for an account there and you start following people you are interested in. You will see everything the people that you follow say and everyone that follows you, will see what you say. The fun thing about this is you only get 140 characters per “tweet” so it’s a quick way to do a little chit chat.

I have found that it’s a great way to socialize while I am still busy doing work. I work from home and don’t have much interaction with anyone other than oh my hubby, kids, grandma, UPS man…you get the drift. I can’t remember when I signed up but in that short time(some months) I have managed to find over 1000 amazing people to follow! Everyone from fellow business owners, old friends, bloggers, PR folks and I am even following Shaq and Lance Armstrong!

One amazing group of women that I am jazzed to be connected with now through Twitter are the following list…they all own online Children’s stores and you can find them on Twitter! If you are on Twitter or just signed up, you might want to check out this fabu group of ladies and follow them. If you aren’t on Twitter, you should click around on the website links and maybe you will discover a new store or 2 to shop at!

@MyPreciousKid - www.mypreciouskid.com

@lovebugclothing – www.lovebugclothing.com 20% off 1st order with code FIRST

@bizziemommy – www.lalababyboutique.com

@tresfun – www.littleedesigns.etsy.com

@SuperMomz – www.supermomz.com

@mumby – www.mabel.ca

@fabrichound – www.sweetgirlboutique.com

@funfelt – www.funfelt.com

@twinklingtees – www.twinklingtees.com

@Babology – www.babology.com

@Momdot – www.bambinaballerina.com

@vusova – www.vusova.etsy.com

@katjapresnal – www.skimbaco.com

@jaybirddesigns – www.jaybird-designs.com & www.mypinkzebraboutique.com

@princesstimetoy – www.princesstimetoys.com

@isewcute – isewcute.etsy.com

@divineclothing – www.divinelittleduds.com

@alexcaseybaby – www.alexcaseybaby.com

@emihill – www.georgietees.com

@pitterpatte – www.pitterpattercreations.com

@polkadotpatch – www.polkadotpatch.com

@bfmwear – www.bfmwear.com

@SweetDreamsDes – www.sweet-dreams-designs.net

@babyfabulous – www.babyfabulous.com

@katjapresnal – www.skimbaco.com

@hippostoes – www.hippostoes.com

@PMKU - www.happypandababy.com

@jussar – www.jusshardesigns.com

@monkeytoeshoes – www.monkey-toes.com

@oopdoo – www.oopdoohug.com

@momfluential – www.francie-pants.com

@fundoodies123 – www.fundoodies.com

@bamdesigns – www.bamdesigns.etsy.com

@marinasmom – www.myprincesscloset.com

@loveseptember – www.loveseptember.etsy.com

@zadyball – www.zadyball.com

@OnTray2Go – www.ontray2go.com

@glamajama – www.glamajama.com

@ashleeallen – www.nonnyandboo.com

@moomettesgram – www.moomettesmagnificents.com

@thatrobguy – www.thatbabydvd.com

@blessednest – www.blessednest.com

@africanABC – www.africanabc.com

I started this list awhile ago and have made many new connections since then. If you are a “Children’s Store owner that Twitters” just leave a comment here or DM me on Twitter and I will add you! (If we are BFF’s and I didn’t add your twitter name, don’t feel bad…I am lacking a few brain cells for now while I get through the holiday rush, just let me know!)

Oh, and if you want to find me and follow my ramblings you can do that at http://www.twitter.com/toteandtee

Yippee, I LOVE Black Friday! Hope you can get some deals for the kiddos from my store.  I will be the crazy lady in line at 3am at Kohl’s on Friday, but don’t worry I have access to my email if you have any questions!

Please know that many of my socks, wallets, etc are very limited in the quantity I have in stock.  Make sure you order early, it’s first come-first serve.  The website should take an item off if it is out of stock but sometimes it doesn’t, if you order an item that is sold out I will refund your money for that item.

Happy Shopping!!

Join us Friday, November 21^st at 9:00p.m EST on Twitter for the Tote and Tee SiteWarming Party hosted by @ResourcefulMom.  For one hour we’ll tweet with a panel of expert moms who are raising their businesses while they raise their families, all from the comfort of their own homes!  And what’s a party without a Goody Bag?  Everyone wins when they shop using the contest coupon code: TWITTER, which is good for 20%, even on sale items!  Enter here to win the following fabulous good bag prizes.  The more you enter, the greater your chance of winning!

How to Enter:

Option 1: Subscribe to the Tote and Tee Blog right here!  Tote and Tee’s blog is the place to learn about sales and new products.  Subscribe to the blog’s RSS Feed and never miss the top Tote and Tee news!

Option 2: Register on the Tote and Tee main page for an account.  Once you’ve registered, you’re not only eligible to win a Goody Bag prize, but you’re also eligible to win a monthly  giveaway as long as you don’t unsubscribe!

Option 3: Stumble this blog post! 

Option 4: Blog about this contest on your own site.

Once you’ve completed one or more of the steps to enter, be sure to comment to this post so that we know!  And please remember to include a way to contact you when you win.

And what can you win?  How about:

1.       Mead Writing Fundamentals Stage 1 Gift Pack – over $30 value – three winners!  These wonderful new learning products by Mead reach children during the pre-writing age and help them develop the skills they need to find success as they learn to print.  Activities include cutting, coloring, tracing, and stenciling, all presented in a way that creates an interest in learning.  These products are not only innovative, but they are also educational and fun.

2.       Sweet Girl Boutique – $50 Gift Card Sweet Girl Boutique is the place on the web to find adorable clothes, gifts, and accessories for children ages newborn to eight years.  There are new items daily and with categories like “Crafty Stuff” and “Frills and Fluff,” you’re sure to find something cute and fun for your little one!

3.       Hooked on Phonics Pre-School Learning Kit ($100 value!!) – This learning kit from the trusted team at Hooked on Phonics reaches our children at a critical stage – pre-reading.  Created for ages 3 to 4, this kit includes alphabet cards that get kids up and moving while learning their letters (both uppercase and lowercase), rewards charts, three workbooks that help children learn the alphabet and its sounds, My Hooked on Phonics Dictionary, three story books that reiterate phonetics, and CD’s with fun letter recognition games for your computer!

4.       Notecards from Vertical Printing and Graphics – Be sure to browse the beautifully designed and printed products from our friend on Twitter, @VPG_Printing.  One lucky winner will enjoy a set of free notecards!

5.       Child ID Bracelet from Chicks and Cubs - $8.00 value (and yet priceless) Children, especially toddlers, can get away from us so quickly.  Luckily, Cynthia at Chicks and Cubs offers Child Safety ID inside bracelets. These soft, cloth bracelets fit safely on your child’s wrist and enclose their ID information. The average speaking two year old can only be understood 50% of the time. If your child gets separated from you in a large crowd, what is the chance that he or she will be able to communicate enough information to get them safely back to you? With this very visible bracelet, your child will be safely returned to your arms in no time.

6.       $25 Gift Card from NOVICA – $25 Gift Card to NOVICA - unique gifts created by master artists from around the world. This holiday give a truly unique gift by shopping at http://www.novica.com/, an online world market associated with The National Geographic Society. You can search by region of the globe, type of product (Home Decor, Jewelry & Apparel, Paintings), gift finder, and customer favorites. If a truly unique gift such as those available at NOVICA still won’t please that tough customer on your holiday shopping list, why not get them a gift certificate and let them choose their own global treasure?

7.       $25 Gift Card from Hippos Toes - unique and whimsical fashions for children Carole and the wonderful people at Hippos Toes Boutique offer the best in fair trade clothing made by moms for moms. The gorgeous cotton knits and blends provide beauty with comfort, style with quality. Hippos Toes features the upscale Bug Zoo line of children’s clothing with separates to mix and match to create a beautiful wardrobe for your little one.

8.       Gift package from Anita Hampl of Send Out Cards - $50 value – Anita Hampl from Send Out Cards has offered a wonderful package! Give three loved ones the joy of receiving a beautiful card that you are able to customize online! And do you want to make it even sweeter? Anita will add a decadent chocolate brownie to each of the three cards and try make your friend or family member’s day. So send a H.U.G. – Heartfelt Unexpected Greeting.

9.       Heart of a Mother – The Heart series of books by Sheryl Rousch are a fabulous gift idea for the women in your life. Informative and inspirational, they tap into the many aspects of a woman’s life. Because the book is divided into small, easily consumed sections, I found them to make wonderful bed time reading. If you’re looking for inspiration in the quiet hours of the morning, turn to some of your favorite stories from other women who can relate.  This makes the perfect gift for any mother this holiday season!

10.   Mighty Miracle Mist - Good Behavior in a Bottle! – from Helpful Hallie’s – value $16.90 Helpful Hallie’s provides moms with a magic feather of sorts. These cute little bottles of unscented, hypo-allergenic spray with tiny “magic stars” give your little ones the extra courage they need to push through frustrating situations, tackle that sad moment of separation at bedtime, take a deep breath and use a calmer voice, even share with a sibling – all by helping them to rely on their own strengths. Learn more!

11.   Kubit2Me Lil’ Scholars Edition – a fabulous game for the whole family Kubit2Me is a game unlike any other I have seen or played.  Resourceful Mommy’s family enjoys the Lil’ Scholars Edition so much that she featured this game in one of her Top Holiday Gifts posts this year. One of the best features of this game is the endless playing possibilities. Her family particularly enjoys playing with the bonus box of “parts of the body.” There is nothing more fun than having each family member chose a part of the body and explain the ways in which we use it.  Kubit2Me is a great way to increase communication within your family!

12.   GRiPPiES Two Pack! GRiPPiES tout themselves rightfully as “the ‘no-slip’ solution for tights, gloves, and socks!”  Resourceful Mommy has enjoyed both the stick-on version as well as the iron-on version to create safe, warm tights for her daughter.  By finding a solution to the slippery sock problem, you’re able to continue your clean “no shoes in the house” policy, but without the fear of your children falling!

13.   AND of course! A $50 Gift Card to Tote and Tee!!!!

Also be sure to follow @toteandtee on Twitter!

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