Wrap Your Baby Business

Customer Appreciation Offer

Some of my family, on whose behalf I appreciate you!

I wanted to do something special for my customers this week and I decided on this special offer (full terms below):

• spend $100 or more in my store by the end of Thursday, the 21st of November (sale ends at 11:59pm EST).
• use coupon code THANKYOU50 when you check out (coupon code is case sensitive).
• You will receive a gift certificate for $50 by email.
• Use the gift certificate at checkout to get $50 off a second purchase for yourself or as a gift for someone you care about.  The gift certificate must be used by Wednesday, 27 November 2013 (11:59pm EST), after which it will expire.

Additionally, one person who buys a wrap using the THANKYOU50 code will be entirely refunded and will receive their first wrap free instead of a $50 gift certificate!

To be eligible to be the one to receive a free wrap, share my Facebook post on the subject.  You’ll see it pinned to the top of the page at www.facebook.com/wrapyourbaby (International customers are also eligible but if you win, I will ask that you pay shipping-only for your wrap).

SMALLPRINT:

This deal is for a full price purchase and cannot be combined with other discounts. This is true of the first purchase and the second (please do not try to use a coupon as well as the gift certificate).

The first purchase must be paid in full in order to receive the $50 off (putting an item on layaway will not result in a coupon code being mailed to you).

The $50 gift certificate cannot be used for an item that you already have on layaway–it must be used for a new purchase.  However, that new purchase can be put on layaway using the gift certificate to help pay for it.

Anyone can use the first code to receive $50 off a second purchase.  The gift certificate that you receive in your email can only be used once but it is transferable.  You can give it to a friend, but make sure that they know it is good through 27 November.

Natibaby Trees Series

Natibaby has a wonderful designer named Aga who made this beautiful and immediately beloved tree of life design just for me and Natibaby has woven it for Wrap Your Baby in a few different colors now.

The first Trees, woven in a deep plum, I called Plum Trees.  After that, was Green Apple Trees (a hemp blend) and now Wisteria Trees and Winter Trees (both cotton/linen) have arrived!  These blue trees have a gorgeous shimmer and shine that is really magical.  Natibaby Tree of Life now available for sale.

Natibaby Tattooed Wrap

Natibaby Tattooed was one of the most highly anticipated wraps that passed through my hands this year. Woven exclusively for Wrap Your Baby, NatiTat is a gorgeous golden wrap showing off beautifully rendered, classic Tattoo designs in a bamboo/linen blend that arrives stiff but reportedly softens up wonderfully with washing, ironing, and wearing. Natibaby Tattooed is for sale here.

And the wearing is the fun part! This wrap has begged to be the subject of several creative photo shoots, and also inspired a small, friendly war involving sneaky corn ninjas like this one, shared by Suzi Lang:

Babywearing International of Austin has documented the struggles of the citizens whose lending libraries were potentially affected by the war of the Tattooed wrap here.

Moon Phases Wrap – Wrapsody Luna

Wrapsody Luna shows all the phases of the moon across a royal purple and deep blue batiked galaxy background.

Changing phases are ironically the one consistency throughout motherhood and between families.

This moon phases wrap captures the beauty through all the phases our babies go through and put us through.

The moon is also an enduring symbol of femininity and I see this design representing phases of womanhood as well as motherhood.

You can get your Luna wrap right now!

Speaking of the phases of motherhood, here is Wrapsody Luna during pregnancy, babyhood, and toddlerhood:

There were so many beautiful suggestions for the name for this moon phases wrap.  I was tempted to go with one of the goddess names as was traditional for the original Bali Breeze wraps when they were still called Gypsymama.  And I loved several of the longer names like Clair de Lune.  But in the end, the simple Luna appealed to me the most.  I like how Wrapsody Luna sounds and looks.  And I think it’s more of a universally recognized name for a wrap with symbology that is important to so many different cultures and beliefs.

Thank you Amy, for suggesting the name, and you have won a Luna wrap of your own!  I’ve sent you an email so we can arrange shipping.

***ORIGINAL POST BELOW***

This moon phases wrap needs a good name worthy of the magical reputation of the moon.  Comment with your name suggestion and I whoever suggests the winning name will win of these Bali Breeze wraps with lunar phases!  Be sure to provide an email address that you check so that you will know if your name was chosen.  I’ll edit this blog post with the winning name next week.

For the record, this is a 100% cotton gauze wrap batiked in dark purple and pink in Bali under Fair Trade Conditions. The moons run lengthwise across the wrap, about 2/3rds of the way up from the bottom rail.

I give you through the weekend (through 20 October) to make your suggestions for this moon phases wrap!

Group Video Contest July Wrap Giveaway

Each month I donate a wrap to a babywearing group to add to their lending library.  For July I am asking groups to do a project to help me expand the wrapping instructions on my website. One of the prizes for July (Nati Notes linen blend wrap):

To enter your group for a free wrap, I ask that you send me an instructional video that I can brand and post on my website and on YouTube to help moms who are trying to master a carry or technique. Send the videos to diana@wrapyourbaby.com by the last day of July and put “July Video” in the subject to help me keep track of the emails.  Also please include a line in your email giving me permission to add my title and credits and use the video online, regardless of whether your group is chosen to win a wrap.  I will credit your babywearing group for the video and the specific babywearer and baby in the video, if you want me to.  I won’t be passing it off as me, but I will be marketing it as a video that belongs to the instructional library of Wrap Your Baby, if that makes sense.  Let me know if you have any questions.

I will give away one wrap to a group in each category.  You can enter one or all of them.  You can submit one wrap or multiple wraps to any one category as well.  I will not choose the same group for more than one category (because I’d like to help as many different groups as possible) but you may increase your chances of winning one wrap by submitting multiple videos because I will be choosing the one that I find most helpful in each category.

1. how-to video for any woven wrap variation that is tied at shoulder (TAS)
2. how to nurse in a woven wrap as a busty mama (baby or toddler)
3. adjusting a woven wrap to provide head support in a back carry after baby/toddler has fallen asleep
4. woven wrap instruction video (any technique) by a dad

The videos can be silent or you can narrate as you go.  Just remember that they are supposed to be instructional, so try to make them clear and helpful.  I use Windows Live MovieMaker to edit videos, so if you can send it in a format that will work with that program, I will be all the more appreciative.

And the prizes?

• Nati Notes Pink/Black linen blend wrap
• Ellevill Karma Dusty Lavender organic cotton wrap
• Natibaby Plum Pois linen blend wrap
• Ellevill cotton/bamboo Paisley Silver wrap

and as a bonus, I’ll send a gender neutral, used-in-good-condition wrap to one of the dads who make the dad wrapping movies for this project (in addition to a carrier donated to the group that submits it).  Because we want to encourage the babywearing gentlemen of this world!

Is Mother’s Day too Commercial?

Mothers Day, or any day, is what you make it.  You can decide to skip Mothers Day on the grounds that you deserve to be pampered more often than once a year.  You can celebrate it on the grounds that it’s about time someone do something for you for a change.  You can smile demurely because you know that your kids or your husband will spoil you whether you voice an opinion or not.  You can make it about your mother, because now that you have kids you appreciate her more than ever.

I am having a Mothers Day Sale because there are many mothers who love wraps or would love to have a wrap, and they appreciate any help in getting one, and this is a good excuse to be nice to moms.

I am releasing mothers from any feeling of guilt over buying themselves a Mother’s Day present because I can almost guarantee that they deserve it.

I am admitting that no monetary purchases need happen in order to celebrate Mother’s Day, that priceless (and costless) gifts are wonderful, and that no gift at all is necessary to celebrate the love you have for someone.

And I am acknowledging that there are families for whom purchasing a wrap is a huge purchase, and should not be treated lightly whether it is Mother’s Day or not.

But I’m not going to let any of that stop me from treating Mother’s Day, and my Special Mother’s Day Event lightheartedly, with a spirit of play.

I just wanted to clarify that anything I post about this offer is intended to be fun and happy, and not to imply that husband’s are bad (or good), that mothers are deserving (or selfish), or that if you really love someone, you have to buy them anything!

So are we good?  Happy Mother’s Day!

Buying Woven Wraps (New or Used)

Used Baby Carriers are big business, and why not?   It never hurts to save a few bucks, and most wrappers would argue that a woven wrap–like a good wine–improves with age (and use–probably not true of wine).  A new wrap sometimes needs breaking in to soften it up, while a used wrap may already be two years softer than the new one.

Watch out for this pitfall though: sometimes the hunt for a wrap on the swaps can be difficult, hair raising, and nerve wracking.  The buying and selling of wraps, like the buying and selling of stocks, is not for the faint of heart.  You need to weigh risks and calculate security (Does this seller have feedback?  How much? How old?  How good?) and logistics (Is the seller paying shipping?  Is insurance included? Is this wrap in this country? How did I end up on the Australian Swap Board?).

You may need to make split second decisions, and if you turned away from the screen for a moment to wipe a toddler’s nose or change baby’s diaper, you may return to find that you missed out on the deal of the century.  The emotional turmoil can be stressful.

Or maybe you thrive under pressure.  Some people bet on cockfighting.  The Wrap Swap is more humane.

But, maybe it’s not the best place to refer brand new wannabe babywearers to.  They might just back away in horror and go to Babies R Us instead.  They might get burnt by a bad deal.  They might become stressed from stalking the swap for a perfect buy, and what new mom needs added stress?

Instead, I suggest:

• buying her a wrap as a gift (if you are close enough, and have the means).
• sending her to a reputable retailer locally or online (I know a good one if you need a recommendation).
• or even helping her pick out a wrap and then stalking the swap for her so she doesn’t have to.

Keep in mind that we retailers of new wraps, every one of them I have ever come across, are really friendly, eager to help, knowledgeable, and generally trying to make anything from a few extra bucks to a decent living to support our families in a business that we believe in strongly.  We didn’t pick baby carriers after researching “most lucrative business plans” but by following our interest in wanting to help moms.

And think what else she’ll get out of it: someone to answer questions and help with any problems, and in most cases a return/exchange policy in case she got the wrong size or the colors look different in person.  She gets a relationship with a person to help her get started wrapping.  Don’t hesitate to refer someone to us–she’ll be in good hands!

EllaRoo Pre-Order

My EllaRoo inventory is just about depleted.  And, the Mary EllaRoos that many of you pre-ordered are almost done being woven and ready to ship from Europe.  I’d like to ship everything at once, so I am going to have about a week of EllaRoo pre-orders to let you choose from all of the 20+ colors in the EllaRoo warehouse (not just the ones I usually carry) AND get a $20 discount.

You can take advantage of this short offer here: https://wrapyourbaby.com/store/proddetail.php?prod=EllaRooPreOrder-size&cat=28

EllaRoo is a fantastic Summer wrap, thinner and cooler than most woven wraps, but still strong and supportive (we use ours with our two toddlers).  And such beautiful colors–more choices than ever available through this sale only!

In the meantime, click here to view the available colors: http://www.wrapyourbaby.com/ERphotos.html

Deluxe Kindercoat Clearance

I am clearing out the 2011 Deluxe Kindercoats.  Some colors are available in several sizes, some in just a single size.  Several are the only one in that particular color/size combo so if you see one you like, you’d better grab it.

BUY A BABYWEARING COAT

How many more freezing days this Winter?  How many next Winter?  What about next baby?  And did you know that you can wear this coat as a maternity coat and it also looks great worn by yourself when not pregnant.  In other words, this one coat will fill your winter coat needs for many years.  And it is a better deal than ever while I’m offering a $39 discount!

Use coupon code StayWarm to save $39.  You should have your coat within the week!

Designing a New Wrap (survey)

There are so many wonderful wraps that need to be made, it’s really hard to just pick a design and go with it!  I took a few of the most popular designs that customers asked for, and made quick, slipshod mock-ups and now you can help me choose which of them to pursue by taking this survey:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/JFGB3JM

Right now the contenders are Celtic Tree of Life design, Medieval Dragon, Fantasy Creatures, and Music Notes.

Your vote could make the difference…

The wrap will most likely be a NatiBaby.  Cotton, linen, or hemp blends are being considered.  Colors, I haven’t even begun to think about!

So exciting!

Forget Resolutions, Here are the New Years PLANS

I hope everyone reading this had as lovely a Christmas as I did, surrounded by (and often piled under) family, sparkling decorations, good smells, and the sound of laughter!

2013, I am so, so ready for you!

If you are watching Wrap Your Baby this year, you will see all kinds of excitement!

This week we are launching a new-old-color: EllaRoo Mary, discontinued years ago, will be handwoven in a special production run and be delivered to the US in March for delivery to eager pre-order customers!  This is a wrap that people have been asking for, for years and it is my favorite.  I am very happy to be able to offer it now!

March will also bring a fun drawing for a gorgeous and highly coveted carrier from an amazing artisan.   Keep your eye out as you will not want to miss this opportunity!

In Spring you will see a magical design remade in soft, shimmery colors in a fantastic Summer wrap just for Wrap Your Baby.  No, that’s all for now 😉

And I am preparing to offer a new wrap brand with an astonishing array of amazing and unique designs, which I will notify you about as soon as they are ready for order!

In between the bigger changes, I have local classes and group sessions happening, I am looking forward to a super fun colorful photoshoot coming up, I hope to find some new products that customers will love (like doll wraps for the kiddos), and I have some sales planned on very specific products.  Sometimes the sales only last a few hours, and the best way to make sure you don’t miss them is to “like” my page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/WrapYourBaby

Oh, there are videos to put up and new instructional pages for even more wrap carries, website edits to provide better help to new babywearers who stumble across the world of woven wraps, gift certificates and other helpful functionality to add the website, and new articles and posts full of information and help on wearing wraps, choosing wraps, sizing wraps, nursing, pregnant, newborn, tandem wearing…

I’d better stop while I’m still optimistic.  Besides, I’ve got work to do…  but I will check back to see if you have left a comment.   Tell me, which of these things sound most exciting to you?  What else would you like to see from me this year?

Woven Wraps & a Little Charity

Raffle Winner Chooses Luxury Wrap

The week before Christmas I opened up a raffle to raise money for the Metropolitan Ministries which feeds, houses, and assists individuals and families in my community to find viable work and become independent.   I really like everything that I hear about this organization, and I found myself wanting to give more than I had in my pocket.

Thus, the raffle.  And it was so rewarding to offer this opportunity for giving to my babywearing community.  Hundreds of mamas and papas jumped at the chance, despite the fact that Christmas is a tight time for many of us.  We took the wider view that any family with a turkey and a Christmas Tree is a rich family, and we found some money to donate to buy turkeys and presents for those who hadn’t any.

We raised $800 in those few days.  And I was especially thrilled when Metropolitan Ministries announced that  all donations on New Years Eve would be doubled by a special grant.  I quickly sent the donation, and as as result, Metropolitan Ministries received $1600!

The raffle winner chose a linen Zara Tri-Blue wrap from Ellevill which she is eagerly awaiting now!

Thank you so much to all of you on the Wrap Your Baby Facebook page who donated!

Mary EllaRoo is back!

I really, really want to bring Mary EllaRoo back. She was my first wrap, and my favorite. She’s cradled all three of my babies. And I get asked about her all the time. No, sorry, this wrap was discontinued.

So what would it take to get Mary made again?
* I need 20 pre-orders to help me finance having an entire design woven just for us.
* It will take about 8 weeks for the wraps to be handwoven and shipped to me from Guatemala.
* It will take 3 days for US customers to receive them once I receive them. I’ll just have a shipping party that day.

I’m doing it. But I need orders in by Friday if this is going to happen right now. A little added incentive: coupon code: MaryTime gets you $10 off this exclusive and rare colorway!

Mary is 100% cotton handwoven in Guatemala. It is a popular Summer wrap as it is thinner than most any woven wrap around. It is a great Winter wrap, too, as it doesn’t add bulk under Winter coats and gear. Because it is thin, it is an easy to work with supple wrap that is great for new wrappers. Like all EllaRoo wraps, Mary has fringe on both ends, and the ends are not tapered.

The colors are are a beautiful, yet subtle kaleidoscope of earthy colors composed of shades of  dark earthy red, mustard yellow, olive green, and autumn orange.

Any questions?

New Storchenwiege Leos

Storchenwiege released three new Leo colors in October.  Named after flowers, and representing soft and lovely colors like dusky petals in the garden, these wraps are just in time to keep us remembering those lovely blooms during the winter!

Leo Flieder (German for Lilac)

Leo Rose

Leo Violett

Storchenwiege continues to come out with new Leo colors. Here are some more that you may have missed:

Leo Bordeaux

Leo Black and White

Leo Cafe

Leo Grun

There are now many color choices in a weave that has long been beloved to many a babywearer. Leos are known for being soft and flluffy, and the weave–when you get close enough to see it–is striking!

Here you can look through all 11 of the Leo wraps to see the weave in all variations of bright, dusky, subtle, and bold!

Best Babywearing Halloween Costumes

Last year we had a costume contest on the facebook page: see the photos!

Let’s do it again! My “baby” is 18 months, and as I’m not planning to have any more, this may be my last babywearing Halloween!

Last year he and I were a two-headed monster. It was an easy and fun costume. We were supposed to be wearing our kinderjacket to make us look like one creature and hide the wrap, but the weather didn’t cooperate. It was too hot! So the guitar t-shirt was not meant to be part of the picture!

What should we be this year? Kangaroos? King Kong and the Empire State Building? Frodo climbing Mount Doom? Butterfly perched on a flower? I haven’t decided. It’s going to have to be pretty simple to create though, because this mama be busy!

What will you and your little one be? Post your photo on the Facebook Page or email it to me by the 4^th of November, and we’ll have a Facebook vote and choose a winner to receive a new wrap! diana @ wrapyourbaby. com

Every Purchase Gets Credit for Your Group

I donate a wrap every month to a babywearing group around the globe to add to their lending library so that their local members can try out new carriers and learn about wrapping.

Now I’ve had another idea.  Everyone who buys a personal wrap from my woven wrap store, will get $10 credit towards a wrap for their group’s lending library.  If you are not a member of a group, this will not apply.

If Susie buys a wrap from me, then her local group, The Rentburg Wrappers, can buy a wrap from me at a $10 discount.  If Susie gets four other members from her group to buy wraps from me, then The Rentburg Wrappers can buy a wrap from me at a $50 discount.  If eight members of their group purchase wraps from me, they could get an $80 wrap for free.  The wrap must be for the lending library and available for community use.

Follow?

I don’t have any kind of system in place to track these credits; only good intentions 🙂 So if you are a member of a group and order from me, send me a note to let me know what your local group is, and have someone from the group mention your name when they email me about getting a discount on a wrap.

No one is obligated to use these credits.  I am going to put a one year limit on the discount–the group must use the credit within a year or it is no longer offered.   This discount applies only to new purchases, not purchases made by group members prior to this blog post.

Thanks for working with me.  I hope we can help each other out!

September Babywearing Group Giveaway

Again, I’m having trouble restraining myself to donate to just one babywearing group per month.  I asked how many woven wraps were to be found in groups’ lending libraries, and found there are far too many without wraps. I’ve chosen 3 groups to send a wrap to this month, and while I wish I could do more, I may have to really hold myself to just one group for October, so I don’t go out of business!

Or, you can tell all your friends to buy wraps from me so I’ve got plenty of cash for wrap donations 😉

I’d like to give October’s wrap to another group that has no woven wraps.  I may give a gauze Bali Breeze (which is generally categorized as a woven) or a truly woven wrap.  That is up to me!  I have started another thread for the October giveaway.  If your group has no woven wraps, please comment on this thread.

For September, I’d like to send one wrap to the new Big Island Babywearers Group to start their lending library.  I am sending Bali Breeze Ada, a perfect tropical weather wrap (also appropriate in Winter, since it is not bulky and is easy to layer winter gear over).

I’ll send a wrap to Victoria Babywearers, hopefully in time for their Woven Wrap Workshop on 12 October.  They are also just beginning a lending library.

And one to Kentuckiana Babywearers, who are planning a Wrap Intensive as a fundraiser for building their library and who currently have no woven wraps.

And here’s wishing Happy Wrapping to the members of those groups, and all of you!

Christmas Layaway for Woven Baby Wraps

The layaway program is designed to hold a wrap for you while you make payments towards it. In this way, a big ticket item becomes more affordable.  It can also help prevent unreasonable credit card bills after an extravagant Christmas season!

I’ve put a lot of thought into these terms. I want to make it easy for you, but I want to protect myself from having to do a lot of extra work without compensation. This is what I’ve come up with:

• A 25% down payment is required on any layaway purchase. This down payment is non refundable. When your down payment is received, the wrap will be taken out of inventory and reserved for you so that it is not available for other customers to purchase.
• You must pay at least 25% of the full price each month for the next three months.  If a payment is not received, I reserve the right to refund any amount paid minus 25%.  If there is any problem with this, please contact me as I may be able to accommodate special needs.
• You must pay for your layaway item in full within 3 months.  If not paid in full, any amount paid toward the item will be refunded you, minus the 25% which will be applied as a restocking fee, and the item will be returned to inventory and made available to other customers.
• You will be responsible for all shipping costs on international orders (free in the United States).
• You will be responsible for fully paying any sales tax payment.  Only orders from Florida will be charged sales tax (the sales tax amount will be 7% of the full price of the wrap, although the shopping cart will only reflect 25% of the full amount).
• Your wrap will normally be shipped one business day after the item is paid in full.  I ship USPS Priority Mail (3-5 day delivery in the US) and Priority Mail International for international orders.
• Layaway may be used for wraps or babywearing coats, or any item over $75.

To get started, select your wrap and add it to the shopping cart. Next enter LAYAWAY in the coupon code field at checkout. This will subtract 75% from your total.  Enter your correct shipping address and your shipping payment will be added to your total (free in the US).  You will then use the shopping cart to pay for the 25% down payment plus any shipping fees.

Please make sure to enter correct contact info, including an email address that you check frequently.  You will receive an email from me by the next business day confirming that your payment was received and letting you know the remaining balance on your item.

You will receive a courtesy email once a month for the next three months to let you know your balance, and the amount of the next payment.  When you receive the email (or anytime before that), you can select LAYAWAY PAYMENT from my shopping cart to make a payment.  You are expected to pay another 25% of the full price in each of the next three months, at which time your item will be paid in full and will be shipped to you.  You may pay a greater amount, or more frequently if you wish to receive the item sooner.

If you are using layaway for a Christmas present, be sure to pay for your wrap in full by the 14th of December at the very latest to ensure timely delivery.

If you have any questions about this, please email me at diana@wrapyourbaby.com for clarification.  I hope this makes your life easier!

August Babywearing Group Giveaway

I love local babywearing groups!  Want to know which lending library will be receiving a new woven wrap donation? Scroll down. Want to submit your group as a contender for the September giveaway? Post to this Facebook thread and one group will be chosen to receive a woven wrap donation.

Here are just a few of the pictures that were submitted to me from groups around the US, and UK. There were many more beautiful group shots, and individual shots, and action shots. There were adorable babies and there were children wearing their babies gazing into the camera with serious eyes. I loved them all. I will be adding some of them to the babywearing groups pages, and others you’ll see me posting on facebook or using to illustrate a blog post. Thank you to all. Here are 3 that I picked out which were unique or particularly aesthetic compositions, that demonstrate babywearing in action, babywearing teaching and learning, and a sense of fun:

Babywearing International of Fayetteville NC (gorgeous photo by Anglea Roper)

San Diego Babywearing Group

Sheffield UK Babywearing Group

I wish I could donate a wrap to all three groups. Oh wait, I can! Let’s do it. Contact me with addresses 🙂