Sawyer gave birth to healthy twin girls in May. The day she brought the girls home from the hospital is also the day she got the news that LibraKnits Luxurious Handmade Baby Hats had been picked by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the magazine’s 100 Brilliant Ideas for 2010. “I am absolutely thrilled,” Sawyer says. “I am the luckiest woman alive. That it all came together both personally and professionally at the same time is just amazing and wonderful.” Every year, Entrepreneur Magazine’s June issue features its annual “100 Briliant Ideas” list. The list includes companies from ten different industries, but each company has one thing in common – entrepreneurial spirit and great story. 2010’s list includes one special “mompreneur” who had a particularly extraordinary spring.

Fashion forward moms have chosen LibraKnits hats to keep their babies cozy and stylish. This unique company offers only the most luxurious, posh hats on the market, in a variety of styles. The hats are knit by hand out of the best materials found around the world, from silk, bamboo, and angora to the softest organic cotton.

Sawyer’s vogue infant hats are flourishing among new moms who refuse to sacrifice style just because they have children. Not surprisingly, these chic hats have spread to the hottest celebrity trendsetters, such as Jessica Alba and Sarah Jessica Parker. LibraKnits products have also been featured in numerous TV spots and magazines, and they are only rising in popularity.

Each hat is one-of-a-kind, made for a special baby whose mom is at the peak of the fashion trends. They are offered in an array of flattering colors to make each baby look his or her best. Sawyer continues to expand her business with new lines of LibraKnits hats, and is branching into other knit accessories, such as mittens.

Related articles:

• Knitting and Finishing a Baby Gift (knittingcrochet.suite101.com)
• This Little Knitter Went To Market (timesunion.com)
• The Beauty of Knitting (smashingmagazine.com)

A Woman’s Grief Turned into an Award Winning Idea is a post from: Babyfolk

Levana Naturals is a new wholesaler of organic and fair trade children’s apparel. The company’s mission is to protect the innocence and carefree nature of children, the environment they live in and the society they grow up in. Levana Naturals president and founder Beate Runze says most parents are unaware of what goes on before the organic baby clothing is manufactured. “I didn’t know about those risks until I became a mother and started to do some research,” says Runze. “The skin is the largest organ in a human body. And baby’s skin is much thinner than that of adults, which makes our little ones even more vulnerable. That’s what inspired me to take ‘organic’ one step further and create Levana Naturals.”

Beyond using organic fibers, Levana Naturals uses all manufacturing processes that have met the strict environmental criteria of the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) which follows a ‘triple bottom line’ policy using health, environmental and social criteria to evaluate their business practices. With these values in mind, Levana Naturals carefully chooses their partners and producers. One such example is Pickapooh, a family run company which specializes in organic hats for babies and children. They have created an organic sun protective fabric that is certified to international UV standards. Pickapooh then donates 10% of their revenue made from hats to a local children’s hospice.
“We want to change the industry norm of exploiting labor,” adds Runze. “We are proud to work with fair trade initiatives that foster socially responsible development.” Armed with positive business practices, Levana Naturals is hoping to make a positive impact for families, communities and the environment.

Related articles:

• Sustainable Exchange: Methods and Practices for Collaborative Partnerships (coolhunting.com)
• Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) Online Database Provides Supply Chain Transparency (treehugger.com)

The Ethics of Organic Baby Clothing is a post from: Babyfolk

Related posts:

1. Organic Baby Products
2. How to Dress Your Baby Without Spending a Fortune
3. Babies Ask Parents to Recycle

Funkoos Recycle and Save Program Procedure

• Customers email or fax a copy of donation receipt prior to placing order on Funkoos.com. Funkoos team verifies and approves recycle discount within 24-48 hours
• Customers are sent a confirmation email with a unique code (25% off) to be used on the checkout page
• This code is valid for 15 days and is non transferable. Customers could reuse this code within the validity period for multiple purchases
• Please email donation receipt at recycle@funkoos.com or Fax it to 888-666-4151. PLEASE MENTION YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS ON THE RECEIPT.
• This offer cannot be combined with any other offers, coupons or items on sale
• Free shipping offer is valid on recycle and save program
• Please email all questions to recycle@funkoos.com
• This offer is only valid on Funkoos.com

Funkoos co-founder Sameer Joshi, expressed his enthusiasm for the program, “We’re happy to announce that we’re the only 100 percent organic baby apparel company to offer a unique recycling program.” He added that Funkoos was built on a philosophy of eco-consciousness and a commitment to the environment; proud to be the first company in their niche which allows consumers to recycle old baby clothes.

Aaron Wasserman, Vice President of Marketing for Funkoos, an environmentalist and a new father also expressed his eagerness for the company’s recycling program.” I’m constantly shocked by how quickly babies outgrow their clothing. By giving consumers the opportunity to recycle these items, we’re making sure baby clothes are given a second life, rather than being cast off in local landfills.”

Funkoos is America’s rapidly growing line of affordable, stylish Organic clothing for babies and children.  The line is made from the finest 100 percent certified organic cotton, and manufactured in factories certified as per the internationally-recognized Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS).  Every item in the line is made in fair-trade work environments, and the brand is dedicated to giving back a portion of all profits to charitable environmental causes.  Funkoos is officially available on http://www.funkoos.com and in select retail outlets and boutiques.

Related articles:

• Recycle Your Used Clothes (patspapers.com)
• Ethical fashion site Ascension sold for £1 (guardian.co.uk)

Babies Ask Parents to Recycle is a post from: Babyfolk

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1. How to Dress Your Baby Without Spending a Fortune

Now, just like anything else, you should shop around for baby clothes. Things can get quite as expensive for the baby as it does for any adult, so you should do some price comparisons when shopping. That said, we now know that if we shop carefully we can still end up with all the latest styles and fashions that are hot on the market.

When you consider name brands, you’re almost always going to be paying a little more, but with major department stores caring more and more of these brands, starting there can have you finding some excellent deals. This is generally because the profit to the store comes from selling quantity as opposed to counting profit per item. As a matter of fact, in a lot of case the major department stores will sell these items almost at cost, hoping that you will also buy some of the ancillary items such as diapers and other things besides just the baby clothes. In most cases they are making the full profit margin on those items essentially making the low priced clothing their loss leaders.

Now, when we look at online shopping, you’re almost sure to find some fantastic bargains there simply because the competition for online shopping dollars is fierce.

Now, when we talk about style, there are some styles that just never die. One mainstay for any child is baby clothes with animals prints on them, and for little girls, everyone always loves to dress them in frilly dresses laden with ruffles all around. For little boys, anything sporty is always in style. This is especially so when it comes to jersey style clothing for the major sports teams.

The newest trend in baby clothes is those that are organic. This means the clothing is produced from materials that are sustainable, and have been harvested in ways that are environmentally friendly. This includes the use of harmful chemicals that are typically used in the manufacturing processes.

The organic type clothing, as with anything else of that nature is going to tend to be more expensive. Most people believe that it is a small price to pay in return for helping to save the environment as we know it. Still, careful shopping will net you some pretty good deals.

All in all, you have to consider that you will literally be restocking the wardrobe with new baby clothes a minimum of every few months as they grow. Looking around for sales that include retailer over stock, or even out of season items can save you a great deal of money. You sort of have to think outside the box on this one and plan ahead. Clothing going out of season now and the climate changes can likely be a useful piece of clothing the next season for baby by buying it in a size that he will be wearing around that time if you can find it available. Fashion trends are not going to change so drastically that it would be out of the question to do so, and you could potentially save a great deal of money in the process.

Another consideration when shopping for baby clothes is consignment shops. Many people balk at the thought of this, but when you consider the fact that it seems like the baby grows out of new clothes in a week, it becomes a welcome idea. The clothes in these shops would not be there if they weren’t in excellent shape for one thing. For another, these clothes might have been worn once or twice by the baby. The parents then realized it was time to move on to the next size and likely put these in the consignment shop for sale to supplement the purchase of the next line of clothes for the baby.

The most important thing of it all when it comes to baby clothes and saving money, is to shop around. There are lots of bargains to be had, and let’s face it it’s a buyer’s world when it comes to shopping so just be patient.

Remember to watch for sales at the major department stores, who will generally offer deep discounts on baby clothes hoping that other merchandise that isn’t on sale will be purchased too.

How to Dress Your Baby Without Spending a Fortune is a post from: Babyfolk

Louise Felice had a successful line of childrens clothes that she sold in europe. The handmade tradition is still around, there, and her ‘workforce’ were stay at home mums who loved their job as it meant some extra income doing something they loved.

She has decided to try the same thing here. The first collection of girls dresses is out and the boys collection will be available at the end of the year. The workforce is the same … just on a smaller scale at the moment!

Fabrics are found in the most unlikely of places – estate sales, bargain basements – and vintage clothes are also recycled!

“My aim,” Louise says, “is to go off on a complete tangent from mass production. I dont buy anything from Big name stores but rather support the few surviving mom and pop places. I recycle, upcycle, and use anything i think will fit into my collection.”

This has resulted in an eclectic collection where no two items are ever exactly the same.

I asked how she keeps her costs down, as her prices are amazingly affordable. “Well, first of all, the people who work for me love their job and the freedom it allows so they are not at all greedy! I run a cost effective car, use solar power, recycle, barter etc etc – anything that helps me keep my prices low!”

She eventually hopes to be able to employ more people especially stay at home moms. Support the cause – “my prices are low as i want to dress kids and not fleece the moms!”

http://louisefelice.com

How far do your baby clothes travel? is a post from: Babyfolk

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