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By admin, July 19, 2010 10:19 pm

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to update you on what’s new around here!

First & foremost – new site design!! It’s my 3rd redesign since I started, and each design I like better than the last! I have to say… I’m in love with this new site! I tried to make it modern, keep it clean & simple, and sprinkle in some personality – I think I succeeded!

Next on my list – implementing an online shopping cart. I am not new to ecommerce – those of you who know me probably already know about my super-awesome online boutique – organicbambooclothing.com (which, by the way, is much more than just bamboo clothing!)

But getting another shopping cart up & running is MUCH easier said than done, especially since I am too type A to just use one of those store builders or templates. No… much like my quilts, I have to do things my own way, from start to finish, and every silly little font has to be perfect. And I have to OWN it… it has to be on my very own server. Yes, I used to be employed in web design & search marketing.  So, needless to say I’m driving myself nuts today! Please forgive me for any down time the site might experience due to my “messing with technical things that should be left alone!”

Regardless – getting an online shopping cart is something I’ve been wanting to implement for a long time. You can still print out an order form of course – heck, you can ship your clothes with a post it note telling me what size & where to ship & I can get the job done! But not having online ordering seems a little crazy in this day & age – I get a ton of questions about how to order, so hopefully this will clear some of those up – and I really need it to move forward with some new marketing initiatives.

You’ll be able to create your quilt (s), decide how much you want to pay up front, & pay via credit card, debit card, paypal or check. Then all you need to send in are the clothes & your order number (and a check, if that’s the case.) It will also serve to let you get your “spot in line” based on when you order online, which becomes really important around Christmas!

Once that’s up & running, I have another big announcement, so stay tuned! Let’s just say 2 Jelly Beans are better than 1!

~Jamie

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By Jamie, April 10, 2010 4:21 pm

I get a TON of people emailing me & calling me every day with questions about my quilts. This is fabulous, of course – contact me anytime! – but I have noticed a few questions that seem to be really common, so I thought I should make a quick FAQs post to make it easier for everyone to get the info they need!

How many pieces of clothing should I send?

This is the most common question, and I will have to refer you to either my Pricing page or my Order Form. These pages both let you know my minimums for each size, and they are still correct.

Can I send more than the minimum number listed?

ABSOLUTELY! The minimum is really the bare minimum – the least that you should send – and I wanted to keep it as low as possible so that as many people as possible would be able to get the size they wanted. But the more you send, the more personality the quilt has (and the easier it is for me to piece it all together), so you can send up to double the listed amount if you want!

When I have lots of clothing, I will use all the cute parts first & generally leave out the solid white backs of onesies & t-shirts, etc.

Can you use swimsuits/costumes/curtains/beads/a pillow/dance outfits/hand knitted items/lace/frilly dress?

Simple – if it’s fabric, I can use it! I will find a way! If I can’t (and this has never happened – it’s just my escape clause) I’ll let you know and send the item back with your quilt (uncut/undamaged, of course).

I also have sewn on special beads – let me know if you’re interested in something crafty like that, as it does take a lot of extra hand sewing, and I will quote you a price.

Can I organize my clothing from most important to least important, put notes on the clothing, etc?

Sure!! Anything you want! Lots of people send 2 bags of clothes in the box – the “must-haves” and the “extras.” Other people pins notes to important pieces. Feel free to give me any guidance you would like!

What is your pricing?

Again, this is already on my site: check out either my Pricing page or my Order Form. I make sure to keep it all current.

Do you ever have any specials?

I always give 10% off orders of multiple quilts. If you want to pair up with a friend & send your items in as one order, that’s great! But that’s generally the only special I run – if I do have something else going on, it will be on my home page & on my order form.

How should I send you my clothing?

Whatever works best for you! You can use any shipping method & packaging you would like – in fact, many people put everything in a diaper box, put lots of shipping tape on the seams & stick a USPS label on the front!

That’s all I can think of for now, so I’d better get back to sewing! I will add more as new questions pop up!

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By Jamie, November 23, 2009 9:28 pm

I’ve now created a super-simple way to purchase gift certificates online! You can simply follow the link below to my other online boutique, organicbambooclothing.com, where you can purchase a gift certificate immediately. It’s easy – just choose your size & options, and add it to your cart! I’ll mail out your certificate within 24 hours. We accept all major credit cards, as well as PayPal.

Why sell the gift certificates through OrganicBambooClothing.com? Multiple shopping carts & merchant accounts are expensive & time consuming to set up, and I already have the cart at OBC up and running!!

The shopping cart technology on OrganicBambooClothing.com is pretty sophisticated, so it allows me to add all the options & sizes easily, and provides a simple interface for you to choose what you want & purchase it fast. Just remember, your credit card will show us as organicbambooclothing.com – but we really are the same people, I promise!

Click here to order your gift certificate >>>

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By Jamie, November 17, 2009 7:37 pm

Hey everyone!

Jelly Bean Quilts will be making it’s TV debut this evening, 10PM Central Time, on WHO-TV – the local NBC station here in lovely Des Moines, Iowa! I’ll be talking about “turning my passion into a paycheck!”

You can read the article here: http://www.whotv.com/news/who-story-passion-to-paycheck-111709,0,3491918.story

I’ll definitely post the video on my site after it airs!!

Best Day Ever,

Jamie

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By Jamie, September 22, 2009 10:51 am

After many requests, I have decided to regularly start offering Jelly Bean Quilts Gift Certificates!

This allows you to purchase a quilt for someone as a gift, without having to coordinate getting their clothing, etc.

You simply select which size & what options you would like and I will create a gift certificate for you. I am including a gorgeous handmade certificate, along with some information with pictures of my work, all in beautiful gift wrapping. Your loved one simply needs to send in her certificate with the order form & I will send her back a gorgeous quilt wrapped in a satin ribbon.

If she wants any additional options or a larger size, she can simply select those upon ordering & include a check for the upgraded amount.

If you would also like to include the cost of shipping the clothes to me with your gift (typically around $20-$30, depending on the size) just let me know what size you will be ordering and we can add that to your gift certificate total. I will then include a pre-addressed UPS mailing label that will charge my UPS account – she just needs put the label on her box & drop off the package at any UPS location!

Contact me to order your gift certificate! I will be posting pictures of the whole package soon!

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By Jamie, September 22, 2009 10:33 am

Hi everybody – it’s been a while! I actually moved August 1st to the beautiful city of West Des Moines, Iowa (only about 20 minutes from the other Des Moines suburb I was living in, and yes, it’s the home of Shawn Johnson!), and then we took a much-needed vacation to Arizona. By the time my son started 1st grade, I launched my updated bamboo clothing store, and I finished a whole slew of quilts… well, not much time was left to blog!

As scary as it seems, Christmas is right around the corner! This is even more important if you’re in the market for a handmade baby clothes or memory quilt, since I need a little time to create your masterpiece.

My current projection for a Christmas deadline (that’s when I need to have your clothing, order form & deposit) is November 10th. That will give me enough time to finish your quilt & ship it back to you before Christmas. However, it’s hard to know how many quilts will be arriving between now & then, so I do have to reserve the right to move this date (I am not superwoman – I can only sew so fast!) So please plan to get your clothing to me early – the earlier the better!

After November 10th, I will likely charge a rush fee of $50 per quilt, and after Thanksgiving I can no longer guarantee Christmas delivery (although I will still try!)

I really try my best to accommodate everyone’s deadlines, so I wanted to get this out there early so that we can all plan ahead. Christmas is my busiest time of year, both for my quilts & my online store, so I do have to put up deadlines, but don’t hesitate to contact me if you are wondering if there’s still time or if I can meet your requests.

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By Jamie, July 24, 2009 8:16 pm

I will be moving next week to our new home in West Des Moines, Iowa! It’s only across town (we currently live in Carlisle, Iowa, which is small town just 5 minutes from Des Moines) but I am super excited.

What does this mean for Jelly Bean Quilts? It means I finally have my own studio! That’s right – the new house has huge room just for my sewing studio and office. Currently my “studio” has been one half of our finished basement, barricaded off with long tables. This will give me a room of my own, so to speak, to get away from everything, have all my stuff organized, and most importantly be able to shut the door when I leave!

It also means that after Monday, July 27th, my address will change! As of Tuesday, July 28th, 2009, please ship all orders to my new address:

549 30th St.

West Des Moines, IA 50265

Please contact me with any questions!

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By Jamie, July 7, 2009 10:42 pm

I just had to post a picture of this adorable tooth fairy pillow I finished yesterday:

How cute is this pillow!?!?!

I really am in love with it! It’s all made out of baby clothes, of course – it’s for a customer who had also ordered a throw quilt, so this matches. I used a little shirt pocket for the tooth pocket, and made a 1-inch flange around the edges. The pillow is actually both a little pillow sewn out of flannel and then a (tiny) quilted sham, so that it can be removed & washed easily, and because I just think it makes a more professional finished product.

I just added these pillows as a new item on my site a few weeks ago – my son lost his first 2 teeth in the past few months and I remembered my grandma making me a little tooth fairy pillow with a little pocket for the tooth. Immediately I thought of all the tiny pockets I work with every day when I make my baby clothes quilts, and the idea was born. I whipped up a few prototypes (now my 9-month-old has a tooth fairy pillow for each individual tooth!) and I am super pleased with the result!

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By Jamie, June 30, 2009 11:01 pm

I got my birthday present a couple days early this year, and it couldn’t have come at a better time!

Meet my new Husqvarna Viking Mega Quilter! (stock photo)

my new best friend

Business has been absolutely fabulous lately (thank you, JBQ customers!), and I’ve been quilting like a mad woman. Up until now, I’ve been crafting all my quilts (and everything else) on my trusty-but-basic Janome. The Janome was my Christmas present back in 2002, and has probably sewn itself around the world a few times with the amount of sewing I’ve done in the past 7 years (has it really been 7 years?)

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE my Janome machine, and will absolutely still use it for fancy stitches and whenever I need the free arm, but the HV Mega Quilter is something else entirely. I have only used it for a day – albeit a day in which I constructed an entire quilt top – but it’s safe to say I’m in love.

It sews like buttah. Honestly! It is just so (sew) smooth and even and fast… I don’t know how I lived without it for so long!

But not only can I sew better & faster, I can also do things I never could do with my standard-sized Janome – I can make full, queen and even king quilts! There is just so much more room in the arm/throat/whatever you refer to it as. I’ve had so many requests over the years for full sized quilts, and I am thrilled to say that I can now do it.

Needless to say, it’s been a great birthday – and it’s not even my birthday yet!

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By Jamie, June 27, 2009 5:30 pm

A while ago I updated my website, but then I had a baby & I never got around to updating my business cards & tags to match! (Can you blame me?)

Now that Kalista is 9 months old, I am finally getting caught up on some things, including my business cards & tags.

Here’s a pic of my new business cards:

My new business cards - pretty snazzy.

Not too shabby, if I do say so myself! Looks like being a design major for my first semester of college actually left me with some usable skills! And hey, I didn’t have to pay anybody to do it!