stocking tonight at 8pm eastern!

tonight i'll be stocking 23 ready to ship diapers, 2 custom slots, and 4 diaper/dress sets, a collaboration with april of hazelbee baby!  here are a few of the things i'm most excited about:

i'm so excited about the collaboration with hazelbee baby and i can tell you that there will be more collabs coming!  i'm working on something new with sara of peanut & pumpkin and i have another surprise coming at the end of the month!  it is my goal to keep bringing you exciting and exclusive special listings as often as i can - both for the enjoyment of the beautiful prints and in working towards my goal of using as much of my scrap fabric as i can, with the help of other work at home mamas!

i'm also working on something new myself - i eluded to it on FB.  i'm hoping to have something to show you in the next month or two!  i'm really really excited about it, and about everything that's happening at twinkie tush!  i have to pinch myself sometimes - i absolutely love what i do and i feel so incredibly blessed to be able to do it - it is beyond my wildest dreams!  thank you as always for your incredible support!

xo
gretchen

ready, set, GO! :)

it's time for another group custom!  please see the blog post below for the details and remember that ALL of the criteria listed therein must be present in your original email (including ccing group members) or i will have to go on to the next group email in order to be fair.  also if you have a locked spreadsheet, it is important that you UNlock it so that i can see it in order to secure the spot ;)  if your spreadsheet is not viewable i will have to move on to the next group.

thank you so much and remember - i will try to do one of these every month so if you aren't the first to respond this time please try again in july! :)

Detailed group custom information (information only - not a new slot quite yet ;)

Before I offer the next group custom slot, I want to make sure everyone completely understands the process so that you can be organized and ready to submit your group! :)  Please note that this blog post is strictly informative and I am not offering a group custom at this time (although I plan to in the next week or so! :)

This is how group customs work:

When I'm ready to offer a group custom slot, I will post it here on my blog and then I will post on my FB page.  After I post the group custom slot, I will accept the first email I receive at twinkietush@gmail.com that meets the following criteria:

*Anyone from the group can email me, as long as they are willing and able to serve as group rep (the person who collects payments from other group members and communicates with me about velour preferences, etc.)  The group rep is also responsible for forwarding information from me to the group as needed and assuring that the group is aware of payment deadlines, etc.  Please do not email on behalf of your group unless you are willing to take on the group rep responsibility.

*All members of the group must be copied on the initial email so that I can reach individual members if needed.

* A google spreadsheet or attached Excel spreadsheet or similar (please do not C&P in the body of the email) must be included in your initial email, containing the following information for each group member:

name, email, serged or T&T

If any of these elements are missing from your email I will have to move on to the next group email, so please make sure to read over that information carefully! :)

After confirming with the first group to respond, I will create a private custom listing on hyena cart which will need to be purchased by the group rep within 24 hours, after which it will expire and I will offer the spot to the next group in line.  If during this 24 hour period you need to swap out participants for any reason, that is fine as long as you keep me in the loop and as long as the private listing is purchased in full within the allotted time.  Once the spot is purchased it is reserved and you can send your fabric to me as quickly or slowly as you like!  The listing will include the cost of the diapers but not the cost of shipping to each individual group member.

After the group rep pays for the group listing, each individual group member will need to pay individually for their shipping cost.  This is not something that needs to be done to reserve your spot but it will need to be done in order for me to ship you your diapers ;)  This system is just to facilitate an easier and smoother shipping process on my end which means you getting your diapers more quickly :)  If I have not received shipping payments by the time the group order is ready to ship, I will send out a single reminder email to the group or to the group rep, who will forward to all group members.

After purchasing the slot, the group will send me (at the group's cost) 3-5 yards (depending on the group size) of the chosen print fabric and all diapers will be cut from that yardage. All other materials will of course be provided by me :) All velour and snaps will be uniform.  I will work with the group on velour choice (contingent on availability) and snap colors will be chosen by me.  Extra print fabric will be shipped back to a group member or members or donated for use by twinkie tush as decided by the group.  Please note that the cost of mailing extra fabric will be added to shipping cost(s).

Group size can range from 5-10 people.  I am not able to take on more than 10 at this time.  Each group member can choose between a serged or turned and topstitched diaper.  I do not recommend serging with woven fabrics.  The price for this SYOF order will be $28 + shipping per each serged diaper and $30 + shipping per each T&T diaper.

All diapers will ship out to the group members 4-6 weeks after I receive the fabric (pending shipping payments of course).

Please make sure to let me know here or via email (twinkietush@gmail.com) or FB if you have any questions about this, and stay tuned!  I am doing my best to offer a group custom every month and it's almost time for another one! :)

Thanks so much!! :)

Gretchen

stocking in just over 3 hours!! :)

today is the official beginning of weekly stockings!  we will be stocking diapers at 2pm eastern and woolies at 2:15!  hope to see you there! :)

going forward we will stock diapers every wednesday and woolies on the last wednesday of each month.

here are a few of my faves this stocking...

the final AI custom slot contest begins tonight!

you all have made this AI season so much fun for me!! :)  i'm sad it's coming to an end!

for this final contest i will post a thread on my FB page like i've done every week, and if you want to play you can comment there - this time with your vote for who will *WIN* the show!

i will leave the comment thread open until 8pm eastern tomorrow (an extra hour this time ;)  after the results show we will do two drawings:

drawing one: everyone who guessed the correct winner will be entered in a random.org drawing for a regularly priced custom slot, per usual.  the winner will be announced and will have 24 hours to contact me via email at twinkietush@gmail.com to purchase the custom slot.  custom prices and print availability can be found here.

drawing two:  this drawing will take place immediately after the drawing one winner is announced.  again, everyone who guessed correctly will be run through a random.org drawing.  however to win this second drawing you also must have participated in at least one previous AI custom slot contest (we will cross-reference with our lists from previous weeks).  the winner of this second drawing will receive a FREE custom diaper, with free shipping!

happy voting and thanks so much for making this so much fun! :)

xo
gretchen

BIG news tonight! :)

first, i just want to say thank you to all of you amazing mamas and daddies and everyone else who gives such tremendous support to twinkie tush.  to say i am humbled by your support is a huge understatement - you and your children mean so much to me and i love having the opportunity to do what i do every day.  never in my wildest dreams did i expect to have such a huge response in such a short period of time.  in that vain, and because meeting your expectations is so very important to me, i have some really exciting news to share with you tonight!

we're making a big change... starting in 10 days, we're going to begin stocking the store every week!! :)  we'll be stocking every wednesday, beginning with wednesday may 25th.  specific stocking times will alternate for now but will likely eventually settle into a fixed slot.  i will keep you updated on that as things develop.

we are able to make this change in large part because we have hired a wonderful mama to work as our fabric cutter!  her name is sara w (not to be confused with sara d of peanut & pumpkin who makes T shirts to coordinate with my diapers ;)  she is a sweet and talented mama who is already bringing SO much to twinkie tush and we are beyond thrilled to have her on board!!  with her cutting all of the velour and fleece, along with some prints, i am able to add a lot of diapers to my workload.  i am still doing all of the sewing myself and will let you know if that ever changes.  mike is still handling the lion's share of the budgeting, inventories, and corporate organizational aspects of the business (in other words he is the left brain of twinkie tush and i am the right ;)  he also helps me with pinning fabric, cutting elastic, and a hodge podge of other miscellany including managing the shipping process.  it is a family business in every sense.  (M&D aren't pulling their weight *too* much yet but they are always happy to work as testers and they sometimes weigh in on new prints... they are both especially fond of anything having to do with elephants, monkeys or dogs.)

some other news that i mentioned the other day - beginning tonight (following tonight's stocking) you will see a slight price increase on twinkie tush diapers.  this is due almost entirely to the rising cost of bamboo and cotton fabrics.  our costs per diaper have gone up significantly in the past month.  that, coupled with bringing on sara w and the increased workload of weekly stockings, necessitates an increase in our prices.

going forward, turned and topstitched diapers will be priced at $32 for knit prints and $33 for woven prints.  serged diapers will be $30.  imported prints will see a similar increase based on the cost of each individual print (ranging from $35-$40).

twinkie tush wool will not see an increase at this point, and wool will stock once a month on the last wednesday of the month.  which means wool will stock again on wednesday may 25th! :)

as always, please let me know if you have any questions about any of this.  i can be reached at twinkietush@gmail.com.  again, there truly are no words for how much my family and i appreciate your support.  you are amazing.

xo
gretchen

stocking today at 8pm eastern! :)

31 ready to ship diapers are stocking tonight at 8pm!  hope to see you there!

here's a look at some of my faves...

i've also had some really special fabric printed up and will be stocking 3 "signature" diapers tonight!

this is the twinkie tush logo, printed on organic cotton knit.  this fabric is sooo soft and sweet - i'm really excited about it!!  i only have enough fabric for a few of these so they will likely only stock twice.

while we're talking about the logo, i want to give a shout out to patience of pfw design who did an amazing job on my logo - she is incredible to work with and i have tons of love for her!!

that's it for now!  make sure to check back here tonight after the stocking for some pretty big updates!  i'll discuss the pricing increase i mentioned, and i have a big announcement to make as well! :)

thanks so much!
gretchen

heads up - a small price increase is on the way.

i just wanted to give you a heads up that as a result of significant increases in the costs of bamboo and cotton fabric, as well as a few other pressing factors, we will have to raise our prices a little.  this is something we've been working hard to avoid but after careful evaluation we have realized we just can't absorb all of the new and higher costs we are facing and stay afloat as a business.  this increase will take place after the 5/15 stocking and i will write out a detailed explanation in conjunction with the increase.  for now i am just letting you know that it is on the way and we will keep it as minor as possible.  it has been and continues to be my commitment to be completely open with you all as far as pricing goes.

thanks so much. xo
gretchen

photo contest adendum

a note about the photo contest (details here) - you may also enter photos of your little one in twinkie tush woolies!! :)  i forgot to mention that in my initial post!

i think it's time...

for another group custom!! :)

is there a fabric you'd really love to have a twinkie tush diaper made out of? today i am opening a custom slot for one group of 5-10 mamas who want to coordinate with each other and do a SYOF (send your own fabric) custom order.

the group will send me (at the group's cost) 3-5 yards (depending on the group size) of the chosen print fabric and all diapers will be cut from that yardage. all other materials will of course be provided by me :) all velour and snaps will be uniform, as decided by the group (and based on availability). extra print fabric will be shipped back to a group member or members or donated for use by twinkie tush as decided by the group.

each group member can choose between a serged or turned and topstitched diaper. i do not recommend serging with woven fabrics.  the price for this SYOF order will be $26 + shipping per each serged diaper and $28 + shipping per each T&T diaper.

i will accept the first group order that is emailed to me by your designated group rep with all group members cc'ed, containing the following information for each group member:

name, email, serged or T&T

i will then create a private custom listing on hyena cart which will need to be purchased by the group rep within 24 hours, after which i will offer the spot to the next group in line. once the spot is purchased it is reserved and you can send your fabric to me as quickly or slowly as you like ;) the listing will include the cost of the diapers but not the cost of shipping to each individual group member.

after the group rep pays for the group listing, each individual group member will need to pay individually for their shipping cost.  this is not something that needs to be done to reserve your spot but it will need to be done in order for me to ship you your diapers ;)  this system is just to facilitate an easier and smoother shipping process on my end which means you getting your diapers more quickly :)

all diapers will ship out to the group members 4-6 weeks after i receive the fabric (pending shipping payments of course).

please let me know if you have any questions.  i will try to offer a group custom once a month if possible so if you aren't the first group to respond this time, keep an eye out in june!! :)  thanks so much!

time for another photo contest!! :)

this month we will be running our second photo contest! i am SO excited to see what you mamas send in!! there is nothing better than seeing your adorable little ones in twinkie tush diapers!

here are the details...

the contest will be open for submissions from today through 5/28/11. the winners will be announced on friday june 1st! please read below for important details on how to win! there will be a first place and second place winner as follows:

- first place takes home a free custom twinkie tush diaper of their choice (based on availability of desired fabric). shipping is free as well.

- second place is offered a regularly priced custom slot with free shipping :) if the second place winner declines the custom slot another second place winner will be selected.

both of these custom diapers will ship 4-6 weeks after orders are placed.

so here's the process:

submit a photo or photos of your little one(s) in a twinkie tush diaper or twinkie tush wool. feel free to be as creative as possible - extra consideration will be given for creativity! (try to play off the "theme" of your diaper or woolies - you can use accessories and props to really amp it up - a guitar, an alien toy, a bouquet of flowers....) a simple approach is fine as well - creativity is just one of the things that will be considered.

photos can be sent to twinkietush@gmail.com. please type PHOTO CONTEST in the subject field.  by submitting a photo you are giving twinkie tush permission to use your photo to promote twinkie tush diapers and/or twinkie tush wool on this blog, the twinkie tush shop on HC, and the twinkie tush facebook page.

after emailing your photo to twinkietush@gmail.com you may also upload your photo to my facebook page if you choose. that is totally up to you and is *not* required to be entered in the contest. however, emailing your photo to twinkietush@gmail.com *is* required to be entered.

submissions will be closed on 5/28/11 at 11:59pm EST. on sunday 5/29 i will upload all submissions to a photo album on my facebook page called "may 2011 photo contest!" at that point, the contest really gets exciting!

first place will be given to the photo *in the "may 2011 photo contest" album* that gets the most independent comments. (if someone comments on a photo multiple times, only their first comment will be counted. they can, however, comment on more than one photo.) please note that comments on photos outside of the specified album will not count as votes for that photo.

second place will be awarded by me! :)

please note that you may enter a maximum of 2 photos per household. also note that photos must clearly show your twinkie tush diaper and must not be offensive in any way (obviously ;). if there is a problem with your submission you will receive an email response with suggestions on how to resubmit if applicable. if your submission is accepted you will receive a confirmation email within 48 hours.

so get out those cameras!! i can't wait to see your pics!!

xo
gretchen

*saturday's stocking time has changed*

we're going to be stocking diapers at 11am eastern and wool at 11:15am eastern.

thanks so much!!
gretchen

it's wednesday! you know what that means... ;)

time for another AI custom slot contest!  details here!

i am busy working away on saturday's stocking - i have some awesome diapers to stock!!  there will be some beautiful new woolies from jen as well!

stocking saturday will be at 1pm eastern for diapers and 1:15pm eastern for wool :)

thanks for stopping by!!
xo
gretchen

happy earth day!!

today is a such a special day.  it is an opportunity to reflect on the beauty and blessings of nature - the elements we come into contact with every day that sustain us and make us thrive.  it is an opportunity to think about what else we can do to preserve our home planet.  we have so many choices within our power that will have a direct impact on our environment.  


as a maker of cloth diapers i am honored to participate in a sustainable and eco-friendly process and i want to honor this special day with a giveaway!  so today we'll be giving away a custom T shirt on my FB page! :)  

these awesome T shirts are by sara of peanut & pumpkin, using twinkie tush prints.  the impetus for our collaboration was a mutual desire to create something beautiful and to use fabric that was looking for a purpose - fabric pieces too small with which to make diapers but just asking to be made into customized appliques! :)  for this reason we feel it is the perfect earth day giveaway!


i will be posting an entry thread on my FB page momentarily and will leave it up all day - to enter, just comment with one thing you have done or will do today to help sustain the environment.  at 11pm EST i will draw a winner via random.org.  the winner will have 48 hours to email me at twinkietush@gmail.com with the following information:

1 - Size choice (available sizes are 6m, 12m, 18m, 24m, 2T and 3T)

2 - Child's initial (or a single digit number if you prefer)

3 - Applique print choice

4 - Shipping address

At present, custom T shirt appliques are available in the following prints:

Arr Matey, Bestest Friends, Big Splash, Bohemian Dreams, Born to Rock, Butterflutters, Cat & All That, Chance of Rain, County Fair, Cowboy Playdate, Dino Parade, Dino Space Jam, Elephantastic, Eleanor, Fierce Friends, Fish Bones, Hootie Cuties, Heat Wave, Hula Lula, Yearbook, Indigo Owls, J'Taime, Knock Out, Ladder Company Number 9, 10,000 Lakes, Lime Love Chickies, Lorelei, Love Letters, Lush Rush, Man’s Best Friend, Mermaid Song, Open Mike Night, Parasol Promenade, Rock and Rule, Skater Boy, Sky High, Spellbound, Sunny Side Up, Sweetest Love, The Food Fight, Hayride, Undying Love, Usual Suspects,Wisconsin Farm Life

the T shirt will be shipped within 2-3 weeks, directly from Peanut & Pumpkin via Priority Mail with delivery confirmation.  all costs, including shipping, will be waived for this giveaway! :)

should the winner neglect to reach out with this info within 48 hours another winner will be drawn.

thanks so much for checking in and have a wonderful earth day!

xo

gretchen

stocking tonight!

diapers are stocking at 8pm eastern.
wool and peanut & pumpkin Ts are stocking at 8:15pm eastern.

so excited to have the new stuff on board!!  and super excited for the dipes - here are a few of my faves...

here's a peek at some of the amazing wool and Ts as well!

i've also completed the first group custom order...

things are busy over here!! :)

see you tonight at the stocking!  thanks so much for checking in!

xo
gretchen

big things are coming this friday!!

at friday's stocking you are going to be seeing some new things from twinkie tush!  you can see the categories in place now on the store :)  there will be some beautiful woolies by our new knitting wonder, jen!  and some adorable T shirts to coordinate with your twinkie tush diapers by the brilliant sara of peanut & pumpkin.

jen has been knitting soakers and longies since her kids were in diapers.  she developed her own patterns and designs over the years and now she is bringing her skill and her amazingly intricate and breathtaking work to twinkie tush.  we are thrilled to offer some of her woolies for the first time on friday!!  we will be stocking several ready to ship items.  here is a sneak peek...

sara of peanut & pumpkin is a twin mama who named her business after the nicknames she had for her kiddos, like me! :)  like jen and myself she started out by designing things for her children and found that she had a passion and a real talent for the work.  now she makes a variety of awesome clothing and accessories.  you can see some of her designs on her blog here!  she will be bringing her talents to twinkie tush as we partner to bring you coordinating applique T shirts!  we will be stocking several slots under the peanut & pumpkin category.  each slot will be for a custom T shirt like the ones you see below.  The listings will include information on what prints are available. :)

i am so excited about these two amazing women coming on board!!

stocking times for friday are as follows:

diapers will stock at 8pm eastern
woolies and peanut & pumpkin T's will stock at 8:15pm eastern

previews will be up tomorrow! :)

xo
gretchen

it's wednesday! time for another AI custom slot contest! :)

this is for the american idol lovers! tonight after the performance show head to my FB page and comment on my status which will read "place your AI custom slot contest votes here!" with your vote for who is *going home* tomorrow. you can only pick one person and you have until tomorrow evening 7pm eastern to place your vote.

after tomorrow's results show i will make a list of everyone who had selected the correct person.  from that list a winner will be randomly selected via random.org.  the winner is offered the opportunity to purchase a custom slot ($28 for serged or $30 for T&T, $2 less if you choose to SYOF, $4.50 shipping.)  the winner will be notified on my FB page by midnight eastern thursday night.)

if no one is correct with their vote i will make a list of everyone that participated in the contest and select a winner from that list via random.org. :) 

thanks so much for playing! :)

it's time for another group custom! :)

to round out the new custom orders, here is one more opportunity for a group custom!


is there a fabric you'd really love to have a twinkie tush diaper made out of?  today i am opening a custom slot for one group of 5-10 mamas who want to coordinate with each other and do a SYOF (send your own fabric) custom order.

the group would send me (at the group's cost) 3-5 yards (depending on the group size) of the chosen print fabric and all diapers would be cut from that yardage.  all other materials would of course be provided by me :)  all velour and snaps would be uniform, as decided by the group (and based on availability).  extra print fabric will be shipped back to a group member or members as decided by the group. 

each group member can choose between a serged or turned and topstitched diaper.  the price for this SYOF order will be $26 + shipping per each serged diaper and $28 + shipping per each T&T.


i will accept the first group order that is emailed to me by your designated group rep with all group members cc'ed.  i will then create a private custom listing on hyena cart which will need to be purchased by the group rep within 24 hours, after which i will offer the spot to the next group in line.  once the spot is purchased it is reserved and you can send your fabric to me as quickly or slowly as you like ;)  all diapers will ship out to the group members 4-6 weeks after i receive the fabric.

i will keep this offer in place through the weekend.  please let me know if you have any questions!  thanks so much!

congrats to all of our winners today!

the winner of the AI custom slot contest was stephanie tweedy!

the winner of the new customer custom slot contest was rio sager!

and the photo contest winners were....

sarah cantara and baby daphne in first place - daphne is wearing je t'aime :)

beckie munson and baby evelyn in second place - evelyn is wearing love letters and her furry friends are wearing sweet dreams of pink and aloha baby. :)

and because i literally could not decide on second place, nikki godbee and baby lily in second and 1/2 place ;) - lily is wearing je t'aime. :)

thank you SO much to all who participated in all of these contests!!  they were tons of fun and of course there will be more on the way!

lots of updates and news today! :)

first off, thank you for another great stocking yesterday!  i am so sorry to those who were affected by the oversells - i wish that didn't ever happen.  something to keep in mind is that while HC gives you 10 minutes to check out, that includes any possible paypal lag time.  If you don't check out completely within the 10 minutes things get really wonky ;)  b/c the diaper is released back and someone else may cart it and pay as well.  so it's best to finish up in paypal within less than 10 minutes just to be safe.

i also want to assure you that i am actively looking for the right solution to amp up production.  i know it can be frustrating trying to get a diaper and i want to make more available as quickly as possible. :)


there are a few contest going on right now for custom slots:  

the photo contest is up and running on FB - today is the last day for voting!  winners will be announced tomorrow - full contest rules are here on the blog.

there is another american idol custom slot contest happening right now - you can participate today on FB!  entries are open until 7pm eastern tonight.  details here and entry thread on my FB page. :)

tomorrow i'll be doing a drawing for a (regularly priced) custom slot that is open to twinkie tush newbies only.  (obviously i can't know for sure if someone has purchased a twinkie tush diaper from another mama, i can only track the customers who have purchased from me directly.)  i will post tomorrow morning by 8am eastern on my FB page with the entry thread for this drawing, and will leave it open for 6 hours before doing the drawing via random.org.

in addition to the contests there is an auction starting april 4th for a twinkie tush custom slot here on from our hearts to yours on FB.  this auction will benefit an incredible little man - you can read his story here.


and lastly...

there are some REALLY exciting things coming to twinkie tush - wool will begin stocking in april, and i'll have a sneak peek at some other things in the next few weeks! :D

thanks as always for your incredible support!
xoxo
gretchen

other twinkie tush news!

the photo contest is now closed for submissions and all entries are up on FB! :)  there are some truly amazing shots - you mamas (and daddies) are amazingly creative!  and your children are beyond adorable :)  voting will be open for 3 days - it will close end of day on the 31st.  the winners will be announced on 4/1!

in other news - congrats to our latest custom slot contest winner, kim brinkman!  she won the first american idol contest on FB!  

thanks for checking in and for your support of twinkie tush!!

xoxo

gretchen

previews are up! there will be a single stocking tomorrow at 1pm eastern!

everything is listed at the store :)  i am really in love with the diapers this stocking - it's hard to pick my faves!  but i'll try....

everything will go live at 1pm eastern tomorrow!  34 ready to ship diapers and 3 custom slots :)

another custom slot contest! :D

this is for the american idol lovers! tonight after the performance show head to my FB page and comment on my status which will read "place your AI custom slot contest votes here!" with your vote for who is *going home* tomorrow. you can only pick one person and you have until tomorrow evening 7pm eastern to place your vote.

after tomorrow's results show i will make a list of everyone who had selected the correct person.  from that list a winner will be randomly selected via random.org.  the winner is offered the opportunity to purchase a custom slot ($28 for serged or $30 for T&T, $2 less if you choose to SYOF, $4.50 shipping.)  the winner will be notified on my FB page by friday morning 9am eastern and will have 24 hours to contact me at twinkietush@gmail.com to place their order!  (sorry for the possible delay in announcing the winner - i will be out of town and can't promise i'll be able to announce it thursday night.)

if no one is correct with their vote i will make a list of everyone that participated in the contest and select a winner from that list via random.org. :)  if the AI contestant who is voted off is saved by the judges, he or she still counts as the correct person for the purposes of this contest and the winner of this contest will get free shipping on their custom order :D

let me know if you have any questions! :)