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Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Happy 2018!! Some updates and many thanks!!

2018 is upon us!  Wishing a very Happy New Year to everyone in the twinkie tush community!  We hope this year brings love, warmth, peace and blessings to each of you, and we wanted to take a moment to say thank you and to give you some updates as we head into 2018!

This video from 2017's "Made in America Week" holds true today and always - we are SO grateful for your love and support of our entirely US-designed and manufactured company and the handmade items we create!!



When I started twinkie tush in my home in late 2010, I had no idea how it would grow.  I could not have envisioned where we would be a little over 7 years later, with an ever-growing team of wonderfully skilled and talented employees, having expanded first out of our home and into our initial 1200 square foot studio in Ithaca, NY in 2012, and gradually into the entire 3600 square foot building we now occupy! I could never have anticipated how this work we do would connect us so meaningfully with a widespread and amazing community of families like it has - to know and work with so many of you and to see your children enjoying our products is one of the greatest blessings in our lives. Every day I am filled with gratitude for our amazing customer community.

In 2017 we designed, cut, snapped, sewed, inspected, prepped and shipped approximately 10,000 diapers and over 8,000 togs (not to mention thousands of blankets, wipes, Graduates, wool longies and shorties, soakers, etc.)  None of this would be possible without our incredible team, and every day I am filled with gratitude for them as well!



 



 

These are just a few behind the scenes looks at the talented, warm and wonderful team behind all of your twinkie tush diapers, blankets, twinkie togs and everything else you receive from twinkie tush HQ!

 
 







 

And a couple shipping day shots from the past year or so! :)

 

I wish I could put into words what it means to me to work with such completely wonderful people, creating products for other completely wonderful people!  It is a cycle of love that I am honored and blessed to be a part of.  Our mission statement as a company is to create and offer beautiful and highly functional cloth diapers, clothing, blankets, and accessories for babies, toddlers, and children while fostering a positive company and community environment. Every day I consider it my responsibility to put good into the world, and this company is the most far-reaching way I can do that every day.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me that opportunity.

As we head into 2018, there are a few things on the horizon! 

More customs: Customs have long been our hallmark - there is nothing better than planning and custom ordering exactly what you want for your little one! In early 2017 we introduced Easy Peasy Customs, and we continue to offer those along with Send Your Own Fabric customs and In Stock Group Customs each week on our Facebook customs page!  We continue to look for new ways to make sure you are able to order exactly what you most love, and what will be most meaningful to you!

New products: In 2018 we will introduce something I am incredibly excited about - women's tops which will be a spin-off of our twinkie togs line! Look for those within the first quarter of the new year! We also have a new take on one of our diapers on the horizon which I am SUPER excited to reveal - that will be on the way early in 2018 as well!  We are working on new designs all the time as well as larger and smaller sizes and any improvements we can make to our lines!  Follow our Facebook page for all of these announcements and updates as they roll out!

We are also at a point where we need to make price adjustments to some of our products.  If you have been with us for a while you know we always endeavor to be incredibly open and transparent about our pricing and policies, and this time is no different! Every year our material costs increase (print and inner/backing fabric, labels, thread, machine parts and replacements, snaps, etc), our overhead increases (rent, insurance, repairs and maintenance, even basics like tissues and other paper products for our team), and it is important to us to continue to provide a fair and competitive wage to our team members.  We try very hard not to raise prices unless and until it is genuinely necessary, and we try to keep price increases themselves to a minimum.  We introduced twinkie togs in February of 2014, almost 4 years ago, and this will be the first time we have raised prices on togs.  Similarly, we have not increased prices on blankets, wipes, or replacement soakers since their various introductions, and this will be the first time you see an increase there.  Diaper prices were last increased approximately a year and a half ago by a single dollar, and will only increase by a single dollar at this time. Here is a run down of the price adjustments you will see effective 1/2/18:

Diapers will increase by $1
Blankets will be priced at $37/$49.50/$83 for retail (previously $35/$47/$79)
Tees will be $26/28 ($31/$33 for Euro or coordinate sleeves) (previously $24/$26/$29/$31)
Flutter Dresses will be $42 (previously $39)
Cozy Day Dresses will be $44 (previously $41)
Tea Party Dresses will be $46.50 (previously $44)
Dinner Party Dresses will be $49.50 (previously $47)
Garden Fairy Dresses will be $51/$59 for sizes 6+ (previously $48/$56)
Wipe pack prices will also see a $1.50-$2 increase
Replacement soaker set prices will go up $1
Graduates prices will not increase

All custom pricing will increase in the same dollar amounts (for example a Send Your Own Fabric custom FUSION diaper in OS will be $38).  This change will be applied immediately, but of course any groups which have submitted and any EP or ISGC groups that have been posted (even EPs that haven't closed yet) will move through production at old pricing.

I know price increases are never fun, and I wish we could somehow avoid doing them altogether. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your taking the time to understand the need for them, and to continue to make the choice to support a mama-founded, owned, and run company that employs so many wonderful people right here in upstate NY!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this post, and thank you again from the bottom of my heart for your incredible support!  May 2018 be filled with light and love, and as always, plenty of handmade fluff!! xoxo