First thing’s first! Very big news. I’m talking HUGE! As of approximately 11:48 this morning, our Farmers Market Totes have completely SOLD OUT for 2009! But don’t fret! We have loads of other great products including Coconut Shell Handbags, Coffee Clutches, & sweet Jade Bangles, all available to ship right now, just in time for Christmas! Oh, and yes, of course you most definitely can still order your very own Farmers Market Tote! They’ll be available to ship in January 2010. Can you say HAPPY NEW YEAR?! We sure can!!

See, we weren’t kidding when we said that the last couple of weeks have been a mighty, mighty whirlwind. One we honestly did not expect to experience here at the JessBecause headquarters, but man are we sure happy we have!! In my last post, I told you how every time we turn around, it seems we find another order patiently waiting to be wrapped, packed, and shipped? Well after writing that post, I became inspired to give you, our readers & friends, a very grand tour of a Farmers Market Tote’s life, from conception to adoption. It really is a miraculous event, and just another very normal weekend for us!

To get things kicked off, our JessBecause mascot, Mister Tico, would like to give his warmest (& sloppiest) of greetings! He takes his job quite seriously, the way most furry, four-pawed creatures do.

Say hello Tico!

Next stop… the cutting board. This is where we gather all of the actual coffee sacks and literally cut those suckers up! This folks, takes a whole lotta man (& woman) muscle! Who needs a gym membership anyway?!

After everyone’s been cut down to the appropriate size, we then pick and choose which designs to capture for the exterior walls of the tote! We always end up getting really rad, vivid graphics, all of which are original screen-printed artwork from the coffee bean manufacturers themselves! Here are just a couple of bags we go ga-ga over.

Other times, we find, well this….. Organic @$$ tote anyone? :)

Okay, back to this tour. So after we pair up sides with fronts and backs, it’s time for more sorting, more cutting, and more pairing. Why? Because we get to go through all our rolls of fabric to choose which prints will become new bag liners! So after that’s all said and done, it’s off to the sewing room for everyone! This takes days. But once we’re finished, we have a whole heap full of new totes ready for adoption!

We do hope you have enjoyed this tour! It was almost too much fun snapping picture after picture this past weekend. We’re going to take the rest of this week to prep remaining holiday orders to be wrapped and shipped off to their new home! We really do hope you have the most marvelous of holidays this year and we’ll see you around the corner in 2010! (Woah!)

With giggles and loads of high-fives, we say….
HAPPY HOLIDAYS & MERRY NEW YEAR!!
Jess + Josh {& Tico too!}

Oh my goodness! Seriously, where have the days been flying off to lately?! To say things have been crazy would be a bit of an understatement. I can’t believe I’m still functioning right now. I think I have 3 full time jobs.

1. My “real” job - which is changing {in a good way}!
2. JessBecause - which is going so unbelievably well but is extremely time consuming given that I can only focus on it during nights and weekends. But I love it so much, so I won’t {and can’t} stop!
3. The holidays - party after party after party. Plus decorations. And shipping orders! And baking. And shipping more orders! And eating. Did I mention the parties?! And the shipping of orders?! Whew!

So, yes, those are my excuses for neglecting this little blog. I’m very sorry. I’ll do my best to get back on track. {New Year’s Resolution!}

For now, I think I’ll end this post with thanking all of you for the lovely comments and e-mails regarding our Street Fair event back in November! Thank you! :) And then all the lovely notes we receive after you, our customers, have gotten your orders from us! It really puts a smile on our face. Not to mention, it definitely keeps us pumped & motivated to keep on keepin’ on! While we’re currently wrapping up last minute holiday orders (it’s not too late to place your own JessBecause holiday order!)…. We’re really getting amped to be able to spend time with our families over the Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Year’s holidays. And just relax for a bit. We hope you all do the same as well!

Cheers!
Jess+Josh

{ “Tis The Season” print available at Blue Eyed Badger’s Etsy Shop. }

It’s Monday, but with the holiday fast approaching, it feels more like Wednesday! YAY! So many things to feel grateful for right now…. amazing weather in San Diego, chilly nights with hot cocoa in my hands, and meeting all the wonderful, beautiful faces yesterday at Encinitas’ Fall Festival! Josh & I had an absolute blast and can’t wait for the next event to take place in our community! Thought we’d take some time to share some pictures! Maybe this weekend, I’ll add more to our Facebook page?! Wishing you all a very early Happy Thanksgiving! Don’t forget to take some time to reflect on all that you are blessed with and the loving friends & family in your life. Because that’s what it’s all about in the end!
Hugs,
Jess + Josh

And because of this, I found myself perusing Etsy’s Wedding Gift Guide this morning. Why? Oh I have no idea. And really, does it even matter. ;) So anyway, I must say, it sure was fun “window shopping”! I totally fell head over heels for these adorable wedding cake toppers! Visit thesmallobject.etsy.com to see what’s in her shop. Happy Wedding-ing!!

Saaaay whaaat?! We’ve got a new thing, here at JessBecause. And we like to call it: “Daily Deals“!! Hey, what’s a “Daily Deal”?! A “Daily Deal” is where, every week, we offer a select JessBecause product with a deal like free shipping days, 25% off days, or even a chance to win a free product via a random online raffle! Oh, it’s nothing really. Our pleasure actually! This is just our way of returning that loving feeling that we receive from all of you every single day! So please, DO enjoy!

THIS WEEKEND ONLY {November 13-15}: JessBecause will be giving you the chance to win our loving set of “X’s & O’s” Typewriter Key rings!

HERE’S HOW TO WIN:
1. Send us a note via Etsy or hello@jessbecause.com with your name, your email address, and a quick note saying hello and telling us how much you love our Daily Deals special!
2. On Monday, November 16th, JessBecause will do a random drawing (via www.random.org) to select the winner!
3. We will notify the lucky winner via e-mail, as well as announcing the news via Facebook and Twitter!

GOOD LUCK!!!

One of our absolute favorite online retailers will be visiting the fab city of San Francisco this weekend to be a part of this year’s Green Festival! As you know, Guffly carries JessBecause’s very popular Farmers Market Totes on their online shop! If you live in or around San Fran, may I suggest you take a little stroll and spend some time at this event?! Guffly will have our totes, as well as other top Guff products, at their booth. This means you can touch, play, and try on all the eco-friendly goodies! What an awesome way to spend a November weekend! Oh, and one last tip, leave a comment on Guffly’s blog entry about the Green Fest and instantly win tickets to the event! Thanks Guffly. I think I speak for everyone when I say, we heart you!

Oh lord…. It feels like an absolute eternity since I’ve had the pleasure of chit-chatting with my friends of JessBecause. I do apologize. You see, the reason for my being incommunicado was due to a freak emergency surgery. Very suddenly, I became pretty sick. After some pokes here and some prys there, the doctor gave his orders. The gall bladder had to go. A couple of weeks have passed and I’m now feeling better, almost back to my normal self, but definitely ready to get back into the swing of things! And what better time too…. the holidays are fast approaching and I have so many exciting news bits to share with you!

News bit no. 1:
Being that JessBecause is located in Southern California, summer vacation seems to last a lot longer for us. So much so, that we’re in vacation mode practically year round! And because of that, I felt it was important to add some handmade, earth-friendly jewelry pieces to the shop! Say hello to Tropical Vacay Jewelry!

News bit no. 2:
Not only can you buy JessBecause’s Farmers Market Totes online in our shop or in person at one of our Farmers Market Outings, but now you have even more options! You can buy one of our totes online from Guffly.com’s store and also in person at Bella D’ora Spa in Carlsbad, CA. This is just the beginning of some new branches of our retail shopping tree! Of course, we’ll let you know of new blossoms in this department.

News bit no. 3:
Shhhh, it’s a secret. But not for long! This one is a biggie too! One that you will not want to miss! Want to know this super special secret before the entire world does? Sign up for our e-mail updates or become a fan on Facebook! This way you’ll be in the know before the know is known. Also, we’re planning on doing some super secret shopping deals for the holiday season. Deals like free shipping days, 25% off days, even an online raffle of a free somethin’ somethin’ goodie day! Oh, it’s nothing really. Our pleasure actually! This is just our way of returning that loving feeling that we receive from all of you every single day! So please, do enjoy!

Lot O’ Hugs!!
JessBecause
{Jess & Josh}

Today is a very exciting day for us here at JessBecause! You see, we’ve been featured on Etsy’s very treasured homepage! More specifically, our Marley Coffee Clutch has been featured on their homepage! We literally jumped up & down after discovering the news. This is just the first of many new and wonderful happenings for us. We can feel it in our bones! You can check out all of the super-hot, right off the press news on our website.

Thanks again to everyone who have supported us so far and a big HELLO to our new found friends!

XO,
Jess+Josh
[aka. JessBecause]