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. }