Shipping charges are old news!

Good afternoon to my fellow GG lovers!

We have some super exciting news! But first, we want to share some other info..

We have started another branch to Green Genes! It's called Girlie Genes, and its ALL girl stuff. Dresses, headbands, hair bows, if its girlie, its there!

Check us out on Facebook! Click here ----> GIRLIE GENES ON FACEBOOK.

We also want to point out that we know there are SO many WAHMS out there. Especially Cloth Diaper WAHMS. So many do such amazing jobs, and you can quickly get lost in the sea of sellers.

We always try to think of ways to set ourselves apart from the market. We hate to think that we just become 'just another WAHM'.... Well, we've come up with something amazing and SUPER awesome for you guys!

NO MORE SHIPPING. If you visit our store on Hyena Cart Store, and you add items to your cart - you will NEVER see shipping (in Continental US only. Please send us a message after checking out, for everyone else). (Custom orders WILL have shipping added)

FREE SHIPPING!! On headbands, hair bows, dresses, pants, training pants, DIAPERS!

Our diapers run on the more cost-effective side of a lot of popular WAHMS, as well, and we feel this gives us a great advantage!

With our One Size diapers starting at $30 (and going up to $40, depending on fabric, but $30-32 is average), this is a GREAT deal!

Check out our shop today! We have a few diapers and some headbands up. We also have one ADORABLE 4th of July dress in a size 12mo!

Have a great day, everyone! 

March is Mad!

March is already here! I know a lot of you back East, are wishing this nasty cold weather away! Here in California, we feel like Spring completely skipped us and we're straight into Summer!

Our March Madness is going strong, and we have 1 more group to wrap, before we finish this month! I'm excited to get back to stockings in April! Any diapers you're hoping to see?

A few awesome announcements this month:

• Green Genes meets CPSC Regulations. What does that mean? Well, it means that your child's diapers are SAFE for them. They're certified to be safe against lead and flammability. You can be rest assured when you buy Green Genes, that you're getting only the best for YOUR best!
• We have altered our soakers, we hope that everyone will LOVE them. A few switcheroos, and now an added booster/doubler for those super heavy wetters!
• April is almost here! Do you know what THAT means?! ANNIVERSARY!!! 2 years! We have some amazing stuff planned, so make sure you get notifications on our Facebook page! 
• We also are going to be participating in a few other WAHM/Retailers giveaways! Again, make sure you follow us on Facebook to find out! 

Happy Tuesday, everyone!!

Refer-a-friend!

We have a promotion running until the end of the year (12/31/2013)!

Refer a friend, and we will reward BOTH of you!

Tell your friends that when they checkout on Hyena Cart, they need to tell us who referred them in the notes section.

*The person who referred you, must have purchased at least once ($25+) from our Hyena Cart Store.*

That's it! We will send them AND you a $10 gift code for your NEXT purchase! (They must pay full price for a diaper, and then will receive a code for the next time they shop!)

This is only valid for first time customers, and must be used when purchasing a diaper (or a purchase of $29 or more).

We will allow up to 3 referrals per person (that's $30 for you to shop with!!)

Cannot be used on customs/SYOF/Mini Groups, or any other "special" items".

Spread the word, because the only way to get your credit is for your friends to learn all about (and love as much as you do) GGs!

New prices, new items!

In the year and a half that Green Genes has been in operation, our efficiency has improved massively! That means - more diapers done in less time! Do you know what that means for you?

Lower prices!!

Starting tomorrow, our prices for diapers will DROP to $29 a piece. This is pretty tremendous in the WAHM world, where the average cloth diaper is $32+!

HTF and higher prices prints will have a starting price of about $34 (which is still awesome!)

We can't promise they will stay at this point forever, but we will do our best to keep them low!


Next...

We always feel sad for the bigger sisters, and girls who miss out when their little brothers or sisters get new diapers!

Introducing....

gbands!

Our new line of super soft and stretchy, elastic headbands! They will fit tiny 2 year old heads, all the way up to you mommas! No tugging, snagging or pinching!

When you buy a 5 pack of gbands with a diaper, the shipping will be free for the bands!

So go ahead and surprise your little girlies, or treat yourself!

They will be introduced as a tester price, $5.00 for 5!

We are also proud to be carrying Maxaloones in our stockings (coming soon!) These are pants can be made with or without the bum circle, and are made to fit over cloth diapers booties perfectly! There are 3 sizes, with each size fitting over a large range of sizes!

 

See you tomorrow at 12pm PDT for stocking! 

Big announcement for Green Genes!

Our schedule/dynamics have changed a bit here, in our household and with that, comes changes trickling down to Green Genes!

Not to worry! We're not going anywhere! However - with the changes, we need to change stocking day.

From this week forward, ALL stockings will commence on MONDAY. Same time, same place.

Thank you all for understanding! We are so appreciative to everyone who has made Green Genes what it is today. You are all amazing!!

October!!

Pumpkins! Crunching leaves! Candy corn! Trick -or- treating! Coffee! Sweaters! ........Now if only this darn weather would shift! Living in Southern California, you never remember each year, that its normal to have a 92' day in October!

Our family DID head somewhere cooler and we had coffee and pumpkin and apple picking! It was a nice fake, to pretend we lived back east, where the true seasons are!

This month we are going to have 2 stockings. One will be October 11, and the other the 25th. The weeks between and after will be for customs.

Speaking of customs - we will be tucking our customs list in to bed for a few months (once we finish this current round). We will reopen it up, (or we may move to listing custom spots during stockings) after the 1st of the year.

Remember to use your 15% off coupon in October off of 1 purchase!

October 11: Free Reduce, Reuse, Rediaper sticker with each purchase!

October 25: 15% off coupon for 1 purchase, anytime in November!

Little changes!

Good evening all!
Just wanted to inform you of some changes that have and will be occuring on some things!

First up - soakers!
 Our soakers will be changing. The bottom layer of our petal soaker currently has 2 layers of bamboo fleece. We have decided to go with a hemp/bamboo/organic cotton. Its a heavier weight than the bamboo we were using, and we feel with the 3 put into one, it'll be a much better bottom layer for our soakers! We will still carry bamboo fleece in our Hyena Cart store.

Second - Serged diapers!
 Our serged diapers have changed, but only a tad! Our son is 35 lbs and his tabs on a serged still almost meet (some do actually). We felt that this was unnecessary and took off a total of 1" on the tabs. You probably won't even notice it, and with GGs being such a great fit for all sizes and ages, it'll still have plenty of room for your wee lad to grow!
 Also, we took off a total of 1" from the sides of the belly panel on the serged. Again, our 35lber was practically wrapped around to his back with the belly panel. In doing this, the serge has also lost 2 snaps. But again, our diapers are NOT on the smaller side to begin with. You may only notice that they fit a bit better! Now, besides the cut of the legs/crotch, you'll see that the serge diaper is a little bit of skinny and a little bit of OG.

Last but not least - Skinny diapers!
 The skinny diaper hit the ground running. We really altered the OG pattern and people have swooned over the skinny. Our sales these days show that the skinny sales are just slightly higher than the OG. But its so slight, its hardly noticeable. We still have our die hard OG lovers! We realized, that with the skinny diaper (and measuring our son (2 years old and 35lbs)), that the belly panel doesn't need to be so wide. Like the serge, we will be losing about 1/2" from both sides, before turning and top stitching and it will also be losing 2-4 snaps on the belly. We feel that this will be a GREAT alteration to the skinny and our skinny lovers will rejoice with less fabric wrapping around babies sides/back!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding changes, we'd love to hear from you!
greengenes.cloth@gmail.com

Regards,
Emily

Please don't leave me hanging!

I'm so sad to have to write this blog post. But it also means BIG things. It means that GGs are growing and we're always so grateful for that!

And as Green Genes grows, things have to become more "businesslike", and its ALL for efficiency, and customer service. So, without further ado:

• Unfortunately, we will no longer ship diapers/orders to anyone that you tell us to. We will ONLY be shipping to the address on your PayPal account. If someone helps you with stalking, you will need to make arrangements with them on how you will be getting them their diaper. I will no longer read memos on who you bought the diaper for. This causes me too many headaches, and it's just become too much work, and when things are crazy already, this just makes it a tad too much. 

• Also, if you give us your PayPal address for a group... PLEASE pay it. Once you leave your PayPal address, it indicates to me that you are interested, and that you will be paying the invoice for the diaper. It's not my job, but I will announce on the thread for that group when invoices are sent out. I typically even tag each person. You need to check email, and if you don't see it in your email, you will need to log in to your PayPal account and pay any unpaid invoices. 

• Lastly, when you receive your email regarding your custom order, it informs you of WHEN you need to have your order picked, finalized and PAID. Again, I cannot be your babysitter, sending reminder emails all week to you. Please, PLEASE do not respond to us and say "responding back", and then email us on Friday afternoon asking for pictures of certain genres of fabric. We have a Flickr album that we encourage you to use. Of course, I am a fabric hoarder, so our stash is always growing, but if you could kindly ask us sooner rather than later, if we have "monkeys riding bikes", that'd be great. If your order isn't place/your invoice isn't paid by the date noted on your email, you will be removed from the list, and you will NOT be added to the bottom. 

I will be allowing 3 unpaid invoices/incomplete custom orders. After 3, we will have no other choice but to blacklist your email address from groups/customs. Regular stockings are probably more your thing!

This isn't to be a "meanie" or rude. It's simply to keep things moving smoothly here at Green Genes, and to keep things fair for others who are waiting, or wanting spaces.

If you are not ABSOLUTELY sure that you want an order, then please don't waste our time. With that being said, we completely understand when emergencies/crisis/illness/unplanned situations arise. We're all human and know things come up. However, we give LOTS of time to get things paid and it takes 5 seconds to pay an invoice (I pay for fabric invoices all day long, (and I'm pretty good at it now!)). If you just flat out ignore us, we will not give you a chance. However, if you let us know something came up ahead of time (at our discretion), we may allow an extended time to pay.

I have 3 wonderful woman running some of our groups alongside of me, and for FREE. They're not compensated by us, and are simply volunteering their time. They work dang hard, for FREE, to make spreadsheets, upload albums and send out emails for us. Everyone has a life happening at home, and things would work better if everyone just considered everyone else.

Of course, if you have any questions or concerns regarding any of the aforementioned items, don't hesitate to send Emily an email --> greengenes.cloth AT gmail DOT com

I love you all, and appreciate every single person who has been apart of Green Genes for almost 2 years now!

THANK YOU!!

September!!

I am going to start having weekly deals on stockings! 


Here is our calendar for September:
September 13th (very mini, Halloween stocking) - FREE SHIPPING! 
September 20th - 15% off code with every purchase, to be used at a stocking in October!
September 27th (very mini, Halloween stocking) - FREE SHIPPING! 

Also, I will be stocking SYOF slots in the weeks opposite of regular stockings!
September that will be the 13th and the 27th
We will include group and single slots
This way, you have 1 week for the fabric to arrive and the diaper to start 1 week later. 

What kind of deals would you like to see in October??
 

Vacation

Good evening all! I've been on vacation for a week now and I am missing my ladies and sewing, SO much!! I went upstairs tonight and actually did some snapping and prepping for sewing. I'm so in love wi diapers and sewing, I even dream about it!

My LO's birthday party is tomorrow and I am probably more excited than he is. We decided on a mustache theme this year, knowing that next year (3), and forever after he will be choosing the themes!

We will be back up and running on Tuesday and stocking at normal time on Friday! 

See you then :) 

Full time, WAHM!

Do you see WAHM posted around? Do you know what it means? 

Work At Home Mom

That's a pretty vague assignment, if you ask me! I don't think a WAHM is just someone who sews diapers at home. I think SAHM should be a WAHM, because, staying home IS a lot of work!

Some say, as soon as a WAHM hires help, she is no longer a WAHM. There are a lot of conditions, brought on by customers about what defines a WAHM. 

Here, at GG HQ, it's just me, and my husband, Matt. He does all of our cutting, and I do everything else. 

Our son, attends preschool/daycare M-F until the early afternoon. I hate sending him off, but he absolutely loves being with his buddies all morning! Then, we he comes home, we hang out and after he is in bed, I go back upstairs to work! 

I think I average right around 40 hours a week! 

When the weekend arrives, I try very hard to stay away from work, like anyone else who worked M-F would. If I do go up to work, it's for very short periods.

We ship on Fridays, and I have a general rule of shipping on Mondays. This isn't to tease or make people wait, but more for making things work for us!

On Friday, after stocking, I usually have to finish up some odds and ends with the stocking, and then it's time to wrap up my week. Then, on weekends, if I shipped on Saturday, I'd lose some very beneficial time with my sweet son, whom I already miss so much all week! 

So, on Monday while we're cutting that weeks diapers, I do all the shipping, which usually takes 3-4 hours total! 

Just thought I would lay it all out for those wondering why Mondays are the ship day!

(Of course, if someone has a pressing matter that they need their purchase shipped ASAP, I will do everything I can to get it out!) 

Customs, SYOF and Mini Groups

I've had some great feedback on mini-groups (including SYOF) and also after another full round of customs, I've decided to change a few things!

We will be opening customs up again in September. Although, I expect the list to be much shorter this round, due to the forthcoming changes. There are also other changes to be listed below:

1. SYOF (Send your own fabric) will NO LONGER be accepted for customs. SYOF will only be apart of stockings and lotteries from this point forward. Having to have fabric mailed out was causing delays in the operation of getting diapers done. We will have single person SYOF stockings too, don't worry. The customs will be best for those who missed a diaper during stocking that they just need!! ;)

2. When a custom order email is sent out, you will have 24 hours to confirm that you've received the initial email. Period. I will no longer be giving out a "delay pass". Once you respond to that email, you will have less than 1 week to decide, be invoiced and pay for your customs. Your invoice will have the due date (and so will your initial email). Because SYOF won't be honored any longer (unless I have prior arrangements with you), you will need to browse our FLICKR album ( http://www.flickr.com/photos/94904286@N07/ ). When you respond, with your choice please know that I may not have that print. It'd be best to send a top 3-5 prints. Also, send the links for each print, or a picture.

3. I will NOT be allowing anymore "passes". If you are unable to order/keep your space, you will be removed and you can add yourself to the next customs list. We understand life happens, and things cause disruption. However, in turn, it causes a disruption for customs and waiting, and therefore will no longer be available.

4. SYOF groups are to be made, and organized in our Mini/SYOF group. 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ggminis/
There will need to be a leader in each "group" and that leader needs to make a Google Doc, or a file and have everything set up BEFORE you attempt to stock (or participate in a lottery). This means having fabric ready to ship, cuts, rise, style, etc., picked out. The best rule of thumb is to have at least 3 people in the group participating. Our group slots will have differing options. Some will be a MAX of 3, and some will have a MAX of 10!

5. I will be charging a $5.00 charge for fabric that is dropped shipped here (not prewashed). I will need to wash, dry and press fabric on my own time. Please account for this charge when charging for group spaces in your groups.

6. If you are ordering fabric to be sent directly to me, expect a 2-3+ week delay to your orders (on top of the 3 week window for getting the diapers done). You will need to notify Emily AND give tracking info. 

7. We will draw a lottery for 2-3 SYOF groups a month. We will also have the occasional mini groups (fabric provided by Emily).

8.  SYOF groups will be $25 per diaper. Customs will start at $30 and go up depending on print, materials, etc. 

9. For SYOF groups, you will have approx. 48 hours to choose the colors for snaps and CV. It will need to be a unanimous decision. If someone cannot decide, or does not respond in time, we will take the popular vote. I will offer 2-3 choices for snaps and CV and you will need to break it down to ONE color for the entire group (for snaps and CV). (These options will be given out once your fabric arrives here)

10. Please, PLEASE, don't join a SYOF group unless you fully intend to pay and participate. We understand emergencies arise, but try to be as courteous to your group leader as you can!

I think that is enough for now!  I look forward to new changes, which in turn will help with effectiveness and smoothness from here on out! 

Please find an admin in the SYOF group should you have any questions/concerns about how a group works. 
As always, I welcome feedback and questions! 
greengenes.info@gmail.com
-Em

This is the place!

Starting today, imperative (and fun) GG info will commence here. Follow us, or bookmark us if you don't mind. I have some announcements involving customs/SYOF and groups that I will be posting here! Standby...

Green Genes in a year!

Wow! One year of GGs and still truckin'! This last year has been amazing, and without all of you, I wouldn't have a diaper for pooping in! 

When I sit back and look at how far I have come, in terms of making diapers, I sometimes realize how MUCH I have accomplished and improved. This diaper here, is my very first project: 

 This was over one year ago. I only count the one year, from when I sent out my first official invoice. I've been sewing diapers for probably a little over 16 months now. Just goes to show how much determination, perseverance and discipline get you!

There are MANY people who have helped me get to this point. I couldn't have done it without the help and support of ALL of them. Individually, they all hold their trophy for helping me accomplish this awesome product! 

Forever, I am indebted to them. 

 

 
Now... This is what we've become:

  
Daily, I think and brainstorm about diapers. How to improve our product, how to make it functional AND dynamic! I never make a diaper that I am not proud of. I strive, to make the PERFECT diaper, every time. That's a high standard to set. Any seamstress knows that nothing is every absolute with sewing. But it's my goal. 





 

ONE YEAR!!!

Wow! One year has just whizzed by! How amazing to see how far our Green Genes have come (and gone)! Thank you to those who have been here since the beginning, and those who are just joining us!

In April 2012, I sent out my very first invoice. I am counting this date as our Anniversary! We have a LOT of vendors signed up for this giveaway! Along with Green Genes, these are some of the great vendors and prizes up for grabs:

• Origami Owl - Heather O'Barr Consultant: $50 worth of jewelry! 
• San Tan Botanicals - 2 FREE lip balm, includes shipping! 
• Jessie's Custom Creations - $10 gift certificate towards any custom order!
• Jack&theBean13 - Blankets specially made to be safe while in a car seat! (Prize hasn't been determined yet)
•  PalmTagBags - A custom made wetbag! (shipping not included)!
• Dandiewinks - A custom invitation!
• Stacked Peanuts - Store Credit to one of her MANY amazing creations (dresses, blankets, stuffed animals, etc)
• ALamb'sTail - A Custom WOOL soaker, (shipping not included)!
• Lovey Chic Boutique - A  FREE Fitted diaper (shipping not included)!
• Rosa Pratt Miche - A FREE bag, charm and discount! (All given away seperately and no shipping charges!)
• Natural Beauty - Free natural face wash AND body scrub! (shipping not included)
• Oh Sew Smitten - (undetermined)
• Jumping June Designs - ULTIMATE dibs pass! Ultimate dibs pass is good for an ABSOLUTELY free diaper that may be picked from any stocking preview!
• Candice Gifts - $20 certificate for 31bags!
• The Beaded Bond - All natural Teething and Nursing Bead Necklaces/Jewelry - two $15 store credit codes, and one $25 store credit 
• Fabric Stalkers - 10% off coupon!  
• Green Genes - Stalk free passes, FREE diapers, discounts and MORE! 

Make sure to join our B/S/T/Chatter group to keep up with previews, customs and more!! 

LOTS of amazing items being given away!! Make sure to stick around to hear about all of the details!
Our giveaway will be from April 8-22!

All about Custom Orders!

Did you know we do custom orders? Did you know that we don't just let you pick your fabric?

At Green Genes you can:

• Pick your own print - and if we don't have it, we will order it for you (this will delay your order by 1-2 weeks)
• Pick whether you'd like rounded tabs, or squared
• Chose velcro or snaps!
• Chose between AIO, AI2 or Pocket!
• You can even chose the touching inner color (from our in stock selection)
• You can even send your OWN fabric! 

AND...

• You can even pick which fabrics you'd like inside of your inserts (from what we have in stock. ZORB II is WAY back ordered, so this one will not be apart of your option until we can order more)

Our custom orders will be on a 1st come, 1st serve basis - as soon as we open out slots. Slots will be opened after our weekly listings, and will be on a VERY limited slot.

If you have any questions about a custom order, please email us at greengenes.cloth@gmail.com or on our facebook page!

Part Time?

Did you know you can cloth diaper part time? YES! If your child is in disposables during the day at daycare, or even at home - you can still use cloth diapers while you're home and at bedtime.

Let's do the math. Say you did cloth diapers for bedtime only... Huggies basic diaper - Snug & Dry diaper, in a size 4 is about .27 per diaper (on average. This price is lower, or higher depending on diaper size). So, lets base our math problem on a 30 day month.....

.29 x 30 = $8.70/mo.
$8.70 x 12 (months) = $104.40
$104.40 x 3 (years in diapers) = $313.20

You can save at LEAST $313.20 in ONE "diaper lifetime" if you JUST used cloth diapers at bedtime. AND, most babies don't even have a poop during bedtime and so you will just (most likely) be washing pee diapers only.

What can you do with $300.00 in 3 years? Put that into a savings account for baby? Spend $100 a year on a mani/pedi? Whatever you want!!

And the best part is that you aren't putting TONS of waste into our landfills.. Where it will sit for at LEAST 500 years!!!

Using disposable diapers is really like throwing your money in the trash. Literally.

You can buy 3 cloth diapers, with inserts that will fit from about 10lbs up until potty learning.. for around $50-60. Done. One time spending and you're done! Imagine?

Now.. Let's see if we did 1 cloth for bedtime, one in the morning (before preschool/daycare/etc) and 1 after daycare. 3 a day.

.29 x 90 (diapers a month saved) = $26.10 = monthly savings on AVERAGE
$26.10 x 12 = $313.20 = yearly
$313.20 x 3 = $939!!!

ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS!

3 cloth diapers a day. You could buy 10 diapers (enough to not have to wash, and wear 3 a day for a few days) for around $150-200 and be done!

NOW.. Are you ready? Lets say you use an average of 7 diapers a day. We will use the same price as previously posted...

.29 x 210 (diapers a month) = $60.90 a MONTH
$60.90 x 12 = $730.80 a YEAR
$730.80 x 3 = $2192 in a diaper lifetime.

Remember, all average. If you store brands instead of huggies you will pay a fraction less. Plus, how long your child is in each size (you get more for your money in the smaller sizes) and how long your child is in diapers.

Even if we knocked off $200.00! $60.00 a MONTH! That's $15.00 a WEEK. I could think of a MILLION things to do with that money (Like, buy a new cloth diaper!!)

Did you also know that most used cloth diapers successfully sell? YES! People LOVE to buy gently used diapers. You will probably make 1/3 to 1/2 your money back. Thats EVEN MORE savings!!!

Send us an email if you want to learn more, or would like prices!

greengenes.cloth@gmail.com

*all prices are estimates and are not to be used literally*

Cloth Diapering 101

I know there are a LOT of places that you can learn all about cloth diapers... But I am going to start blogging about only certain cloth topics at a time. I know there are a LOT of momma's (and especially daddy's) who are skeptical, uncertain and even afraid of cloth diapering.
Here we will teach you everything you need to know! We will also start vblogging on our youtube channel.

Our first topic is going to be cost. Because honestly, this is what got me into CDing. How much money I saved. I am going to list everything I have found online that talks about how much money you will save using cloth diapers..

The average savings using cloth diapers is around $65 dollars PER month. And that isn't counting diaper genies, wipes, and everything else needed for disposables.

I have a friend who did the math (she uses disposables) and she was spending approximately $90 every MONTH on diapers and wipes. That really, is like driving to the ATM machine, withdrawing $100 a month, walking to the 1st trash can you can find - and throwing it away. Not to mention the gas.

Most people who cloth diaper, typically buy their diapers online. You are saving on gas prices too. Gas is not cheap these days. One gallon of gas here in California is $3.85+ per gallon. Typically on average you will get around 20 miles per gallon around town, and depending on where you live in reference to your closest Target or grocery, you could be spending $5.00 just to go buy a box of diapers... That you are going to THROW AWAY!!!

Some people argue that we pay more before we use laundry/electricity/gas/water.. Not really. When you boil down the dollars and cents, the cost to run a full load of diapers is very cheap!

THEN, you should also know that buying and selling of used cloth diapers is HUGE. You could potentially recoup 1/2 the money you spent on your cloth diapers! AND, to go even further, if you used your cloth on your next child, you would be saving SO SO SO much more!!

The savings are endless.

Did you know on average, the cloth diapered child will typically potty learn 1 year before a child who wear disposables?

The average savings from birth to potty learning is around $1,600.00 and UP if you use disposables vs. cloth diapers! WOW...

If your child is in diapers for 36 months, that is approximately... That's over $2,000.00!!!

We are up and running!

Hello everyone! Welcome to our green genes cloth blogspot! We are working on getting a website up and running (hopefully) very soon :)

We have already completed a handful of custom orders, and are eager to have items up for sale on our website soon. We will also be looking into an etsy store and a hyena cart page.

Check back here often - to find out what kind of new and cute (and green) items we're sewing up!