DAD'S. THE. MAN.

this is a picture from almost eight years ago, and our first day home with our first-born. or maybe it was night? who could really tell anymore? this man, is THE man that had a hand in helping to test and design the first line of fast easy, convenient and adorable baby clothes and accessory essentials made with Dad-In-Mind as much as Mom, from belle&beanzer. we love you mom, but you have to admit it, you've cornered the market in all things baby. 

this weekend, this whole month, really, (anyone else got roped into a month long father's day season??) we're celebrating this man, and all the men who are THE MAN in our lives. it's only fitting that my man star as THE MAN in our Dad's. The. Man. father's day video. watch for yourself as a Dad-in-the-know shows how dressing and changing your baby just got real simple with belle&beanzer.  the insanely cute, most dangerous baby-because he's making me want a another baby-pretty much steals the show. hello, natural born comedic timing. we liked to call him "one-take" baby. the dad is pretty hot cute too, but I guess I'm partial... I married him! 

and that's not all, folks!! starting today 6/15 thru Sunday 6/22 we are running a...

father's day gift set giveaway:3 of our quick-change garments! 

to enter, go to our Facebook page and like & comment on the video post. for an extra entry, share the video. for an extra, extra entry, post a father's day pic on our Facebook page. for an extra, extra, extra entry post your father's day pic on instagram and tag: @belleandbeanzer #dadstheman. winner will be picked at random and announced by wednesday 6/18. three days only! 

also, for your father's day season listening pleasure, for the month of June, we've created a music station, newly curated in honor of #fathersday. See that sliding bar with the headphones at the top of our website?? Click it. Enjoy!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! 

see you at the giveaway!! 

xoxo

fast. easy. convenient & adorable! can you have it all? YES!

What an amazing surprise this morning to find this AH-mazing write up by @celebritybabytrends!

fast & easy

convenient 

adorable

I'm sure you all know Rachel Florio the Celebrity Baby Trend expert. Well, we met not too long ago at the ABC Kids Expo in Vegas. Her husband and sweeeet baby were hanging out in the aisle. I am not one to resist a baby for more than about .0001 seconds. So, I immediately started up a convo with said sweet baby, and I'll just say... we HIT. IT. OFF. She must have put in a good word for me, because this write up on celebrity baby trends blog, was so amazing! You know when you know someone really gets what you're doing and why you're so passionate about it? This is it.  Click here to read!

two cuties in our rompers playing on our 4-in-one patent pending big love blanket™
It strolls, nurses, swaddles and plays!

Thank you so much!

XOXO

ask yourself a question

this biggest high of 2012 was when the boxes of production arrived for our holiday launch line arrived. i was excited, really, really excited! i had been working on this since the winter of 2009. but, that paled in comparison to how my children reacted when I told them that was what all the boxes were.  It went something like this...

me: hey, guys, see all those boxes? those are the baby clothes mommy has been working on.

ava & jonah: WHAT?!! CAN WE SEE? (jumping up and down and clapping)

me: of course! 

~ hear road runner meep-meep and a trail of dust as the kids tear off for the the boxes ~ 

me: okay, hang on, let me get there too

 jonah (3yr): mommy! they're here! I can't believe they're finally here!!
ava, ava!! we're going to open the boxes!! I can't believe it! 

me: pulling the VERY first romper from a box and holding the finished product in my hands

ava (6yr): whips said romper out of my hands...

oh. my. god. MOMMY!! it is so, so, so, so adorable!!...hugs romper

me: speechless. touched BEYOND belief. (thank you, babies!!)

here's the thing, i knew they knew what I was doing. many an afternoon Ava would be drawing at her desk, and I am mine with Jonah on my lap. what i never anticipated was how invested THEY were in all of this.

i started this business to pursue a dream doing something i love & have passion for. creatively fulfill a gap & real need in the childrens/childrenswear market. build a business with a new life integrated business model. do all this while being present & connected with my own family. 

it hasn't always been easy, we have to embrace all the moments, right. not just the awesome ones :) 

but, wow... that moment...that was a BIG one.

2012 recap: dream - actively being pursued. gap - fulfilling it.
building business - building. present with my family - more than I realized.  

Q: what do we desire at belle&beanzer? 

A: to strengthen the connection between parent and child through smart design. to bring inspired products with purpose and integrity to families. to be in-service to families by solving real every day stress. by solving those problems, through smart design, to create opportunities for families to embrace the moment and connect. 

happy new year everyone! we are very excited to introduce more awesome stuff from belle&beanzer this year! new artwork is soon to be uploaded on our website, spring 2013 will be coming in soon, holiday 2013 samples on it's heels, attending the trade shows this year... big fun, ahead!! 

enjoy this video, below, (thanks, mom!) and answer for yourself  (we'd love to see your comments) 

what if money were no object - what do you desire?

xoxo

Day 4 of 12: our little roo, not quite what you're expecting

"Kangaroo Mom

Hopping around

Carrying the world

Around in her sack"

I once saw this quote flash up on a screen in an elevator.
I've never forgotten it, and now I 100% get it. 

welcome to DAY 4 of the 12 Days of Christmas!!

day 4 brings you all our roo gowns at 20% off!! 

ENJOY!!

the roo gown was designed for the little bitties. i loooved my babies little newborn crunched up legs. but they do have a tendency to get caught in between the legs of the rompers and jammies, and traditional gowns tend to bunch up too. we say, just let little leggies be free from the start, while staying cozy, allowing plenty of access for bicycle legs, quick changes and snuggles. 

the roo gown offers scratch mitts, and the easy back elastic opening for changing, but the bottom is sewn up like a little roo pouch so baby’s legs are fee, comfy and cozy. we watched while one mama helped her little dude out, completely unhindered with a series of bicycle legs and belly relieving exercises. available in 0-3 and 3-6 mos, in cloud dancer white and microchip stripey with 3 choices of artwork. Click on the here to get your roo gown now!! 

xoxo

Day 3 of 12: bib&burps changing the landscape of juicy parenting 20% off today!

welcome to DAY 3 of the 12 Days of Christmas!!
Day 2 brings you all our bib&burps at 20% off!! 

ENJOY!!

okay, let’s share and maybe gripe a little. how many times have you picked up your burp cloth off the floor today? how many bibs has your sweet little drooler soaked thru, as well as the onesie beneath it?

when my little guys were bitty, the bibs and burp cloths became a core piece of my day, my clothing and my diaper bag. here’s what I found frustrating... the burp cloth slipped off my shoulder CONSTANTLY, and the bib didn’t have adequate coverage or absorption. no big deal, you say? tell that to a tired parent, who is gently soothing a fussy baby who lets go all over their shoulder, and realizes the burp cloth has slipped off somewhere, sometime, some place. now we can’t guarantee absolutely no slippage. but, we can tell you this sucker really hangs in there. then, we took it to the next level and doubled it up as a bib by simply adding snaps on both sides. the same contoured shape that works so well for staying on your shoulder also makes it the perfect full coverage bib. did we mention the babies love to play with it too?

one side is ultra soft 100% pima cotton, which is super absorbent all by it’s self. we lined the other side with 100% cotton french terry, which is just as gentle & soothing against baby's skin as the pima cotton side. double absorption power.

it’s really win-win-win-win-win and win.

xoxo

Day 2 of 12: Have you met our rompers?? 25% off today only!

how are you enjoying your 12 days of holiday gifts?

today it's all about the rompers. 

have you met our rompers yet? a playful peek-a-boo over the head, and this little piggy
over the legs. our rompers are designed with an easy elastic back opening so you & your
baby will quickly & easily enjoy many dressing & changing positions: on back, on lap,
standing, sitting & (our favorite) face-to-face.

this active, social little peanut, was all over the place. sitting down, rolling over, playing. she was all about eye contact and communication. which is REALLY easy with our rompers. she’s clearly acing all her milestones :)

this sweet one, was ENTIRELY uninterested in being changed her on her back. dad picked
his girl right up and changed her in his arms. it's amazing how a small shift in perspective
can change the whole mood! ooookay, it’s true, we can’t compete with the joys of baby nudie
time, but she IS snuggled down on our big love blanket in the last pic. happy baby or what? 

the lap shoulder construction makes it easy to pull over baby's head. it opens to shoulder width,
so for newborns, we recommend just sliding it up from the toes. diaper changes are a breeze,
and no need to fully undress your baby, especially a newborn. the easy elastic back opening
also allows skin-to-skin contact when only that touch can do.

day 2 of our 12 days of Christmas brings you all our rompers at 25% off!! 

ENJOY!!

xoxo

black friday to cyber monday!

Ready? THANKYOU10 now also includes free ground shipping.
AND we went 4 better than that. Up to 30% off, plus FREE ground shipping!

100% pima cotton

hand painted, original inspirational artwork

innovative design in every garment to encourage connection and give the gift of ease

NOW all 10-30% off plus free ground shipping:
black friday through cyber monday. 

how about that?

ENJOY NOW!

XOXO

Happy Thanksgiving!! In deepest gratitude for YOU! The holiday shop is OPEN!!

WE. HAVE. LAUNCHED!! our holiday shop is open!!! we want to thank you for your patience while great launching adventure unfolds. more than that, we want to thank you for your support, interest, and enthusiasm while we launch this line.

“it has been three years in the dreaming, creating, and doing. my team and I have poured our hearts into this line, some tears and a lot of laughs. we hope you feel that reflected in the softness of the pima cotton as you snuggle your baby, your smile you feel the artwork reflected in your heart, and your relief and trust as you rely on the functionality and durability of the garments. in deepest gratitude to YOU, your family, and all the effort you put into your every day, we are offering 10% off our entire collection now, Thursday through Sunday. Just enter the code THANKYOU10 at check out.
  thank you, rebecca lazaroff - founder/ceo”

we have a beautifully inspired collection for you to choose from. did you know each piece is a  handpainted piece of artwork? yup! how’s that for awesome? it’s literally hands-on love in each piece. so, you may see some small differences from piece to piece, but we think that’s what makes them special and unique. an original, like your little one! take a little look and then go shop already! :)

xoxoxo

Baby Photo Shoot: Check out this little cutie in our holiday 2012 launch line

happy Friday, all! as we wind up this monday-friday, we are excited to share a few more sneak peeks at our holiday 2012 launch line. If you missed the peeks at the two previous, they are work a look! click here to see our very first holiday launch line photo shoot with this 9 month old sweet pea, and click here for the little 9 wk old flirt we spent the day with. yesterday we were in NYC, and spent the day with this 4 month bright eyed hunka cheeks and her dad. enjoy!!

oh, HI! sweet cheeks in our bib&burp cloth

holding hands with dad, wearing our cloud dancer romper with picot trim

lounging in our stripy romper. so comfy and soft!

sweet tush & a cuddle with dad in our stripy romper

girl on the go! wearing our cloud dancer romper with picot trim and stripy booties

waaiit, she has to check her shoes for a quick minute. wowie, unbelievable soft and comfortable! Okay, let's go!

xoxo

Spending the day with a 9wk old little flirt

we had another photo shoot yesterday for our holiday 2012 launch line. we spent yesterday with a 9 week old little flirty-flirt! in these photos & video he's wearing our stripey roo gown, and has just had a blissful nursing with mama snuggled with our big love blanket. they were snuggling, giggling, touching and talking the entire time…connecting…just what we'd intended when we designed the line. really, we just stood there and filmed it while it all happened naturally :) watch and enjoy!

somewhere between dreams

oh, hello!

it's life funny?!

our holiday 2012 launch line: sneak peek here!!

you've been patiently waiting to see what this line is all about! well, ask and you shall receive!

that's how it's looking to a 5 year old, anyhow. little A has her own "art table" in my office, where we often work side-by-side. yesterday, she handed this to me and walked me through her baby clothes. if you look closely, you might see a little holiday art form her mama, in the background :) 

in all seriousness, if you missed my post on the garment finishings and details,
please check it out here! it is a walk through of all the pieces, fabrication, construction, design philosophy and the special innovative features that answer the need, the call, for innovative baby clothes designed for little people, and the big people who dress them. they're about connection, creativity, quality, comfort and simplicity.

then, head's up for next week because it's going to be a week of pictures, photos and big reveals for the line. we will be sharing how we got here, and where we are. we are so grateful to have you all here with us! 

I know & you know that you wanted to know: garment finishing & details

we've got some pictures & details for you, FINALLY!
check out our garment finishings & details page on our website...

you know our message is embracing the moment. you know it's inspired by my experience as a designer and baby clothes being designed for boxes and hangers, rather than for babies & families, as well as a mom and my realization that we were disconnected from precious moments.

this line is about designing into the pieces to encourage simplicity, connection and gentle touch while keeping all the creativity, cuteness, excellent quality, comfort and softness you expect.

well, enough from ME, go take a look and read about the pieces in the line coming soon to YOU!

here's a sneak peek...

BTW, we are running an embracing the moment photo contest.

1. Fill out form below & upload your photo:
Choose one favorite photo, and submit it just once. The ideal photo size is 100KB, if it's larger we will resize to fit properly. Photos are not expected to be professional quality, it's all about those real moments, but if your picture is too small, blurry, dark or bright, it will be hard for others to see and vote for it.

2. All qualified entries will be posted to our Facebook fan page for viewing and voting.

3. Vote! You may vote just once for any one photo, so spread that word so your friends and family can vote for your photo!

Winning
There will be 2 winning opportunities. 1) Grand Prize winner will be selected by the belle&beanzer panel of judges and will receive one (1) 4 piece holiday gift pack, 2) Winner by popular vote will receive one (1) two piece gift set from our holiday collection. Winners will be contacted and announced October 13-15th.

Christmas in July: working with entrepreneurial teens, holiday samples, and our new photo contest!

it's THE entrepreneurial adventure!! really! no, really! as in the entrepreneurial adventure teen camp, created and facilitated by jonathan fanning. he leads the teens through a week long experiential, interactive, teen-directed camp where they literally touch on all aspects of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Such as: meeting local business owners of varying sized businesses, negotiating rental agreements and financials, writing a business plan, pitching said business plan, consulting marketing experts and creating a marketing strategy, discussing how to get a small business loan at a bank...just to name a few... as an adult friend of mine just recently said, why can't i go too?!

as a friend, i've been on the sidelines watching jonathan do his entrepreneur thing. so, when he asked me to be a part of his most recent camp it was a definite YES!

i met the EITs (entrepreneurs in training) at b&b hq as i returned from a business trip from la, just a wee bit jet lagged and not sure what to expect. what was required of me? let a room full of teens review my baby clothes business, have my social networking strategy reviewed by an expert (i'm weak, folks!), and ultimately work with the kids on a piece of my marketing strategy. nope, nothing there to make me at all nervous.

cut to the awesome end…
• social networking expert and entrepreneur, andrew torba, of kuchoon gave me some great advice: i'm using too many !!!!! i'm not communicating regularly enough!!! watch the punctuation!!! and seriously, we watched 2 amazingly inspired videos:

• the teens were awesome: teens and baby clothes? unlikely match and yet they invested themselves in the purpose of belle&beanzer's line, and because of them we are now working on an amazing new idea for our holiday launch. alll their idea! 

newsletter folks, check your inboxes because details of the embracing the moment photo contest are coming your way! what? you're not subscribed? no worries, click here. not a newsletter kind of person, no prob, you wont miss out, we'll be posting details.

august is a funny month. the days are hot and nights are cool. it's bittersweet and exhilarating, isn't it?
that's sorta how we feel here at belle&beanzer. this moment, right now, as we are literally on the cusp of bringing our line to families everywhere, it's pretty amazing, and we're embracing it.

i was going to end there, but i couldn't help it... in case you missed our post yesterday, our holiday 2012 samples are starting to roll in! more on this very soon!

hello! we are launching holiday 2012!!

I can't bring myself to look at the date on my last post. For shame!! But, hey! Guess what?? The big news is our website is live! (power of distraction, right??!) This was a big, huge, fun step in our business. I also want to clarify there are, in fact, no clothes for sale yet. Crazy, I know, but we're not quite through summer and I felt a little weird introducing holiday just yet :) We intend to embrace the moment at belle&beanzer, and that includes our lazy days of summer. 

That said, no so many lazy days over here! We are busy getting ready for our first holiday 2012 line. In October, the holiday shop will be open!! In the meantime, we're adding more to our site every day. We'll be uploading some fun (and funny) pictures and videos of our prototyping process, colors, and mood boards...to mention a few. 

We are so excited and grateful for everyone who has already gone to our website and received your 20% off, in honor of our website launch.  We've decided to extend it this entire week!

Thank you, everyone for your excitement, enthusiasm and support! We are looking forward to introducing the line to you, and being in service to families everywhere!!