2 Classy Chics Review and Giveaway!

A big thank you to 2 Classy Chics for reviewing our Fuzzy Foods! Our Fuzzy Foods are made of a combination of minky fabric and polyester felt....that make for a machine washable play food!!!

We hope you will take a moment to head over to the 2 Classy Chics website, check out the review, and enter for a chance to win your own set of Fuzzy Foods! We would also like to welcome you to the Lilly Bean family with a coupon code. Simply type WELCOME10 into the coupon code box during checkout and receive 10% off of your order :)

New Packaging

Have you seen our new packaging? We are now shrink wrapping around palm leaf plates to package our play food! Palm leaf plates are made from fallen palm leaves that are stacked and steamed together....that's it!...no chemicals, no processing! They are sturdy and beautiful and yet are completely biodegradable in about 2 months (they are just leaves after all)! We will be adding labels to our packaging soon. Stay tuned for details. We love our minimal packaging because shows off our beautiful product and keeps our carbon footprint small :) We are doing our best to keep the Bean green!

Our kits are getting a Makeover! Welcome the Green Eggs and Ham kit!

Our fun felt food kits are getting a makeover! I've been taking new pictures, revising instructions and putting everything into a new format. Why not try one out today by purchasing our brand new Green Eggs and ham kit?

Important website changes...

Current timing to ship orders: 5 business days

1. New shipping information will now be available on my blog...right at the top of the latest news...see it there in red? :) Now you can check this before you order so that you will have a good idea as to when your package will ship.

2. New international shipping surcharges: I've decided to use USPS Priority mail to ship ALL packages. I used to ship international packages using economy (which is a lot less expensive!) however, I have no tracking information and sometimes it takes weeks for a package to arrive to it's destination. Now with the new shipping method, packages will be trackable and arrive faster :) Unfortunately there was no way for me to keep international shipping prices as low as US shipments. I had to add a surcharge to Canadian orders of $10.00 and all other countries add $20. We apologize that the price is so high, but we needed a better way of getting your orders to you!

3. Automatic shipping emails with tracking numbers: You will receive an automatic email with a tracking number as soon as your order goes out. That way you can track your package and know when it will reach you.

Have a great day!!!

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Wonderful New Year!

Lilly Bean and her elves are taking their short winter's nap Dec. 25-Jan. 4. During this time we reflect on the previous year and try to make Lilly Bean even better in the new one! We have a lot of exciting things to reveal in this new year and some changes too. While the elves sleep, you may still place orders...but they may not get shipped until the new year.

A big Thank You to all of our customers that continue to support Lilly Bean...a small American company that "sprouts creativity". Without you, none of this would be possible!

Lilly Bean Play Food Featured in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine

If you are out and about at your local Target, Barnes & Noble or Babies R Us, look for us in the latest issue (Nov 2009) of Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine!

Temporary Delays...ugg!

Hi All,

For those who don't know I am about 34 weeks pregnant. At the end of last week I went into preterm labor. They were able to successfully stop it and I am at home now, but I am on bedrest. I am working on delegating the packing and shipping of orders at the moment. I have people coming over this week to get things going. Hopefully orders will not be significantly delayed. If they are, you will be contacted. As a precaution we are letting people know that it may take as much as 2 weeks to get your order out. Hopefully, it will not take that long, but we wanted to be upfront about the possibility of delays.

Thank you so much for your business and support. I will be updating this blog with more information :)

The Grand Rapids Press and Martha Stewart...OH MY!

If you managed to pick up a copy of my local paper (Grand Rapids Press) you might just find me in there! If not click this is a link to Craftsanity . Jennifer Ackerman Haywood wrote a great follow up story about my trip to New York to be on the MARTHA STEWART SHOW!

Yes... You read correctly... I am going to be on the Martha Stewart Show that airs Feb. 18th!!!
I taught Martha how to make a felt Cherry Pie and Cherry. This kit is available on my website :) The kit available on the website is for a 5.5" pie and there is no enlarging of templates necessary ;) Watch the show and enjoy!

Holiday Gift Guides Galore!

A BIG THANK YOU to The Full Mommy and Zrecommends for including Lilly Bean in their holiday gift guides! Take a look at all of their wonderful picks and great ideas for this holiday season. Oh, and look for a coupon code at The Full Mommy!

Zrecommends - Prize Giveaway!

Want to have a chance to win a Lilly Bean play food pizza and fortune cookie set along with Green Toy"s cooking and dining set and Haba's In the Country game? Well then click on over to the Zrecommends website and sign up for their monthly news letter. You will automatically be entered in the giveaway! Not only will you have the chance to win cool monthly prizes, but you'll receive reviews on great products and helpful information :) Enjoy!

Hooray! Hooray! The updated site launches today!

Our new updated site launches today with some fun new items and neat changes. A great round of applause to the guys over at 2GTechworks for doing such an awesome job and listening to me ramble on and on about my ideas!

Here are some of the fantastic changes:

- Kits and Wool felt fabric : We now offer wool felt and felt food kits! We are starting with just a few kits, but many more are to come. So be on the lookout and check back soon for your favorite foods to go into our new MAKE IT section.

- Coupon Codes : We now offer coupon codes and offers. If you have a coupon code you can type it in at the check out. In fact here is a code you can use for the next week : HOORAY If you type HOORAY into the coupon code box in the check out page you will get 10% off! This coupon code is valid until October 30th.

- New Site Organization : You will now notice that on the homepage we have 3 main sections: Play Food, Make It, and New. Under Play Food you will find all of our individual items as well as kits broken down into easy to follow categories. Under Make It you will find kits, patterns and wool felt. More craft items will be added to this section later :) Under New you will find our latest creations. These items are also in the other categories, but are grouped all together in the New section for ease and convenience.

- Fun new features : Our site now has more "add to cart" buttons on the products page for faster shopping! We also have more pictures of our products if you click on them. New pictures will fade in and out giving you more views of our beautiful play food. Note that not all of our products have more than one picture, but soon they all will.

What did you say, Kiddos?...You want more play food!

Do these kids look happy to you? Well that's because I just told them about a few new Lilly Bean toys! Seems that they approve of the new selection and are happily waiting for more items to come for Christmas!

Kids are sure to recognize the cute new Lilly Bean hot dog. The bun is like a pocket and the hot dog can be taken out and put back in. Top it off with mustard and ketchup!

These peanut butter cookies with the kisses on top look so real, they make me hungry every time I look at them. I make the real thing every Christmas with my kids...I think these year the tradition may start early!

Boutique Cafe reviews Lilly Bean :)

Grab a "little cup of couture" over at the Boutique Cafe and be sure to check out the Daily Dish where you will find a fabulous review of Lilly Bean play food. Also, try to win a free Lilly Bean Brown Bag Lunch!

Want to know a little more about Lilly Bean???

....then please check out this interview at The Freak of Nature http://thefreakofnature.blogspot.com/2008/08/interview-with-hilary-from-lilly-bean.html

Rebekah recently did a wonderful interview that will give you a little more about this felt food junkie :) Enjoy!

We're off!

Yes, we are off on a brief vacation visiting family in Virginia. Have no fear, we will be back on July 14th refreshed and ready to get back to work! You are welcome to send an email to me as I will still be answering them while I am away. All orders placed July 4th-14th will be sent out as soon as I get back :) Thanks so much for all of your support and kindness. Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Seven Dogs and a Baby really like our stuff!

No...I'm not suggesting that you hand over Lilly Bean play food to the dogs! I'm talking about the website http://www.sevendogsandababy.com/2008/06/good-enough-to-eat.html . So go over, check out our great review and see what they have to say.

Lilly Bean play food in a museum?!?!

Yep, that's right! Lilly Bean play food is on display at a historical museum in Rockville, Maryland. A representative of Montgomery County Historical Society contacted Lilly Bean about adding items to an exhibit on breakfast foods and we were happy to oblige. They are also selling Lilly Bean in the museum gift shop. So if you plan on being in the Rockville, MD area, check out the museum!

Their address is: 111 Montgomery Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850

Superdumb Supervillain reviews Lilly Bean play food!

A big thanks to Superdumb Supervillain for the great review! You can read it and other great reviews by this talented mom HERE.

Lilly Bean named a VIP Product by Mommy Perks!

VIP stands for "Very Impressive Product" and we are delighted that the people over at Mommy Perks love us! Please check out their awesome review and other great products HERE!

Z-Recommends....recommends Lilly Bean!

Check out what they have to say HERE!