It’s not even Thanksgiving and yet the unmistakable holiday/Christmas/Chanukah feel is in the air. Some radio stations have already switched over to their Christmas music format, the sappy, predictable, yet incredibly emotional, Folger’s commercials are airing every morning, and I am beginning to feel the creeping frantic stress of the impending shopping frenzy that is just around the corner. You know, that magical time of year when the malls are packed, you can’t find a parking space unless you stalk shoppers as they leave and follow them directly to their car and your email inbox is flooded with offers and coupons for items that have nothing to do with anyone on your shopping list.
Some gifts are easy to buy because some people or kids are easier to shop for than others. But for most of us, we just don’t have the time or creativity to reinvent thegift-giving wheel. Don’t get me wrong, I think most people want to find and give the perfect gift – we just don’t know where to start or have the time to figure it out. I’d like to offer some fun, affordable, easy to get and give holiday gifts.
Here’s our LikeWear Top 5 Great Easy Gifts For Holiday 2011:
1. Flannel Lounge Sets – Nothing says “I Love You” like a snuggly, soft pair of flannel pj pants and a tee shirt featuring our colorful candy or hip and popular images. We have lounge sets for boys and girls and even adults. Makes a great mother/daughter or father/son gift for your sister and niece or brother and nephew.
2. Fun Kids Underwear – From candy to puppies, kittens, smiley faces and days of the week, our low rise bikini underwear comes rolled and wrapped in an acrylic box making it an ideal gift or stocking stuffer.
3. “Margarine” Super Soft Zip Hoodies – Just like Butter but without the high price tag, our incredibly soft, brightly colored zip hoodies have just enough bling to make anyone’s eyes sparkle when they unwrap them.
4. Candy and Fun Graphic T-Shirts – Tee shirts are always an easy gift but ours are also fun! Tootsie Roll and Dots t-shirts are our specialty but we also have several sports themes and tons of peace signs. Pair them with a bag of candy and this easy gift will be sure to hit the sweet spot!
5. Candy Totes and Cool Bags– No sizing required and everybody needs a cool bag or tote! From super-colorful, recycled polyester to vintage dyed, heavy duty canvas, we’ve got bags and totes for everyone on your list.
And if you really want to make someone a super great gift for the holidays, get one of our cool bags and fill it with a flannel lounge set, some fun kids underwear, a “margarine” super soft zip hoody and a fun candy or graphic T!
Show your kids' teachers how much they "rock" with this fun and functional tote and lunch bag gift set for $29.95.
Show your kids’ teachers exactly what you think of them with an original gift they can really use! Not that there’s anything wrong with the typical notepads, candles and travel mugs Give a tote and matching lunch bag, pullover hoody or flannel pants with our “You Rock, You Rule” or “Awesome & Amazing” images. This year give a fun gift to your teachers that they can either use while at school or better yet when they’re relaxing after a long day of teaching our kids!
Lots of fun teacher gift ideas for under $30 – shop in our store at 142 South Livingston Avenue in Livingston or online.
Awesome & Amazing Teacher Tote Bag makes an awesome and amazing teacher gift for just $19.95!
We've Got What Kids Want To Wear For Back-to-School!
It feels like trade show month for LikeWear. In preparation for the back-to-school shopping season we will be at the New York International Gift Fair in two weeks and we just got back from the ENK Children’s Show – also in NY. A lot of hard work, sweat and even an occasional tear goes into crafting every new line we put together, and our back-to-school line is no exception. You might think the reward for all our hard work comes by way of the orders that are written by the buyers of all the top boutiques (and even some smaller department stores) that come to visit our booth. It’s obviously why we’re there, to attract the attention of the owner/buyers responsible for filling their stores with merchandise. But it’s not the most gratifying part.
The ultimate reward for me is always on the last day of each of the trade shows we do (and it’s not because the end is in sight and I can pack things up and head on home!). It’s during the last few hours of the shows when kids, who are there with their parents who also have booths at the show, walk the aisles looking for “samples” that they can purchase. These kids go up and down every row seeking out their favorites, cash in hand, carefully deciding where to spend their precious dollars. And… it’s the busiest time of the show for us!
This beehive frenzy of excited kids struggling to decide which of our items they like the best, always reinforces to me that Ken and I are doing exactly what we’ve set out to do – design a casual, fun line of cool kids clothes and accessories that appeal and speak right to kids, what they like and most importantly, what they want to wear. Is it those colorful, eye-catching licensed candy graphics? Our casual, soft-to-the-touch styles? Or the fact that we are very unique among the trade show venue of high style and designer labels which doesn’t amount to a hill of Tootsie Rolls to the average kid? Whatever the reason, as long as kids continue to see LikeWear as a maker of cool clothes for kids, especially among the very competitive back to school shopping season, we’ll keep giving kids what they want, so they can wear what they like.
Forget the holidays. If you’re a parent, back-to-school truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I always think of the Staples commercial where the dad is dancing around the store gathering school supplies and happily tossing them into the cart while his kids follow behind looking as if they are being sent off to have their toenails removed – by an ogre.
Yeah, that overzealous parent is me. The elated, skippy, let’s-get-ready-for-school type. I love the clean slate exhilaration that comes with the start of a new school year. I always get nostalgic for my early elementary days with my own memories of shopping for new clothes and new supplies in anticipation of a new school year.
However, shopping with my children never seems to be an easy, agreeable experience – especially when it’s for heading back to school. Oh, did I mention I have an 11 year old son who doesn’t like to even mention the word shopping unless it involves something electronic, a 7 yr. old daughter who beats to her own drum – a drum that usually involves items which don’t match or are highly inappropriate and a 13 yr. old daughter? Yeah, I said 13 yr. old daughter. Enough said.
When it comes to heading back to school, I do sympathize. Although the start of a new year can be inspiring and exciting, it can also make some feel anxious, uncertain and insecure. And of course, I get (and remember) the pressure that also comes along. Pressure to do well in school, to like and be liked and to fit in. Although as we get older we learn to know better, school age kids often define who they are by what they wear and what they carry. So choosing a new school bag can often mean more than just deciding what you’ll be lugging your books in.
Everyone is a little bit different – as they should be. That’s why we’ve expanded our LikeWear back-to-school bag section to include a variety of bags as diverse as the personalities of the kids who will be carrying them. This year our cool school bag section includes messenger bags, zipper top tote bags, an open top carryall tote as well as a traditional backpack. And each one is embellished with a fun image to even further help your kids define who they are and what you like. We’re also excited to introduce our new line of colorful lunch bags which are insulated, large enough to hold recyclable containers and water bottles and embellished with the same images as our bags (for those of you that are the type that like everything to match!).
I can’t promise that our cool back-to-school bags will make kids suddenly burst into song declaring that they too think this is the most wonderful time of the year. But I do hope that the positive messages, hip images and bright colors of our school bags will help to make the new school year transition a bit more fun.
Sometimes the inspiration for our cool kids clothes comes from the cool phrases and sayings that today’s cool kids have adopted into their everyday vernacular. Take for example all the text language out there. TTYL, LOL, OMG, JK and IDK are just a few of the more obvious phrases. Usually I need my 13 year old (or sadly even my 7 year old) to act as a translator to help decode some of my incoming text messages that are sprinkled with the less well known abbreviations.
And to take it a step further, many of the cool kids out there are also making up and using cool sayings and expressions which they use in their everyday language. Well, as a designer of cool kids clothes, I try to incorporate these current catch phrases into our graphics. We’re all about people “wearing what they like” and cool kids clothes featuring hip, “now” phrases is a must to tap into to appeal to the tough tween market.
To our credit, we’ve been able to pinpoint certain expressions that have real longevity – a true feat in the cutting edge, that’s-so-yesterday world of young adults. Take for example our image of a cute yellow lab puppy gazing off in the distance with the words “What Up Dog?” written underneath. This cool shirt even caught the eye of Dennis Rodman who wore it during an episode of Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice when he was a contestant!
Perhaps my favorite of our best selling cool t-shirts is the one that states “This Is How I Roll” with a big Tootsie Roll underneath. It has consistently been one of our most popular t-shirts. The graphic has been so popular we’ve even featured it on flannel pants, hoodies and more! The part that’s really cool to me is that this image is loved equally by boys, girls and adults. And it’s always good for a chuckle when people read what it says. Spreading joy to others (even adults!) with our cool clothes for kids… yeah, that’s how I roll.
A cute dress at a great price. All our little girls dresses are 25% off!
Most little girls like to wear a dress from time to time (some even all the time). On hot summer days, a cute dress not only helps little girls to feel cool but also to look cool! They’re also an easy choice for school or even as a cover-up over a bathing suit. As a mom of two daughters, it always makes me feel cool too if I can shop for and find a cute dress I know my girls will love – that’s also on sale.
So I ask again – Are you looking for a cute dress for your little girl? A cute dress that won’t bust your budget? Look no further than right here. We have all cotton girls summer dresses for those that are crazy for candy, love cute kittens or simply want to express their inner feelings of fabulousness. For the next week all of our dresses at www.likewear.com are 25% off. And you’ll also get free shipping on all orders over $75. Sale ends Monday, April 11th.
Every WAHM and SAHM works hard. But we all need to find the best way to relax - guilt-free - and sometimes that means doing nothing at all.
“Work hard. Play harder. And respect your body enough to know when it needs to rest.” That’s life in its simplest form. Well, it’s my mantra anyway.
As CEO, co-founder and head designer of cool kids clothes for my company, LikeWear, working hard is just the way it is. And that’s ok. I’ve got a lot to do because we have a lot to offer. We specialize in cool girls clothes, cool boys clothes and even some cool baby clothes! Our line is sold wholesale to a select group of boutique stores but our kids clothes are also sold online via our website which features our full collection of cool clothes for kids. It’s a lot to stay on top of because I’m also primarily a WAHM (work at home mom).
So how do I find balance? Well, my yin-yang philosophy dictates that as long as you’re playing harder than your working, then all should be well in your universe. But we all need a day of rest now and again to recharge our batteries (and recover from all that hard playing .
As busy as I always seem to be, it should come as no surprise that a secret fantasy of mine is to (without guilt) stay in bed for an entire day occupied with nothing more than mind-clearing relaxation (and maybe my Kindle and DVR!). I think that’s why I instantly smile and feel more relaxed just by listening to the new hit, The Lazy Song, by Bruno Mars. I’m usually pretty good at accomplishing what I set my mind to and I’m pretty proud of what I’ve been able to achieve. Now if I could only turn my fantasy of doing nothing for a day into a reality, I would be a true WAHM success story.
Underwear featuring favorite candy such as Razzles, Double Bubble, Sugar Babies, Tootsie Rolls and more
Kids underwear is not typically an item considered hip, cool or fun. Until now.
At LikeWear, we are continuously expanding our growing line of cool kids clothes and accessories. Sure we have cool kids t-shirts and always have a lot to choose from when it comes to cool girls clothes, cool boys clothes and even cool baby clothes. But cool underwear? Yeah, cool kids underwear… we got that.
It all started with a brainstorm to take our best selling candy t-shirt graphics featuring faves like Tootsie Rolls, Dots, Junior Mints, Razzles and Dubble Bubble and shrink them down to fun-size so they could fit on the front of low-rise bikini underwear. We rolled them, placed them in clear plastic boxes in 3 packs, 5 packs and 7 packs and voile! A best seller was born.
Is it the bright eye-catching graphics, the crisp packaging or the hip yet comfortable fit that makes kids look at our cute underwear with gimme-got-to-have-it eyes? Regardless of the reason, our fun candy underwear has become such a hit that we’ve recently expanded our line to include camp underwear, puppy underwear, kitten underwear and days-of-the-week underwear is coming soon! Take a look.
I mean, who knew underwear could be this cool or this much fun? And as a mom, I love when I can buy necessities my kids need anyway but they’re so cute and “wantable” that I can disguise and give these items to them as gifts! But, the really best part? It’s something they can wear and use everyday. Cool and kids underwear are officially no longer an oxymoron.
Spring should have sprung,
The grass should have riz,
I wonder where the warm weather is?
Mother nature must have forgotten to set her alarm this year. Or maybe it was set but she’s a compulsive snooze-button-presser. Well, whatever the reason…enough is enough! In two days it will be April on the calendar but it still feels like blustery freakin’ February outside. I’m sick of even looking at my North Face coat, let alone bundling up in it to go anywhere – including my basement where it never gets above 28 degrees. I’ve been wearing that thing around like an appendage since December. And the kicker is that on Friday we’re supposed to have more snow. Friday is April 1. Ya know, April Fool’s Day. I’d laugh at the irony if my cheeks were thawed enough to allow for that kind of facial movement. Where’s a little global warming when you need it?
Despite the winter that doesn’t want to let go, we all know that the warm weather will be here (eventually). So don’t let spring sneak up on you with all these cold temps. Make sure when your children are finally able to go jacket-less at recess that they have on some cool kids clothes that celebrate the arrival of Spring! When it finally shows up we’ll all be cheering!!
In fact, to commemorate, we’re running a special on one of our faves – our best selling Dots Dreams image. It’s the Dots candy we all know and love but in a way you’ve never seen before. You can customize it on any of our featured styles but it’s just $7.95 if you grab it on a classic white T this week (while supplies last!)! Check it out here.
Peace Signs Are The Perfect Accent For Cool Kids Clothes
LikeWear LOVES peace signs! Why? The peace sign is one of the most widely known symbols across the world, and their popularity on cool kids clothes, like ours, doesn’t seem to be waning any time soon. In fact, our unique twist on the peace sign is seen in a few of our best-selling images. So, I thought it would be interesting to research the history of this iconic symbol.
The peace sign was invented at the request of Lord Bertrand Russel, head of the British ‘campaign for nuclear disarmament. The symbol was designed by Gerald Holton, a member of the CND movement, as the badge for the organization. The original sketches showed a symbol that was designed from the naval code of semaphore- the code letters for N and D. N is two flags, arms down stretched at a forty-five degree angle, and D is two flags, one arm straight up and one straight down. In military code, the upside down N and D meant “anti-military”, or peace. The symbol was then adopted in the United States when a friend of Martin Luther King Junior began using it during his civil rights marches. The power of the peace sign is emphasized by the fact that various American groups considered forbidding the peace sign from existence and banning its use (yeah, we all know how irresistible the forbidden can be).
Interestingly, the peace sign has never been copyrighted. No one has to seek permission before they use it. Talk about free love! Peace signs first gained popularity in the sixties by hippies and others who protested nuclear weapons. The peace sign does not carry the strong anti-war message it did in the 60’s, but instead, its use has become a worldwide beacon of global peace, earth-centered unity and a world-wide phenomenon among teens, adults and cool kids clothes and overall fashion!
This sign of love, hope, and future prosperity is something everyone can relate to which is why the peace sign is the perfect accent to any wardrobe. We’re just partial to seeing them on our cool clothes for kids. Peace out.
Give a tote and matching lunch bag, pullover hoody or flannel pants with our “You Rock, You Rule” or “Awesome & Amazing” images. This year give a fun gift to your teachers that they can either use while at school or better yet when they’re relaxing after a long day of teaching our kids!
Forget the holidays. If you’re a parent, back-to-school truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I always think of the Staples commercial where the dad is dancing around the store gathering school supplies and happily tossing them into the cart while his kids follow behind looking as if they are being sent off to have their toenails removed – by an ogre. 
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