Feature Friday -- Ocha Baby -- Tea-Dyed Baby Clothing (Review and Giveaway)

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This past Monday I spotlighted of Holly Clayson and Susan Sellers of Ocha Baby.  If you missed my interview with them, click here to read it now.  Today, I wanted to share more about their unique tea-dyed bodysuits with you, as I was sent one for Arabella, and absolutely love it.  

  

How the Ocha Baby Label Came About:

Once upon a time, two Charleston mothers were having difficulty finding unique, quality, personalized organic baby clothing, so they decided to create their own. 

Inspired by non-toxic, eco-friendly materials, Susan Sellers and Holly Clayson experimented dyeing organic cotton with several varieties of tea. Sellers and Clayson also wanted to embellish their hand-dyed creations with something imaginative and one-of-a-kind. Moved by the warm colors from the tea-dyeing process, the pair took their original idea to a whole new level by incorporating initials fashioned out of vintage baby blankets….and Ocha Baby was born.

Ocha, the sacred Japanese word for tea, seemed like the perfect name for such a special handmade design. Since no two garments are exactly alike, the Ocha Baby label offers parents a natural, unique way to dress their precious little ones.

My Thoughts:

Like I said, I was sent a bodysuit for Arabella, with her initial on it, to review.  Upon receiving, I fell in love with the antique and homemade feel of the bodysuit, with her patch-worked initial, adorning the right side of this organic cotton bodysuit.  

Ocha Baby offers either long-sleeve or short-sleeve bodysuits, for both boys and girls.  Just check out the color options and examples of initial patches:

Due to the fragile tea-dyeing process which is done by hand, there will be variations in color from garment to garment. No two products are alike. For best results, please wash your Ocha Baby apparel inside out & in cold water with a mild (preferably phosphate-free) detergent. Tumble dry. 

I chose the raspberry tea flavor and loved the soft color tone, which makes the vintage baby blanket initial really stand out and be the focal point of the bodysuit.  Having been buying infant/toddler clothing non-stop for the past 18 months, I can safely say I have never seen anything like this product on the market -- it is truly unique.  

As you know, as a mom to an infant, you do your fair share of laundry due to accidents and spit ups.  Since receiving this bodysuit from the ladies at Ocha Baby, I have washed this garment repeatedly.  At first, I didn't know what to expect with a tea-dyed shirt, so I washed this bodysuit separately the first few times.  But, after seeing the color stay intact and the patch not wrinkle or fade, I began washing it with the baby's other clothes. Time and time again, I have been impressed with how the color is staying bright, like it was when I first received the garment. Drying on low had not caused damage to the patch or shrunk the bodysuit in any way, which is great, as I have bought expensive baby clothes, only to wash them once and have them shrink or get ruined in the wash.  I loved this bodysuit so much, I had hoped with the first wash that it would stay intact and did, and has!  This bodysuit has received so many compliments from other moms who have seen it on Arabella at play dates, as well as when we are out and about.  People ask about the patchwork initial, and I am eager to share how they it is from a vintage baby blanket, and that the bodysuit was dyed in tea to achieve this beautiful raspberry color.  Everyone is always in ahh, and wanting to know where they can order one.  I tell them that they can only be ordered online through the Ocha Baby store, and are custom made to fit your needs.

I can't stop raving about this product, created by two moms, and hope you too, will find this unique and one-of-a-kind baby clothing a must have for your little ones.  In addition, it makes for a perfect baby shower gift.  Now that I am aware of this product, I will definitely be surprising moms-to-be with a keepsake bodysuit for this new arrivals.

I wish Arabella was more cooperative this week, as I had tried repeatedly to take her photo with her Ocha Baby bodysuit, but due to colic and being overtired, she was not having picture time.  Hopefully over the weekend, she will be feeling better and want to show off her adorable bodysuit, made just for her.  Stay tuned, as I will upload a photo of Arabella her, as soon as I can, and she lets me. :-)

 --BUY NOW--

Click here to order a tea-dyed bodysuit from Ocha Baby for yourself or someone you know. 

Don't forget, Ocha Baby offers special orders, where customers can specify which color/tea flavor, gender and letter that they want for their bodysuit order.  This truly makes for a unique keepsake, that will be treasured for years to come!

Short-sleeved Ocha Baby bodysuits are $28; long-sleeved bodysuits are $30. We will email you a Paypal invoice which will include tax and shipping.Please give us 2-3 weeks to create, process; ship your order. Due to the fragile tea-dyeing process which is done by hand, there will be variations in color from garment to garment. No two products are alike. For best results, please wash your Ocha Baby apparel inside out; in cold water with a mild (preferably phosphate-free) detergent. Tumble dry.

---GIVEAWAY---

Once lucky reader will win a short-sleeved green tea bodysuit, embellished with the letter of your choice. Please specify gender. To enter, please complete the MANDATORY ENTRY first, and then as many EXTRA ENTRIES as you like.  Make sure you include your email address with each comment, so that I can contact you if you win.  Good luck!

MANDATORY ENTRY:

Who would you love to win this one-of-a-kind bodysuit for? 

EXTRA ENTRIES:

(Please leave separate entries for each, along with your email address)

1) Subscribe to my blog via email (1 entry)

2) Follow me on Facebook (1 entry) 

3) Vote for Inspired by Savannah on Startup Nations 2012 Leading Moms Competition --You can vote one time per day (2 entries) 

4) Enter any of my other giveaways, leaving a comment with the name of the giveaway (1entry per giveaway entered)

5) Blog about this giveaway. It must include a link to this specific post, as well as a link to my blog, http://ctmomreviews.blogspot.com/. (In your comment, please leave a link directly to your post – 3 Entries)

6) Follow me on Twitter (1entry)

7) Tweet about this giveaway (1 entry per tweet, per day; please include link to tweet in comment below)
Enter to #win a Custom Made Ocha Baby Bodysuit http://ctmomreviews.blogspot.com/ #giveaway (Ends 2/17)

8) Vote for me on picket fence blogs (See button on right side of blog -- One entry per vote, per day; Note:  You can only your one vote per day on ONE giveaway; duplicate comments on other giveaways on the same day with be void)

9) Add to a Giveaway Linky site  (5 entries)

 

Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends on February 17, 2012 at 11:59PM EST. I will then use Random.org to choose a winner. Winner will have 48 hrs. to respond to my email to claim prize. If I don't hear back from selected winner, I will draw another winner. 

 

Disclosure:  I was sent a sample from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone.