The Last of the Jambu Girls Preview!

Above are the last of Jambu™'s Fall 2010 Children's Shoe Previews. They are one's that are sure to be a hit for all those young ladies out there looking for comfort and style. (Or for those smart mom's out there that know Jambu™ is just the best!! :) ) They are called the Montana!

This shoe is a great shoe for children. It is easy to slip on or kick off and is incredibly supportive. The strap over the instep keeps the shoe in place while the child is on the go. The Montana is made from suede, metallic suede, leather, and vegan patent and comes in black, brown, gunmetal and pink.

We hope you and your families enjoy these carefully made shoes! These comfort shoes are sure to be a hit in your homes! Enjoy!!

More Kid Previews!

That's right! There are more mini Jambu™s :)

This shoe is called the 'Betty' and it is as comfortable as it is cute. It has heel and toe bumpers to protect her feet and a bungee going up the front for easy on and off. So as the days get cooler this coming fall, put away those sandals and let your daughter slip into these comfy, supportive sneakers. All three colors are great for the Fall 2010 season.

And in case you forgot... there's a Mommy version!

Part of the All Terra Collection the Himalaya is a reinvented tennis shoe. It is comfortable enough to wear walking or biking and stylish enough to wear everyday. The bungee laces up the front and has toe bumpers for maximum comfort and security.

We know you and your daughter will rock the look together this Fall - don't forget to send back some pics! =)

And don't forget! 4 more days!

• You get 1 entry for adding us on our Facebook pages, Twitter, and Blog - so if you're not following, thats 4 easy entries right there!
• You get 5 entries for commenting the amount of people you've invited to a site (just don't forget to comment on the corresponding site!).
• You get 2 entries for ANY type of interaction of Facebook, 4 for an @Jambufootwear Tweet, 6 entries just for leaving a comment on our blog, and a whopping 10 entries when you post a pic of you in your favorite shoes !!(Jambu™'s of course;)

Kid's Fall 2010 Preview!

As summer slowly comes to an end and the school year begins for your little munchkins, we thought it would be about the right time to show you our Fall 2010 Kid's line. These shoes are a must have for your kids.

Shown above is the Casa! This shoe is the ultimate mary-jane! It is incredibly supportive, has protective toe and heel bumpers, and is very cute. There is embroidery along the strap and the color variation makes this shoe fun to wear. The Casa is made from glitter suede, mesh, metallic leather, suede, and nubuck and comes in black, pink, and brown.

Here at Jambu™ Adventure Designs, we hope you and your kid's enjoy these shoes, we sure have worked hard to make them! Which color is your favorite?!? Let us know, and remember the more comments the closer you are to winning your FREE Jambu™'s!

DIY: Green T-shirt Necklace

We were looking around, checking out green ways to add to your cute outfits - we love what we found! Here is an easy way to make a stylish necklace (out of an old t-shirt!) that can add to any old look.

What you will need:

• An old 100% cotton t-shirt that you want to put to good use
• A ruler
• Fabric scissors
• A flat, clean surface.

How to:

1. Put the shirt on the flat, clean surface - make sure to lay it on smoothly, with no bumps that could get in the way.
2. Cut off the hem at the bottom of the shirt, and throw it away.
3. Cut the shirt into strips about 3/4 inch wide - make sure to cut the strips so that they create a loop.
4. Once the shirt is all cut up, take each strip and stretch it until it curls at the edges.
5. Put each curled strip one on top of the other until the necklace is as thick as you want it.
6. Cut one extra loop so that it is a long string of t-shirt, and wrap it around one section of your loops (make it about 2-3 inches thick).
   

Rock this cute necklace with your favorite Jambu™'s - you'll feel great about this eco-friendly look!

Don't forget about our raffle! It's ongoing for the rest of the month :)

• You get 1 entry for adding us on our Facebook pages, Twitter, and Blog - so if you're not following, thats 4 easy entries right there!
• You get 5 entries for commenting the amount of people you've invited to a site (just don't forget to comment on the corresponding site!).
• You get 2 entries for ANY type of interaction of Facebook, 4 for an @Jambufootwear Tweet, 6 entries just for leaving a comment on our blog, and a whopping 10 entries when you post a pic of you in your favorite shoes !!(Jambu™'s of course;)

Staying Clean While Going Green!

Are you willing to go a step farther with becoming Eco-friendly? Is your house dirty and needs to be cleaned? Did you know that the chemicals in some detergents and cleaning products may be harmful to your health? And they are equally damaging to the Eco-system. This summer, get clean while staying GREEN! The following are exciting make-it-yourself household cleaning supplies that will last a long time and are Eco-friendly! (We are so excited to start using these products in our NYC office!) Feeling crafty? Well, the following five recipes will help you clean your houses while they help save the environment. (Don't worry, everything needed can be found in your local grocery store, online or at your local health food store!!!)

Easy All-Purpose Cleaner

• For a solution that will wipe up messy spots, mix two cups of white vinegar with equal parts water (plus a little essential oil, like tea tree, rosemary or lavender, to add a fragrance, if you want one). To boost its cleaning power, warm it in the microwave in a glass container.

Creamy Soft Scrub:

• Do your bathroom or kitchen tiles need a good scrubbing? Mix two cups baking soda, 1/2-cup liquid castile soap, four teaspoons vegetable glycerin, and five drops of an antibacterial essential oil, such as cinnamon bark, lemongrass and thyme oils, for fragrance. Then, tackle those tiles! And once you are done, you can store the scrub in a glass jar for two years.

Furniture Polish:

• Shine up your favorite furniture by wiping it down with a mix of 1/4-cup olive oil with four tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 20 to 30 drops of lemon essential oil. Don’t have the latter? Swap it for two teaspoons of lemon juice and store the polish in the fridge after you have cleaned, to keep it fresh.

Laundry Detergent:

• This detergent gets your clothes clean without the extra chemicals. First, make soap flakes by grating a pure vegetable soap bar with a cheese grater. Then, mix one cup of the flakes with 1/2-cup of washing soda (found in the laundry aisle) and 1/2-cup of borax, a powder or crystalline salt water softener and disinfectant. Use one to two tablespoons of the detergent per load of laundry.

Drain Opener:

• Who knew vinegar works wonders on clogged drains, too? Pour 1/2-cup of baking soda into the drain, and then follow that with a cup of vinegar. After about 30 minutes, flush the train with boiling water.

Who thought that these household products could be easy to make and would help save the environment. Make sure to wear your Jambu™'s to get that needed comfort from the shoes. The partially recycled sole will give you the traction that you'll need while cleaning your house. Let us know what you think about these products! (We think that they're great!) Comment for more points in your raffle! Good luck to all of our Jambu™ readers and we hope you enjoy the products.

Green Facts

This summer, Jambu™ wants to share some eco-friendly tips you can easily do right at home. I think all of us are always looking for little ways to make us a bit more "green" on a day to day basis. The key is to implement one thing at a time and it will all become second nature, Check out a few eco-friendly tips...

1. We all know your wearing your Jambu™'s and lucky for yourself and mother earth, your shoes are made from partially recycled materials, which comes in 100% recycled packaging! Your a "step" ahead already
2. Set your hot water heater no higher than 120 degrees.
3. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth.
4. Paper or plastic? Neither! Take a cloth bag with you to the grocery store.
5. Plant trees! Trees help reduce greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by absorbing and storing carbon dioxide. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that 100 billion metric tons of carbon over the next 50 years could be sequestered through forest preservation, tree planting and improved agricultural management.
6. Skip driving and instead walk, ride your bike, or rollerblade! (Rollerblading is my favorite!) Avoiding 10 miles of driving every week would eliminate about 500 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year, according to climatecrisis.net. The majority of car trips people make are under two miles, so that should be easy to swap driving for a bike or public transit, said Rob Sadowksy, executive director of the Chicagoland Bicycle Federation.
7. Stop all of your junk mail. The Postal Service delivers 17.8 tons of bulk mail each year, 44% of which goes unopened, according to the EPA. Just 22% of bulk mail is recycled. To stop the flow, visit the Direct Marketing Association, the leading global trade association of business and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques, at www.dmachoice.org, and get put on the "do not mail" list. It costs one dollar, but it'll remove your name from the lists for five years.
8. Simply just pay your bills online. For every 38,000 bills paid online, 5,058 pounds of greenhouse gases are avoided and two tons of trees are preserved, according to NACHA -- The Electronic Payments Association, a non-profit. Using direct payment also saves a person about $150 annually in stamp and check costs and late fees, NACHA estimates.
9. Change your light bulbs. If every Chicago resident replaced one light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of more than 20,000 cars, according to the city's Department of Environment. If every home in the country did the same, it would be like ditching 800,000 cars and would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year, according to Energy Star, a joint program between the EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy.
10. Wash your clothes differently. Washing your clothes in cold or warm water instead of hot saves 500 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, according to climatecrisis.net. Drying your clothes on a clothesline six months out of the year would save another 700 pounds.

Now your well on your way to a greener you! Share with us how you stay green or if you have any great green tips for us!

Comment for more tickets in our raffle!! ENJOY (we know the environment and your feet will!)

Raffle Update!

The raffle just started yesterday, but already the competition is heating up! We've been adding all of you in by hand (that's right, raffle tickets and all), it's been tough to keep up, but we know it will all be worth it! So we thought it would be a good idea to let you ladies know just how intense this raffle is going to get.

So far, we have over 800 entries! So if you've been or have become a friend, fan, or follower - you've been entered! We've also been adding all interactions on Facebook, Twitter, and this Blog. We've been getting everything from comments, messages, likes and we even got an @Jambufootwear tweet! We're loving the attention ladies, so keep it coming!!

Don't forget!

• You get 1 entry for adding us on our Facebook pages, Twitter, and Blog - so if you're not following, thats 4 easy entries right there!
• You get 5 entries for commenting the amount of people you've invited to a site (just don't forget to comment on the corresponding site!).
• You get 2 entries for ANY type of interaction of Facebook, 4 for an @Jambufootwear Tweet, 6 entries just for leaving a comment on our blog, and a whopping 10 entries when you post a pic of you in your favorite shoes !!(Jambu™'s of course;)

Have a great weekend, and keep showing your Jambu™ Love!

First Ever Jambu™ Raffle Giveaway!

That's right ladies, Jambu™ is holding its first ever raffle giveaway! Starting tomorrow, July 15th, 2010 we will be tracking all of our social media sites (this blog, Facebook, and Twitter), and adding all of our active friends and followers to a raffle that will be drawn on July 31st. Prizes will be given out to the top 3 most involved friends, fans, and followers.

1st Place Prize:
A Free pair of Jambu™ Fall 2010 shoes! That's right - you can win one of our great Fall styles!
2nd Place Prize:
For the second most involved friend, fan, or follower we will be giving away a Jambu™ Umbrella and Jambu™ bag!
3rd Price Prize:
And for the friend in third place, we will send our newest Jambu™ tote bag!

Here's how the entry system will work:

Friends, fans, and followers:

1 entry will be given to all friends, fans, and followers:
If you're a friend, fan, or follower right now - you're in! If you become our friend, fan, or follower in the future, you are also guaranteed one entry.

5 entries will be given for extending an invite to become our friends/ fans:
Getting more people involved with our social media sites will win you more entries! Simply invite/suggest friends and leave a comment on the corresponding social media site [so if you invited friends on facebook, leave the comment on facebook] telling us how many people you invited. (FYI: This will also get you interaction points -- see below =)

Interactions:

2 entries will be given for every interaction on our Facebook pages.
4 entries will be given for every @JambuFootwear tweet
6 entries will be given for a comment on our blog
and 10 entries will be given for posting a pic of you in your Jambu's™

Obviously, the more you're involved, the higher your chances are to win!

If you have any questions concerning our raffle, you can contact us at socialmedia@vidagroup.com
www.Jambu.com

Meet the Designers!

Hanna!

Monica!

Now that you've seen a peek of our fabulous fall styles, we thought we would share the brains behind this operation... meet our two wonderful designers! We decided to interview the designers - here is what they had to say. Readers... meet Hanna and Monica the design team behind Jambu™!

1: Where did you do to school? what type of degree do you have?

Hanna: I have BFA degree in Painting/Fine Art and also ASS degree in Accessories Design from FIT.

Monica: I have my Bachelor of Fine Arts, Accessories Design (after taking one more class), Associate of Applied Science, Fashion Design, and a Certificate in Millinery Techniques

2: Why did you choose to go into shoe design?

H: In my opinion, shoes are the most interesting and complicated item among all in fashion. You have to have a design mind in between a fashion designer and a industrial designer. In other words, to be an excellent shoe designer, you must be born with fashion blood as well as an engineer's mind. You must be able to cater to what you imagine in your mind for your collection.

M: I want all the women to wear comfortable shoes with style.

3. What is your inspiration for Jambu™?

H: I’m looking at everything which could inspire me across the board from high end fashion to natural beauty. I love to watch old classic movies to get inspiration- I’m very much into vintage fashion these days from the 40's to the 70's. I also look at what other people are doing to find out what our niche market is.

M: I get inspired mostly by places and things. I always think what our customers want and need.

4.Where are you from? and did that place in anyway inspire what you are doing now?

H: I’m originally from Korea and I have been living in NYC for more than 10 years now. I travel everywhere from East to West in the world pretty much to get inspiration. The cities that I cover by foot every season for inspiration are major cities in the world such as NY, LA, SF, London, Paris, Barcelona, Amsterdam, Milan, Hong Kong and Seoul.

M: I am from Korea but I have been living in New York for most of my life and all the women I talk to say “I need comfortable, but stylish shoes”.

5. Tell us something interesting about yourself:

H: To be honest with you, I’m not one of the true Jambu™ customers. There are only a few styles from the line that I actually wear with my outfits. I’m a true metropolitan girl, born and raised in a huge cosmopolitan, which means I don’t quite understand what the real suburban or outdoor life style is... However, the way I approach it in designing my product has been really working well for our customer since I have a different way to interpret trends and functions in shoes and to be able to create our unique flavor into this type of comfort/outdoor product. I think this is the main reason for success!

M: I really love to travel all over the world and meet all different types of women. I've realized that all women are alike in at least one way... they love shoes =)

6. Do you have any big future plans for Jambu™ designs?

H: Of course, I want to build this brand as one of the most influential and pioneered brands in the growing comfort category so that everybody will recognize this as a leader in the footwear industry. I want to see our brand selling everywhere in the world... Even my hometown Seoul, Korea!

M: In the future I hope all the women in the world will love our style and feel comfortable in it.

We hope you enjoyed learning about our great designers as much as we did!

Comment on this blog to let them know what an amazing job they're doing!

Keep following our blog this week for our upcoming Jambu™ raffle!!!! :)

The Last of the Fall Previews!

As the week has progressed, you have seen our wonderful Fall 2010 collection that we worked so hard on. Here are the last two Fall previews. (You'll have to wait and see the rest!) These two shoes will be the last to arrive at stores. They are the Tyra in pewter and the Cruise in black.

The Tyra is a luxurious and sassy winter boot and is a phenomenal combination of style and comfort. It has a 3-inch heel and faux-fur trimming combining style and warmth. While it does have a heel, it remains a sturdy boot, perfect for fall and into winter. This shoe is made from patent leather, nubuck, metallic leather, and faux-fur, and comes in black, taupe, and charcoal/pewter.

The Cruise boot is a perfect transitional boot. It has a fir trim to keep legs warm from the cold. The combination of the bungee criss-cross lace up front adds style and security. The detailing gives this boot a feminine yet rugged style. This shoe is made from soft tumble leather, crazy horse leather, and nubuck and have a faux fur trim. This shoe comes in black, brown and taupe.

These two shoes give you the variation between our 2 1/2 inch wedge to our 3 inch heel. (To give you your favorite preference!) Which do you prefer better? The heel or the wedge? Let us know! Keep following our blog and meet the mind behind these designs! Our designers!

Fall '10 Sneak Peeks =]

As our next previews, we decided to show our mid-season favorites. Up above you see the 'Himalaya' in black/grey (left) and the 'Vermont' in taupe/brown (right). You might say the Vermont is the 'high top' version of the Himalaya, but if you ask me, they're both great!

The Himalaya, part of the All Terra Collection, is a reinvented tennis shoe. It's comfortable enough to wear walking or biking and has an attractive stylish look so you can wear it anywhere. It laces up the front with a no-tie bungee cord, and includes toe and heel bumpers for maximum comfort and security. The contrast of colors and materials allows for a great, versatile look. This shoe is made from nubuck, metallic leather, and mesh and comes in black/grey, navy, and brown/ bronze.

The Vermont has a great day hiker look. It is practical and functional as it is good-looking. The rubber soles provide this shoe with unbeatable traction while the high ankle shaft provides the foot and with the utmost support. This shoe has a lace up front and a bumper on the toe and heel for protection on your everyday adventures. This Vermont is made from waterproof nubuck (that's right..waterproof!), mesh and rubber webbing, and comes in taupe/brown, and grey.

Soo.. what are your thoughts? Which of these two will be a winner in your closet? (you don't have to pick only one ;)

Check back this Friday for the last of our Fall 2010 preview!

Fall 2010 Preview! Part I

This week, from our New York office to your homes, we wanted to give you a sneak peek into Jambu's™ Fall 2010 line! This is extremely exciting for us to roll into our second season, so I can imagine how excited you are.

Pictured above on the left is the style "Cascade" in pewter and the style "Dublin" is on the the right in brown.

The "Cascade" is part of the All Terra Design collection. This shoe serves a duel functions, it's a great walking shoe that provides comfort and support but also serves that fashion function every woman desires. It has a protective bumper on the toe of the shoe for extra protection, and a Velcro strap across the instep for security but its embossed detailing gives that feminine touch. A bonus is the little bit of added heel height, which I love to help elongate my figure (I'm a shrimp! haha) As we promised the style of this shoe does not compromise the comfort, it has our signature memory foam footbed for all day support. The outsole is made from our partially recycled rubber for all terrain traction. This shoe upper is made out of nubuck, mesh, and leather. The cascade comes in comes in taupe, black, gunmetal, and brown.

The "Dublin" is a sporty wedge design made equipped with your every shoe need. It easily slips on and off, with a cute embroidered strap over the instep keeping the foot in place. The contrast stitching and metallic leather on the back of the heel pops adding shine to your step. The "Dublin" can be worn with just about anything, it can easily be dressed up or dressed down adding functionality and practicality. The footbed is memory foam for excellent support. The outsole is partially recycled rubber which means you wont slip or slide around in this wedge! This upper is leather, nubuck, and metallic, and the style comes in black and brown.

Two shoes, two great styles, many great looks for them to go with. Which is more your style? Fill us in on outfit ideas or where you could wear these come fall. Follow our blog all week for another sneak peak into our Fall collection!! ENJOY!

Peace. Love. Shoes.

Refreshing Summer Treats

When I think about the fourth of July, I think about watching fireworks after a long day sunny at the beach with loved ones. And, what’s the best thing to eat on those hot days? Watermelon! (My favorite food!) Here’s a twist on this delicious treat.

Ingredients:

· Watermelon

· Fresh mozzarella

· Balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Slip on your Jambu shoes (My favorite are the Troy in Bronze)

2. Slice the watermelon and the mozzarella cheese into even pieces and lightly drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the slices.

This treat will keep you refreshed as you relax under the summer rays. :) Enjoy!