Back to School Sale!!!

All short sleeved organic T-shirts currently on sale!

30% to 60% off!

This sale includes all plain tees in various colors; in sizes 2T to Youth Large.

Also included are Animal Tails short sleeved tees in sized 2 to 10 yrs.

Shop now at http://www.rubij.com.

The Awesome Cheetah.



Photograph by Chris Johns

 I could look at this picture for hours. Such a magnificent creature. I love all animals, but there is something magical about the big cats. They are so regal. I think it's the eyes.

Cheetah.

Even the name is cool. That's why Disney has the "Cheetah Girls" instead of the "Naked Mole Rat Girls". Cheetah is even listed in the Urban Dictionary: "A cougar in training. A sexy woman too old to be a kitten and too young to be a cougar. They are known to move extremely fast."

Now, for the sad facts. Cheetahs are at the top of the list of all endangered big cats. Their habitats are dwindling and so are their numbers.

That's what Animal Tails are all about. Organic clothing for our children with a message. Hopefully, when your child wears one of the Animal Tails tees, they will be encouraged to learn about our endangered species and help made their world better. To learn more about the cheetah, go to http://www.cheetah.org/. It's a great website.

We're featuring the boys Cheetah shirt at http://www.rubij.com/ as our "Special of the Day". Like the cheetah, it's cool.

Grandson Cole is cool, too.

The Riverine Rabbit

When Animal Tails added the Riverine Rabbit to their collection of endangered species, my first thought was "how adorable". Then, my second thought was "I can't imagine any rabbit being endangered". I, of course, was limited in my history of rabbits living in the middle of America. ("Pesky rabbits!")

Then I read about the Riverine Rabbit's plight.

They only live in one place in the whole world; Cape Province of South Africa. Would you believe there are only about 250 left in the wild? That puts them in the critically endangered group.
As with so many other endangered animals, one of the main reasons for their dwindling numbers is lost of habitat. So much of the dense marshes by the rivers are being converted to agriculture. Another reason, unlike most rabbits, these little guys only have 1 to 2 offspring a year; nothing like our home grown.

So, my hat's off to Animal Tails for bringing the Riverine Rabbit into the spotlight. And another tip of the hat to the South Africa's farmers that are using conservation practices on their land to help enable these beautiful little animals to survive. Thank you.

Check out the Riverine Rabbit design at http://www.rubij.com/. They're on the rompers, blankets, hats and t-shirts. The rompers and t-shirts are the current "Special of the Day".

Cotton prices going crazy high!

I thought all of you would like some good news. It always puts me in a great mood when I learn I will be paying more for my husband's Jockeys.

So much for being sarcastic; let's get down to the facts. The price of cotton has been rising and will continue to do so. Several reasons. Inventories were lowered because of the recession; then Nature came into the equation. Bad weather and massive flooding ruined many last year crops worldwide.

The consumer shouldn't see any increases this fall and winter. I really don't know about next year prices. For Rubi J, it's a wait and see. I'm stocking up now.

Well, enough of that, let's move on.

For a limited time during the holiday season, Rubi J is offering Free Shipping.

Check out our current "Special of the Day" at http://www.rubij.com/ . Our popular Polar Bear in the rompers and long-sleeved tee are half off.

Half off and free shipping. That is good news.

Let the wild horses roam!

I research all the wild life featured on our beautiful "Animal Tails" organic baby and children clothes.

This week: the Przewalski's Horse.

What I know: It's endangered. Not a lot of brain power; all the Animal Tails wildlife are endangered. That's our mission; to spread the word using the world of fashion and safe clothing for our children.

What I didn't know: Everything else.

First, how to pronouce Przewalski. (He's the Russian explorer who discovered them.) There's three acceptable ways: "psheh-VAL-skee", "per-zhuh-VAL-skee" or "PREZ-val-skee". Guess what? I still don't know how to pronounce it. Phonics was never my subject.

Let's move on.

This is the last remaining species of wild horses on the earth. They were extinct in the wild until a few years ago when a world wide program started to enter them back into the wild in the Mongolian steppes. Here's where I was wrong again, thinking the Mustangs in the Southwest are still roaming and wild. Mustangs are actually feral horses, tamed becoming wild. The Przewalski's horse has never been tamed - ever.

That leads to the third wrong assumption I had; that these were the horses Genghis Khan rode in the 13th century. That's went I discovered Genghis Khan rode the "true" Appaloosa horse; which I, of course, thought orginated from the Americas. I'm now starting to weary of my inaccuraties. (I have always prided myself as a know-it-all.)

But, enough about me and my shortcomings, the important thing is these beautiful animals have always been wild and should be given their birth right. There are about 1,500 in captivity and a world wide foundation for breeding to keep the species pure is working to release more and more back to their home where they are meant to be; free.

As many of us know, there are special bonds between a girl and her horse. It's one of the reasons the Przewalski's Horse is on the girl's romper and t-shirt in the Animal Tails collection. The romper and girl's t-shirt are currently 40% off at http://www.rubij.com/. A perfect baby or Chirstmas gift.

Save on 3.

We've started a new regular feature at Rubi J's.

In the past, I have given discounts to customers for various reasons; big orders, repeat business, etc. So, why not make the savings available to all.

For our organic onesies and t-shirts; there will be hugh savings when you purchase 3 or more. This includes our custom t's and onesies.

Go to http://www.rubij.com to check out the savings!!!!

Sharks are cool.

Sure; not the prettiest face in the animal kingdom, but they are cool.

The Mako Shark is one of the featured wildlife species in Animal Tails product line. This shark is the fastest of all and came jump out of the water up to 20 feet. Cool.

Another interesting fact: They apparently taste good; the main reason the Mako Shark is now endangered. They have been overfished. Their fins are a delicacy. You've heard of "shark fin soup". There has even been reports of fisherman, after catching a Mako Shark, cutting the fins off and throwing it back in the ocean to die. That was hard for me to take; needless suffering.

Animal Tails has two different designs for the Mako Shark. Here they are on the baby items:

Sweet and cuddly for your baby boy.

But as our boys get older, they want cool, not sweet and cuddly. That's why sharks are cool. There wouldn't be much drama in West Side Story if the "Jets" (instead of fighting the "Sharks") were going to rumble with the "Tuna's"or "Guppies". Just doesn't work. And how about the many cool characters you have seen on the big and little screen named "Sharkie" or "Al, the Shark". If you lived in a tough neighborhood, what would you whether to be called: "Shark" or "Fishhead"?

I rest my case. Sharks are cool.

The boys short-sleeved Mako Shark is our current "Special of the Day". For a limited time only, it's half off of retail. Check it out at http://www.rubij.com/.

I love this shade of blue. That's another thing you'll discovered with these organic clothes. The colors stay washing after washing.

New Products and New Prices!

Well, I finally got all the new Animal Tails products on Rubi J's website. I had several "do overs" and there might still be a few mistakes. I probably should of let my 8 year old grandson do it.

We have added 5 new endangered wildlife in our products; 3 in the girls' line and 2 in the boys'.  Also, we now carry baby blankets and hats; all organic cotton, of course. These new rompers are short sleeved and we added the 6-12 month size besides the 3-6 month. All of the new t-shirts are short sleeved.

As I said in an earlier blog, I ordered before manufacturing begin and got a great discount. I'm passing this savings on to you. Check out our new prices at: http://www.rubij.com. 

As another bonus, I'm offering until June 30, 2010, 20% off on all Animal Tails products.

Just enter the code TAILS20 when you check out.

This baby girl's gift set will be given away in July to a lucky fan of our Facebook Page: Rubi J Organic Clothing. Become a fan today.

Another "sneak preview"

I wrote last I would have the new "Animal Tails" products on the website by the weekend. The weekend is over and it late Monday afternoon; and I still don't have them online. I'm taking a break from working on the website to enter a new blog about why I'm late.

Wait a second. If I wouldn't take a break to explain why I'm not finished with my work, I might get done with the task at hand.

I think I'm starting to understand my problem. Bye. Got to get back to work.

Cool stuff, isn't it?

New "Animal Tails" are here!!!

I had to show all of you a sneak preview of the new Animal Tails products Rubi J just got in. New animals, new lines and new prices. I ordered early for a super discount, and I will be passing this savings on to you.

We're all busy adding them to the website and they should be ready by this weekend to showcase. We'll have bigger sizes in the rompers and we're adding baby blankets and beanies. See, we've been listening to you.

The grandkids love when I get new products in. You wouldn't believe how big Cole's eyes got when he saw the Cheetah. "YES." Cole is into speed (I see trouble ahead with that); so it was no wonder he picked the fastest land animal on earth.

I picked a bigger size for him because we all know about growing spurts and his mother would like to see a couple of years of use and she knows how well these organic tees wash and wash. Cole's Golden Eagle t-shirt is one of his favorites and he wears it as soon as it comes out of the laundry.

Keep watching at http://www.rubij.com/.

There's a new sheriff in town!

No, he's not packing a 6-shooter; although his mom says he can pack "a load". This is Charley: our newest member of the Rubi J's models family.

Charley is Mikey's baby brother. You all remember Mikey.

 Mikey turned 2 last November. He is currently preparing for the next Rubi J photo shoot with the new Rubi J's products. ("Sit still, Mikey, Please.")

Back to Charley. He's the baby of the family. With three older brothers and one older sister, Mom and Dad stated Charley will remain the baby of the family.

We'll see.

To celebrate Charley turning "pro", Rubi J has a special offer only to our readers. Starting now thru this Saturday, May 22, all organic plain onesies will be 50% off. Choose any or all of our 5 colors in the 3 different sizes. To receive this savings:

At the checkout, enter charley in the code box and 50% of the purchase of onesies will be deducted.

 We will be seeing a lot more of Mikey and Charley at http://www.rubij.com/.

Which zebra is endangered?

The first thing I learned about the zebra was there are three different kinds of zebras. Didn't know that. There's the plains and mountain zebras. Then there is the endangered Grevy's zebra. It's featured on Animal Tails organic cotton short sleeved t-shirt; and it is a favorite of little girls. Here's what the hang tag say:

"Hello Darlings! I'm the high fashion queen of the African plains. I am also the tallest of  all the wild equines worldwide - as you'd expect from one with such great model credentials. I live in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, where I graze all day on delicious grass. My stripes are closer together and thinner than the Plains zebra. They act as good camouflage as the stripes help break up the outline of me when viewed through the bushes. I am named after President Grevy who received one of my relatives as a gift in the 1800's from Abyssinia.

It hasn't been good to be at the height of fashion, as I was hunted almost to extinction. Having such thin stripes compared to other zebras, hunters got more stripes per inch. My relatives have been turned into handbags, slippers, purses and rugs. Although hunting is now banned, we are still endangered because of loss of our habitat to arable farming domestic herds."

So, there you have it. Because of fashion wants, the Grevy's zebra's numbers in the wild went from 15,000 a few decades ago to fewer than 2,500 today. According the African Wildlife Foundation, the greatest threat today is loss of habitat to agricultural use. The AWF has made considerable progress in bringing back the numbers, and; hopefully, someday they will be removed from the endangered list.

This cool shirt is our current "Special". Visit http://www.rubij.com/ to see this and our other Animal Tails.

Rubi J is featured in the Big Apple

A few months ago, I was contacted by a staff writer for Beauty News, New York. They are an online beauty magazine catering to the New York metro area. Patricia, who researches products for tweens, wanted to sample my Animal Tails tees for girls. She liked our concept and, after receiving our product, loved it enough to write about us in the February issue under the Metro Mom and Babies section.

To see the article, go to http://www.beautynewsnyc.com/.

What's a Cerulean Warbler?

That was my question when I first saw this cute Animal Tails organic cotton t-shirt. If I would just stop to think: cerulean is a shade of blue, warbler is a songbird. Simple; a blue songbird.

Because of its declining population, this beautiful little bird is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

This charming girl's top is Rubi J's current Special of the Day at http://www.rubij.com/. Here's what the hang tag says:

"I live in North America in old deciduous forests, and migrate to the Andes in South America for my summer holidays. I am a real dare devil, I bungee jump out of my nest, and only open my wings when right underneath. I'm into recycling - if I need to remake my nest, I always take the bits of spider web I used to make the first nest.

Male cerulean warblers love to spend the day singing in the tree tops. They help find nesting space by following the females singing softly in a whisper. The male also guards the nest when the female goes off hunting.

My population plummeted in the 1990s, and continues to fall due to felling of forests for coffee plantations. I need the forest to live and feed off all the insects - it would be okay if I liked coffee..... but bugs are my thing!"

The Audubon Society reports a quarter of U.S. birds are in decline. Now for the good news. We can all help. Birds rebound nicely when their environment improves. We can all start our own backyard conservation. Research on the web which birds are common to your area (easy with Google). Then, plant a tree, bush or flowers that attract them. Simple, yet effective. A great project this summer of the kids.

Here's my BBF, Julieanna, at the zoo with her Animal Tails t-shirt and broken arm. She was jumping on the bed and missed. The cast didn't slow her down. She's my little songbird.

The Snow Leopard

Photo by Aaron Logan [http://www.lightmatter.net/ source

Did you know there are two different snow leopards in our world? There is the beautiful big cat of Central Asia. Secondly, most Apple computer users know the Snow Leopard as the newest Mac Operating System. I'm not worried about Apple's future. They seemed to be very secure. The living Snow Leopard, however, is endangered. For more information go to http://www.snowleopard.org/.

Look at this glorious animal. That it could be lost in the wild forever is heartbreaking.

The Snow Leopard comes on one of the Animal Tails girl's long sleeved t-shirts. It's our current "Special" at http://www.rubij.com/. Here's what the hang tag says:

"I love to roam in the high, wide open and very cold snowy mountains of Central Asia. But you will have to look hard to spot me as my coat is perfect for camouflaging me in the snowy rocky terrain. My stunning extra long tail provides extra balance as I leap gracefully from one mountainous point to another, it also works beautifully as a very stylish scarf to keep my nose warm on really cold nights! My large paws are like snowshoes, to help me walk on snow.

My beauty has been the reason we are so endangered, people keep hunting us to put our furry coats on cat walks! Despite a worldwide ban on hunting, we now find traditional medicine makers are after us for our bones, and on top of all that, our habitat is now under threat from domestic herds, things are really getting very tricky for me, but I am too shy to make much of a scene about it."

I hope some people searching for answers about their Mac's OS will stumble across some websites informing about these Snow Leopards' plight.

The Ring-tailed Lemur

What do you think: "Way too cute" or "Far too spooky"? I'm going with the cute vote.

The Ring-tailed Lemur organic girls' t-shirt is a favorite at Rubi J's. A lot of little girls have had stuffed lemur toys.

But, sorry to say, they are endangered. Man is continuing to remove their habitat.

Hear the Lemur's story on their hang tag that comes with each shirt.

"Lemur, means "ghost" in Madagascar, probably because we look rather spooky. We're really sociable, hanging out in groups of about 30 swinging from trees, partying and looking for food.

Our tails look so special because they have a lot of uses, we raise them high in the air like flags to tell each other "follow me!" when we show off for our females, we rub our tails with a stinky perfume which we secrete from glands in our wrists, it's our equivalent to aftershave. Once soaked with it, we raise our tails over our heads and point them at each other, flinging the perfume around to show who makes more scents. The stinkiest one wins the lady!

Deforestation for human inhabitation is seriously threatening our survival."

Huh. Interesting way to attact the female.  We human girls don't usually learn about the guys' stinking ways til after the ceremony.

Check out the Ring-tailed Lemur tee at http://www.rubij.com/. It's our current "Special of the Day".

Seamese Crocodile and more.

Our "Special of the Day" .  The boys' favorite. 30% off at http://www.rubij.com/.

"There I was peacefully lumbering across my local river bank in Thailand, when I bump into a bunch of crazed scientists with a camera, behaving like I was some Hollywod star at the Oscars. Turns out it was the Wildlife Conservation Society looking for tigers, when I stepped into the frame.
Apparently they thought I was completely extinct in Thailand. I have a few relatives that live in the wild in Cambodia but apart from that we are farmed to make hand bags. Imagine living your life in captivity and finishing up as a hand bag.
I might look fierge on this this shirt but in fact I'm a big softy and only eat fish, and will only attack you if you attack me."

That's the hang tag on the Seamese Crocodile Organic T-Shirt. In 1992 this fresh water crocodile was thought to be extinct in the wild. Now, through conservation groups, they have a new beginning.

Although, not the cutest, cuddling creature; they are important to the region ecosystem; they have a chance. There are good, good people working to save them. 

When I was researching the Seamese Crocodile, I made a remarkable discovery. A discovery that may have changed my life.

I discovered the Fauna and Flora International organization. I can't believe I have never heard of them before now.  Wow!!! Let me inform you.

Fauna & Flora International is the oldest international conservation organization in the world. Founded in 1903 (that's right, 1903), it has one of most remarkable contributions to saving the natural world I have ever researched.  They don't just throw dollars at the situations, they solve. 

They work with underdeveloped countries to partner communities in showing ways of making conservation economically viable.  They demostrate how to become part of the solution and strive.

It has reinforced my belief that there are much more good  people on this earth than bad or misinformed. 

Do yourself a favor and go to http://www.fauna-flora.org/.

Do you doodle?

My grandkids doodle all the time. They didn't take after me in the art department and, therefore, are very talented.

We have been having requests for larger t-shirts. We added Youth Organic Tees in Natural and White. They are from the same company of our toddler's tees and the same high quality.

I wanted to create a specialty line in the youth tees also. I asked Alex to come up with some of her "doodles" around some well known song titles. I loved what she designed. They're actually what I had in my mind. Just something fun to wear.

We currently have four designs and are working on more.

Cole has his favorite on. I couldn't talk him into "Girls just want to have fun!"

http://www.rubij.com/

Seahorses

At http://www.rubij.com/, the current special is the Animal Tails girls long-sleeved organic tee with the Seahorse original design.

Here's what the hang tag that comes with the t-shirt says:
"People ask 'what is love?' Well seahorses have the answer: we are ultra romantic. Every morning we start the day with a dance. We change into different colours to keep the romance alive. The dance lasts ten minutes, then we separate for the rest of the day so as not to risk getting on each others nerves. We remain partners for life.

What's great about being a female seahorse is we don't have the babies, ha ha yes the men have them not one or two, but about 1000 a year. That may sound a lot but we are now endangered. We like to hang out in the same place, so when fishermen find us we are an easy catch. We are too pretty for our own good as we look fabulous in aquariums. We are also caught in large numbers for use in herbal medicines for fertility treatment"

I don't know about you, but the male seahorse seems like my kind of man. Monogamous, mate for life, takes you dancing every day, doesn't get under foot for the rest of your time and has your babies for you. What more could a woman want?

On a more serious note, several species of these magical creatures are endangered. How sad.

(Photograph by George Grall)

Fly like an eagle.

The golden eagle is another one of Animal Tails endangered species organic t-shirts. Here's what the hang tag says that accompany each tee:
"I am call a Golden Eagle because I have a striking golden crown and nape. I'm sacred in some cultures and my feathers are central to many religious and spiritual customs, expecially amongst Native Americans. Mexico even made me their national bird.
There are only 420 pairs of us in Great Britain. We like mountains so live in the Scottish Highlands. A pair of Golden Eagles remains together for life. Our nests are eyries and we build a few in our territory, which can be up to 160 sq miles. I need this space for hunting. I have very good eye sight and can spot prey from a long distance. I swoop down and kill my dinner with my talons. I can kill a fox outright. My population is getting smaller because I sometimes eat livestock, so people poison and shoot me, but I'm only being a hungry Golden Eagle."

In America the main diet are rodents, rabbits, birds and reptiles. But in the 1950's ranchers perceived the eagle as a threat to their livestock. An estimated 50,000 eagles were destroyed by them. Thank heaven the Golden Eagle has been protected since 1963. The bald eagle has returned to enough numbers to remove them from the endangered list, although they are still protected. Hopefully, the Golden will have the same successful route.

It's no wonder there are many, many legends and lore about the eagle. There is something magical about all birds of prey.

The Golden Eagle is our current "Special" at http://www.rubij.com/.