These are a few of our favorite items from Petal Jayne in Fernandina Beach. Among them are crib rails covers, burp cloths and taggie stuffed animals. / All Photos Courtesy of Petal Jayne
Petal Jayne owner Brooke Magnuson is the first of many local “Mompreneurs” we’ll be featuring on Mamamelia.com. Our area is full of smart, innovative moms who have found ways to balance family life with great, small businesses that often help other moms, too!
Please Note: Our friend Brooke from Petal Jayne moved to Atlanta about 5 months after we published this article. She still has family in the Fernandina area and plans to return regularly, however, and she continues to make her beautiful items, which you can still find on Etsy.com.
Petal Jayne Owner Brooke Magnuson hard at work at the sewing machine.
It all started when Brooke Magnuson’s father picked up a rickety old sewing machine for her at a flea market.
The Fernandina Beach mother of two didn’t know how to sew, but she wanted to learn, so she signed up for a class with Creative Distinctions owner Christy Woods. She was immediately hooked, and — with her eye for beautiful, colorful fabric combinations – she soon discovered a passion that could help many moms besides herself.
When Magnuson had her first child, Landon, now almost 3, she was bored with the drab, limited choices for children’s items in the stores. And the more unique baby items were so overpriced. With that in mind, she followed her heart and opened Petal Jayne: A Whimsical Boutique. The online business offers one-of-a-kind baby products that won’t break the bank.
“My goal has been to create items that are whimsical, modern, eclectic and/or vintage at a price that makes us happy!” Magnuson wrote on the Petal Jayne Facebook page. ”Besides, who wants to spend a fortune on something that a baby will spit up on, right!?”
Petal Jayne, which sells items through Etsy.com, features crib rail covers, sensory stuffed animals, towels, washcloths, burp cloths, nursing covers, nursing pads… and Magnuson told me she’s just getting started. She plans to offer diaper bags, slings and embroidered products in the future.
The quilted underside of one of Petal Jayne’s Crib Rail Teething Bumpers.
I was especially excited about the crib rail covers, which are extremely hard to find and often in the $75 to $100 range, or higher. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit that, during my son’s “biting era,” I just safety-pinned a bunch of bath towels over his crib rails in desperation one night. If only Petal Jayne had been around back then! Magnuson’s crib rail covers, or teething bumpers, as she calls them, are double-quilted.
Every fabric is hand-selected by Magnuson.
“I need to see and feel it before I’ll use it,” she said. “Especially with baby items, you want fabric to be soft and durable, and you don’t want something that’s going to shred if they put it in their mouths.”
The Petal Jayne Etsy shop features images ”for ideas,” but Magnuson said she primarily wants to custom design pieces for her clients. Most orders can be turned around in 7 days. And for local buyers, Petal Jayne delivers purchases.
You can also have a “Petal Jayne” baby shower, in which she’ll show her products at the party. Guests’ purchases will earn “credits” for the mama-to-be.
Magnuson with her family.
Magnuson is a Maryland native who came to the area when her husband was stationed at Kings Bay. Before she had children, she was an assistant lacrosse coach at Jacksonville University.
At the Magnuson home, little Landon’s room is decked out in custom-made dinosaur designs, and Elle, who is 10 months old, has a pink and brown theme. Miss Elle also models Mama’s handmade dresses, and she loves to chew on the “Taggie” stuffed animals Mama makes.
“I like to use the products and test them out first,” Magnuson explained. “And I love to redecorate and give our house a ‘face lift’, so I am constantly changing out fabrics, patterns and colors!”
And, thankfully for all of Magnuson’s happy customers, that creaky old sewing machine is long gone. When Woods, the sewing teacher, noticed it in class one day, she told Magnuson about a woman who was looking to give away her late mother’s sewing machine. Magnuson was elated to take the brand new, deluxe machine off her hands.
If you want to know more about Petal Jayne: A Whimsical Boutique:
What: Whimsical, handmade baby items such as burp cloths and crib rail guards. This online business is owned by a Fernandina Beach stay-at-home mom.
Where: A web-based service out of Fernandina Beach.
Contact: petaljayne@gmail.com
Online: www.etsy.com/shop/petaljayne and www.facebook.com/petaljayne
Note: All purchases must be ordered through Etsy.com for tax reasons, but Petal Jayne will refund your shipping fee when your order is delivered.
