Rx Embroidery

These days, sewing helps me recover some of my sanity each night. The embroidery for this quilt (Clover and Violet) has been a lot of fun.

It's been an especially rough day with daddy being gone so much these days and the two-year old defiance kicking in extra strong. If my printer decides to cooperate (not doing that so far), I'll start on the third block tonight before crashing.

Let it be a good night!

A bubble for me

Today while my girls napped I sewed. That's right, I ignored the huge pile of laundry, the dish washer that needed unloading, and the toys scattered all over the floors. After attending to a few household items online and checking in on my online students, I sat and pretended I HAD to get the embroidery done on this first block for my Stitch and Quilt Along quilt. And it felt good!

Green by necessity

As time goes on I seem to get more and more 'green'-conscious. Maybe it has to do with being more concerned about my kids than myself, or living in Colorado, or widening my circle of friends as I move away from family. I try to buy natural products and make things myself if I can (for example, I now make our laundry detergent). We try to keep our waste down by doing things like recycling, composting, using re-useable bags at stores, cloth diapering.

Some of these things took some effort or diligence to stick we (we still don't have our vermicomposting set-up figured out completely), while others felt so natural we didn't have to think twice. And sometimes being green comes by necessity.

Last week my husband's truck broke down. He currently has a job where he is out-of-town all week and he has to have a vehicle. So the girls and I are left with our feet and bicycle. This wouldn't have been a problem in Cambridge where most necessities were in walking distance or at least accessible by public transportation. Not so here in beautiful Fort Collins.

A LOT of people bike here. For fun, for exercise, for errands. And I always thought it would make me feel good to ride my bike instead of driving to do things like grocery shopping. But I can't carry as much on my bike. And, having my little one on the bike seat and the older one in the bike trailer, that's some extra weight! (Not to mention that the little one REALLY doesn't like wearing her bike helmet!)

Well, we made it work. Only got the absolute necessities and made it to the store and back without too much ado. We were all a bit cranky but some nice cool watermelon remedied that. We even jumped back on the bike to visit a friend that afternoon. And it did make me feel good to know that we could do it but it was definitely a lot of work, something I don't feel I need more of these days. And if the car were here, I'd go back to using it in a heartbeat. But for now, we are green by necessity.

I imagine that must be somewhat common these days, being green by necessity. With the way the economy is now, families are having to own less vehicles, live in multi-generation households (smaller carbon footprint, sharing of resources etc), carpool, and more. I wonder what changes ir trends will stick even when the economy improves?

When we got home from the store, I opened the big tub of my daughter's favorite yogurt and found mold growing. I called the store and they said to bring it on back. Needless to say, we haven't gotten around to that yet!

Piecing together...

The title of this post could actually lead into a number of stories but this time, it's quite literal. There are quite a few things I could/should be doing this evening, including loading the dishwasher and picking up all the toys from around the house. But instead I HAD to get back to my quilt. Quilting may not be the best pastime for me. I love sewing and patterns and a finished project as a goal. But when I am in the middle of a project I enjoy I am too tempted to set more mundane tasks aside to keep going until I have finished. Ah well, I'm having fun and I need the mental relief.

So I've sewn three full blocks and two other partial blocks. I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of the rest of my fabric that I ordered from Etsy (the Stitch & Quilt-Along organizer suggested I look up 1930s fabric on Etsy to find some fat quarters to go with the rest of my prints and it was a success! Dangerous but I managed to limit myself to a set of four FQs that I think will work really well).



And I can't wait to get started on the embroidery!

Embarking on a Stitch & Quilt Along

Ah, so this evening I'm taking a mental break from everything going on and sewing. Well, starting a sewing project anyway. That quilt-along I wrote about hasn't started yet but I found a Stitch & Quilt Along on the Clover and Violet blog to get me going. From what I understand, the quilting will be basic but the blocks will incorporate embroidery so that should be fun.

I started cutting fabric this evening. It's the first time I'm actually following directions for any quilting project and I must admit I've never been very organized about my quilting (which is probably why I have many unfinished projects!). Another element that makes this tricky for me is that I'm on a really tight budget these days so I've resisted (very hard) buying a lovely new set of fat quarters and am trying to use what I have. I'm starting with a set of seven vintage floral fat quarters I have that are almost intact. Well, three or four of them are.

I've been noticing lately that sewing enthusiasts refer to fabric by name, designer and print. Although I've been sewing for as long as I an remember, I've never really paid attention to fabric names. So I don't know I'd that is because I often buy fabric at discount stores or what, but then I noticed that my fabric has names printed on the selvage end! Names like 'Sail Away' and 'Just Makin' Conversation' by Maywood Studio. Fun!

Okay so I think my cutting and blogging is coming to an end for the evening. I've cut the pieces from four different fabrics:




The other three FQ's have been cut away at too much (another eye-opener for me, I never really understood the point of FQs before!). But I'm too tired to turn on more brain cells and figure out what to do now. So I'll have to go through my stash and see what I have. I can probably find some plain colors to use. But five of those would be boring. So I may need to go to a fabric store to find some prints that will go with the ones I have. Or maybe I can use this as an excuse to go to a local antique store to look for some sheets or something. Probably not more thrifty in the end.
So, for tonight, bed calls (as soon as my husband is done watching this episode of 'Mythbusters'). And here's hoping the little ones sleep well tonight so we can too!

Moving on (pun intended) - Let the Quilting Begin!

For the past six weeks I have been busy with moving from Massachusetts to Colorado. Not a simple move even without two toddlers. It feels like we have met one difficulty after another along the way but right now the final boxes are being brought into our new (but old - it's a long story involving a very large fire) home and we can finally start settling in.

During those six weeks I also managed to get involved in four 'swaps' which were great fun and about which I meant to blog. I welcomed the distraction of the sewing (the swaps were: 12 mug toppers, 9 wool bunny/chick Easter baskets, a cupcake pin cushion, and my first mug rug!), to take my mind off all the decisions that had to be made, even just for short periods of time in the evenings. And I even took photos. But they never made it here and now it seems Iike so long ago!

Well during the move I made sure to keep my sewing machine available so it didn't end up buried in boxes somewhere. I'm not signed up for any swaps right now (I don't think the hubby would be too happy what with the move and the summer class I'm teaching starting in less than a week!). But, I did find a fun Quilt-Along to join in on! Now that I've wet my feet on the virtual world of crafters' swaps, I can go back there. And I'd like to explore the _____-alongs I keep seeing mentioned!

So this Quilt-Along is called 'The Skill Builder Sampler' and it will go for one year. My understanding is that every month there will be a tutorial on a different quilting skill and everyone joining will plan to make 3 blocks by the end of the month. Everyone that does complete 3 blocks can post them in a Flickr album and will be entered to win a prize! And at the end of the year, if you have completed all the squares, there will be enough to make a queen-size quilt! A year sounds like a long time at first but I think it will be just right. I have been wanting to jump into quilting somehow and get beyond my novice (self-taught) skills but I wasn't sure where to start. I don't know a group of quilting moms that I can meet with once a week to share tea and cookies with as we quilt so this is the next best thing, and modern version of that I suppose! So enough chattering. I will hopefully share my progress here as I participate. And if you want to join in as well, check it out here or click on the 'We Can Do It' button on the right side of my blog. We begin on June 17th!

Our almost 'Irish twins'

My girls are now about 27 months (we just say 2) and almost 13 months. I must get asked at least once a day (if we go out) if they are twins. I don't see how they could be mistaken for being the same age but I suppose I know them too well to be objective.

When I was pregnant with #2, I had trouble finding anything to read about having kids so close together. I haven't had much luck since then either.

Co-sleeping was the first big question. The big one (relatively, although now looking at my little one I can't believe big sister was physically this size and only a bit older - so little!) wasn't sleeping in our bed but on a futon mattress on the floor next to our bed. She wasn't nursing anymore but she did wake up a few time each night needing water, her binky, or a pat on the back; and she usually fussed if it wasn't me that provided any of these things. Luckily for us, little sister slept through the night, or close to it for the first few weeks (we are far from being that lucky now!). Also, big sister started sleeping through the night for the most part and she started letting daddy attend to her, sometimes. We definitely had those nights where I would nurse the little one (lying down, half asleep - so much easier with baby #2!) and then jump over my husband to respond to the big one and jump back to snag a few zzz's before I was needed again. But somehow the big one was satisfied to stay in her bed (so we didn't have to worry about her climbing into bed with us - until morning - and squishing the baby). And somehow the girls never woke eachother up even though the big one used to be super sensitive to noises (she now sleeps like a rock)! So it worked. A number of the other families I know that co-sleep with two have the bigger one sleep with dad in one room while baby sleeps with mom in another room. It sounds like that works too but I'm glad we made it work staying together.

Naps didn't work out quite as well. The first month was fine since a newborn pretty much falls asleep easily anytime if clean and fed. After that though I have memories (and photos) of me with one little one on my front and one on my back, sometimes both crying. But we survived that phase too. Now the problem is that the little one really wants one morning nap and an afternoon nap but also doesn't really want to sleep while her sister is playing. And big sister doesn't want to nap if her little sister is playing. On days we go out in the morning and they fall asleep in the car on the way home, naptime is usually easy because I can carry them into bed asleep. But on other days, getting them both down can be a long and frustrating ordeal. That too though is getting better as the older one gets bigger and willing to lie quietly, sometimes reading books to herself, while I try to get the little one down.

Other than sleep, behavior and play are challenges with two so close in age. It seems that every time the little one transitions to a new phase in mobility (sitting, crawling, walking), the bigger one takes to pushing her down. Constantly. Often unprovoked. Little sister gets back. We seem to be at the tail end of a biting phase but moving into hair pulling. Ouch! They are both still at the parallel play level if course so they play on their own but of course whatever the other one has looks SO much better. And even if there are two of them, one must have both. Apparently second children take notes on everything big sister or brother does, including tantrum-ing. So we have two drama queens now. (Little one is still practicing so she throws herself around on the floor in slow motion - it's pretty funny to watch actually.)

And then there are the sibling moments that have nothing to do with being close in age. For the duration of a 20 minute drive last week they kept up a back and forth:
Little sister: "Ella Ella Ella" [the name of our dog that she loves]
Big sister: "DON'T SAY 'ELLA ELLA ELLA'!"
Little sister: brief pause.. "Ella Ella Ella"
Big sister: "DON'T SAY "ELLA ELLA ELLA'!"
And so on. For 20 minutes. I tried singing, putting on music, shouting and whispering. Nothing could stop them.

All that said, we are getting glimpses of good times to come. A few mornings ago the girls woke up before mommy and daddy were really awake and they came on the bed with us and were singing and playing 'ring around the rosie' and 'row row row your boat.' And they love to laugh together, often for no reason.

Sisters. Fun.

Real life

This evening I stumbled upon a post by The Happiest Mom with a brief interview with the author of 'Instinctual Parenting,' a giveaway (me please!), and a question about parent moments where information or advice is contradictory to our gut feeling or just our reality. I wrote a really long comment in response because, once again, this is very pertinent to what's been on my brain lately (I love the mommy blog world!); so I figured it was worth sharing here -
Oh so many examples of 'Subway' moments! [That will only make sense if you go read the post I was commenting on, which I recommend but it's not necessary for the rest of my post to make sense.] I guess a current ongoing one relates to pottying and EC. I so very much wanted to do EC (Elimination Communication) and actually, even before I knew the term existed I was doing some of the suggested practices with my daughter - cloth diapers, sitting on the potty from early on, communicating what she as doing, etc. She seemed to be getting close to being out of diapers at 15 months when her sister was born and I didn't have the time, energy, brain cells to keep up our routine much. She's now 26 months and resists gong #1 in the potty. And her sister doesnt get much EC'ing. I've been to one EC meeting and saw 4-month olds telling their moms they needed to go potty and waiting until they were placed on the potty to go - and I felt hugely inferior! I still feel like I missed the boat when my daughter was ready.
My husband says I'm too hard on myself and he's right; but when I'm being nice to myself I tell myself that even having an infant or young toddler potty trained, it's still a lot of work because they are not very independent, unlike and older toddler. And I'd rather spend time enjoying them and with them, then spending a lot of time in the bathroom. So for now I'll just deal with a squirmy infant who doesn't like to lie still for diaper changes, and extra laundry, and in the summer we'll go diaperless when we can!

Little accomplishments!

I may have discovered both another use for my blog and a way to finish more craft projects! I always have a mental list of projects I'd like to be working on and there's usually a few little piles of things I've begun, usually knitting or sewing. And I also usually have a BUNCH of tabs open in my browser (my husband uses a different browser so he doesn't have to navigate my tabs!) with ideas, inspiration or tutorials. I've tried creating organized bookmark folders but I rarely go back to those so tabs it is until I find a better way.

Then earlier this week I decided to post a few links on my blog (near the upper-right corner) to a few of those pages. And doing that I finished the hobby horse I've been working on in 5-10 minute segments for weeks and I made sweet (and oh so simple) matching dresses for my girls. I love feeling like I've accomplished something!

I'll have to add more links soon!




(Picture of hobby horse to come - it still needs a harness!)

Let's keep it simple

I blog hopped my way to the Progressive Pioneer's blog this evening. (Love that phrase - Progressive Pioneer!) She talks about natural parenting and refers to Occam's Razor, which bascially says that the simplest answer is usually the right one. It is *great* to be reminded of this. Sometimes I/we make things more complicated than they need to be. I scour books for the solutions for co-sleeping with two little ones, and continue on my search for the perfect baby carrier, and try to find the answer for breastfeeding and good sleep habits. Sometimes I forget that even though I might not know where my instincts will bring us, it will make life so much more simple, and therefore happy, to do so.

There's not a whole lot of thought going into this post. I just had to post something as I process my thoughts about 'simple.'

Good night.

A Mother's Needs

I've never been big on taking care of myself. I mean, I don't go all out to pamper myself or to think about what *I* need. Being a mom now, I have even less time to myself than I ever had before and I never thought it would bother me because, as I said, I didn't think I needed to think about 'me' much. But things have been difficult lately and I've been out of sorts, and unable to really put into words what it is that I'm feeling or experiencing.

Yesterday, I stumbled upon The Happiest Mom's blog post on a 'Mother's Hierarchy of Needs.' I remember when I first heard about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Or at least, when I first heard about it in my professional life. I was working for an early literacy home visit program and we were having our weekly meeting with the director of the program. It was the beginning of a new year with new families and she was reminding us to be sensitive to the families lives and needs, and understand that if some of the parents seemed not to care about whether their children were able to read or do crafts, that they might perhaps be caught up worrying about elemental needs a bit lower on the pyramid - things like food, shelter, or even safety. I have carried that reminder with me ever since.

Seeing one person's version of a Mother's Hierarchy of Needs reminds me that there are those different levels of needs. I long for moments when I can curl up with a cup of hot chocolate and read a good book for a long time, maybe until I finish it; or a day when I can sew or knit or spin or felt to my heart's content; without having to respond to fussing or diapering or make sure everyone is fed. It's not that I don't love my family, not at all. Or even that I want to spend a day without them. It's just hard to respond to everyone's needs all the time. And worries about things like jobs and money and other such mundane things (or a fire destroying the inside of our townhouse), make it even more stressful, because they are closer to the base of that pyramid. I guess it doesn't give me any answers but at least it is a reminder that a) I'm not alone in this mommy-predicament and b) I'm not feeling out of sorts because I haven't been able to complete a knitting project in ages, but more likely because of those lower level elements (let's talk about sleep!).

I'd love to have this on a t-shirt, or maybe a diaper bag. Then instead of talking to people when they ask how things are, I can just point to whatever level I have an issue with at the time!

Note: I promise I'll post something more cheerful soon. On a happier note for the time being, we changed our sleeping arrangements once again and put all the mattresses on the floor. I think this will be a good short-term solution for us all.

Co-sleeping with two little ones

Wow. It's been over a month since I last posted. I really enjoyed blogging when I got into the habit of doing it every night (although I'm sure my husband was bummed that I would go straight from putting the girls to bed to "Just 10 minutes hon!" on the computer, which always took more than 10 minutes). But once out of the habit, it was hard getting back to it. The holidays didn't make it easier though. I really enjoyed reading other blogs about decorating and gift-making and cooking for the holidays and I wanted to take part but blogging was just that one-more-thing that was too much. Ah well, maybe next year (or rather, this year!).

So today I'm posting just to try and dabble my toes in it again in hopes of returning more full-on soon.

We are experimenting with the girls' sleeping arrangements again. With a toddler and an infant (although at almost 10 months, she's almost a toddler herself!), co-sleeping is tricky. Our 2 year old has been sleeping on a futon mattress about 6 inches lower than our bed for over a year now. She moves a lot and doesn't like covers so sleeping in our bed wasn't working out for anyone. But she likes to be close by and still needs us in the middle of the night sometimes so this is a good arrangement. Once our youngest started inching down to our feet during the night (around 6 months), we had to make other arrangements for her and so we put the crib that my husband made right up next to my side of the bed so it's almost like an extension of our bed, but she has her own space. This worked well until just recently when she started a) really fighting going to sleep, and b) crawling out onto our bed and trying to get off herself after naps. So we moved things around again and I put both girls on the floor, next to each other, next to our bed; their heads towards us.

Our older one seems to like seeing her sister sleeping near her (then she knows she's not off having fun without her). And it's nice because the little one can crawl off and on without us having to worry. But there are definitely some downfalls.

Firstly, I have to respond to both girls at night now. So last night that meant getting up for the older one three times because she had either rolled off her mattress or was upset because she couldn't find her dolly (roller onto the floor). And getting up three times for the little one, to nurse her or get her out of the small crack between the mattresses.

Then, at nap time, if the little one wakes up first, I hear her once she's crawling on top of her big sister to get out.

And now my train of thought is gone after the girls wake from nap and our evening was filled with its usual busy-ness. So I'll leave it at this.

I'm back with cozy slippers!

And back to our regularly scheduled programming...

So I made it through my first giveaway and multiblog event. It was fun to reach out and find interested sponsors; to collaborate with the bloggers; and I'm thrilled to have more readers (hopefully you'll visit now and then!).

I do feel slightly knocked off my groove now though so I'm going to have to make an effort to spend a little more time here again.

My class ended yesterday and I feel like I've been given the gift of some extra time. I cleaned and we can see parts of the living room we haven't seen in a while. And by now I've got a long list of gifts I want to make. I'm sure I won't get to them all but I'll have some fun.

I've shared that I've been playing with upcyling wool sweaters. I still love the idea of wool longies but I have yet to make a pair for my girls that really feel finished. But I did make a pair of slippers that I'm super happy with! I've tried them on just to make sure they work (and I will have to make a pair for myself) but they will be a gift.








Kinda funky! But fun. Easy and quick to make (important these days when my brain is still adjusting to being split in so many directions!). Comfy and warm.

I wasn't sure what to do with a really thick wool sweater I got. I was scared to felt it because I sure what would happen. That's kind of just me. Kind of a creativity buzz-kill to be like that though. So after making longies out of the sleeves, I felted the body. And it came out thick! Really thick! It sat on the back of a chair for a week before I realized it would be perfect for slipper soles! Then my husband threw the matching longies in with the rest of the wash so they felt too, but not quite as much. So they made perfect top and sides. Some matching yarn and edging from another sweater and voila! Slippers!

Just in case you want to see them again...



I haven't put them away yet because I like looking at my successful projects (a nice thing about being a SAHM, I get to look at my girls all the time! Ha ha.). Tonight I'm taking it lazy, I mean easy, for the first time in a while. But tomorrow, on to the next gift!

Merry Fluffy Christmas - The Winners!

We have reached the end of A Merry Fluffy Christmas! It was a lot of fun and now I get to announce the winners of these great prizes!

I used random.org to get these numbers (just in case one becomes your lucky number).

Day 1 - #86 Rachel L

Day 2 - #206 .:karen:.

Day 3 - #95 MommyTrenches

Day 4 - #156 MommyTrenches (randomness likes you today!)

Day 5 - #94 Stacy V

I will email the winners later today. I look forward to seeing more of you all and here's wishing everyone very Happy Holidays!

Merry Fluffy Christmas - Giveaway #5

Wow. This marks the last day of the Merry Fluffy Christmas event and there have been some great prizes!

I've saved something different for the end.

The hands behind Hippogryff's Nest belong to Janet, a mom of two who discovered the wonders of wool when she was using cloth diapers and doing part-time elimination communication with her youngest.

I made a polyester fleece pad for her to sleep on but noticed she would wake up all sweaty, even in the winter! Right about then I also tried wool diaper covers, and just loved how breathable but waterproof they were. When I found out there were wool pads for sleeping on I looked all around, but couldn't find any I could afford!

(Does that sound familiar? It does to me. That's about where I was when I found Hippogryff's Nest on Etsy!)

I had visited our local Pendleton Outlet Store in Washougal before, and knew they carried some fabric back in the corner behind all the clothes and blankets. I went and bought some, and fulled it a little (which I had done before with projects I'd knitted), not nearly as much as I do on the ones I make now, and they have worked great for us ever since! I thought surely there were other folks like me, who need this item so basic to baby and toddler care (at least it became a real essential for us!), looking for an affordable option. And I love to support a local business that has been here for so many years, and in turn the farmers/ranchers that grow the wool here in the US. I think that is pretty cool.

So Janet makes and sells (at a very reasonable price) wool pads that are very useful both in and out of the house. We bought one (and then another) from her earlier this year and they were great in the summer for letting our infant lie and sit around with just a cloth diaper, or less, on. And now that it's cold out, we still use them (see the second part of this giveaway). I must admit, I've only used them in my girls' beds a couple of times, but I'd love to use them more. Anyway, more from Janet (who also writes books!).

I enjoy making them too. I have been sewing since I was in junior high school, thanks to my mom. I learned to sew on my great-grandma's 1940s Singer, which I still have (and use, sometimes!). And I love sewing for my kids. It feels great to make something useful and custom-made just for them, and gives a great sense of purpose to a hobby I already enjoy.

So for this giveaway, one lucky winner will get a Hippogryff's Nest crib-sized wool pad (worth $28)!

AND, there is a second piece as well.

BabyLegs is generously giving a gift pack (worth $50) to a winner on each of the Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs.

I'm guessing that if you use cloth diapers, you know about leggings and probably own at least a pair. When I first saw them at a store, I thought they were just too cute and I think I was still pregnant with my first! Now each of my girls has a few pairs and they get a lot of use out of them. They make diaper changing really quick and easy with these little squirmy ones. We used them a lot this summer for our infant as she hung around on the wool pad (see above). And now they are great for wearing with pants or dresses as an extra layer.I've heard they are great as arm-warmers, but we haven't tried that yet.

They have a lot of cute prints too, which the winner will be able to choose!
The gift pack will include:

(2) BabyLegs Leg Warmers
(1) Pair of Baby Socks
(1) Pair of Girl Tights OR (2) Pairs Boy Socks

So, for this giveaway you'll need:

the Hippogryff's Nest Etsy Shop link at http://www.etsy.com/shop/hippogryff

the BabyLeg's website at http://www.babylegs.com/

my blogging Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mama-Bubbles/169768056373576

This giveaway will be open until 11:59 pm on Dec 7th. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

**CLOSED**

You'll definitely want to visit all of the Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs for more fabulous giveaways! All winners will be announced on December 8th.

Merry Fluffy Christmas - Giveaway #4

Wow, we're already on Day 4 of the Merry Fluffy Christmas Event! The first day's giveaway is over but feel free to scroll down to enter day 2 and day 3 if you haven't already!

Today I'd like to introduce you to

Here's another really creative seamstress that works magic with upcycled wool sweaters! The My Eco Baby Etsy shop has a variety of cozy selections such as:

Fun right?

Well one lucky winner is going to get to choose a pair of longies from this shop!!

I've said why I love wool longies before so here are some words from the artist herself:

The thing I love about my longies is the fact that they have elastic in the waist. With a generous and roomy fit, the elastic is key. Now you don't have to worry about your little ones cover constantly coming off, or pulling up their pants 10 million times! Myecobaby longies are only one layer of wool, so this is a great day time cover. Now that it is fall, and now that it is getting chilly out, a nice pair of wool longies are perfect. Put on your favorite prefold or fitted, and slide these right on over it! Diaper cover and pants in one! Plus, with as cute as these are you wouldn't want to cover them up!

I love work with recycled wool,cashmere,angora. I design my clothes and love to add little appliques.
I had set my heart on eco-friendly and handmade clothing for our children. 

For this giveaway you'll need:

the My Eco Baby Etsy Shop link at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Myecobaby

my Twitter page at http://twitter.com/mama_bubbles

my blogging Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mama-Bubbles/169768056373576

This giveaway will be open until 11:59 pm on Dec 6th. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

**CLOSED**

You'll definitely want to visit all of the Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs for more fabulous giveaways and visit me again tomorrow for Day 5!

Merry Fluffy Christmas - Giveaway #3

We're on Day 3, which means that the Day 1 giveaway will end at midnight tonight and there's still time for the Day 2 giveaway.

Today I'm showcasing two more lovely Etsy shops:

AND

It's getting cold out (for most of us, I assume) so we're pulling out our warmer clothes. Barnyard Baby has a variety of arm and leg warmers made out of cotton, fleece and soy. There are even some sweet gift sets that include a matching hat!

And, there are some oh-so-useful nursing covers with a handy pocket sewn in (for holding a spit cloth, keys, or rocks that your older one picks up while you are at the park that are very useful when it's windy!).

When I contacted Monica with Barnyard Baby about this giveaway event, she generously offered to send me some soy wipes/washcloths to try out. Now I love natural materials but I am not very familiar with soy yet. And wow, it is soft! The soy wipes from Barnyard Baby are the perfect size and thickness for using with little ones. We used them as wipes. Speed is the key these days so wipes have to be efficient, and these fit the bill! They wash up great and I'm sure they will be in our diapering arsenal for a long time!

For this giveaway, Barnyard Baby will be sending a set of 12 soy washcloths/wipes!

And that's not all!

Berchta's Belly is another Etsy shop absolutely worth checking out! This stay-at-home-work-at-home-mom from Vermont takes full advantage of the abundance of cold weather to take upcycling wool sweaters to a whole new level! Her shop is filled with enchanting overalls, hats, jackets, and capes made from wool and cashmere sweaters. Some of them have felted and crocheted elements added to them.

So the lucky winner from this giveaway will also receive a $25 Gift Certificate to the Berchta's Belly shop! You will have until 11:59 pm on Dec 5th to enter. The winner will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen instead.

Without further ado, here are the links you will need to enter to win these wonderful gifts!

Berchta's Belly Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Berchtasbelly1

Berchta's Belly Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Berchtasbelly1/154208447945033?v=wall

My Barnyard Baby Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/MyBarnyardBaby

My Barnyard Baby Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/BarnyardBaby

My Barnyard Baby on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Barnyard_Baby

This giveaway is closed. Winner will be announced and emailed on Dec 8th.

You'll definitely want to visit all of the Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs for more fabulous giveaways and visit me again tomorrow for Day 3!

Merry Fluffy Christmas - Giveaway #2

It is Day 2 of the Merry Fluffy Christmas Event! There's still time to enter the Day 1 giveaway if you haven't already but here we are moving on to more cute cloth diapering must-haves.

Introducing:

 

and 

I've mentioned my love of wool longies before so I'm thrilled today to showcase a SAHM of two who does creative and wonderful things with upcycled wool sweaters! Mandi, or Three Happy Trees, will be giving one lucky winner a $25 Gift Certificate to be used at her Etsy shop.

Let me show you a few of her pieces:

Cute, right? There are always new pieces in her shop.
And, she's got some great stocking stuffers (well, grown-up stockings) too!

You read right, we do have two sponsors for this giveaway! 

BabyXpress is another Etsy shop definitely worth a visit! I'll let Marina tell you about herself:

I am a mother of 4, residing in Florida. I have always been very creative and creating my items comes very natural to me. It has always been my dream to be able to own a business where I could put my creativity to work. Now that the kids are away in college I decided this was the perfect time to follow my dreams.

Babyxpress specializes in creating individually handcrafed baby gifts made with high quality garments at affordable prices. I am a perfectionist and spend a lot of time perfecting each gift. I never stop creating and thus my shop will always have something new to offer.

It seems that these days I'm always looking for a 'new baby' gift for someone. BabyXpress has a variety of gift items and she packages them beautifully! Take a look:

BabyXpress will be sending someone a package of Baby Washcloth Cupcakes to be kept or gifted (a hard choice!).

So of course you'll want to enter the giveaway now!

Here are some links you'll need:

Three Happy Trees on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/threehappytrees

Three Happy Trees on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ThreeHappyTrees/305666437404

BabyXpress on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/babyxpress

This giveaway is closed. Winner will be emailed and announced on Dec 8th.

This giveaway will end at 11:59pm on Dec 4th. The winner will be chosen by random.org and contacted via email. If I don't hear back within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen.

You'll definitely want to visit all of the Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs for more fabulous giveaways and visit me again tomorrow for Day 3!

Merry Fluffy Christmas - Giveaway #1

So here goes, my very first giveaway! I want to start with something different so I'll introduce you to Koonts.

I love Etsy. As I was 'window shopping' one day I came upon the Koonts shop and was intrigued.

The pants are adjustable, both waist and length. My first thought was, 'Wow! These would be great over cloth diapers!' As soon as my little one became mobile, it seemed harder to get pants that fit over her cloth diapers and didn't turn her into a stiff little scarecrow. If I got a size or two up, the pants fit her waist but needed to be rolled up a few times and were definitely on the baggy size. And most pants tend to slide down as she walks, runs and climbs. That can't be comfortable. But if I could make the waist fit properly...

Israela is mom to two boys, currently on maternity leave after many years working in the Hi-tech arena. She is fulfilling her dreams with Koonts. In Yiddish koonts means 'trick.'

Koonts - known by its quality of fabric and sewing and its clean and happy look - was born from a place of a lot of creativity and the desire to give an answer to the challenge hidden in children's clothing.The outcome is unique items - with the unique idea - clothes growing with the child.

 Israela sent me a pair of Koonts pants for my toddler to try. Immediate impression - they are cute! My daughter wanted to put them on right away. Action shots were hard to get at this time but I wanted to show them on an actual child.

They fit really well - of course, because we can adjust them to the perfect size, no matter what kind of diaper she wears. She seemed very comfortable (and she is one to say if she isn't!) and was more than happy to keep wearing them. They are easy to take off and put on for diaper changes or quick potty needs. So all of our needs are covered.

The quality is wonderful. I even wrote to Israela to double-check and ask if Koonts was a bigger company than I originally thought. But no, right now Koonts is a marvelous one-woman shop, with dreams for growing. Israela even said that she would start a line for cloth diapering kiddos if it makes sense! So share your thoughts and feedback if you try a pair! In my house, we already love Koonts!

You can buy a pair of Koonts pants here.

You can also enter the giveaway to win a pair of your choice! This giveaway begins a 12:01 am on December 1st and closes at 11:59 pm on December 3rd. The winner will be emailed and you will need to get back to me within 48 hours. There will be a new giveaway on each day of the Merry Fluffy Christmas event and all winners will be posted and notified before December 10th.

You will need the link to the Koonts Etsy shop.

Finally, make sure you scroll all the way down to find the links to the other Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs for more fabulous giveaways!


**THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED! Winner will be announced when all Merry Fluffy Christmas giveaways are over, on Dec 8th.**

Make sure you visit all of the Merry Fluffy Christmas blogs for more fabulous giveaways and visit me again tomorrow for Day 2!

A Merry Fluffy Christmas!

So I mentioned a few fun terms together in my last post - 'blog hop' 'giveaway' and 'cloth diapering' - nice combination right?!

Well you heard right! Nineteen bloggers are coming together with cloth diapering related prizes worth over $3800. From December 1st (oh my gosh that's tomorrow!) to December 5th, you can hop around and enter to win them all!

I believe short and sweet is the best. So here's the countdown. Be sure to join us!