My Cute Genes Review and Giveaway!

And the winner is...karen from Cloth Diaper Club! Congratulations!


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I would like to introduce you to Stacy and My Cute Genes Green Genes diaper and cover.  A completely waterproof digital camo cover with personalized name tape.  This is My Cute GenesMCG'S most popular design and customers love to get personalized name tapes so that baby can "represent!" Camo covers look cute on girls and boys! You don’t have to be in the army to dress up your cutie like the cutest soldier on the block! These covers are made from brand new ACU fabric, paired with gray PUL, and outfitted with matching loop fabric that can be adorned with a “U.S. Army” or last name tape. I love how she pairs the camo with bright colored shoes and hair accessories for the little girl camo look.  

One of the most compelling aspects of MCG’s diapering system is the wipe-clean cover. During a diaper change, the only part of the diaper which needs to be changed is the soaker pad. Unless the cover has been soiled. So one cover can last through many diaper changes. Also, an extra layer of PUL is sewn to the outer fashion layer (a cotton print, denim, corduroy, etc.) at the leg holes to make MCG’s cover waterproof inside and out!"

Another fantastic feature of MCG’s covers AND soaker pads is that they are one-size. On the cover, 2 rows of sockets and 1 row of studs create an adjustable or snap-down rise. the smallest setting fits babies 5-14lbs. The middle setting fits babies 12-24lbs, and the largest setting fits babies 20-32lbs. 

In this way, a baby can be diapered from birth to potty training with only 3 or 4 covers!

 Stacy told me a little bit about how she got started making diapers, "When I decided to cloth diaper, I got some commercial diapers for Christmas, but I wasn’t satisfied with their function and quality. I wanted to design the most ideal diaper for me and my baby, with all the features I was looking for and top quality. I started experimenting with sewing cloth diapers while on maternity leave waiting for my daughter to be born.

I loved the idea of hybrids, so I modeled my design after flips. A wipe-clean cover that does not have to be changed, with lay-in inserts. Flaps at the front and back hold in an insert that can be shaken out into a diaper pail at each change, no need to touch! I made covers with solid colors and prints, played with snap color combinations, and adjusted snap placement for sizing through trial and error. 6 months later, I had perfected my design and opened my Etsy shop on Mothers Day 2011."

"I started My Cute Genes because I love cloth diapers. I wanted to promote and advocate for cloth diapers. MCG diapers are an easy, convenient, economical, and super cute cloth diapering system option that I felt was not yet available on the market. The best part of My Cute Genes is that you can choose a special fabric or appliqued logo/flag/embellishment that lets your baby “represent” what is most important to you – what’s in YOUR cute genes!"

          Stacy has generously agreed to giveaway a cover and insert, so the lucky winner will receive both parts of the system to make a complete diaper!  You do not have to choose the camo Green Genes cover, you may choose any non custom cover from her shop if you win.  Follow the entry directions below for your chances to win our LAST GIVEAWAY of 2011!

2 Required entries:

-Follow this blog, etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com, via Google friend connect. If you are already a follower, just leave a comment saying you already follow. Otherwise, leave a comment saying you are a new follower.
 

-Visit My Cute Genes shop; come back here and leave a comment about your favorite item.

Additional optional entries (leave a separate comment for EACH of the following that apply)(be sure that you are signed in or leave a way to contact you in each comment):

- Like the Etsy Cloth Diaper team on Facebook
- Follow the Etsy Cloth Diaper team on Twitter

- Tweet about the giveaway (limit one per day) - be sure to use @etsyclothdiaper in your tweet

-Post about the giveaway on your own blog.

-Like My Cute Genes on facebook https://www.facebook.com/mycutegenes

-Follow @mycutegenes on twitter

-Follow mycutegenes on youtube

Giveaway closes at 11:59pm EST on December 28th.

Winner will be announced on this blog on Thursday, Dec. 29th.

A random blog comment number will be selected using random.org. You MUST comment on this blog post to be entered, and have contact info in your profile. Each entry entry must be its own comment. If you combine entries into one comment, it will only count as one entry. Winning entries will be validated, and you MUST do the required entry to have any additional entries be valid. Thank you for entering! 

Easy Baking with Kids-STAMPED Peanut Butter cookies

This is the most easy ,fast and VERY delicious cookie recipe your kids will LOVE to make with  you-

 STAMPED Peanut Butter cookies

To make the dough you'll need:

• 1 cup/ 280 gram Peanut Butter (smooth or with chunks )
• 1 cup /200 gram sugar
• 1  egg

Preheat oven to 180° C

Mix all the ingredients  together in a bowl 

With slightly wet hands form the mixture into small 3-4 cm balls. 

Place each ball   in a cookie sheet laid with parchment paper  (if the dough is to soft,put into refrigerator for about half an hour to firm )

and now...for the fun part...STAMPING the balls with your favorite stamp (any scrapbook stamp will do!

 Just make sure it's not to detailed  )

 Give your kid a stamp and let him/her press the middle of each ball with the stamp.

The balls will flatten and get the stamp's image on them-how cool is that

Now place them into the oven and bake for about 8 minutes. 

The cookies should firm around the edges ,but still remain light and soft in the center (DON"T bake them longer then 10 minutes ,otherwise they will become chewy)

Chill completely before serving! While hot,the cookies crumble pretty easily

Store in air tight container  at room temperature (that is if you won't eat them in the same day )

Diaper Pail Liners

ONE of the first things people ask about cloth diapers is:

What do you DO with the dirty diapers?

The answer to that is a Diaper Pail Liner. Some people use empty trash cans, plastic grocery bags or small wet bags, but the pail liner is the easiest and most convenient ways to store the dirty diapers. Not only do they come in a plethora of colors, but diaper pail liners also help to reduce smells. And since they are reusable, they eliminate the additional waste created with the use of grocery and trash bags.

Made with PUL fabric, which stands for “polyurethane laminated,” these bags hold in wet diapers and their odors. They are waterproof in the sense that they will hold dampness and wet diapers without leaking, not in the sense of “they can hold 7 gallons of water.” Easy to use, our diaper pail liners have with an elastic cording, they easily stretch over the edge of a diaper pail or trash can.

How do you USE a diaper pail liner?

Simply stretch the elastic cording over the edge of a trash can. Some people use conventional diaper pails for cloth diapers. Often times, diaper pail liners need to be custom ordered to fit these cans.

The other option for a diaper pail is a simple kitchen trash can. A lid is a major plus here. You can use a 13 gallon can or even smaller. We use a 7 gallon can, similar to this one: http://www.sterilite.com/SelectProduct.html?id=470&ProductCategory=210§ion=3

It is low profile, holds 20-24 diapers, fits right next to the toilet and doesn’t take over the powder room. Placing it here allows us to clean the diapers with a diaper sprayer and place them directly into the diaper pail. Our washing machine is adjacent to the powder room, so this makes for a quick and easy job. We do use a hanging wet bag upstairs to store the “dirties” in, but always bring them downstairs to the diaper pail before washing.

You can buy the pail liner or the diaper pail first, each way is fine. It can be easier to buy the pail liner first, and then take it with you to shop for a diaper pail or trash can. This eliminates hours of searching and waiting for a custom bag. Just remember to buy a trash can with a lid. It keeps the smells down.

How do you WASH a pail liner?

To wash the diapers, just remove the lid, lift the diaper pail liner out of the can, and turn it inside out over the washing machine and let the diapers fall in. Toss the pail liner in with your diapers. Wash and dry with your diapers. It’s that easy.

How MANY diaper pail liners do you need?

Another pail liner tip I learned is to buy 2 diaper pail liners. Let’s face it, a wash routine can take hours. By the time you rinse the diapers, wash them 2 times, wait for them to dry, and read Parenting magazine, feed the family, nurse the baby, vacuum and mop the floor, you can have 3 or 4 dirty diapers piling up (on your freshly cleaned floors), just waiting for a clean pail liner to come out of the dryer.

I’m sorry – did you say you TRAVEL with cloth diapers?

The other awesome use for 2 pail liners is travel. Yes, I said it. TRAVEL. We think nothing of traveling to Grandma’s house or getting on an airplane with cloth diapers. The hardest part for me is storing the abundance of clean AND dirty diapers in my car, at Grandma’s house or in my luggage. (Public Disclaimer: I only put clean diapers in the luggage – although I always laugh when I see an inspected tag on the suitcase with the diapers! Ha! Wonder what that poor TSA agent was thinking while looking at a bag of diapers!)

Having 2 pail liners can make traveling with baby and cloth diapers easier. And a side note: they make completely awesome and HUGE beach bags for pool and beach trips! Wet towels and suits all go in until we find somewhere to wash!

Diaper Pail Liners are indispensible in the cloth diapering world and can easily be found for under $20.00. For the benefits, it’s worth the investment.

Fleece Longies from Kissing Bunnies Cloth

I recently talked with Michelle of Kissing Bunnies Cloth.  I was really interested to know about using fleece for diaper covers, etc.  She makes some really cute fleece longies as well as diapers and other items in her Etsy shop.  She first started using fleece as she has a wool/lanolin allergy.  It works and is waterproof because it is made from polyester, the weave is so tight that it is both waterproof and breathable. The pattern she uses  is from  Christine Stevens, another etsy mom.  Michelle says, "  I really like her longie pattern because it is slim on the legs and still allows the child to wear a cloth diaper or none at all."  After trying many types of diapers and doing some embroidery (so much that her machine died!), Michelle discovered fleece longies, she says they make fantastic all day pants, or overnight pants.  

Michelle has been sewing for a long time, and started sewing diapers when her little man was about 4 months old.  A back injury has kept her from doing many things that she used to, so sewing has become her way of keeping busy while staying at home with her children.  I like how she puts it, "I sew almost everyday, it is kinda like my zen. Keeps me calm and rational with my back issue and my lack of movement.  My body may be much quieter than it once was but my heart will just not let me stop. Got to keep busy somehow! This is my solution."

Michelle now sells exclusively on Etsy and at craft fairs. I asked her what she loves about selling her creations,

she replied, "I love that people buy my items. I really love that people sometimes find me and come back to see what else I have made. I love being able to stay home with my little man and keep him out of daycare, and still supplement my fabric stash. " 

 Please check out her fleece longies, wrap diapers and all her different creations in her Etsy shop Kissing Bunnies.   

Treasury Tuesday - Mountain Lodge Style

'Etsy Cloth Diapers - Mountain Lodge Style' by SweetBobbins

All you need is a few items from this collection, a bunch of snow, a cabin, and a wooden sled and you have a Cloth Diapered Baby - Winter Lodge style. :-) All of these items were chosen for their color, style and coziness. Enjoy!

High Glycerin and Shea ... WeeEssentials $4.00	Upcycled Wool Soaker Co... Myecobaby $18.00
Wool Diaper Cover, Red ... bundlesofjoy $21.00	Recycled Wool Longies D... chickadeeandme $35.00
Wool Diaper Covers sz. ... PettiBearKIDS $38.00	Cloth Diaper One Size F... LittleBoppers $26.75
Black, Cream and Grey, ... rebourne $17.50	Knit Wool Longies and H... JillyBeanJar $60.50
MamaBear Wool Pull On C... MamaBearBabyWe... $3.50	Upcycled Wool Longies S... Myecobaby $25.00
Recycled Wool Longies, ... just2cuteacces... $18.00	Fleece Diaper Liner - r... KidsCuteture $1.25
Recycled Wool Longies, ... just2cuteacces... $18.00	Reversible Wool Soaker ... FloraGayle $16.00
Recycled Wool Shorties,... just2cuteacces... $16.00	MEDIUM jar - UNDYED - M... WeeEssentials $7.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

Meet the Team

Where did you get the name for your shop?

Sweet Bobbins is made up of 3 main people, husband and wife team Michael, Angela and our cousin, Rene.

Sweet Bobbins is actually a funny name. My niece, who was living with us at the time, saw a little boy getting a spanking in a parking lot. She asked me what was going on. I said the little boy must have been very naughty to get a spanking in a parking lot. She looked up at me with her giant brown eyes and said with all the sweetness a 3 year old can muster in the midst of fear, "Oh Auntie, please don't spank my Sweet Bobbin!!"

I'd been looking for a shop name and while relaying the story to Grandma, I thought – Oh, perfect! Sweet Bobbins! It’s a great reference to sewing and it’s a family story- we all still laugh about it to this day!

Is it big business or a hobby?

These days, it’s becoming a big business. We just hit our 1800th sale on Etsy this week. We have a few local moms that help Angela out with cutting and organizing. We are currently in 10 boutiques in 4 countries! We are still running out of our homes, mainly Michael and Angela’s house in the Seattle area, with Rene making nursing covers and diaper pail liners in South Carolina in her guestroom.

This week Sweet Bobbins Cloth Wipes were nominated for Cloth Diaper Accessory of 2011 by Padded Tush Stats. As a WHAM, it’s an honor to compete with some top national brands.

Sweet Bobbins started out with $40 and a serger. I was a new stay at home Mom, bored out of my mind with an almost 2 year old. I had just left an office job and found my hands WAY too empty. My daughter was able to self play, which meant I was able to play too! I bought a serger for a few hundred dollars from a friend, and started serging. I found it relaxing and started aking wipes for our own use. It didn't take long to start selling them. We simply reinvested what we earned and here we are today.

Why do you like selling on Etsy?

I love Etsy.com for the unique variety of goods sold. A favorite feature of Etsy includes the ability for customers to request custom items from sellers. We are lovers of custom items! It’s a great marketplace and we are surrounded by people who LOVE to create!

How long have you been sewing?

I was always around sewing growing up, but always refused to sew. Then, one day, a nephew was born into the family and I wanted to make something. That was about 7 years ago. I started out quilting. When my own daughter was born, I really began sewing with a friend. It was a time for me to relax on the weekends, unwind from work and make cute things for my baby girl. I pretty much taught myself how to sew via youtube.com. I still refer to youtube.com for sewing advice to this day.

What is your favorite thing to make at the moment?

I love making Sweet Bobbins Cloth Wipes. Sometimes I just get "an urge to serge" so I pick up a stack of “blanks” and start serging away. It's incredibly relaxing to me. I love that sewing is measurable work. At the end of the day, you can look back and say, "WOW, I made all of this!"


What are you passionate about?

I love day trips. I pour all of myself into Sweet Bobbins, family and volunteering. Sadly, that is as deep as my current passion travels: down winding roads, past mountain streams and cascading waterfalls, over one lane wooden suspension bridges and into private vineyards. I love Washington State and I plan to see every square inch of it, and to taste every local wine, coffee, cheese and ice cream that I can find on my iPhone aps. Oh, and I really love coffee.

What is your favorite thing in your shop at the moment?

Our XL Hanging Wet Bags are my favorite item in the shop at the moment. For the mom not wanting to use a diaper pail, this is another option. It just hangs from a door knob or hook and is incredibly cute! These XL wet bags started out as a custom item. And we still offer them as custom items today! These are great for vacations, nurseries, sports gear, beach totes, hospital stays, and so much more! And they are seam sealed, which is a pro to any wet bag! Practical meets cute in this product!

Who is your inspiration?

Several people have inspired me. My Aunt Aline, who is also Rene’s mother, made custom wedding gowns when I was young. I used to sit in her sewing room looking at all the lovely lace trimmings and trying on Crinoline petticoats. Aline and Rene always amazed me with their creations. My Great Grandmother, Mamie was also a knitter and seamstress extraordinaire. In the 1940’s, she worked at Nelson’s knitting Factory making red heel stockings and sock monkeys. I inherited her knitting needles, buttons, and crochet hooks a few years ago. Today at Sweet Bobbins Seattle, the most important, beloved and indispensible tool we have is Great Grandma’s crochet hook.


Why is cloth diapering important to you?

We toyed with the idea of cloth diapering with our daughter. We tried it, but weren’t convinced. Then we did some simple math. When she was 6 months old, we switched to cloth and NEVER went back! We used one size pocket diapers just for the savings for a longer fit.
For us, cloth diapering meant saving money on diapers and the trash bill. Our water bill NEVER went up from the additional 2 loads per week. We saw cloth diapering as a win-win situation. It helped our environment, our finances and our daughter’s skin. It also is what started Sweet Bobbins. I don’t have many friends who cloth diaper, but they always say, “Wow! Had I known there were products like these, I would have considered it more!” Cute, modern products and an increase in education are bringing Cloth Diapering into the mainstream again. And we are excited to be part of that!

By: Angela Inman, Sweet Bobbins

Etsy Shop: http://www.%20sweetbobbins.etsy.com/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SweetBobbins

Blog: http://www.sweetbobbins.com/

Instagram: Sweet Bobbins

Twitter: @Sweetbobbins

The Eco Mom from MaMaJo diapers

As a Mom, I strive to keep things simple, eco friendly and thrifty.  Luckily, these concepts usually coexist, thus making my life much easier.  For a first time mom, it is easy to get caught up in the shopping frenzy that makes many moms to be empty their pocket books. But I say, keep it simple and have things do double duty.  Bath towels make excellent changing pad covers- they are super easy to use, you always have plenty on hand, and they have the added bonus of being super absorbent. The bath towel also works really well to go from bath, to changing pad (who needs the fancy and expensive bath robes for little ones)??  For toddlers, I find PJs a bit of a waste. Sweatshirts and pants work wonderfully for bedtime, and serve double duty for comfy clothes around the house. And if they are fleece, put them over 2 pairs of cotton training pants and you have a great, inexpensive potty training system.  Wipes and washcloths could also be used interchangeably. Done with those small prefolds?  Use them as doublers, cut them up to make washcloths or better yet, use them as fantastic cleaning cloths around the house.

When things are simple and home made, they usually are more natural, have no packaging, and cost pennies when compared to their store bought counterparts.  My all time favourite eco tip and child friendly activity is PLAYDOUGH.  I grew up with my mom making us playdough on a regular basis, and I have passed on this tradition to my own children. Home made playdough is much more fun as it tends to be a little softer, and stay that way longer.  Plus, you can make all kinds of cool colours and smells.  Traditionally, the recipe calls for food colouring but I much prefer adding Tang or Cool Aid crystals for colour, texture and wonderful aromas.

Here is the traditional recipe that I have always used:

1 cup water

3 teaspoons of Cream of Tartar

1 cup of flour

1 package of Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)

1 tablespoon of cooking oil

1/2 cup of salt

Mix dry ingredients in a large/medium pan. Add water and oil. Stir over medium heat until it looks like dough. Whatever the color of koolaid used should be the end result. This takes about 5 minutes.  (Please see these gorgeous pictures that I am borrowing from a fellow blogger).  

Here is a new, no cook recipe that works very very well ( maybe better than the traditional recipe)

Uncooked Play Dough

2 cups of plain flour
4 tablespoons of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of cooking oil
1 cup of salt
2 cups of boiling water
food colouring or Cool Aid Crystals *

Just pop in the mixing bowl and mix.  It looks like it wont mix well at first, but hang in there and it will. Just throw it onto the counter to knead and it will come together nicely.

*Add peppermint oil for a great smell and even longer lasting playdough.

Now if you really want to mix things up and have loads of fun, I suggest this site that I found while writing this blog   http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/

Please enjoy with your kids.  And if they eat it- dont worry, it is non toxic!!


If you have any questions you can convo. me at my shop


http://www.etsy.com/shop/MamaJodiapersandpads

December has come!

'December Theme Round 2' by NorthernMom

Here we go again to celebrate Team Etsyclothdiaper's creations for the month.

Oh Deer - Small OBV AI2... HoldensLanding $32.00	Sweet Deer - 12x12 Swee... SweetBobbins $16.50
Pretzel Reindeer - Smal... HoldensLanding $30.00	Medium Reindeer Appliqu... LagamorphLoung... $18.00
OS Pocket Diaper- Rudol... CutesyTushies $15.00	Rudolph The Red Nose Re... CutesyTushies $16.00
Hoos in the Forest - 12... SweetBobbins $16.50	OS Pocket Diaper- Reind... CutesyTushies $15.00
Recycled Wool Longies, ... just2cuteacces... $18.00	Woodland Christmas - To... HoldensLanding $44.00
Christmas Waterproof Bi... DillonandClair... $6.50	Christmas Tree Print OS... 3monkeysclothd... $16.00
diaper cover one size -... Zookies $19.00	handsewnbyme 1 Fitted C... handsewnbyme $8.00
One-Size Fitted Cloth D... ClothDiaperClu... $15.00	Print Fleece Diaper Cov... londonware $7.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.