Winter White by the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team

'Winter fluff' by bananabottoms

Winter fluff by the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team. Search etsyclothdiapers for more cute fluff :)

Sled Dogs - Medium Organic B... HoldensLanding $48.00	NEWBORN Wool Soaker, Basket ... BrightRoseCrea... $25.00
SALE - Sweet Bobbins Cloth W... SweetBobbins $27.00	X-Large Hanging Wet Bag for ... LilStuff $26.50
Winter Birds- 12x12 Sweet Bo... SweetBobbins $17.00	Newborn Winter Ooga Booga ma... bananabottoms $17.00
crochet wool soaker longie -... GotEmCovered $50.00	Snow Pals - M/L Organic Bam... HoldensLanding $42.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Meet the Team: JanesCraftyCorner

Meet the Team: JanesCraftyCorner

With Jane K.

By Clarissa C. of GreenBeansDiapers

 

*When did you learn to sew and what do you like to make most?

I learned to sew in junior high in home economics. I like to sew crafty things.  

*How long have you been cloth diapering, what made you decide to use cloth and do you have any advice for newbies?
 I have been cloth diapering for almost 3 years now. My youngest is my bonus baby and a total surprise. It made economic sense for us to cloth diaper this child. Since I am now a stay at home mom it was easier to research and learn about cloth diapers. One of my close friends had started to use cloth diapers so she also helped me through the process.

-Advice for newbies: Two things. First, It is really not that hard to cloth diaper. It is NOT grandma's diapering system anymore. Once you get your washing routine down, it is no different than using sposies. Secondly, don't give up while researching all of your choices. There are so many options with cloth diapers today. 

*Favorite materials to use when making your diapers or other items?
 I make simple designs and use mostly cute cotton prints. I am not partial to certain designs. If a fabric gets my attention then I grab it.

*Where can we find your items on Etsy? Do you have Facebook, twitter etc?
Jane's items can be found in her Etsy shop at www.janescraftycorner.etsy.com and also on Facebook under the name Janes Crafty Corner

My Kids' Favorite Bread Recipe

Almost Wonder Bread Recipe

Posted on July 6, 2012 by Samantha

My kids like Wonder Bread. It's nutritionally worthless, so I don't buy it, but it's fluffy and hints and childhood joy. So I took my go to bread recipe and looked to see what I could change to make it more kid appealing and then did a little research on white breads.

                                     

Obviously the oats had to go, but I refused to revert to sugar in place of honey. Most of the recipes called for powdered milk, so we added that and played with the flour ratios. My first experiment didn’t have enough whole wheat to make me happy, but it was super squishy. After a few more tries I think I have a good “kid” bread recipe to fall back on when the kids get bored of the ole standby.

Ingredients (makes 2 loaves):

2 cups warm water

1 TBS yeast

1/2 cup oil

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup dry milk

2 cups WW flour (if you find your bread too dense reduce this by a cup and increase the all purpose flour)

4-5 cups AP flour

- Proof yeast by combining with water and letting sit for 5 minutes
- Add oil and honey
- In another bowl combine dry ingredients. I start with 4 cups of the bread flour and add the extra later.
- Mix dry ingredients with wet. If it’s still sticky add additional flour in 1/4 cup measurements. Higher humidity days will require more and dryer days will use less.
- Once combined knead for 10-15 minutes. Some breads I can just mix and go, but I find this one requires the kneading.
- Place in lightly oiled bowl and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes
- Lightly grease bread pans
- Divide dough into pans and let rise 30-45 minutes
- Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, until golden
- Slather top with butter while still warm

Submitted by Samantha at Turk & Bean

Thursday Theme - On location!

'Polar Bears and Penguins - Arctic Theme!' by BrightRoseCreations

This collection is inspired by those wonderful animals that live in our coldest climates. A great selection for you and your baby. Have fun looking. Search tag etsyclothdiapers to find more great items from our team members.

Medium Fleece Longies featur... bananabottoms $16.00	Sled Dogs - Medium Organic B... HoldensLanding $48.00
CLEARANCE Two Fleece Diaper ... bananabottoms $16.00	Bear Baby Pins Diaper Hugger bbybugboutique $6.00
SALE - Sweet Bobbins Cloth W... SweetBobbins $27.00	Polar Bear Print Fleece Dia... londonware $7.00
Blue Teddy Bears Diaper Hugg... bbybugboutique $6.00	One Size Fitted Cloth Diaper... monkeytoediape... $12.50
One Size Pocket Diaper - Bum... HippyChicDiape... $16.50	Bear Paw Print Fleece Diaper... londonware $7.00
Newborn Winter Ooga Booga ma... bananabottoms $17.00	All in 2 Newborn/Small Diape... Letjoy $17.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

Meet The Team with RebelCoth!

MEET THE TEAM

with Denise F. RebelCloth

By Clarissa C. of GreenBeansDiapers

This edition of "Meet the Team" is with shop owner Denise F. of RebelCloth. She is another of the newest members to our team and we are thrilled to have her and me, even more so, to be the first to get to know about her!

How did you come up with the name for your shop?
The way I make these diapers is unlike any available - They are not typical and I refused to use the "normal" kind, a bit of rebellion! When I would talk with my friends about it (before my business) I would say how I was going to cloth diaper Nixon, MY WAY - the REBEL way. So, when it was time to name my shop/business I thought it was perfect.

How long have you been making/selling cloth diapers?
I've been making them for about a year. I started when I was pregnant with Nixon (our third son) but I didn't start to sell them until June of last year.

How long have you been sewing?
About 7 years - but that was just mostly baby blankets as shower-gifts. I've only recently become an avid sewer.

What is your favorite thing to make right now?Why?
The RC snapped waterproof cover! I love how they look when I'm done with them. At first I was leery of the snap (only used snappi/boingo) but my customers have swayed me!! Plus, the snaps ON the cover just make it look complete.

Favorite materials to use?
My ultimate favorite materials are hand-me-downs! I LOVE making upcycled t-shirt diapers/covers; what a perfect way to showcase my 'green' belief. I have three boys - so we have quite a bit of cool hand-me-down shirts. Family & friends have supplied me with lots of shirts/pants to convert. 

Why did you choose cloth diapers and what advice do you give to those considering using them?
1. Environment. I was astonished at the knowledge I gained when I was considering cd. Disposables are so incredibly bad for our Earth. I already used them with our first two children, no way was I going to contribute to that mess again.
2. Cost. The average cost to use disposables/wipes on ONE baby is $2,000. I was able to make my "stash" for less than $75. When I realized that and how simple it was to make them was when I chose to sell them. I wanted to share with other parents the EASE of cloth diapering. RC diapers can be thrown in with your regular wash, there are NO special instructions/detergents. There is no "stuffing" diapers after they have been washed. And the main RC plus is my covers are WATERPROOF. This means baby can wear just ONE cover ALL DAY LONG. All you change is the soiled insert!

 What made you decide to sell on Etsy and join the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team?
I knew Etsy would allow me to get WWW exposure and I knew it would be a great launch pad for my business. I wanted to join the team because I knew parents would be searching your team and not necessarily RC, this way they know we are together and they will have confidence in their purchase.

Do you have any specials or sales now or coming up?
I often have promo codes for upcoming holidays. I always make them known on my facebook/instagram pages. Also, if you order through facebook via the link to "my etsy shop" you will automatically get 10% off.

Where can we find your items? Do you have a Facebook page?
My etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/RebelCloth
My facebook page: www.facebook.com/rebelclothnow
Instagram Account: @3Trolls (personal photos plus RC)
Twitter: @rebelclothnow

I absolutely LOVE doing custom orders!! For example, I'm in the process of a whole system for TRIPLETS. Mom knows they will be too small for the 'average one-size' so she asked me to make them smaller. I made 12 snapped covers small enough for 3lb babies! They are adorable. She wanted 8 girl print, 4 boy - so I just went shopping and picked out 12 different adorable prints and went to work! I love that. She is getting: 12 snapped covers, 90 inserts, 48 cloth wipes & 2 12oz. bottles of my lavender baby-bum spray. These triplets are going to have the cutest little tooshies around. I can't wait to see pics. When people order systems instead of a la cart, I always discount it. When people want something custom I ask they convo me and we work something out. It's awesome.

Winter Wonderland

'In the Land of Ice and Snow' by kaimedeiros

A treasury celebrating the Etsy Cloth Diaper Teams January theme of White/ Arctic.

X-Large Hanging Wet Bag for ... LilStuff $26.50	Polar Bears - Toddler AI2 Cl... HoldensLanding $34.00
6 Fleece Liners for Cloth Di... JanesCraftyCor... $5.00	Penguins Cotton Buggie Boo bbybugboutique $6.00
Wool Soaker Shorts, size lg LayBebeLay $18.00	Upcycled 100% Wool Baby Boot... Myecobaby $28.00
Polar Bear Print Fleece Dia... londonware $7.00	NEW Medium Fitted Cloth Diap... CheekyBunz $17.00
Winter Penguins Wipes- Set o... SweetBobbins $5.50	MEDIUM Repurposed Wool Soake... ClothDiaperClu... $14.00
Custom Order Plum Night Diap... monkeytoediape... $5.00	Snowman Face- OS Embroidered... CutesyTushies $18.00

Treasury tool supported by the dog house

DIY: Make at Home Laundry Detergent

DIY: Make at Home Laundry Detergent

Quick, cheap, safe for cloth diapers!

Whether you are concerned about being ecologically sound, worried about skin and allergy sensitivities, or just cheap like me (my dad would say "frugal"), making your own household cleaning products just makes sense (and cents)! One of the easiest places to start saving money and help protect sensitive skin is with laundry detergent - a natural choice if you cloth diaper!

Here is a great recipe for making your own inexpensive, effective laundry soap. This is a low-sudsing soap, perfect for HE and front loading washing machines. All you need are a few easily found ingredients, a food processor, and about 10 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 - 14 oz (or 2 - 7 oz) Bar of Zote, Ivory, or Fels Naptha soap
2 cups Borax (found in the laundry detergent aisle of most supermarkets)
2 cups Washing Soda (NOT baking soda, though I've heard you can make washing soda by baking baking
            soda on a shallow tray at 425 degrees) also available in most supermarkets in the laundry or
            household cleaning products
(Optional) 
1 mL Essential Oil of choice.
            I recommend lavender, tea tree, eucalyptus, or orange oil

Directions:

Cut bars of soap minimally to fit in food processor. 

Process soap lightly to big chunks in Food processor. 

Add other dry ingredients 1 cup at a time (order doesn't matter), process each addition for about 30 seconds. 

 
Add essential oil. Process to desired consistency. 








Pour into moisture-resistant container. I use a coffee scoop to measure it out.

 

Great for HE washers!! Use 1-2 Tbsp per load. If using for cloth diapers you might add 1/4 cup of vinegar or 1/4 cup of baking soda to every other or every 3rd load (I find it works best to alternate between the two as each seems to have different properties) to "strip" the diapers, keeping them at their freshest and most absorbent.

Cost Breakdown:

Cost: about $1.50/batch
1 batch = approx 40 loads
= about $.04/ load