Hello!
It has been weeks since I added a post, and since the last post I have been super busy sewing and selling!  Alexis and I sold all of my cloth diapering products at the happybottumus diaper swap, and they were very well received.  In fact I pretty much sold out of wet bags and wipes.  It was super fun to actually talk to people and tell them about my designs and hear about their cloth diapering needs and wants.  One of the wants was a diaper bag that would accommodate all the necessities of cloth diapering, I have started creating a few and posted a picture of my first design.  Check it out here or at my Etsy shop.  Please read on if you are interested in cloth diapering, my friend Rebecca Liang of MomBecks.com talks about her journey to cloth diapering.  Check out her store also, she has some great diapering products. and now.... here's Becky!

    When I started cloth diapering 10 years ago out of necessity (i.e. groceries or diapers) I just assumed the only cloth diapers were what they sold at Wal-Mart. So, with $30 to “invest” in cloth diapers, that’s where I headed. Of course the only diapers they had, and still have, at Wal-Mart are the horrible Gerber diapers. Seriously, I can’t believe they are wasting their time and valuable resources on those things. I got my 2 dozen prefolds and 6 plastic pants and headed home to dive into cloth diapering pins and all! (Cloth diapers were a lot cheaper back in the olden days) Of course it didn’t take long to realize that the plastic pants would only last through a few washes before they got holes and I’d have to buy more, and they leaked everywhere and left horrible scratch marks on my baby’s legs. Then there was the issue of what to do with all those dirty diapers at home and when we were out. And I hated wasting money on disposable wipes, but I had no idea there was such a thing as cloth wet wipes because Wal-Mart didn’t carry them. I’m sure I could’ve found something better online, but this was in the day of dial-up internet and I couldn’t leave my child unattended for days on end waiting for each page to load. So I just stuck with what I had.
    Needless to say, cloth diapers have come a long way in the last 10 years! There are more options and accessories than you could ever need! It’s amazing how beautiful diapers have become, and how easy they are to use. But, there is still the same issue of what to do with all those beautiful dirty diapers. For many years I got by with using grocery bags in both the pail and the diaper bag. But I found they didn’t do such a great job of keeping in smells or wetness. I had bags suddenly tear apart on the way to the washing machine spilling dirty diapers everywhere. Can you say YUCK! Cheap me, I knew there were nice pail liners and pretty wet bags but I thought they were a waste of money. So I just kept toting around my smelly grocery bags. I also noticed my diaper pail mysteriously getting stinkier and stinkier.
    Then one day I was shopping online at a diaper website and saw they had free shipping on their wet bags so I bought one. Revelation! I had no idea what I was missing out on! It was so nice to be able to have a PUL bag with a zipper! No more tying plastic bags, and it actually kept the smells in. On top of all that it was just so cute!
    After this eye opening experience I decided to give pail liners a try. Again, revelation! Since I purchased a front loader I had been dreading loading my diapers into the washer because they would inevitably spill out on the floor. It was so gross and frustrating! And like I mentioned before, my diaper pail was always smelly. Since I started using a real pail liner the diaper pail no longer reeks! Seriously, I haven’t changed anything else but the liner – same diapers, same detergent. I’m not a scientist but I’m thinking that the ammonia in the urine was reacting with the plastic grocery bags in a bad way. Other people have noticed it as well – my mom, my husband, my sister, and even my kids. I had a customer come for a consultation last week who was checking out how I have my baby’s diaper station set up and she said, “Wow! Your dirty diapers don’t even stink!” Proof in the pudding.
    Lastly, can I say what a difference cloth wet wipes make. You wouldn’t use paper towels to wash your dishes would you? Why use paper wipes to wash your baby’s bum? My sister-in-law just started using cloth and one of the things she loves most is the wipes! They do an infinitely better job and are soo much softer than disposables. I really think using cloth wipes is a lot easier when you’re using cloth diapers anyway. They just get thrown in the pail with everything else. I just keep a squirt bottle with water on the changing table and wet a wipe down whenever I need one.
I would have to say that even though wet bags, pail liners, and wet wipes are classified as accessories, I really think of them as necessities. Anything that makes life that much easier IS necessary.

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  Well Spring is finally here.  I was reminded of its coming by the Crocus that faithfully popped up in our front yard.  They are so nice and cheery to look at as were were shoveling, hoeing and turning over the winter rested soil in our vegetable garden.  I like gardening, how about you? Whether it be a small flower bed, or a big huge vegetable garden, there is a certain satisfaction in seeing something you chose and plant thrive and grow into a beautiful plant.  This year we are biggering our vegetable garden by just a bit for a couple reasons. Economic times are a little tight for us so growing some of our food is a good way to alleviate the grocery budget. More importantly however, is the fact that we can grow most everything organic. In a world that is so filled with chemicals, additives and of course the threat of nuclear fallout, it is nice to know where your food is coming from.  And of course there is nothing like a homegrown tomato fresh out of the garden.      
   I am excited to see our garden grow this year as I have been doing a lot of reading about companion planting. GH Organics has a great list on their web site with lots and lots of vegetables and flowers that compliment each other by repelling bugs, improving taste or helping to keep weeds down.  They also tell you what NOT to plant in close proximity.  This is a portion of what the web site says about potatoes... Horseradish, planted at the corners of the potato patch, provides general protection. Alyssum makes a perfect living mulch for them. Don't plant these around potatoes: asparagus, cucumber, kohlrabi, parsnip, pumpkin, rutabaga, squash family, sunflower, turnip and fennel. Keep potatoes and tomatoes apart as they both can get early and late blight contaminating each other. With all this in mind we are keeping records of what we plant and trying to have a healthier, happier garden through companion planting.    
  Back to the Crocus....I can't help but post a sweet picture of our little grand baby sprout wearing the newest vintage upcycled dress I made her.  My daughter in law and I are preparing to launch a new Etsy store for vintage and upcycled baby and toddler clothes.