Cosmetic Pads

 Like most women I use cotton balls in my personal care routine. I have recently started using witch hazel as a face toner in the evenings and my cotton ball consumption was ever increasing. This is not only a tax on the environment but also my pocket book. Now I know I am not going to save hundreds of dollars by not buying cotton balls, but I will save a few bucks which is better then nothing. In the past I used a few of my old baby receiving blankets to make tissues and they have worked wonderfully, so I thought I could also use receiving blankets to make cosmetic pads.

First decide on how big you want your pads. I just used a three finger width for mine.
Cut a strip from the blanket to your desired width.
Fold the strip into thirds. I made some in half, thirds, and fourths but I like the thirds best.
Cut the strip into squares. Each square will be made up of three pieces of fabric. Then cut each square into a circle by curving the corners. Cutting into a circle is not required but it makes sewing them together much easier.

Here is a picture of the blanket, the cut squares, and some cut circles. 

 Next using your sewing machine stitch together the three pieces of fabric. I use the over edge stitch which works quite well and does not use up as much thread as some of the tighter serge stitches.

 Cut off the excess thread and they are ready to use. To wash just throw them in with you regular clothes. If you are using them to remove something you fear might stain clothes be sure to wash them separately.

This is a really simple project and I am quite happy with the results. I will be making lots more for all of my cotton ball/cosmetic pad needs.

G-Diapers- Perfect for Travel

Another post I wrote a while ago, back in 2009.



I am a huge cloth diaper fan. I love them and I have tried just about every type out there. When traveling though cloth can be kind of cumbersome. They take up a lot of space in the luggage and sometimes you do not have access to a washing machine. I have done disposables during these times of travel and I have taken our cloth with us for travel as well. When planing our latest trip to Disney World I was looking for a better solution to our diapering problem. That is when I took a look at G-Diapers. They are a kind of hybrid disposable and cloth. None of the gross crunchy plastic stuff you have with disposables but none of the soiled diapers that constantly need to be washed.

A friend of mine was nice enough to let me try hers since they were not currently being used. I have now used them for 3 weeks of travel and I am very impressed. These are my current favorite for all travel needs. They are compact and you can buy them at many different places so you do not have to pack enough for the whole trip. Just remember to look on the site before you go to be sure there will be a store nearby that carries them.

During our trip we had a few episodes where the plastic inner got dirty, we would hand wash them in the sink and then hang them to dry. It worked perfectly. G-diapers also has cloth inserts you can use instead of the disposable ones. These would be perfect for at home use or for use when you have access to a washing machine.

Up Date on Cloth Diapers

I wrote this post back in 2008 a little over a year after I started diapers.

My Natural Babies

Sorry this is so long but I wanted to make an updated post on cloth diapering. It has been almost a year since I started using cloth and since I last posted on the subject. Over this time I have found that cloth diapers are very easy to use and I really wish I had started using them with Andon when he was born. It would have saved me a bunch of money.
I found with Brylynn I had to start with disposables we used Seventh Generation disposables for the first 3-4 weeks because she was so small. During this time she had a bad diaper rash that would not go away, but now she is in cloth all day and we no longer have a problem with diaper rash.

There are so many different kinds of diapers and when I first started out I did not know what to buy but now after using them for a year I have a good idea of what I like and do not like.

We use two types of diapers around here prefold cloth diapers with a cover and pocket diapers. The prefolds are the basic cloth diaper that has extra absorbency in the middle section. Over the prefolds we use a Wonder wrap cover which is a cloth diaper cover with a waterproof layer. The Wonder Wraps are a one size cover so although they are slightly bulkier they will fit a child from 9-35 lbs. They fit both Brylynn and Andon. I have not tried every type of cover but of the ones I have tried Bummis, Imse Vimse, and Wonder Wraps. They are the ones I like the best.
The pocket diapers we have used with Andon are the Fuzzy Bunz, I tried the one size BumGenius but did not care for them. With Brylynn I bought a pocket diaper called Pocket Change and loved them. They are a lot like the Fuzzy Bunz but they come with an extra insert and they have an opening at both ends. You never have to pull the insert out because they come out on their own in the wash. These are my new favorite. If I was to start from scratch with cloth I would probably just buy the Pocket Change diapers and nothing else.
For any one starting out with cloth I would suggest buying one of the trial sets that includes many different kinds of diapers so you can find your favorite.

For Andon we use a prefold with a diaper cover (pins are not needed) during the day. At night Andon wears a Fuzzy Buns pocket diaper with a prefold and an extra insert in it. Every once in a while the top of his pajama pants are a little wet but this is usually not a problem.

For Brylynn I have found I like a different combination. I use a Pocket Change diaper on her during the day because they are trimmer then the prefolds and cover on her little body. At night since I am changing her every time she wakes to eat we are using the prefolds with a Wonder Wrap cover. I want to buy about 6 more pocket diapers to use with her.

For washing diapers I have recently realized that I should be using a different detergent then I am so I am doing some research on what I want to use. When we just had Andon we were only washing diapers about twice a week. Now with two in cloth we run a load every other day.

Brylynn in a Wonder WrapBrylynn in a Pocket Change diaperAndon in a Wonder Wrap

Cloth diapers

I wrote this post back in 2007 when I was pretty new to cloth diapers but it still holds true and is a good honest post about starting cloth diapers.

Andon in his cloth diapers
playing with Linc.

As some of you know we have switched to cloth diapers. I do not know why I did not start with them but oh well better late then never. When we first decided to try cloth I went looking at the websites and found there were many different choices. All in ones, pocket diapers, cloth with a cover, fitted cloth with a cover, and for each choice there were a number of different types.
We decided to go with cloth prefold diapers with diaper covers. We bought a number of different covers in order to find the ones we liked. It has been about two weeks and besides being bulkier then disposables it really is not a big deal. In fact Andon’s diaper pail and room do not smell at all now when it use to smell a lot when we were using disposables.

In case you are interested in the logistics (because I was)
Andon wears a cloth diaper folded in thirds with a diaper cover over it. The diaper cover is fabric with a waterproof layer so there is no leaking and no diaper pins. When he is wet we change the cloth diaper but not always the diaper cover. If the cover is wet then we hang it to dry and use later. When he is dirty we change the cloth diaper, use a cloth wipe sprayed with water, and if the cover is dirty then we rinse it and put it aside to wash. We dump the poop in the toilet and place the diaper and wipe in the diaper pail. I have been washing one load of diapers on Thursday and Monday (which is my regular laundry day). We have not started cloth at night although we will soon and I will be sure to let you know how things go.

Cloth Diapering: The Basics

Why use Cloth?

Cost

• Diapering one child from birth to toilet training costs only hundreds of dollars with cloth vs. thousands of dollars with disposables.
• The same cloth diapers you use with your first child can be used again with your other children.
• Cloth diapers and accessories in good condition can be resold when you are done with them.

Environment

• A child will typically go through 5,000 -8,000 disposable diapers from birth to toilet training but you only need about 5 dozen cloth diapers for the same period.
• Disposable diapers take up to 500 years to decompose and leach chemicals and human waste into the earth.
• Washing cloth diapers at home takes no more water then the amount a toilet trained child would use flushing.

Better for baby

• The chemicals used in disposables such as dioxin and sodium polyacrylate have been shown to cause cancer, birth defects, liver damage, and toxic shock syndrome.
• Cloth diapers allow for air circulation which helps keep baby’s skin healthier.

Types of Cloth Diapers

Pocket Diapers – place insert or prefold inside the pocket

All-in-One Diapers – most like disposables

Diaper Covers – place insert or prefold inside the cover

Prefold/Flat Diapers –fold and place inside a cover or pocket diaper

Inserts/Doublers – place inside a cover or pocket diaper

Cleaning your cloth diapers

Dirty cloth diapers, wraps, wipes, and diaper pail liner can be washed together in your washing machine. Washing diapers typically adds only 2-3 more loads of laundry a week.

When changing a cloth diaper solids can be dumped into the toilet no need to soak the diaper what ever does not fall off will be gone after washing.  

Normal Wash Routine

Use the longest wash cycle (usually includes a pre-wash cycle)

Use only 1-2 TBS of detergent (use detergent with no fabric softener, whiteners, or enzymes)

Use the rinse cycle twice (it is very important to rinse all detergent from the diapers)

Dry on low or high heat, depending on the type of diaper.

Out and About

Changing cloth diapers when out is as easy as using disposables, the only difference is you place the used diapers in a wet bag to wash later.

When going out I carry an extra diaper and wrap if needed, wipes, and a wet bag. I also always have extra diapers in my car.

What you need to start.

Diapers

About 2-3 dozen diapers and 4-6 covers depending on what type you are using.

Accessories

Diaper Pail – Any trash can with a lid will work.

Pail Liner – Get 2 so you always have one in the pail when the other is in the wash.

Cloth Wipes – Baby wash cloths work just fine.

Spray Bottle – Fill with water to wet the wipes.

Wet Bag – Carry with you for used diapers while out and about. Get at least 2.

Diaper Services

A diaper service will supply you with clean diapers and pick up and wash the dirty diapers for a monthly fee.

Resources on the net

http://www.theorganicreport.com/pages/59_diapers.cfm

http://www.mothering.com/articles/new_baby/diapers/joy-of-cloth.html

http://www.dy-dee.com

http://www.diaperpin.com

Online Shops

http://www.thanksmama.com

http://www.comfycozydiapers.com

http://www.wildflowerdiapers.com

http://www.cuddlebunz.com

http://www.bluepenguin.biz/

Natural Websites

http://www.terressentials.com/ingredientguide.html

http://www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

http://www.organicconsumers.org/purelink.html

http://www.vinegartips.com/

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/

Fabric Gift Wrap

I made a vow a a couple of years ago that I would no longer spend money on wrapping paper. I have always saved every gift bag and piece of tissue paper to reuse. Currently though I have a few Christmas bags and a whole lot of baby girl and baby boy bags. I use these when ever I can but I need to find another solution to gift giving. For this reason I have been looking into reusable gift wrap. Most of what you find out there is bags. I think the reusable bags are great for birthdays but under my tree I still like the look of wrapped boxes with pretty ribbon.

I found a tutorial here that had some good information on making gift wrap. I thought I would get different fabric for each child so there would be no need to label the gifts. I knew I needed to make gift wrap not only for Christmas but also for the kids birthdays. This is when I thought why not make it double sided so one side is Christmas and the other side is for birthday. For those not interested in making gift wrap try Etsy there are many sellers of reusable gift bags and gift wrap there.

Here is my double sided gift wrap tutorial:

Making at least 3 sizes of gift wrap small, medium, and large in order to be sure you can wrap a variety of things. I also have 4 very large fabric bags which I use for extra large items. My smallest wrap is 12"x18" and my largest is 3'x4'.

First choose 2 different fabrics. I used a strawberry fabric and a plain red.
Lay out the fabric with the right sides facing each other.

Decide how big you want your gift wrap and cut about 1/2 inch more on each side. I did not use any precise measuring. I just eyeballed it and cut out different size squares and rectangles from the fabric I had.

Fold the top layer of fabric in half. Place a ribbon about the length of the fabric across the bottom fabric where the top fabric is folded up. Pull a small amount of ribbon out beyond the fabric and fold the top fabric back down.

Pin the ribbon and the corners of the two fabrics together.
Sew around the fabrics leaving a small area not sewn in order to flip the fabric.

Flip the fabric so the right sides are out. Push out the corners as needed and then sew up the unsewn section.
You now have a completed fabric gift wrap.





How the wrap your gift.
Use the fabric gift wrap as you would paper. Lay it out and put the object you are wrapping in the middle. Fold up the sides without the ribbon.

Then fold in the corners and fold up the sides with the ribbon.

Depending on the size of the object you may be able to wrap the ribbon around to the front of the package or just tie the ribbon in the back.


This is the first tutorial I have ever written. If you have any question please post them below I will be happy to clarify anything confusing.

Here are a few pictures of our fabric wrap being used though the years at both Christmas and birthdays!

Please use reusable bags!

Why oh why do I still see so many people leaving the stores with plastic bags? Reusable bags are easy, convenient, and so much better for the world.

These are the best bags for grocery shopping I have the Pastel String bags and Stephen has the Neutral ones. 5 bags with a stuff sack to keep them all in they are perfect to keep in the car for all your shopping needs. I like the short handles best.

For produce I love my mesh bags I bought from here. They are the perfect size and they store in their own stuff sack which I have attached to my string bags stuff sack. They are see through and durable but could be considered on the small size. A couple of extra large ones would be a good idea to complete the set.

I also love to buy from the bulk section, no wasted packaging. For my bulk purchases I have these wonderful bags. They hold anything I need.

I have 2 of these that I love for throwing in my purse when I go into any store.

The bags above are just a few of the thousands of options you have in reusable bags. The trick is to really think about what you will use them for and buy accordingly. Here are 2 great places to start your search for reusable bags.

reusablebags.com

Etsy.com

Lunch Box

I spent today looking for an eco-friendly lunch box for the kids. I am thinking with our new schedual it would be best for me to pack them a lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday because we are usually out until lunch time. If I had something to easily pack a lunch for them in it would make my outings much easier. We already have a few things like our Klean Kanteens, some wrap-n-mats, and some other fabric sandwich wraps from Etsy. I love all of these things but I wanted a cohesive set that I can use to make lunches. I really like the Bento Box idea but I was not keen on plastic. From the reviews I read I do not think my kids could use it effectively, not to mention all the pieces I know that they would end up lost.


Today though I found this from Planetbox.



I am loving it and can not wait to get one for each of my kids.Basicaly it is a one piece Bento Box. The magnet are super cute as well (I just love the rainbow one).


I am hoping that they will last the kids a long time maybe even through elemtary school. They have a 5 year warranty on them which when you look at it it is only $12 a year if spread out over 5 years. Plus they are likely to last longer then that. It even has a carrying case that will fit our Kleen Kanteens. I just wish they had more colors to choose from in the carrying case.

Celebration Flags

I wanted to make reusable fabric flags for my children's birthday parties. After looking at many different tutorials I made these.


I started by buying 4 different types of fabric. I went with a light blue, green, and blue and green plaid, and a pink. I bought 2 yards of each fabric. I also bought about 8 rolls of an off white 2 inch ribbon.
I then cut out a triangle from cardboard. I decided on the size I wanted my flags and then made my triangle 1/2 inch bigger on all sides. Using chalk I traced the triangle on the fabric.



I then used my pinking shears to cut the triangles out.



Next I place two of the fabric triangles back to back and sewed around the bottom two sides of the flag. Leaving the top open.



Flip the triangle rightside out. It is helpful to cut the bottom of the triangle before you flip it so that there is less fabric on the inside, this will make the bottom point sharper. Next iron the triangle flat.



Next I folded the ribbon in half and ironed it. I then cut it into 3 foot sections, this was just long enough to cover the top of three flags side by side with enough extra to tie to another strip. I then burned the edge so it would not fray.



Next I placed three flags in the fold of the ribbon and pinned them there. I sewed across the ribbon to attach the flags.



Finally I tied three sets of flags together and placed them across the fence in the yard.



A not on why I put three together at a time. After finishing the individual flags I decided to put them in groups of three so that I could change the color schemes as needed. I can connect green and blue, or pink and green, or any combination that went with the party theme.

Eco friendly colds

With two little ones someone always has a running nose around here.
I do not like tissues for many reasons
1. I hate going through boxes of tissues
2. they always end up in the laundry and all over my clothes
3. babies tend to find the tissue box, pull out tissues, and rip them apart

I decided to do something about the tissue problem at our house. I did not want to go buy a ton of handkerchiefs so I looked around the house at what we had. We have a lot of receiving blankets that we are no longer using. Instead of just giving them away I thought I could use them. I have started by just cutting up a few with pinking shears. It is great. We now throw them in the wash instead of the trash. If they get left in a pocket there is no mess in the laundry. Bry can not make a mess with them.
I might sew some up into nice squares but for now the pinking shears work.

Cloth napkins

I started this blog to write about my experiences going green. Over the last year though I have posted mostly about my kids. Now I know we all love Andon and Brylynn but I am going to try to post more about my green life. I really want to encourage others by showing them how easy it can be to make better choices for themselves, their family, and the environment.

So with that in mind today I am thinking about my newest step at going green, cloth napkins. I have wanted to switch to cloth for a while now. For the past 2 weeks we were using the only 6 cloth napkins I had for our family. This obviously was not enough so the other day while I was out I found a ton of napkins on clearance at Bed Bath and Beyond. Every napkin I bought was $1 or less and I also got some placemats to go with my new napkins. Everywhere I go now I am looking for cute new napkins (I can see it becoming an obsession) I have also seen some cute napkins Etsy including ones just for children. I found that the cloth napkins are much easier for Andon to use and now he places his napkin on his lap at every meal. What more could I ask for then my 2 year old using a napkin correctly?

Our laundry room is right off the kitchen so after dinner when the napkins are dirty we just throw them in a basket for Monday’s wash. It is quite easy. We also got some more kitchen towels and have replacing our paper towels for almost everything. (We will still use paper towels for things like cat throw up) Last month we changed from using sponges to using dish cloths. My kitchen is getting very green.
I would have loved to buy organic cotton napkins but I had to settle for regular cotton because it is readily available and less expensive. Not everything can be done perfectly.

For those who only check my blog for the kids here are a few pictures for you.

Andon eating a popsicle (frozen organic apple juice) and helping dad vacuum


Bry loving bunny and sitting in the high chair ready to eat.