Thursday, April 23, 2015

Snugabums Review and GC Giveaway

Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.. Open US & CA only must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law.  Giveaway Sponsor will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising

I was given the chance to try Snugabums fitted diapers at a discount in exchange for a review.  I'm SO glad I jumped at the chance!

I now understand why other cloth moms call their diapers "fluff". Before now we've had pockets and AIOs, and to me they were "just diapers" I opened this package  and my instant response was "its so fluffy!" Hmmm, that could explain the term "fluffbum", doncha think? LOL

From first sight I was in love and after the first night, I was addicted! Lil Buckaroo was waking up with a wet sleeper at least once a night before snugabums, now he sleeps up to 7 hours and its ALL CONTAINED!

I use a Bummis cover with my fitted
and it makes a good combination.
Snugabums has a cover that I'm sure someday I'll add to my stash, for now I was just focusing on the fitted.
Snugabums is run by a WAHM and she does an excellent job!  My diaper (I've gotta quit calling it that, people are gonna start looking at me funny...) is very well made with a woven cotton outer  (I chose the print) and an inner of Velour. It came with two inserts, one that snaps in and one that lays in. The inserts are made of the same material as the inner diaper.
It arrived wrapped like a present
Which of course made opening that much more exciting!

Even after several washes "the diaper" still looks good!


I did an interview with Jais, the owner of Snugabums, to find out more about her:



Interview Questions.
1. Tell me a little about yourself and your family.
We are 6 strong followers of Christ. We homeschool, love music, and spending time together. I've always loved sewing. Ironically did not ever get that chance to try until around three or so years ago.

2. How did you get into sewing cloth diapers?

 How I got into cloth sewing. Funny story. It started because of "snugamitts" which arrived out of SHEER frustration. When we found out we were pregnant with this last baby I DREADED the thought of baby mittens and had bad dreams about the scratching on the face. Literally. I don't know why it was so "dramatic". lol  Could have been the pregnancy hormones or, even better, divine intervention, but nonetheless it was brutal and kept me up at night. So my heart became set on making mittens for our baby that would stay on and not fall off!!! But, I'm like wait "I cant sew"!   LOL  So I prayed about it. That same night (I'm a dreamer btw) in a dream,  I kid you not, I was given a pattern from scratch and a real live tutorial if you will, as to how to make them with specific details. I woke up and wrote it all down in my journal. The next day I told hubby all about it, and went and bought way more fabric than necessary. Even the logo was given to me. so I used the machine I had just sitting around waiting for some attention, and went to it!  "Success" on the first try.   Not the third, fourth and fifth  so much, but I persevered and voila.
 Turns out that at that same time we were researching home births and while doing so, came across cloth diapers. We never knew you could make your own, just knew we wanted to save money.  In the meantime, hubby suggested we make "snugamitts" for the pregnancy center in our area and do charity. I was like wow that's a great idea. I did, there became a demand, and we started selling. Ironically, we just happened to be in a financial crisis at that time, so it all worked out.  God makes no mistakes. Like ever! So anyway, we went downtown and made it official and "Snugabums"was born. We wanted a company rooted on good
old-fashioned morals; with quality and affordability all in one. There was a lot to learn along the way, it's been tough and SOOOOO many times I've wanted to quit. But God has used this platform to allow me to lead someone to Christ,  "an atheist at that", so I'm so grateful. If nothing else I can say it was worth it because of that one soul.!! But, I've made friends along the way, helped our family, and hopefully started a legacy. That to me is priceless.

3. What kinds of diapers do you make and what's your favorite to use? to make?

 Our newest additon is the "Snugabums Scholars" It features our equally new Snugabum Elite diaper, which is the ultimate cloth diaper. It has 10 features all in one. It is a pocket, an ai2, and an ai1 with the drying time of a pocket. We make pockets, fitteds, AI1, AI2, inserts, cloth wipes, snugamitts and wetbags, to name a few ;)

My favorite thing to make would have to be ALL of My favorite thing to make would have to be ALL of it.. although I DO have a sweet sweet spot for our 'preemies".  All but one of our children were preemie so it has a special place in my heart (the preemie line) They come in 4 amazing colors, are heat sealed for hospital grade protection and can stay sterile until opened by the parent/hospital staff.

4. What types of materials do you use? I saw bamboo on your etsy page; what else do you use?

I like to use bamboo as you know, hemp, cottons,  microfleece and velour are the best.

5. What would you say is an average time that it takes you to make a diaper, start to finish, cutting and sewing? (Barring unavoidable "technical difficulties" )

 From the time someone places an order; say two to three diapers, the average time it takes to get from etsy to their door is 3 business days. When we are "packed with orders" which is sort of rare (we usually have a steady flow), 5 to 7 days is the total processing time. If something is on back order, 2 weeks depending on when I can get the supplies back in. Another rarity though.

6. What's something you'd like potential customers to know about you, your company and products?

I'd like potential customers to know that when we return we are indroducing the new Buy two gift one policy. Where for every two diapers they buy, one will be gifted to our local charity by us!! Also coming up is our Spring collection release along with a new Scholar Series launch!! Lots of glorious things planned in the future! Exciting!! But more importantly, I'd like customers to know that at the end of the day, we are a small company that just wants to be a blessing. We want our diapers to last as well as our friendships. We love babies and want nothing but the best for every single one. We are a baby company; babies come first. :)




Snugabums is generously giving away a gift certificate for $30 with this review so YOU have a chance to try these awesome diapers!



Entry-Form


Disclosure: All opinions are 100% mine. This giveaway is in no way associated with, sponsored, administered, or endorsed by Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest or any other social media network.. Open US & CA only must be 18+. Confirmed Winner(s) will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner will be drawn. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Sponsers will be responsible for product fulfillment to winner(s) of the giveaway. The disclosure is done in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 10 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Adventures in Cloth, On A Budget

A few of tips on how to add to (or start) your Cloth diaper stash without spending a huge amount!

http://www.theclothdiaperwhisperer.com/2015/04/adventures-in-cloth-on-budget.html?m=1

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Cleaning with Kitchen Cupboard ingredients!

I cleaned my bathroom today. Big deal right? Well it kind of WAS a big deal. You see Lil Buckaroo has started getting mobile, which as every mother knows means "into everything he isn't supposed to be"!
Well, because of the cleaners I was using, I was able to have him in the hallway next to the bathroom and not be worried about what fumes he (or I) was breathing in! (I also didn't have to panick the million and one times he tried to join me in there, although I did of course put him back where he started because, after all, I don't clean what isn't dirty! LOL)
Anyway I'm sure by now you're curious as to what I was using so here goes.
1) Baking Soda
2) White Vinegar
3) Orange Peel
4) Dawn Dish soap
5) Thieves Essential oil (for extra antibacterial muscle)

The main thing I used was a jar of orange peels with white vinegar poured over them that I've had sitting in my cupboard for a few weeks. I added 10 drops of Thieves to the jar this morning for extra muscle.

I made a paste of Dawn and baking soda then poured my orange oil into the bowl and dipped my sponge into the mixture and used that for the sink, floor and toilet!
I just made more of the mixture as needed.
Now my bathroom is clean and smells good too!

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Fluffiversary




WOW I am so excited and honoured to have been asked to spread some super cool news!
My all time favorite cloth diaper store (you know, the one where if someone asks what the baby needs you reply, "a gift certificate to..." ;) ), Kelly's Closet is turning 14 today!
To celebrate they're giving stuff away!
Today Kelly's Closet is adding one Wolbybug One Size Cover! Eeek!
If you haven't already, scoot on over to The Cloth Diaper Whisperer and enter the giveaway!!!

Here's the information you need to know, then scoot over to The Cloth Diaper Whisperer to enter! But come back here next week because I get to tell you what one of the gifts is!

Help us celebrate 14 years of cloth diapering with DiaperShops.com and Kelly’s Closet! Kelly’s Closet first opened its doors back in April 2001.  This was well before bumGenius, Rumparooz, GroVia and Thirsties even existed.  Kelly’s Closet is now home to almost 100 brands of cloth diapers, diapering accessories, and eco-friendly products for the entire family.  Kelly’s Closet is a small family business that reaches through the computer screen and engages with customers every day, providing cloth diaper education and support to thousands daily.For the next 14 days, Kelly’s Closet has partnered with some of their favorite brands and bloggers to bring you 14 days of giveaways, fun and prizes!  Each day there will be a new item added to the giveaway posted on The Cloth Diaper Whisperer and shared via our social fans.  Each giveaway will end at midnight ET on April 14th.Be sure to follow them both Kelly’s Closet & Diaper Shops social media pages for more chances to win.
Facebook: Kelly’s Closet - DiaperShops - Cloth Diaper Support Group - The Cloth Diaper Whisperer
 Twitter: @DiaperShops #kellyscloset #fluffiversary #clothdiapers
Instagram: @DiaperShops #kellyscloset #fluffiversary #clothdiapers
Pinterest: DiaperShops
YouTube: DiaperShops1
Be sure to thank the following brands for sponsoring the Fluff-iversary Celebration with their prizes.  Rumparooz, AppleCheeks, BALM! Baby, Moraki, Logan & Lenora, Tidy Tots, Rockin’ Green, Imagine Baby, Geffen Baby, aden+anais, WolbyBug, Sweet Pea Diapers, Kissaluvs, Funky Fluff, Smart Bottoms, Thirsties, Pink Lemonade and Lillebaby.
  Learn more about the bloggers and social fans that we’ve partnered with by following them below:
Amanda - The Eco Friendly Family
Sally - Exploits of a Military Mama
Meridith - Diary of a Nerdy Wife
Jenny - Cloth Diaper Revival
Mindy - The Inquisitive Mom
Allyson - Little and Loving It
Maria - Change Diapers
Ruth - Cow Girl Mama
Karla - Running on Eagles Wings
Tricia - Kelly’s Closet Staff
Stephanie - Kelly’s Closet Customer, Fan and Blog Contributor
Kim - Dirty Diaper Laundry
Ashley - Mabe with Love
Krystyn - Really Are You Serious?