Wednesday, June 4, 2008

What Have We Been Up To...

You haven't seen many new things here at TeederToddlers lately because we have been preparing out Work At Home Mom world for the arrival of #2, our first baby boy. I will post the pics of the custom made and Target inspired baby bedding for little man as soon as we finish putting together the rest of the room. Yes, I know...so much to do and so little time. Still, no worries. It's coming together quite nicely.

Also, I'm one for taking something that already exists and making it better and I've been doing alot of that recently. My sewing pile has actually diminished to just a few projects that I may finish this week. I have been recreating some of the "lovely nursing pajamas" that I hung onto from the last time. Laugh all you want, if you've seen nursing gowns/pj's they aren't very cute and truthfully it is even hard to improve them...but I've been doing my best.

My hubs is none to thrilled to see those surfacing around here and I'm all for fighting the frump, but I'm also all for comfort and convenience...and if any of you do the breast feeding night shift, you know how much easier these things can be. So that is where we've been.

As things get settled with our new arrival we hope to be up and running again on cute and new posting. Please note, however that when we post pics of the baby's room project, we are more than capable of doing similar things for you. if you are particular and like the custom look for your babe's room, contact us via comment and let us know. We would love to help you prepare for the joy of your own new arrival!

Diapering

Those of you who know me personally, or have kept up with my personal blog...know that I have done the cloth diapering thing before. I actually really enjoyed the researching and creating that eventually went into making the cloth diapers that I created for my little one, M. Well, the time has come to experiment with this again.

I wrote off cloth diapering mostly because of diaper rash. I didn't start on M till she was a year old and by then, I'm afraid, her little bum was used to be high and dry. So doing the cloth thing even with the wicking and such didn't really seem to help much. So I gave as a donation to a local group, all of my previously used and perfectly washed cloth diapers. They were so great made from PUL and Hemp and so on...and they had been washed gently without fabric softener or bleach, with some baking soda and vinegar, and always line dried. But alas, none for the boy due anyday now.

Well, then I discovered these. Gdiapers. Check out their site and it just might change the way you do your diapering. The ingenious design is amazing. The snap in liner being the key if you ask me. I'm no earthy, hippie type...at least not that I think (though some may disagree) but I do find a great deal of value in doing my part for the environment. These diapers are amazing cause the refill insert things are flushable, and biodegradable by the end of 3 months or so. Seriously. Watch the video. So I'm kind of pumped about this possibility.

My dilemma here has to do with cost effectiveness vs. environmental friendliness. You see a disposable diaper takes about 500 yrs. to break down fully due to the plastic in its make up. These liners they use take about a quarter of a year to break down fully! What?! But they are a specialty thing and you don't often find coupons and such for these, so the cost is somewhat more than just buying disposables. I'm not really worried about convenience, cause I've done cloth diapering before and the convenience factor is really less of a big deal than you would think. So, I have a hard time justifying more from my already tight budget for diapers just so that I can be a little friendlier to the environment...still...

I got to thinking, if I use half as many disposable liners and the other half homemade cloth liner/doublers, then I'm dividing in half the amount of money I spend on a weekly basis for diaper allotment. This is beneficial in more ways than one. I can now justify my environmental friendliness, AND if I get really tight, I don't have to buy diaper refills at all in a pay period, I could simply only use the cloth liner/doublers! Now this is all provided the diaper rash situation remains under wraps. I would chose to do some disposable prepurchased liners for that factor alone, cause it seems to keep the baby's bum dryer. We shall see. So I think I'll be working on sewing these inner liners from some of the preexisting mounds of flannel receiving blankets that I have and some fleece for wicking.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Prissy Pants!

O.K. I made these out of necessity and a desire not to be wasteful. My MIL purchased a barely used pair of maternity jeans in my size at a yard sale. While I was touched by the gesture, I couldn't bring myself to wear them as is because they were a style of jean that likely came from the 80's or early 90's. The light color didn't bother me as much as the extremely and I mean severely tapered legs at the bottom. Seriously wasn't sure if I was going to get my foot in. So, I thought if I wouldn't wear them as is, then I should at least attempt to alter them into something that I would wear and if that didn't work or the attempt became a total flop, I haven't lost anything.



So, here is the result. The pic of myself is pretty sad I'm afraid to say, but I am wearing little makeup and am 30 weeks pregnant and not wearing a maternity shirt, so what do I really expect. The purpose however is to view the pant. They actually turned out very cute. In my mind they would have looked different, but I will reserve that for the next pair.



THEY ARE QUITE BOUTIQUE! It's funny when you don't really know what to expect, cause I was so pleasantly surprised that they were such a hit! My SIL was the first to see them and has already asked me to make her a pair. Then in birthing class, all the ladies commented on them and when I said that I made them they were even more shocked. In fact, my instructor said that they were very trendy and that people would pay alot for those in the store.



AS A SALE TO THOSE AROUND ME, bring me a pair of jeans (that fit you or whoever they are intended for) and I will create you a similar pair for $25. I say $25 to include the cost of the fabric, the 2 types of ribbon and the labor, which took about 2 hours! TeederToddlers@gmail.com or just leave a comment (or chat it up with me when you run into me). They don't have to be maternity, but mine served that double purpose cause I needed maternity and I was given a free pair.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Over Ollie Rumba!



* SOLD* but you may request a similar design if you wish. This may be my favorite so far! This is available, one of it's kind. It is in the size 2T. It is a top and a bottom separate. The pants are capri length. $40! That is a real bargain! And the matching bow can be ordered for the additional $5. Email me at TeederToddlers@gmail.com or leave a comment. First come, first serve!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Over Ollie #2


*SOLD* but you may request a similar design. Here is the latest from the Overhaul Line. This is my second Over Ollie (two piece tops and bottoms that fall in the Overhaul Family). Size is 18months. The pants have been shortened just a smidge for a more airy, springy, summery feel. Usual price for my overhauled line is $40. Email or leave a comment if you are interested in purchasing this item. Matching bow is an additional $5! Enjoy! More to come!



Love Hate Relationship

I was elbow deep in my new "Overhaul" line project when (I'm sure due to user error) my serger began to misbehave! That thing has always been a love hate thing for me! I love the serger when it works with and for me! Seriously one of my favorite of all sewing type devices! However, there is no other machine that makes me feel more stupid! Ah the story is long, but lets just say that I needed several lessons on stringing and restringing, and of course the little man teaching (and fixing) was saying that my model was one of the easiest to string! Ha! I will learn. I have already learned sooo much! And it is really technical and interesting. And as a stay at home mom, this is the best kind of thinking I've done in a while!

So, all this to say that my serger is unable to be resurrected by me at this time and will likely have to visit the Dr. next week. Will I put my projects on hold? Nah. I'll do all I can except serge, and when it is healthy again, I will wear it out, trying not to break it of course! For now, we're a littl on the fritz!

Friday, March 14, 2008

Diaper Wreaths!



This is another item we would love to create for you! I have made many of these all of which seem to get cuter and cuter. This one is for a shower I have tomorrow. I prefer to custom make these so that they will match the child-to-be's room or coordinate with the theme mom has chosen! Email me at TeederToddlers@gmail.com to order one for your next shower or baby gift! These are great because they are unique, personal, and practical. Even though they look too pretty, the diapers are there for use too! $25! That's for the time and labor, AND all the materials! AND it's personalized for your needs!