PIES! yum! tutorial....

So I am branching out a bit from just diapers here. -Hope you don't mind :)

I promised this tutorial to a few ladies on twitter, so here it is.

Pie in a jar

you need wide mouth pint jars
a store bought pie crust (or you can make your own)
pie filling

hint here... if you use a pie crust already in the tin (not the packaged ones) you can only get 2 pies made.

take the pie crust and quarter it.

Using one quarter:

-take the jar and cut a circle out of the pie crust.

-set this circle aside.

do this for the 3 remaning quarters.

take the left over pieces and line the jar with it.

see it isn't hard! :)

Now "pick your poison" and fill the jar and leave from 3/4 to 1 inch space at the top.

Find your cut out circles and place them on top of the filling. Push against the sides to seal.

Cut cute little slipts to relaease the air or you will have a mess.

Here you can now brush with melted butter or egg whites, but I like to sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar.

Now you can put the lid on and give them as gifts. You can also throw them in the freezer for a little treat some night after the kiddos are in bed. ;-)

-I shouldn't have to say it, but I will anyway...these need to be refrigerated (duh) if you aren't going to cook them right away or freeze them.

-Cooking time varies, I started with 20 min and checked every 5 or 10 after that.

-If they are frozen take them out and put them in a COLD oven. Turn the oven on and the glass will heat up with the oven and won't break! :)

How NIFTY huh?

They are super yummy too! :) -fun and quick.

Merry Christmas

Make a Smilebox greeting

let's let you pick!

dont' forget the giveaways lists here!
*************************************
so ladies, I am looking for some input on fabric choices for the diapers you put on your babies bums! :)

We can't get them all though so we will have some voting and then ones that get repeated votes we will then narrow down!

These are pics from my supplier!
*please keep in mind that I can only use knits and flannels ok?

#1 list of pics
#2 list of pics

so I want to see some comments now! Give your faves some shoutouts by name!
have fun ladies, they are your diapers! :)

Win some diapers!

Hey all, I want to post the giveaways again

ORGANIC GIRL -Nifty Nappy and a pair of longies!

and a new one...

SUBURBAN SAVING MAMA -$40 gift Certificate to my shop.

**********************************************
Hey so I am excited about this next piece of news.

I am going to be doing a few reviews and giveaways!

You guys are gonna have a change to win some fun products! ye-haw!
so what do you think of that?

So I have to add an edit here! I am afraid because of the way I wrote that you think I mean my diapers. This too is true, but I am going to be doings some reviews of other products (not diapers) and then having giveaways for you to enter here!

Have a Fluffy New year!

giveaway and SALE!

Here is the latest giveaway I have been hinting at!
ORGANIC GIRL reviewed a Nifty Nappy and a pair of longies and that will also be the prize for the givaway! -goes till Jan. 20th

Also I wanted to to have a big sale to celebrate and wish you all a FLUFFY New Year!
Check out the sale info on the web page blog here !

How about a Newsletter?

So Nancy won the LIFE HAPPENS DURING NAPTIME giveaway!
Congrats to Nancy!

Isn't this fun? We have another one coming up!

So I really cam here to tell you about my Nifty Nappy Newsletter I am going to start sending out from my web page. I wanted to give you folks a chance to be able to find out about the current sales and review/giveaways that are going on.

You can go to my web page here to subscribe.

I am excited about this, but I am not the best web technician, so please bear with me as I figure this all out k?

You guys are awesome. I love making diapers and I love when I hear feedback from you about them!
In fact I am going to be putting up a testimonial page on my webpage. If you would like to enter a testimonial just shoot me an email niftynappy@gmail.com and I will send you a form to fill out! I am hoping I can work it out to add pics too! :)
I am super excited about how well the business is growing and I know it is because of you guys and your enthusiasm for the Nifty Nappies! So a huge Thanks to you!

I have a surprise in store for you awesome ladies to show my appreciation -just wait!

Vilate

enter now hurry!

Today is the last day to enter
the Unique Baby Gear Ideas giveaway!
it is for a Nifty Nappy and a customized pair of wool longies!

Sorry I have been slacking on the blogging side of things, but it has been hectic! I will do better this month I promise. -More insightful entries!

long day....

Don't forget the giveaways
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Man, today was a super long day. I have been working on getting all the longies figured out for the Black friday sale. I had then all cut out and measured right. So after I got the kids off to school this morning. (to put it into perspective they get on the bus at 7:15) I sat down and started sewing. I sewed straight through to 11:30 when I stopped to make lunch for the little ones. Then I went back to sewing till about 1:30 when I cleaned up and put it all away cause I was watching my friends kiddos and they don't do well with stuff strewn all over. (my kids are used to it)

I got them all done though!

I still need to sew up 5 Woolie wraps tomorrow and then a few diapers that have changed and then I have them all done!

Giveaways...

You can enter for $40 GC at my Nifty Nappy here at
MAKING THE WORLD CUTER

Then there is
LIFE HAPPENS DURING NAPTIME
This one is for $45! It goes till the 15th of Dec.

Thern there is one that I haven't advertised very well -sorry :(
UNIQUE BABY GEAR IDEAS
Here you get a Nifty Nappy and a pair of longies

I think that is all of them that are going on right now! There are a few more on the way too! :)

Fabric! Fabric! Fabric!

I was excited and wanted to share!
Look what I got in the mail today!

Purple Ooga Booga
















Plus Moose in shoes is BACK! :)
I have like 10 yrds now, so it isn't going anywhere for awhile!








So I got samples too, these are some fabrics I could pick up if there is enough interest in any of them. Let me know if you like any of them k?

little ballerinas
















Fairy Princess












Ice Giraffes




Pink Giraffes

Turtles and Snakes

Spouting Whales

Pink Fishes

Truck Crossing

here's your chance. Also if there is anything in particular you would like to see a diaper made out of I am looking for a few new fabrics. Make your suggestion!

It's Christmas Time! :)

So I am just giving you a heads up! Any orders you want by Christmas must be placed by the 11th of Dec.

Also I am taking a Christmas break! I love the holidays and I don't want to spend them stressing about how I am going to get all the diapers made plus the quilts for my kidds and the Christmas dresses for the girls! so...

I am not sewing on any orders placed from Dec. 12th until Jan. 4th. This means they won't ship out until around the 11th of Jan. Orders will be accepted, just not sewn up! :)

I wanted to say thanks for making the black friday a sucess! You guys are great! :)

happy diapering,
Vilate

I'm gonna have a BLACK FRIDAY SALE!!!!

Wow, am I big enough to do this? Don't know I guess we will see how well it goes over huh?

It has been pretty dang cold where I live, what about you? I sit and think how nice it is that my baby's little legs stay all warm in her longies! So can you guess what the sale is?
How about:

Buy 2 Nifty Nappy's get a pair of longies FREE!

How does that sound? You can also use the code for a discount!
code: BFNAPPY for 20% off your entire order!

I will email the customers who order on Friday for the choice and measurements for the longies. There is nowhere to enter the info on the webpage, so don't stress about it! :)

Go ahead and buy away- Oh, and I would love it if you would Tweet this :
BF Sale @myniftynappy buy 2 Nifty Nappy's get wool longies free! Also 20% off code:BFNAPPY #clothdiapers http://niftynappy.com RT :)

Love my customers!
Vilate

Giveaway and felting!

I love to read reviews of my diapers! I love, love, LOVE it when people like them as much as I do! :)

Here is another review/giveaway for you to check out!

Unique Baby Gear Ideas

BTW -she has lot of other interesting things on her blog so check it all out! :)

So check this out...

This is what happens when you put a Woolie Wrap in the washer and dryer! It is doll size now!

This was my baby's favorite woolie! She loves the purple. now I guess she can put it on her dolly.

So the felting process is easy enough. You can just throw it in the washer with hot water and then right into the dryer. BUT if you don't watch it and check on it ofter you might get something like this.

To have better control you can hand felt. Just get the water as hot has you can stand to put your hands in and then agitate the wool. When it starts to get the size you want it then you stop. Gently squeeze the water out, don't rig it, this distorts the shape. Place the wool on a towel and roll it up. Then you can mash (don't twist) the towel. This is an important part here if you want your wool in a certain shape....you need to block the wool. This is simply gently stretching it and putting it into the shape you want. Then lay out or hang the wool to dry somewhere

Wa-la! you are a felting pro now! Go and have fun!

Just a side note. I don't usually felt my wool for soakers. The wool works the same. I do felt it if it is a really thin sweater and it is going to be a soaker or a pair of longies.

Update!

there are 2 givaways right now!

Truth Be Told : $36 Gift Certificate + 10% discount code

Life Happens During Naptime : $45 Gift Certificate + 10% discount code


There are a few more coming up too!

So I think I am going to have a surprise for ya!
*Wait for it, watch for it, then you can use it! :)

happy diapering,
Vilate

well, what next?

Hey, hope you got entered for the last giveaway...

But not to worry if you didn't, here's another for you try your hand at!

Hurry over to Life happens During Naptime to enter the latest giveaway

Isn't that a GRAND sight? I love it! All that wool!

All freshly washed and lanolized... Hanging out in the sun for a few hrs... Then off to the new excited owners!

Are you one of the expected owners? Maybe yours is hanging there! :) If not.. sorry you are missing out, cause it is all luscious wool!

Happy Diapering,

Vilate

Giveaways!

Reminder: Today is the last day for this givaway!
hurry here

I love doing giveaways, but I have to decide if it is worth it!
I have a long list of giveaways already planned, but I also have a bunch lined up that would like to have my diaper on their list.
So I know that once I had someone win a giveaway they fell in love with my diapers and ordered 5, then came back and ordered 6 more so they had a full dozen. That giveaway was worth it! I also know that I have had a few orders placed from folks who didn't win, but wanted to try the diapers.

So what do you guys think? I mean I know you like the giveaways cause you like the chance to win some, BUT what would you do if you were me?

Fluff Talk Thrusday!

k, so the topic is "stinky diapers"....

This can be a real issue, but I have found a few solutions I will share.

WASHING:
Smell can be caused by the detergent you use. -well usually from what is in the detergent you use.
I did some looking and I found a recipe for homemade detergent.
We have had great luck with it! It works good on the diapers, isn't harsh on baby's bum and had saved us LOADS of money. (sorry couldn't help the silly pun!)

here is the secret...
1 cup grated bar soap (use a fels naptha or Ivory)
1/2 c. borax
1/2 c. washing soda (I used Baking Soda)

Use 1-2 TBSP (really that is all you need!)

k, I don't use the washing soda. It can be found in the store by the laundry soaps. along with the borax and the fels naptha soap. BUT it is kinda harsh on the fabrics. I have substituted just plain ol' baking soda. This works great and is a lot softer on the fabric. When I use it for whites I throw in some OxyClean to help with whitening.

If you need a fabric softener. 1/4-1/2 c vinegar added to the rinse cycle works great!

So there you have a great super cheap soap! Go give it a try really it isn't that hard to make!

Happy diapering,
Vilate

hello? hello...hello...hello -and a GIVEAWAY!

Hey are you guys reading this? i would love some comments! Do you know how to leave them? There is a little clicky thingy that says Comments... you just click on it, then you type in a nice little thing and put the button that means ok. -I can't remember the exact word on the button :)

So you go ahead, make my day and leave a comment. Even if it is just "hi, I was here"! That would be great, then I would know someone is reading this.

BUT! There is another giveaway! There is a rave review and all! Don't ya just love free stuff?
Momma In Flip Flops is the blog. Check it out! It goes until Nov. 18th.

Good luck!

Happy diapering,
Vilate

As promised...

First a few things to remember and check out...

The last day of this giveaway, and your chances are pretty good, under 100 entries still!

Here Hurry!

I was cruising blogs the other day and I saw a picture of MY woolies! Wait? Who is using my pictures? So I decided to have a little read and find out. Was it good? Well...

see for yourself here

So I promised you shopping results! here they are:

See what did i tell you? Amazing huh? These are some examples of (top) Merino wool sweaters that are soft and thin and great for the inside layer and (bottom) lambswool sweaters that are thick and awesome for the outside! Plus adorable! :)

This is the blister on my finger. I spent all day yesterday cutting! Really I did... I cut 2 sets of 15 diapers, 1 set of 10, 2 sets of 5 and 1 set of 2 and then like 5 for giveaways and giveaway winners. Then I started in on the wool and cut 15 woolie wraps and 2 longies. You can't see the blister very well in the picture, but it is there!

So there you have it! I better head and start on sewing that mountain of diapers and wool!

Happy diapering,

Vilate

Wool Shopping!

I am EXCITED! I get to go wool shopping tomorrow.

First I have to explain that we live in (very) small town USA. The closest thrift store is an hr away, and it is a small one. I have to go 2 1/2 hrs to get to the city, BUT they have lots there.

So I am leaving the kiddos with a sitter and hubby and I are driving out to the city. This is a real sacrifice for him since he HATES to shop! He will get a good lunch out of it though, my treat even! :)

Here, come with me...

So you go to the thrift store and make a bee-line for the closest sweater rack. Ooooh, the excitement...you have done this enough you can tell the ones that definitely aren't wool. There are some that are a big "?" mark, so you check the tag. Aaah, there isn't a tag on the neck what do you do? Ahh yeah, you know that if the tag isn't on the neck it is in the side seam, usually the right one. Darn, only 30% wool, that isn't enough...the next one is 80% that might work...yeah it will it is made with another natural fiber- and it is super soft! SCORE! This one is 100% wool, but it isn't the softest. Hmmm...you rub it on your arm, well.... then you rub it on your face....no, to scratchy! DANG too bad. It might make a cute bag though if you felted it. Throw it in anyway! :) Look, there are three more right in a row. *you do a little dance here
When you get to the check out line you have like 21 sweaters... you did good! :)

There, now you have gone wool shopping with me! Was it fun?

Addressing PUL... and another givaway

Here is another rave review of the Nifty Nappy and the Woolie Wrap! :) Gotta love it.
Julie over at ClothDiaperReviews gave a great review! You have a week to enter the giveaway. There are 5 ways to enter. So hurry over!

I wanted to address PUL today...

I am not a big PUL fan. I do use it to make my PeachyKeen Pockets and my SnappySwimzEaze though. I would rather use a Fitted and wool any day!
BUT that is just my opinion. I know lots of people that love a good pocket diaper or swear by an AIO. They are convenient for going out, leaving with a sitter, daycares, and daddy's. :)

If you have a diaper with a PUL layer in it there are a few things you should know about PUL.

Most PUL fabrics used are made by Fabrite. They are the biggest seller of PUL. They have done lots of testing on their PUL. It is medical grade and has been designed to to hold up to being sterilized. You can wash your PUL diapers the same as you would wash a prefold. You can also dry the Fabrite PUL in the dryer. I suggest sunning the diapers for the majority of the time, but I do like to throw my pockets in the dryer about once a month or so to reseal the PUL.

You should always follow the instructions for care given by the manufacturer of the diaper though. They may use a different brand of PUL, or they may use PUL on cotton which can separate easier. It could also be the type of elastic they use, or the form of closures. If they tell you not to dry them, then there is probably a reason.

My PeachyKeen Pockets are made with fabrite PUL. They are made with a layer of poly/PUL with the PUL sandwiched between the poly and the outer layer of the diaper. Even if your PUL does separate from the fabric...which can happen from time to time...you will not have to worry about it getting ripped when you are stuffing the diaper.

Last day to enter this giveaway... if you entered try to think of more ways you can enter. There are over 400 entries already! WOW!

TheClothDiaperReport

hurry! and good luck! :)

Happy diapering,
Vilate

Give this a try...

I thought today I would share with you my detergent.
I have tried many detergents and I haven't found one that I am so in love with I would pay for it. I have always just bought the cheapest detergents. With 6 kids we go through quite a bit as you can imagine. Well one day I stumbled on a recipe for homemade detergents. I knew you could make it, I just always thought it too alot of work and time. Heaven knows I have enough on my plate without having to spend forever making detergents!
This recipe looked easy-breezy though!
here it is:

1/2 c. borax
1/2 c. washing soda (I just used plain old baking soda)
1 c. grated fels naptha soap (I used Ivory)

use 1-2 Tbsp. per load

That is it! Not to bad huh? If you grate one bar of soap you get a little more than one cup. I also just used plain old baking soda. I did some research and found out that washing soda can be really harsh on your fabrics. I wanted to use this mainly for my cloth diapers, and I don't want harsh detergents. Baking soda has worked just fine. You can find the borax and washing soda by the laundry detergent section of wal-mart of the grocery store.

I have really liked this detergent. In fact I have started using it for our regular laundry too!
the only thing is that you need to be valiant about sorting your colors apart. There is nothing in this to be color safe. If you wash brights with whites you might end up with a lot of pinks! :) In the end this isn't a big thing because you should be doing this anyway!

This detergent has passed the CD test too! My little one has had no issues with this detergent. Other homemade detergents I have tried have been to harsh on her little bum. But this has been fine! YEAH!!

So give it a try and let me know how you like it!

I found a giveaway that caught my eye.

I have always stayed away from the "especially for CD'ing" detergents. I feel like they are ripping people off. When other stuff will do the job and just is plain cheaper. -which is a main reason I do cloth diapers-

BUT... I have heard rave reviews of this soap. So when I saw a way to try it out for free. I thought I would give it a shot. If I win it I will post a review for you and believe me I am not an easy person to impress. In fact I am so particular I make my own...so I guess we will see.

You can find the giveaway here at OrganicGirl

Don't forget the two givaways

ClothDiaperReport

HappilyDomestic

NEW Fabrics!

I have lots of fabrics just lying around waiting to be cut, but it is hard to have the time to make them up into diapers so here they are. There are some that I only have enough for 1 or 2 diapers. so if you see somthing you love let me know.

Eventually you will see most of these on the website in diapers, but some you never will.


Don't forget the two givaways
ClothDiaperReport
HappilyDomestic

thanks for stopping by! :)

Fabric-Holiday

BOO! -flannel

Christmas Ooga Booga-knit

christmas stripes-knit

Candy Cane's-flannel

Reindeer-flannel

Fabrics-GENDER NEUTRAL

Big cats-knit

Lions-knit

Mickey-knit

Farm life-flannel

Cuddly friends-flannel

Fabric-STRIPES

earthy stripes-flannel
GONE!!! SORRY!





















Purple/green stripes-knit

Red stripes-knit

Tan/white stripes-knit

Purple/black stripes-knit

Teal stripes-knit

Ribbed stripes-knit

Bold Green stripes-knit

Blue/black stripes-knit