Photo Contest!

*** I am extending the date of the contest to June 13th!  for those that don't have my diapers and want to order some to enter!  :)  Hurry and get the orders in though!  I will work super fast and get them out to you ASAP!


I am searching for some really perfect pics of kiddos in Nifty Nappy’s!

I have some requirements though.

1. I need these photographer quality… don’t let that scare you though.  Things can be edited!
2. I need mostly panoramic photos
3. I need you to think about photo composition… we are looking for pictures of cloth diaper on cute babies and toddlers… not pics of toddlers and babies in cloth diapers.  see this blog post for tips
4. I must also be allowed to use them how I want on my webpage, blog, FB and in advertising.
5. No watermarks on them either… I will give credit when I use them.

Some things I will be looking for:

• babies in just Nifty Nappy cloth diapers or other products
• bright and fun -colors and backgrounds
• possibly some in nature
• photos with more than one baby showing off their Nifty Nappy’s
• a diaper bag full of Nifty Nappy products

Feel free to borrow your neighbors kiddos too  -the more the merrier!

I will be the one to pick the winner, and it won’t be my friends… it will be the BEST pictures I get…

Did you catch that I said PICTURES?  That is right… there maybe more than one winner too.  If I choose more than one photo.  :)

Hold on! Before you run get your camera, let’s talk prize k?

So what does the winner or winners get?

How about this:

• $75 Gift Certificate to Nifty Nappy!
• Custom t-shirt diaper (from your t-shirt)
• 20% discount on your next order

Pretty good huh?

WAIT! WAIT! a couple more things:

Contest runs now through June 6th. *now June 13th

I will announce the winner on June 7th  *now June 14th

Email entries to me at vilate@niftynappy.com

Good luck mamas!

Happy Diapering

Vilate Thacker
vilate@niftynappy.com
http://niftynappy.com

On a Roll... a crayon roll: Childish Thoughts Reviews/Giveaway

At our house Spring means the beginning of long road trips.  Do you trip?  We tend to not go very far in the winter because to get to anywhere we have to go though some pretty fierce mountain passes.  -Not good when the weather is SNOW!  So we put off a lot of our visiting with family and such until spring. 

Now how many of you have little kids?  Aren't they just a joy to travel with? 

** plug your nose and read these out loud... VERY loud!    

• Are we there yet?
• MOM!  He is touching me!!!
• I have to go potty...
• I can't find my pencils
• I have to go potty...
• I am hungry!
• She pinched me!
• I have to go potty...
• How long till we get there?  
• I have to go potty!  

This is what the first half an hour sounds like.  LOL!  I love the idea of having activities for my kids to do while we travel.  The one thing I have never been able to get behind though is CRAYONS!  

In my past experience (an I have had years of experience) crayons get dropped or pushed into the crack behind the seat.  Then when summer rolls around they melt!  Really wax melts!  So in my car crayons have been banned.

UNTIL I found Childish Thoughts on etsy!  They make the cutest crayon rolls.  

Let's talk with Childish Thoughts:

Who is the mastermind behind your products? Who is the inspiration? 

I am not sure who the mastermind was with my crayon rolls but the crayon aprons and car rolls were my original thought, or so I thought till I saw something similar in other etsy shops. LOL. My inspiration for anything I make is my son, I would say my daughter too but she is only 4 months old at the moment so she hasnt put her two sense in yet. LOL.


How long have you been selling your product? 
I started selling my items a little more than 2 years ago, crayon rolls being the first, and car rolls being the newest items.


How has your product evolved from the fist time you made it? Has it changed in design or anything?

I dont think my items have changed much, I have gotten better machines so the stitches are more solid and a lot more beautiful than before but that is about it.


What do you love most about your product?
I love the practicality of it and that children other than my own have a true pleasure in playing with them.


What makes your product stand out from the rest? *brag about it, it is ok!  

My crayon rolls come with a tote, crayons, coloring book and hold 16 crayons. AND CHEAP!!!! in price not in construction. LOL! Crayon aprons are just adorable, I mean come on you can't tell me you dont want to put your crayons in there and twirl around. I do. and then the car rolls- I had to make something more geared to the boys and my son always has to have a car or two when we go out, so we made these up and he loved it.  We are currently working on an over the door car holder, it will hold over 200 cars. A lot more than the hotwheels version and for less. AWESOME.

Brilliant huh?  I love that thought of a fun creative way for my kids to keep their crayons in the car.  Who doesn't love to color a picture on a long drive?  I know I do!  :)  

They look so fun don't they?  This is the crayon roll with matching bag... they even come with the crayons AND the coloring book!  I loved this one so much I bought 2 more for my other little girls, then I picked up a crayon roll for my son!  These are a life saver in the car, and not just in the car... a trip to the dentist... going to the sitter... shoot even just an afternoon laying on the living room floor.

We use our crayon rolls all the time.  In fact I have picked up a few more to give as gifts!  

The crayon roll by itself fits nicely in a purse of diaper bag; to later be pulled out at a restaurant, or church.  They are insanely convenient!  

So you want to buy some?  Run on over to Childish Thoughts on Etsy and pick your favorite fabric.  You can pick up one for all the kiddos in your life, or you can pick on of her other awesome products!  

Or you can try to win one here!  Childish Thoughts has been gracious enough to offer a $20 Gift Certificate to one of my lucky readers.  

• You MUST enter the mandatory entry. If you don't I will pick another winner! 

• If it says 3 entries you need to leave 3 separate comments with all pertinent information. 

• I need to be able to reach you to let you know you win...so leave your email or have it on your profile. -If I can't contact you I will pick another winner! 

• When you tweet you need to leave your tweet URL. Don't know how to do that? After you tweet click on your profile then under your tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted...click on it. There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment. 

I will check the winning entry...if it isn't legit I will pick another winner! 

Mandatory entry:
Follow my blog AND visit Childish Thoughts on Etsy and tell me what you will put your $20 towards! 


Additional entries:
2 entries: follow Childish Thoughts' blog
2 entries: who doesn't love comments?  Comment on Childish Thoughts blog -let me know what post you commented on. 
3 entries: grab Childish Thoughts Etsy button

<br /> <a border="0" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChildishThoughts"><img border="0" width="150" alt="Childish Thought on Etsy" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4062/4384456115_8478ac6e27_o.jpg" height="150" /></a>

2 entries: grab Childish Thoughts blog button


<br /> <a border="0" href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4384456153_2d77227f8a_o.jpg"><img border="0" width="150" alt="Childish Thought on Etsy" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4032/4384456153_2d77227f8a_o.jpg" height="150" /></a>

5 entries: blog about this giveaway: link to Childish Thoughts on Etsy, Childish Thoughts blog, and my blog
0 entries: fan us on our facebook page -it is against FB policies to use this as an entry... but I would love to have you as a FAN anyway!  :)  
0 entries: fan Childish Thought on her facebook page! 
1 entry: follow me on twitter 
2 entry: follow @childishthought on twitter
2 entries: you come up with a tweet... it has to include @myniftynappy and @childishthought and a link to this giveaway. -leave URL
1 entry: tweet...this can be done 4X's a day... 2 hrs apart!  -leave URL
3 entries: post this giveaway on a forum...get 3 entries per forum -leave a link

This giveaway has ended.

Happy Diapering

Vilate Thacker
vilate@niftynappy.com
http://niftynappy.com

Spring is coming up all Woolie!: iCandi Knits review/giveaway

You all know how much I obsess over wool right?  
So did you think this event would be complete without wool diaper covers?  


I found iCandi on twitter!  I love her covers, she makes me aspire to knit! Even though I simply can't do it.  :(  


Who is the mastermind behind your products?  Who is the inspiration?

I am the only knitter and dyer for my shop ;) However, I have to give credit to the wonderful pattern that Mandie of Sheepy Time Knits has created and I am licensed under.
I would say that my inspiration comes from a lot of places, such as outdoors, the clothing fashions for kids, or even a painting sometimes. 

How long have you been selling your product?

I have been open since May of 2009 but making and using soakers for over 2.5 years now. I have been knitting for much longer than that. 

How has your product evolved from the fist time you made it?  Has it changed in design or anything?

I have recently increased the standard hip size for in-stock items, but other than that it has not needed to change. 

What do you love most about your product?  

Where do I begin? I use wool on my own kids and it is my first choice for cloth diaper covers. My favorite benefit from shorties and longies  is that they eliminate  the need for pants or shorts over your diaper. This means you will have less to buy and less work when changing diapers!
What makes your product stand out from the rest?  *brag about it, it is ok!  

Customs! I believe I have made just as many customs as I have in-stock items. My favorite has to be the longies  I embellished for a little boy's first birthday with a mario theme!   Another thing is that I hand dye my own yarn that I use for the soakers I sell in my shop. If you don't see what you are looking for in the shop I can dye you up something! Lastly, I use a lot of different colors with striping or hand dyed yarn. Sometimes it is hard to match up shirts to your wool and I try to make that easier for you by using several coordinating colors. 

  

  

What did I get from iCandi to review?  Oh, the absolute cutest pair of wool shorties!  

I have the cutest little niece ever and she has a fluffy bum...courtesy of her favorite auntie!  :)   Her mommy and daddy are huge SeaHawk fans and so I asked for a pair of shorites with ruffles on the bottom in SeaHawk colors!  

How did they turn out?  

Aren't the colors just amazing?  I love them.  They turned out the perfect colors.  They also are very well made.  I was very impressed with her skills as a knitter.  The changing from one color to another was done seamlessly and that is sometimes hard to find.  My brother-in-law even got kinda excited about them because now his little girl can flaunt SeaHawks colors on game day! 


They fit my little niece really well too.  I asked for a size 3 month and they fit her at 6 weeks, and they still fit her.  So that is a bonus!  

Quite the cutie huh?  -and those shorties aren't bad either!  


So now for the FUN part!  


Candi is offering a $20 Gift Certificate to her shop for one luck winner!  
AND then if you don't win... she is offering a 10% off discount your purchase of her Wool diaper covers.  This offer will be good for 3 weeks (5/16-6/6) 

You MUST enter the mandatory entry.  If you don't I will pick another winner! 

If it says 3 entries you need to leave 3 separate comments with all pertinent information.  

I need to be able to reach you to let you know you win...so leave your email or have it on your profile.  -If I can't contact you I will pick another winner! 

When you tweet you need to leave your tweet URL.  Don't know how to do that?  After you tweet click on your profile then under your tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted...click on it.  There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment. 

I will check the winning entry...if it isn't legit I will pick another winner! 

Mandatory entry:
Follow my blog AND visit iCandi Knits and more and tell me what you will put your $20 towards! 


Additional entries:
2 entries: follow Candi's blog
2 entries: who doesn't love comments?  Comment on Candi's blog -let me know what post you commented on. 
2 entries: on her policies and sizing page find out how much it cost for a YYMN (your yarn my needles) med size pair of longies.
3 entries: grab iCandi Knits and more button


<br /> <a border="0" href="http://hyenacart.com/iCandi/"><img border="0" width="150" alt="iCandiKnits" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4059/4401438263_1def604691_o.jpg" height="150" /></a>

5 entries: blog about this giveaway: link to iCandi Knits and more, Candi's blog, and my blog
0 entries: fan us on our facebook page -it is against FB policies to use this as an entry... but I would love to have you as a FAN anyway!  :)  
0 entries: fan iCandi on her facebook page! 1 entry: follow me on twitter 
2 entry: follow icandiknits on twitter
2 entries: you come up with a tweet... it has to include @myniftynappy, @icandiknits, #clothdiapers and a link to this giveaway. -leave URL
1 entry: tweet...this can be done 4X's a day... 2 hrs apart!  -leave URL
3 entries: post this giveaway on a forum...get 3 entries per forum -leave a link

This giveaway has ended.  Thanks! 

Happy Diapering

Vilate Thacker
vilate@niftynappy.com
http://niftynappy.com

Does it SMELL like Spring at your house?: Scentsy with Mindy Review/Giveaway

I hate to have a smelly house.... and when you live on a farm that is hard to avoid.  During the winter the house smells because we are all crammed in a little house, and so you would think I would welcome spring.... I do!  Really, I love spring when it warmer and the kids can go out side and play.  BUT when you live on a farm there are certain smells that lay dormant during the winter, but raise their ugly heads as it starts to warm up.  
You want a list?  

• the COWS!!!!  -sorry but they do smell!
• the cows poop  -smells worse than the cows!  LOL!
• the dead cow pile!  -what else do you do with the cows (and deer) that die?  The pile is  pretty far from the house... in fact I have never even been to it... but I can smell it if the wind blows just right.  
• the silage   -the ground-up fermented corn you feed the cows
• the machines
• the irrigation water

Pretty smelly list huh?  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE living on a farm, but I would be much happier if these things smelled like flowers or clean diapers!  So how do I live with the smell?  I don't -  I mask it!  
I have a Scentsy warmer sitting on my piano.... I keep all sorts of scent bars and I can have a house that smells like Clean Breezes or Welcome Home (which is a personal fave!).  My kids love to turn it on too.  It is really easy it has a little clicker thingy on the cord and they turn it on whenever they sit down to practice piano.  Changing the scents is super easy too.  I just dump the hot wax out in my trash-can... then it smells good too!  hehehe  Then I wipe it out with a paper towel and then put in some new squares.  

They have a bunch of really great scents... you can see them in the Scentsy catalog.
They have also come out with a few new warmers since the last time I was at a party.  
They have a little Plug-in warmer that is great for bathrooms!  
They have an adorable Mid-size warmer that I would put in my kid's rooms!
Then they have the traditional Full size warmer which I have, and LOVE!  


So now that we have introduced you to the yummyness of Scentsy let's talk about Mindy Farmer.  I simply adore Mindy...Mindy is a cloth diapering mama and she has been so much fun to get to know.  She is fiercely devoted to the brands of diapers she likes and she is always suggesting my cloth diapers to a mama with questions on twitter.  
I simply adore her blog too!  The Inquisitive Mom is a personal yet informative blog!  I truly love to read her musings!  Here, check out this post about a day in the life of a kiddo!  It made me stop and think about the things I say to my kids.


Mindy enjoys selling Scentsy, she says she loves the flexibility. "I am able to make my own schedule, which works great with being a SAHM. I also love selling such an amazing product that I can stand behind."
She has a monthly special too and this month it is: 

• receive 1 Free Plug-in Warmer in addition to Hostess Rewards! Basket and Catalog Parties are included in this offer! This is also a great time to book a party to introdue the new catalog that came out in March! (Hostess receives free gift at the close of a qualifying $150 Party)

Now honestly $150 isn't that hard if you get 5 friends to order with you.  These also make awesome gifts... I have a friend that bought all her family a warmer and now for future holidays she can give them more bars of scents and she has it covered.  Brilliant right?  


So Mindy is offering us an awesome giveaway!  

  

You will have the chance to win a Mid-Sized warmer and a bar in your choice of scent this is a $30 value!  

Now let's talk rules k?

• You MUST enter the mandatory entry.  If you don't I will pick another winner! 
• If it says 3 entries you need to leave 3 separate comments with all pertinent information.  
• I need to be able to reach you to let you know you win...so leave your email or have it on your profile.  -If I can't contact you I will pick another winner! 
• When you tweet you need to leave your tweet URL.  Don't know how to do that?  After you tweet click on your profile then under your tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted...click on it.  There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment. 
• I will check the winning entry...if it isn't legit I will pick another winner! 

There are lots of entries too, so good luck!

Mandatory Entry: 

Follow my blog AND visit Mindy's Scentsy Catalog and pick the warmer you like the best! 

Additional entries:

1 entry: what is your favorite scent?

2 entries: follow Mindy on twitter

2 entries: check out the Scentsy Starter Kit and list one thing from each category that you think would be the most helpful to have in starting a business.

2 entries: read the Hostess Rewards and tell me what the Hostess Rewards are based on.

3 entries: sign up to get Mindy's Scentsy Newsletter

2 entries: grab Mindy's Scentsy button -leave URL for where it is

<br /> <a border="0" href="http://www.scentsy.com/mindyfarmer"><img border="0" width="150" alt="Scentsy with Mindy Farmer" src="hhttp://farm3.static.flickr.com/2732/4415510171_54487499a4_o.jpg" height="150" /></a>

2 entries: grab Mindy's blog button -leave URL for where it is


<br /> <a border="0" href="http://www.theinquisitivemom.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" width="150" alt="The Inquisitive Mom Blog" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1228/4604205866_5b1e56010b_o.png" height="150" /></a>

5 entries: blog about this giveaway: link to Mindy's Scentsy site, Mindy's blog, and my blog
0 entry: fan us on our facebook page -it is against FB policies to use this as an entry... but I would love to have you as a FAN anyway!  :)  
1 entry: follow me on twitter 2 entries: you come up with a tweet... it has to include @myniftynappy, @InquisitiveMom and a link to this giveaway. -leave URL1 entry: tweet...this can be done 4X's a day... 2 hrs apart!  -leave URL3 entries: post this giveaway on a forum...get 3 entries per forum -leave a link
10 entries: Make a Scentsy purchase from Mindy
5 entries: list 10 people you would share the Scentsy catalog with that might place an order.  NOW...you have a list of guests made up why not Host a party and get FREE product?
10 entries: Host a party with Mindy
10 entries: Sign up as a Scentsy Consultant under Mindy

****Want a few extra entries?  LOL!  of course you do...
Mindy is doing a Review/Giveaway of my cloth diapers so you can get a few cross entries.  
3 entries: enter the Nifty Nappy cloth diaper Review/Giveaway on The Inquisitive Mom blog
Good Luck!  

This giveaway has ended!  Thanks!  

Happy Diapering

Vilate Thacker
vilate@niftynappy.com
http://niftynappy.com

ooooh the Misikko!: Misikko Review/Giveaway

I can't tell you how excited I am about this giveaway.  I really didn't think I had a shot at reviewing this product.  I am not a very big blog compared to some of the amazing review blogs out there.  I actually entered 2 giveaways to have a shot at winning this product, and then one of my amazing friends and readers suggested I just ask for a review.  She said, "You do reviews, just ask them."  I decided to give it a shot, I mean what could it hurt?  I sent them an email and in it I told them all the reasons they shouldn't pick me, but then I told them about the 5 reasons I have that they should!  
My 5 daughters!  :)  
I guess they thought that was a good enough reason to allow me to do the review.  I got an email telling me I had been selected.  I was so very excited!  I stalked my mailman...well mail-person until it showed up.  I opened it up and... well I took pictures cause it as so awesome!  

Isn't that some beautiful, elegant packaging?  I LOVE IT!

So now a little about Misikko who has awesome hair straighteners.   
Did you know that they are located outside of Philadelphia?  The are also only about five years old.  They have some amazing products to choose from.  They have a couple Hair straighteners.  You can check out the Chi hair straightener  
or the FHI flat iron.  I choose the adorable Pink HANA Professional 1" Flat Iron though!  They also sell a version of the HANA Professional for Breast Cancer awareness.  Did you see that?  
WhenI first saw these guys I thought they only did flat irons, boy was I wrong!  They sell the coolest curing irons and also professional hair dryers.  Check out the Pink hair dryer!  -that just might need to be my next purchase.


So, how did it preform?  
Well, with 5 heads of hair I have to do every morning... not counting mine... It has gotten ALOT of use!  
This is my #2-she is my bookworm, and she has a serious head of hair.  If we do a bun in her hair it is too big for ANY clip or claw that we have tried.  We have to use at least four claws to keep her hair up.  

My Bookworm! 

So we took her hair and put our new Misikko Pink HANA Professional Flat Iron to work.  And work it had to, for like an hour!  

So how did it work?  Here is partially done:

Looks pretty good so far huh?  By now her feet where falling asleep cause she was kneeling on the floor.  So we found a stool for her to sit on.  

Wanna see it all done?

I think it did a pretty dang good job!  And I didn't get burned, and neither did she.  hehehe

Too bad it won't look this good all week huh?  Ahh well... I guess she can just flatten it again in the middle of the week.  
So what do you think?  It works pretty good doesn't it?  -and it is so dang cute! 


Misikko is offering a Pink HANA Professional Flat Iron to one of my lucky readers!
Can't you just imagine this showing up at your door? 

Now let's talk rules k?

• You MUST enter the mandatory entry.  If you don't I will pick another winner! 
• If it says 3 entries you need to leave 3 separate comments with all pertinent information.  
• I need to be able to reach you to let you know you win...so leave your email or have it on your profile.  -If I can't contact you I will pick another winner! 
• When you tweet you need to leave your tweet URL.  Don't know how to do that?  After you tweet click on your profile then under your tweet there is a time thingy saying how long ago you tweeted...click on it.  There is your tweet, copy the URL and come back here and leave it in your comment. 
• I will check the winning entry...if it isn't legit I will pick another winner! 

There are lots of entries too, so good luck!


Mandatory entry:
Follow my blog AND visit Misikko and tell me what item you covet!  

Additional Entries:
2 entries: Visit the ABOUT page and tell me how long it takes to ship to the east coast! 
2 entries: Follow Misikko on twitter!
5 entries: Subscribe to Misikko's Newsletter (click on the gift that says "Sign me up")
3 entries: Show some love and grab Misikko's button:


<br /> <a border="0" href="http://www.misikko.com"><img border="0" width="150" alt="Misikko" src="http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/misikko/MK-flatirons-125x125.gif" height="150" /></a>

5 entries: Blog about this giveaway...Let's spread the word about this awesome giveaway... link to my blog and also to Misikko's website.
1 entry: fan us on our facebook page
1 entry: follow me on twitter 
2 entries: you come up with a tweet... it has to include @myniftynappy, @misikko and a link to this giveaway. -leave URL
1 entry: tweet...this can be done 4X's a day... 2 hrs apart!  -leave URL
3 entries: post this giveaway on a forum...get 3 entries per forum -leave a link
10 entries: make a purchase from Misikko and leave your invoice #

This giveaway will end 5/17... it will remain posted until 5/12

then it can be found in the drop down menu under review/giveaway.

This giveaway is only open to the US and Canada.

Happy Diapering

Vilate Thacker
vilate@niftynappy.com
http://niftynappy.com