A Wealth of Information - really!

Oh Geez, I am really bad at this blogging thing.  I will try to be a bit better.  

As you can see if you have visited lately I have made some changes to the blog.  My awesome Nifty Nappy™ website has some Malware thingy on it that I have tried and tried and tried to get off.  I keep taking it off and it finds a way back on.  I don't know what more I can do.  I am not giving up and I will still try to get my website up and going again.  

I have changed this blog so that now there are no links to my website.  Just information and pictures.  I also have a page in the menu bar with the list of my Cottage Licensees and links to their websites/facebook pages.  This way you can find the people who are making and selling Nifty Nappy™ products right now!   

In the mean time, I want people to have access to all the information so I have been trying to pull it off and put it in other places.  

The Lingo:

• I have moved this to my Facebook page notes, it is simply a crash course in cloth diapering lingo.

Reasons to Cloth Diaper:

• Here you can find three basic reasons to cloth diaper.   (on Facebook page)

General Care of Cloth Diapers:

• This care of cloth diapers article has basic care directions from how to wash, to stripping, to drying plus care of accessories.   (on Facebook page)

Cloth Diaper Safe Detergents:

• This is a list of cloth diaper safe detergents.  (on Facebook page)

Wool care:

• One of my good friends and fellow bloggers, Inquisitive Mom asked if she could make up a pdf of my wool care instructions and information and post it on her blog.  I was happy she wanted to help me get the information out there and to make it downloadable and printable for others.  
• On my Facebook page I have my wool information page and the care of instructions.  
• On my YouTube channel I have a video tutorial to wash and lanolize your woolies.  

FAQ and Answers:

• This list of FAQ is not just specific to my diapers.  It is a basic cloth diapering frequently asked questions and answers.  I think it has been very helpful to many people in trying to decide where to start in cloth diapering.   (on Facebook page) 

You Tube videos:

• This video demonstrates how to snap a front snapping diaper such as the Nifty Nappy™.  
• This video demonstrates how to stuff a pocket diaper.  I used a Nifty Nappy™ Peachy Keen Pocket diaper which has been replaced by the Nifty Nappy™ AI2 diaper.  
• This new born cloth diapering video tutorial shows how to fold a front snapping diaper like a Nifty Nappy™ to fit a newborn.  

As of right now this is what I have pulled off the website.  I have most of the tutorials and information.  If you are a blogger and you have posted guest blog posts by me or you have some of my information on your blog (not linked) I would love to hear from you.  Thanks for being patient while I try to work this out.  

Happy Diapering

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

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.

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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 !

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
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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! :)

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.

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?

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

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! :)

Up NEXT!

So we have one giveaway over with. The Grocery Cart Challenge winner is still waiting to be announced. I will post it here when I find out.

don't forget this one either HAPPILYDOMESTIC

And the NEWEST one!
The Cloth Diaper Report is a fun blog with lots of info and very cute to boot! :)
Emi has been great to work with and very helpful. She asked the right questions and answered any questions I had for her. The review is very nice and there are lots of extra entry opportunities.
check it out HERE

Last chance...

Today is the last day for the giveaway on GroceryCartChallenge
Hurry over and get in on the action. Your chances are still very good!
here is the link

Heerrrre's another...

Did I mention there were going to be a few giveaways coming up?
Well, another one started today!
You can run on over here to the GroceryCartChallenge and check out this review and enter for the giveaway! This will be a good one to enter, your chances will be good!

Hurry over it only goes till Oct. 21st!

Vilate

I'm admitting to my problem! :)

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Don't forget the review and giveaway with HappilyDomestic
you can enter HERE
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I wanted to sit down real quick and jot down my reasons for CD'ing. That is short for cloth diapering for those of you who don't know the lingo- yet!

1. When I started CD'ing we were poor college students. Did I mention we were POOR? I got into CD'ing to save $$. It lasted a year and a half, then a rash and Dr. drove us back to sposies. (disposables)

2. Then I saw the cutest pocket diaper and thought I can make that and save $$ again. Did I mention they were cute? :)

3. I decided to broaden my horizons and found wool and organic hemp and bamboo. ohhhhh...now i make cloth diapers cause I just love them. And it makes me some $$! :)

I must admit I am a diaper junkie. I love the diapers. I told my oldest daughter the other day that I hope when people open their package with the diapers in them that they are so excited they have to call a friend or show a loved one. I hope they get all dramatic and go on and on about how cute they are with and endless smile on their faces! I hope they squeal in delight once in awhile too. Then I hope they get that same feeling when they put them on their little one and think to them self how adorable their little squirt is.
I hope they feel this way, because...
That is how I feel EVERY time I finish another diaper. Silly huh? It can be the same fabric I have used 30 or 40 times, but I still sit back and think how adorable they are. I just can't help smiling to myself.
I also love, Love, LOVE it when they send pictures back! How fun to see an adorable baby in my adorable diapers? That makes my day!
There you have it, now the world know about my addiction. Isn't that the first step? Admitting you have a problem? Well, I have admitted it over and over and it doesn't seem to be helping. :) That's ok, I think I will hole on to this one for awhile.

Happy diapering,
Vilate

Awesome Review and Giveaway!

Wow, I am speechless! I know I love my diapers and covers, and I know other's like them, but I just love to hear what others really think about them.

BethAnne over at HappilyDomestic09 did an amazing review on her blog
here http://happilydomestic.blogspot.com/2009/10/nifty-nappy-review-giveaway_15.html

We are also teaming up to do a great giveaway of the products she reviewed!
the giveaway goes from now through the 29th, but you want to get there before the
22nd since you get more points for blogging it before then! :)
I am so thoroughly pleased with this review! Thanks so much BethAnne!

Vilate

Giveaway kick-off!

I am going to be featured in a few giveaways over the next few weeks.

The first kicks off Thursday, 15th.

http://happilydomestic.blogspot.com/

check it out! I also have a button on the side that links to her blog!

Happy Diapering...
Vilate