New Blog

I've decided to close down my shop, at least temporarily. Having 2 kids is keeping my pretty busy with out adding sewing to the mix. I'm going to sell off what's left in my Etsy shop (and hopefully get a few remaining items listed) and after that, I'll just leave the shop there to save my name but there won't be anything active. That means that this blog will be pretty much inactive, too. (Not that I was that good about posting here, anyways!)

What I am doing now, however, is weekly meal planning. I've had a few friends ask for this, and I'm starting a new blog dedicated to posting the weekly meal plans and recipes each Sunday. If you're interested, you can check it out at www.52mealplans.blogspot.com. Let me know what you think!

New Items in Shop

I've just listed a few new items in my Etsy shop. I'm particularly fond of this adorable birdie prefold. Check it and the other new items out at LainasLaundry.etsy.com!

Welcome to the World, Lia!

Sorry for the lack of posts. We welcomed our second baby girl into the world on April 21st! Lia was born at home as planned with our wonderful midwife. It was a crazy, intense, fast labor but went well and I'm so glad we did it at home. I will spare you the whole story here as most of you have probably either heard it in person or read it in Facebook already. If anyone has not read it yet and wants to, just let me know in the comments.

So I've been busy with both Laina and Lia and also my parents are here, which has drastically reduced the time I have for sewing and listing items (as in, reduced to zero). But I do have a few items I managed to get sewn before Lia made her grand entrance and I will hopefully get pictures and list them soon. I will say there are some great unbleached embellished prefolds I've got ready to go.

Congrats are in Order...and Happy St Patty's Day

First off, Happy Saint Patrick's Day! And congrats to Nature Manipulated, the winner of my embellished prefold set from the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team give-a-way! I hope you love the prefolds!

This is not cloth diaper related, but being St Patty's day and all, I figured I'd ask who celebrates and what you do? I made Irish soda bread for the first time and it came out pretty well. Also I make the typical corned beef and cabbage. I must say that the past couple times I've made it, I tried it in the crock pot and was not really happy with the results. The crock pot really just never got it tender enough where it pretty much falls apart, which is how I like it. Maybe it's the altitude here or maybe it's because my slow cooker is getting old. Either way it didn't come out well with that method, so this time I tried the pressure cooker and was very happy with the results.

This is the recipe I used for the soda bread. I added about 1/2 cup soaked currants w/the buttermilk and a tablespoon of caraway seeds to the dry ingredients. It was delicious!

Give-A-Way Still Open

The embellished prefold give-a-way is still going on so be sure to get your entries in before March 17th! http://etsyclothdiapers.blogspot.com/2010/03/lainas-laundry-fluff-rump-featured.html

Today's Give-A-Way Day!

Today is "Fluff-a-Rump on Hump Day" at the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team, which means one team member gets featured and has a give-a-way. Well today that featured member is your very own Laina's Laundry! I am giving away a set of two embellished prefolds. Be sure to head on over to the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team Blog where the contest is actually being held and get your entries in.

March Theme

The Etsy Cloth Diaper team is doing monthly "themes" and March is stripes and polka dots. Here are the listings I have that go along with the theme. Pics are links to the listings, so check them out :)

March 10 Give-A-Way

Just a head's up that Laina's Laundry will be the featured shop on the Etsy Cloth Diaper Team next Wednesday (March 10) and I will be giving away this beautiful embellished prefold two-pack. Be sure to check here and also the team blog for more info on the 10th.

Christmas is Coming...

I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's already December and I am thinking about Christmas. Being pregnant with baby #2 has slowed down "production" in my Etsy shop, but I did make these festive embellished prefolds. What a great gift for a little one on your list!

I also wanted to provide a link to the recipe I used for pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I think it was the best pumpkin pie I've ever had! A quality fresh pumpkin makes all the difference, and I like the fact that it was minimally spiced (I only used cinnamon) and had very little sugar. I put it in a whole wheat pie crust and it was delectable. (One note - I did have to double the recipe to fill a deep-dish pie crust). Maybe a good Christmas dessert if you're not already pumpkin pied-out (which I never am)!

Washies in Stock

I just stocked a few new sets of Washies in my Etsy shop. My "washies" are perfect for so many uses! Use them as washable cloth baby wipes, face cloths, washcloths, napkins, etc. Keep a few in your diaper bag for easy re-useable mess clean up. Do something good for the earth and stop throwing away baby wipes - use these washies instead!

Cloth Diaper Extravaganza Giveaways

I've finalized, finished, and shipped the items I'm having reviewed by Life More Simply. I'm not sure when my items will appear on the blog, but do check often (not only for my items, but also for a host of other great reviews and giveaways). I will have one set of toddler-sized leg warmers and one embellished prefold (in a super cute retro li'l cowpoke pattern) given away, and a couple of cloth wipes reviewed.

Right now at Life More Simply there is a great Snappi giveaway. Snappis have seriously revolutionized cloth diapering - no more pins! Be sure to check it out!

Life More Simply

Life More Simply is hosting a Cloth Diaper Extravaganza in July and I am super excited to be a part of it! They are reviewing several cloth diapering products and doing give-a-ways the entire month of July. Laina's Laundry leg warmers, embellished prefolds, and cloth wipes will be featured and also be part of the give-a-way. Be sure to check it out!!

Easter Leggings

I just listed some cute white leggings on my shop. They would be just perfect with your little girl's Easter dress! I have one pair in each - toddler and infant size.

New Leggings in Stock

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have posted some new leggings and a couple new embellished prefolds. I will be adding more new leggings in the coming days. I think I mentioned before that the CPSIA law has been put on hold for a year, so I am going to keep making and selling my items! Yay!

CPSIA Update

The following is an email I got from the "Handmade Toy Alliance" today regarding the status of the CPSIA law:


Thank you for your continued support to Save Small Business from the CPSIA. It has been an active week. A stay of enforcement was issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Friday, January 30th. Although it has stayed enforcement of many provisions of the law, the CPSC has made it clear that they lack authority to fully correct the CPSIA. Urge Congress to provide the CPSC with guidance that will protect toymakers, thrift resellers, publishers, and clothing manufacturers from the unintended consequences of the CPSIA. A technical amendment, the CPSIA Regulatory Relief Bill, will be introduced on the Senate floor soon. It is important that we gain Senate support for this necessary legislation. Here's what you can do:

1. Call your Senator (switchboard: 202-224-3121).
2. Identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak with the Senator or the staff assistant who follows Commerce issues.
3. Ask him/her to co-sponsor the CPSIA Regulatory Relief Legislation, and tell them if they have questions about the legislation they can contact Tom Jones in Senator DeMint’s DC office at 202-224-6121. Tom’s email address is tom_jones@commerce.senate.gov
4. Ask them to vote for the CPSIA Regulatory Relief legislation when it comes to the Senate floor, possibly as an amendment to the stimulus package as has been rumored.
5. Get five friends to do steps 1-4.
   
   We need to show strong support of this amendment in order to get the Senate to pass it. To read the specifics of the amendment, go to:
   http://demint.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=JimsJournal.Detail&Blog_ID=295d58b2-b6fe-c446-1432-24b6199424ed
   

We have also made strides in our intiative at change.org. We are in the final stages of teaming with a non profit agency and going forward with our national campaign to save small businesses. There is a new petition that you can sign and send a letter to Congress. To see the petition, go to: http://www.change.org/ideas/4203/view_action/tell_congress_to_save_small_business. Our blog posts have also begun. View these at: http://www.change.org/ideas/view/save_handmade_toys_from_the_cpsia .

Thank you again for your support. Our grassroots campaign would never have gotten as far as it has without the support of people like you.

www.handmadetoyalliance.org

CPSIA Article

This is a good article from Forbes with more details on the CPSIA:

http://www.forbes.com/opinions/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

Huge CPSIA Blowout Sale!

Because I don't know if I'll be able to sell my items on Etsy once the CPSIA goes into effect on Feb 10, I'm holding a huge inventory reduction sale at Laina's Laundry! I have embellished prefolds for $6.50 each, leggings as low as $5 a pair, and organic bamboo washie sets for $8!!! PLUS, buy one item, get free shipping on all additional items!!! Here are just a few samples. Click the pictures to go to the listings.

New Law will Put me and Many Others out of Business

Please click the picture above to read about the new law that congress passed back in August '08 and will take effect in Feb. If this doesn't get changed, Laina's Laundry and many other small businesses and work-at-home-mom shops will have to close down.

In a nutshell, the law states that it will be illegal to sell any item (including clothing) designed for children under 12 that has not undergone lead testing and have permanent labeling identifying such testing. Don't get me wrong, I'm all about safety in children's products (well, ALL products, actually!), but this law has taken things too far. It came about because of all the lead found in Chinese products sold in America. Many people sought American-made and WAHM-made products because of that, and now those products are no longer going to be available.

So, again, I urge you, please click the picture above to learn more about the law and how you can help. You can also go HERE to vote to change this law and have it presented to President Obama. After my vote, there are only 9 more votes needed to keep it in the top 10 proposals!

Check out the Longies!

I finally started listing my wool pants in my Etsy shop! They are made from recycled 100% wool sweaters and are perfect for these cold winter days! They are awesome just as pants, or I can lanolize them at no charge for you to make them into cloth diaper covers, or "longies".

Wool pants make great diaper covers as they are a natural fiber and breathable. They really don't require that much extra care. I was hesitant to try out wool covers on my own daughter, until someone gave me a beautiful pair of hand knit longies. I had to try them and now I love all things wool! I only wash mine once a month or so unless they become soiled (usually from Laina spilling yogurt or something on them). Just stir a squirt of baby wash and a squirt of pure lanolin in a small cup of hot water (I just use the leftover PureLan that I have from my breastfeeding days). The soap and lanolin will melt and mix and become milky looking. Fill a sink or small wash tub with luke warm water and then mix in the lanolin mixture. Gently dunk in the wool longies (or shorties or whatever) and squeeze the water through a few times. Then let sit for several hours. After soaking, gently squeeze out excess water with your hands, then roll in a towel to get the rest. I usually hang the towel up on a towel bar and lay the longies over that to finish drying. It will take overnight or sometimes even longer to completely dry.

The extra care is so worth it! Whenever Laina is looking a little rashy, I make sure to put her in wool and it does help her bum air out and clear up. Check it out for yourself - you'll be glad you did!

(To the right is Laina modeling a pair of longies I made just for her.)

Expanding Blog

Since Laina's Laundry is a small shop and only has so many updates, and I personally have a LOT of things I would love to share, I'm expanding the intent and content of this blog to not only include shop updates, but also some personal insights, ideas, and notions I feel are worth sharing. For instance, some of the many things I want to share on this blog are my journey researching midwifery and hopefully having a home birth with the next baby (whenever God grants me another pregnancy), organic/natural and good-for-you foods and recipes, my quest to find "real milk" (aka raw milk) in my area, my desire to be more "green" (yes, I know that word is becoming super cliche and trendy right now), reduce, reuse, and recycle, etc, becoming more aware of my body and what I put into it and how I treat it, and many other things that have been swimming around inside my head and keeping me up at night. Maybe if I have an outlet for those thoughts here in this blog, I can put them to rest at night and actually get some sleep!

My hope is that many people would find and read this blog and be able to share their knowledge and experiences with me as well. Some of you are probably thinking "wow, this chick is super crunchy and I don't know how I feel about that", but I hope that you will still stay a while and see things from anther perspective. On the surface, I don't normally think of myself as being hippie, crunchy, green, or whatever the trendy term is lately. But maybe deep down, I really am. There is something about being a little unconventional, going against the grain, counter-culture. I think my parents would tell you that this isn't new for me. In reality, even true Christianity is about as counter-culture as you can get. I really do want to strive to walk in true Christianity. I know that may have little to do with the things I mentioned above. But maybe it all still fits together somehow in making up the conglomerate person that is me.

So sit back and stay a while as this blog, and myself, evolve into something more, something responsible and full of information to share, and hopefully something beautiful.

-Jenna