Green Gal Pick: WestMama Designs Review and Giveaway!!

I am so excited to introduce this next Etsy shop to all of you.  WestMama Designs is an ADORABLE little shop that features all sorts of earth and people friendly apparel and gifts.  

Kimberly kindly sent Miss C a 100% organic cotton t-shirt in her unique giraffe design.  WestMama Designs uses only non-toxic inks and people friendly materials.  Kimberly cares about the people behind the materials she chooses in her shop.  

Onto the review of this cute t-shirt.  First thing that I noticed is that this t-shirt is SO SOFT.  It has a silky, light feeling to it.  The color is beautiful.  It is a muted orange that is ideal for a boy or a girl.  But, what really impressed me about this shirt was the unique design.  At first glance, you see a giraffe, but then you notice that the giraffe has stars for spots.  I think it adds a touch of whimsy to this children's shirt and makes it special.  Miss C loved her giraffe shirt and kept growling at it (she isn't so great with animal sounds just yet, haha).  This shirt is nice and light, so it is perfect for layering in the spring and fall when you aren't quite sure what the day will bring.  It also works great for summertime, because the light soft material is so breathable.  

WestMama Designs caters to a natural parenting crowd.  She uses phrases and  images that tie us to our earth and one another.  Here are a few that I know the more "crunchy" crowd would love:

I had the chance to talk with Kimberly and get some insight on her business and her inspirations.

How did you get your start in green clothing and accessories?

I have always been a creative person and for long time wanted to start a business on Etsy. After my daughter was born I knew I needed a an outlet for my creativity to help combat my ppd. Act of going green was a no-brainer for me. It is very important to me that the product I use treat people and the earth kindly. It's that simple. 

Where does your inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from my immediate environment. Often my back yard or my son's interests. The Bird and Tree design is from a dogwood in my back yard. It is the lone tree back there and brings me a lot of joy. I also want to create items that are different from the mass produced gender specific stuff. 

What is your favorite item in your shop? 

It is hard for me to pick a favorite. I'd say my bird and tree shirt is up there. 

My little bird card set, because they were inspired by a great late winter day in Oregon. 

And my cuttlefish because I LOVE cephalopods.  

What are you hopes for your business over the next five years? 

My hope is that I'm still in business. That my products are in more stores locally and that I can earn enough income to stay at home with my kids as long as possible.

Well, I for one, certainly hope that WestMama Designs sticks around because the quality and caring behind each item is certainly going to make this shop popular for any baby presents I need to buy!

WIN IT!

Kimberly has generously offered to host a giveaway for one LUCKY Baby To Green reader!  The winner will get to choose a shirt in the size and style of their choice!!  What a great prize!

To enter each entry must have an email address in the comment or visible in your public profile.  No email address = no winning.  Each comment is worth 1 entry into the drawing.

Mandatory Entry:  You must be a follower of Baby To Green via Google Friend Connect and you must become a fan of WestMama Designs On Facebook.  After we are all friends, leave a comment saying that you will be our friend forever!  That counts as your mandatory first entry.

Extra Entries (only after Mandatory Entry has been entered):

• Fan me on Facebook.  
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Follow WestMama Designs on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Tweet this ONCE per day and leave the permalink in your comment. "Win an organic tee from @WestMamaDesigns and @Baby2Green http://bit.ly/bcSS3J #eco #giveaway"
• Go to WestMama Designs Etsy Shop and pick one item you LOVE and come back here to tell me what it is.
• Become a follower of WestMama Designs Blog

So that is at least SEVEN chances to win.  Be sure to pay attention on Twitter and Facebook.  I may or may not be giving out bonus entries throughout the week.

Deadline for entries is Friday, April 23th at noon Eastern Time.  All entries will be checked and any entry that doesn't qualify will be removed before the drawing.  The winner will be drawn via Random.org for fairness.  Winner will be notified and has 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond, a second drawing will be held.

Disclaimer: I did receive a sample product for review.  

This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone. 

Green Gal Pick: Fridge-It Odor Absorber Review and Giveaway ***CLOSED***

As everyone knows -- diapers stink.  In my home there are a LOT of diapers.  My daughter uses cloth diapers which I keep in a pail liner inside a regular trashcan until it is washing time.  But, I also have my own home daycare and most of them uses disposable diapers which end up in my trash can each day.  Needless to say, by the end of the day my hallway STINKS.  Since I do not use chemical air fresheners and the weather isn't quite warm enough to open the windows and let some of the stink out, I am stuck with a stinky house until the end of the day when I can take out the trash and wash diapers.  I knew that there had to be a green way to control odors inside the home without spraying toxic chemicals to cover up the smell, but I couldn't find anything for a long time.  Then I saw Innofresh's blog.

As I read, I realized that their line of eco-friendly, fragrance and chemical free line of activated carbon odor absorbers was exactly what I needed.  Another huge plus, these are made right here in the USA.  Which makes them greener because they do not have to ship from halfway around the world.  I do not use chemical cleaning products in my home for the safety and health of my family, my dog, and my daycare children.  A find like this was something I needed to have ASAP!  Unlike other products that just mask odors, their activated carbon odor absorbers actually eliminate the odors by absorbing and neutralizing - so the odor is permanently eliminated - not just covered up like other "air fresheners."   So I contacted Bruce over at Innofresh and he generously offered to send me some of their awesome odor absorbers to review.

So once I received the odor absorbers, I out them to the ultimate test -- well my daycare kids did.  I stuck one at the bottom of the garbage can and put in a fresh bag.  Within an hour, there were 5 soiled diapers in that can.  For the first time, I could walk through the room without smelling anything at all!  I also clipped one to the lid of my daughter's diaper pail.  That pail sat for 3 days before I washed the diapers and there was no odor in or around the pail.  Usually I have to take the pail down into the basement each night and store the dirties down there until washing, but not anymore!

Since I love to put things to the test, I also put one in our fridge, freezer, and my husband's lunchbox.  My fridge stinks like onion because I use a lot of onions and garlic when I cook.  And that old box of baking soda just isn't cutting it anymore.  Nothing is worse than putting butter on your bagel in the morning and your butter tastes like old onion -- ICK!  My freezer had that lovely smell of freezer burn -- at least I think that is what it is. I'm not actually sure what freezer burn smells like.  I wanted to see how long it would take to remove the odors from the fridge, freezer, and lunchbox.  I clipped these absorbers in at 8 in the morning and by lunchtime the odors in all three locations were completely gone.  I was amazed.  

Now, if only I could get my dog to wear one on his collar...

BUY IT!

You can buy Innofresh Odor Absorbers directly through their website or use their site to find a retailer near you.  Use coupon code BK409B to receive an automatic 10% discount on purchases made on line at www.Innofresh.com   This coupon code must be entered into the required coupon field during checkout.

WIN IT!

Bruce over at Innofresh generously offered to give a FREE six pack of FRIDGE IT cubes to one lucky Baby To Green reader!  

To enter each entry must have an email address in the comment or visible in your public profile.  No email address = no winning.  Each comment is worth 1 entry into the drawing.

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Leave a comment telling me your "stinky" story.  Make me smell the stink people.


Extra Entries (only after Mandatory Entry has been entered):

• Tell me the closest retailer to you where you can buy Innofresh products.
• Follow me via Google Friend Connect on the sidebar and leave a comment.
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Follow Innofresh on Twitter (say hi to Bruce while you are there!) and leave a comment with your Twitter ID.
• Tweet this ONCE and leave the permalink in your comment. "Kick stink to the curb with @Innofresh and @Baby2Green #eco #clothdiaper http://bit.ly/cd9ZXa"
• Friend me on Facebook and leave a comment with your Facebook name.

So that is at least SEVEN chances to win.  Be sure to pay attention on Twitter and Facebook.  I may or may not be giving out bonus entries throughout the week.

Deadline for entries is Wednesday March 17, 2010 at noon Eastern Time.  All entries will be checked and any entry that doesn't qualify will be removed before the drawing.  The winner will be drawn via Random.org for fairness.  Winner will be notified and has 48 hours to respond.  If winner does not respond, a second drawing will be held.

Disclaimer: I did receive Innofresh products for review.  

This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone.  

Green Gal Pick: Flip One Size Diaper System Review

Another new style of diaper that I tried out recently was the Flip One Size Diaper System from Diaper Junction. Bryana at Diaper Junction generously offered to send me the Flip system in Ribbit to try out.

When it arrived, I was so anxious to try it out.  First thing I noticed was that it is a one size snap diaper -- HUGE PLUS!  I love one size diapers and I love snaps.  Snaps are my preference because they do not snag on other diapers in the washer and dryer and they hold up much better to frequent use.

Next thing that I noticed was the Stay Dry Insert.  It has a moisture wicking suede material on one side to go against baby's skin which is great because I like when my daughter feels dry.  It has another 3 layers of microfiber to keep that moisture contained.  The Flip is VERY easy to put together.  Just 2 quick tucks and the liner is in place and you are ready to diaper baby.

If you prefer natural materials, the Flip offers an organic cotton insert as well.  They also offer a disposable diaper insert for the times when cloth just isn't an option.

I love the fit of this cloth diaper because it is trim, which is rare in almost any cloth diaper.  My daughter wore this diaper for 3 hours without a single leak!  She put it to the ultimate test by having a massive would-be blowout as well.  I say would-be blowout because the Flip contained the entire mess.  No pulling inserts out or fastening velcro laundry tabs.  Just rinsed off the solids and threw the entire thing in the diaper pail.  With the Flip, you can also just replace the insert and reuse the cover!  How great is that?

Washing and drying was a breeze.  I just washed with my other diapers and the insert came out perfectly clean and stink free and I hung the Flip cover to dry.  The weather is finally warming up so I am excited to line dry the Flip.  I know it will dry quickly outside which is great for us.  

I think that the Flip system is a great was for someone to try out cloth diapering or a great alternative for vacations when many cloth diaperers use disposables because they may not have a washer available.  It offers lots of great options for everyday use and it is a very affordable and easy to care for system!

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own Flip Diaper System at Diaper Junction!


Check out Diaper Junction's 30 Day Test Drive as well.  It is a great program that lets you try out a variety of diapers RISK FREE!

Disclaimer: I did receive one Flip cloth diaper in Ribbit for review.  This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone.  

Green Gal Pick: Cutey Baby Modern Cloth Diaper Review

When I was asked to have my daughter test drive the new Cutey Baby Modern cloth diaper, I was super excited.  I was excited because I have never tried an AIO diaper.  I was always put off by the drying time and I also felt like it would be really hard to keep an AIO clean because of all those layers that you can't see.  I just see traditional AIOs as a HUGE energy waster because many take two drying cycles or more.

We had the chance to try out the Big Pink Dot Cutey Baby and it is ADORABLE.

The Cutey Baby Modern cloth diaper is much, much different than a traditional AIO.  The first thing I noticed was how soft the outside of the diaper was.  Not like a PUL feeling, but more like cotton.  It was really nice.  Then I opened the diaper and saw that it was velcro.  Now, velcro is usually a minus for me in the cloth diaper category because I have had a ton of velcro diapers make diaper chains in the washer, pull at my other diapers and snag the material, and the velcro wears really, really fast and makes some diapers almost useless after just a few months.  But, this diaper is different because the sticky part of the velcro comes off for washing!  How smart is that?

The inner of the Cutey Baby has a stay dry, moisture wicking material to keep baby dry and comfortable.  It also has a large cutout in the middle of the diaper that you don't normally see.  This helps to keep messes inside the diaper and also allows the inner part of the diaper to float out during a wash and dry to get really clean and dry super fast.

The adjustments for size are on the wings of the diaper.  Just a simple snap system to make it a custom fit for your baby.  My daughter is a teeny tiny thing at 19 pounds at 17 months, so I adjusted it to the smaller setting and it was a great fit.

So after using this diaper consistently for two weeks now, I have to say that I love it.  I hate when it is dirty because it is absorbent (lasts through my daughter's 4 hour naps), soft, easy to use, and so cute. A lot of great ideas went into this diaper and it shows because it is truly a different diaper that works without fail time and time again!

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own Cutey Baby Modern Cloth Diaper on Amazon.

Disclaimer: I did receive one Cutey Baby Modern Cloth Diaper for review.  This does not affect the review of this product. I was not paid for this review and the opinions are mine and mine alone.