I wanted to create a simple birthday card with this beautiful lavender stamp from Old Island Stamps (made in BC!) that I got from my sister-in-law. I decided to use some a light grey cardstock, called Fog, from Lawn Fawn and stitched a panel of Lilac Close To My Heart cardstock for an accent.
Showing posts with label
Shop Local
We have been cloth diapering our son for just over two years now and I am so happy that we have made the decision to do cloth. We started when he was one month old and have done it exclusively because we were so happy with it. I started doing some research right before our son was born (there are lots of amazing blogs out there on cloth diapers!), and through trial and error and learning with other friends who cloth diaper, we learned some things that worked for us.
Why We Use Cloth Diapers
1. Safer and healthier for our child (no toxic chemicals, breathable fabrics = little to no rashes)
2. Better for the environment
3. Cheaper (Within 2 years of using new cloth diapers we are now saving money on diapers. All of our cloth diapers are still in excellent condition. If they are used for another child they are essentially 'free')
4. Easier clean-up (no looking for a trash can and cloth wipes clean up more mess than disposable wipes)
5. Cute
Our Favourite Cloth Diaper Brands
AppleCheeks
Bummis
Funky Fluff
GroVia
Lilly & Frank
Omaiki
Our Favourite Places To Buy Cloth Diapers
BumbleTree
Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot
Lagoon Baby
Lilly & Frank
Our Laundry Routine
Every 2-3 days
Cold Rinse + Hot Heavy Wash + Cold Rinse
Tide Free & Gentle detergent
Hang covers + dry liners on low heat and then hang dry
Travelling with Cloth Diapers
I recently had the pleasure of writing a blog post for one of our favourite sustainable clothing brands, ROWE Kids, based out of Calgary, Alberta. In this blog post you can check out tips and tricks for traveling with cloth diapers and plastic-free snacks!
Why We Use Cloth Diapers
1. Safer and healthier for our child (no toxic chemicals, breathable fabrics = little to no rashes)
2. Better for the environment
3. Cheaper (Within 2 years of using new cloth diapers we are now saving money on diapers. All of our cloth diapers are still in excellent condition. If they are used for another child they are essentially 'free')
4. Easier clean-up (no looking for a trash can and cloth wipes clean up more mess than disposable wipes)
5. Cute
 |
| Lilly & Frank cloth diaper |
Our Favourite Cloth Diaper Brands
AppleCheeks
Bummis
Funky Fluff
GroVia
Lilly & Frank
Omaiki
Our Favourite Places To Buy Cloth Diapers
BumbleTree
Calgary Cloth Diaper Depot
Lagoon Baby
Lilly & Frank
Our Laundry Routine
Every 2-3 days
Cold Rinse + Hot Heavy Wash + Cold Rinse
Tide Free & Gentle detergent
Hang covers + dry liners on low heat and then hang dry
Travelling with Cloth Diapers
I recently had the pleasure of writing a blog post for one of our favourite sustainable clothing brands, ROWE Kids, based out of Calgary, Alberta. In this blog post you can check out tips and tricks for traveling with cloth diapers and plastic-free snacks!
Halloween does not have to be an event riddled with tons of waste. Here are a few ways that you can go green this Halloween.
Some stores, like Save On Foods, are even offering reusable Halloween bags with grocery purchases this month. These can be used for trick-or-treating and then as grocery bags during the rest of the year. Other options include using a pillowcase or making your own fabric bag.
Costumes
Halloween costumes can be expensive and wasteful given their quality and nature of typically being single-use. There are ways to be greener about Halloween costumes that is better both for the environment and for your wallet! One idea is to create a costume for your child out of items they already own. With a few simple additions and a little creativity there are many ideas that can have a great effect!
My goal with a Halloween costume is to create something using clothing and items we already have around the house and integrate some handmade items that can be played with again later. Last year I set out to create a Batman costume. Using a grey ROWE Kids zomper that we already owned, I paired it with a black Funky Fluff cloth diaper that we use in our cloth diaper stash. My Mom and I made the cape so that it could be enjoyed for years to come. We designed our own pattern and sewed the cape using black broadcloth fabric and black adjustable snaps at the neck from FabricLand. I got some black and yellow felt from the Dollar Store, cut out the pieces in the Batman design and sewed it together. I then sewed it onto the cape. We used the neutral Nooks Design baby booties that we already owned for footwear. Harvey was warm, comfortable, and cute in his Batman costume and we had a great time taking him around to family and friends. This Halloween costume cost approximately $5.75!
This year I created a bear costume from a ROWE Kids zomper that we were gifted and a beautiful handmade toque from Wild Child Designs that we already owned. If you are wondering if there is such a thing as a grey bear - there is! The Glacier Bear is a subspecies of the American Black Bear with silver-blue or grey hair found in and around Alaska. The toque we had came with two poms to give it a bear look. Next, I got some black gloves and some brown felt and hand stitched the brown felt onto the gloves to make it look like the pads of a bear paw. We used the black Nooks Design wool booties that we already owned to finish off the outfit and ensure my little guy’s feet would stay toasty warm all night! I love using a ROWE Kids zomper for a Halloween costume because it is something we already own, the onesie aspect keeps my son warm, and it is super easy for quick diaper changes with the ankle to ankle zipper when we are out and about. This Halloween costume cost approximately $2.50!
I am excited to be featured on the ROAM by ROWE Kids Blog with these Halloween costumes!
Candy
Candy can be one of the most wasteful components of Halloween with all of the tiny wrappers that are often non-recyclable. Consider buying candy in bulk at places like Bulk Barn if you are giving to family and friends. Here, you can bring in your own reusable containers. Another option could be bringing your own containers to your local chocolate shoppe to save on the packaging. For younger children, you could even skip the candy altogether and go for a Halloween themed book. Below are a couple of options through affiliate Amazon links.
Trick-or-Treat Bags + Baskets
There are many options for bags or baskets to collect candy that can be reused or repurposed. The Halloween basket that my son is using this year happens to be a third generation hand-me down! It was originally given to my Mom when she was a child, I used it for several years growing up, and now my son can enjoy it! The handle did break this year but I was able to mend it back together.
Some stores, like Save On Foods, are even offering reusable Halloween bags with grocery purchases this month. These can be used for trick-or-treating and then as grocery bags during the rest of the year. Other options include using a pillowcase or making your own fabric bag.
Wanting to shop local and handmade for my friend's daughter's birthday I found this sweet sloth stuffie (which happens to be her favourite animal!) by EvilKaneedle. This Mountain Misfit is handmade in Kimberley, about half an hour from where we live! I knew right away that I wanted to use the Lawn Fawn sloth to make a birthday card to go along with the gift. Freshly Made Sketches is celebrating their 400th sketch by using their original sketch #1 this week and I am so happy that I could play along too!
Paper - Feels Like Home patterned paper; Fern, Black cardstock; Watercolour paper (CTMH)
Stamps - Hang In There (Lawn Fawn)
Dies - Hang In There; Happy Birthday Line Border (Lawn Fawn)
Why I'm aiming to shop small and shop locally made this holiday season:
- Made in Canada supports our local economy
- Helps Canadian Mamas (and sometimes Dads too) stay home with their family
- Quality over Quantity; better fit and often for longer
- More environmentally friendly and sustainable options
- Unique and often one of a kind, customizable and creative options
For awhile now, I have been fascinated and excited when I can find something locally made. Even something made in Canada seems to be few and far between these days in the popular big box stores. I have come to learn that items that are "made in Canada" can have major differences among them, however. For example, you could be supporting a handmade maker in Canada, a Canadian designer that finds ethical manufacturing options for their products within Canada, a company that designs in Canada and manufactures overseas (which may or may not be ethically manufactured), or a company that simply has a warehouse in Canada that ships out the items they have received from overseas...MAJOR DIFFERENCES! I did not use to think about the differences in these options and the impact they have on our economy and our environment.
As I have continued my journey in cutting out plastic in my life where I can and aiming to be less wasteful, I have come to think more and more about the purchases I make every day, as well as those purchases that I make for my family and friends. Since my son has been born, I have started paying more attention to where his clothes and toys are made and how they are made. As a maker myself, I can appreciate the time spent designing something, gathering the right supplies, and putting it all together. Through doing some research this year, I have come to find many small shops around me, in BC and across Canada, who are aligning their practices with qualities I have come to admire and appreciate.
In addition to the craft fairs in my local area and the small shops who are also carrying made in Canada products, I have found many small BC and Canadian shops online. Here are some I will be supporting this holiday season:
ROWE Kids
Calgary, AB: the zomper has become our go-to outfit with an ankle-ankle zipper convenient for easy diaper changes
Olive.me.handmade
Fernie, BC: organic cotton leggings and toques made in beautiful wilderness designs
Lilly & Frank
Surrey, BC: organic handmade cloth diapers
Josiah & Co.
Hamilton, ON: not only are these crocheted booties beautifully handmade but they are"handmade with heaven babies in mind", something near and dear to my heart
The Baby Niche
Lethbridge, AB: wooden and silicone teething toys handmade by a wife & husband team
Trae Designs
Squamish, BC: handcrafted wooden toys
Timber Child
Okanagon, BC: natural lifestyle products for children such as wooden plates and toys
LoveBird Sewing Co.
Armstrong, BC: coziest blankets, but also home of the baby nest, one of the best and most used purchases we have made for our son
Peaks & Valleys Baby
Smithers, BC: swaddles, blankets, changepad covers, and crib sheets in beautiful organic fabrics
Snuglee Bug Knits
Surrey, BC: cozy knit toques (and she used to make baskets, too)
Why am I posting about this? Because I really did not use to think about the impact of my choices on the environment and the economy, because I want to support small Canadian businesses and people wanting to stay home with their children, and because I appreciate a good quality handmade product. You may pay a little bit more up front to buy locally handmade, but if you do your research, you will often end up buying less and buying something that will last, which is far more sustainable for us and for our environment.
- Made in Canada supports our local economy
- Helps Canadian Mamas (and sometimes Dads too) stay home with their family
- Quality over Quantity; better fit and often for longer
- More environmentally friendly and sustainable options
- Unique and often one of a kind, customizable and creative options
For awhile now, I have been fascinated and excited when I can find something locally made. Even something made in Canada seems to be few and far between these days in the popular big box stores. I have come to learn that items that are "made in Canada" can have major differences among them, however. For example, you could be supporting a handmade maker in Canada, a Canadian designer that finds ethical manufacturing options for their products within Canada, a company that designs in Canada and manufactures overseas (which may or may not be ethically manufactured), or a company that simply has a warehouse in Canada that ships out the items they have received from overseas...MAJOR DIFFERENCES! I did not use to think about the differences in these options and the impact they have on our economy and our environment.
As I have continued my journey in cutting out plastic in my life where I can and aiming to be less wasteful, I have come to think more and more about the purchases I make every day, as well as those purchases that I make for my family and friends. Since my son has been born, I have started paying more attention to where his clothes and toys are made and how they are made. As a maker myself, I can appreciate the time spent designing something, gathering the right supplies, and putting it all together. Through doing some research this year, I have come to find many small shops around me, in BC and across Canada, who are aligning their practices with qualities I have come to admire and appreciate.
In addition to the craft fairs in my local area and the small shops who are also carrying made in Canada products, I have found many small BC and Canadian shops online. Here are some I will be supporting this holiday season:
ROWE Kids
Calgary, AB: the zomper has become our go-to outfit with an ankle-ankle zipper convenient for easy diaper changes
Olive.me.handmade
Fernie, BC: organic cotton leggings and toques made in beautiful wilderness designs
Lilly & Frank
Surrey, BC: organic handmade cloth diapers
Josiah & Co.
Hamilton, ON: not only are these crocheted booties beautifully handmade but they are"handmade with heaven babies in mind", something near and dear to my heart
The Baby Niche
Lethbridge, AB: wooden and silicone teething toys handmade by a wife & husband team
Trae Designs
Squamish, BC: handcrafted wooden toys
Timber Child
Okanagon, BC: natural lifestyle products for children such as wooden plates and toys
LoveBird Sewing Co.
Armstrong, BC: coziest blankets, but also home of the baby nest, one of the best and most used purchases we have made for our son
Peaks & Valleys Baby
Smithers, BC: swaddles, blankets, changepad covers, and crib sheets in beautiful organic fabrics
Snuglee Bug Knits
Surrey, BC: cozy knit toques (and she used to make baskets, too)
Why am I posting about this? Because I really did not use to think about the impact of my choices on the environment and the economy, because I want to support small Canadian businesses and people wanting to stay home with their children, and because I appreciate a good quality handmade product. You may pay a little bit more up front to buy locally handmade, but if you do your research, you will often end up buying less and buying something that will last, which is far more sustainable for us and for our environment.
I've been meaning to share this card I made for our friend. It has been amazing to make memories with one of my childhood friends and our babies this year who are 2 1/2 months apart. Sunflowers hold a special place in my heart so I was beyond excited to see this new paper collection release from Close To My Heart to kick off our next idea book. It is one of my favourites that I have seen come out in the past few years! This card features a few of our newest products -
As I have mentioned before, one of my goals this year is to support and shop more local shoppes and handmade items. I came across a fabulous shoppe called Timber Child a few months ago. They make the sweetest children's wooden plates out of Canadian Maple Wood and pledge to use only 100% Canadian materials - that's awesome! And the best part is that they are located right here in British Columbia. I was so happy with the cute little fox plate we got our son to celebrate his move to solid foods that we gave one to our friend for her birthday too.
Grateful Heart paper collection + Stitched Hearts dies + Gold Tinsel embossing powder
Paper - Grateful Heart paper collection; Saffron, Kraft, Black cardstock (CTMH);
Stamps - Just A Number, Framework Alphabet, Alphabets (CTMH);
Dies - Stitched Hearts, Basic Hearts (CTMH);
Embossing Powder - Seafoam White, Tinsel Gold (Ranger);
Embellishments - Twine (PTI).
