Voodookitten / Cranky Cat Studio Review & Gift Certificate Giveaway (discount too!) CLOSED

May 12,2010 / By Maria / 162 Comments

Deborah of Cranky Cat Studio doesn’t make your typical cutesy baby stuff. If the business card graphic & font didn’t tip you off, here’s her son’s 1 year portrait (she said I could share!)

So flippin cute! All he needs is this diaper to go with it. No, I don’t think I’ll ever stop moping about that diaper. I want it! (Imagine me pouting and stomping my foot like a petulant child.)

Cranky Cat Studio sells from her Bonanzle store (you can also get there by typing http://www.voodookitten.com/ For those who had never heard of Bonanzle (I hadn’t), Deborah described it as “an upscale eBay. Kinda like what would happen if eBay and Etsy had a baby!” That cracked me up. She also has an Etsy Shop. She has lots of products for sale including baby blankets, bibs, purses and totes, hair clips, shopping totes and tutu overalls (you have got to see these!) She has quite a bit more in her Bonanzle store than in Etsy, including items that aren’t handmade, like squeaky shoes. My fingers would be nubs if I tried to list and link to every single thing she makes; she makes a lot!

Deborah sent me a shopping tote and a clutch purse to review. She’s also offering up a $30 gift certificate to one lucky blog reader and a discount code good for 10% off that you can all use. The code is MamaRocks because “gosh darn it…Mama does rock!”

The bag is actually intended for my hubby to keep in his car to have handy for when he picks up a few things here and there. The guitar print seemed more manly than some of the other reusable bags, LOL. It’s also perfect for a blanket, a few toys and some snacks for a trip to the park!

It’s nice and roomy, but rolled up small, around 5 x 3.

I just realized that I didn’t get a good shot of the bag itself, sheesh. I was so focused on function! My hubby has been using it and has it in his car. I promise it looks as great as it functions!

That’s 15 pounds of flour and sugar. No problems at all. I’m quite sure it could have held more weight. It was also both comfortable to hold and secure thanks to the design of the handles.

I easily fit five boxes of cereal in it.

Still no trouble holding it!

Overstuffed and overloaded it was still really comfy to hold. No double bagging like plastic bags, no ripping holes in the bag like plastic, and no digging into your fingers, cutting off your circulation like plastic!

Most of Deborah’s diaper bags started out as purses, and this clutch/wristlet is no exception. The fabric is gorgeous.

It is the perfect size to use with a pretty dress for a night out (Night…out?? What is that again?) when you just need keys, wallet, lipstick, phone etc.

One strap is longer than the other, so you can tuck the long through the short and cinch it.

The intention is to use as a grab and go diaper bag, for those quick trips when you just need a few diapers/wipes. Those situations get a little more complicated for cloth diaperers, since you can’t just cram a couple into your regular purse! I use my wet/dry bag when I know I will need to change several diapers while we’re away, but when I might only need to change one, it’s a bit much to lug out with me.

I put a Bumgenius 3.0, a Rumparooz, a PlanetWise medium wet bag, a Planet wise wipe bag with 10 wipes and a spray bottle of solution in this teeny bag!

Yep, it’s all in there!

Close it up and hit the road!

Love it! I think both bags are really well made and they’re unique in form, function and style. I can definitely see using the wristlet with a little black dress someday when I don’t need it for diapers anymore!

So, want your own? Shop Cranky Cat Studio and use coupon code MamaRocks to get 10% off.

~~Or, win a gift certificate! One reader gets $30 to spend at Cranky Cat Studio. It will be good for anything out of either her Etsy or her Bonanzle store!~~

Here’s how to enter: The first entry is mandatory, do as many or as few of the others as you like. You must enter a separate comment on this blog post for each entry. Please make sure to include your email address if it is not visible in your profile.

~~1. Visit~~ ~~Cranky Cat Studio~~ ~~and let me know what you would buy if you won.~~

~~2. Follow my blog publicly. Comment to get your entry.~~

3. ~~Fan me on Facebook. Comment here to get your entry. (Yes, I know it’s not “fan” anymore but all this like, liker, liking stuff is too clunky!)~~

4. ~~Fan Cranky Cat Studio on Facebook. Comment to get your entry.~~

5. ~~Follow me on Twitter. Comment to get your entry.~~

6. ~~Follow Cranky Cat Studio on Twitter. Comment to get your entry.~~

7. Tweet about this giveaway. Please no more than one tweet per day and make sure to include @chgdiapers and @CrankyCatStudio. You may use this tweet if you like “Enter the @chgdiapers #giveaway for a $30 @crankycatstudio gift certificate and get great #handmade items! http://bit.ly/cF7xai Ends 5/21”

~~8. Blog about this giveaway, this blog, Cranky Cat studio etc and leave a link to your blog post to get your entry.~~

I will accept entries until Friday, May 21st, 2010 at 9 P.M. EST. I’ll choose a winner with random.org’s true random number generator and contact the winner by email.

Thank you to Deborah at Cranky Cat Studio for sending me the bags to review. The freebies in no way affected my review and the opinions are my own. Results may vary and all that rot. 🙂

Baby Food Coupon Discount Giveaway Natural and Organic Food Retailers Review

EcoMom Review, Giveaway and discount/coupon code CLOSED

May 10,2010 / By Maria / 156 Comments

I was given the opportunity to try some yummy, organic snacks from EcoMom. They’re also sponsoring a giveaway and offering a 15% discount on my readers first purchase. Enter code SBBL287 at checkout to get 15% off your first order. (valid through 5/31/10)

Formerly Sprout baby, they’re now Eco-Friendly Baby Products – Eco Mom.

Eco-Mom sent me Revolution Foods Jammy Sammies in blueberry flavor and Plum Tots fiddlesticks in apple carrot flavor.

Someone wise recently told me that a company’s true customer service is measured by how they handle problems. EcoMom and I got off to a rocky start when I was sent the wrong blogger’s package and caught them in the middle of their website redesign. Jody at EcoMom responded to me immediately and was very apologetic for the mix-up. I received my replacement package in the mail just a few days later. (EcoMom sent me the blueberry flavor, the others pictured are flavors I purchased myself.)

The Jammy Sammies come in lots of different flavors. We had actually just discovered them a few weeks earlier at our local organic market.

My daughter loves them and I think they’re pretty tasty too, I ate an Apple Sammy as I was typing this!

I had never had anything from Plum Organics, the Fiddlesticks were the first.

They look like little breadsticks, but they are softer. I tried one and they weren’t bad.

They make great Cheerio picker-uppers.

My son really enjoyed it. 🙂

My son is 11 months old, but I don’t think he’s quite ready for these yet. He likes to shovel things in his mouth, and he was breaking pieces off that were a bit big for him to handle. My daughter ended up eating the whole rest of the box the same day!

EcoMom sells tons of other organic baby food and snacks, but they sell a whole lot more too. They have a few cloth diapers, they have bath & body products, toys and books, even green cleaning products.

One thing that makes EcoMom unique is their EcoPass. A one-year membership costs $99 and gets you 15% off everything they sell and free shipping on every order. That includes expensive and oversized items like the Boon Flair Pedestal High Chair and organic crib sets.

The 15% off would pay for the membership if you spent $660 over the course of your 1-year membership. That’s $55 per month, which is not hard to spend!

It’s definitely a good idea to check their prices on any items you may be interested in. Their price on the Sammies is higher than my local store, but I’m blessed to have a store with such low prices. However, my store only has three flavors while EcoMom has a lot more.

I didn’t price compare anything else, since I’m not really in the market for anything right now. As a savvy shopper though, I’d always recommend doing that, since $100 less a 15% discount one place is the same $85 elsewhere. Just make sure you are including shipping charges and sales tax when you do so!

EcoMom is offering a 15% discount to my readers. It’s good through May 31st, 2010 and is good only on your first order. Just enter code SBBL287 at checkout.

You can also sign up for EcoMom’s Newsletter if you want to know about new products and events.

EcoMom is also giving one lucky winner $20 worth of Plum and / or Revolution Foods!

Here’s how to enter (you may so as many or as few as you like, each counts as one entry):

1. Visit Eco-Mom, browse and tell me what you’d buy (if money were no object!)

2. Follow my blog publicly, comment saying you follow to get your entry.

3. “Like” me on Facebook. Comment here saying so to get your entry.

4. “Like” EcoMom on Facebook. You know the drill, comment here to get your entry.

5. Follow me on Twitter. Comment saying you follow to get your entry.

6. Follow EcoMom on Twitter. Comment saying you follow to get your entry.

7. Tweet about this giveaway. Please link to the post and be sure to @ecomomceo and @chgdiapers. One tweet per day please! You may use this tweet if you like “@chgdiapers has a #giveaway for #organic food from @ecomomceo until 5/17 http://bit.ly/cyot7U“

8. Blog about this review/giveaway, this blog or EcoMom. Be sure to link to EcoMom and me (use the new address, https://change-diapers.com/) Comment with a link to your blog post to get your entry!

Open to residents of the U.S. only.

I’ll accept entries until Monday, May 17th, 2010 at 9 P.M. EST. I’ll select a winner using random.org’s random number generator, then email the winner. Be sure to leave your email address in your comment if it isn’t in your profile!

Thank you to EcoMom for providing the Jammy Sammies and Fiddlesticks to me at no charge to review, and for sponsoring the giveaway. All opinions are my own and weren’t affected by the freebies!

All In One Diapers Giveaway Made in the USA One Size Diapers Review

Kissaluvs Marvels AIO Diaper Review & giveaway CLOSED

May 5,2010 / By Maria / 505 Comments

We love our Kissaluvs Wool Lover diaper cover, so when some readers told me they’d like to see me review wipes and wipe solution, I immediately thought of Kissaluvs. I had looked at their diaper lotion potion and premium wipes several times, but hadn’t tried either.

I was hoping to review the wipes and lotion potion, but then I saw the Marvels one size all-in-one diaper. Kissaluvs sent me one for free to try and review, and one reader gets one (their choice of color!) as well! The colors are: Butter (with yellow inner), Raspberry (with Pink), Kelly Green (with Yellow) and Summer Sky (with White). They retail for $22.95, which is the middle of the road price wise.

You’ll have to forgive me for some of these pictures. It was really sunny and I was having a hard time getting enough light but not too much! I know I could edit them but I think you’d rather read a review with a couple of washed out pictures than read nothing because I’m busy trying to edit the pictures. Tee hee.

Generally speaking, an all-in-one diaper (AIO) will look pretty much the same as a pocket diaper except the soaker is sewn into the diaper. The Goodmama One is an exception to that, it has a snap-in soaker. Like a pocket diaper, an AIO has a waterproof outer or hidden layer, usually PUL. They also usually have a stay-dry inner made of microfleece or suedecloth. I like AIO diapers for their ease of use, but they take longer to dry and are harder to get clean. So why was I so interested in the Marvels?

The soaker is only sewn into the diaper on the end, so it’s almost like a pre-stuffed pocket diaper. The insert can agitate out of the diaper in the wash and turn the diaper inside out (it did in mine), which reminds me of the Smartipants diapers. Very nice not to have to pull a yucky insert out!

The pocket also allows you to add additional inserts if needed. The opening is wide enough for easy use, but not gaping open.

The Marvels have the snap down rise adjustment, which is my preference for a one-size diaper. They aren’t too difficult to undo, but I didn’t have any trouble accidentally popping them open either.

The wing snaps are easy-peasy too. There are just two snaps on each wing, I prefer it, and I get a lot less complaining from my hubby.

There are two overlap snaps for smaller babies. The guidelines for this diaper are 7-35 pounds (varies by baby as always of course!) and I do think this is likely to fit smaller babies better than other one-size diapers.

The large setting is about the same size as the medium on the Flip. No fear though, it’s really just because the leg elastic is drawn a bit tighter.

When I fully stretched them, they were about the same size.

The small setting is pretty small though!

It doesn’t seem bulky, even on the small setting.

I can’t get over how soft the diaper is. Not just the inner, but the PUL too!

I didn’t have any issues with marks from the leg elastic, but we also had no leaks.

After washing, it was less work than a pocket diaper, since I didn’t have to find the matching soaker, then make sure I had it in far enough (but not too far!) and laid flat. However, I did have to flip the diaper right side out and then smooth the insert flat. So, it’s not quite as easy as a sewn in soaker.

I really ended up liking this more than I thought I would. It looks so basic, but it’s so soft and easy to use!

I didn’t get to try the premium or hemp wipes, but Kissaluvs did send me some of their “awesome knit terry wipes.”

At $1.25 each, they are more affordable than other wipes, but they are really, very basic wipes. They are single thickness and feel like thin washcloths. They are a bit larger than baby washcloths (8 x 8), but they curl up after washing just like our cheap Target brand baby washcloths do. Maybe I’m spoiled by other wipes now, but I don’t think I would buy these, I’d save my money for nicer ones, like their premium wipes (those are $2.00 each.) I will certainly use them though, they do the job!

Now, want to win a Kissaluvs Marvels one size all-in-one diaper? Kissaluvs is sending one to a lucky blog reader, in the winner’s choice of color!

Here’s how to enter:

Be sure to leave your email address in a comment if it isn’t in your profile.

1. Visit Kissaluvs and tell me either what product you’d like to try or what product you wish Kissaluvs made.
2. Follow my blog, current followers count. Comment saying you’re a follower to get your entry.
3. Like me on Facebook, current likers count. Comment saying you’re a fan/liker (can’t get used to that!) to get your entry.
4. Follow me on Twitter, current followers count. Comment saying you’re a follower to get your entry.
5. Tweet about this giveaway. Be sure to include @kissaluvs and @chgdiapers. You can use this example “If you love #clothdiapers enter this #giveaway from @chgdiapers for a @kissaluvs Marvels AIO before 5/19 http://bit.ly/d9OqVB”
6. Like Kissaluvs on Facebook. Comment saying you’re a fan/liker to get your entry.
7. Follow Kissaluvs on Twitter. Comment saying you’re a follower to get your entry.
8. Blog about Kissaluvs and/or this blog or giveaway. Just spread the fluffy love, you don’t have to be all like “Golly gee wilikers mister, I sure would like this diaper!” Hee hee.
9. Bonus Entries Review a Kissaluvs product you’ve tried and liked on Amazon, on diaperpin or on the review tab of Kissaluvs Facebook page. One entry per review, leave a link to your review in a comment to get your entry.

I will accept entries until Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 at 9:00 P.M. EST. I’ll use random.org’s true random number generator and will email the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to claim his/her prize.

Thank you to Kissaluvs for sending me a Marvels diaper and terry wipes at no charge. I’ve reviewed them both the same way I would have if I had paid for them. Thank you also for agreeing to send a blog reader a Marvels AIO as well.

Baby Food Giveaway Natural and Organic Food Review

YoBaby Yogurt Review & Giveaway CLOSED

May 4,2010 / By Maria / 62 Comments

YoBaby organic yogurt isn’t new to us, we’ve been buying it since my 5 year old was a baby. We never actually stopped buying it. My daughter still loves it, both for the taste and the cute babies on the package!

YoBaby also has codes on the lids for the Stonyfield Farms Reward Program. The points add up quickly (the 6-packs or 32 ounce containers are 4 points I believe) and redemptions start at 25 points. The rewards are pretty good too I think! I got 2 free HappyBabyFood product coupons for 25 points! If you register, you can also print coupons, I think they reset monthly.

The plain variety is new to me. It seems to be the same as the Stonyfield Farms organic plain, whole milk yogurt we usually buy, but in different packaging. I was able to find it at Whole Foods when I made the trip to get some of the Happy Baby Food items for my review, that I couldn’t find locally.

There’s no added sugar, and it’s so good with some fresh fruit mixed in, maybe a drizzle of agave nectar if the fruit is tart. I believe it has the same active cultures as the Stonyfield Farms, which recommended most often for use as a homemade yogurt starter because of the active cultures. It’s of course a bit more expensive per ounce than the big tub, but that’s to be expected. It’s nice to be able to grab a 4 ounce container to take with us somewhere. I just wish I could find them locally!

The YoBaby 6-packs also come in banana/vanilla, peach/pear and blueberry/apple varieties.

It does have added sugar, though there’s no HFCS or dyes. The package states that the count includes natural milk sugar, I’d just like to know how many of the 12 grams are added. Other yogurt marketed to kids has 13-18 grams of sugar in 4 ounces. YoBaby is the only one (that I know of) made with whole milk, and I don’t know enough about milk to know whether that increases the natural sugar content when compared to low fat milk.

My favorite flavor is the apple, so I had to taste one (purely in the name of research of course!) since I haven’t had one in quite some time.

This is cream top yogurt. This is what it looked like after being squeezed and manhandled (babyhandled?) by my son, prior to opening it.

Stir to mix and enjoy. Mmm…heavenly. At 110 calories in 4 ounces, it’s a bit higher in calories (and fat, but…duh) than light/low or no fat yogurt. However, I don’t really enjoy the artificially sweetened, artificially flavored, thin stuff. A 4 oz YoBaby is more filling and satisfying to me than a 6 oz. container of the “other stuff.”

Oh wait, this stuff was called YoBABY, right? Oops. It makes me want to make jokes like, “Yo’ Baby’s diaper is so fluffy…” OK never mind!

Other products include Fruit and Cereal, drinkable yogurt, YoBaby Meals, YoKids Yogurt and YoKids Squeezers.

~~Anyway, one lucky blog reader will win two coupons for free YoBaby yogurt 4-packs, along with an Eric Carle growth chart!~~

Please be sure to leave your email address in one of your comments (you can use the format name at domain dot com to hide from spam bots.) If it’s in your profile, no need to leave it in your comment. If you’re the winner but I can’t contact you, I’ll choose someone else.

~~Here’s how to enter:~~

~~1. Leave me a comment. Do you like yogurt? What’s your favorite kind?~~
~~2. Follow my blog, current followers count. Comment saying you’re a follower to get your entry.~~
3. ~~“Like” me on Facebook, current “likers” count. Comment saying you’re a “liker” to get your entry.~~
4. ~~Follow me on Twitter, current followers count. Comment saying you’re a follwer to get your entry.~~
5. Tweet about this giveaway (make sure you use @chgdiapers) and link to your tweet in a comment to get your entry. Please tweet no more than once per day. I don’t want your followers to associate me with annoying spammy tweets, LOL. You can use this tweet if you like “@chgdiapers has #organic YoBaby yogurt up for grabs until 5/11 http://tinyurl.com/22q53rf #giveaway”
~~6. Write a blog post about my blog. It doesn’t have to be specifically about this giveaway, but please be sure to link back to my blog. Comment with a link to your post to get your entry.~~
7. ~~Fan Stonyfield on Facebook~~ ~~(“like,” whatever you want to call it!) Comment saying you’re a fan/liker (whatever!) to get your entry.~~
8. ~~Like YoBaby on Facebook.~~ ~~Same deal, comment here to get your entry.~~
9. ~~Follow Stonyfield on Twitter.~~ ~~Comment saying you follow to get your entry.~~

~~As always, you can do any of the above. You don’t have to do one in order to do the other. 🙂~~

I’ll accept entries until Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 9 P.M. I’ll choose a winner with random.org’s random number generator and contact the winner by email. Coupons will be mailed to the winner by the company.

HappyBabyFood/YoBaby provided free product coupons to me and will provide the coupons to the giveaway winner. The freebies in no way affected my review.