Review: martinashley designs (Etsy)

I haven’t shared my Etsy love in awhile, so Monday seems like the perfect day to revisit that particular obsession of mine. I want to be such a crafty person and usually I can get one project done but never do it again. If it involves scrapbooking, I always have these great plans and they never get done! I am much better with the DIY around the house type. I love to paint and decorate and I eventually get those projects completed. Still, I dream of being able to sew cute onesies, diapers, burp cloths, and bibs for W. It will never happen but I can dream! As a result, I often spending time in the evenings after W has gone to bed, browsing all of the creations available on Etsy. It’s easy to lose hours doing it, so you have to be careful!

Recently, I discovered a cute little Etsy shop called martinashley designs. Ashley offers a wide variety of items from quilts, embroidered flour sack towels, to baby items! You can expect to find the usual baby items such as burp cloths and bibs, but Ashley also makes quilts out of your favorite baby clothes! This is something that I may have to take advantage of in the future as I have developed some sentimental attachments to some of W’s newborn clothing. I used to think that was ridiculous, then he was born. It’s funny how things change. I might also use her to make a quilt out of J's old Metallica t-shirts since he has about 100 at least!


I had the opportunity to work with Ashley and try one of her embroidered burp cloths and a dribble bib with W. I was delighted by the opportunity because Ashley has been wonderful to work with and I adore personalized items. When we decided on W’s name, we accepted the fact that it was a name that we wouldn’t be seeing on mugs at Sea World or on little license plates at Disney World. That is why I chose it. I grew up with a unique name and wanted my children to have that as well. As a result, I love every personalized item we have for W. His Grammy has given us a few items, including a blanket, a Sesame Street t-shirt, and a bunny stuffed animal. We also got an amazing blanket with his name o it from one of my mother’s friends and a personalized burp cloth from a teacher who works at my school. I love them all! So when Ashley offered to personalize a burp cloth for W, I was thrilled! I was also very interested in the dribble bib as we use at least 4 bibs a day with the way W is drooling!

Both items arrived in good shape and were both very cute. Please note that I have obviously blurred W’s name out of the photo of the burp cloth and it does not appear that way in person! In fact, the embroidery is wonderful! The colors coordinate well and that is a quality I can appreciate. I love the brown tones of the thread as most of the personalized items we have for W are different shades of blue. Does a boy always have to equal blue?

While I’m not sure which kind of burp cloths Ashley uses, I do know that this one fluffs up extremely well in the wash and feels like some of the Gerber Organic burp cloths I got at one of my baby showers. They are some of our favorite burp cloths so that is definitely an added feature for Ashley’s burp cloths! It is extremely absorbent and very soft. W likes to hold it as a lovey a lot of the time. It’s also a great diaper bag burp cloth because people are impressed when we pull it out. Yes, I’ve become that mom!

The dribble bib is very cute as well. I liked the fabric print and it is extremely soft. It is one of the softest bibs we have. Unfortunately for my little chunky monkey, it’s tight on his neck. He is definitely chubby and while the bib fit, it was snug and I wouldn’t have left it on him long. For a more middle-of-the-road baby, I think they fit would be great. But I’m getting used to things not quite fitting W due to being a big boy! Still, I was very impressed with the quality of the bib, especially the softness! If you’re looking for a bib along these lines, I definitely recommend martinashley designs for affordability and quality!

Giveaway Winner: Hayley's Stitchery

Thank you to all who entered the Hayley's Stitchery giveaway here at FormulaMom! The winner of the burp cloth set in green flannel animals and green houndstooth prints is...

Kristi S!

Congratulations Kristi! Check your email shortly for more information! You have 48 hours to confirm your win and provide your information or another winner will be drawn.

I Love My Mommy Mother's Day Event 2011 Sponsor Spotlight & Review: Lychee Baby

I Love My Mommy
Mother's Day Event 2011
Sponsor Spotlight:
Lychee Baby


The next sponsor I would like to feature is a great little Etsy shop called Lychee Baby. Lychee Baby offers a variety of whimsical toys and accessories, including plush toys and baby leg warmers! I have always admired baby legs warmers, but could never bring myself to try any because they are a bit on the expensive side at most shops. Lychee Baby offers baby legs warmers for $7 a pair! She also has leg warmers with feet for $10! They are so adorable!

Review: Moonbeam Designs (Etsy)

Oh, the wonderful world of Etsy! Today I return to one of my favorite topics and that is the wonderfully talented artists that can be found on Etsy. There are a lot of baby items that I would label as essentials and things that I must have with W. Then there are the things that are nice to have around. Finally, there are the baby items that are just plain cute. Everyone deserves to have a few of these! One of my newest items in this category comes from a wonderful little Etsy shop called Moonbeam Designs!


Pam of Moonbeam Designs makes holders/covers for a variety of drink containers, including baby bottles! I will admit that I probably don't need a coozie for W's bottles but I like cute things and it's okay to have a few impractical items!

Pam sent us a Minky Baby Bottle Cover Embroidered with Cute Skull and Tophat and I will tell you that a huge smile spread across my face when I opened it! If you've been reading for awhile, you know I love all things minky. I also love skulls. I know some people are torn about whether or not skulls should be on baby clothes and baby items but J is a big heavy metal fan so when buying for W, I am big into the guitars, skulls, and rock & roll type stuff. So when this arrived in the mail, it was a very good day!

Now, you may be thinking that this is a whole lot of cute but how useful is it really going to be? Well, it actually proved to be quite useful for us! W will take a bottle straight from the refrigerator. He doesn't care if it's warmed or not so it's pretty easy to pour a bottle from our pitcher and give it to him. It can be chilly on my hand! With the Moonbeam Designs bottle cover this is no longer a problem! It stays on the bottle well and keeps my fingers from getting chilled. No more cold hands when touching W after giving him a bottle from the refrigerator!

Pam currently offers covers for baby bottles and coffee cups at Moonbeam Designs although she is working on adding additional designs as she expands her line. Take a look at some of these wonderful designs she currently offers!


Minky Baby Bottle Cover Embroidered with Cute Skull and Bow for the girls!


She can personalize them too!


For the adults too!

If you're looking for a great little accessory that no one will expect, I highly recommend a bottle cover from Moonbeam Designs! Pam is wonderful to work with, the covers are so cute, and they proved to be more than just a cute accessory! They sale for $10 at Moonbeam Designs and I cannot wait to see the line as she continues to expand!

Disclosure: I was sent a bottle cover to review by Moonbeam Designs. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

I Love My Mommy Mother's Day Event 2011 Sponsor Spotlight: Infantaisle (Etsy)

I Love My Mommy
Mother's Day Event 2011
Sponsor Spotlight:
Infantaisle (Etsy)


Infantaisle is another wonderful Etsy shop full of creativity. Infantaisle features some very original products including Toothy Monster Teething Bibs, Bean-shaped Burp Cloths, Wee Pads and Pods.

Review & Giveaway: Hayley's Stitchery (Etsy)

Giveaway is Closed.
I should probably have an Etsy blog event considering how much I love the shops there! I can browse for hours and could probably spend my life savings on Etsy! It's dangerous, I tell you!

Hayley's Stitchery is an Etsy shop featuring some of the cutest burp cloths around! Hayley has some amazing fabrics, many of which I haven't seen in other shops. One thing I've noticed around Etsy is that many shops have the same fabrics, but Hayley's Stitchery breaks out of those fabrics! Hayley is a mom to a 4 year old little boy and enjoy sewings, so she started making burp cloths for her friends and family as gifts. She got many compliments on them, so the idea for her Etsy shop was born!

Check out these fabrics!


And a great variety of boy fabrics!


Hayley sent me a set of 3 burp cloths in Stripes and Polka Dots. Both fabrics can be seen in the photo of the boy fabrics above and they were perfect for me because I love polka dots! When the stripes arrived, I fell in love with too! So cute and completely gender neutral!

The sewing quality was superb and I believe they are made on some of our favorite types of burp cloths so I was even more pleased! The burp cloths are padded and have coordinating fabrics sewn down the center of the cloth. W has taken to holding a burp cloth as a lovey throughout the day and he was more than happy to hold (and chew on) these burp cloths. Plus, I feel all cute and special when I pull one out of our diaper bag when we are out somewhere. Yes, these are great for diaper bags when you want someone to notice your burp cloth and tell you how cute it is!

As you know, customer service is a big deal to me and Hayley of Hayley's Stitchery is amazing in that area. Communication with her was a breeze and her shipping was very quick. I also loved the simple but attractive packaging of the burp cloths. Hayley's Stitchery is another Etsy shop I give two thumbs up and would gladly do business with!

Buy It!
You can visit Hayley's Stitchery on Etsy to see the great variety of fabrics offered and to browse Hayley's in-stock burp cloth sets. Sets of 3 burp cloths are available for $12. You can also place a custom order with up to two fabrics of your choice. Sets of 3 padded burp cloths are $12, sets of 2 are $8, and 1 burp cloth is $4. Hayley's Stitchery is also offering free shipping throughout the month of April! In addition, she is offering FormulaMom readers a 10% discount with the code FMB10OFF!

Win It!
Hayley has graciously offered a set of Hayley's Stitchery burp cloths to one lucky reader! They will be made with two of my favorite fabrics (and yes it was difficult to choose) -- green flannel animals and green houndstooth!

Mandatory Entry (must be completed for additional entries to count)
You must be a GFC follower of Formula Mom to win. Then visit Hayley's Stitchery and tell me about your favorite fabric! Leave a comment and let me know!

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each additional entry)

• Like Formula Mom on Facebook (+2 entries)
• Like Hayley's Stitchery on Facebook
• Heart Hayley's Stitchery on Etsy
• Follow @FormulaMom and @hayleystitch on Twitter
• Tweet this giveaway and leave permalink - #Win 3-pack burp cloths from @hayleystitch & @formulamom!! http://bit.ly/hrOeur Ends 5/2 #baby #giveaway #etsy (+1 for each tweet, maximum 2 tweets per day)
• Vote for FormulaMom on Picket Fences (left sidebar, can be done daily, +1 daily)
• Vote for FormulaMom on Top Mommy Bloggers (left sidebar, can be done daily, +1 daily)

This giveaway ends on May 2nd, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to determine a winner who will have 48 hours to confirm their win or another winner will be chosen. Open to US and Canada. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was sent a set of burp cloths to review and Hayley's Stitchery is providing the giveaway prize. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Review: LilBundleOfJoy (Etsy)

In all of the baby gear I received from three separate baby showers while I was pregnant, one item I did not get was a good taggie blanket. I will admit that someone gave me one they picked up at a garage sale for a nickel but it is pink and purple with a flower print on the other side. It's not exactly the style I was going for with W!


Malissa of Lil' Bundle of Joy came to my rescue! W enjoys holding a lovey sometimes and I wanted something that was more than just his usual burp cloths. I think it's becoming obvious that I have a soft spot for things that are cute and Malissa was able to fulfill both of these needs for me!

Malissa is currently a mommy of twin 3 year old girls and a newborn baby boy. She's been wanting to sell my creations for quite some time and decided since she was home for a few months with her new baby that now would be a great time! She hopes to one day be able to stay home full time and enjoy her kids! With her absolutely adorable creations, I think she is on the right track!

Look at some of the amazing items available at Lil' Bundle of Joy!

Crinkle Tag Toys!


Adorable Bibs!


And Friendly Owl Crinkle Tag Toys! Yes, I just might adore these!


Those are just a few items that Malissa offers at Lil' Bundle of Joy. If you're looking for something cute, this is your shop!

Malissa designed a Tag Blankey for W and also surprised us with a bib as well! Once they were shipped, they arrived quickly and were nicely wrapped in bright tissue.

Malissa has asked me what fabric I would like for the blankey and I told her that something boyish or gender neutral would be great and that I like pretty much anything with animals! Look at what she put together for W! The colors are great and the print is perfect because one of his nicknames is "Puppy" and Malissa didn't even know that!

The blankey is very sturdy and has washed up well. The sewing is very straight and consistent. It is extremely well-made. W is also a big fan of it. From the first time he got his hands on it he was a happy little guy! It's definitely the perfect size for him.

Then he fell asleep with the blankey still in hand!

I would say that our Tag Blankey from Lil' Bundle of Joy definitely earned the W stamp of approval.

Malissa was also kind enough to send us a bib. Once again, I must rave about the colors and the print. Orange just happens to be one of my favorite colors and I think W looks good in it. The woodland friends print is very cute as well. The two fabrics coordinate well. The top is 100% cotton and the back is a super absorbent orange terry cloth.

This bib gets the Mom stamp of approval because it has proven to be very absorbent. W has yet to drool through it even when he can soak other bibs in mere minutes! Once again, the sewing quality was wonderful and the bib has held up well through multiple washings!

I would definitely recommend Lil' Bundle of Joy if you're looking for any of the items available in her shop. She is a joy to work with and the quality is top-notch!

Buy It!
Unfortunately, the Lil' Bundle of Joy Tag Blankeys have been pulled to be revised to comply with Taggies patent. They are being redesigned and will return to the shop at the beginning of May. In the meantime, you can purchase one of Malissa's great bibs for $7 or explore all of the other adorable gifts and maybe pick up an Owl Crinkle Tag Toy for $8 or a Tiny Crinkle Tag Toy for $7! You won't be disappointed!

Disclosure: I was sent a Tag Blankey and Bib to review by Lil' Bundle of Joy. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Mother's Day Event 2011: Sponsor Spotlight - Bags and Babes (Etsy)

I Love My Mommy
Mother's Day Event 2011
Sponsor Spotlight:
Bags and Babes (Etsy)


Bags and Babes is a great little Etsy shop that offers baby leg warmers, diaper covers, baby bow ties, and tons more baby goodies! Angela of Bags and Babes is a stay at home mom to one perfect little boy and a part time care provider for another. In her spare time (aka naptime!) she gets busy on the sewing machine!

Review & Giveaway: Baby Penelope (Etsy)

CLOSED
Baby Penelope is a baby shop on Etsy that offers some very cute baby items at affordable prices. The Baby Penelope diaper and wipes case holders are what originally caught my eye. I love all of the fabrics that are offered and the price was nice ($9-11 depending on the print). While the items in a shop are what usually catch my eye first, I am even happier when I discover that the designer is one of the good ones! Faviola is wonderful to communicate with and I would recommend her to anyone!

I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to try out one of her diaper and wipes cases as well as a (surprise) bib from her shop! Faviola knew that we used cloth diapers and offered to make a case that was a bit bigger in size to try and accommodate the cloth! That suggestion alone had me very excited! She also allowed me to choose the fabric I would prefer. She offers a number of great fabrics so it was a tough decision!

I selected the first fabric on the Baby Penelope chart with gray and brown elephants.The package from Baby Penelope arrived a few days after it was shipped and was wrapped very nicely in white tissue paper and a Baby Penelope label. Inside was the diaper and wipes case as well as a coordinating bib!

The sewing quality on both pieces is excellent and I immediately broke out our diaper bag supplies to see what would fit in the holder! Our package of wipes and one stuffed bumGenius one size 3.0 fit nicely in the holder. It was definitely exciting to see how it fit. I also filled it with wipes and a few disposables and still had room for a disposable changing pad and a plastic bag for messy clean ups. I must say that I love the size of the diaper and wipes case holder!

One aspect of the diaper and wipes case that I have mixed feelings about is the velcro closure. I like the way the velcro is lined up going opposite directions because it allowed me to close the holder if it was more full because of the cloth or less full with the disposables. On the other hand, I feel that it might close more securely if both pieces went in the same direction. I haven't had any trouble with it not staying closed though so it really doesn't seem to be a big deal.

I really enjoy having a lot of our diaper supplies organized in one place in our diaper bag instead of just floating around. Yesterday we were at a family birthday party all day and it was great to just pull the holder out of the diaper bag when we needed to change W. So convenient!

While the diaper holders on the Baby Penelope etsy shop are made with measurements that are smaller than the custom holder that Faviola

I'm also so thankful to have gotten to try the diaper holder since it worked so well. The bib has been just as wonderful! The bib washed up well the first time and has washed well throughout subsequent washes. The back is a blue minky that coordinates with the diaper holder print. It is very absorbent and W has gone for an entire morning wearing it and his clothes are still dry underneath. This is pretty amazing with the way he is drooling right now! The size is also wonderful! So many of our bibs seem just too small, especially because drool drips when W is being held or is working on sitting up. But this is not a problem with his Baby Penelope bib!

If you're looking for a great Etsy seller, I would definitely recommend Faviola and her Baby Penelope shop! Friendly designer, great communication, quick shipping, and wonderful items! There is nothing better! Be sure to check out her shop and stop by the Baby Penelope Facebook page as well!

Buy It!
You can visit Baby Penelope on Etsy to see the great variety of diaper holders and bibs that are available! Diaper and wipes case holders are available for $9 - $11 and bibs are $7. Faviola also offers security blankets, burp cloths, car seat strap covers, and wipes cases!

Win It!
Faviola of Baby Penelope has offered one lucky reader their choice of a diaper and wipes case holder or bib! The winner will receive either a diaper and wipes holder or a bib from the in-stock items at Baby Penelope.

Mandatory Entry (must be completed for additional entries to count)
You must be a GFC follower of Formula Mom to win. Then visit Baby Penelope and tell me what you would choose if you won. Leave a comment letting me know you're a follower (new or old!) and what you would pick!

Extra Entries (leave a separate comment for each additional entry)

• Like Formula Mom on Facebook (+2 entries)
• Like Baby Penelope on Facebook
• Follow @FormulaMom on Twitter
• Tweet this giveaway and leave permalink - #Win diaper case or bib from Penelope Baby & @formulamom!! http://bit.ly/g5A8lm Ends 4/18 #baby #giveaway #etsy (+1 for each tweet, maximum 2 tweets per day)
• Vote for FormulaMom on Picket Fences (left sidebar, can be done daily, +1 daily)
• Vote for FormulaMom on Top Mommy Bloggers (left sidebar, can be done daily, +1 daily)

This giveaway ends on April 18th, 2011 at 11:59 pm CST. Random.org will be used to determine a winner who will have 48 hours to confirm their win or another winner will be chosen. Open to US and Canada. Good luck!

Disclosure: I was sent a diaper & wipes holder and bib to review and Baby Penelope is providing the giveaway prize. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Review: Seven Little Rabbits (Etsy)

This review brings me back to all the things I love about Etsy. I truly am enamoured, I will be completely honest about that fact. There is such creativity on Etsy and I am in awe. There are things being sold on Etsy that I never would have thought to make and they are so adorable!

One of my most recent finds was the bibdana by SevenLittleRabbits. When I came across these, I fell in love. I'm always looking for cute bibs, especially now that W is a drool machine and the bibdanas are so unique.

SevenLittleRabbits specializes in unique handmade accessories for babies and people with babies, with a focus on using vintage, upcycled or repurposed materials whenever possible. Chelsea also has another Etsy shop WhiteRabbit7 that features one of a kind accessories, original designs and vintage clothing for women. Everything she makes is so amazing! This is why I have to admit to how enamored I am by these amazing Etsy artists!

Chelsea of Seven Little Rabbits has bibdanas in a number of different prints including Garden Party, Glam Rock Pink, and Crossword Puzzle! She also makes a variety of adorable soft toys, diaper cases, and pacifier clip bibdanas!


The gentleman owl is one of my favorite of her soft toys!

Chelsea was kind enough to allow us to try out a bibdana. W received an Owls in the Apple Tree Bibdana. The backing fabric is red with white hearts and coordinates well while being more interesting than a solid colored fabric. The flannel owl fabric on the front is extremely soft and the bibdana washed up extremely well!

I was extremely excited to try the bibdana on W. I wanted to see if it would constantly end up on his left shoulder the way that his other bibs do. Unfortunately, it was a little too small for my chunk monkey. It fit around his neck but was tight and so we had to take it off after grabbing a modeling shot. This is not the first item to be snug on W. He is definitely a little chunk and things that look like that should fit just don't quite work!

Despite the hiccup of W being bit too chubby, I would recommend Chelsea of SevenLittleRabbits. She let me know that she is working on creating some bibdanas in larger sizes now which may solve W's troubles! Her shipping is quick and well-packaged. She is also very friendly and easy to communicate. Good customer service can be hard to find and Chelsea definitely has it down!

She has graciously offered free shipping to all of my readers and it can be combined with her current baby bibdana special! Buy 2 for $16 or Buy 3 for $24 (normally $10 each) and she will refund the difference via paypal within 24 hours. To receive free shipping, please use the code FMFS1.

If you're looking for an Etsy seller who is responsive and offers a wide assortment of her product, please stop by and visit Chelsea at SevenLittleRabbits or WhiteRabbit7. You can also find her on Facebook at WhiteRabbit7.

Disclosure: I was sent a bibdana to review by Seven Little Rabbits. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Review: Stitch 'n Stones (Etsy)

As I've mentioned before, I have a love for all things Etsy. I admire the talent of all of the women (and men) on Etsy and wish I could even begin to make some of the things they make. Unfortunately, my mom had to sew almost all of my 8th grade home ec sewing project because I was a train wreck!

Anyway, I recently discovered a wonderful little shop called Stitch 'n Stones on Etsy and fell in love with her burp cloths! I love the colors and prints that she has! All of her items are prewashed and come from a smoke free, pet free home. Stephanie loves to craft and create new items and her passion shows in all of the cute items available in her shop!

Her burp cloths are available in wonderful bright colors! For $5 each they are a steal!

She also has some of the cutest hats for toddlers (both boys and girls) and hopefully W will let me put hats on him when he gets a bit older.

Stephanie was generous enough to send one of her fabulous burp cloths for me to try out with W. It arrived within 2 days of her shipping it and was well packaged so it arrived in pristine condition. The orange dots fabric is just perfect as one of my favorite colors is bright orange and I love anything with polka dots.

You can use either side of the Stitch 'n Stones burp cloths. There is the designer print fabric on one side and a super soft chenille fabric on the other side. The burp cloth washed up nicely and proved to be the perfect size for draping over my shoulder while I was burping W.

He also found another use for it as he has recently been using burp cloths as more of a lovey. This one is much cuter than our plain white burp cloths! He has enjoyed holding it and always finds a way to put the chenille side in his mouth. Overall, I would have to say that this is a burp cloth that will be used regularly in our rotation and I would recommend them to anyone. since they are affordable and adorable they would make fabulous baby shower gifts as well!

If you are looking for an Etsy seller who is wonderful to work with, I would recommend Stephanie of Stitch 'n Stones. She is extremely friendly and returns emails promptly. She also loves special orders so if you have a certain print in mind, just let her know! If you get a chance, check out the Stitch 'n Stones Etsy Shop or stop by the Stitch 'n Stones Facebook page and say hello! If you're looking for a burp cloth to fit a theme, she is your woman and I think you'll love working with her!

Disclosure: I was sent a burp cloth to review by Stitch n' Stones. I was not compensated in any other way for this review and all opinions are my own. FormulaMom’s full disclosure can be found here.

Etsy Love

I'm sure I'm not alone in my love for Etsy. I could spend hours browsing the shops and all of the amazing items. I have always had a strong desire to be crafty but I never seem to find the time to sit down and do it. I don't know if I'm creative enough in that way to be a very crafty person.

While I was pregnant with W, I purchased a few items for him and I loved them all. Almost all of my transactions were wonderful. The first thing I fell in love with for W was the sweetest little stuffed elephant.

He was purchased from Leahkl's Etsy Shop. Considering she is in Australia, the shipping was quick and the elephant arrived in perfect condition. He now sits on a shelf in W's room and I still adore him!

The second Etsy purchase I made for W were prints for his nursery. After many hours of searching (and finding so many things I loved) I decided to go with these prints:

These were purchased from Nestkids Etsy Shop and the transaction went fairly smoothly. They were shipped from Canada and the speed of shipping was acceptable. I was slightly disappointed by how they were shipped as the prints got bent in shipping. Luckily, they were still usable and they look wonderful hanging about W's changing table/dresser.

I may be making another purchase from Nestkids because she offers prints using the birth information, but I have concerns over how it would be shipped so I may end up going with a different shop even though she has designs that coordinate with my current prints.

My third purchase from Etsy for W was the Purple Cotton Sherpa Sugar Plum Baby Newborn Diaper I reviewed from my newborn stash. I purchased it from Monkey Toe Diapers. The price was amazing (she was having a sale) and the shipping was extremely quick. It was a great transaction and I wish W had used the diaper but I will save it for when #2 arrives (which will not be for awhile).

My last purchase for W from Etsy is one of my favorites. I purchased his baby book from Ruby Love Designs. After searching for a long time for something that appealed to me, I decided to take the plunge and make the investment in one of her baby books. This is the design I purchased, although it was personalized for W:

The shipping was extremely quick and I love the book. It fits my style perfectly and I even remembered to take the page for his footprints to the birthing center with me! That pages was extra but it was worth it. I also ordered the holiday page pack and an extra baby shower page since I had more than one shower.

Although I'm realizing now that I may not have needed this book because I'm really into making photo books on the web instead, I am still in love with it. I just have to stay focused and make sure I stay on top of filling it out! One of my favorite features is the calendar in the back that has little stickers you put on the days for the milestones!

So, as you can see, I'm in love with Etsy and if W had been a girl I would be in so much trouble! Although there are a lot of cute things for boys, there is much more for girls. Lately I've been on the hunt for some good drool bibs and burp cloths. I'm also always on the hunt for cloth diapers as I would love to find some good ones that would also support an Etsy seller.

On the topic of Etsy love, I'm excited to mention that I am working on setting up some reviews and giveaways with a few Etsy shops! I have discovered some wonderful new shops and I'm looking forward to passing on the chance for my readers to discover them too! Stay tuned!

Newborn Stash Review: Sugar Plum Baby Newborn fitted

I'm always on the hunt for a good cloth diaper deal and I'm willing to try new things if the price is right. This led me to purchase a Purple Cotton Sherpa Sugar Plum Baby Newborn Diaper from Monkey Toe Diapers Etsy Shop when she was having a sale.

The transaction went very smoothly and the diaper arrived quickly. I prepped it by washing it a few times and was pleased with the fluffiness of the diaper. It was a lot fluffier than my Kissaluv and Thirsties fitteds. The snap in doubler was easy to remove and snap back in. The fitted also featured a snap down for the umbilical cord. I was pleased with this diaper before I tried it.

I first tried this diaper about a week after W arrived and it was extremely large on him. He was fitting into his KL0s and his Fab Fitteds. When I first tried it on him, it was very large on him and we were not able to use it. I tried again the next week after his cord fell off (which happened very early) and he was still too small for it. So, although it claimed to be newborn size, I found it to be very large on him. Size-wise W was born 7lbs, 13oz and 19.5 inches. By his two week appointment he was up to 8lbs, 9oz and 21.5 inches long. So he wasn't a chunky monkey yet.

Overall, I liked the feel and look of this diaper but never got a full opportunity to try it out because once I tried it a few times and found it to be too big, I never reached for it again.