Curnchy Creations

Todays WAHM Feature is with Jill from Crunchy Creations!

Here is a little more about her:

-When/how did you decide to become a WAHM? I became a WAHM after having our second son. We have decided to home-school and I knew I wouldn't be returning to work anytime soon. So, finding something I could do from home became a new focus. With our second child, I did just about everything different than the first time around. I found a love for cloth diapering and have started a personal quest to make small changes to live a more 'green' life. My creative mind wouldn't stop when I saw so many cool things that I could make at home.

-What made you decide to open the store and sell the items that you do? Originally it was just for our personal use. But I soon found that this was more than a hobby, more like a calling. I want to help other parents make those small changes that can help them live and parent in a more natural and eco-friendly way. Thus, the website was born.
-What kinds of items do you sell? I currently make Reusable Snack bags, Wool Dryer Balls, PaciPals, Cloth Wipes, Mama Cloth and Baby Loveys. I also have started making hemp/bamboo cloth diaper inserts, hemp/bamboo reusable nursing pads, and wetbags for both cloth diapers and mama cloth.
-Are all the items you sell made by you? Absolutely. Everything is cut, sewn and snapped by me.

-Share a little about your family where you are from etc: My name is Jill! My husband, Ernie, and I have been married for 4 1/2 years. We are the proud parents of 2 beautiful little boys, ages 3 1/2 and 15 months. We live just south of Pittsburgh, PA.
-Anything else you would like to share? My passion has always been crafting/sewing but my husband likes to fly radio control airplanes and helicopters. And I don't mean the little ones you get at walmart. ;) They range in size from something that can fit in the palm of your hand to the wingspan of his largest plane being over 7 feet tall! I love seeing our boys take an interest in Daddy's hobby. They both already love it!

Jill gave me the opportunity to review a couple of her snack bags. They came wrapped up nice and cute with a yarn ribbon and business card. I always give kudoos for cute packaging, to me it shows they really appreciate your sales (not that I bought this but still :) ). I have personally used quite a few different brands of reusable bags and each has their own special features. What I really like about Jill's from Crunchy Creations is the size. I also love that it closes with a long strip of velcro across the top rather than having to fold down the material to close it. You can kind of see in the picture below the velcro across the top of the bag. I turned one inside out. The out side material is cotton. The inside is a nylon type of material...kind of reminds me of a wind breaker jacket...I tried to get a good close up of the material but its hard to see. There is a grid like pattern on it.

I absolutely love the different prints of the snack bags she sent me. The circle one with the food is so cute! And you can't get past the cuteness of owls.I love how these bags are holding up. They also wash up really nice. Plus they don't take up much space to store while not in use. We make a lot of trips to the farmers market, library, park etc and I always need to bring a snack or two along for my boys. They are always hungry it seems so the snack bags come in really handy.

Thanks Jill for allowing me to use and review your snack bags!

Crunchy Creations
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CC's blog

MarahBelle

As a mom to three boys, I know how difficult it is to find handmade clothing and accessories for little boys. There aren't too many options either, but I am excited when I find something fun for my guys.

Enter Brittany with MarahBelle. Brittany is a mom to 3 beautiful girls, ages 5, 3 and 2, and sews primarily girl clothing and accessories. However, she has ventured into the world of boy accessories as well! Brittany said that she was always told to "find something I love to do and then find a way to make money doing it." Since sewing was always relaxing for her, and she had three daughters she was making clothing for, she decided this was her chance!

While browsing her site, I noticed she doesn't just make children's clothing, she also has a gorgeous nursing tank that she makes!

I had the pleasure of reviewing her Adjustable Boy's Bow Tie. We are not really a 'dress up' family, so my poor kiddo didn't even know WHAT I was putting on him. Our conversation about the tie, how to wear it, when and where, was pretty comical.

Here is the adjustable tie on its own. The fabric of the tie is a super soft cotton. (And, as one who loves earth tones, the print of this tie is fantastic!)
The tie is adjustable via a strip of button hole elastic (similar to what you see in some cloth diapers).
It attaches around the neck with a gorgeous button (not sure of the exact material, I think plastic, but it has a wooden look to it).
The tie can also move along this center band so you can get a perfect, centered look!
When the tie is stretched out, it looks like this.
And the money shot on my little dude:
He thought he was a little stud with this tie! Personally, I see my baby working at a fancy restaurant in about 15 years! Too much!

The adjustable tie typically fits from about 2 years to 10 years old. And you can even get a matching dress for your daughter!

Disclaimer: I received one adjustable tie for review in conjunction with WAHM Month. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

Everything Birth

Everything Birth is an incredible business. As their logo says, they do have everything "from birth supplies to cloth diapers." As a birth junkie and doula myself, I loved browsing their homebirth supply kits and the wide variety of items for Moms and Babies, everything from pregnancy tests and menstrual care to cloth diapers and organic toys - everything in between too! One thing I thought was neat was the Midwife Cause of the Month - places where you can give money or supplies to help support moms, babies and childbirth locally and around the world.

Crystal, the mom behind Everything Birth is incredibly sweet and a mom to three children, all born at home. She is preparing to run the Boston Marathon raising money for the American Liver Foundation!

I had the privilege of trying out Garden Dreams Baby Bum Butter. We normally battle minor rashes from time to time, but of course, we have not had a single diaper rash since we received this Bum Butter. However, I was still able to try it out in other ways! More on that in a moment.

This itty bitty tub has gone a long way! My first thought was, "We will totally use that up in a heartbeat!" We received the tub on May 20th, as of July 4, more than half of the container remains full. In other words, a little bit goes a long way! And it's perfect for stashing in your bag (purse or diaper bag!)

The Baby Bum Butter does have a very light scent, but it doesn't linger. It is very light on your fingers and doesn't leave a greasy feeling behind.
Love the ingredient list with Olive Oil being the main ingredient - I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to use it with our cloth diapers. Like I said, we haven't battled a rash in the past 5 or so weeks since we received it, but I have it waiting for the moment I discover one!
What I was able to use it for: Bug Bites! I was thrilled to see that the Baby Bum Balm has a handful of uses, also including helping with scratches and skin irritations.
We have the worst little bugs in our back yard - we call them Demon Mosquitoes. They are itty bitty, black and gray, scary looking little creatures and they leave horrible bites all over us. I hate using "popular" bug sprays but nothing works (We have started using Off! Clip Ons and they help a little bit). Needless to say, we are always covered in little bites.

(Note: I tried taking pictures of the bug bites all over my legs before and after, but it always looked like I hadn't shaved in months, so we are skipping the close up leg shots) ;) With that being said, we use this for bug bites ALL the time now! The itch goes away almost immediately and the redness and bumps are gone with in a day or so - definitely better than anything we have tried before!

The Baby Bum Butter comes in 3 sizes: travel, 2oz. and 4oz. and prices range from $4.95 to $13.95.

Disclaimer: I received one container of Garden Dreams Baby Bum Butter for review. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

Zookies

Our first WAHM to be featured this month is Michele of Zookies. I'd been a fan of Zookies for some time on Facebook (I believe I found Zookies through a fan celebration), but I'm now a for-real fan of Zookies!

Before we find out more about Zookies, I had asked about some random facts Michele might like to share with our readers:

• Deciding to be a WAHM was really an easy decision. I love being at home with my little ones. My husband's work schedule is long and erratic. It is not always easy with one income. I use cloth diapers, so the idea came from that.
• I married my secret high school crush. I was terribly shy in school but dreamed about him from afar in homeroom! We reconnected about 10 years after high school. I was no longer shy and snatched him up real quick.
• I picked up the flute about 10 years ago and play with an awesome community band. I love performing.
  
• If I could do something crazy for a summer, it would be to tour with some pop music group and be a back up dancer. I love to dance! It would be a blast!
• My father was adopted and I had been looking for his mother for about 2 years. I just found her this past Christmas. It has been such a joy for everyone involved. My dad found out he has 10 brothers and sisters. And my grandmother is working through the guilt and shame she carried for over 60 years!
  

Such neat facts! Now, onto the diaper! I had the chance to try out her One-Size cover and I thought this fabric was perfect for summertime!
Her OS Cover has a waterproof lining and can hold in some serious liquid. We have yet to experience a leak with this diaper, leaving it on for varying amounts of time on both my diaper-clad boys.

As you can see, it adjusts easily for different sized babies, or different diaper needs.
One of my favorite features - the cross over snaps. My youngest, poor kid and his tiny waist, lives by this feature!
In speaking with Michele, this is a great option for pool/beach/lake time. I did try this diaper out alone as a swim diaper, but I was unable to get a photograph (3 children, 1 mom, camera got left behind) ;)

I was able to easily adjust the size for both Benjamin and Caedmon and got a great fit on both boys.

Here is the cover on my 24ish pound 10.5month old...along with his itty bitty waist ;) Here, you can see that he has a LOT of room left to grow into this diaper.
Here is the cover on my 33ish pound almost 3 year old. I felt like there might be a bit too much fabric across his crotch, but it never affected use.
The Zookies OS Cover is a great fit for both boys, provides total leak protection and Michele has the cutest fabrics to choose from: Definitely a winner here!

Michele has an Etsy shop where you can find her OS Covers along with other items she makes and sells including sized covers, bibs and burpcloths and reusable bags. You can also find her covers for sale on her website, Zookies: Diaper Covers & More!, along with a slew of other crafts and handmade items.

You can also keep up with Michele and Zookies via her Facebook page and on Twitter - be sure to let her know you found her through CDA's WAHM month event!

Disclaimer: I received one OS Cover from Zookies for review for WAHM Month. All opinions are my own and you may have a different experience.

July is WAHM Month!

July is finally here and its time to explore some WAHM's! Throughout the month of July we will be featuring different moms who make and sell items from home to support their families. I hope you enjoy this month and learn a lot about some great people and products.



-Kristina