{Artist's Pouches}

Last spring, my sister, the artist, inspired me to make these little Artist's Pouches and they ended up selling out! This year, I'm offering these exclusively to The Vintage Sister's Blog followers for $9.50 (free shipping). Go to her blog, read her latest post and become a follower if you haven't already. Once you have the "secret code" contained within the post, contact me at onecozynest@comcast.net with which one you'd like (first come first serve).




Right now I only have 5, but there are 5 more in the works (see below for all the pictures). They're designed to hold pencils, paint brushes, knitting needles, and anything else long and skinny! My pouches are a simple and convenient way to stay organized. They can also fit sunglasses, money, makeup, chap stick, bubble gum...the possibilities are endless. Who knew cuteness could be so affordable?!

Measurements & Specifications:
8" long, 2" deep, 2" high
Fully lined with vintage fabric
Zipper closure

flowered w/ blue zipper SOLD thank you!

{Cloth Diaper Laundering}

MANDY B.’S
CLOTH DIAPER LAUNDERING
CHEAT SHEET 2.0

I wrote the first version of these instructions for my friend Genevieve and have since revised it, thinking I might post it online to the masses. Just to warn you, it’s a bit wordy b/c that’s just a habit of mine. But, trust me, when you break it down, it’s really simple. If you’re reading this, the hard part about cloth diapering is over. I found that the research, purchasing, and stripping of my new diapers was the most difficult part. Washing (and using) your diapers is the easy stuff. So here we go…

1. After changing baby, remove any inserts/doublers from the diaper. Then shake off or use the mini sprayer to remove solids, if any, from the diaper. It’s not necessary to get them 100% clean with the sprayer. Let your machine do most of the work. This is just to get the chunky stuff off. You want to remove the inserts/doublers before using the sprayer b/c you don’t want a really sopping wet diaper to have to transfer from the toilet area to the diaper pail. I happen to keep my diaper pail in the bathroom so whenever I’m doing the spraying, I have the diaper pail right next to the toilet to help avoid dripping.


2. Place diaper and insert/doubler into your diaper pail lined with a wet bag. Be sure to fasten any Velcro strips together before doing so because during washing and drying, they’ll all stick together and make for a very long chain of diapers…not fun! Some diapers have special Velcro tabs just for this purpose. Diaper makers call these “laundry tabs”.

3. When all your diapers are dirty, place the mouth of wet bag into the washer, and then push all the dirty diapers into the washer while at the same time turning your wet bag inside out. This way, you don’t have to actually touch any of the dirty diapers and your wet bag will get nice and clean since the dirty side will now be facing out!

4. Pre-wash the diapers on cold/cold (to avoid setting any stains) with NO detergent. If your washer doesn’t have a pre-wash cycle, a short cycle would be fine. This step removes any solids you missed when using the sprayer and loosens everything up for the next steps.

5. Run a normal cycle or heavy cycle set to warm wash/cold rinse, using 1 scoop of Charlie’s Soap and one scoop of Oxy Clean (optional). I also select extra rinse on my machine because it’s important to rinse away any and all detergent residues*.

*Residue is your enemy when it comes to cloth diapers…it makes them less absorbent. This is why I use only Charlie’s Soap. It’s a white powder and you only need one (1) tablespoon to wash an entire load. No perfumes, no harsh chemicals, no harm to the environment. I even use it to wash all of my family’s clothes. I highly recommend this soap for newborn’s clothes instead of the Dreft that is commonly used.

6. Dry the diapers on medium or high only for as long as they need…test it out by setting dryer for 20 minutes, checking, then 30, checking, then 40 to get just the right amount of time. This will lengthen the life of your diapers in the long run. The diapers I use are designed to last from birth to potty training for multiple children. So you can imagine just how many times you run them through this routine!

TIPS & TRICKS

If diapers/liners seem to smell of ammonia even after washing/drying, a cup or so of white vinegar during the rinse cycle will do the trick. Sometimes I even put it in right with the Charlie’s Soap at the beginning of the wash cycle and it seems to work great.

Sunning cloth diapers and their liners on a clothes line or sunny deck is great for removing tough stains and also whitens them unbelievably! There’s nothing cuter than a row of colorful cloth diapers on my clothes line on a breezy day. That’s why I do it every chance I get on the weekends. This saves energy too b/c you’re not running your dryer.

Every now and then, you might want to “strip” your diapers if you find that they are holding onto smells/stains or if they seem to be leaking. Just wash AND dry them completely about 3 times in a row to strip away any residues that may have built up over time.

My experience shows that the use of some diaper creams such as Desitin causes the diapers to smell and hold onto stains. I use Bordeaux’s Butt Paste as well as A&D Ointment and haven’t had that problem. If you have this problem, wash the diapers as you normally would, then use a scrub brush and Charlie’s Soap to scrub out the stain, then wash them again normally. A drop or two of dish detergent might also help break up the oils in the diaper cream and help lift it out of the fibers.

When on the go, keep a zippered wet bag in your diaper bag. I just ball up the dirty diaper (including the dirty wipes), and then just deal with the mess when I get home. When you’ve got a baby on the changing table, you don’t want to be leaving it unattended to dump the poop. The zippered wet bag keeps the smells at bay, so don’t worry about it too much. My daycare provider does this for us and it is really no problem at all to just do all the spraying at one time at the end of the evening. It only takes me about 2 minutes.

{Blogs, Blogs, and more Blogs!}

This week, I've had the high honor of being featured in two, yes, TWO other blogs written by fellow Etsy sellers! To me, this is such a huge compliment and I am always so grateful. So let me thank them both in today's post...

First, the lovely Audrey over at Pink Sunrise featured my handmade felt heart brooches.
Audrey is a knitter and she also sells supplies on her Etsy shop. She also designs banners and avatars for fellow Etsy sellers. Check out her stash of supplies, like this pretty ribbon:

Next, the talented Emily over at Tea and Laundry featured my vintage green bingo cards.
She plans on using them in a shadow box for her daughter's room. I have a young child too and I can remember how fun it was decorating his room. Emily's favorite things to make and work with are jewelry and paper goods . Check out her adorable resin charm!


Thank you Audrey and Emily, for making me and One Cozy Nest part of your day.

{Latest Project ~ Bingo Madness}

My husband hosts a poker game at our house once a month, so a lot of bottle caps are generated as a result. For years now, he has been "collecting" them in a bin next to the recycling container. When I ask him why he's collecting them, he doesn't have an answer, really. He just likes to collect things, what can I say? The other day I decided that I was going to put some of them to good use! I'm all for recycling things and turning them into new lovely things! So I picked some out and made these adorable, kitchy fridge magnets using some of my vintage BINGO cards.
You can find them for sale up in my Etsy shop called One Cozy Nest. They are backed with super strong rare earth magnets so even though they are small, they really hold tight. I also have a ton of vintage road maps lying around and I plan on using them to make more bottlecap magnet sets. Stay tuned and check my shop regularly!

{Life's Guilty Pleasures}

Here are a few of my "guilty pleasures"...for dinner last night I had peanut butter and jelly crackers and a glass of ice cold milk. Not exactly the healthiest of meals, but boy did it hit the spot.
My husband buys me flowers for no reason. I'm not sure why I feel guilty telling people that he does this, but I do. I'm no fancy schmancy gal either...the cheap supermarket flowers do me just fine!

Vintage linens and fabrics crowd my craft room. I have no idea what to do with it all but I love knowing that I have it.
I've also started to become drawn and addicted to paper ephemera...especially if it has numbers on it. Why? I have no idea.

I am constantly on a mission to make something better...as if everything in my house needs to be fixed, straightened, painted, or organized. I can never let well enough alone. My latest project was to turn this area of my kitchen into a well-functioning work station.

I recently chopped off all of my hair. When 2009 rolled around I had had enough and I don't know if I'll ever go back, much to the dismay of my husband. For some reason, I feel sexier and more confident.

And finally...I go ice skating with my friends during our lunch breaks. We have such a good time and for once I'm not hanging onto the hopes of an early Spring.

{Latest Project ~ Puffy Felt Hearts}

Last night, I was finally able to escape to my craft room and get creative. After a trip to the craft store with my sister and a well needed therapy session, I made these three puffy felt hearts. I used some of my long neglected vintage fabric stash, buttons, and embroidery thread. After making these, I discovered that I really like hand sewing! It's relaxing and theraputic and when you're done, you even have something like these cute hearts to show for it. I turned them into little pins you can wear on your coat or sweater by sewing a little pin onto the backs. Check them out in my Etsy shop, One Cozy Nest.



My sister has also been a busy little thing over at The Vintage Sister Studio. Just look at her adorable Valentine's Day nest head.

Featured Artist...Mara May!

I'll have to admit that I'm not an avid blogger, like my sister. Months will pass without a post on my poor neglected blog. However, I do love the opportunity to post when there's really something great to write about. I was recently scanning my sold items in my Etsy shop, One Cozy Nest, and came across a vintage set of Crazy 8s cards with colorful circus-themed pictures and numbers.
When I visited the buyer's Etsy shop, Mara May, I discovered that she had used one of the cards in a wonderfully whimsical party hat! I just love knowing that one of my vintage items passed through the creative hands of an Etsy artist. Just look at how adorable this thing is! See the cute little elephant card down towards the bottom? I just love all of the colors, textures, and little details Mara May put into this fun hat. You can see the hat, handmade scrapbooking kits & embellishments, and lots of other georgous goodies by Mara May right here in her shop. Enjoy, and happy crafting!