Nelly's Nappies- Review of their UNgiveaway :(

Nelly's Nappies- Review of their UNgiveaway :(
(UPDATE) After originally posting this review in early February I was contacted by Nelly's Nappies. As it turned out she had a good excuse not to get the giveaway diaper to me. She rescheduled for beginning of March, and I have been trying to contact her since then. Still no diaper :(
I was told by the company that all paid orders were sent out, but I know of other Moms who were waiting on products they have won that never received their packages either.
This is something that I hoped I would never have to write. I feel obligated to share this information with all of you. I originally started this blog with the intention of sharing some wonderful WAHM business's with other Moms like myself. I want to reach out to other Moms and show them the things we can order from small business's as appose to buying from a your local superstore. To me the importance of ordering from another Mom, or small business is huge. I try to consider where my money is going- I know when I order from a WAHM/ small business I am helping them put food on their families tables. I know that my $20 at target is nothing, but my $20 order from a WAHM is a meal on the table (and then some!). For me sharing this with other people is so very important.

When I started ordering from WAHM's I was incredibly nervous about finding the right person to order from. I have yet to order from, or come in contact with a WAHM/ small business that was not a honest hardworking company/ mom... that is until now. I do not want people to take from this review a negative view of all WAHM's. As I said- I have been ordering for a long long time, and from many a different Mom and this is the first time I have came across this. Please know that 99.9% of all WAHM's are amazingly tallented, honest woman that are trying to share their craft with other families while putting food on their families tables. That being said....

My experience with Nelly's Nappies-
I won a diaper in a giveaway from Nellys Nappies. It was the type of giveaway that asks for you to post a friend you think deserves the prize and you and that person wins. So a good friend and I won this giveaway on December 11, 2011. I was super excited and emailed the WAHM. She said that I could pick a pattern and she would make it up for me and ship it out. I picked my pattern, and emailed her back. In that email I also told her who I was and offered to review the diaper as well and publish it here. She said that she would love to do that, and our contact the next several days was great. At this point is when I announced to all of you that I would be reviewing her diapers. 

I got an email the next day that looked to be a mass email sent out explaining that she was behind because of the holidays (which I totally understood- I was as well!) and that she was going to send them out the very beginning of January. The reason I say that this seemed like a mass email is the wording. You can see all of that here:

Good morning!
I still feel completely awful about how long it's taken to get your diapers to you so Matt & I would like to offer each family a gift, after the 1st of the year, we'll send all of you an email with prints we have in stock and we'd like to send each of you a diaper. I know it's not much we really feel awful.
You are also more than welcome to request a certain print from www.joann.com if you find something special you'd like!
Matt & Britt Schwartz 

I responded back telling her that it was no big deal, and that I didn't mind waiting the extra time. After the tenth of January rolled around and I had not heard from her I sent her another email asking about when I could expect to see the diaper I had won in her giveaway. After not hearing from her I left a message on her FB page, and she told me that she was having email address problems, and gave me her personal email. Her response to my email then was: 

Jessica!
Hi! I am working my bottom off (almost literally)! I promise that I have NOT forgotten about you. We’ve experienced problems with our snaps and that has put us behind. The good part about this is that I’ve also been able to address another issue that came up during our testing phase!
I just hired an assistant to help me get all caught up, her name is Joylynn and her or I will email you as soon as possible (give us until the end of the week) and we will give you an idea on when to expect your diaper 
Britt

I really really wanted to believe that things were just going wrong for her at this point... I mean- we all have those days! I have since responded on January 20'th and 6 times afterwards to any and every email address I could find. I have heard absolutely nothing from them. Not a word... Then after posting about it on their wall I noticed that they had blocked their wall from comments. After reading through some of their latest posts I noticed that I was not the only one missing a diaper. They had posted that they were finally shipping out all of the diapers that had been ordered and A LOT of people had asked if theirs was included. I will never know if they are still waiting on their dapers now because a few short days afterwards she closed her facebook page page. 

They are still selling through a page open online. Please share this with your cloth diapering friends so that they do not end up paying for diapers they will likely never receive. 

I also have some information from a friend that owns a Nellies Nappys diaper:
Positives:
Good Fit
With two bamboo inserts she did not havee many leaks
Negatives:
With one insert she had a lot of leaks
It did not have laundry tabs (Velcro diaper) and when she cleaned it all of her diapers stuck to the Velcro
Her son could only wear it for about 1 ½ hours before it would leak
It took her a very long time to get the diaper in



The WAHM's name is Britt Schwartz, and the co-owner as listed on their website is her husband Matt Schwartz. 
The website to make sure NOT to order from is:
http://nellysnappies.com/ 

I write this with a heavy heart. I do not want anyone to feel attacked in any way, and I do not want any of you Mommas to think that you cannot trust WAHM's. I do however want to stick with my original goal when starting my blog- To share great WAHM companies, and show other Mommas who they can trust to order from. That also however includes who NOT to trust. 

Because I am writing with a heavy heart I would like to extend the offer for Nelly's Nappies to email me a response to this review. I do not wish to give them a bad name if it is unwarranted, or if their is extenuating circumstances. I will be happy to publish that here with the review. 

Country Bum-Kids: Review and Giveaway!!

About Country Bum-Kids:
Trina is the Mommy behind Country Bum-Kids. She is the mom to three children (Daughter- 13, Son- 12, and Son- 1) and one furry son named Frank (Rat Terrier).Trina has been happily married over two years now.

Trina started cloth diapering with her last son when he was four months old. She (like a lot of us) got addicted to fluff, and found herself spending way to much money, and having way more diapers than she needed. To fuel her addiction she decided to try to make some herself. At first she had a hard time fitting every single thing that she loved about cloth diapers into one diaper. She knew she wanted a one size option, and she wanted to offer both snaps and hook and loop. She then decided that she wanted to find the perfect leg elastic- One that could be adjusted to fit the chunkers, and the itty bittys. Trina herself had a difficult time finding the right diaper for her skinny little boy (and I can totally relate!).
Trina's favorite thing about being a WAHM is the fact that she gets to stay home with her “little sprout”. She also cares for another little girl for extra money. She is working towards a goal of being a full time mother, and a full time fluff provider. She would consider that to be the perfect dream job.
 

Price List:
All prices vary depending on the type of fabric you use. 
NB AIO/AI2 - $13+
S/M Pocket Diapers - $14+
M/L Pocket Diapers - $15+
OS Pocket Diapers - $17+

Some useful information about Trina's Diapers:
Inserts are not normally included with the diapers but canbe added for $2 more and they are Zorb II inserts
All diapers come with white buttersuede if none is specified.
All OS diapers come with adjustable leg elastic and that can only be done in Pocket style diapers. If adjustable leg elastic is wanted in a S-L diaper it is $1 extra.
All elastic is encased and never touches baby's skin
Regular cotton print and PUL print diapers are the base prices. Adding ruffles, minky or embroidery is where the price increases depending on fabric or design.
She also makes wipes, nursing pads, unpaper towels, car seat covers, blankets, pillow cases, shaped pillows, pee pee tee pee's, bibs, burp cloths, and she is starting to make mama cloth. Prices available upon request.

What I thought:
I met Trina through a Fluffy Stuff Trading (Diaper Trading site). I had loved all of her Mommy made diapers from the very beginning. She posted photos of her Captain America diaper, and I commented on how perfect it was, and that my hubby would love to see Zoey in this fluff. Then a few days later Trina and I traded some other diapers. What surprise I had when I opened my package a few days later to find that she had added the diaper just because! I was so touched! Not a question of doing a review, or wanting something in return... she added the diaper because she wanted Zoey to have it. What an amazing Momma!!
I was so excited I could not get it prepped quick enough. My hubby got a real kick out of finding his little girl rocking one of his all time favorite super heroes! He is a Marvel nut, and Captain America (or “Cap” in this house) is his all time favorite. He says the diaper is “baller”! I asked for a more appropriate word- I got an eye roll and a “Super, Primo, Awesome”. Haha!

Diaper Performance:
The diaper is a champ! It is a great trim fit between her legs, so no extras, and seems to fit her quite comfortably. I love the simplicity of the design, and the trim fabrics that she used. The first day we used it for 4 hours, and changed it only because she was ready for nap time (and I did not want a case of diaper rash due to leak testing!) She has worn the diaper 4 times so far- 2 at home day wears, 1 out and about wear, and one overnight wear- None of which have had any leaking. For nighttime I double stuffed the diaper since Zoey has turned into a little super soaker. I also love the fit I get with this diaper- I can get it to the perfect rise, and the perfect leg size for my skinny miss.

Up for Giveaway: 
This is a FFS (Free For Shipping) giveaway for a 12 pack of single layer flannel wipes in winners choice of boy, girl or neutral prints. Shipping  US is $2 and Canada is $4.50

 

Sweetheart Designs by Ute- Review and Giveaway!!

About Sweetheart Designs by Ute:
Ute is a very inspiring woman, and an amazing artist. She is from Germany (where her parents still live) and is happily married to her best friend and love of her life. They share a passion for motorcycles, and love to ride every chance they get. They love night-riding in their HD Heritage Classic. They have two fluffy/ Furry children- Rosy the Scotty, and Selena the cat. They spoil them rotten, and make sure they have all the love in the world.
Ute started making jewelry two years ago when she was playing around with an old bead stash she had. She brought a pair of earrings she had made into work to show her friends, and they liked them so well they wanted to buy them. She started selling them to friends and family and found that they were selling really well. She decided to start selling at markets, shows, and on Etsy. Ute loves to create custom orders. Most customers leave some room for her to get creative, and they are always pleased.
Ute sells a variety of lovely pieces such as earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and hair-sticks.

What I thought:
Ute sent me a fabulous one of a kind necklace to review. I love the vintage look of the necklace. I will be the first to admit that I am incredibly hard on necklaces. I always forget to take them off- resulting in me showering with them on, sleeping in them, and a 9 month old pulling at them all day. I have worn it for a week straight, and it looks just as perfect as the day day I took it out of the package. The beads (black and olivine and a Japanese tensha bead) are amazing. I love pieces that make a statement, and things that are one of a kind. This fabulous piece of art is both!

How you can order:
You can order from her facebook page HERE.
You can order from her Etsy page HERE.

Up for Giveaway:
Ute is giving away a fabulous pair of earrings to one very lucky winner!