Handmade Monday: Wool Longies From The Littlest Forest Giveaway

Every Monday is going to be Handmade Monday here at The Hip (Single) Mama. Handmade Monday will feature our favorite small businesses and handmade goods. There's so much great stuff out there that's made by moms like us that they deserve their very own special day.

To kick of our first ever Handmade Monday we're going to be giving away one medium pair of sage green merino wool longies from The Littlest Forest on Etsy!

 

Medium longies on a 19 month old 30lb baby

These longies are made with two layers of 100% merino wool interlock that is knit and dyed in Peru. They are a pull-up style without elastic in the waistband, so you don't have to worry about red marks on your little ones sensitive skin. These longies are The Little Forest's new "sweatpant style" longies, which feature a cuff on the bottom.

The medium longies have the following measurements (unstretched):

Waist: 16"

Rise: 14"

Inseam: 10"

So, what do you have to do to win? It's easy! First and foremost you MUST be a public follower of The Hip (Single) Mama on Google Friend Connect (to the right).

Once you are a public follower please post in a comment why you would love to win these longies and what other products from The Littlest Forest you love. (Be sure you leave your email address so I have a way to contact you if you win!)

Additional Entries 

(please post a separate comment for each entry)

1. "Like" The Littlest Forest on Facebook

2. "Like" The Hip (Single) Mama on Facebook

3. Link to The Hip (Single) Mama on your blog! (2 entries)

4. Tweet about this contest: Win wool longies for your #clothdiapers from @lepetitowlet http://bit.ly/icbjGb (up to 3 tweets per day. Please leave the permalink for each tweet, and make sure your entries are in separate comments!)

5. Blog about this giveaway! (5 entries. Please leave a link to your blog)

This contest is open to U.S residents only and will end on March 6th at 11:59pm CST. Good Luck!

If you have a small business that sells handmade items and are interested in being featured on Handmade Monday then please email ohdearjessica@gmail.com

Go Green, Baby Favorite: Wool!

If you don't know by now, I love wool. Wool has so many amazing properties, which is why I am making it today's Go Green, Baby favorite.
So, why wool? First and foremost, wool is renewable and sustainable. It's biodegradable unlike oil-based synthetics (which contribute to pollution, yuck).
Wool is naturally non-allergenic, fire retardant, wrinkle resistant, and water repellent. Some people do have reactions to the natural lanolin in wool, but it's rare. Most people that have wool "allergies" are actually having a reaction to the harsh and toxic chemicals used in the manufacturing and treatment of conventional wool garments and bedding. Look for organic wool from small distributors, you'll notice the difference! Since wool is naturally fire retardant you don't have to worry about any of those toxic chemicals next to your skin. It's natural wrinkle resistance makes the care and upkeep easy, and the water repellent makes this the perfect choice for all things baby (diaper covers, bedding, clothing).
When people think of wool they think itchy and hot, but that's not true at all! Wool has a natural insulating quality. It keeps you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. In the winter wool wicks moisture away from your skin keeping you warm and dry, and wools insulating qualities trap warm air near your skin. In the summer, wool pulls excess heat and moisture from your skin keeping you cool. Of course you won't wear a wool sweater in August, but there is such a wide variety of wools including cashmere and merino wool, that are thinner and perfect for summer.
Wool is naturally mildew and mold resistant, which makes it perfect for things like mattresses and bedding, especially if you co-sleep with a baby. A wool mattress is high on my list of wants and needs. Elijah sleeps with me, and since I breastfeed, well, you can imagine that sometimes accidents happen. Diapers leak sometimes too! Wool mattresses are pretty expensive, but well worth it, it will probably last you longer than any other type of mattress, and it has all these amazing qualities! There are also mattress toppers, sheets, and comforters.

 Tell me what your favorite wool items are!

Giveaway!: Recycled Longies and soaker by Le Petit Owlet!

One lucky winner will win a pair of recycled wool longies in their preferred size and color (colors choices will be available once the winner is chosen) and a wool diaper soaker in Le Petit Owlet's choice of color (will be gender neutral) from Le Petit Owlet.

 

 To enter:

1. This entry is MANDATORY. Go to Le Petit Owlet and tell me in a comment what your favorite item is. Please leave your email in this comment also in name at gmail dot com format.

additional entries

2. Follow @lepetitowlet on Twitter then leave a comment saying that you did.


3. Follow this blog publicly via Google Friend Connect then leave a comment telling me you are following.


4. Tweet about this contest! "Win custom longies for your #clothdiapers from @lepetitowlet http://bit.ly/71fTVo" - there is no limit on this entry so tweet away! Each time you tweet please leave a comment with the permalink


5. Become a fan of Le Petit Owlet on Facebook, leave a comment saying you did.


6. Post my button on your blog (4 entries)! Leave 4 separate comments saying you did, leave a link to your blog in the first one.


7. Blog about this giveaway (4 entries)! Leave 4 separate comments saying you did with a link to the entry in the first comment.

There you go, that's 13 ways to win and more if you tweet often! This giveaway is open until Friday January 8th at 12am CST. The winner will be announced on Saturday January 9th.

Good luck!

See some Le Petit Owlet Longies on other babies here, here, and here!

Elijah's first Halloween photos.

Elijah the friendly ghost! The adorable knit hat is from Click Knits. Go check out her Etsy shop!

I listed some more jewelry on Etsy! Go check out my shop, you can click the banner to the right! Now is the time to start shopping for holiday gifts. I am free to do custom orders of any colors that you want, just let me know! I am going to be working on adding some wool longies and diaper covers soon, so excited! Perfect for the cool nights we have been having. I almost want to make myself some.

I went to the oncologist today. My cancer drug treatments start on October 9th. I do have to say that I am quite nervous about it. I don't know how my body is going to react. No matter what I feel like I am still a mom and I still have to take care of a baby all day every day. It's going to be a real challenge. I hope I can pull through ok, and I am hoping that my side effects are terrible. My oncologist told me that people DO drop out because they can't handle it. If I just can't take it then I can always quit, but only if I really, really have to. I hope I don't feel that bad though. I go to get my picc line on October 6th. I am going to have the stupid thing attached to my arm until December 4th, when the high dosage injections are done. So, after 4 weeks of having to go there I will be able to do it 3x a week from home.

On the up side, I signed up for this thing called Cleaning For A Cause, if you are a woman undergoing cancer treatments then you can sign up and you get 4 free house cleanings, one a month. So hopefully I hear back from them soon, that would really help a lot!

Are you there blog? It's me, Jessica.

It's late. 1:40am late. I am terrible at going to bed early, I just can't do it. Lucky for me Elijah loves to sleep at night (for the most part), and in, so I am fairly well rested.

I think my little guy might be starting his teething. He's been pretty fussy at night, drooling a bunch, gnawing on his hands, and rubbing his upper gums with his tongue. He's 3.5 months old, so it's very possible that this is starting. I was really hoping he would wait until, oh I don't know, 9 months, 10 months, heck I would be ok with a year! With teeth will come biting, I don't like biting, especially biting while he is nursing. Ouch! We'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Shutterfly.com - Ah-mazing. If you have a baby, or a child in general, or just love taking pictures and making stuff with them, then you have to get a Shutterfly account. I was told about this b a friend who made and received a free photo book. I like free! So, I signed up and uploaded some photos. They email me promo codes like every two weeks. I got the free photo book one, which I used and is pretty great, and I just used a promo code for 50 free prints. Buying prints through Shutterfly is cheaper than us printing our own, and they look better, all nice and glossy. They have more than just that stuff though! They offer prints in all different sizes: wallets, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10, even 20x30! You can make a variety of photo books from very small to very large, and you can choose hardcover, softcover, and how many pages you want. Calendars, posters, key chains, coffee mugs. Oh, and my favorite, holiday cards! I can't wait to order photo Christmas cards this year. I feel like such a mom. So, go sign up for Shutterfly and enjoy free stuff (you only have to pay shipping)!

I am starting to get my creative bug/I want to do things bug back. This is nice. I am going to start out slow, but I really, really, really want to start making stuff to sell in my Etsy shop. I need to make money, and I need a hobby. I am really excited about wool right now. Maybe it's the cooler weather we have been having, but I am in dire need for wool everything. I think I want to try to make some upcycled wool longies from thrifted wool sweaters, all I need is the sweaters, and a tutorial on how to work that magic. Eventually I would love to make some wool sleep sacks, wool overalls, wool, wool, OMG I love wool. I want to felt some wool too! I can make some felted beads, or felted diaper covers. Oh boy, so much fun.

I would also love to make little kids clothing. I have been thinking about it and I want to make stuff that is gender neutral. Think greys, browns, creams, black. Bamboo and organic cotton. Really simple, very mix and match, and perfect for people like me who hate pink and blue.

I need to replace my sewing machine. It's broken. I also would really love a serger. I want the best of both worlds!

P.S. I have now enabled comment posting for ANYONE! You don't need an account to leave comments on my posts anymore. I love to hear what you have to say, so start commenting!

xo

Oh hi, I am freaking ADORABLE!

I have been obsessed with knits for babies lately. Seriously, what's cuter than cute than a knit diaper cover and/or hat (well besides babies of course! They win the cute contest by a mile).
I have really wanted to buy some wool diaper covers because I have read so many great things about them, and I really love the way they look. While browsing Etsy I came across two wonderful shops.

The first is Chickyloo Custom Knits. They make these gorgeous, modern and chic diaper covers. They make them in newborn sizing (0-4) weeks, but you can send them a message to have a different size made. They also make great knit hats which are wonderful for photo props. I want to get a knit hat for Elijah for a Christmas photo!




Then I found Click Knits. They have this beautiful chunky knit diaper cover. It just looks so snuggly and soft! So does that baby that's modeling the cover!



I have more to write later, I just wanted to share these wonderful knit creations that I found, and am totally lusting after.