My Designer's Corner

Looking for luscious mama cloth? Info on Cloth Pads for women

I've got just the thing for you!  I've stocked the store today with yummy dyed bamboo velour cloth pads for women, add to your stash or start one off with these overnight/postpartum pads from The Cloth Canoe!  Available here; www.theclothcanoe.com.  These cloth pads for women are perfect for after baby, exptremely comfortable with it's trim shape and extra coverage, and with bamboo velour these pads make one of the best postpartum stashes around! They are also perfect for your heavy days, where you need absorbancy and comfort the most. 

The idea of using cloth for yourself and not just for baby (think cloth diapers) is nothing new, but many will turn away quickly at the idea the first time they hear about it.  It's not something we women of this day and age really think about, I mean, we've got disposable feminine hygiene products that take care of everything, practically all on its own, right?  Let me share with you facts I've learned on my journey towards making, using and selling cloth pads.

I'm a crunchy mama, I admit it, I look at this week in the month where I can take care of me, instead of griping about how life is unfair and enduring my period each month.  I can sit back, grab a cup of healing tea and relax and appreciate my ability to bear children and having my menses because of it.  I'm a woman, and every woman will go through having their period, there's no escaping it.  I want my daughter to know that it isn't something to look negatively on, and to learn to appreciate her gift as a woman.  Apart from wanting to appreciate this time each month there are many, many reasons why we decided to do the switch, read on to learn more.

Disposable feminine products contain chemicals & gels that increase their absorbancy, but are bleached, which is said to produce dioxins that are carcinogenic (cancer causing).  I don't know about you but I avoid at all cost products that are bleached for this very reason, I prefer to avoid carcinogenic products such as disposable diapers, feminine pads and tampons, etc, for my own safety and that of my children.

The average woman will use 16 000 tampons and disposable pads in her lifetime, imagine that in a pile in you back yard. In the United States alone, over 12 billion pads and 7 million tampons are used and thrown away EACH YEAR. This takes over 500 years to decompose, and in the meantime, releases toxic chemicals into the earth.  If you are even a bit concerned about Mother Earth and what we are doing to her with all our daily garbage, using cloth for yourself will greatly reduce waste, you'll be doing your part in preserving the Earth.

Not only is it harmful to Mother Earth & yourself, but if affects your budget. On average, a woman will spend over 5000$ in pads and tampons alone in her lifetime, wouldn't it be best to use that money for something far more enjoyable?  A stash of cloth pads will typically cost you from 100$ to 300$ if you buy from WAHMs' or even less if you make them yourself, and these pads will last you years and years.

Let's not forget the fun side of using cloth pads! You will most likely notice that your menstrual flow is lighter, that you have less cramps, and that your period lasts a shorter time!  Seriously, I'm not joking!  Because of the chemicals used in the making of pads and tampons, it feels like the blood is pulled from the body, therefore creating a heavier flow.  When using cloth pads that sensation is not there, you bleed less, and your period is shorter.  I have noticed a dramatic difference the first 6 months of using cloth pads, My menses lasted 4 days instead of 7, and I bled so much less than with disposable pads.  WOW, who wouldn't want that??

Obviously there is the added bonus of creating and designing your mama cloth stash.  We all know disposable hygiene products are white, while with your cloth pads you can have them be your favorite color, with different color combos, different sizes that are made for YOUR body shape, not made into a generic shape and mass produced. 

What about comfort?  It's a well known fact that disposable pads can be uncomfortable, can cause rashes and we all know about that sticky tape, ugh.  With cloth there are so many different fabric options out there, to name a few; The most popular right now is bamboo velour, it's SO soft.  We have minkee that wicks moisture away and keeps you dry, butter suede that is so stain resistant it's not even funny, hemp and cotton velour that are just as soft as bamboo, the list goes on.  Of course there are so many different kinds of cloth pads out there, my favorite are the ones with wings.  No sticky tape is used, snaps are the most common closure type available and it's so easy to snap one on and go.

Many women ask about washing your pads, is it gross, what about the washing routine, is it complicated?  Not so, there couldn't be an easier washing routine.  When you are changing your pad you can always rinse it, then stick it in a wetbag (waterproof bag that usually closes with a zipper, can be found on www.hyenacart.com or www.Etsy.com).  Every 2 days I recommend washing them with a 1/4 cup detergent, then line drying or tossing them in with your towels to fluff them up a bit.  Voila, easy as pie. 

If you haven't dabbled into buying and trying out cloth pads for yourself, I urge you to do so.  Try just one, see how you like it, and then go from there.  You never know until you try, right?

If you have any questions or would like to chat more about this do not hesitate to email me!  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject.  In the meantime, take care of yourself, you lucky woman you :) .

What we do besides making diapers

I mentioned in my last blog post that we were going ice fishing and was going to be posting pics soon.  Here they are, the kids had a blast, I had a blast (meaning I didn't freeze to death and my husband is so proud that we lasted for more than an hour, LOL). 

The day before leaving, my husband decided to make us some unique fishing rods.  He came up with this, and we painted them;

 

 

 

We were nice and cozy in our pop up ice hut, thanks to the portable heater;

 

Bobbing for smelts;

 

Our catch of the day;

 

These are saltwater smelts, fished in a saltwater river off the ocean in New-Brunswick.  We used a line and hook with pieces of shrimp for bait, but most natives use a spear, sit in a darkened hut and spear them through the hole in the ice.  I'd love to try this method one day!

The kids had a wonderful time, they each caught 4 and were proud as heck that dad and mom brought them fishing.  We'll definitely be doing this again!

Recent news & updates

Wow it's already February, where does the time go??  We've celebrated my son's 3rd birthday last week, my husband turns 30 in a few days, I am busy busy with my business and having a blast so far with my family and the activities we are doing together.  Our New Year's resolution this year is spending more time DOING stuff with the kids, going places, camping, hiking, canoeing, snowshoeing, ice fishing (pics coming soon, we are going with the kids tomorrow and I'm sure it's going to be fun!!).  My son has been dreaming and talking about fishing for months now, so we are excited to see him fishing for the first time tomorrow.  We'll be fishing for smelts upstream on a saltwater river, off the ocean.  Pretty exciting if you ask me.

Not only have we been spending more time outdoors exploring nature around where we live, but we also have a new addition to the family.  Meet Suka (meaning fast in Inuit), the Siberian Husky;

 

Look at those bright blue eyes!  He has been wonderful, trained within the week to go outside to do his business, he is CALM (OMG I have never had a puppy so calm in my life), sleeps mostly all night without waking up (or so my husband tells me, he sleeps on a little bed on the floor on my husband's side), and generally has been a true pleasure these past 4 weeks.  We are training him later on this year for sledding, currently we are looking at harnesses and light sleds, but we have time to shop around, as he is only 10 weeks old and 16 lbs.  We are told he'll be big, his paws are huge and I believe he'll be a gentle giant!  The kids love him, and I really enjoy having a cuddly puppy around.

Health news;  I've been dealing with pains for the past 5 months and have finally had a few answers from my doctor.  We are thinking it might be Endometriosis, and I'll be going in for a consult with a Gynecologist later this month.  So far I'm not sure what we'll do but a Laparoscopy might be done, and then maybe a visit to a Naturopathic Doctor for prevention treatments.  Most of the time I am fine and life goes on, but for 1.5-2 weeks a month I am laid up in bed with a heat pack on my stomach and needing to take a Morphine pill for the pain.  It passes though and then life resumes around here, it's just something very annoying and painful to deal with every month.  I'm hopeful we'll find an answer and be able to deal with this.

Custom order-wise;  Everything is rolling great, customs are always finished within the time frame given, stockings at my congos Fresh and Venus Vanguard have resumed this month, and I plan on stocking once a month in my own Hyenacart.  I had taken a few weeks off to deal with the pain issues and finishing off local customs, but we're back in the game finally! 

More to come with pics of our fishing excursion, and I believe my daughter and I are going snowshoeing this afternoon, so stay tuned for pics of that too :) .

Busy with Customs!

For Sam!       A Twilight for Helen;         A dyed BV Fitted for Natalie         For Jana              

I should blog more...

Whenever I feel the urge to blog I have to go back several weeks and update, which makes for really long posts!  This one is no exception *wink*.  Lesson learned :) .   Lots of news & updates from The Cloth Canoe coming right up!     As I've said before I have joined Venus Vanguard, and I'll be stocking each month with them!  With such a wonderful group of ladies you are sure to see amazing items up for grabs, they stock twice a month.   FRESH made its debut Sept 9th!  This congo wants to do things a little differently, we want to stock at 9am AND 9pm so anyone around the world can shop on stocking day.  We all have international customers so this gives them a chance to grab some pretty awesome stuff :) .   Collabs!!!     What's going on in the next month?  Nicole of Laines Magnifiques invited Lori of BTRT and I to collaborate on a small set this week, in honor of Nicole's 1 year in business on HC!  I cannot reveal what it is yet as it goes live this week, but it has something to do with possibilities and tulips.  Check it out, it's such a cute set, and also check out everything she has up on her cart at the same time.  I love collaborating with my fave Canadian ladies!   I'm planning a few collabs at Fresh too in the month of October and November.  Themes you ask?  We have had the theme Fresh in Sept, Crisp and Decadence are coming up!  Can you just imagine what the talented ladies will have available??  I can't wait!   STOCKING my own Cart

So, customers have been asking me when I will be stocking my cart next.  With stocking at VV and Fresh and collaborating I don't have as much time, but it is a goal of mine to be able to stock at least once a month.  In October I am planning a huge stocking with special guests, just for fun!!  I have invited a special guest over, she is a local from my town who paints incredible pictures, you should see these paintings!  With experience as a painter and seller under her belt I am sure you are going to appreciate her items.  I also invited many talented mamas from HC and Etsy, you bet you won't be disapointed!

Mmmmm, Minkee!!

How gorgeous are these minkee colors??  The fabric is even more amazing in person, sooo soft and cuddly, no wonder it's a well loved fabric requested by customers.  I purchased 5 minkee colors when on my trip last July, and sooo regret not buying more.  Here is a Baker's Dozen for a customer located in the US;       To tell you the truth minkee is one of my favorite fabrics to work with, that and knit prints.  The colors are vibrant, and I love the look of a finished product made with minkee.  I plan on offering more minkee cloth pads in my HC in the near future!

A local custom order

This local mama has great taste, she choose to order a small and a medium fitted in my original design, in two gorgeous prints, with inner of luxurious natural bamboo velour.  Here they are;

Enjoy these diapers, I had a blast making them!

Stocking August 12th at 10AM EST!

I am so glad to be back and stocking again!  The Cloth Canoe is stocking August 12 (Tuesday) at 10AM on Hyenacart. I've got 2 great newborn fitteds available (Ohhh Paris! is a fave of mine!), and lots of great mama cloth, with your choice of either minkee or bamboo velour, yummm!

For the mamas who like auctions, we have TWO custom Twilight Canoe spots available. If you want a perfect nightime solution, this is it! You get to choose everything; Color of thread, decorative stitching, materials for the soaker top and of course, the size.

All this goes live at 10am EST Tuesday August 12th on my Hyenacart.

Thanks and hope to see you all at the stocking on Tuesday morning!

First customs for August

These 5 diapers are for Rachel, I hope you will love them!  2 Newborn AIOs, 1 Newborn Fitted, 1 Small Fitted & 1 Small Twilight, featured below;

 

And for a local customer, part of her 18 diaper order.  Most diapers were delivered and I did not have a chance to take pics of them, sadly enough!  She picked great prints too, the Owls on Pink, White Peas and Blue Birds were just gorgeous.  Here's part of her order that I do have on my camera (I have to say she has great taste in prints!);

 

 

Now working on Tiffani's 4 Medium Twilights & 2 Medium diapers for Natalie, then moving on to my waiting list.  Ladies who have their names on it, expect an email in a week or so :) .

And...We are back!

Yay, back to work and a regular routine!  Our month long trip went very well, I can say that I have never relaxed so much, being away from home and my sewing machine/cleaning/cooking etc etc, I had the time to sit back and enjoy doing absolutely nothing (apart from running around chasing kids, LOL).  Everything went very well, travelling with 2 kids was very hectic (20 hrs in a cramped car was not very pleasant), but we are BACK and enjoying getting back into our routine, work and gardening!

I'm busy working on my customs list and will have it up on my HC and blog in a few days.  This week was busy, after a few mishaps with my serger/fabric orders, I was SO glad to be able to get back to work this week, with a brand spankin' new serger!!  At the recommendation of a fellow WAHM, I went with the Babylock Imagine, and OMG it is a dream to work with.  So this week I finished 14 diapers and am working on another 12 before taking on more custom orders.  They should be done in a week and I've got my waiting list well, waiting *wink*.  Your names will be up on the customs list ladies!

I'm also enjoying working on a few local projects, there is talk of a presentation by me for local businessmen/women, still in the works but if I can spare the time it's something I'd love to do.  I was also lucky to have been interviewed by a local reporter, who has put a segment together for me, and I've got it on CD.  It has been presented to business groups and the reviews are great.  The point of the interview was to show local businesses that there are smaller businesses making a major difference, ones that don't get much hype and are not well known in our community.  I'd say in NB cloth diapering isn't something that is well known, and I'd love to change that.  If I can put it online I'll link you to it.  It's in French though (my native tongue), so you might have to be able to read lips to understand, LOL. 

Expect to see custom slots open on my HC in the next three weeks, as well as in my Etsy store!