Product Update

This past November I put my shops on vacation to prepare for the upcoming Stitch Market. Once the Stitch market was over I decided to close my shops down permanently. Etsy just wasn't the right fit for me and was becoming more of a task than anything to list items. After researching, rebranding, and getting in the groove of making things again I have decided to relaunch this summer. I've looked around for other shop options and have narrowed it down to a few, but the big reveal will have to wait a few more months. I am also currently working on a landing page that will direct you either to my shop or blog, which will be a part of the big reveal. 

The reason for the closing of my shops and the rebranding of everything was mostly that I had evolved from where I started. Much like my blog The Little Willow Tree, my two Etsy shops were starting to merge into one brand and I needed a change that reflected more of where I am now and where I plan to go. After the Stitch Market was over I finally found the direction I needed to be in and changed the name of everything to Chevron Stitches. But because I flew right out the gate with every name I've have and every product I've made in the past, I wanted to take some time in reopening a shop and introducing product that is unique to me and is for everyone. 

Currently I am in the process of getting business cards, labels, stamps, and packaging made to fit the Chevron Stitches name. I am pretty excited about them and cannot wait to share in the big reveal. I am also currently rebuilding stock for the Spring Stitch Market that will be happening in the next few months. Though I am not guaranteed a spot in the market, I am keeping my fingers crossed and making sure I am fully prepared by the time my application is accepted so I can avoid cramming over 200 items in a four day period like last time {where the time went last year I do not know!}. 

The past week I have been working on building up stock for the market and thought I would give you all an update on what I've made so far. 

One of my most popular sales at the market were these mustache and bow tie appliqued onesies

Not a huge seller, but still popular, paci/toy clips

I'm going to be sitting down and making some more items today that involve Melody Miller and Etsuko Furuya fabric and zippers....

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I get accepted to do the Spring Stitch Market! Thanks!

{W.I.P} Wednesday

Baby scarves are all the craze right now and of course I want little Oliver in a few so to start out, I am making him a couple of custom bandana scarves before I purchase some from some of my fave shops. I have lots of the mustard arrow fabric left over from my bag and mug hug so I decided to use that along with some other cute fabric remnants I have. 

Front

Back

I know it looks funky now, but it will be so cute when it's finished! Here is one of the other fabrics I have chosen along with the plaid jersey knit that is on the back of the chevron arrow fabric as well.

Isn't the plaid adorbs?

 Along with my infinity scarves, these just might be incredibly addicting too! Scarves might just be my thing now. 

Are there any projects you're currently working on? Share with me below in the comments. Happy hump day!

Yummi Pouch Review + Giveaway

As a mom of a 10 month old it is important for baby's food to be easy and convenient to eat if we are out and about. Messing with bowls and spoons/forks can be messy and take up space, especially with an overflowing diaper bag or if you don't carry one at all {like me!}. 

We make all of baby's foods at home, but when we are out we prefer to take a food pouch with us. Saves us the hassle, is fast, and baby loves it. But once we started adding up how much it was costing us per pouch, we came to find that we were spending around $50+ a month on his 'eating out' food. Aside from the large amount of money we were spending, we were also throwing away all of those pouches! 

Not wanting to mess with bowls and spoons but still wanting to have something reusable we found a solution: Yummi Pouch. 

Yummi Pouches are a refillable, reusable pouch that is easy, convenient, and perfect for baby to hold. The idea is to make your own baby food, fill the pouch, seal the top and let baby snack away. After each use, open the pouch and place in the dishwasher or hand wash. They also sell for a very low price of $14.99 for 6 of them! With one use of all six, it is already worth it!

A great feature/function is that they have a handy 'fill line' on the back of the pouch so you know how much to put in. You also can write the date and contents of what you put in there so that you can store it in the refrigerator and know how old it is and what it is. Definitely helps create less waste in food.

My little one doesn't quite like the idea of having to hold his own cup/food/pouch, but it seems like he really enjoys it!

Our other little one {who isn't quite little actually - she's 11!} loves using it as well for her smoothies.

It washes up real well and hardly takes up any space to store.

Even after you wash them they lay totally flat in the cupboard or even a drawer!

Over the past couple of weeks of using them we have enjoyed them and are excited to have something reusable and convenient for our on-the-go meals. It has saved us over $20 so far and baby seems to really enjoy them, too.

When I was given the opportunity to review the pouches I decided to hand one off to three of my mommy friends to see how they and their little ones like them. They each have different schedules than we do and each have different aged children so I wanted to be able to get multiple points of view. 

Amanda of The Brilliant Mom has a 16 month old little one. She is a SAHM with a regular routine balancing on-the-go with time spent at home as well as organizing play groups and women groups through her Church.

"After accidentally busting the zipper on the first pouch I tried... I successfully filled the second pouch with a spinach, mango, banana, and yogurt smoothie. I did overfill the pouch on my first try and had to dump some out in order for the bag to seal. My 16 month old usually drinks these out of a straw cup, but it was super nice to be able to pack it away in his lunch box for an on-the-go snack. We didn't have any leaks and it was way easier than I thought it would be to wash out the pouch for reuse."

Megan has a 11 month old little one. She is a SAHM balancing mom duties and keeping her sweet girl entertained. 

'We used the Yummi Pouch for some sweet potatoes, yogurt, and bananas. These days she wants to feed herself but doesn't quite have the coordination down to squeeze the pouch. When I help her, we have success! Great product and I love that it can be used over & over! Plus it is easy to clean which is a bonus for us!'

Erin of World at the Wayside has a 12 month old little one. She is a SAHM with a regular routine of being on the go and staying in. She also runs a clothing exchange through her Church. 

'We tried the pouch with some pureed buttery carrots and orange juice. It took me a while to figure out how to open the seal, but after that it worked great! I kind of wished the that the mouthpiece was slightly smaller, like a larger straw, so there's less of a chance to spill? But it was nice to have something so slim to take on the go. We will definitely be using this again!'

Because we love Yummi Pouch so much we asked if they'd like to do a giveaway and you know what!? They LOVE doing giveaways! Yummi Pouch is offering a pack of 6 reusable Yummi Pouches for your little ones to one lucky winner! Simply enter below using the Rafflecopter form. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Yummi Pouch. All opinions and experiences are 100% mine. 

Pinspiration Friday

*This is a recycled post from the old blog. Needed to re-blog it, it's so awesome!*

I found this simple and amazing recipe on adelynSTONE…

And here is what was created!

I love that the ingredients are simple and with the Koolaid it smells so yummy! All the kids in the neighborhood wanted in on the fun too!

Be sure to head on over to adelynStone blog to see how this amazing Playdoh is made and good tips on how to store it. She also has a great DIY section where I have already found some other awesome stuff to make!

Mommy-Brain Mixer

Hello!

If you haven't already, definitely enter to win $50 for an Erin Condren Planner and $25 to Starbucks!

Also, come on over this Saturday for a wonderful new blog series called "The Mom Connection!" You don't want to miss out on parenting tips and advice from some of your favorite bloggers, so put this Saturday, December 8th on your calendar! We will be discussing fighting the battle of getting your kiddos dressed!

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Welcome to week 20 of the Mommy-Brain Mixer, ladies!

Please help spread the word so the Mixer keeps on growing!

If you haven't noticed, one of our favorite things to do is to share stories about motherhood and our littles. One of our favorite things about sharing these stories is your comments with stories of your own children!

Welcome to...

At the Mommy-Brain Mixer, we will be linking up our writings about anything and everything motherhood!

We want to see funny posts, serious posts, sweet & sappy stories, mommy-brain episodes, memories from when your older children were younger, thoughts & lessons learned, and anything related to motherhood or little people. You know that post you wrote yesterday about your teething baby? Or that hilarious post you wrote about your 2nd grader's school play? Those are perfect, so link 'em up! 

The Mommy-Brain Mixer is the perfect place to find some great new blogs to follow, make some wonderful new blog friends, and enjoy some entertaining new reads!

To make things even more fun, our friend Mar, over at Raising Bean, is hosting a sister link-up for you to join, too!

Head on over there after your finished here and link up your recipes, DIY, arts & crafts, and sensory activities!  

Let's get to it, friends!

 

RULES:

1.Follow your hosts 

{the first four in the linky}:

 Cassie from Two In Diapers

Jelli from Jellibean Journals

Cassie from Live.Laugh.L0ve

Julie from From Awkward To Art

If you are new to the Mixer, please leave us a comment so we know to follow you back! We try to get around to all the posts but, as the Mixer is growing, there are some weeks that we are not able!

2. Follow your co-hosts

This week's lovely co-hosts {the next 4 on the linky} are:

Amy from Not Your Average Baby Blog

Noel from Daydreaming Realist

Charlotte from The Life of Mummy Rawles

Ashley from Chevron Stitches

3. Link up your mommy post!

4. Make sure to visit some of the blogs in the link-up and maybe even follow them!

{and comments are always loved} 

5. Tweet about the Mommy-Brain Mixer to help spread the word! 

Tweet  

6. Grab this adorable button and place it somewhere on your blog!

 

 <a href="http://www.two-in-diapers.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" src="http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w351/laurenjh04/Gracie%20Marie/mommybrain-mixer200.png" /></a><br/>

7. Don't forget to check back throughout the week, as we gain many new links each day!

If you are interested in co-hosting a Mommy-Brain Mixer, send an email to: twoindiapers@gmail.com!

Holiday Gift Guide for the Kids

Now that we have the guys and gals covered, we need to take care of the kiddos too! This year I have a baby and a tween to shop for so not only is that twice  the amount of gifts, but on two opposite ends of the age group too! So I have compiled a list of gift ideas that covers babies to teens so no one gets left out.

Babies to Elementary

Sophie // Shape & Sort // Owl Rocking Chair // Elephant Puzzle

Stocking/Quiver // Make Do Plane // Plasma Car // A-Frame Tent

Tweens to Teens

Sling Shot // All Duct Out  // Gamer Hoodie // Ear Buds

Kindle Fire // Mint Diana // Muk Luks // Ticket Stub Diary

I think some of the things on this list I might want to keep for myself! Check back tomorrow for a holiday gift guide for... YOUR PETS!!! 

DIY Bubble Solution

I'm slowly transitioning select posts over from the old blog and am going to do two diy posts a week until I am all caught up. My first diy post on Chevron Stitches is my absolute fave so far. Mostly because I got to do this with my kids and because well, who doesn't love bubbles?

Sometimes during the winter months when the chill outside keeps everyone inside it's a little hard to keep the kiddos entertained. But I have something you all can make together that will keep them entertained for hours...

Bubble solution, wands, and blowers!

Take a peek inside your cupboards and pull out:

-measuring cup

-light corn syrup

-liquid dish soap

-bottle or container {with a lid} to hold the bubble solution

-pipe cleaners {in your favorite colors!}

-straws

-decorative tape

-mixing bowl

-wire whisk or spoon

To make the solution:

Pour 2 1/2 cups of hot water into bowl

Pour in 1/2 cup of corn syrup and stir or whisk well until corn syrup is dissolved

Slowly pour in 1/2 cup liquid dish soap and stir or whisk well

Pour solution into bottle or container

Let solution cool for a few hours before use

To make wands & blowers:

With pipe cleaners:

Take pipe cleaner and shape the top into a circle, wrapping the end around the stem of the cleaner. I used three different size washi tape rolls to get the circle shape. You could also use different shaped cookie cutters to shape your pipe cleaners around.

With straws:

Take three or four straws and bundle them together

Wrap washi tape around each end of the straws to hold in place

I added a cute label to the jar of bubbles

And you’re done! Grab your bubble solution, wand and blowers and head outside with the kiddos to fill the skies with bubbles. Or you can shove them out the door and get your chores done. But blowing bubbles is much too fun to pass up.