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Hey BC Fans. What are YOU needing or missing from Boutique Cafe? I desperately need to prioritize my time better and want to focus on bringing you the things you really Love/Need.
Podcasts? Videos? Momprenuer Interviews? Product Reviews? Networking opportunities?
I’d love your feedback on this! Thanks for helping this busy mama out (in personal news, Baby Lola is doing great at 6 months old. She’s the joy in my life!! I love having a baby girl)
Happy Friday! – Daria XO
I will be the first to admit I’m not an artsy-crafty mom. I rarely bust out projects for the kids because, dang it all, I hate cleaning up the mess! I’ve learned how to deal with playdough (just let those little pieces dry and sweep them up) and can handle watercolor paints, but “real” paint, like the kind that doesn’t require water? I would only bust out a few jars of that for a review on the Daily Dish. Anything for you guys!
Clementine Art is a line of “simple, wholesome, and clean art supplies with all the ingredients they need, and none of what they don’t. ... [The] products contain only natural ingredients and are certified non-toxic and meet CPSIA requirements.” The company sent us their six pack of natural paint, which uses earth-based mineral pigments for the colors and contains no dyes or synthetic additives.
Question is, does it look, feel, and…well…paint like paint? According to two budding artists, YES! The girls sat down one evening and painted away. Here’s Madison in action:
Madison’s take on Clementine Art’s all-natural paint: “I really like the bright colors and they’re fun to paint with. I painted a picture and I really liked how the colors stand out. I couldn’t tell the difference between the blue and black, so I think they should have labels.”
And here’s Lauren in action:
Lauren’s take on the paints: “I’m glad they’re not water paints because those run out quickly and you have to have water and stuff. I like that there’s a lot of the paint so you can make a lot of things with them and even mix them. It’s kind of hard to lighten them up because you can’t add water to them or they’ll smear.”
Though my kids haven’t been ones to eat glue, crayons, playdough or paint, I still feel better knowing the paints they’re using are “green” both for them and the environment. Clementine Art’s packaging is made form recycled stock and printed using soy ink in a wind-powered facility. They don’t contain: petroleum products, animal adhesives, artificial preservatives or synthetic colors or scents. I did notice the paints had a very earthy smell, most likely due to the mineral pigments used to color them. But other than that they seemed rich, smooth and vibrant. Oh, and they’re washable—yay!
Clementine Art also makes natural modeling dough, markers, glue, soy crayons and soy crayon rocks. They have a fab gifts set that includes their dough, crayons, crayon rocks and glue. Perhaps I should pick up a couple boxes of crayons and markers; this whole painting thing was pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for my kids.—Emily
Toy Story mania has hit again, don’t miss out on the chance to own this darling 6 pc. custom from Jade & Roses COUTURE! Talk about a show stopper, can you imagine wearing this to the theatre to see the movie? FUN FUN!!
A few weeks ago I reviewed two new games in Gamewright’s collection: Take the Cake and Can You See What I See? Bingo Link. Perfect for the younger group, my littlest ones really enjoyed these games. Of course, their older siblings were good sports and played along, but they were really biding their time until they could review the two other Gamewright games included in the samples sent for review: Dweebies and Rory’s Story Cubes.
Dweebies was first to be tried and tested by Madison, Lauren and me. The concept is fairly easy; you collect Dweebies—by far the cutest creatures ever printed on playing cards—by matching cards on both ends of any row (horizontally or vertically). Yes, the concept is easy but some of those Dweebies are super sly and will be gone before you can pair them with a match. We learned this the hard way a few times! You win by having collected the most Dweebies once the game is over—or those Dweebies are at a standstill.
Madison’s comments: “I think it’s cool how each card has its own personality. I think it’s also cool you can see how many there are of each card. I love this game!” (Note: Each card has a small number telling you how many matches that Dweebie has…yes, there’s a little strategy involved.)
Lauren’s comments: “It’s fun. It’s really easy to learn and all the Dweebies have different personalities and the game even gets your brain working.” (Good to know someone’s brain is working during summer vacation!)
My comments: “I actually really, really loved playing this game. I was the one begging for ‘just one more game, please!’ The Dweebies are super cute, the games aren’t too long and it’s seriously fun!”
The next game we tested was Rory’s Story Cubes. What I love about this game is it’s one of those you can actually play by yourself AND doubles as a great non-messy travel game. The tiny little box contains nine cubes, all with a variety of different pictures on them. All you do is roll the cubes, throw out a “Once upon a time…” and you’re on your way! You can play however you’d like: roll all nine and take turns building a story using all nine pictures; divide up the cubes, roll and then take turns building your story. The possibilities are endless! We divided the cubes among the three of us and each took turns rolling one, adding to the story as we went—a story that included a scarab beetle, lightning and a letter addressed to a padlock.
Madison’s comments: “I like it because it’s funny how people make up the stories as they go and you don’t know what they’re going to say.”
Lauren’s comments: “I really like them because you can tell your own story.”
My comments: “This is a really great game for me because I have very little imagination. Just ask my girls how well I do playing Barbies or Polly Pockets. I suck. But Rory’s Story Cubes got my storytelling juices flowing by supplying the images and letting me run with it. I think this would be an awesome travel game too!”
Both Dweebies and Rory’s Story Cubes are award-winning games. After testing all four games from Gamewright, I’m convinced this company is the way to go when it comes to fun, educational, imaginative games. We’ve seriously loved every one!—Emily
*** GIVEAWAY! Gamewright is giving away one game, winner’s choice! ***
NOTE: This giveaway is open to U.S. residents only. Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:
• Visit Gamewright.com and leave a comment telling us which game you’d most like to try.
• “Like” Gamewright on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: June 30, 2010 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
This diaper comes with 2 microfiber soakers (one’s shorter than the other for when the diaper is adjusted to the smaller size), and they’re really absorbent. When Holly needed a little bit of extra padding, I did find it tight to get both soakers into the diaper, however I did it! I really like that this diaper is so trim. It’s not too wide in the crotch and so it fits nicely into Holly’s thigh folds. It’s a comfortable diaper for her to wear – no red marks! And as a bonus, the diaper dries quickly!
Here’s a little more about the Fuzzibunz’s One Size Cloth Diaper:
In a One Size diaper ‘durability” is especially important. You want that diaper to fit for 3+ years from the time your baby is born until the time they are out of diapers….and possibly for other children. FuzziBunz® are already built to last. After 10 years as a leader in the cloth diaper industry, we prefer the precision and durability of snap closures on our products, and by offering a unique and “replaceable for pennies” elastic system on the diapers, we can promise our customers years of extended use. Not only will your CLOSURES last for 3 years your ELASTIC will LAST for as long as it will and can be replaced in less than 10 minutes! No re-sewing, no seam-ripping! FuzziBunz® are a great and valuable investment.
Day 1: Holly tries it out for the first time and loves her new perspective. My husband and I mourn how grown-up our little girl looks.
Day 2: I sit Holly in the booster and she immediately vomits. A lot. I quickly call my husband for back-up and while he baths Holly, I clean the booster.
Day 3 and on continued very much like Day 1. Let’s focus on Day 2 and the clean-up. The seat reducer detaches from the base, allowing me to get into every nook, leaving behind no trace of an upset stomach. The webbing straps easily rinsed. When I was confident that everything was all clean, I put the booster on the porch to dry. By the next morning, we were ready to use it again, vomit-free. Seriously the easiest clean-up EVER. Sometimes boosters with plastic padding and cracks that can catch and keep all kinds of goobers come to mind and I feel grossed out and so grateful that my booster is by Mutsy and has been designed very well. When the booster needs a quick touch-up, I just wipe ‘er on down with a damp cloth. I don’t scrub though because I don’t want the foam on the seat reducer to crumble and I did find that I had to be extra careful when cleaning the bottom of the booster due to some slight unevenness in the foam.
I like that the booster comes equipped with shoulder straps (that remind me of suspenders and look pretty darn cute), however if they’re not tightened just right they can easily slip off the shoulder. I found that when the shoulders straps were fastened right, Holly was reclined slightly, which in it’s own way worked for me because then she wasn’t smashing her bowl of food out of my hands. These days I just use the lap strap. I love the clean and simple design of the grow-up! booster. Add to it all the reasonable price tag, and you’ve got yourself the booster seat you’ve been looking for!
Mutsy also makes an innovative high chair that follows in the same clean and simple design of the grow-up! booster. It’s called the easygrow chair and it grows with your child with it’s unparalleled adjustability. You’re going to love it. And check out their stroller options. I’m drooling over the design and flexibility of the 4rider. Doesn’t it look cool? To purchase a booster (choose from 6 sweet colors!), easygrow chair, or/and a 4rider just head right on over to Mutsy! -Katie
“DIY Daria” came out to play for a few brief hours last week, in order to make some stellar thank you gifts for my kids teachers. If you like mine you’ll love the original idea from the blog eighteen25 – her tutorial on this was so awesome I just HAD to do it! I had the most delightful time scouring the shelves at Michaels for all kinds of cute little clips, magnets, glitter, stickers, punches and much more to fill up their kits. I hope they enjoy them and find them useful too.
Happy I shared??? You’re Welcome!! LOL!!
Bari J. acts as Boutique Cafe’s Official Correspondent again at Spring Quilt Market (2010). Bari speaks with designer Kay Whitt from Sew Serendipity about her new book and clothing patterns – they look SCRUMPTIOUS!!
Special thanks to Bari J Ackerman for her incredible coverage of Spring Market! We love you Bari! More Market video coverage is on the way, keep tuning in.
**Interested in sponsoring an upcoming episode of Boutique Cafe? contact us at info@boutiquecafe.com for more details
I have never been a fan of those Bluetooth headsets, perhaps because I always thought the person wearing one was talking to me when he (notice it’s most often a “he”?) was actually conducting some high-level business meeting. It drove me crazy to turn around to make eye contact, raising my brows in an “I’m sorry, what did you say?” sort of way and meet the side of someone’s head. And don’t get me started on how obnoxious those Bluetooth headsets look. I believe Brad Pitt sported one on the cover of Wired magazine and even he didn’t look cool.
But my perspective on Bluetooth headsets has changed somewhat thanks to Jawbone’s new ICON line. These little pieces of ear candy are seriously cool, cool enough to have me considering one…and I thought that would never happen. Fortunately Jawbone was willing to send me the ICON ACE to review for Boutique Cafe’s Daily Dish so I could check out this bejeweled earpiece for our readers.
The Bluetooth headset arrived and even the packaging was cool:
The ICON ACE is a sort of pewter/bronze/ooh-I-love-shiny-things color and comes with a variety of earbuds to ensure a comfy fit. I found a combination of pieces worked best for me (I have funky elf-shaped ears) and made the ICON headset nice and secure. Here are all the goodies you’ll find inside the package:
So you’re pretty much set for life! The ICON is pretty cool—it has all these fun features like a little voice telling you how much battery life you have left and super duper NoiseAssasin, a “proprietary technology that eliminates background noise from mobile phone conversations.” Basically it can tell your voice from the kids screaming for Icees in the background so you come through loud and clear. I know it works because I had an easy conversation with my mom using my new ICON ACE, something that doesn’t usually happen while in the car.
Jawbone’s ICON also comes with MyTALK (personalize your ICON with some free apps) and the ability to manage two different calls from two different phones—at the same time. Oh, and did I mention it’s CNET’s highest rated headset ever?
I gave my ICON ACE a thorough test-run and it passed with flying colors. Of course the headset does get a little warm after extended use and I did get the occasional “are you talking to me?” look from other people while getting takeout from Kneaders Bakery, but the ACE did raise my super cool momness to a new level. I only wish I had a photo of my newfound celebrity status thanks to Jawbone’s ICON but unfortunately I was too busy breaking up fights, wiping sticky fingers and keeping kids buckled while driving to snap a self-portrait. But I promise I was cool. In fact, I looked just like this gal, only with short hair:
P.S. The Jawbone ICON would make a fabulous Father’s Day gift even if you’re husband’s not Brad Pitt!—Emily
Here’s a little more info about the diaper:
Our Ultra-Lite “All-In-One” form-fitted washable cloth diapers are an environmentally friendly alternative to disposable diapers yet just as easy to use! Featuring 6 layers of 100% soft cotton-flannel with a special absorbent soaker layer inside, and a lightweight waterproof shell on the outside. The hook and loop closure system and the extended tabs provide optimum adjustability for a snug fit. Our patented, built in-flap can be folded up for boys or down for girls for extra absorbency where they need it most. Better for your baby, better for the environment and better for your pocket book!
Make sure you take a browse around Kushies’ website. They have so many great products from clothing, to diaper bags, to bedding and more! – Katie
****Giveaway!! Kushies is giving away one Ultra-Lite AIO Diaper to one lucky winner!***
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:
Include a valid email address for our drawing (does not need to be included in your comment text). We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact them via email. Deadline: June 21, 2010 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen.
***Promotion: Kushies is offering Boutique Cafe readers 10% off any order. Just enter the code boutiquecafe2010 at checkout. Expires: July 14, 2010***
Congratulations Tomoko! You’re the winner of our giveaway!
How many times were you able to guess the song playing on the MP3 player next to you at the gym? Or hear some sort of garbled background music playing from the nether regions of the car or back bedroom? Granted, it’s often due to a volume level more appropriate for a live concert, but many times it’s more likely due to crappy suboptimal headphones.
If you’re tired of hearing voices then snag a set of EarPollution CS40 headphones from iFrogz. These stylish, lightweight headphones are the newest addition to the EarPollution headphone line by iFrogz and come in five colors: white, black, blue, red and pink. Not only do these headphones make life a little more comfortable for those around you (i.e., they don’t have to play Name That Tune when you’re plugged in), they are also super comfortable on the ears. In fact, the CS in CS40 stands for “comfort series.” The ultra-cushioned ear cups mean you can wear these babies for hours on end…or until your Pandora hours are up.
We received a pair of white CS40s, which were quickly followed by a pair of black due to the white losing sound in one ear. But no worries—I quickly learned iFrogz has superior customer service. They sent us the new pair and informed me that even if I were a “normal” customer to iFrogz and mentioned my problem to customer support, they would have replaced the item, too. Good to know! Before we lost sound in one ear, I did catch my daughter rocking out while wearing the CS40s, but my Flip video version was too quiet to hear her sing off key. Instead you can enjoy this little snapshot I snagged from the video:
But we had no problems with the second pair, and I gave them a few thorough test runs during late-night work sessions in the home office. The CS40s lived up to their comfort claim and the sound was seriously awesome. It was like surround sound for my little brain. Nothing like Jack Johnson sitting next to you while writing a blog post!
M husband is kind of an audio/video geek aficionado and iFrogz’s EarPollution CS40s would make the perfect Father’s Day gift for a guy like him! At only $39.99, they are an affordable way to say “I love you…but not the sounds coming from that action-packed movie you’re watching in the home theater.”—Emily
*** Giveaway! iFrogz is giving away one (1) pair of EarPollution CS40 headphones, winner’s choice! ***
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway; please leave a separate comment for each one you do:
• Visit iFrogz.com and leave a comment telling us your favorite color from the CS40 line.
• “Like” iFrogz on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.
• Follow iFrogz on Twitter and leave a comment telling is you’re their newest follower.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: June 18, 2010 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
If you’re not a fan of organic blue agave, become one. Now. And the same goes for Wholesome Sweeteners. They are the nation’s leader in Fair Trade Certified, USDA organic and sustainably produced sugars, syrups, nectars and honeys. I’ve been using their Fair Trade Certified Organic Sugar (thanks to my good friend Quinn and Costco) for a while now and I love it! It feels good to oust that refined sugar crap and replace it with something better for us and better for the earth.
We’ve also been using their Organic Blue Agave here and there, though I have yet to master the art of this sweetener.
With my preference for Wholes0me Sweeteners in general, it was a no-brainer to say yes when they wanted to send me samples of their new flavored agave syrups to review on the Daily Dish. Soon a gift package arrived complete with syrups, tee and tote:
Also in the set was their Organic Raw Blue Agave (already a fan!) and Organic Light Corn Syrup (have yet to try this one—haven’t made anything with corn syrup in it lately).
Because I’m still figuring out this whole substitution thing (and my first attempt at cookies was a disaster, all my fault and not Wholesome Sweeteners’), I went for the quickest, simplest way to try out the Vanilla Organic Blue Agave:
You can tell by that last frame my Diet Coke was so much happier with Wholesome Sweeteners’ vanilla flavoring rather than the stuff I usually put in it. Yes, it still has aspartame but what can you do other than drink the fully loaded version, and I simply HATE calories.
We tested the Maple Organic Blue Agave in oatmeal and it passed, though it wasn’t quite the same as plain ol’ brown sugar. Perhaps it’s that wholesome thing again, something our tastebuds could easily get used to. Oh, and we gave all but Vanilla a test run over pancakes one night. The biggest hits were Cinnamon and Maple. Strawberry left something to be desired over pancakes, but I think it would be perfect mixed into drinks (even the non-aspartame kind), teas or even salad dressings. Yum!
A little about Wholeseome’s Organic Flavored Agaves: they are low glycemic and 25% sweeter than sugar. That’s like two for the price of one! And if flavored Blue Agave syrups weren’t enough, Wholesome Sweeteners also offers a variety of other products, from raw honey to molasses (all Fair Trade Certified and organic). How can you not love something as sweet as that!—Emily
*** Giveaway! Wholesome Sweeteners is giving away one tote complete with their NEW flavored Blue Agave syrups! ***
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway. Please leave a separate comment for each one you do:
• Visit WholesomeSweeteners.com and leave a comment telling us what product you’d most like to try.
• “Like” Wholesome on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you joined.
• Follow Wholesome on Twitter and leave a comment telling is you’re their newest follower.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: June 16, 2010 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
When I saw this on The Pennington Point site I literally screamed out loud for joy! Doesn’t this just make you giddy? Now I’m on the hunt for an old piano that I can paint and love in my home. I’m inspired, how ‘bout you? Yum Yum Yummy! – Daria
Or if you’re cloth diapering on the go, there’s also innovative BioSoakers, which stick right into your GroVia shell and can be composted, flushed or just plain thrown-out.
I think my favorite feature of this diaper is that it’s slim. It’s not much bigger than a disposable diaper – we’re talking half the bulk of most cloth diapers and it’s small in width in the crotch area. Because Holly is petite and has a small bottom, this diaper is perfect for her!
Does your baby need a bit of a boost? GroVia has you covered with their Organic Cotton Boosters as well as with their Stay Dry Booster that’s 3 layers of organic cotton topped with fleece to keep your baby dry and comfy. Make sure to check out the Bioliners. Holly has had a reaction to another typer of liner so I’m really careful about what I put directly against her skin. GroVia Bioliners haven’t irritated her skin in the least, plus they’re highly durable and a great price. 
Here’s a bit more about GroVia:
GroVia’s mission is to simplify the way parents nurture baby, naturally. The company is dedicated to creating the ultimate in cloth diapering and natural baby products. Each product is designed out of necessity and innovation. Buying from GroVia means you are purchasing well made, natural and often organic products that have been tested and proven in the marketplace. Since its inception, GroVia has practiced supporting small businesses that help sustain healthy lifestyle choices, such as cloth diapering.
****Giveaway!! GroVia is giving away one Shell Set + Wipes to one lucky winner!****
Here’s how to enter. Each is worth one entry into our giveaway:
Deadline: June 14, 2010 (midnight). I’ll draw the winner, randomly, from the comments and contact her/him via email. The winner will have 24 hours to reply to claim the prize or a new winner will be chosen.
Congratulations Jacobsen Family – you’re the winner!
Before I share this much requested tutorial, I thought I would answer a burning question that I have been bombarded with….WHY WHY WHY would I want to share a tutorial on an item I sell for profit?
A little background…I started making and selling camera straps back in January of 2008. Back then, there was only me and one other person selling the camera strap slipcovers. It was an extremely successful and rewarding venture for me and one I still enjoy and offer to customers. It helped kick start a business that I love and thrive on. With so many designers out there now offering camera strap slipcovers, the market is flooded with this particular item. It became important for me to come up with new ideas and products to ensure that my business grows. I have been extremely blessed to have been able to expand my designs and sell additional camera accessory products which is the bulk of my business.
My main reason for offering this tutorial, even though I do sell these as part of my inventory, is because I am extremely thankful for the support and business I have received throughout the years and I want to give something back to the “lovers of all things handmade” community. I have received LOTS of tips and help from many, many members of this wonderful community over the years and I want to share something with you all. Just a way of saying THANKS!!
The tutorial idea actually started as a plan for an eBook for my camera strap slipcovers back in June of 2009 (I actually had to look that up…was thinking it couldn’t have been THAT long ago). Time just didn’t seem to be on my side and I let the project go on the back burner. I have finally finished it and have decided to turn my eBook into a tutorial instead.
My tutorial is not the first tutorial out there on how to make your own camera strap slipcovers. But mine are a little different. When I first started making the straps, my first priority was stylish, COMFY straps that make wearing your camera more enjoyable. So not only did I focus on fun fabrics, the overall quality and construction of the strap, but I came up with a strap that is also lined AND padded. Not just fabric only straps. You have 4 layers of fabric plus two layers of fleece padding sitting on your neck. How nice is that? Now I am going to share with you HOW I do it.
Now with all that said (man that turned into a longer spiel than I intended), here is the camera strap tutorial. I really hope that it is a fun and easy project that you enjoyed and hope that the finished product will bring you lots of joy and COMFORT when shooting for business and/or pleasure.
Padded Camera Strap Slipcover Tutorial
Materials Needed:
· Cotton Fabric (1 piece printed; 1 piece coordinating solid)
· Coordinating Thread
· Lightweight Fusible Fleece
· Rotary Cutter/Scissors
· Acrylic Ruler
· Iron
Finished size for this particular camera strap slipcover is 22 inches long by approximately 2.25 inches wide. Please read ENTIRE tutorial FIRST before starting. It makes more sense that way. 
You will need to cut your fabrics (each piece – the print and coordinating solid) 23 inches long by 5.5 inches wide. This will give you TWO separate pieces (one print and one solid). Press both pieces to get out all wrinkles. Now lay those aside.
Now cut ONE piece of fusible fleece 21 inches long by 4.5 inches wide. Fleece should be cut one inch shorter (width wise) than the fabric. This will make it easier to sew when finishing your side seams. Length should be 2 inches shorter than fabric. Fleece will stretch when pressing to your fabric and your length will increase as you are pressing. I try and leave a ½ gap at each end of strap so that when you are folding in the fabric, you will not have to worry about the fleece’s bulkiness. Now set aside.
Putting RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER (printed fabric facing solid fabric), sew or serge together the length (the longest sides) of both fabric pieces using a 1/4 inch seam allowance leaving the ends open (this will make an inside out fabric tubing where printed fabric is facing in). (See image 1).
{Image 1}
With fabrics still facing right sides together (inside out), line up fleece evenly centered (I just eyeball this…I do not actually measure it) on the SOLID fabric piece and press (follow manufacturer’s instructions for iron settings). Make sure that you adhere the entire piece. I then let my fleece cool completely before moving on. (See image 2).
{Image 2}
Once fleece has cooled, turn right side out (where printed fabric is now facing out) and press both side seams. Fleece will now be on the inside of the strap between the WRONG sides of the solid and printed fabric. (See images 3-6).
{Image 3 (Turning strap right side out)}
{Image 4 (What strap looks like once it is turned right side out)}
{Image 5 (Press both side seams)}
{Image 6 (What strap looks like once both sides are pressed)}
Turn both ends of straps ½ inch toward the inside of the strap (tucking raw edges of fabric into the strap) and press. (See image 7).
{Image 7}
Sew both ends of straps (width) together with a straight stitch using a 1/8 – 1/4 inch seam allowance (personal preference….I like mine as close to the end of the fabric as I can get so I use 1/8 inch). (See image 8).
{Image 8}
Fold strap (printed fabric on outside/solid fabric touching) in half lengthwise lining up edges and press.
(See images 9 & 10)
{Image 9}
{Image 10}
Sew the two OPEN sides lengthwise together using a 1/8 inch seam allowance starting at the top. Make sure that you reverse/back stitch at stress points (ends of straps near openings). (See image 11).
{Image 11}
And TADA!! You are done! Was that easy or what?
Finished strap.
How easy was that? Now all you have to do is slide it on your commercial camera strap and you are ALL SET!! – Amy
Article by: Amy of Priddy Creations
Link to her website >
Link to her Etsy Shop>
Follow her on Twitter >
My kids love it when a new children’s CD arrives in the mail for the sole purpose of being reviewed on Boutique Cafe’s Daily Dish. I love it because it often means yet another CD I’m okay listening to over and over again. Though I definitely have my faves, much of children’s music these days has enough of a funky beat to keep parents happy in the car, and that holds true for the Sugar Free Allstars and their new Funky Fresh and Sugar Free CD.
I believe this is George’s favorite CD so far all thanks to their “Little Red Wagon” song (track two). I’m not sure if I should thank the Sugar Free Allstars for this song, which George requests every time we get in the car, or send them a bill for the red wagon that is now on my son’s birthday wish list. It goes like this: climb in the car, start the engine, hear George request “the wagon song” followed immediately by his asking me yet again when he’s going to get a red wagon. Every. Time.
My personal favorites are “Rock Awesome” (track one), a good head-bobbing song, and “Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da,” always a classic. Perhaps Sugar Free Allstars’ music is easy to love because the talent behind the songs, Chris (Boom!) Wiser and Rob (Dr. Rock) Martin, have been making music for five years and maintain a grown-up music career playing thir “free-wheeling groove machine” (VOX magazine) style of music at clubs and other venues across the U.S. and Europe. I like grown-up musicians who can rock both the adult and children’s music world!
Have some road trips planned this summer? You’ll want at least four or five children’s CDs for the kiddos that won’t drive you nuts. May I suggest Funky Fresh and Sugar Free by Sugar Free Allstars? (Just make sure you have a little red wagon packed somewhere among the suitcases.)—Emily
*** Giveaway! Sugar Free Allstars is giving away two (2) Funky Fresh and Sugar Free CDs!***
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:; please leave a separate comment for each one you do:
• Listen to sample songs from Funky Fresh and Sugar Free and leave a comment telling us your favorite.
• “Like” the Sugar Free Allstars on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did so.
• Follow Sugar Free Allstars (@sfas) on Twitter and leave a comment telling is you’re their newest follower.
• Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
• Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: June 10, 2010 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.
The Duo Diaper has a water proof outer (a big “must” in my opinion), and a super soft microfleece inner and mine hasn’t pilled even though it’s been washed lots. The diaper comes with two inserts – one is a hemp-cotton jersey (manufactured in the USA), and the other is polyester-microfiber terry. Neither layer is very thick, but they absorb really well! The inserts snap together at each end making stuffing easy and you can stuff the diaper from the front or the back, making it simple to ensure the inserts are straight and flat in the diaper. No more wrestling with the diaper! Plus, you don’t have to remove the inserts before you toss the diaper in the wash – the inserts will agitate free from the diaper in the washing machine. 
Score! The jersey insert takes a bit longer to dry, but I don’t mind one bit. That just proves to me that it’s super thirsty! The diaper comes equipped with a leg gusset, which helps to contain messes. I’ve found that to be a handy feature, however I do have to adjust the gussets after I put the diaper on Holly to prevent red marks showing up on her chubby thighs.
Here’s a little more about Thirsties Company:
Thirsties® is a small (but growing!) cloth diaper company committed to greener parenting and Eco Friendly solutions, not to mention 100% USA Made quality! Erin, the owner of Thirsties, started this business with an old sewing machine and $100 5 years ago. Through her hard work and diligence, her company is now one of the leaders in the cloth diaper industry. Our diapers are now made by work at home mothers, and very close to our Canon City [Colorado] warehouse, reducing our carbon output.
***Giveaway Thirsties is giving away a Duo Diaper to one lucky winner!***
Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway:
Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact them via email. Deadline: June 8, 2010 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim their prize or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is open to US and Canadian Residents only.
Congratulations Abbie! You’re the winner of a Thirsties Duo Diaper!
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Hi! I'm Daria, Owner Host and Producer for Boutique Cafe! I am passionate about helping mompreneurs succeed in following their dreams. I love to connect people, create, and network. I'm a social media addict and love anything fashionable, girly, DIY, vintage, handmade and fabulous. If you're a mompreneur and are looking for a cheerleader, you've come to the right place!
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