And the March giveaway winner is....

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Congrats, Stephani! I will be contacting you shortly!

Mama D's Closet March giveaway!

If you're new to the blog, welcome! I initially started Mama D's Closet  to use up a huge stash of flannel, but the desire to spread the word about cloth menstrual pads is what keeps me going. :-) I've always considered myself to be a bit of a cloth pad evangelist, so to speak, and Mama D's Closet is a great platform for me to help facilitate discussion about it! I have discovered that the reason that many alternative products like these aren't popular is not because they're necessarily gross or weird, but because no one knows they exist! So although the shop doesn't make me much money, it helps me get the word out.

Now, what is so great about cloth pads? Here are a few reasons why I think every woman ought to give them a try:

~More economical-- save some cash!

~Better for the environment

~More comfortable than plastic pads-- say goodbye to chafing and chemical burns!

~Easy to launder

~Supports small business

~Helps promote a more positive approach to menstruation

What makes my pads special? I designed my pads specially for budget-conscious women who may not have regular access to laundry facilities. I personally spent three years using cloth pads as a poor college student who had to cart all her laundry to a coin-op, so I needed a pad that could be handwashed thoroughly, air-dry quickly, and have customizable absorbency so I could make do with fewer pads. The envelope design of Mama D's Closet pads fits the bill beautifully, and the materials are cotton flannel and microfiber, which air dry quickly. And of course, who can resist all those fun prints! Working with these fabrics is one of the best things about running Mama D's Closet!

So this month, I'm offering one winner the chance to win any two cloth pads of their choice from my shop! That includes both day pads AND MiniPads! I am going to be adding lots of fun new prints in the coming weeks, so if you'd like to keep updated, feel free to like Mama D's facebook fan page. Thanks for stopping by, and good luck!

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Linked to Mommies with Cents, Smart Cents Mom, Handmade Shopping Guide, Cha-Ching Queen, Stockpiling Moms, Coupon Clippin' Mommy, Nickels-n-Dimes, All Ruby Cakes, Sarah's Deals, If Mama Ain't, Snag a Bargain, A Daily Dose of Toni, The B Keeps Us Honest, Piece of Me, Baby Loving Mama, The Shopping Mama, Jolly Mom, Go Graham Go

Giveaway Winner

We have a winner, folks! Congratulations to Cindy R.! Many, many thanks to everyone who entered, and if you didn't win, don't worry-- these are so much fun, I'll probably be giving away some more pads in the near future. :-) Have a lovely weekend!



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I'm Baaaaack... with a GIVEAWAY!

Well, well, well, it's been a while since I last posted. Whoops. But you'll be happy to know that I haven't spent the past few months staring at a wall or finally succeeding in burning my house down! This week, I finally started my very own Etsy shop!

And here is what I'm selling:

If you're a long-time reader of this blog, you know that I'm cuckoo for cloth feminine pads. They're economical (I haven't spent a dime on feminine products for five years now) and cute. Not to mention, they are so darn comfy compared to plastic, that I decided to cloth diaper my future kids for that reason alone.

Due to a tiny income, I had to work with a super tiny pad stash up until a couple years ago, when I woke up one day and realized, "Hey, I can sew these things for myself!" I came up with a good working pattern, refined the design after trial and error, and enjoyed awesome pads happily ever after. Fast forward to this past month: I was drowning in miles of flannel (thank you, Black Friday at JoAnn Fabrics!) and kind of wanted to make a little extra cash for myself. Since I stay at home with my toddler, I always feel a little guilty buying stuff for myself from the family coffers, so I want to help relieve that area. I woke up one day this past month and realized, "Hey, I can sew those pads I love... and sell them!"

So do be sure to stop by my Etsy store and take a look around. They are pretty cheap because a) I'm trying to get rid of all this flannel I own, and b) I want to spread the cloth pad love to folks who may not try it because of the price. One product I just put up that I loooooove is the Pad of the Month Club membership.

It's like a magazine subscription for pads! Every month, a pad will show up in your mailbox. By the end of the year, you will have a collection of day pads, night pads, and pantyliners in a variety of colors and prints. Who wouldn't look forward to their period with that?

I'm also having a sale on all pink and heart-themed pads in the store up until Valentine's Day. Here is a 4-pack for $17:

Anyways, I am so excited about my new shop that I decided to give away any two pads in stock, winner's choice! One pad is to celebrate the shop opening, the other pad is to celebrate, well...

I'm due in June, in case you were wondering. :-D



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We have a winner!

Congratulations to the winner of the Earth Day giveaway, Heather M.! You will be receiving an email shortly!

Earth Day and GIVEAWAY!

Today, the blogosphere is abuzz with either Earth Day chatter or Good Friday ponderings, which, as a friend on facebook pointed out, really makes today feel kind of like an epic face-off. So I am feeling like a total heathen as I write an Earth Day post for you.

I'm pretty sure I've professed my love for reusable feminine products here a time or dozen. They are tons more comfortable, and last for years, saving you money. In fact, these are what got me started with cloth diapering-- after experiencing for myself the drastic comfort difference between plastic and cloth, I thought, Shoot! I bet cloth is way more comfortable for babies, too! Oh yeah, and that thing about saving the environment is pretty cool, too.

I bought some cloth pads and a Moon cup from GladRags, and have never looked back. Actually, I kind of missed using my pretty pads when I was pregnant, and sewed a few of my own-- why exactly a pregnant, soon-to-be-breastfeeding mom thought she had to make pads is beyond me (although they were great post-partum), but that's crazy nesting for you.

You ladies who don't use cloth pads, I can totally sympathize with the dread terror of that cloth leaking! This is why cloth panty liners are a good way to test the waters, so to speak-- you can use them when Aunt Flo has transformed into a much more manageable Aunt Dot. :-P

So in honor of Earth Day and my love of all things cloth, I'm going to give away three custom-made cloth pantyliners! Made from thirsty, trim microfiber sandwiched in between cozy 100% cotton flannel and fastened with a durable metal snap, these are an easy little way to be a little more "green". 

I'll get a picture up as soon as I can of an actual pantyliner. Funny how things get misplaced when you move! Meanwhile, take a look at your selection of fabrics! You can get all three in the same print, or get three different prints! (sorry for the wrinkles, I'm still in the process of unpacking my fabric stash).

From left to right:
Ladybug, Pink Plaid, Heart Rows, Plain Pink, Heart Argyle

From left to right:
SpongeBob, Groovy Brown, Brown Squiggles, and Orange

From left to right:
Pale Green, Blue Hibiscus, Green Dots

And of course, if you can't wait to get your hands on these or don't win, email me (maria.the.uncommon[at]gmail[dot]com)and I will put up a custom listing for you in my Etsy shop at special price of $3.50 apiece through the end of April.

HERE'S HOW TO WIN!
Leave a comment telling me about something you do to be a little more "green". If you wrote a blog post about Earth Day, then by all means, leave a link! I love seeing who is leaving comments!

Giveaway will end 11:59 P.M. EST on Saturday, April 30th. Winner will be drawn by Random.org and announced on the blog as well as emailed. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, I'll be forced to do a redraw! Don't make me do that! ;-)

We Have a Winner!

Oh my gosh, the best part of this week was opening up the comments and seeing the ridiculous Mad Libs you made! I seriously wish I had diapers to give to all of you. :-( But there's hope, because I am definitely going to have to do another Mad Libs giveaway again. But enough of the chit-chat! According to random.org, the recipient of the two fitted cloth diapers is...

#12!

• 
  Terri BabinCollapse

  Lady Gaga showed me how to Jump a diaper! It`s made out of Boys and Dogs, so my baby will have to wear a(n) Bikini over it-- it`s not Round like a(n) Fluffy diaper or an All-In-13! If I win, I will jump in the House, clap my Hands, and shout, "Stop farting!!" These diapers will look so Bumpy on my baby Dad!

  • Like
  • Reply

  • 5 days ago

Congratulations, Terri! You will receive an email shortly!

Hi, my name is Maria, and I'm a blog giveaway addict. (Pt. 2)

You can read Part 1 here.

So I've discussed how to enter giveaways; today, I'd like to talk about where.

And no, it's not under a rock.

There are several approaches to finding giveaways: blog link-ups, giveaway blogs, review blogs, search engines, and social media.


1. Blog link-ups
There are many blogs that host a weekly link-up, in which bloggers everywhere can post a link to their giveaways.

Pro: You have a zillion giveaways right there at your fingertips. You can pick and choose what you'd like to enter!
Con: You have to search through the long lists for the things you'd like to enter. It can get tiring!

Here are some of the blogs with link-ups I like to look at, and the days they're posted:

Tuesday: Mrs. Nespy's World
Wednesday: Busy Mommy Media
Friday: Fitteds, Pockets, and Snappis, Oh My! (this one is mainly for cloth diapers and baby carriers, but other bloggers will link up other stuff, too), The Cloth Diaper Report




2. Giveaway Blogs
There are blogs out there that exist solely to be your eyes-and-ears for giveaways going on.

Pro: If you're interested winning in a niche item, like cloth diapers or knitting materials, this is a good one-stop way to see what's going on around the internetz.
Con: Since this type of blog usually makes multiple postings in a single day, it will clutter up your blog reader horribly if you subscribe (a better option is to subscribe via email, which will deliver all the day's posts in one lump email).

A couple niche giveaway blogs I check:
Etsy Giveaways
Cloth Diaper Giveaways

3. Review Blogs
These are blogs in which the author reviews and gives away items herself, usually with the help of sponsors.

Pro: this is a great way to discover new products from up-and-coming companies. Also a good way to find products for your niche.
Con: Along with giveaways for products you want, there will be lots of giveaways for items you don't want. Also, these blogs often require that you follow them in order to enter a giveaway.

A couple review blogs I frequent:
A Mom's Take
Cloth Diaper Addiction




4. Search Engines
Sometimes, if there is a specific item I am looking for, I will turn to my good friend Google it to see if it's being given away anywhere. This was how I won my Best Bottom diaper, which I had been coveting for quite some time. I googled Best Bottom giveaway February 2011 to see what blogs were giving it away that month, entered the ones I could, and hoped for the best.

Pro: helps you find giveaways for a specific item.
Con: You have to read the taglines carefully,  because Google will sometimes put up links to old giveaways.

Must... enter... more... GIVEAWAYS!

5. Social Media
Rachel (who is coincidentally running a mineral makeup giveaway right now!) brought up a good point on my previous post: social media can be used to find giveaways, too! If you "Like" a certain company on facebook, chances are that they will post any giveaways of their products. Also, many companies will have special facebook-only giveaways when they reach a certain number of followers. I personally don't follow too many because it clutters up my facebook feed (can you tell I'm really big on streamlining feeds? :-P), but it's valuable for those certain products I absolutely want to win.

Twitter is also a good place to find giveaways. Use hashtags (#clothdiaper, #giveaway), and search for companies (@Ergobaby, @bumgenius). Often, tweets will have a link right to the giveaway page. In this way, twitter is even better than Google-- tweets are arranged chronologically, so you can see at a glance what is going on right now in the blog giveaway realm.


So now you know all my secrets for entering giveaways. Let me know if you found this little series helpful!

Hi, my name is Maria, and I'm a blog giveaway addict. (Pt. 1)

Since the subject of giveaways is still fresh in my brain, I thought I'd take the opportunity to talk more in-depth about them. A little backstory: I enter a lot of blog giveaways. Not surprisingly, I win a lot of stuff, as well. Here are some of the cool things I have won in the past few years:

-A Best Bottom diaper (just came in the mail today! I'm SOOOO excited to try it out!)

-$100 gift card to The Vintage Pearl

-$25 for Groupon (I am just WAITING for a massage deal to show up! :-D)

-A pair of stylish Crocs. 

-Two Little Scholastic board books-- Baby's D's favorite!

-A wet bag, a reusable Swiffer wand filler, and 4 handmade bars of soap, among other things!


There are some amazing prizes to be had out there! So, as a veteran giver-awayer-enterer, I thought I'd share some tips on how to maximize your giveaway endeavors and minimize wasted time.

-Enter only for items you really want. This probably goes without saying, but sometimes, it's easy to get so caught up in playing the bloggy lottery that suddenly you find yourself entering contests for mechanical pencils and wart remover. Ask yourself, "Do I really need/want this? Can I just buy this fairly inexpensively at the store? Will I actually use it?"

-What would YOU do to win a Klondike bar? Most giveaways give you a plethora of ways to gain extra entries: follow the blog, like something on facebook, follow on twitter, subscribe by email, etc. Sometimes these are mandatory entries. You'd be surprised by how seldom I do them! And that is because I have a problem with selling my loyalty to win junk. I can see how offering free stuff should entitle a blogger to demand a following in return, but the little voice within me asks, Don't you want to know that people are following you because they genuinely like your blog, and not because they just want to win crap? So I don't follow blogs unless I love their content. I don't "Like" things on facebook unless I've actually tried the product and truly do like it. Actually, I usually follow after I win something, as a thank-you. But otherwise, if a giveaway requires that I follow in some way, I just walk away.

My one exception is Twitter. Maybe I'm just dumb, but I don't understand Twitter, so I never use it. But would I for the chance to double my chances of winning? Heck, yes! So I opened an account for the sole purpose of following sponsors and regurgitating tweets. And that is literally all I do with Twitter. And somehow, even with my limited and horribly abusive use of Twitter, I have nearly as many followers there as I have for this blog. Hmmm, maybe I ought to rethink that whole well-crafted and thought-out blog post thing. ;-)

All this to say, think about what you're willing to do for a couple extra entries. If you have no problem with spamming your friends' facebook feeds or having a cluttered blog reader, then be my guest! I hope it wins you something!

This came up in Google Images for "giveaway".
Who wouldn't want to win candy?

-Enter only giveaways that will email you if you win. Since I rarely follow these particular blogs, it doesn't make sense to enter a giveaway that will announce the winner on the blog itself. I don't keep track of the giveaways I enter, so one of the first things I look for is whether or not they will email the winner. 

-Leave an email. Make it ridiculously easy for the giveaway host to contact you. Even if the comment section has a slot to enter an email, I always additionally leave my email in the comment itself. Spammers like to pull email addresses from giveaway comments, so I enter my email in this format: myemailaddress at gmail dot com. And then don't forget to check your email! Most sponsors give 24 or 48 hours for the winner to respond, so be on the lookout-- even in your spam folder. I actually almost missed a prize recently because I wasn't checking my spam folder.

I love Picnik.com.

So now you know how to do giveaways the smart way; I talk about where to enter them in Part 2!

(you should start here... with my very own fitted cloth diaper giveaway!)

My Fitted Diaper Giveaway! *CLOSED*

I recently published a tutorial for sewing your very own fitted diapers. Boy, was that tutorial a long time in coming! Broken cameras, dead computers, teething babies, and packing a house definitely interfered with that whale of a post!

So, to celebrate, I thought I'd give away the cute little diaper I made in the tutorial.

But, wait! There's more!

In the earlier days of my diaper-making, I sewed several before I hit upon the idea of making Snappi grips. One of them has been sitting around, patiently waiting for some little girl to wear it.

Since this one doesn't have Snappi grips, you will need to fasten it with pins. Oh, you could wrestle a Snappi on it-- but I've already torn one good shirt on a Snappi that came loose from a diaper without grips, so winner beware.


One winner will receive these two fitted diapers! Made from flannel with a terrycoth soaker sewn into the lining, these are great for EC or for going coverless. The top is left open, so you can stuff it inside itself to accommodate smaller babies, or even add an insert if you need to.

To the moms of boys, I am so sorry to make this a girl's diaper giveaway. As a mom of a boy myself, I hate how horribly unfair it is that all the cute stuff is for girls! Maybe sometime, I will get some boy diapers on here. But know that I feel your pain. :-P

So how can you win these lovelies?

Play the little Mad Libs game I created (also found in the tabs at the top of the blog), and copy and paste your results into a comment on this page. And that will be your entry. Sorry the Mad Libs format is so ghetto, but you definitely get what you pay for (in this case, I paid nothing :-P).


Giveaway ends Saturday, March 19, 2011 at 11:59 P.M. CST. Winner will be drawn via random.org and posted on this blog as well as emailed. Please leave a valid email address so I can contact you if you win! (of course, you can always subscribe to me, as well-- I won't complain! :-D)

Giveaway Winners!

First off, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed reading all about your Christmas memories! Newborns in stockings, Bobbsey Twins books (those were my favorites growing up!), family trips, and engagement rings! Christmas is definitely a time to make some memories. And let me tell you, one day, a Kitchen-Aid mixer just might magically appear under the tree for me some day. :-P

So, without further ado, here are the two winners, according to random.org:


#26

pmj said...

My favorite gift would have to be having the family together playing games and NO fighting-which isn't easy in my family!

January 6, 2011 5:16 PM 

And #20

Nan said...

My favorite gift is one I broke down and bought for myself a couple of years ago...my KitchenAid mixer. I had wanted one forever. A very close second is the pearl necklace my hubby gave me this year :)

January 6, 2011 3:48 PM

Congratulations to pmj and Nan! You will be receiving an email shortly! 

Last day to enter the giveaway!

That cloth wipe giveaway ends tonight at midnight, so if you're looking to start or enlarge your cloth wipe stash, head on over here! I've been enjoying reading your Christmas stories!

Destashing Giveaway-- Cloth wipes! *CLOSED*

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember my post about making cloth wipes from old flannel sheets. By the end of the sheet, I had over sixty wipes! But after diapering Baby D for a few months, I discovered that I only use about thirty wipes. There are actually some wipes at the bottom of my stash that have never even been touched!

So here's my Christmas gift to you:

Two readers will each receive a fifteen-pack of my cloth wipes!

They are made with two layers of repuposed 100% cotton flannel. They were originally cut 8"x8", but after several hot washes, they have shrunk just a little bit. Some of them have been used (but they are squeaky-clean, I promise!), and may have some color variations in the thread. I was just making them for myself, so I was all about using up those half-spools of thread. But don't let this scare you-- they really get the job done! I use disposable wipes when I'm out and about, so I can tell you from my experience that one cloth wipe usually takes care of the mess that requires two or more disposable wipes. For those using disposable diapers: if you're looking for a way to cut down on the waste but aren't too thrilled at the prospect of handling poopy cloth diapers, then cloth wipes are a happy medium!

How to enter?
Tell me about one of your all-time favorite Christmas gifts. That's it. I'm making this one nice and easy for you. :-)

Giveaway will end 11:59 P.M. January 6 , 2011. Someone gets to ring in the new year with some free cloth wipes!  The winners will be chosen by random.org.

Winners will be contacted by email, so please leave an email address with your comment!

Fluffy Bottoms Giveaway Event!

If you could see me at night, when I'm checking up on the bloggy world, you'd hear me muttering, "Fluffy Bottoms, tee hee hee. Fluffy. Bottoms. Heh heh." So mature, I know.





What is "Fluffy Bottoms", you may ask? Across cyberspace, My New Life As Mom has been hosting a month-long cloth diaper review and giveaway event. As someone who is planning on using cloth diapers, but has yet to actually have a baby to try them on, I have found her reviews and informational posts to be very enlightening! And I haven't even mentioned all the quality items that are being given away right now. If you are a cloth-diapering mama, this is one event you do not want to miss!

Go here to see a list of all the giveaway goodies!

Giveaway Winner!

The winner of my little apron giveaway was chosen by random at- where else?- www.random.org.

Congratulations to the author of comment #11-- Claudia! You just won a very cute apron!

A big thank you to everyone who participated and gave me some great ideas for home-sewn gift items. It was also a big relief to hear all your stories involving flames-- I guess I'm not the only one who's fire-prone!

In the spirit of sewing things, I am hoping to write a post tomorrow about the cool stuff I've been sewing this past week. Stay tuned!

The Big 100 and a GIVEAWAY! {CLOSED}

Important things come in one hundreds.

One hundred pennies make a dollar.

One hundred years make a century.

One hundred centigrams make a gram, if you're into the metric thing. By the way, it's a good idea to know your metric system before taking a honeymoon in Canada, because otherwise, you will order way too much special Canadian tea and will still be drinking it two years later. This is the voice of experience, y'all.

Well, it only took a year and a half and tons of tooth-pulling, but I have finally hit an important milestone:

ONE HUNDRED POSTS make my blog!

That is really exciting to me! For one thing, it is proof that I have had one hundred coherent thoughts. This will be so very useful the next time Adam catches me doing something completely chicken-brained, like setting the house on fire. Not like that has ever happened here or anything, mind you.

So, in commemoration of having a very grown-up blog, I am doing a very grown-up blog thing: hosting my very first giveaway!

Remember that super-cute apron I made several months ago? One lucky winner is going to receive this hand-made apron with a delicious cherry-pattern fabric, in this pattern:

Special thanks to my husband for lending his sweet photography skillz!

Let me tell you, one look at that cherry fabric and the chocolate-brown trim to go with it, and you will be craving a sundae!

(As soon as I finish the apron [which will be within a few days], I will put up a picture of the finished prize.)

So, how can you win this great excuse to bake cookies?


Mandatory entry: Answer me this: what sort of home-sewn items (besides aprons, of course) do you think make great gifts? Leave a comment!


Additional entries: (please leave a separate comment each time you do one of these)
1. Follow this here growed-up blog! If you're already a follower, leave me a comment, telling me so.
2. Write about this giveaway on your blog.
3. Mention this giveaway (with the URL) in a facebook status.
4. Tell me what your favorite cookie is to bake.
5. Tell me if you have ever set your house on fire. But only if it's true. And for goodness' sake, don't set your house on fire just so you can have this apron.

Entries will close on Tuesday, 05/02, at 6 PM CST.

Thanks for celebrating with me!

A Great Giveaway!

There are lots of giveaways flying around in the blogosphere, but the majority of the products fall into my "Sure, that looks nice, but it's nothing I couldn't live without" category. Well, folks, I would like to point you towards one giveaway that I am wildly enthusiastic about!

Kitchen Stewardship is offering two books from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes series! Be still my beating heart! The reason this is so exciting to me is because after a lifetime of botched batches of bread, I discovered a nearly foolproof (and quick! and easy!) method of baking delicious loaves. And that, dear readers, was Artisan Bread.

There are a zillion ways to enter, so go ahead and check it out here!