Posts made in February, 2009

{Friday Flickr Inspiration}

Posted by Lindsay on Feb 20, 2009 in flickr, Friday flickr Inspiration, Photography | 0 comments

Here is a little wintery, but spring-is-right-around-the-corner inspiration for your Friday! I hope your weekend weather isn’t keeping you inside (the same goes for me!). I’ll be attending my niece’s play, taking our dogs on a walk and possibly refinishing our pistachio green bathtub to a nice, clean, sparkly white. Ugh…and work on our taxes. And sew some curtains for our bathroom. That one has been on my list for a while now…
I love these photos – spring is right around the corner!!

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Likely my wife

Posted by Lindsay on Feb 20, 2009 in flickr | 0 comments

Hehe…I just found this on Flickr. And yes, this is the same Likely.

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{Color Therapy Thursdays}

Posted by Lindsay on Feb 19, 2009 in Color Therapy Thursdays | 1 comment

This is a new feature of Likely Design that I would like to call “Color Therapy Thursdays.”  I am always on the lookout for interesting and “why didn’t I think of that?” color combinations so this is a way to catalog any neat ones that I find.  Color is a difficult and scary thing for some people, but I LOVE it!  The color you choose is so important, and it can be hard to find that “just-right” color.

My first Color Therapy post is inspired by this photo:

 

I helped style a wedding last summer (while I was 7 months pregnant – talk about EXHAUSTING!) and the bride wanted a red and white wedding.  I suggested adding some aqua/turquoise/light blue but unfortunately she didn’t really care.  :)  She and her husband-to-be had been living together for years, had a daughter together…this was just a short ceremony to make it official.  But it still turned out beautiful!  And then I had to help clean up…7 months pregnant…in a thunderstorm.  

Anyway, this photo was my aqua and red inspiration.  Thank you, Domino!  You are the best!  The wall paint is called “Lost Oasis” #21-4 by Pratt and Lambert.  So as another tribute to Domino, here is some red and aqua eye candy for you.  Mmmmm…

 

(L to R) 1. Rose hip 2. “my new fawn” 3. Aqua &red eye candy 4. Red and Aqua & Sterling 5. Chickadee Pillow in Aqua and Red 6. Blossoms Magnet Set 7. The Reddest Dress – Signed Digital Print 8. Aqua and Red: Two-Tone Tabletop 9. La La Love You Poster, Light Aqua and Magenta

 

Here is another, more muted, aqua and red room:

 

And here’s a cute little country kitchen:

 

It’s such a fresh palette, don’t you think?  My house is a little more muted, but I’m really loving the bright color combos and will have to keep them in mind for the future!  Maybe I’m just wishing for spring to get here…

(all images linked to sources)

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Cloth Diapering Guide

Posted by Lindsay on Feb 18, 2009 in Baby Stuff, Environmental | 2 comments

If you haven’t figured it out already, I have a 6 month old daughter with my wonderful husband, Glenn. She is a complete joy, and I really love the, well, love, that she has brought into our lives. She is amazing, and growing up right before our eyes! Anyway, I have been successfully and almost-exclusively cloth diapering her since she was 2 months old. Even at the babysitter…aka Grandma. Why not from birth? Well, she was a preemie (6 weeks early) so she was pretty small at first, and the cloth diapers I had purchased wouldn’t fit her yet. Plus we had a lot of disposables given to us as gifts for my showers, etc. I use disposables occasionally, but have only purchased one brand, which I will explain later. Here is just a quick post, going through my experiences, some definitions of the different types, and what I like to use!

This all started for me when my husband and I started talking about trying to get pregnant. We were leaving for a trip with a long plane ride (California to Washington DC) so we went to Barnes and Noble to pick up a few books. One I chose was “The Complete Organic Pregnancy.” This is a GREAT book. Even if you’re not pregnant or planning to be pregnant. It changed the way I live. It talks about everything from your makeup, food storage containers, eating organically or non-organically, your mattress, remodeling, diapering…anything you can think of – it’s in there! I then started reading the authors’ blog – Ask An Organic Mom on The Daily Green. I even wrote to them once and they posted a blog about my question! I highly, highly recommend their book and blog. It is a wealth of information about living healthier for EVERYONE. I have read it from cover to cover multiple times, and I am constantly using it as a reference.

As far as my cloth diapering education goes, I have discovered a few different types of cloth diapers. There are “pocket diapers,” “all-in-one” diapers and the “hybrid” aka g-diapers. You can buy them in all different sizes, or one-size. The one-size diapers have snaps down the front so that they can be adjusted as your baby grows.

All-in-one (or AIO) diapers are pretty self-explanatory: they’re just a ready-to-use cloth diaper. No stuffing, folding, pinning or covers. Shaped like a disposable with snaps or velcro closures and a waterproof layer and absorbent layers sewn inside, they are “all-in-one.” I have purchased one of these to try (from a seller on etsy.com) and they are ok. It could have been the one I purchased, but I haven’t had much luck with them. The first one I got, my daughter wet through it in about 10 minutes. I did contact the seller about it, and she sent me a free replacement which lasted a little longer, but I still prefer others. The other downside to these is because of all the layers inside, they take a long time to dry. If you’re interested, I would search on etsy.com or try these from diapers.com. Let me know if you know a brand that works better!!

Pocket diapers are an outer shell made of a waterproof fabric (PUL aka polyurethane laminate) with a suedecloth polyester liner (the part that is against the baby), and they have a pocket that you stuff absorbable inserts into. These are my favorite, by far. You can customize the absorbency by stuffing them with different inserts or more than one insert, and because the inserts come out when you wash them (you don’t have to pull them out before washing – they come out on their own!) they dry a lot faster. They last a long time and are just so easy to use. I first bought a brand called bumGenius from diapers.com. They come in one-size and they’ve worked wonderfully for me. I also own the cow print “Happy Heinys” pocket diaper, which works good, but for some reason seems to leak sooner than the bumGenius. I use it at night now that my daughter wets less overnight. I bet if you follow those links you’ll notice one thing…$18.95 per diaper??? Yep, seems steep, but do the math and you’re really coming out on top. Especially because of the fact that these diapers can be used on more than one child! You can also buy cloth wipes (which I haven’t gotten down yet, but I’m getting low on my Tushies soon, so you never know!) and that will really save you some money as well!

After discovering etsy.com, I have found some GREAT handmade diapers that come out to cheaper prices per diaper than buying from diapers.com or other websites. One brand that I would highly recommend is called “Monkey Snuggles.” The diapers are so cute, they work great, their inserts are wonderful (bamboo, too!), and if you buy the starter packs, the diapers can range from about $12-15 each. They are ssooo worth it! I’ve also bought a “wet bag” from them, and they also sell cloth wipes (which I might invest in soon).

The other type of cloth diaper that I’ve used is the “gDiaper.” These are a “hybrid,” meaning the outer is cloth, but it has a snap-in plastic liner that you put a disposable absorbant insert into. This insert can be tossed, flushed or composted (the wet ones anyway!). You then put a new insert into the liner and your baby is good to go! How do you flush it? You take the dirty insert, hold it over the toilet, rip the sides, the inner “fluff” falls out, and then you swish it around in the water (with a handy little stick they give you), the fluff breaks apart, drop the rest in and you flush it! Pretty handy. Plus the gDiapers are sssooo stinkin’ cute! I’ve only purchased the starter kit, which includes an orange and a vanilla gPant, but you can buy more colors and patterns from their website www.gdiapers.com. They come in 3 sizes (small, medium and large)

One other option that I’ve done with the gDiapers, which my daycare-provider/mother-in-law loves to use, is use a cloth insert in the gDiaper. I ran across some sellers on etsy that tested out various sizes, materials and shapes on their own kids, and now sell handmade gDiaper inserts!! They’re very easy to use and work great. They don’t seem to last as a double-stuffed Monkey Snuggle (which I prefer) but they still last a long time, and the convenience of just swapping out an insert instead of a whole new diaper is great. The ones I bought are made of hemp, and you can buy them here. I’ve seen more sellers jumping on that bandwagon lately, so if you do a search for “gdiaper” on Etsy, you’re sure to find them!  I am planning on buying some more of these soon as well…I only have the 6 which is good for a day and a half at Grandma’s!

How do you clean the cloth diapers??
Well, the wet ones are easy. Just throw them in the washer.
What about the poopy ones??
With a breastfed baby, there really isn’t much more work to do…it’s practically just absorbed into the diaper so you can’t do much. Now that Harper is starting to eat solid foods, it’s a different story. Right now, I just scrape as much as I can into the toilet (I use a flushable wipe) and then throw it in the washer as well. There are “diaper sprayers” out there that you can buy, and I think we’ll need to invest in one soon.
How do you wash them?
I use a baby-approved powder detergent made for sensitive skin called SA8 Sensitive Laundry Detergent. It works great, and that’s what I wash all of her clothes in. You shouldn’t use fabric softener on baby clothes, or on absorbent materials (like towels, diaper inserts, bath mats, etc.) because it makes them lose their absorbency. Most places I’ve purchased diapers from send washing instructions, so that’s handy, too.
Do you use rash cream with cloth diapers?
Nope. You shouldn’t use it because it is hard to get out of the fabric. Plus you don’t need it most of the time – you’re changing them often enough and the fabric is breathable.
Do you ever use disposables?
Yes, occasionally. I used them over Christmas when we were visiting family, or on long trips, or days when I’ll be busy running around and don’t know how often I can change her.
What brand do you use?
I only buy Seventh Generation Chlorine Free diapers. I haven’t bought any since November and still have a pack and a half left (about 60 diapers). The moms over at “Ask An Organic Mom” won’t use these because they have absorbent gel in them. But after doing a little of my own research, it seems like if a company like Seventh Generation is willing to use it in their diapers, then it is safe. Plus I rarely use disposables.

Seventh Generation says this about their diapers:
“You Are Making a Difference
Your choice of our chlorine free diapers could help reduce cancer rates. The U.S. EPA estimates that the maximum safe level of lifetime dioxin exposure is just 0.003 picograms per pound of body weight per day. This exposure is equivalent to just ten drops of water in all the Great Lakes! The current level of dioxin pollution in our world creates an unacceptable cancer risk for almost every man, woman, and child on earth. In fact, modern body tissue carries 50 times more dioxin than that of ancient body tissue. Your choice of our chlorine free diapers helps reduce the amount of dioxin polluting our air, water and soil, and helps make the world a safer, healthier place for your family and generations to come.

 

We Disclose All Ingredients
Our diapers are made of chlorine free wood pulp, poly backing, and a soft poly outer cover. Absorbency is enhanced through the use of SAP, super absorbent polymer (gel).

A Note About Gel
We use absorbent polymer (gel) in our diapers because it is the best method we have found for keeping babies dry and reducing diaper rash. Our exhaustive research on this gel has shown that it is non-toxic and safe for babies while helping keep them dry and comfortable. Independent scientific research on this chemically inert gel, sodium polyacrylate, has shown that it is non-toxic, not carcinogenic, and non-irritating to the skin.”

So that is my little spiel about cloth diapering. I am a big fan of it, obviously, and I think that it is really easy to do! Let me know if you have any questions or comments!! I’ll close with a cutie photo of my gBaby.

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10 Things That Make Me Happy

Posted by Lindsay on Feb 14, 2009 in 10 Things That Make Me Happy, Magazines | 1 comment

In honor of Domino Magazine, my favorite shelter magazine, and the fact that they’re no longer in publication (I just finished reading their last issue this morning), I am going to re-create some of their great features here on my blog! One feature I really love is called “10 Things That Make Me Happy,” and it is always on the very last page of the magazine. They always choose a fascinating person for the list, and they just list their 10 favorite things, no matter if they have to do with design or food or a city, etc. I always enjoy reading this, and I always remember it as its the last feature I read.

This month’s “10 things” was done by Joan Bingham from New York City, who is an executive editor and vice president at book publisher Grove/Atlantic. Her picks included: a bag of jacks, using Starbucks Frappucino as coffee creamer, high-gloss white paint (I love this, too!), stoneware bowls, bobby pins, a book titled “Sing Them Home,” a cotton reversible rug, a portable easel, faux bone bracelets, and her Robert Kelly painting. Here is a picture of the feature, along with a few of my favorite things:

Obviously my daughter and husband are my favoritest favorite things (I think that’s a given!), and our families and our dogs, but here is a list of 10 other things that make me happy:

1. The Pottery Barn Design Library. These were invaluable to me while I was in school. Great space planning and color tips!
2. My Cindy (can’t read her last name – please comment if you know it!) mug with earrings that my mom gave me when as a gift I was in college. She works for an art gallery so I always got cool gifts. This one is a little quirky but I always love using it.
3. My Harman bath mats. I got them from the studio where I did my internship. They’re so cozy when you step out of the shower!
4. My MacBook. I use it for everything and rarely go anywhere without it! ‘Nuff said.
5. Sharpie Ultra Fine Point permanent markers. I write almost everything using them and I love the way my handwriting looks when I use them on the right surface. Plus they’re great for sketching.
6. Sirius Satellite Radio. My husband and I got this a couple years ago and it’s great for long trips! Plus you don’t get sick of the same old CD’s or iPod mix in the car.
7. Old Navy Long Layering Tanks. I wear these under EVERYTHING! I hate short shirts and always wear layers. I feel uncomfortable if I don’t.
8. The color orange. It is so warm and cozy, and autumn is my favorite time of year. (Pillow photo from norajane.etsy.com – I bought this pillow for my bedroom from her).
9. Etsy.com. I LOVE this site! I’ve bought wall decals, pillow covers, burp rags, cloth diapers, patterns, fabric and gifts from there so far, and I have a few more purchases planned for the near future!
10. High-gloss white cabinet, trim and door paint. We used this on everything in our house – kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinet, all the trim and almost all of the doors. It is such a classic look and the reflective gloss is so easy to clean!

So there is the first installment of my “10 Things That Make Me Happy” series! I hope you enjoyed it and be on the lookout for more “Things” from me and maybe a few guests! Feel free to let me know of your 10 things that make you happy. xoxoxo & Happy Valentine’s Day!!

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