Wednesday, May 25, 2011

WAHM Wednesday: Jessica from The Littlest Forest



Tell us about your business:
I started The Littlest Forest in 2009 when my son was born. I wanted to make an organic and affordable fitted diaper and wool cover combo because some organic fitteds and wool are way out of my price range. I also wanted to make some diapers in fun prints that were modern and cute in a not too cutesy way.


Newborn Starter Set
What makes your business fabulous?
The materials that are used and the love that is put into making each product makes my business fabulous! I carefully hand pick all materials so I can provide the best organic cotton and bamboo fleece, knit prints, and organic merino wool to my customers. It's just me, myself, and I making these things and each item is carefully made with love. I love cloth diapering, and sewing is my passion, so you can be assured you're getting quality goods.





Why did you become a WAHM?

I wanted to stay home with my son so I could watch him grow and help him learn. Since I am a single mother I need some kind of income, so becoming a WAHM was the best choice for me. If I worked out of my house most of my money would go to day care and I would never get to see my son, so for me this is a win win.


How do you find the time?

It's hard! I generally do most of my work after my son is asleep. Luckily his dad is a big part of his life, so Eli sleeps there a few nights a week, which gives me some uninterrupted time to get some work done. I don't get much sleep, but it's worth it!

Organic Fitted Diaper

Any tips for other WAHMs?
Make a schedule and stick to it! I really need to take my own advice on this one. It makes dividing your time between child, work, house, and down time a lot easier. And don't overwork yourself! Being at home all the time can make you stir crazy, so take a break and get out of the house when you need to. 


Out of all the products you make, which one is your favorite?

Can I say all of them? :) I really am in love with my organic fitted diapers. They are so soft and super absorbent. I let my son run around in just a fitted a lot during the day and we've never had any problems. Plus the prints are so darn cute, you don't always want to cover them up!




Any specials or giveaways we should know about?
I Heart Fluff fans can use code iheart15 for 15% off their purchase at http://lepetitowlet.etsy.com until June 15th!


Are you a work at home parent with a cloth diapering or eco-friendly business? Email me at tara@iheartfluff.com to be featured on WAHM (or WAHD) Wednesday.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

How to Create a Facebook Welcome Page

I've wanted one of those awesome welcome tabs for my Facebook pages for awhile now, I just couldn't figure out how to do it. After learning some basic HTML, I have finally figured it out. Of course, I wanted to share it with all of you.

First create a graphic for your Welcome page. I use PowerPoint for almost all of my graphic design. It's not something many people think to use, but it's what works for me - without shelling out a bunch of money for an actual graphic design program.


Once you have your graphic or logo made, resize it to around 500-550 pixels wide. I use Picassa for this. To resize in Picassa, I just export my picture and choose the size I want. Remember the dimensions, you'll need them later.

In order to post a picture on the welcome tab, it has to be hosted somewhere else. My host of choice is Photobucket. It's free and easy to use.


Now go to your Facebook page. Click on Edit and go to Apps. In Apps, find the FBML app and click on 'go to app'. If you already have a FBML tab set up for something else and you'd like to set up a second tab, just go to that app, scroll down and click on Create new FBML.


If you just want the picture without any links, all you need to do is copy the HTML Code from your picture on Photobucket and then paste it in the FBML box. I always like to have everything centered, so you can type the code like this:
<center>
Your HTML code would go here
</center>


If you want to get a little fancier, you can add a link to your welcome page. This is really useful if you want the page to direct people to your website. In order to do this, you'll need to copy the direct link to your picture instead of the HTML code this time. 
Your code would look like this -
<center>
<a href="http://www.iheartfluff.com"><img src="http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae274/clothchronicles/IHeartFluffwelcome.jpg" width="500" height="347" border="0" alt="Welcome to I Heart Fluff" />
</a>
</center>
Just replace the text in red with the link you'd like your welcome page to be directed to, the text in yellow with your picture's direct link, and the text in green with your alternate text (this is the text that appears if your picture isn't showing for some reason). 
Remember when I said to remember the dimensions for your picture? This is where you need them. Make sure to adjust the width and height for your image.


And that's it. As I've said before, there is a reason I'm not a teacher. So if you are completely confused, please leave a comment and I'll try my best to help. 

Friday, February 18, 2011

***CLOSED"***Why I (Heart) bumGenius! and Diapers Etc.

The winner is....

Laura O!!!!

Laura, check your email for a message from I Heart Fluff. 


I was thrilled when I found out about Diapers Etc. Blog Party - and I was even more excited when I found out I could review a bumGenius! 4.0 Artist Series!!! Instead of a standard review, this time I wanted to share the top reasons I (heart) both bumGenius! and Diapers Etc.


Why I (Heart) bumGenius! 4.0 Artist Series...


~ They are so absorbent. These are one of the few pocket diapers that my son can wear at night without soaking completely through it. And that's with only ONE insert!



~ These would work from birth to potty training. They fit children 7-35 lbs and the smaller insert is perfect to use when the diaper is on the smallest setting. This would help create a trimmer fitting newborn diaper.



Smallest Setting


Largest Setting

~ The stretchy tabs. I remember when I heard about these and thought, "how different could stretchy tabs really be?" Well, they are pretty darn awesome! It seems to me that the stretchy tabs make the bumGenius fit even better around little man!


~ The replaceable elastic. This is another one of those upgrades that I didn't think was much of a big deal...until the elastic started to give out on one of our favorite diapers. Cloth diapers can go through a lot of wear and tear, especially if they are used with multiple children. So, I love the fact that I can easily replace the elastic, making the bumGenius! 4.0 last even longer!


It's hard to see in the picture, but the elastic can easily be replaced by turning the diaper and using a seam ripper to remove a few stitches.
 ~ The print. Sure, it's probably a little vain, but I absolutely love the print. And the fact that no two prints are exactly the same makes this diaper even more awesome. Of course, I love all of the cutesy prints. But, it's really nice to be able to have some modern, artistic looking cloth diapers too.



Why I (Heart) Diapers Etc...

~They have a ton of USA made products!

~They've been in business since 1998. Obviously, they know what they're doing!

~They carry much more than just cloth diapers - BPA free products, organic clothingskin care and more!

~Their website! I love a website that is fresh looking and easy to navigate. Plus, blue and green make me happy. :)

~Their commitment to customer service. From quick shipping to money back guarantees, Diapers Etc makes their customers their top priority.


Here's something you'll (heart) about Diapers Etc - they are giving one of our I Heart Fluff readers the chance to win a $25 gift card!!!

It's so, so simple to enter! Just fill out the form below with your name and email address. The winner will be randomly drawn next Friday, February 25th.