Doing their part....

My daughters grade 3 class has been affixed to the news on the Gulf Coast Oil Spill. Being here in Canada, there is not a whole lot that anyone can do except sit & watch... so, when Craft Hope launched Project 8 I had to email my daughters teacher! Her teacher & I both agreed it would be a great way for these children to feel like they could help in some way (even if it is a small way). On Tuesday (June 15/20) the children each brought in some cotton fabric (Old t-shirts, blankets, towels, etc). Each child cut as many wash cloths and hand towels as they could, we then sewed them up & voila ready to be shipped off. (Brianna helped me finish off the rest at home) Since this is such an easy project the kids loved helping out & doing everything they could to help. Some of the children wrote messages on the cloth stating their thank yous to the many workers involved, how much they love animals etc... One little girl even told me that she wants to help keep the environment & animals clean so her kids will have a brighter tomorrow. Another boy said that the wildlife may become extinct, some species never to be brought back... amazing at 8-9 years old how much they understand about the situation..These will be shipped shortly to Kimberly Davion who will be separating them accordingly for The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, the Audubon Nature Institute, and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge. These amazing people will cleaning oiled dolphins, other marine mammals, sea turtles & birds. Special Thanks to Craft Hope for getting this information out for all to help!!

Why use Cloth Pads??

As most of you know, I sell cloth menstrual pads in my shop Moms Crafts 4 U. With this post, I want to inform the public about these pads, why to use them, how to use them, etc...

Materials Used: The Mama Pads that I make can consist of multiple fabrics, depending on the coverage required. These are all very soft and super comfortable, you will not mind wearing these! I use the flowing fabrics in my Mama Pads; 100% Cotton, 100% Cotton Flannel, ZORB (a super absorbent layer that holds 10x it's weight in less than half a second), PUL (an anti-leak fabric that does not allow liquid to go through) and Fleece (the fleece is not only used as an anti-leak layer, but it also helps them stay in place well, they don't slip around) On each winged pad you will find Poly Resin Snaps for their closure. These are applied with a professional snap press to ensure quality workmanship. These snaps are very durable, they are much better than metal snaps which will rust, chip and fade.


Types Of Pads: Light Coverage , Medium Coverage, and Heavy Coverage. There are also variety packs in case you are not sure what coverage/type you need Light Coverage is panty liner thickness, you can use these as a back-up to a tampon, or for everyday leakage protection (incontinence pad). Medium Coverage is similar to the regular maxi that you would buy during your period (normal flow). Heavy Coverage is a postpartum style that would be used for heavy flow (super absorbent).

How to use/How they feel: Simply wrap around your panties and snap underneath. The fleece (fuzzy) side goes next to your panties & the cotton or flannel side goes next to your skin. These are soft & much more breathable than disposables, no more sweaty feel or chafing!

Simple Laundering Instructions/Sanitizing: You can soak your pads, but not necessary! Simply throw them in your laundry & wash on cold cycle (hot water will set in any stains, this is why I suggest cold). You can use your normal laundry soap brand, no special soap needed. Throw in the drier (heat can go up as high as 160 degrees before shrinkage will occur) and you are done. Simply launder and these will be sanitized & ready for wear :)

How long will they last: These will last you many, many years, You can Reuse over & over. Average life of a cloth pad is 6-7 years.

How many should I have: You will want 10-20 cloth pads to go completely disposable free (depending on your flow)

Saving Money: You will have to spend a little up front, but the return is amazing!! You can always start out with a few cloth pads & build up your stash slowly a couple every month. On average a woman pays $10-15 every period...That is $120-$180/year!!

Do you know how many chemicals are in your store bought disposables? Companies are NOT required to list the ingredients on the labels. Some toxic ingredients found in disposables include, aluminum, alcohol's, fragrance additives, and hydrocarbons. Worst of all, tampon bleaching processes leave behind dioxin. Dioxin is a toxic chemical (chlorine-compound) linked to cancer, immune system suppression, ulceration, pelvic inflammatory disease, reduced fertility, changes in hormone levels & even endometriosis. (Simple test: put a regular tampon in galss of water & come back in a few hours, you will find the water cloudy & filled with residue)

Environmental Impact: Minimal Packaging, so it lowers fossil fuel cost for transportation of disposables. With an average of 20-25 pads per cycle, that means 8,000-10,000 pads in 33 yrs (avg woman's menstruation time) About 300 lbs worth in our landfills!! That will NEVER go away!!

Additional Facts:

• Sewn with care and decorative top stitched for extra absorbency & leak protection.
• Less bacterial & yeast infections, because cloth is more breathable than disposables.
• In hospitals blood contaminated waste is handled as a bio-hazard (as it should be) due to the potential for transfer of blood borne illnesses. In our home and businesses these are not handled any differently than any other waste.
• No more running out of pads are the worst possible time!
  

I am sure once you try them, you will never go back to those store-bought, disposable pads.

**Contact info:
Email address: momscrafts4u@hotmail.com 
Facebook Fanpage: www.facebook.com/MomsCrafts4U
Etsy Shop: www.momscrafts4u.etsy.com

Intro..

As many of you may know this is the first blog I have even done, so please bear with me. To start off I think I will just link you to my 2 etsy shops... Moms Crafts 4 U and Boutique Little People these shops are filled with amazing products specifically with the everyday family in mind.

Moms Crafts 4 U has many useful products for a mothers everyday use such as; Check Book Covers, Cloth Mama Pads, DS Cases, Fleece Socks, Wallets/Purses/Totes, and Wipes / Cloth Tissues!

Boutique Little People is inspired by my darling daughter... all of these items have a touch of her. From designing, creating, all details that are centered around her & what she loves. There you will find; Baby Items, Childrens Clothing, Winter Hats, Mitts & Armwarmers, Comfy Panties/Undies, reusable snack bags and misc other handcrafted items.



I also do custom made items, just send me an email at momscrafts4u@hotmail.com and I can help you out.