Plan for waste-free lunches this school year!

Have you ever sat in the lunchroom during your child's lunch break at school? Whether preschool or elementary school, I have really noticed the "convenience" packaging offered by food manufacturers is a big hit with busy families. Individually bagged snacks, pre-packaged apple slices, juice boxes, water bottles....And then there's the ziploc baggies for everything else in between. Yes, those products make lunch-packing a bit quicker in the morning, but the waste that's generated in just one lunch is incredible!

There are MANY cute, colorful, cool options (or more sophisticated for older kids) available to have a completely waste free lunch. For us, it doesn't take too much time to put some chips in a container, grapes in a reusable bag, and wrap up a sandwich in a wrap-n-mat. My kids love having their own lunch packaging, and it has always come home (which is pretty impressive for a 6 and 4 year old).
Pin It



Check out reuseit.com for some great tips on packing a waste-free lunch.   Also, there are many great Etsy sellers who sell reusable items. Here's a list of lunch items from Team EcoEtsy.  Also search for things like: cloth napkins, reusable snack bag, lunch kit, etc.  There are also many options if you are trying to avoid all plastics (even BPA free ones). (Try to stay away from things lined with PUL that would go next to food - they have not been tested for food safety, though a lot of sellers use them for their waterproof nature.)

Here's another idea: You can get pre-made name labels from places like Mabel's Labels or Name Bubbles which work great to identify snap top containers, sandwich wraps, reusable snack bags, thermoses, and drink containers.This ensures your investment doesn't get stuck in the lost and found bin! (See examples on my son's water bottle and wrap-n-mat above)

Here's to a great school year; and healthy, waste-free lunches!

Mom's Balancing act

As a stay-at-home mom, working mom, or work-at-home mom, we all know that balancing daily life can get to be a challenge. Sometimes I feel a little bit like this two-headed turtle we recently saw at the Reptile Zoo! Kid's schedules, our schedules, deadlines, goals, house duties, hobbies, relationships...aahhhh! I think one of the biggest challenges is learning how to balance it all and be successful overall. What do you struggle with the most? What's the one thing that you let "slide" (mine is ALWAYS housework)? Does it change from time to time as your focus shifts?

A few months ago I made the decision to cut back on the time I was spending on my business. As it turns out, I really hadn't realized the time it had been monopolizing. Now that it's been awhile, I have had some time to reflect.

I am planning to walk the Susan G Komen 3 day walk for breast cancer next September, so I have been focusing on walking daily. I purchased the fitbit pedometer, and it has really urged me to increase my activity. But did you know, staying home with the kids I average about 3-4 miles of walking a day WITHOUT going for a purposeful walk for exercise?? I always knew I was busy :) Since I've changed focus, I've also lost 5 pounds. Focusing on my health, exercise and reducing stress has really paid off. I'm also more purposeful about the food that I put in my mouth. All of this has helped with the stomach problems I was experiencing as well.

I do miss the satisfaction of the business side of Winkydinks, but I know that it's still there when I'm ready to shift my focus again. Are there things you have been meaning to do but "life" has gotten in the way? Is it time to re-prioritize? Share with us your struggles and successes!

Also, if anyone would like to take on the walking challenge of hitting 10,000 steps a day (which is a fitness goal floating around out there), let's do it! If anyone has or purchases the fitbit, let me know and we can be "friends" to share stats and goals!!

Shop change announcement

You may have noticed all of my "custom" listings have gone missing from my shops. I finally had figured out a great way to have customers get the items they needed in the sizes they wanted by using style numbers and pre-selected color combinations. The popularity of this new listing style has been very strong, and at the same time, overwhelming.

Due to the volume of orders coupled with less available work time (for numerous reasons), it has been stressful to meet the demand for customs. Out of necessity for my work-life balance, I've decided to take the shop in a new direction.

The change: I'll be listing only IN STOCK items, and as always, they will ship next day. I will have several CUSTOM slots available periodically, depending on my availability. Those will be offered through my Hyena Cart shop only, and scheduled ahead of time (so you'll know when they're coming). Each slot will allow up to 4 items to be made for whoever reserves it. Items between my Etsy and Hyena Cart shops can be combined when ordered the same day, and shipping overages will be refunded.

This has been a hard personal choice for me. I truly enjoy making things that meet your specific needs, and I know I can't possibly stock the exact sizes and patterns that you might be looking for at any given time. Customs have been a huge part of my sales, so as a shop owner it is frustrating to need take a step backwards. With upcoming summer vacation now that my kids are school-age, I anticipate having much less available time to get things made. Custom orders require more communication, plus they are time-sensitive (everyone is anxious for fluffy mail!). With this new direction, I will be able to make things on my own schedule, without worry of getting behind on orders - plus be able to make up some new and different things. I will also be able to stock more wool items since I won't be focused on custom fleece.

Thank you all for your business and continued support. I'm very proud to be able to say that Winkydinks started as a "give it a shot" endeavor, and now has grown too big for its britches :)

And the Tax Relief contest winner is....

The winner of the Tax Relief contest is aware - who guessed 376 

Congratulations! The actual number of items sold in 2010 is 387 - good guess! I'm pretty proud of that number - that's an average of more than one item sold per day - not too shabby for a mom who is also running a household, entertaining a 6 and 4 year old, and trying to stay sane at the same time :) Thank you to all of my wonderful customers for keeping me so busy.

Tax relief contest - just for fun! Win a credit to Winkydinks

Well, it's about that time...April 18th is just around the corner (thanks Gov't for the extra few days this year, by the way!). I have just finished up my business and personal taxes and sent them off...have you?

In doing my taxes, I also had to take inventory. I surprised myself (and my husband) by the number of items sold in 2010. I thought it would be fun to make a contest out of this. SO.....

The person who guesses the closest to the number of items sold by Winkydinks in 2010 (without going over) will win a $10 credit to my shop! 

• "Items" includes: soakers, longies, shorties, hats - it is not the ORDER total (which would combine multiple items for one customer into one transaction). 
• Items sold through Etsy, HyenaCart, and direct email are included in the total
• If two winners are exactly correct, they will both win the prize. If more than 2 winners are correct, I will take the first two who posted. The winner will be closest to the actual number without going OVER. (So, if you are one guess over, you would not win, but someone 5 guesses under would win).
• Credit expires May 31, 2011. Can be transferred/gifted but not sold to someone else.

Contest ends on Tax Day! April 18th, 10am PST. 

Enter your guess by commenting on this blog post. Only one entry per person please!
Be sure to leave a way for me to contact you if you win (either by having your profile filled out or leaving an email in your comment).

New available fabrics

I've been stocking a piece from my new fabrics every now and then, but here they are all together (click photo to enlarge). Look for them soon in my updated "pick your style" listings. I'll be replacing some of my discontinued/clearance items, and low remaining quantity fabrics with these. As always, since these are listed in my fabric album, they are available for custom orders too.  Many look great with other trim options as well!

As I make up custom orders and in-stock items with my fabrics, I make room in my small storage space to get new fabrics. I'm always on the lookout for cute things - but I only buy limited quantities, so when they're gone...they're gone....!


Happy diapering!

Stripe it Rich going Retail!

I wanted to announce that I've agreed to a "trial" wholesale order with ali AND swan for my Stripe it Rich soakers. I'm excited about having a new channel for my products! The first order is a small number (pictured above), just to see how things go. I have always been wary of a wholesale situation for a number of reasons:

1 - I don't charge enough to enable me to sell my soakers at a deep wholesale discount to anyone for resale. I sell them directly to my customers for the best price I can. That's always been my goal - keep it affordable!
2 - I don't want to take up the few hours I get to sew with a wholesale order when I would rather get customs done or get my shop stocked. When you get the kids' nap times, preschool hours, and sometimes evenings to work (in addition clean, exercise, or do any other hobby), your time is precious!
3 -  I was nervous to have someone else represent MY items, and didn't want them sold for more than I was selling them in my own shop.
4 - I was worried about too much pressure to "produce"

Well, after working with Alison from ali AND swan, I feel very comfortable with her representing my handiwork. In addition, she's a WAHM herself (if you've ordered from me recently, you may have received some of her product as a sample - Super Stars wipe solution!). I'm also very happy with the way she's set up her shop and the other products she's carrying. In addition - she offers a military discount and free shipping on orders over $40. She's willing to work with me on price and quantity so that we're both happy. So, all in all, I think it's a good match. 

So, check out ali AND swan, and be on the lookout for IN STOCK Stripe it Rich soakers stocked there from yours truly :)