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 :)

Why use fleece covers?

Fleece offers a waterproof, but BREATHABLE, barrier between the cloth diaper and the outer clothing. While it is not a natural fiber, it is highly reusable (I've had some that are going on 2+ years old) and is very effective. (For some pros/cons between fleece and natural wool covers click here).

A fleece cover/soaker is used over a fitted, prefold, or flat diaper (or any non-waterproof cloth diaper). It can also be used as extra protection over a pocket, AIO, or disposable diaper. When being used over a waterproof diaper, it can only provide an extra layer before it hits the clothing - it cannot force the liquid back into the diaper to re-absorb. Make sure all edges of the diaper underneath are completely covered to get any extra protection in these cases.

• Fleece does not absorb anything. Without a diaper underneath, it will leak. Depending on the effectiveness of your diaper, you could get leaks out the legs of a fleece cover (for example, a poorly secured prefold diaper).
• Fleece can be washed with regular laundry or diaper laundry, with no special care (100% polyester won't shrink). 
• Fleece does pill with wear (Click here for examples).
• Fleece offers a breathable barrier - this being said, you may feel "dampness" or humidity on your baby's clothing if you're getting used to fleece covers. It is not a puddle or a wet spot, but you feel the heat/moisture exchange a bit. To me, this is a good thing because you know your baby's skin can breathe!
• The more often you change the diaper, the more effective fleece will be for wetness protection. For night time, a soaker with a double layer of fleece in the wetzone is helpful and often gets babies through the night (again, depending on the diaper absorbency). There is also thicker fleece (200 or 300 weight) which provides more reliable protection (though a bit bulkier and more expensive). 
• Some people find fleece is bulky under daytime clothing, compared to a PUL cover. However, for others, they are already sizing up in clothing to make room for a fluffy diaper :) In my case, it helped to keep the pants on my skinny 2 year old! 
• There is no elastic in the legs/waist which is a benefit if your little one gets irritated by it
• Soakers can be worn on their own during the summer months with baby legs for a cute outfit! You can also get fleece shorties or longies that double as a cover and clothing at the same time.
• Fleece soakers on their own are not a suitable "training pant", since there is no absorbency. However, once children are at a stage where they stop their flow upon realizing they need to go, soakers can provide that extra layer of protection before it hits the clothing. (If they are still having full accidents, a soaker over training pants is not your best solution). 
• There is a fabric called "eco fleece" that is made from 89% recycled pop bottles - great solution for an even more eco-friendly product (and it's the thicker, 200 weight)! 

If you'd like to see more fleece covers in action, visit my Facebook page to see customer photos! 

Do you have other questions about fleece as a cover? I'd love to hear! Leave me a comment.

Patchwork soakers

These are by far the most fun for me to make (although they take the longest) - patchwork soakers! They really use my creative energy. I've made and sold a few, and have gotten a great response. Saving all of my wool scraps has paid off! The hardest part is organizing them, and finding coordinating color schemes with the same weight of wool.

I've just listed these three, which I've been working on for quite some time and finally finished up. Enjoy!

Click here to visit my shop to see the listings