I made cloth wipes today

I already had a stash of cloth wipes from when Julia was in diapers. The nice folks at Kissaluvs sent them to me as a thank you for a photo of Julia they used in a Mothering Magazine ad, but over the years they've taken a beating and I wanted some new ones.

I turned to Google and read how to make my own cloth wipes from pieces of flannel. I found four receiving blankets at a garage sale for 50 cents a piece and cut up part of an old flannel sheet we had to make the patterned pieces stretch further. (One receiving blanket will only make four 8x8 wipes).

The first version I made is the one on the left - I sewed a piece of flannel to the back of an existing terrycloth wipe. Then I zigzagged the edge to cut down on the fraying.

The center wipe is two pieces of the same receiving blanket sewn wrong sides together, turned and then top stitched.

The wipe on the right with the adorable animal print is the one I stretched further with an old cream flannel sheet. It was fun to use a bolder color of thread for the top stitching. I think they look more finished.

I have one blanket that I haven't used yet because I want to see the wipes in action before I commit to a style for that blanket. I'm guessing the terrycloth/flannel combo is going to be my favorite - they are THICK and I can see them working really well with two textures in the same wipe.

If I do end up making more of that kind I won't be adding any additional wipes to the stash, only enhancing what I already have, but that's OK. I spent $2 on this little project and have 21 'new' wipes to show for it!

How to Throw a Snake Themed Birthday Party

There isn't much on the web about how to do a snake themed birthday party, but that didn't stop me from honoring my kid's request for a snake birthday party. In case you have a snake lover in your family - here's a few tips on how to have a fun and easy party!


1. applique snakes onto shirts using the same method here. (optional: Instead of letters use their age)
2 let kids make crowns from poster board a decorate with stick on letters and jeweled stickers
3. hide a dozen plastic snakes around the yard and have the kids each find one
4. Fill decorative cups with gummy snakes for them to take home as favors.
5. Cut out plywood in the shape of a snake then cover with green construction paper
6. Line up cupcakes decorated with frosting that matches your child's favorite snake - Coral
7. Use a couple of chocolate chips & a strip of Fruit by the Foot to cut out a snake tongue.
8. Have pizza delivered so there isn't any cooking
9. Have a couple games ("hot potato snake" & the limbo under a snake) on hand
10. Sit back and watch the kids have a ball!

Optional - plan the party for when a nearby park district is having a snake program so you can take the group to see the snakes! (We were almost able to do this, but unfortunately our park snake program was too early in the season) Oh well!