Chateau de Sable, which means “sand castle” is a up and coming French children’s clothing label with an extraordinary attention to detail while not forgetting the innocent whimsical pleasures of childhood. We felt that their own “About us” copy so perfectly captures what inspires US about children’s fashion that we couldn’t help but share it with you:
The inspiration for Château de sable is the innocence and vitality of children at play and a belief that children should look like children. Styling is a unique blend of traditional and contemporary with specially selected fabrics to ensure the highest possible quality for each item. The fine attention to detail is demonstrated by the exquisite finish of each piece in the collection.
The collections are presented to allow siblings to coordinate while still embracing individual identity; a real bonus if you have twins! This also means that by choosing a few items you can have a wide and interchangeable selection of outfits.
They keep their collections small and change often to make sure there’s plenty of variety and each line maintains a sense of uniqueness and exclusivity. For the full experience you can find their US store here for your shopping pleasure. And don’t forget to follow them on twitter to stay up to date on new lines, sales, and more!
Loving this shop, located in Toronto (though of course you can shop online) for its hand-picked European children’s fashions. As you know, we have a pretty big weakness for European design, and Gretchen & Co is there to get us our fix (or at least heighten the addiction). Straight from their website, here is their philosophy in a nutshell:
Our philosophy is simple: we believe in a land of unusual colours, incredible details and sumptuous fabrics. Gretchen & Co. carries fashion forward pieces that maintain a balance between contemporary and timeless designs.
Hard to find styles are their specialty, so take a look at their catalog and find fresh styles for your kids that are as unique as they are!
We were more than a little hesitant to use cloth wipes, even after switching over to cloth diapers. Changing wet diapers with cloth wipes was one thing, but even the other cloth diaper converts we know use disposable wipes for messy diapers. Bummas was kind enough to provide us with a package of their Wild ones wipes to try, with one of every color in the set.
A pretty little package
The presentation of these wipes is gorgeous. I’m proud to tote them around in the diaper bag and to display them on the changing table in the nursery. Each wipe is rolled tightly in a pretty little bouquet. In fact, they were so irresistible that I had to use one hand to take the picture and the other to restrain a certain little boy who was determined to get his hands on them.
On first touch, I worried that they were too rough for our little one’s bottom, but then I realized each wipe has a softer side and a rougher side. These wipes are suggested for use as drying a baby’s bottom after using a wet wipe, before putting a new diaper on, as well as protecting the changer from any surprise attacks during the change, or as wipes themselves. I decided to try one as a washcloth for bath time, one as a drying wipe in-between-diapers, one as a wet wipe, and one as a hands/face wipe for after a meal. (Don’t worry, we didn’t re-use diaper wipes as face wipes ;) ).
On to the test chamber
After tossing them all in the wash I worried that the bright colors would bleed on themselves, but they were just as bright out of the dryer as when they arrived, without any pilling or fading! During bath-time I used the pink one as a washcloth. As expected it did a fantastic job of rubbing the pasta sauce, graham cracker crumbs, etc out of Henry’s hair.
During the next diaper change I soaked a blue one with water and the wipes-solution we use and used it like a disposable wipe. I actually used it on one of his messier diapers and was happy with the results. The usual trouble with cloth wipes during *ahem* poopy diaper changes is that the cloth doesn’t seem to grab any of the mess, rather they just smear it about. The rougher side of the Bummas wipes caught everything it needed to, with no complaints from Henry!
The final test was dinner after a particularly messy feast of green beans and sloppy joes (YUM). As I’m sure we’re all familiar with, food tends to get stuck in between Henry’s fingers, toes, baby fat folds, jowls, etc so it’s tedious and often frustrating to try to dig it all out as he flails in indignation for removing the little bits he insists he was saving for later. I began my onslaught with the purple wipe and it worked beautifully. Whereas paper towel shreds and becomes yet another thing to get stuck in his many crevices, and other washcloths are either too rough or too soft, the Bummas wipe made short work of his messy digits without raising too much of a fuss.
Want to try a set for yourself?
Enter to win a pack of your own to liven up YOUR nursery! Bummas has generously offered a lovely pack of wipes to one lucky reader! (US/Canada only, please). Giveaway is open until 8/9/10, when a lucky winner will be drawn via random.org. Winner has 48 hours to respond to email, after which a new winner will be drawn.
Mandatory entry: Go to Bummas website and comment back here with your favorite set! Please leave your email address so we can contact you if you win.
For extra entries:
Follow Bummas on Twitter, and leave your Twitter username.
Like Bummas on Facebook, and leave your name.
Tweet this giveaway and link to the tweet in comment-This can be done once a day, for one entry per tweet: “Get your #clothdiapering upgrade from @petitvogue and win cloth wipes by @Bummas in this week’s #giveaway http://petit.vg/win-bummas”
“Like” petit vogue on Facebook (current fans count!)
Follow petit vogue on Twitter (current followers count!)
Good luck! -xoxo petit vogue
Random.Org in it’s great and mysterious wisdom chose comment #14! Congratulations Beth! We will be in touch to get your info!
Very excited to present to you our review of Monkey Snuggles cloth diapers, and not only that we have a discount code AND your chance to win a $20 gift certificate to their shop!
Having been using cloth diapers since our son was born we’ve tried out several brands, each one a little different that the last, each with their own pros and cons. So we’re always on the look out for a new brand to add to our collection (those in the cloth diapering community know- you start with one and it quickly becomes an obsession). Monkey Snuggles has been a staple of our twitter addiction for quite a while now, and we were thrilled at the opportunity to review one of their sized pocket cloth diapers. Let’s just say there was dancing when the package arrived.
For cloth diaper newbies: What the heck is a “sized pocket” cloth diaper?
There is a bit of a learning curve when shopping for cloth diapers, lots of new terminology and bits and pieces that come together to make the different types of diapers. In this case what we’re referring to is a “sized” diaper- meaning it comes in a specific size for your baby’s age/weight. Other options include “one size”, which fit babies typically in the range of 3 months up to potty training depending on their size, or “fitted” diapers, which usually require the use of a cover to prevent soaking through.
The “pocket” part means that the diaper basically consists of a shell with a pocket that you use an insert with, a rectangular piece of absorbent cloth that (you guessed it) is there to absorb!
High quality, high absorbency AND good looking? Yay!
The first thing we admired about the diaper was how well-made it was and then of course we “awwww”ed at the print. The inserts are very soft, but much thinner than the bulky microfiber Henry’s other diapers use, which concerned us a little. The thinness made the diaper nice and trim. Sometimes you need to buy pants or outfits a size up to get a cloth-diapered bottom into them, but while wearing this diaper, Henry could wear his current size easily. In the end our faith was rewarded- the insert lasted through a long nap, which was pretty darn impressive! We later read that the inserts are made from bamboo fleece, which is much more absorbent than the standard cloth diaper fare. The ability to maintain that kind of absorbency AND keep slim profile earns high marks in our book.
One item of note for those used to other brands- we found that our Monkey Snuggles diaper pocket was located in the front of the diaper, versus the more common rear pocket on our other diapers. This didn’t seem to have any positive or negative impact on the performance or comfort of the diaper though.
Comfortable and convenient
We really LOVE the way the snaps allow for a custom fit on your baby but without the issues aplix (basically like velcro) can have such as rubbing on baby’s skin, and eventually losing ability to keep the diaper closed. Now that Henry is mobile, he’s a lot harder on his diapers, and in turn his diapers can be a lot harder on him if they’re prone to rubbing. We haven’t had any issues with rubbing or leaks using the Monkey Snuggles diaper, despite plenty of crawling, cruising, dog chasing and dancing (not always in that order, but close).
The verdict
Whether you’re new to cloth diapering or a battle scarred veteran, these are a great start to your addiction, or another excellent way to get your fix! The slim super absorbent inserts are worth every penny if like us you feel like the usual microfiber inserts are more than a little cumbersome for the baby-on-the-move.
The goodies!
Need a little more incentive to add Monkey Snuggles to your cloth diaper stash?
Use code “Juneblog10″ and get 10% off of your order at www.monkeysnuggles.com until August 15th!
And of course as promised here is your chance to get your hands on some of these delightful handcrafted cloth diapers for your very own!
Up for grabs: a $20 Gift Certificate to the Monkey Snuggles online store!
CLOSED! Congratulations to comment #42, Random.org in it’s almighty wisdom chose YOU! Joanne, we’ll be in touch!
Diapers…not necessarily the first word you associate with fashion, until now! Seriously! Sure the image a lot of us have come to associate with cloth diapering- the huge safety pins, the bulky white diaper- is still around, but fortunately there are a few more options available nowadays. These days cloth diapering is not only eco-friendly, it’s fashionable too! With so many great options to choose from matching your diapers to the rest of your kids outfit, or even letting the diaper serve as the centerpiece, is quickly becoming an eye catching, comment-worthy way to add some unique flair to your little one’s wardrobe. Popular brands include bumgenius, Romparooz, Mother’s Ease or Kissaluv.
In the beginning I was hesitant to try cloth-diapering, I WASN’T going to do it if I had too much laundry to do and it was making my life more hectic than it already was.
It’s been more than nine months, and I still haven’t decided I had too much laundry to do, despite a son who whips off his bib and smears spaghetti into his shirts. I wash them every other day, and I know it sounds weird, but I prefer diaper laundry to our regular laundry. When the diapers are done drying, I stuff them and put them back in our baby’s drawers. I don’t have to separate them, fold them nicely, put some of them in drawers, and hang the rest up. The diapers are adorable, it doesn’t take me much time, our baby has had very few rashes, we are saving money by using diapers we can re-use, and it makes me feel good (and the Earth too!) that every diaper I wash is one less disposable sitting in a landfill somewhere.
WAHM, or Work At Home Mom made diapers are becoming more and more prevalent as the crafty among us put their skills to good use making some of the
best cloth diapers on the market today. They tend to be the innovators of the bunch, improvising and testing constantly to ultimately come up with a great product that is a reflection of their own personal style. You can find these amazing moms selling their wares on various forums, on their own websites, and of course on Etsy.
Of course we wouldn’t plant the idea in your head if we weren’t prepared to help you get started- we have a VERY exciting review/giveaway coming up! We have been rigorously testing a fitted pocket diaper by Monkey Snuggles the past couple of weeks (shown here our very own Henry is wearing a Lator Gator print pocket diaper).
Monkey Snuggles is a WAHM who makes some of the loveliest cloth diapers on the market and we are thrilled to share our experiences with you as well as offer you an exclusive discount code and the chance to win a gift certificate to her shop!
The designs at Finley and Oliver are adorable and modern, but if that’s not enough to make you head immediately over to their shop, they also use felt made out of recycled plastic bottles, and American Apparel shirts (which are sweatshop-free). The applique is hand cut, fused on, and hand-stitched by the owner of the store. We love the sweet little bird perched on the edge of its branch.
One of our favorite things about this store is that they don’t forget those of us with little boys. Appliqued dinosaur shirts, anyone?
Aren’t these crib booties just gorgeous? Chocolate brown swirls fetchingly over a demure green, sure to draw attention to chubby little baby feet.
These sporty little kicks are adorable too, if you know a baby boy who could use some new footwear.
For ten bucks each, they’re quite a steal.
Bibs may not seem like the obvious fashion accessory, but Bazzle Baby bibs are quite the exception. Why cover up your child’s outfit with a dingy old bib when he or she can eat in style? We think this bib would be exceptionally cute at a sushi restaurant, when your baby gets her first few bites of California roll. Who can resist the fish with little sushi chef headbands? As if the “aww” factor wasn’t enough, Bazzle Baby donates a portion of all sales to charities selected by customers.
Yoga pants are one of our favorite simple pleasures of life- perfect for those lazy Saturdays around the house, or hey, even doing yoga in!
Eco friendly? Check.
Our favorite color (comes in a few others too!)? Check.
Made from super-soft-fast-drying-moisture-wicking-antimicrobial-wonder-material bamboo? Check.
I actually gasped out loud when I saw this dress on the model over at Janie and Jack’s website. The little girl wearing it is cute, of course, but the gorgeous colors and the fit of the dress caught my attention the moment the image came on screen. I had a long Anthropologie skirt when I was a teenager that fell in a similar way, with the same kind of lace near the bottom. I felt like a goddess in it, and people were constantly stopping me to ask where I bought it. This dress looks like it would make any little girl feel regal.
The neckline is modest and the smocking at the waist adds detail with help from the crocheted lace. There are buttons in the back and hand-tie straps at the shoulders, so your littler ones will need some help getting dressed.
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