I first saw this idea on The Pleated Poppy and thought perhaps I could make them.  So I rummaged through my bag of fabric, cut up a bunch of little pieces, and set to work at my sewing machine.

My version of the garland was super simple to sew together.  I just placed each piece under the foot of the sewing machine, one after the other.  The fabric scraps are connected only by the thread.  So far, they seem to be holding up just fine.  And they make our living space a little more cheery!

P.S. If you’re interested in buying something like this, be sure to check out The Pleated Poppy store.  (Hers are probably better made than mine too.)

And the little girl aprons are pretty adorable too.

The best part about this shop, though, is the owner’s commitment to give all proceeds to families who are adopting.  I love the heart behind this shop and just had to share!

A couple of the cloths had some little tears, so I just sewed a strip of fabric down the middle, and they became as good as new – and a whole lot cuter!

Add a couple crinkle squares and they made the perfect little gift for a mom expecting twin girls.

Loving the idea of their subscription program.

What do you think?

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I now own that water bottle, a flip top lid to go with it, ten baby bottles, and three sippy tops.  Needless to say, I’m a big Life Factory fan.  Here’s a quick peek at why:

Eco-Friendly - Reusable water bottles help to reduce waste.  Having a fun, colorful, glass (doesn’t make the water taste funny) water bottle makes me way more likely to actually use it and avoid plastic water bottles.

Safe - Having glass baby bottles was especially important to me.  I love that I don’t even have to worry about the BPA issue or any other chemicals getting into those bottles.

The Story behind the Bottles - All of the bottles and accessories are made in the U.S. and France.  In the last few years, LifeFactory has transferred the manufacturing of various parts from China to the U.S.  I like that they share information about where the products are made right on the website.  And I really like the idea of buying items made in the U.S.

The Look - These bottles are the cutest.  I get lots of compliments on mine and Little O’s.  The bright colors are so much fun.

Long Term Use - I’ve been using my water bottle for about two years now, and it’s holding up great.  (Okay! I confess; I’ve broken the glass part twice.  My bad.  The good news is that if you’re not the most careful person – like me, the bottle doesn’t make a big mess when it breaks.  An added bonus to having the silicone sleeve).  The baby bottles are also great because after using them as bottles, they transition to sippy cups simply by adding a different  lid.  There are also closed lids, so these could potentially be used as water bottles in the future too.

Great Customer Service - I recently contacted LifeFactory about a couple of the baby bottle tops that cracked.  I received a reply within a few hours explaining that they had already made some changes to improve the bottle top and promising to send me a few replacements.  Gotta love good customer service!

And there you have it: why I am a big fan of LifeFactory.  Buy yourself a bottle, and I bet you’ll become a big fan too.

This year’s HBs have been fun:

-Handprint Hearts (Little O did not really enjoy this, but it turned out cute)

-Cacao Nib cookies (Fair Trade Organic Cacao Nibs)

-This printable

-Valentine’s Candy from Little O (Thanks Mom!)

-Equal Exchange Hot Chocolate made with milk instead of the usual water.

-A replacement carafe for our french press

What did you do to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year?

Thanks to some credit card points (turned into amazon gift cards), I was able to stock up on some favorite fair trade items.  I am really into hot chocolate at the moment – I think three cans will last me a while.  And I am thrilled to have chocolate chips back in the house – it’s been a while.