Home Made Baby Wipes

I first saw this idea here. How much do you pay for baby wipes? Here's our math:

Store Bought Baby Wipes

192 wipes for $6

$6.00/192 = 3 pennies per wipe

Home Made Baby Wipes

52 towels per roll

since you will cute the roll in half you double the amount of wipes made

so 52x2 =104

8 rolls (value pack) = $11.64

$11.64/8 = $1.45 per roll

$1.45/104 = 1 penny a wipe

Yes, you have to buy baby wash (soap) as the other ingredient. I didn't factor in the amount, but I can't imagine it taking more than a few bottles a year since you will just be using a squirt or two per tub of wipes made (approximately 175 tubs a year). I think you'll definitely be able to afford those few extra bottles of baby wash when you see your savings! You think it's only a couple pennies, what's the big deal? Well, see below...

Wipe Usage

We use approximately 3 to 5 wipes per diaper change.

10 changes a day = 30-50 wipes

70 changes a week = 210-350 wipes

280 changes a month = 840-1,400 wipes

3650 changes a year = 10,950-18,250 wipes

Holy crap (no pun intended), what a load (again, no pun) of wipes!

So, your savings:

10,950 (3 wipes a change for a year) x .01 (Home Made) = $109.50

18,250 (5 wipes a change for a year) x .01 (Home Made) = $182.50

10,950 (3 wipes a change for a year) x .03 (Store Bought) = $328.50

18,250 (5 wipes a change for a year) x .03 (Store Bought) = $547.50

That would be a savings of $219.00 to $365.00 a year!!!!!

Told you it adds up! Remember, this doesn't include the insane amount of baby wipes I use to wipe sticky hands and faces for all 3 of my children and the occasional mess that I make myself. I think with your extra bucks in your wallet you can afford a few extra bottles of baby wash and dare I say, something special for you?!

Want to be GREENER? Use recycled paper towels, or skip paper altogether and go with cloth! Those savings would be even greater!

The Process

It's super easy!

#1. Gather your supplies! 1 roll of paper towels (I used "Bounty"), 2 containers (I used "Lock and Lock" 2.6L/88oz./2.7QT. containers that I found at my local supermarket), baby wash (I used "Burts Bee's Baby Bee" which is free of Sulfates, Parabens, Phthalates and Petrochemicals!), a liquid measuring cup containing 4 cups of water and a non-serrated knife.

#2. On a clean protective (use a cutting board if you care about your counter top) surface take your roll of paper towels and a non-serrated knife (I know, I know, I am totally using a serrated knife in the photo... you'll see why!). Cut the roll of paper towels in half as shown below.

See, look at that mess of a mess the serrated blade made!

Seriously, besides the jacked up edge of my soon to be wipes, I had about 4oz. of paper towel fuzz balls to clean up!

Just look at that fuzz ball cake! No worries though...

#3. If you do get a mess of a mess of paper towel fuzzies, no worries, just tap and brush off the bottoms of your cut rolls. Get as much of it off as possible! Trust me (the one who used the serrated blade) you'll be cursing yourself when the fuzzies stick to your baby's little tush!

#4. Measure 4 cups of water and pour 2 cups into each container.

#5. Take your baby wash and put a squirt or two into each container (I used two squirts).

#6. Take a long handled spoon and swish it up a bit until you get a few bubbles on top, not too much bubbling, but enough that you know it's mixed well.

#7. Take one half of your paper towel roll and place fuzzy side (cut side) down into the container. My containers are just the right size, but if your container seems too small, no worries, just squish it down, make it fit! After it's wet it will compress just fine.

#8. Quick! Attach that led securely and flip that sucker upside down!

#9. Repeat with the other half roll.

#10. Set your timer for 5 minutes, no more no less! Too little time and not only will your towels not be evenly watered, the core (brown tube) won't be easy to dislodge. Too long and that brown tube will rip into tiny pieces as you struggle to get it all out.

#11. Pull the brown tube center out of each roll.

#12. Start your roll of wipes by pulling out the first wipe from the center and enjoy!

Bottle Cap Stamps

Here is one of my daughter's Earth Day projects! We saw the idea for this here! These were super easy to do! Just a couple collected bottle caps and some puffy fabric paint and presto, cute and unique stamps!!! Just be sure that your bottle caps are thoroughly cleaned and dry before adding the paint. Allow the paint to dry 24 hours and oh yeah, have fun!

Happy Crafting!

Flower Valentines!

Yikes... so much for trying to blog more often on my craft blog! I am wayyyy behind here and I am sorry, but life has been busy with my little fragile Sonya! We have been through quite a bit these past few months including 3 broken bones, 4 surgeries and bisphosphonate treatment. I guess my craftiness has to be put on hold sometimes! I have been working on a few things here and there. I am almost finished a beautiful crocheted baby blanket for my sister's new baby girl Taylor and I just finished blinging out my daughter's pediatric walker seen here.

So, with Valentines just around the corner and my two older girls in school we have about 45 Valentines to either buy or make. Seeing as how this big snow storm is keeping us at home this week, we decided to make some!!! Enjoy!

Start out by cutting out a scalloped circle from patterned paper with your paper punch or die cut machine. Next, find a fun stamp and mark your scalloped circle! Our's says : "You make me happy, So sweet".

Cut out another scalloped circle of the same size from a solid card stock paper (this will be the back). Cut a heart shape from solid card stock paper with another punch or die. Have your child write the "To and From" part.

Using dimensional adhesive squares attach the heart to the solid card stock scalloped circle.

Using double sided tape or square adhesive photo mounts (really handy) attach both finished scalloped parts to each side of a lollipop!

Tie on some green ribbon to serve as leaves for your flower pop!

Happy Valentines Day!

Bitty Gals Tutorial

Here it is my very first tutorial!

Bitty Gals is what my girls decided to name them. Basically they are peg people! I thought this would be a fun thing to create for stocking stuffers or as one of the little gifts for our advent calendar. I had a load of fun painting them with fun colors and designs and it was super easy!

1. Gather your supplies : Acrylic paints in assorted colors, glossy finish or varnish, paint brushes, fine line paint markers, small artists paint tray or paper plate for pouring and mixing paint, cup of water, paper towels, protective surface such as grocery brown paper bag, and wooden peg people ( mine are actually called "girl game pieces")

2. Paint your dolls head in any flesh color all around and slightly down her front for a v-neck or round neck dress and let dry.

3. Paint your dolls dress making sure to give her a neck by painting a v-neck or round neck top and let dry.

4. Embellish the dress with complimenting colors and designs and let dry.

5. Paint on hair style and let dry.

6. Using fine tip paint markers draw on a face and let dry.

Before you know it you will have a whole entourage of pretty Bitty Gals lined up!

7. Coat using a paint brush all of your Bitty Gals with a high gloss finish or varnish to give them a finished look, let dry and you're done!

I can't wait to see my girls dancing their little Bitty Gals around!

Enjoy and Happy Crafting!

Party Favor Box Cake

The second I laid eyes on this idea, I just had to have some! Get your free template at Better Homes and Gardens! This was super easy! I just enlarged the template by 200% and used it to create these beautiful treat boxes! I went with the Christmas theme... tis' the season! I plan on using it as an advent calendar, as there are 24 slices. Now I just need ideas for what to fill them with!