Stuff Parents Need

Easing the chaos in the nest, one find at a time.

DIY Distressed Dresser DIY Part 3

· by · 81 Comments

If you missed parts 1 and 2 of the DIY distressed dresser series, check them out (you don’t want to miss the freebie in part 2!).

DIY distressed dresser

Anne at  milk paint suggested that we consider waxing the furniture after we painted it, which is something that had never crossed my mind. She said that it would make the finish look a little less chalky, and it would protect the piece from looking dirty quickly. When I thought of just how fast this piece would probably get stains from coffee cups and crayons, I decided to go for it.

diy distressed dresser 3 We used Daddy Van’s Furniture Polish, which is a chemical free, nontoxic polish for furniture made with Unrefined Beeswax, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Carnauba Wax and it comes in unscented or in 2 scents, beexwax & lavender or sweet orange oil. It was super easy to apply, because as you are applying the wax, it is very obvious where you have been and where you haven’t. The wax gives the paint a slightly darker look. Most of that color differentiation dries overnight, but I would say that the piece still looks ever so slightly darker now. And I love it! It really does have a smoother look, and those little places where I missed a spot and the color is slightly lighter simply add to the charm of the piece, and make the distressed look appear more authentic, as if the wax has simply worn away in places.

Next I want to talk about what we did with the hardware, which you see on the piece in this picture. I hated the hardware. It was old and ugly. We went to Lowe’s to pick up some new pieces. We needed 10 different knobs. News-flash: dresser knobs seem cheap until you need 10 of them. It was going to cost us $40 plus tax to get some drawer pulls that were better than what we had, but really just ok. The super cute stuff was $7 and up per piece.

So, right there in the store we decided that what we already owned wasn’t so ugly anymore, especially with a little help from a $4 can of spray paint. If I had to do it again, I would have selected a darker silver (nickel), but I’m satisfied with the end result. We put the old pulls on before we spray painted them, just in case they looked ok, and they were just so offensive. These look much better!

There’s one other thing I want to highlight about this paint. It is virtually idiot-proof, and we know this from firsthand experience. It turns out that we mixed the paint incorrectly. Oops! I think we had the ratio of water to powder off and we were supposed to use a mixer to really get the paint blended. Do you see how forgiving this paint is?!?! I think the piece turned out just great. I just wanted to point that out, though, because if you are doing a bigger job, you’ll want to make sure you read the instructions first, and don’t rely on our directions! 🙂

So, there it is. Two DIY-challenged individuals successfully turned junk into something pretty (at least we think so). I hope we have inspired you to look at some items in your home in a new way, and think about what you can do with some really good paint.

Where to Buy Milk Paint

It’s so easy, friends! Just head over to Amazon to pick out your favorite color of Milk Paint!

 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. 

My Favorite Overnight Diapers

· by · 2 Comments

We’ve been talking a lot about cloth diapers lately (LOVE it!), and I have really been enjoying learning about products, both those based in the United States an also those from around the world.

I have been on pins and needles waiting for this next review to launch, though. I really hope you all will be just as excited to learn about this new product as I am to tell you about it.

My Favorite Overnight Diapers

Today I am bringing you a cloth diaper from New Zealand, and it is a diaper that gets my absolute highest praise for one very key reason: it really works for overnight. Seriously. 12 hours. No leaks. No, really. REALLY.

Check out my video on the Ecobubs diaper to learn more about what makes this diaper unique and swoon-worthy:

A washable wool pocket diaper truly combines the best of what wool diaper covers have to offer (major leak prevention) with the trim fit that pocket diapers can offer. Also, the stripes on the wool diapers are beyond cute on a baby’s tush!

I want to strongly encourage you, if you own a diaper shop or if you have a favorite online diaper retailer, to send them the link to Ecobubs. I think if some of the diaper shop owners gave these a try they wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to stock them!

Buy it!: edit: Ecobubs are now available on Amazon!

Since Ecobubs are based in New Zealand, their online prices are listed in New Zealand dollars. The cost for the wool pocket diaper in U.S. dollars is $28.30 (which does make it a premium diaper in terms of cost, but I PROMISE it is worth the money and then some, given all the middle of the night leaky diaper and crib sheet changes you WON’T be doing!). The Tangy Apple diaper is $23.09. Extra inserts are $4.10 each. Those inserts are soooo awesome, so I highly recommend that you buy them, and maybe even a few extra! Shipping to the U.S. is $11.17, but until October 14th, shipping for SPN readers is cut in half to $5.58 using the code DIAPER in the voucher code box. That will be the shipping price regardless of how much you order, so go in with a friend and buy as much as you can! 🙂 My husband and I have even started discussing if we can swing getting another diaper, even though our collection is decently large and money is tight. They really are just that good. To order, choose the diaper outer (wool pocket or Tangy Apple), choose the size and the number you want. Then click on the inserts and essential button to pick out the inserts. Then go to checkout. As a new customer you will register on the site, and then you can complete your order using a credit card!

Win it!: I’ve got that Tangy Apple diaper that is perfect for day up for grabs! The contest will run until October 17th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.
Mandatory entry:Tell me anything about how you have dealt (successfully or not) with leaking diapers (cloth or disposable). Is it just a reality you have to deal with, or do you have a strategy to prevent them? Anything relevant to the topic will work!Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Ecobubs on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need via RSS or email.Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, listed on the sidebar of my main
page.
I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links. 

DIY Distressed Dresser Part 2

· by · 1 Comment

Hopefully you saw my post about how Tim and I purchased a banged up old dresser for our room (for $20!) with the intention to give it the distressed, painted look that I love so much. If not, check it out here (it’s a quick read!).

Now I’m going to show you what we did to created a distressed dresser, diy style.

First, we took sand paper and sanded down the furniture. We didn’t strive for perfection, but just did our best to get most of that dark red stain off the furniture and get back to the original grain. Tim and I both worked on at the same time, and I think it took us about 20 minutes to get it sanded. No, I didn’t take a picture. Why? Because I’m an idiot. Sorry.

Then we busted out our milk paint! Milk Paint is a paint mix that uses milk protein, lime, clay and earth pigments such as ochre, umber, iron oxide, etc. They use no lead, no chemical preservatives and no fungicides. Milk Paint contains no hydrocarbons or any other petroleum derivatives. The paints are environmentally safe and non-toxic. I’ve always wanted to try out an eco-friendly paint, but I have only needed paint for small projects in the past few years, so buying a gallon, and sometimes even a quart, just didn’t seem necessary (at least not for the price).

But now that I’ve tried it, I wish that I had tried it LONG ago! And I definitely wish I had known about Milk Paint. This is totally the way to go! Milk Paint comes to your door as a powder in a bag. Check out the easy and fun process for turning it into paint (and yes, that’s a plastic box we used…we thought we had a paint brush tray, but we didn’t, and we were eager to get going!).

So easy! And here’s what I really love: you only have to make as much as you want to use at a time. Over time, my cans of paint have always dried out, despite our best efforts to keep them sealed. That just isn’t a problem with Milk Paint, since anything you don’t use stays in powder form. Additionally, I found the paint to have NO SMELL. This is something I’ve never experienced with paint before, and it was so cool! I feel so happy about this, because I know it isn’t slowly letting off dangerous chemicals in our house. Also, I love that you can purchase the paint by the gallon, quart or even the pint! Thank you!!!

distressed dresser diy close up Finally, I love the limited selection of paints that they offer. Yes, you read that correctly. I am completely overwhelmed by all of the options at Home Depot, and most any time I choose paint, I seem to get the color just a little bit wrong, which is so disappointing (especially since we don’t realize it until it is up on the walls and dried). Milk Paint offers 20 shades, all based on colors found on existing antique buildings and furniture. I can get that cool distressed look I want and be sure that I’ve selected a color that actually makes sense.

distressed dresser diy entire dresser Here is a shot of the entire dresser after we painted it with the color Slate. I love the look, but I’m actually not sure if we distressed it enough! Ha!

Stay tuned for part 3 where I show you what we decided to do about hardware for the piece, and where I show you a different look you can achieve by using wax on the furniture! I’ll also talk about the basic strategy for achieving the distressed look. Finally, part 3 will also include an awesome giveaway, so don’t miss it!

And now for the freebie. The folks at Milk Paint are so sure that you will fall in love with their products if you just give them a try, that they’d like to send my readers a free sample of their paint (a pint)! It will be the perfect amount to tackle a small project! All you have to do is email Anne@milkpaint.com and tell her the color you’d like to have. Be sure to tell her that Tiffany at Stuff Parents Need sent you! Isn’t that crazy generous of them???

This post contains affiliate links. I was sent a complimentary sample of milk paint for review purposes. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

Caspar Babypants: Fun Music From an Artist You May Know!

· by · 1 Comment

I think it is really fun when a rock artist ventures over into a different genre, specifically, children’s music. Today I’ve got a terrific album called This is Fun! from Caspar Babypants. This is second children’s album from this artist, who may be known to you as Chris Ballew, the lead singer of The Presidents of the United States of America.

caspar babypants this is fun album cover Caspar Babypants’ tunes have been described as “great stories dressed up as song.” I love that imagery! I love the sound that Chris has in all the songs, and find myself singing along with him, as opposed to running out of the room when the music comes on (some kids music makes me do that, just sayin’). Also, please note that he tells you the stories behind his songs, and I hope he’ll post the stories that go along with the songs on This Is Fun! as well.

My only complaint is that Caspar Babypants’ shows all seem to be in the Pacific Northwest. Do a national tour, puh-leeze! It would be SO MUCH fun to take Darah to your show!!!

In honor of Darah’s new favorite sing-a-long, here’s a great Caspar Babypants video of the Itsy Bitsy Spider! I ALWAYS love with children’s artists do YouTube videos. Thank you!!!

Buy it!: During the month of October, you can buy advanced SIGNED copies of the album for just $12.00! Rock! The album will be released on November 2nd. If you need some new tunes for your kids, I definitely recommend this album! This makes an excellent stocking stuffer or holiday gift!

Edit: this giveaway is now closed.

Win it!: One lucky Stuff Parents Need Reader is going to snag your very own copy of This is Fun! The contest will run until October 15th when a winner will be selected via Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to their notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Name an “adult” artist or band you would LOVE to see do a children’s album (my answer would be Ben Folds!).

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Caspar Babypants on Facebook
2. Blogger love: Subscribe to Stuff Parents Need by RSS or email

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways on the sidebar of my home page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. This post contains affiliate links

DIY Distressed Dresser (3 Part Series)

· by · 1 Comment

I’ve got a really cool 3 part series for all you folks out there who want to give your old, ugly furniture a face lift! I’m going to show you how we exerted not much effort, and even less skill, and turned a $20 old, beat up looking dresser into something shabby chic and totally cute! I’ve got a great giveaway to go along with it, as well as a freebie for everyone, so stay tuned!

First, let me introduce you to our dresser.

distressed dresser diy before picture We got this from a fabulous person off Craigslist for the bargain price of $20. I call it a bargain because I saw potential in the furniture, not because it was in wonderful shape. It was all scratched up and had nail polish on it, but I thought it had a kind of unique look and charm that you just don’t see every day, so I went for it. My plan all along was to paint the furniture. I’m inspired by The Nester and all her gorgeous furniture. The painted look may not appeal to everyone, but I absolutely adore it. The distressed look is my absolute favorite, because it encourages imperfections! For someone who is extremely challenged in the creativity department, I embrace this style, because it is really all I can do (intentional or not!). 🙂

Stay tuned for part 2 where I show you how we sanded and painted the piece using some seriously cool eco-friendly paint called Milk Paint!

Amy’s Soups: Fall Has Arrived!

· by · 124 Comments

A few months ago I introduced you the best frozen food I have EVER had. Check out my review, here, and get ready to add Amy’s products to your grocery list.

amy's soups stock photo Amy’s doesn’t just sell fabulous frozen foods, though. They have a whole line of packaged and canned goods that are organic and scrumptious. We’ve recently discovered the cheddar bunnies. We bought them for Darah, but truthfully, Tim and I ate them ourselves. I think Darah had 2 or 3. In our defense, they seem a little hard for her to eat right now. But mostly we just loved them so much that we scarfed them down before the kiddo had a fighting chance at them.

Anyway, the folks at Amy’s want to help us all welcome fall. In my neck of the woods, it is just now starting to feel like something other than the summer that WOULD. NOT. END. Thank goodness! To usher in my absolute favorite time of the year, Amy’s wants to offer a special giveaway to Stuff Parents Need readers! Woo hoo!

One lucky reader will score 3 FREE PRODUCT coupons good for any Amy’s soup, bean or chili! You’ll also snag a canvas Amy’s tote to take your new Amy’s food home in style. The contest will run until October 13th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me your favorite fall soup/stew. If you post the recipe, I won’t give you a bonus entry but I will give you plenty of love from my heart (and my stomach. Ha!). My favorite is homemade tomato soup made with plenty of garlic and cream cheese. Yum!

Additional entries:
Sponsor love: “Like” Amy’s on Facebook
Blogger love: Follow Stuff Parents Need on Twitter

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of the homepage.

The Flannery Brothers Review

· by · 26 Comments

As Darah is getting a little bit older, I’m loosening up just a bit on my “no tv” policy. I do try to severely limit how much she gets to watch, and I’m always with her when she is watching. We actually don’t have cable, so we just watch short videos on YouTube. Those are just right for her, and after we watch a few different clips from The Wiggles or Sesame Street, we go do something else. Darah LOVES when the clips contain songs, so I keep an eye out for those.

There’s a new video out on YouTube and it was made by a band whose cd we have been enjoying for the past few weeks. If you are looking for something new and fun for your kids, check out Pirate or Parrot?

The video gives you a taste of a wonderful band called The Flannery Brothers. They are hilarious and have a wonderful sound that reminds me a bit of some of the “grown up” groups I listen to. I like their laid back style and their toe-tapping melodies. It is really easy to get into one of their songs and rock out with them. Darah bounces around to pretty much everything on their brand new album (set to release October 19th!) called The New Explorers Club. From the press release, “The New Explorers Club invites everyone in the fmaily to go exploring. Filled with danceable, clappable, singable, family-friendly rock songs, The New Explorers Club enthusiastically encourages seeking adventure and viewing the world with a fresh new perspective.”

We love The Flannery Brothers at our house, and we are evidently not the only ones! This band has won a very impressive 13 music awards, and that was just for their first two albums! Woah! I want to encourage this group to keep making really fun music, and DEFINITELY make more YouTube videos! I know my child loves not only hearing your music, but seeing the lyrics played out!

Buy it!: If you are looking for some truly wonderful music for your children, The New Explorers Club is a must. You’ll be surprised by just how much you like it, too! You can pre-order now and get an AUTOGRAPHED copy for $15!

Win it!: Hooray! The Flannery Brothers want one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader to win their very own copy of The New Explorers Club! The contest will run until October 12th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: If your kids like to watch videos on YouTube, post a link to their very favorite video! (here’s Darah’s: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyRxY1rXKF4&feature;=PlayList&p;=D8B30753277B8F48&index;=0&playnext;=1)
If your kids don’t watch videos on YouTube, just tell me which Flannery Brothers song you like best (you can listen to their songs here).

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” The Flannery Brothers on Facebook
2. Blogger love: “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to enter my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my main page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

SoftBums Launches Omni Diaper

· by · 2 Comments

You may remember that I did a SoftBums AI2 review a few weeks ago (truly one of my VERY favorite cloth diapers of all time). I’m thrilled to be able to bring you the great news that SoftBums has created a new diaper, and you are going to TOTALLY. FLIP. OUT. when you hear about it.

Check out my video to see what, exactly, makes this diaper like no other out there.

SoftBums Omni Diaper

So the SoftBums Omni diaper will be at the very top of my wish list for cloth dipes for baby #2 (I sure do talk about that kid a lot given that s/he doesn’t exist and won’t for quite some time!). softbums omni I will add snowcone (blue) and sprout (green) to the coconut (white) diaper I already have. If you have a baby or are expecting one, or if you know someone who is and who wants to try cloth, this is the ULTIMATE cloth diaper. It is an absolute must. And lucky you, starting today you can pre-order them! They will be shipping in November, just in time for the holidays!

So, that’s pretty huge news for the cloth diapering community. And now I have news that is just as big. In celebration of this revolutionary diaper, SoftBums is having one seriously gigantic giveaway, and Stuff Parents Need readers get to take part in it. Hooray!!! There are so many amazing, wonderful, drool-worthy gifts that are up for grabs. Allow me to list them for you.

Grand prize: Ipad
First prize: complete birth to potty package of the SoftBums Omni diaper
Second prize: $75 gift certificate to Softbums.com
Third prize: $50 gift certificate to Amazon.com
Fourth prize (20 winners!) SoftBums Omni diaper
Fifth prize (3 winners) pair of BabyLegs

Are you totally freaking out? ME TOO!!!!!

Ok, so how the heck do you enter? It’s really rather easy, my friends! All you need to do is leave a comment on my blog. I have a few extra entry opps for you, as well, so read on. The contest is open to residents of the United States, and closes at 8pm CST on October 18th. The winners will be drawn from amongst all the participating blogs’ comments.

Mandatory entry: Tell me which prize on the list you are hoping for (you are entered for all of them, no worries) and why you want it! Who will the prize go to if you get it???

Additional entries. I’m going to offer a few more extra entries this time, and break away from the standard method, because I’d really love to see people from my blog when all the prizes, and you need to have as many entries as possible to increase your chances!
Sponsor love: Subscribe to the SoftBums blog (it’s a really good one!)

Blogger love: Follow me on Google Friend Connect, Twitter, Facebook or subscribe via email or RSS (you can get 1 extra entry per method…a rare opportunity on my site!).

You can also enter your name on the sites of the other bloggers reviewing the product. A list can be found here at the bottom of the post.

Good luck! Not gonna lie, I want these prizes for myself, but whatever I don’t win (ha ha) I want to see a Stuff Parents Need Reader snag!!!

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my main page.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own. Affiliate links may be included at no cost to you. 

Unsure if Your Toys are Safe? Goblin Kids to the Rescue!

· by · 126 Comments

Isn’t it interesting how, when your children are young (and you are naive), you are SO IMPATIENT for them to start walking? I know I’m wishing for something I shouldn’t, but I REALLY want Darah to start walking. She has been crawling for 3 1/2 months, now. Some babies crawl for just a few weeks, and some skip it altogether. Darah seems to be in no hurry to pass by this phase of life. She is a crawling master, and she’s quick as lightning on all fours.

She loves to stand on her own without holding onto anything (sometimes for 30 seconds!). But putting one foot in front of the other doesn’t interest her at all, unless we are holding on to her. With our help, she practically runs.I know the second she starts running all over this house I’ll be begging her to go back to crawling. But for now, I’m eager to see her go from 4 legs to 2!

I’ve been thinking about ways to encourage her to walk on her own, and many moms say that the right toy will do the trick. She already has a push toy she loves to use, but what about a pull toy? We have one, but I have been feeling uncomfortable about letting her use it, because it is made of plastic and it came from a garage sale, so I don’t even know what brand of toy it is (can’t find any indication on the toy, itself). All signs point to it being very cheaply made, which gives me worries about BPA and other questionable chemicals.

goblin kids toy drum I found an online site that specializes in quality toys that you can buy with confidence, and that are built to last. Have you ever heard of Goblin Kids? You should really check it out! Goblin Kids is owned by a wonderful lady named Saza who group up in Europe. She recalls that her toys, growing up, with typically made with wood or soft fabrics, and they lasted through her childhood years as well as her younger brother’s, with ease! When Saza and her husband started their family in the United States, she was very disappointed with the quality of toys she was finding in U.S. stores. After visiting Europe again, she noticed that her friends’ children has those wonderfully made toys, and she decided to bring those products to the United States, to give parents better options. Thus, Goblin Kids was born!

goblin kids toy lion Gaston the lion recently joined our family, and Darah is totally enamored with him. Who can blame her? He is so cute! She enjoys pulling him while she’s standing up, and while she hasn’t walked with him, I know she will very soon. Gaston is made by a French toy company called Vilac, and I’m VERY impressed with the quality of their toys. Darah loves to gnaw on Gaston (sorry, little lion), and the paint isn’t coming off, so far. I also know that they use non-toxic paint, so should it come off, it’s not really a big deal. His mane has been pulled and tugged on repeatedly, and it hasn’t budged. Well done, Vilac! Goblin kids offers many awesome toys from Vilac. A few that are catching my eye include the wooden race car, the toy cell phone and the farm memory game!

Goblin Kids has an outstanding selection of toys that are safe, that encourage creative play and that are built to last. You can shop for toys by age, which is a great feature for first time moms like me who aren’t quite sure what is most appropriate for their babies at different ages! Definitely give this shop a close look when working on your holiday gift list!

Buy it!: You no longer have to cross the Atlantic to find the highest quality toys. Goblin Kids will do it for you! Does your little love need a lion friend? Gaston is available for $28.99 and is worth every penny!

Win it!: Goblin Toys wants to offer one lucky Stuff Parents Need reader a $25 gift certificate to their site. Joy!!! The contest will run until October 10th at 11:59pm EST when a winner will be selected using Random.org. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to the winning notification before the prize is forfeited and a new winner is selected. Open to residents of the United States. Limit one entrant per household, please.

Mandatory entry: Tell me about the best (most durable, most fun, however you define “best”) toy you had growing up, or tell me about the best toy your child owns now.

Additional entries:
1. Sponsor love: “Like” Goblin Kids on Facebook (they are giving away a $100 gift certificate once they reach 500 fans!)
2. Blogger love: “Like” Stuff Parents Need on Facebook

Be sure to check out my other current giveaways, found on the sidebar of my main page!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product for review purposes. The opinions expressed here are strictly my own.