Zephyr Hill

A Family Blog

The Brown Rabbit’s Art Supplies for Children Giveaway

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Today’s giveaway is very different from any other I’ve ever hosted because the sponsor just happens to be my mother, Susan Poitevin, who is an accomplished artist and teacher! Her studio is called The Brown Rabbit and sits near the banks of peaceful Mill Creek, a perfect place for inspiration and contemplation.

My two oldest children are fortunate to take art lessons every week from their grandmother. Every Thursday brings a brand new project based on a particular theme or media. Here are some colorful spring flowers that Joseph and Catherine created f few weeks ago:

My mother mainly works with watercolor and oil, but dabbles in other mediums as well. This dramatic painting called Loch Ness Castle is one of my favorites.

Here’s another called Spring Buffet, which features a brown cow munching on good Flint Hills grass.

Besides painting and teaching, my mother (Susan) also makes lovely hand-crafted bookmarks and note cards.

If there is a painting in The Brown Rabbit’s online gallery that interests you, please contact Susan to inquire about availability and shipping!

God’s renewal of creation every Spring is so glorious that it can inspire just about anyone to feel artistic. The Brown Rabbit studio has generously offered to sponsor a giveaway to treat a little budding artist in your life.

PRIZE: The art supply prize package for 1 lucky child includes: 1 pad of premium Strathmore drawing paper, 12 watercolor pencils, 24 colored pencils, 16 Cray-Pas oil pastels, 1 kneaded eraser, 1 squirrel rubber stamp, 1 child-safe ink pad, 1 pack of farm animal stickers, 1 original watercolor bookmark from The Brown Rabbit herself, and 1 Darice clear storage box to hold everything. This wonderful package to get your young artist started is worth over $30.00!

To enter, use the easy Rafflecopter form below! Good luck and happy creating!

* Giveaway Closed: No Longer Accepting Entries *

Cloth Diaper Safe Rash Cream Review and Giveaway

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Note: This product is no longer sold.

I know there are are lot of cloth diaper safe creams out there to choose from, but I just want to make sure you all know about the wonderful products made by Tiny Tuchus. They’re cloth diaper safe and kind to the skin. We’ve used the All-Natural Zinc Diaper Cream with great results and it’s all that I buy now.

It’s non-staining and washes clean in warm or hot water. Plus you won’t find mineral oil or petroleum products on the ingredients list. The natural formula that soothes and heals with the help of Vitamin E, lanolin, lavendar, tea tree and zinc. It applies smoothly and the fragrance won’t overpower you. We always see improvement with just one or two diaper changes.

Confused about whether zinc oxide and cloth diapering can mix? Tiny Tuchus addresses the misinformation that you might find floating out there concerning zinc and cloth diapers.

Giveaway: One lucky reader will win this beautiful Valentine Gift Basket valued at $43.75! The gift basket includes all this:

– One 5 oz. jar of zinc diaper cream

– One 5 oz. jar of yeast rash cream

– Six “Heart Tart” fizzies (red, pink and white in scents jasmine, patchouli-rose and lime)

– Two 7-pack rolls of oatmeal/lavender/calendula Baby Bath Fizzies with patchouli scent


As always, good luck and thanks for visiting my blog.

* Giveaway Closed: No Longer Accepting Entries *

GroVia Diaper Review and Giveaway

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What do you get when you mix comfort, quality and affordability? The GroVia hybrid! Thanks to the generosity of Diva Diapers, a premier online cloth diaper retailer, I was given the opportunity to try a GroVia AI2 (All-in-Two) shell with snap-in organic cotton soaker pads. We received a beautiful, gender-neutral color called “Ice” which is a pale aqua. The GroVia also comes in other gorgeous colors, plus some really cute prints like owls, flowers and airplanes.

Overall, I found the GroVia system to be very simple yet versatile. Here are my thoughts:

 

Ease of Use: I’m a covers-and-prefolds kind of gal, so the GroVia system was easy to jump right into. It takes mere seconds to snap the cotton pads into the shell and then everything goes on baby. The shells are one-size and offer plenty of room for adjustments. Once you get the rise snapped to the proper setting, you don’t have to mess with it anymore, even after laundering. The snaps stay securely closed on your chosen setting.

Comfort/Fit: Susanna is five months old, and about 14 pounds, so we adjusted the GroVia to the smallest rise setting. The fit around her waist is perfect, thanks to the super stretchy wings. The GroVia outer shell is a soft and pliable PUL which is marketed as TPU. I really love the feel of this waterproof fabric.

The pads are just as nice. Made of smooth and silky organic cotton, they must feel wonderful against Susanna’s skin. The pads are elasticized in the middle; they have their own “mini gussets” which gives you double protection against leaks and messes. I found that it took about five washes for the cotton pads to reach a really good absorbency level, and as with any cotton diapering product, it just gets even better with time.

There are two snaps on the reverse side so you can secure them to the shell.

Quality – The GroVia hybrid is well made. That’s SO important to me considering that I’ve got 5 children (so far) and everything we use in this house must plan to stick around for the long haul! The diapers in my rotation usually go through at least 2 children. The GroVia shell features reinforced seams on the wings, high quality PUL and a durable, quick dry mesh interior. The super strong YKK snaps are guaranteed for life. If you opt for “never pill” hook & loop closure, the shell features handy laundry tabs to protect your investment.

Affordability – You can purchase the GroVia shell for anywhere from $13.00 to $16.95, depending on color or print. This is close to, and in some cases much less than, other covers in its class. All of the pads that coordinate with GroVia products come in packs of 2. Double packs of snap-in cotton soakers run $17.95, stay-dry boosters cost $10.50 and organic cotton boosters are $9.50. All very affordable, in my opinion, for the quality you get.

If you already have prefolds or inserts in your stash, they will work just fine with the GroVia shells.  I tried my Thirsties Duo Hemp Prefolds and some WAHM bamboo/cotton trifold inserts with the GroVia and the results were great. I love having diapering products that you can “mix and match.” It makes everything so much more versatile.

Where to Find GroVia Diapers:

Diaper Junction
Dearest Diapers
Kelly’s Closet
Nicki’s Diapers
Fluff & Familia

 

 

 

 

 

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

* Giveaway Closed: No Longer Accepting Entries *