gorgeous colors (and the CPSIA thing)!!!

the new hemp fitteds are in & the colors are gorgeous - squash, teal, graphite, & sprout!!

also in are our fall contrast fitteds in limited availability-goldfish, ocean, and nickel (see inset).

graphite pants and large organic bamboo fitteds are due to arrive and start shipping this week.

the december photo contests close in two days, so get those pictures in!

ok, now to address the CPSIA thing: after reading the law and getting some legal advice, we are going forward with the testing and certification process so we will be in full compliance with each new standard.
xo erin

Congrats to Aimee & Delilah!

thanks to everyone who has stopped by sloomb! hemp fitteds , flats, & doublers in the new colors will be arriving this week. more bamboo fitteds and thick double layer organic covers have arrived & are in stock!

congratulations to Aimee & Delilah, our November photo contest winner!

Delilah 11 mos, photo: Aimee "We love our Karate pants because we can just throw them on for chilly trips to the coffee shop."

DECEMBER - the new photo contest is up now - please send your pictures to photocontest@sloomb.com with "sustainablebabyish photo contest DECEMBER" in the subject line. THEME? it's cold - show us your winter wool photos! enter to win a $30 gift card to sloomb! as always, the fine print:
all submissions need to be in by 12/15 11:59 pm EST. the winner will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 12/17 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about how awesome your little one is in sustainablebabyish. all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb inc. & may be used on our website, on our blog, or in print.

xo
erin / sloomb♥

welcome to the new sloomb.com

hello everyone! i would like to welcome all of you to the new sloomb.com.
please stop by and create your account to sign up for our newsletter. i'll still be posting updates at sloomb's twitter, but general store updates will be sent out via newsletter. this will also speed things up during check out - especially on limited items. check out the gallery & listen to Kimya's jingle while browsing. if your little one isn't there, check back again - i'll update it regularly. thanks again for all of your photo submissions! the new photo contest is up now - please send your pictures to photocontestATsloombDOTcom with "sustainablebabyish photo contest NOVEMBER" in the subject line. enter to win a free hemp fitted or pair of flats in our new fall colors! as always, the fine print:
all submissions need to be in by 11/8 11:59 pm EST. the winner will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 11/10 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about how awesome your little one is in sustainablebabyish. all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb inc. & may be used on our website, on our blog, or in print.

we have lots of stock scheduled to arrive this month! our new bamboo |organic cotton fleece fitteds will be in stock next week - all sizes! fitted totes^tm are available now & will ship with the week - no long wait! if you're wondering if these will work for nights, here's a letter from Kim.

A public letter to Erin:

My husband and I would like to thank you profusely for these beautiful, soft, amazing SBish OBF fitteds which my son seems to love so much. Since his arrival, my son has slept through the night two or three times .... maybe. We tried prefolds, sposies, fleece lined fitteds, cotton fleece, hemp fleece, pockets... nothing made any difference. So that means for 15 months my husband and I have dragged ourselves out of bed to soothe, find the binky, etc... once, twice or maybe three times a night.

Then the mail carrier brought me a package of new night time diapers. They seemed beautiful enough, soft enough... I was excited to try a new type, my husband rolled his eyes asking why we needed even more diapers (to which I responded that these were Erin's new OBF fitteds, of course we had to try them!).... so try them we did.

We have been using these new fitteds for seven nights now. For seven beautiful nights, Jackson has slept soundly the entire night. It is unbelievable. I can not see how this turn of events is a coincidence. Now my husband calls them the 'magic diapers' and asks me why we didn't have them before.

Finally we are starting to feel somewhat rested again. We no longer fight with each other about whose turn it is to go find the binky or walk him around.

For whatever magic Black Forrest gnome dust you have sewn into these diapers... thank you a million times. For our sanity ... thank you a million times

Much love,
Kim

__

so if you need a few 'magic diapers', they'll be available this week! we ♥ ours!


our new fall hemp fleece fitteds & flats are being made right now. the colors are gorgeous!! a few totes may be available, but are for the most part sold out. single diapers will be available in November. all sizes/colors are limited.

but where is the wool? it's getting cold & your little ones need wool - now! wool totes will be up soon. though there is a wait, purchasing a tote pre-order locks your order in for your favorite colors/sizes! & what awesome new colors we have coming!! we were the first to bring you squash last season - it's available again along with the incredibly popular mustard. we've added a dark teal and a few more jewel tones - all perfect going into spring (especially for little ones who need a darker pant to play in). we also finally have a deep neutral brown & a true black. you can order one pair of front pocket karate pants^tm and have the option to add on 4 pieces to your tote. if you like a color and want to be sure to get it, a tote pre-order is the best route , based on what happened last season. we've stepped up production, but colors are still fairly limited, especially in the front pocket karate pants^tm . the new wool color swatches will be available soon for ordering reference. shorts are not available for the winter totes, but they will be back for spring.
double layer wool covers with stretch waistbands & cuffs are also due to arrive this month. if you are waiting for a replacement, they'll be shipping out soon. these will be great for nights and have recovery & stretch where your little ones need it most!

are you interested in wholesale? we are in the process of accepting wholesale accounts for 2009. if you are interested in carrying sustainablebabyish^tm in your brick and mortar store, please send inquiries to: wholesaleATsloombDOTcom. we really want to offer a local cloth diapering option through our retailers, so online stores with a B&M will have preference. all inquiries will be considered. please allow a few days for us to respond to wholesale requests.

thanks for visiting our new site! & thanks again to Jen!
xo
erin

congratulations to Chelsie & Brayden, left, for a fabulously Octoberish photo & to Kammy and Josie, right, for a beautiful picture!! it was a difficult decision again - there were so many great submissions! thanks again!!

check them out in our new gallery when we launch the new sloomb.com in about 2 weeks!

october photo contest

ok, pull out the wool, fitteds, flats (whatever you have), your best camera (or photographer friend), even invite a few other kiddies in their sustainablebabyish - it's time for the October photo contest & you only have one week to submit these! yes, you can send more than one photo, but try to choose the best one yourself and send that in. look for your photos on our new website - yes, it's finally going to launch this month! great, so what's the prize? a new pair of graphite sustainablebabyish karate pants, ready to ship when the pre-orders arrive. there will only be one winner this time. thanks for participating! check out the fine print below.

photo: Junah in a sustainablebabyish wool cover; by Leah.



please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish photo contest - OCTOBER" in the subject line to: photocontestATsloombDOTcom . all submissions need to be in by 10/10 11:59 pm EST. the winner will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 10/12 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about how awesome your little one is in sustainablebabyish. all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb inc. & may be used on our website, on our blog, or in print.
best of luck to everyone!
xo erin

photo: Faelynn flying in her sustainablebabyish flat; by Miranda Eddy

the perfect sustainable bag.

When we go to the market, we always bring our totes and make sure that we don’t walk out with plastic bags which will end up in a landfill for the next thousand years or so. Since the late nineties we have been carrying our canvas and cotton totes around in the trunk or the stroller (since we now live in a city perfectly scaled for car-free living), so we are never without this sustainable lifestyle staple. But canvas and cotton are rather humdrum, and while they crumple up nicely into my primary out-and-about & work bag–alternatives are nice. Here are some notables in the sustainable lifestyle bag-world.
We have fallen in love with Freitag, for obvious reasons: each of their bags are cut from tarpaulin covers used on trucks zipping through Swiss cantons. But tipping the scale at around 100€ for a tote, these remain a little daunting. There is hope. Alchemy Goods, whose production is located in Seattle’s SoDo, has a fantastic line of sustainable, recycled-material bags and accessories. They have localized the Swiss company’s aesthetic by reusing cast-off materials from the area’s bicycle culture and advertising market. The "Ad Bag" recycles vinyl mesh material from banner advertising, seatbelt webbing, and inner tubes. Very hip. Their messenger and courier-style bags are made from inner tubes as well (is your diaper bag this cool?). This tote retails at around $35 USD; the messenger bag (pictured below), $168.

“Ad Bag” and “The Messenger” by Alchemy Goods.

Sustainable and Ethical: BaZura Bags.
Freitag and Alchemy Goods represent pretty much the high-end of the practical, recycled materials bag market. However this business model has been picked up by others. Most notably, by the independent women's cooperative in the Philippines which produces the BaZura Bags line from recycled juice containers (!) and vinyl billboard material. Purchasing BaZura products directly supports the women assembling these in a fair trade workshop in Manilla. Sustainable, hip, ethical.

The Bazura Bag totes and diaper bag.

ode to sustainability

Joni Mitchell, Big Yellow Taxi, 1970.

thank you, Kim!

Kim made this beautiful hat for Benjamin! Just had to share how adorable it is with everyone.

thanks so much, Kim - it's perfect! <3
xo
erin

one from summer

fall has already arrived, but here is one from summer.
benjamin, 28 mos, M squash cover.

hemp totes are up

hemp|organic cotton fitted & flat totes will be available today in natural & our new color for fall - sprout!

xo
erin

August Photo Contest Winners

congratulations to the August photo contest winners - clockwise from top left: Eames, 2 yrs, by Rebecca; Nakoa Ryan, 13 mos, by Sarah; Annabelle, 18 mos, by Alexa; Sadie, 17 mos, by Kerrie; Gianna, 16 mos, by Jenna.
thanks again to all of you for submitting photos!
xo
erin

august photo contest

congratulations to the staying cool photo contest winners, left to right: Jackson at The Great Wall, by Kim; Archer, 7 mos, by Cindy; Tulia, 8 mos, by her 12 y/o sis Mela; Lily, 28 mos, by Amanda. as usual, we couldn't decide on just two, so there were four winners last time - your covers will be shipping soon - thank you all!




it's time for the August photo contest! please submit your entries by 8/31, 5 pm EST. the winner will be notified by email 9/2 & will receive a 100% organic wool double layer cover! this month's theme? wool. plain and simple. since the summer wool line has been shipped out & we're all gearing up for fall - show off your wool!







the gritty: please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish photo contest - AUGUST" in the subject line to: erinATsloombDOTcom . all submissions need to be in by 8/31 5 pm EST. winners will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 9/2 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about how awesome your little one is in sustainablebabyish. all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb inc.

xo
erin

a note about totes

the totes are running later than we had planned. though they are still well within the 8 week time frame, these should have all shipped 3 weeks ago.

using small contractors in the us has its ups and downs. up #1 they have their own lives (and are paid well, & don't work 24 hrs a day). down #1 (see up #1).
so, they are arriving slowly. all of the totes should be shipping early next week. we have more than enough coming in and will have them available to everyone else as soon as possible. colors are very very limited though, so if you see something that you would like, it may not be in stock again.

sugar, squash, mustard, kirsche and natural covers in stock very soon!
xo
erin

my bonnie

for those of you that don't know - my two chidlers and I are here in PA for the summer. without dad|husband|best friend. it's already been 3 months and, well, it's been difficult. my husband sent me this over the weekend.

just wanted to send a big public thank you, Michael (as much as you're going to cringe when you read this - oh and I love you!).
xo
erin

stocking again & new hemp colors

sustainablebabyish is stocking covers, karate pants and shorts again today! surprise listings will pop up throughout the day. here's a peek at our new hemp colors. we're still deciding on our favorites - it's a difficult decision since they are all so gorgeous!
make sure to get your June photos in for the contest - only 3 days left!
xo
-erin

congrats to Jennifer & Evelyn!

Evelyn, 12 mos, by Jennifer
first up-congratulations to Jennifer & Evelyn! they will be receiving a free sustainablebabyish fitted this week! our next contest is for june - two lucky winners will receive a double layer organic cover in natural-the perfect cover for a summer night! please submit your entries by june 30, 5 pm EST. 2 lucky winners will be notified by email 7/1. this month's theme? staying cool. we love to see your little ones outside - now show us how cool they are - send them in & have fun!

the gritty: please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish photo contest - JUNE" in the subject line to: erinATsloombDOTcom . all submissions need to be in by 6/30 5 pm EST. winners will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 7/1 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about how cool your little one is in sustainablebabyish. all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyishsloomb.

as promised, a few photos of Benjamin's awesome birthday gifts - here are the yummy organic velour carrot & eggplant from Wabi-Sabi Wonders. & the little BEN doll from Maureen at scapularisDOLLS. just have to say how much Benji & I love these! in fact, he's sleeping with the carrot right now, but only because the little BEN doll is hiding!



so, we've been having a lot of fun this month at the grandparent's house. Benji's second birthday, playing in mud puddles - another reason you have to have a pair of graphite karate pants!- swimming in fitteds (it's been great stocking every day - the wool is coming soon!), watching the birds make their nests, and of course dyeing the summer wool! i have been working on the wool for the past two weeks straight and the colors are awesome! look for totes this week, probably friday or saturday. trying to move away from the friday only stockings in anticipation of the new store, so look for fitteds throughout the week. here's a photo of Benjamin playing in his front pockets - don't be afraid to have fun outside-use your wool!

oh, one more thing - if you're local, check out Hillside Farms. we spent the day there this saturday & not only do they have the best ice cream -made on site, with milk from cows hanging out across the street, but you can buy organic milk to take home! best part? it's actually less expensive than the organic milk you find in the grocery store - milk that probably has to travel a long way to reach you. Hillside Farms, members of the PASA, is a fun place to take the kids, especially if they love chocolate ice cream.

have a great week!

xo

erin

<

Benjamin in Frankfurt

the fitted photo contest will be up for one more day, if you would like to get your pictures in!  the winner will receive a free sustainablebabyish fitted and doubler!  check out the previous post for contest specifics.

hope you are all having a wonderful week!  i have been stocking every day - thanks again to everyone!  benjamin turned 2 this week - so it's been busy here!  wonder what we found for him?  more photos tomorrow.

for all of you who submitted photos in last month's photo contest - your gift totes are being shipped.  if i have not contacted you, please send me an email and we'll ship the tote out.

xo

erin

travel writing

so, what have we been doing the past few months? and where are we going? here's another long post - grab the coffee or tea and join us for a bit. first, let me again congratulate the winners of the sustainablebabyish photo contest for May! thank you all for sending them in! our next contest is all about fitteds and closes in two weeks. the winner will receive a free fitted, your choice in size and color, as available. here is the fine print:
please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish FITTED photo contest" in the subject line to: erin AT sloomb DOT com . all submissions need to be in by 5/22 5 pm EST. winners will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 5/23 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about where you take your sustainablebabyish & what you love about them. winner will receive a sustainablebabyish fitted! all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb and may be used in print, on our website, or on this blog. all submissions must be made by the original photographer. photographer gives all rights to sustainablebabyish|sloomb to use the photograph in print, on our website, or on this blog. best of luck to everyone - go outside, enjoy & have fun!

two things -- not only does the baby love to dance to Bowie, but we have been living in one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been, aside from Java. here are some pictures of the bodensee. sunday, the alps were not visible, but they are directly across the lake. 5.7 miles-amazing-gorgeous! thought you might like to see this too.

we've been very busy here in konstanz. i am working out production for the summer line, which is why i have decided to come home early. we have a lot of fabric coming in, fabric to dye & launder, ship, and have made into covers, fitteds & flats for your little ones. the new fitted is on it's way - hang in there, it will be well worth the wait! you won't believe how soft the new stretch organic wool for summer is! this is seriously going to be the best cover we've ever had! it will be easy to get your hands on one, too, because we'll have a lot in stock, finally! our hemp fleece fitteds, flats and doublers will be available in 3 new colors for summer - expect those next month.


the new website will be up very soon. Jen has been awesome, working with all of our requests. i'll post here when it's up - we'll still be at sloomb.com & there will be a newsletter to subscribe to for stocking updates and other fun information. with the new restrictions at HC, we had to launch the site. we would never want to list every diaper and cover by auction. diapering should be affordable and easy to purchase. enough time & energy is spent on the computer - you shouldn't have to spend hours trying to get one item or have to spend three times the price because of limited availability. the fabric is on it's way, lab dips are being approved, and production is continuous. we should have sustainablebabyish arriving every week now.

thank you all, again. we have the best customers in the world - we love to hear from you and see your photos! remember that even though sustainablebabyish is growing, you can still email with questions, comments, or ideas. behind the line, is a family of four. we work together. inspire each other. enjoy life now, make responsible choices, and create a sustainable future.

Wishing you all a joyous mother's day! I will not be in to answer email until 5/12, while we are traveling.
xo erin

congrats to Miranda & Nissi

congratulations to the two sustainablebabyish photo contest winners this month! they will each receive a free pair of karate shorts! the next photo contest is all about fitteds. start taking those gorgeous pictures - go outside, have fun, enjoy! more details on the next contest later this week.




















Faelynn, age 2, by Jason Eddy






















Evangeline, 12 mos, by Nissi

thank you all for submitting your photos! the decision was so difficult! Ashley's beautiful photo of Isla Maeve is the runner up.

















Isla Maeve, 4 mos, by Ashley


i will be posting photos of the bodensee tomorrow, plus lots of updates and info on what we've been up to and where we're going.
xo erin

may photo contest closes tomorrow!

we just wanted to send out a reminder that the MAY photo contest closes tomorrow! if you'd like to be included for a chance to win a FREE pair of sustainablebabyish karate shorts, please submit your photos by 5/5 at 5pm EST. contest specifics are below. best of luck to everyone!
please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish photo contest - MAY" in the subject line to: erin@sloomb.com . all submissions need to be in by 5/5 5 pm EST. winners will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 5/6 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about where you take your sustainablebabyish & what you love about them. winner will receive a pair of sustainablebabyish KARATE SHORTS - just in time for summer (you choose the size, we will work with you on color)! all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb and may be used in print, on our website, or on this blog. all submissions must be made by the original photographer. photographer gives all rights to sustainablebabyish|sloomb to use the photograph in print, on our website, or on this blog.
our recommendation? make your photos great - be creative, go outside, above all-have fun!
wonder what we've been doing? we'll be sharing our own photos tomorrow!
xo erin

news and congratulations!!

London, sustainablebabyish graphite karate pants.
congratulations to London and mom Jessica for winning the third sustainablebabyish photo contest!
we're stocking another pair of front pocket karate pants in Lychee today - this will probably be the only pair ever made, unless we choose to offer Lychee again next year. there are also a few more of our fluffy sherpa prefolds and hemp|organic cotton doublers. natural fitteds will be in stock next week.

if you'd like to stock up on sustainablebabyish flats & fitteds, Kelly's Closet will have them available Monday, 4/28 at 12PM EST! Kelly will have lots of flats and fitteds to choose from--remember, these are the very last of the pink and blue flats--we are retiring these two colors permanently.

thank you all for submitting photos for the last photo contest! we are still accepting photos for May - so far, there are a lot of great photos to choose from! here's the info:
please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish photo contest - MAY" in the subject line to: erin@sloomb.com . all submissions need to be in by 5/5 5 pm EST. winners will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 5/6 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about where you take your sustainablebabyish & what you love about them. winner will receive a pair of sustainablebabyish KARATE SHORTS - just in time for summer (you choose the size, we will work with you on color)! all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb and may be used in print, on our website, in ads or on this blog. all submissions must be made by the original photographer. photographer gives all rights to sustainablebabyish|sloomb to use the photograph in print, on our website, in ads, or on this blog (photographer will always have a photo credit).
our recommendation? make your photos great - be creative, go outside, above all-have fun!

Evangeline taken by Nissi at Sapo Verde

xo
erin

third sustainablebabyish photo contest

this is long over due! we decided to use the current pictures of your kiddies, if you have sent us new ones. thanks for sending them in and best of luck to all of you! the photos will be up for the weekend - voting will begin on Monday. if we have overlooked a photo that you submitted, please let us know by Sunday night so that we can include you in the contest.
here are the entries--your kiddies--in the third sustainablebabyish photo contest. the poll will open at 5am EST 4/21 and will close 4/24 at 5pm EST. please see previous posts for the *fine print*--basically that by sending your photograph, you consent to it being posted on this blog.
this contest is for a $25 gift certificate to sloomb.com -- make your selections in the poll to the left (look for this on 4/21).

next round? soon! start submitting photos for the next contest - things will work a little differently going forward. please submit your photos in a high quality jpeg format, with "sustainablebabyish photo contest - MAY" in the subject line to: erin@sloomb.com . all submissions need to be in by 5/5 5 pm EST. winners will be chosen by the sloomb team and announced on 5/6 by email. please include your child's name, age and a few lines about where you take your sustainablebabyish & what you love about them. winner will receive a pair of sustainablebabyish KARATE SHORTS - just in time for summer (you choose the size, we will work with you on color)! all photos submitted will become the property of sustainablebabyish|sloomb and may be used in print, on our website, in ads or on this blog. all submissions must be made by the original photographer. photographer gives all rights to sustainablebabyish|sloomb to use the photograph in print, on our website, in ads, or on this blog.
make your photos great - be creative, go outside, have fun!
xo, erin





















photo one - Sylvia, sustainablebabyish fitted


















photo two - Evangeline, sustainablebabyish fitted






















photo three - Joey, 21 mos, sustainablebabyish graphite karate pants





















photo four - Bryton, sustainablebabyish flat





















photo five - Kellan, 12 mos, sustainablebabyish wool cover





















photo six - Tatiana, sustainablebabyish fitted
















photo seven - a little one, sustainablebabyish wool cover





















photo eight - Jonah, 7 mos, sustainablebabyish organic cotton sherpa prefold





















photo nine - London, sustainablebabyish graphite karate pants

friday update

we have a few pairs of front pocket karate pants being auctioned off today. graphite will be our charity auction this week for Philabundance.org . also, check out the wool tote lottery - if you've missed our stocking times in the past, here's your chance to order a tote! colors are limited, please read the entire listing before entering.
we would like to extend our thanks to everyone who hung in there last Friday for the stocking. the server crashed and orders were lost or oversold. this mainly happened with our best selling grey karate shorts, graphite & organic natural covers. if you were refunded and would still like those items, please send me an email and i'll do my best to fill the requests. this is for refunded orders only & is not an open call for customs. please put your order number in the subject line.
sustainablebabyish|sloomb will be moving off Hyena Cart in about a month. we'll still be there for specialty items and auctions, but due to the crashing issues we had last friday, we felt this was necessary. this is an exciting move, and though we are going to miss weekly stockings with everyone, there will be a new home for all of our products. Jen from jenuine products is working on the website right now. can't say enough about her - she is talented, creative & cool - great to work with on so many levels.
the sherpa prefolds are now out there making a lot of little ones cozy! if you missed one last week, they're up again today, along with a few doublers.
have a great week!
xo erin

get your spring wool!

finally, finally finally! the spring wool is here and available at 4pm EST, save for the one pair of bodensee karate pants that snuck by me. congrats to the one who found them! you'll find a bit of everything today, except for flats. we are out of those for at least three weeks. the organic sherpa prefolds & a few fitteds are up--fitted totes are shipping this weekend. the photo contest is running very late - expect to see it soon! i made a lot of covers in all sizes this time, hoping that there will be enough for everyone. there will be more again within the month, then it's on to SUMMER '08 ~ we have a lot of gorgeous things planned for next season!


the sustainablebabyish FAQ has been updated, so please read it when you have a chance. many questions are answered there. of course, if I missed something, please feel free to email with any questions.
xo erin

spring color

this week has been all about wool, spring, and color. while we all wait for these, sustainablebabyish will stock both 97/3 and organic covers, karate shorts and our *fabulous* karate pants in our new spring palette within the next two weeks. we were hoping to have the fitteds and sherpa in by this Friday, but it looks like they will be in next week.
today we have a few more wool totes and the last of the flats for at least a month. also, check out our Philabundance charity auction for another awesome pair of our front pocket karate pants!