Hello to everyone I met at Craft Saturday today, and thanks for taking the time to visit my website!

Many of you were asking about the Little Leg Warmers, Wool Pants, Baby Slings, and Cloth Diapers. You will find all those items at my main business, Wallypop. For those of you looking for Leg Warmers that were a bit more manly, I’ll be hoping to restock manlier leg warmers in the coming weeks. Thanks!

I just wanted to add - I did inventory some less girly Little Leg Warmers on 4/11. Thanks!!

Fabric baskets for Craft Saturday. The cat one is not my favorite - the applique’s a smidge too big for the basket. Might just be mine now…

Bunch of totes I finished last week for Craft Saturday on March 22 here in Des Moines.

Here I am, working away! I’m still trying to get caught up from being closed in January, and so am working pretty much every chance I get! This is actually a custom order for Wallypop, a set of six all in one diapers.

Today, I came across a new organization called Goods for Girls.

You may have seen the commercials… the ones describing how girls in South Africa miss school when they have their period and how buying Tampax tampons will help them. There’s also a commercial for Always pads, with a similar message. Imagine having to use rags or newspaper, which is what many of these girls use for their periods.

Procter and Gamble (P&G) has started a program in Africa, where they are donating Always sanitary pads to girls who otherwise would miss several days of school each month due to inadequate menstrual supplies.

But what are the potential problems with donating disposable feminine hygiene products? Well, for starters, there is the environmental impact. In most of these areas, they have no solid waste programs or landfills. In other words, they burn their waste.

As such, products that have synthetic components (like sanitary pads and tampons) would be incinerated. For some schools, P&G is building incinerators near the bathrooms. But what about the pollutants emitted from burning these products? They may potentially get inhaled by the students and teachers. Any additional packaging, plastic or otherwise, would need to be disposed of in the same manner.

What would be a good alternative to help out these girls but without the environmental impact? Since most of these girls are using rags now, having a pad that is a more sophisticated (with a waterproof barrier) may be enough to allow them to participate in school and regular activities. They would still wash the pads as they normally do with the rags, but they would benefit from the extra protection.

I started Goods 4 Girls to provide the link for women wanting to donate hand-sewn menstrual pads to agencies who could provide the means to identify areas of need as well as provide the distribution to the women and girls needing the pads.

Wallypop (my main business) has decided to become one of their participating retailers, so if you want to help them out, you can either zip on over to their website and make a donation, or you can zip on over to Wallypop and purchase some pads to be donated.

This is the time of year that I start to really, really despise the four lovely seasons we experience here in Iowa. Snow is really pretty. Magical, even. It softens noises, it falls so silently, it’s sparkly and clean. It’s wonderful to walk in.

For about 10 minutes here in the city. Then it turns into nasty brown slush, watery and icy. The sidewalks become nearly fatally slick. Everything just looks dead and pathetic. By the end of February, the place is just downright depressing.

It was in the 60s today. It’s supposed to snow 6 inches overnight. hrumph. I’m SO READY for a new season.