Thank you, Charis Baby Designs, for sponsoring this post, part of the 2017 Shop Small Spring series. I was selected for this opportunity by Charis Baby Designs; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
As a nursing momma, I have come to appreciate some of the smaller things in life... like good nursing pads. They need to protect me all day long from accidental moments, especially when I'm on the go working and traveling without my baby. Not only is it vital for controlling normal leaking issues on a day to day, nursing moms know that it is equally important to have extra protection from the constant moisture, so that thrush or other infections don’t grow.
After the first week or so of nursing, I was absolutely done with the disposable nursing pads! I felt like I was not only hurting the environment, but also I hated dealing with how bunched up they felt. I went through them really quickly and they never seemed to stay in place. So off I went on the hunt for good reusable nursing pads.
Thank goodness for Charis Baby Designs. She has adorable reusable nursing pads as well as a full line-up of other great products! If you are looking for a baby shower or coming home gift for a mama you know, then take a look around her shop! She offers custom listing and more.
I also have had a chance to use her new product line of reusable face cleansing pads! Her makeup pads are eco-friendly helping us become more of a zero waste household while saving money! It has really helped me jumpstart my face routine at night because I am super excited to use these beauties!
Great news too! Head on over to her shop for Mother's Day gifts, baby shower gifts, and more and use the code "BAHORICHABODE" at checkout for 10% off your order. How great is that?!
Here is a little bit more about Kim, the owner of Charis Baby Designs:
How did you get your shop started?
I started my shop in 2008 after my third baby. Before her birth, I made a fluffy stash of cloth diapers, diaper covers, and reusable nursing pads. I enjoyed making them and they worked great for me. I wanted to share what I had made with other mothers and their babies, so I opened up my Etsy shop. Here we are!
What is the hardest part of owning a shop?
I find that for me the hardest part of owning a shop has been marketing what I make. Most of my sales have been from word of mouth from happy customers! If I could figure out how to share with new mothers what I have, then I wouldn't think running a shop was hard at all!
What is one thing unique about you?
I guess sewing with solar power makes me unique from many people. It's a small solar set-up. I pride myself on a fast turn around on custom orders. I don't let my orders back up just because I use solar power, so sometimes I need to use a gas generator! Sewing using solar power does limit me a bit, because I would sew earlier in the morning and later at night if I used regular electricity, but I like that I can save more energy!
What is the best part of owning a shop?
The best part of owning a shop has to be creating new things. I also really enjoy seeing that others like that I made enough to buy them for theirselves. My weakness is buying fabric. I love that part of creating new items. I like being able to close shop when I need a break, but that's not very often!
How did you get your shop name?
Well... we went sailing and cruised full time on our sailboat from almost 5 years! My business was very new when we rook off on this adventure and I took my sewing with us.
Our sailboat was named S/V Charis. Since Etsy was a part of our income while out sailing, I decided to use our boat name in it to reflect our journey/life on the boat. Then I added baby designs to the boat's name and Charis Baby Designs was named! We use to sometimes walk 1-3 miles to get my packages to the nearest mailbox, post office, etc. It was part of who we were and what we did every day. It helped us burn off extra energy so we enjoyed our walks! I am so thankful now for land living, mostly because I just have to walk up to the lane to my mailbox to either sent packages or receive the fabric that I order!
What is one way that you keep organized?
I have a hard time keeping organized. We are currently building a small home so at the moment, I store my fabrics in totes. I feel like I'm looking for fabric all of the time. I have a tote for flannels and a separate one for cottons. I have a tote to separate all my items, but I get lost in my totes. Sometimes it takes longer to find what I'm looking for then it does to sew it up! When the house is finished, I will have a sewing room, and I will probably be a little OCD with getting organized after I finally get my own "space" to do so! I will be most thankful when I get into my new sewing room!
How do you balance family life and work life?
Since our children are getting older, it's not a hard to keep up. They do not need me to make every meal or get them dressed. They pitch in really well when I get super busy with the shop. Since I sew with solar power, I am able to run errands on cloudy, rainy days!
