I am so crushed

I had a great Christmas by the way, and I am very grateful for everything I got.

However, we did not get the house we have been waiting so long to find out about. My Great grandmother passed away about a year ago. A few months ago we found out we may get her house. I was so thrilled, but it was between my Grandma and her sister, with their brother (the oldest) making the decision. Her sister wanted the house for her daughter, she is pregnant and the house her and her husband bought is a 2 bedroom. This is her second child.

My Grandmother wanted the house for us. We rent, and we cannot afford our rent, bills and food. We get the bills paid each month by scraping money together, but there is never any left for food. We scrape by and my Mom buys us a lot of food. This neighborhood is not good and getting worse by the day. I won't let me kids play outside. Our neighbors are always drinking and fighting, I am surprised we haven't heard gunshots.

Well today I found out that they are getting it, not us. I have never ever wanted anything so much in my entire life. It is right down the road from my Grandma, all family lives around there, we would have not had to pay rent, but would have still paid her some each month to help with what it would have cost her (since the 3 kids would have "split" the cost three ways), my kids would have been able to play outside, and I would have actually been happy. In this house, my baby stuff that I used for Diaper Cakes by Wendy takes up a whole bedroom, so my daughter sleeps in our room and has to play in my son's room. I am starting to think the diaper cake business is a huge waste of time and money and that I need to get a "real" job. I love doing what I do but it does not bring in any money. As much as we struggle, I feel like I have no business sitting at home each day trying to get somewhere with this "business" of mine. If I could actually sell some stuff I feel I would be happy because I love doing it. Jimmy is so awesome because he works way more than 40 hours a week, he is a welder and barely akes minimum wage, so he works his ass off just to pay bills and he feels bad that he cannot provide for his family like he should, but the company he works for got sold and they took away most of his pay that he worked so hard for. He doesn't pay in any taxes so his checks will be enough to cover bills, so I just know that when it comes time to file, we will owe money. I don't know what to do.

I am so tired of being sad. I am waiting for our big break but I don't think it's coming. We try so hard. I get sick to my stomach when I see some people, they steal, they sell drugs, they lie, they do bad things but yet they are the ones walking around with new clothes, nice cars, and money. And they are on food stamps so their families can eat too. We get absolutely no assistance from the government, nor do we want any. None of us have health insurance. (besides whatever it is my husband is required to have as a welder so when he gets hurt he won't sue)

What am I doing wrong here?

On Sale Page Updated!

I know I am a day late here, but my website's sale page has been updated. This week I am including my 3 tiered diaper cakes, my washcloth butterflies, and my washcloth spoon lollipops, enjoy! See it here: On Sale!

YAY!!! I won a Zhu Zhu Hamster!!

Well, I didn't win it for free LOL that would have been nice, I bid on it on eBay and won it!! My Mom is getting me one tomorrow from Wal Mart but the limit is 1 per person and I can't be there so I needed to find a way to get another one, I paid a little over $14 for it, but I don't care!!! :) Now Bruce and Brooke-Lynn will have a fake pet hamster for Christmas LOL!! I think it's name is Chunk. I don't really care which one it is I just wanted one! Apparently Jilly the pink one is very sought after, people are paying like $30 for that, and they are only $8 in Wal Mart when you can find them!

Now if I could only find the accessories, like a house or a ball or something!! They are sold out everywhere!

Reborn Baby Doll Pictures!!

I promised more of the Reborn Baby pictures that Cyndi did, and now I have them! They are soo beautiful, let me know what you think! There is a more detailed post a few posts down about her and her Reborn Dolls. To see her current dolls, just visit This Link. :)

Earn Cash Back on eBay!

Someone I recently purchased something from on eBay sent me an email today for a site called Big Crumbs, so I checked it out and it's pretty neat, it is funded by eBay and you just earn cash back on things you would buy anyway. It is free so I thought I would give it a try, especially when I saw that the woman who referred me has earned over $1,000! I am not sure how long she's been a member, but WOW, that is awesome!! Just for going to this site before you bid or buy on eBay! To check it out, just click the image below! :-)

Reborn Babies

Have you seen or heard of these? If not, you are missing something wonderful! A reborn baby is actually a doll, but if you saw one with their parents out in public, you would most likely never know! There are many very talented artists who make these dolls out of kits, adding their hair by hand, painting their skin, adding even the tiniest details such as fingernails, all by hand! I cannot imagine the patience it takes to do such a task!

Anyway, I have had the pleasure of "meeting" (online) a wonderful lady who makes these dolls. Her name is Cyndi. She has ordered small lots of baby items from me twice now and I was curious to what it was for so I went snooping and found her beautiful dolls! They took my breath away! And this lady thinks I'M talented! I could never do what she does! Anyways, she sends each baby home with tons of goodies like pacis, cute clothes, accessories, a gift for Mom, and one of my cute washcloth creations! How exciting!

She currently doesn't have any babies listed but she says she lists about one per week. I am posting some pictures of her babies, they will astound you! After the pictures, I will add a link to her eBay page so you can check out what she currently has. She starts her babies low and has free shipping, allowing everyone a chance at these beautiful dolls!

Here are the pictures, sorry for the blurriness, I had to take them off eBay and I wasn't able to take the larger ones. They are used with permission however, and I will be emailing Cyndi for some pictures and I will post more later.


Amazing huh? So, like I said her name is Cyndi, and here is the link to her eBay listings, if she doesn't have any babies up when you look be sure to save her as a favorite or check back soon! Cyndisbinkies

New Page on my Website! SALE!!

Not sure why this didn't occur to me sooner! I guess because right now I am struggling and really need some sales to buy Christmas for the kids? This could actually bite me in the butt because the prices are so low that I will need more than one item (except the diaper cake) to be purchased for it to help me, but my regular prices are the same way anyway, so why not!? I can just hope that someone comes along and wants a bunch of washcloth lollipops, which I am selling for just ONE dollar WITH FREE SHIPPING! Also, my baby washcloth bunnies are one dollar with free shipping. My other item on sale is my two tiered undecorated boutique style diaper cakes for just $20 with free shipping! I am only keeping these on sale for one week, so if you want them, order fast! Each week I will change the current specials, gotta keep it new and interesting! Let me know what you think! Here is the link: Current Sales!

Another Update on www.cutebabyshowergifts.com LOL

Well the site is back up and the pictures are still there, so if you missed it, here is it again. Thief!

Tutus!!

Here are 2 of them. :) I have several but I was just taking pictures and I only took 2 when my camera batteries died! One is a burgundy and black one (for USC - Gamecocks), and one is a hot pink and green on for a newborn, it is not very fluffy lol!

Another Update on Cutebabyshowergifts.com

The website seems to not exist anymore. I guess either one of the sellers who saw their stolen pictures did something about it, or she got a lot of emails and decided to take the site down all together. Either way, I am glad it is gone, but I will be watching that URL in case it comes back to life.

Santa's Market Craft Show - Columbia SC

Santa’s Market Craft Show – Columbia

Join us at Seven Oaks Park for the Santa’s Market Craft Show and Sale this holiday season. This annual event features unique gifts, charming decorations and one of a kind crafts. Complete your holiday shopping with items like art prints and paintings, hand-made jewelry, ornaments, painted glassware, holiday wreaths and decor and much more! Concessions will be available for purchase. General admission is free.

All Ages. Sat., Dec. 5, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Seven Oaks Park

200 Leisure Lane
Columbia, SC, 29210
Tel: 803.772.3336


I will be there! I will have my diaper cakes, and many baby shower favors such as washcloth lollipop sets, washcloth bunnies and butterflies, washcloth candies, diaper cupcakes, boo boo bunnies and more! I will also have Christmas ornaments, tutus, fairy wands, hand made pillows from mini pillows all the way up to body pillow and doggies beds! My Sister in law and Mother in law will be there too, with hair bows, head bands, hair bow holders, quilts, embroidered items, pee pee tee pees and much more! Don’t miss it!

Scam alert update - cutebabyshowergifts.com

If you haven't read my previous post, read it first. I have an update. She has added pictures back to her site. Some of them she doctored, and they look stupid. Take a look at the washcloth baby dolls with the faces drawn on, how stupid does that look?? And she thinks that by putting "images courtesy of image sharing websites" at the bottom of her website makes it okay to steal pictures. It is not. That is not how it works, you have to ASK permission to use pictures AND give credit to the OWNER. Anyway, she is openly admitted she made NONE of these items, so I have no idea why she is even trying to sell these things, and outrageous prices at that.

If you make diaper cakes or any other baby shower gifts and favors, please take a look at her website and make sure she hasn't stolen any of your pictures. I have emailed her, but she refuses to take them down. Maybe if she gets enough emails she will get a clue and remove our pictures.

What a loser.

Cutebabyshowergifts.com

Just wanted to warn readers of this fraud website, www.cutebabyshowergifts.com this person stole pictures from me and several other sellers of baby shower items, and made a whole website up with these stolen pictures saying she makes these items. As you can see, there are NO pictures on the website, which shows that every single picture she had up (there were hundreds) were stolen from somebody. She claimed public domain, but I just want to let everyone know something. Please visit the link below to read about "public domain" when it comes to pictures. Even if she did think she could use the pictures, taking people's pictures and then claiming to make the items yourself is a very good indicator that you should not be buying from this dishonest person. I work too hard to have someone passing my items off as their own. And YES, my pictures were watermarked, that doesn't stop some people.
Public Domain

Golden Corral

So, we had an AWFUL experience at Golden Corral yesterday, and I wanted to share it with everyone. I love going to Golden Corral for the food and the bread but I never get good service there. I do not expect it either, because it just never happens. I guess the waitresses feel like they don't really have to take care of you much since there's a buffet. Anyway, this one visit was bad. I am pasting below a copy of the email I sent them, it will explain everything.

My Mother, I, and my 1 year old baby went to Golden Corral on Forest Drive in Columbia, SC on Sunday, November 22 (today) at 4pm. When we arrived, there were no high chairs for babies available, so we sat down to wait for one to become available, which we were understanding about. I notified a manager (a white lady, not sure of her name) that we were waiting so we could be sure to get the next avialable high chair. Well, after 20 minutes, we saw a waitress pushing a high chair across the floor. So I got up and let her know that we needed it. Well she got nasty with me and told me it was for HER customers, and I told her we had been waiting for one. She rolled her eyes and walked away with the chair. So I went and told the manager that I had spoke to before and she got an attitude, she walked to our table and said she has no control over who takes the high chairs. My Mom got mad and told her we had been waiting 20 minutes for a high chair and had been unable to eat as we were holding the baby. As she was standing there, the other waitress who took the high chair came over and pushed it towards us very rudely. The manager said "see she brought it back!" and then went on to tell us how the other customers needed the chair more because their baby was smaller than ours and our baby should sit in a booster seat like most babies her size. I could not believe what I was hearing. My baby CANNOT sit in a booster seat, she is only 1. She would have fallen out if we tried to put her in one. I cannot believe how rudely we were treated, by the time we got to eat our rolls were cold and our tea was watery, but the manager did not care. I know my Mother is probably going to email you or call as well, as we were both absolutely dumbfounded at how we were treated by the manager and other employees there. I must say I never expect (or get) great service at Golden Corral (but I love the rolls and food so go anyway) but this is one for the record books.

Alpha Inventions

I actually found something this guy wrote about Alpha Inventions a while back, but never got to see it in action until today. then I started Googling it and apparently a lot of people do not like it. I don't get it.

Anyway, Alpha Inventions is not as complicated as so many seem to want to think it is. It is a "thing" that shows you blog posts from various platform as they are updated in real time. Make sense? Go to Alpha Inventions and you will see what I mean. It is like being subscribed to everyone's blog at the same time, which I think is neat because you could sit there and find something very interesting that you otherwise would not have found! You may fine your new favorite blog!

And for some reason there are a lot of people who don't want to be "included" in this. I don't get it. It's kinda like a search engine, and anyway, if you don't want people to see what you are writing maybe you shouldn't be writing it in an online blog.

I say, keep up the good work, I know that took a long time to do and I think it is neat. I hope those knuckleheads don;t bother you or get it taken down.

Wal Mart Black Friday Ad

Wal Mart's Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) ad can now be viewed online here: Wal Mart Black Friday Ad
Wal Mart will open at 5am on Black Friday

At this website you will also find ads from Kmart, Lowe's, Old Navy, Best Buy, Office Max, Home Depot and more, for their Black Friday deals. After viewing Wal Mart's ad (because you know it's the best!), simply look to the right of the page and you will see links to the other store ads.

Enjoy!

Awww my little baby!!

Awww Linda added a picture of my little princess Brooke-Lynn to her home page on her website, she is wearing one of Linda's fluff clips in her hair in the picture, it is SOOOO cute! Go check it out - and buy some bows while you are there!! Awwww
Linda's Hair Candy

Holy Cow!

So, if you have been a reader for a while, there was a post where I said I would show a picture of how my diaper cakes USED to look like, well I deleted them all because, well, they weren't that good lol. Well, I found out that Linda had a picture of some of my old cakes and a wreath! So, I am about to show it to you but you have to promise not to laugh too hard! I actually kinda like them still, but they are the candle rolled diaper style cake, made with LUVS of course, and they have baby supplies on them. I know they are a little hard to see with all the cellophane lol but comments would be much appreciated and probably laughed at. Do you think I have improved any?

Picture Time Again - Yay!!

I have a ton of pictures I would like to share with everyone, but I will just post a few. :) (If you look at all the pictures you will get a treat at the end of this post, promise!)

The first one is a set I did a few days ago - I LOVE it! It is a 3 tiered boutique diaper cake with a safari/jungle theme and 8 matching mini cakes!


Yellow ducky 3 tiered boutique cake


I love this one too, it is a Princess castle themed 3 tier diaper cake


Blue elephant themed 2 tiered diaper cake


Ladybug and dragonfly themed 3 tier diaper cake


Washcloth spoon lollipops


Boo boo bunnies


Baby washcloth bunnies


Washcloth/diaper candy rolls


And..... as I promised, it is time for your treat! I do believe this is the first picture I have posted of myself (I am not quite as yound as I look, promise!) on here. This is my little princess and I, and I am pretty sure you can guess where we are!



So, now that I have shared that, will you please share some comments? Thanks!!

Diaper Cakes for Older Babies and Toddlers

Just wanted to let everyone know I can also make diaper cakes for older babies (makes a great first birthday gift as the Mom still needs lots of diapers!), or toddlers (can make the cake with Pull Ups) as well! Also, I am more than happy to take requests for towel cakes (good bridal shower or wedding gifts) and diaper cakes as gag gifts for those 'over the hill', made with Depends (adult diapers). Makes a great conversation piece! If interested in any of these items, feel free to leave a comment here or head on over to my website and use the Contact Form. Thanks! Diaper Cakes by Wendy

Can Anyone Tell Me?

Why some people suck so much? Why, when someone else isn't happy with their life they feel the need to ruin someone else's? When, I am out here trying to do something good for myself and my kids, someone who obviously has no life and too much time on their hands feels like they should try to take it all away from me? Seriously, get a life already, if you aren't happy with sitting behind a desk all day working for someone else get off your ass and change it, don;t try to bring others down just because you are jealous.

I feel better now.

Sumter, SC Baby Shower Gifts and Favors

I am trying to reach more people where I live, I hope this helps!

Diaper Cakes by Wendy offers everything you need for baby gifts, baby shower favors, decorations, gifts to take to the new Mom in the hospital, and more!

Why take a vase of flowers to the hospital when they will just wilt? Take a beautiful diaper cake instead and give the Mom something beautiful and useful!

I offer free shipping, free delivery to public places in Sumter, and also I will hand deliver your diaper cake or gifts to Toumey for free! If you live in Manning, Florence, Columbia, etc... this is the most unique baby gift you will find!

I am a stay at home Mom of 2 so I know what products to use and what not to use, I only use the best for those babies!

To learn more about me and view everything I offer such as diaper cakes, washcloth lollipops, washcloth bunnies, and more, visit the Diaper Cakes by Wendy website today!

*Also, if anyone has any other ideas for advertising locally in Sumter, I am ALL ears and would appreciate it!*

Diaper Cakes by Wendy

Still trying to get the word out about me and what I do!

Diaper Cakes by Wendy is the very best place to get all your baby shower gift and decorating needs! Diaper cakes make great baby shower table centerpieces, gifts, and more! It makes a perfect gift to take or get delivered to the hospital, much better than flowers that will only wilt in a few days! Every single diaper in my cakes can be used for the new baby, making it a functional gift, and everyone knows you can never have too many diapers!

I only use the very best ingredients in my creations. I use Luvs size 1 diapers on all diaper gifts and high quality 9" x 9" washcloths on my washcloth creations. Any items with baby bottles, spoons or forks will be made with BPA-free products. I care about every baby I create items for, and I am a Mother of 2 myself, so I know what to use and what not to use. Many sellers take the cheapest way possible out, using store brand diapers and Dollar Store baby items, but not me, I only use the best!

Some of the items I offer are:

• Diaper cakes of course - all boutique spiral style cakes
• Mini diaper cakes - a design I came up with myself, don't be fooled by copycats
• Washcloth lollipops - I also came up with, again do not be fooled by imitators
• Washcloth candies
• Diaper cupcakes
• Diaper butterflies
• Washcloth butterflies
• Diaper purses
• Burp cloth candies
• Boo boo bunnies
• Washcloth bunnies

And so much more! All items are made to order, I do not have pre-made items just laying around collecting dust!

My whole reason for doing what I do is because I am a stay at home Mom of my 2 children, a 6 year old little boy and a baby girl who will be 2 in January.

So would you like to learn more? Want to see pictures? Better yet, want to order? My prices are the best you will find and I have FREE shipping!! Check it out today at Diaper Cakes by Wendy!

Also, if you live in Sumter, SC and would like to get your gifts delivered directly to the new Mom at Toumey, I will do that for FREE!

Introducing Judy's Dreamland!

A few posts down, I have pictures of our last craft show, and in those pictures are some adorable toddler/baby pillows my Mom made. Well, I made her a website and you can check it out here at Judy's Dreamland! She makes adorable toddler pillows and you can order them for just $5.50 and that includes FREE shipping!! Her website also has military throw pillows, teen/adult pillows, and will soon include curtains, pillowcases, and much more! Check it out now!

Introducing Linda's Hair Candy!

I have big news! Linda finally made a website, and I get to be the first to introduce it to you!! :) If you want to see UNBELIEVABLY low prices and free shipping on hair bows, ponytail holders, head bands, fluffy bows, and sooo much more, then just visit Linda's Hair Candy! Let me know what you think, I will be sure to pass along any comments!

Most Recent Craft Show Pictures!

Here are a bunch of pictures from our latest craft show - the Walhalla SC Oktoberfest. It was very disappointing because it rained the whole time and was VERY muddy, so not very many people showed up any of the 3 days. Linda was with me with her hair bows and my Mom was also with us, she made all the cute little pillows you see!



Pillows my Mom made! I made her a website, gotta add pictures and set everything up then I will be posting a link here!


Linda's hair bows. Here you mainly see her ponytail holders, I like them a lot!


Some more of my Mom's pillows and some washcloth candies!


Four diaper cakes and some of Linda's hair bows!


My main table, here you see diaper cakes, boo boo bunnies, diaper purses, receiving blanket honey buns, washcloth bunnies, and burp cloth candies.



Because of the mud we went out and bought 4 bales of hay to spread all around our tents and in front of them. We had a bale left, so we used it to display Linda's fluff claws and my fairy wands!


Mini diaper cakes and hair bow gift baskets!


Linda's main table.


All three tents together, we also had one tent in the back for us to sit in.

Your Baby Can Read Giveaway at MomStart!

Your Baby Can Read is an awesome program, that, yes, actually teaches your baby to read! I have been wanting this program so badly since I saw it a while back, and recently I found this giveaway on a great blog called MomStart! Check out the giveaway here!

New Items/Getting Ready for Craft Show

I have been getting ready for the Walhalla Oktoberfest! Below are some pictures of some new things, and some of what I have been doing the past few days!


This is my Hello Kitty diaper cake. I LOVE it!!! If you are interested in purchasing one, simply visit Diaper Cakes by Wendy and order a Two Tiered - Themed cake and enter in Hello Kitty as your theme! Also pictured is an undecorated mini cake, undecorated diaper cupcakes, and some diaper candy rolls.

Some undecorated diaper cupcakes!

Mini diaper purses, one of my favorite favors!

Mini diaper cakes - my favorite one so far is the Clemson one I made!

Butterfly mini diaper cake, Gerber daisy mini cake, and Christmas mini diaper cake.

One Diaper a Day Isn't Enough

There are too many babies out there whose parents cannot afford diapers. These parents often times resort to leaving their child in the same diaper all day, or sometimes even longer. Some parents have to scrape off the diaper, air dry it, and reuse it. These are disposable diapers we are talking about. Babies who cry for long periods of time because of a soiled diaper are at a higher risk of being abused. Dirty diapers raise the risk of health complications, and of course make the baby very uncomfortable.

Please consider donating diapers locally if you can. They do not have to be name brand, you can get store brand diapers very cheap and I guarantee you the baby who receives it will be grateful. If you do not have time to donate, please feel free to contact me. I will be donating diapers regularly to our local food bank here in SC, the Harvest Hope Food Bank. You can see more facts at this link.

Keep in mind that although the first thing that may come to mind is small diapers, the biggest need is for larger diapers, pull ups, children's diapers, preemie diapers, and even adult diapers. Please consider donating, or contact me, I will gladly collect money and match everything donated to buy diapers in bulk and donate them.

*Edited to add* I wanted to add, I can get a pack of diapers for $5, so for every $5 donated I will buy 2 packs of diapers. I will gladly post here every time a pack is purchased, and when I take the diapers to the donation site. If donations are substantial enough I will also buy Pull Ups, overnights, and adult diapers for the toddlers, children, and elderly in need. Please consider helping.

Donating to the Needy

I have A LOT of clothes that I do not wear, and that Bruce and Brooke-Lynn have grown out of and I would like to donate them to someone who needs them. I thought about Goodwill, but I do not like the idea of them selling the clothes very cheap when there are so many people out there with no money who need clothes. So I started looking on Google for places to donate and I found Sharing and Caring Hands. So I got the address and made up a huge box of clothes for them, but I still have clothes left, so i started looking on Google for homeless shelters in my city so I could just drop them off and I could find none. My city is weird, it is big enough but it seems like the people here like to pretend certain things do not exist (snobby), such as homelessness. It really is sad. Anyway, does anyone know how I can find real places where donated items go directly to those who need it? I thought of Freecycle too, but people take stuff there just because it's free, not because they need it, plus if they have internet access they obviously aren't too poor. I know there are lots of people who need these items, I just need to know how to get it to them.

Last Day For Nominations!

Today is the last day for The Best Crafty Mommy Blog nominations at The Bump. I would greatly appreciate it! It is very simple just go to this link!

Mommy Blog Awards

I have so many readers here, but nobody seems to stick around long or leave a mark! I would LOVE if some of you could take the time to nominate me for the Mommy Blog Awards in the crafty blog category. I have shared instructions on making many of my items, such as washcloth lollipops, boo boo bunnies, and more, as well as articles on how to participate in a craft show, marketing diaper cakes and more. This would be a wonderful way to show some appreciation. Thank you so much!!

I made a tutu!

Not too bad for my first, needs improvement but it has potential lol. I am SOO excited about it though, I will be making a bunch of them for my craft shows now. I have been trying to think of little kid items I could make so I do not only have baby items. This is just one of the things I will be doing. So, the tutu now belongs to Brooke-Lynn because she likes it LOL, and here it is:

The next one I make is going to be double layered, shorter, and more pouffy!

How Would You Like A FREE Diaper Cake??

Well I am giving one away!!! Yes, you heard right, one lucky reader of one of my favorite blogs, The Funky Monkey, will win a two tiered boutique spiral style diaper cake from Diaper Cakes by Wendy! Just head on over to the giveaway here to enter, and be sure to check out the extra entry opportunities as well!

For this to be a diaper cake blog....

I realized today that, for this to be a diaper cake blog, there sure aren't many pictures of my diaper cakes on here! So, here are a few of the cakes I have made for you to enjoy! Please visit Diaper Cakes by Wendy for even more boutique spiral style diaper cakes, and also washcloth lollipops, washcloth candies, diaper cupcakes, washcloth butterflies, diaper butterflies, and much more!

Craft Show Pictures

As promised, here are photos from mine and Linda's first craft show together! My table definitely looked much better this time than my first show! Both of us were super tired though, as we had been up all night just doing the finishing touches and making a few things, maybe we would have done better had we not been so tired! Well we know for the next show to get plenty of rest, also if we do this one next year, we won't be staying the night out there, we will just leave home super early to get there in time, that will save a lot of money! let me know what you think of everything!