If you visit the web sites of the popular disposable diaper manufacturers you will find little information about what exactly is in a disposable diaper. Instead you read information about why they are not compelled to make this information available to you…the consumer. When requesting MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) on disposable diapers products you may be met with a response such as this:

Dear Customer,

These consumer products are exempt from the MSDS requirement under the Hazard Communication Guidelines of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. More importantly though, all of our paper products are composed of non-hazardous substances.

We go to great lengths to ensure that our products are safe for workers, consumers, and the environment. All of our products have been proven safe through many years of extensive testing and consumer use.

Please be assured that there has never been a need for MSDS for these products.

Sincerely,

A Large Disposable Diaper Company

So this inclines us to ask…what is the big secret and what are you trying to hide? Perhaps they know it would be unfavorable for them to tell consumers that they are in fact buying polyethylene and polypropylene plastic with bleached paper pulp, AGM (a gelling substance), petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, cellulose tissue, elastic, and perfume. Instead they would rather consumers subscribe to the ideas they present on national television…that you are diapering your baby with materials as soft and inviting as cashmere.

Even when contacting them to determine if your child might have sensitivities to the “ingredients” in their diapering products, you will not get you any closer to the truth. Instead they tell you that this information is proprietary due to the prevalence of diapering spies out there and that if you want further information about the contents you must submit a letter from your Dr. explaining what allergies or product sensitivities your child might have and they will either confirm or deny. The extent of the security that exists around the contents of a diapering product is not only baffling but alarming. Millions are children adorn these products for anywhere from 1-4 years and yet parents are not permitted to know what is in them. Even more alarming is the fact that many parents blindly trust these companies to make products that are safe for their children, never questioning the content of a diaper or their health and environmental impacts.

Did you know that scientific studies have linked disposable diapers and their harsh perfumes and toxic substances to the increase of asthma in society today? Laboratory rats exposed to disposable diapers straight out of the package have suffered increased eye, nose and throat irritation, as well as bronchial constriction similar to that of an asthma attack. These findings appear in a scientific report concluded by Dr. Rosalind C. Anderson of Anderson Laboratories, Inc. in Vermont. The report went on to say that “Chemical analysis of the emissions revealed several chemicals with documented respiratory toxicity. The results demonstrate that some types of disposable diapers emit mixtures of chemicals that are toxic to the respiratory tract. Disposable diapers should be considered as one of the factors that might cause or exacerbate asthmatic conditions.”*

Not only are these large disposable diaper manufacturers producing products laden with chemicals to diaper our children with, they are polluting the earth our children will inherit. In one US town, one such company is responsible for discharging approximately 50 million gallons/day of wastewater into a nearby river.** The chemicals being dumped into this river have made their way into the well water of the surrounding residents and have caused mutations among the fish that live in it. The water is so dark and murky that oxygen and sunlight cannot penetrate it and the smell emanating from it is noxious. Residents have been fighting for close to ten years now to stop this company from polluting their natural resources, all to no avail. Not only do the “safe” ingredients used in these diapering products have the potential to cause asthma-like conditions in our children they may also be polluting our drinking water and mutating our wildlife in areas where they are manufactured.

So it would seem that when a diaper consumer is prohibited from knowing the full contents of the diaper they are using on their child, the manufacturing company has a great deal to hide. How many parents would buy disposable diapers if you were to read something like this on the company web site or diaper packaging:

Dear Customer,

Our diapers are made from a variety of non-child friendly products including bleached paper pulp, petrolatum, stearyl alcohol, cellulose tissue, sodium polyacralate, and perfumes. Some or all of these ingredients may cause adverse reactions to the wearer, including reduced respiratory function so please exercise caution.

Our products are not biodegradable or environmentally friendly and they may contribute greatly to environmental pollution. Although recycling disposable diapers is a possibility, we do not at this time, use any of these available methods as the monetary costs are too great. Thank you kindly for using our products anyway.

Sincerely,
A Large Disposable Diaper Company

Now the question is….if upon reading something like that would parents still choose perceived convenience and use disposable diapers anyway? We can only hope that cloth diapers would at least merit a consideration for their qualities of superior comfort and safety.

return to tiffany

Is cleaning your washing machine important? It certainly is! The inside of your washing machine is constantly being subjected to dirty water, mineral deposits, detergent deposits, and if you launder cloth diapers it is especially important to keep your machine clean and in tip-top condition. Much like dishwashers, sinks and bathtubs get dirty even though they are meant to clean things, your washing machine can become a mess in no time. Though, most dirt and soil is washed out with the water, dirt, soap residue and other unidentifiable grungy objects can be left behind and you actually have to get rid of this dirt yourself. Every time you wash your clothes, hard water and detergents cause build up to accumulate also, inside the tub, pump and hoses. This build-up reduces the ability of your washing machine to perform and mineral build-up can be abrasive to your cloths and diapers you are washing, causing them to wear faster. Cleaning your washing machine eliminates these problems.

First, run a cycle of hot water along with two cups of vinegar or lemon juice to loosen up soap and grime. Remove the fabric softener receptacle and soak it in hot water and detergent. Clean the bleach dispenser with a spray cleaner and paper towels and Q-tips. Don’t forget to clean the top rim of the wash bucket as it is up and under where it can’t usually be seen easily and becomes dirty. Run the washer empty on a hot cycle one more time.

While this is going on you check all your hoses for leaks. Over time, the water hoses that came with your washing machine may leak or burst. It’s a good preventive maintenance practice to check these hoses from time to time for any sign of wear or weakness. Most manufacturers recommend replacing the hoses every 5 years. Make sure your hoses are not a disaster waiting to occur!

Once you’ve soaked the fabric softener receptacle, replace it and polish up the outside of your washing machine with vinegar and a cloth towel. Your washing machine now looks better and will run better as well!

Happy washing!

Discount Tiffany

Between roughly 1892 and 1924 blown glass made into vases and bowls was produced by the Tiffany Furnaces, in Corona Queens. People often talk about three general periods of glass production. The earliest period which roughly was between 1892 and 1900 was the period where the most experimentation was done both in form (shape), color, and application and special effects incorporated into the glass. The middle period was the period where the bulk of the Art Glass was produced. The late period,which spanned between 1916 and the end of the company in the late twenties was the period where more commercial and less innovative pieces were produced. Many of the pieces produced in the period were made in pastel colors.

Louis Comfort Tiffany was the artistic force and designer for all of glass. It has been stated that Tiffany would make very rough sketches for a piece and his artisans would then use the concept to created a more complex and detailed rendering of the piece, which eventually required Tiffany’s approval before production was initiated.

In 1894 Tiffany registered his “Favrile Glass” for trademark and patent purposes. The term he coined actually did not refer to one color or type of glass, but many different colors and textures of glass which he used in the production of his various products including windows, lamps and decorative objects.

Most of the early blown glass vases were not signed. A paper label was applied identifying production by the Tiffany Glass and Decorating Company. In the earliest periods of production many pieces were numbered in sequence between 1 and 9999. In about 1894 pieces began to be numbered with a letter prefix, followed by a number. This used letters between A and Y (no Z). For example in 1894 prefix A and B were used, !895 prefix C and D…until about 1905 with prefix W and Y. In this early period roughly 2 letters were used per year. Following this a number followed by a suffix was used (rougly one letter per year from 11906 to 1928). Some special notations including the use of X for experimental, EX for exhibition, o(small) for special order, A-COLL for pieces made for Tiffany’s personal collection.

Some of the types of glass that were produced were Decorated Glass, Agate, Cypriote, Lava, Paperweight, and Aquamarine glass.

Decorated Glass was produced throughout the periods. The decoration could vary from several small lines on a solid backgroud to complex “king tut” decoration where almost all of the surface of the piece was decorated with random swirled lines. Some special styles of decoration include peacock feathers with eyes, zipper decoration, floral decoration with various types of stylized leaves and flowers.

Cypriote Glass, which was probably inspired by the appearance of ancient glass which had been unearthed after being buried for hundreds of years, and had taken on a roughened irridized surface. The surface often had crater like irregularities resembling the surface of the moon.

Lava Glass which is a dark bluish black background with applied three dimensional designs in gold which simulated the flow of lava.. These are very rare and valuable

Agate glass, which was made to resemble agate with many banded and shaped layered colors. Often these vases were faceted to created even more unusual effects with color.

Paperweight glass which was essentially transparent glass with floral or geometric colored designs had been created internally to give the appearance that the design element was under water or floating within the glass, like the paperweights we use on our desks

Aquamarine glass which is similar to paperweight glass with internal decorations of often aquatic subject matter like fish, which appear to be swimming in the glass.

Cameo glass, which was a technique where when the glass was made one color layer was applied on top of another. In the finishing process the design was created by cutting into the top color to reveal the underneath color cut in often floral techniques.

In the collecting of Tiffany Glass size and color does matter. The most common color is gold, followed by iridescent blue and green. Rarer colors include red, yellow , orange and black. Rarer colors, more complex decoration and size definitely impact on value.

These vanity lights are made by a wide variety of vanity lighting manufacturers. Some of them are not even stained glass, but merely glass, and they use that trademark name. These are not true reproductions because all of the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, who first created these lamps in 1895, used different colors of stained glass held together by copper foil. If a single or even only two-colored glass lights are called Tiffany vanity lights, then keep looking for a better reproduction.

Tiffany vanity lights reproductions are distinguishable first by their style. The stained glass will be in many colors or sometimes just a few, but it will be in certain patterns that were common themes in the work of this company. Flowers, foliage, tree branches and shrubs, spiders and their spiderwebs, dragonflies, butterflies, and almost anything from nature along those lines appeared in the original lamps. Tiffany vanity lights reproductions hold true to his vision and try to mimic his work as closely as possible.

If you like the look of these vanity lights, realize that they are not original works but skilled reproductions, which is the only way most of us can enjoy the artist’s style. Few true Tiffany creations exist today, let alone just vanity lighting, and those that do command high prices, up to eight million dollars for one piece, depending on the style, condition and age.

Tiffany started out working as a stained glass designer for an interior design company. The leftover bits of glass inspired him to use them to make lampshades. He recruited some other artists and craftspeople, and they made each one by hand. No one knows how many lamps were made from each pattern, because they did not keep records, a fact which only adds to the value of each true lamp found. His lamps, though, became more than beautiful lighting, they’re considered an important part of American artistic history, and became key in Europe’s Art Nouveau movement at the time.

The best reproductions will be made meticulously, first with a pattern on cardboard which indicates numbers for each section of the glass and the color that will be used. The glass for the vanity lights is then traced over the pattern, cut and cleaned, and joined together with copper foil. Once the vanity lights pattern is soldered together and cleaned again, it’s a completed and quality reproduction.

Tiffany vanity lights can refer to any type of vanity lighting with stained glass shades, or even simply glass, though most would frown on that label being used on anything besides stained glass. Some are rather expensive, while some are made with cheap materials and less than quality construction. But because Tiffany glass is a term that now seems to stand for any kind of stained glass, the name is used for a variety of glass items including vanity lights that bear no real resemblance to his work.

These vanity lights can add a touch of class to any bathroom or bedroom, first with the beautiful nature-inspired designs in the glass, and then with the attractive quality of the light that shine through them. Why have glaring bare bulbs or plain clear glass shades when you can have vanity lights that mute the light and soften the atmosphere. This lighting gives richness to the quality of light, and gives a serene, lush feeling to any room.

Tiffany Elsa Peretti Sirius Star Drop Earrings

Reselling wholesale beauty products is a very profitable business. Everyone wants to look their best and will spend money to do it. To resell beauty items you will first need to find your niche and then find a reputable wholesaler. Once these two things are accomplished, you will be on your way to selling beauty products and making a good profit from it.

There is such a huge choice of products to choose from in the beauty category that you can resell many different items or just specialize in one area. Beauty products will always be top sellers as women and men alike will always care about their appearance and will spend enormous amounts of money to find products that will help them with their beauty regimen. Below is just a partial list of beauty items that can be resold:

Makeup Mineral makeup Cosmetic bags Hair brushes Skin care products Anti aging and wrinkle creams Eye creams Body lotions Hair products such as shampoos, conditioners, hair repair serums Toothpaste, tooth whitening gels, mouthwash Bath oil and shower products Face washes, toners, moisturizers Body polishes and scrubs Natural hair products Perfumes and fragrance Curling irons, straighteners, hot rollers Shaving accessories Face masks Pedicure and manicure products Massagers

To find a profitable beauty niche, look at completed listings on ebay to see what is selling and for how much. You can also read magazines, look at websites to see what their best sellers are, visit makeup counters at the mall to get ideas and ask family and friends what products they like to use. These ideas can help you decide what you would like to offer for sale.

To find a reputable wholesale company that meets your needs, you should first look at several different companies and then compare them. Some may have a high minimum order requirement while others may have a low order requirement or none at all. Also compare prices of the products to see where you can get the best deal. If you do a comparison of each company before you actually buy, you can sometimes save a lot of money and this means more profit for you when you resell the items. You should also read reviews and ratings of the wholesale companies that you are interested in to see how this company has performed for other retailers. By doing this you can be assured that the wholesaler is on the up and up and that you will have a good experience with them.

Before you even start to resell beauty items, first find your niche and then find a reputable company that has the wholesale beauty products that you want to resell. If you do a bit of research first before jumping into anything too fast, you will find that your business of selling beauty products will be a very profitable and enjoyable one. 

jonatha brooke banx