let's Jam

well, another item i wouldn't usually write about, since the product itself isn't homemade.. but since, it's let YOU be creative, i took a stab at it. :)

Victoria Savo, a long time friend and customer that i met through my own WAHM business, is now a WAHM herself. She's in the business of beauty.
As a Jamberry nails representative, she's able to stay home with her brood, help ladies enjoy easy nail designs (at a decent price!), and bring in a bit of income she can be proud of!
Now I've tried Jamberry Nail Wraps in the past, and I've always had a bit of an issue with the tips being "bubbly".. they didn't lay flat. And since I like paint better (can change it more often), I've just always gone with nail polish.

BUT.. she showed me a way to take care of the bubbling.. I tried it, and it worked really well! It's called the plastic bag trick!
check this out :)

One coat of the purple varnish

Two coats of the purple, and 1 coat of the Matte top coat

Also, since Jamberry is a smart company, they have come out with some nail paint varnishes of their own! :) And they have sheets of just ACCENT nail wraps.. which is what Victoria sent me. They are so fun! :) I ended up using the "Jamberry" nail wrap; had the logo and the name on it. My tiny pinky's didn't pick up much of the lettering, but i love that i had the logo on my nail. :)

The finished product

They turned out really well!
The nail paints are a really great polish as well. They are creamy, they really only took once coat (which i'm not used to, lol), so I ended up painting two coats anyway.
And after 4 days (working at Kohls customer service, doing business at home, laundry, regular mom stuff) they still looked like they could go a bit more. (But because i'm who I am, i decided I wanted to change them, lol).

After 4 days wear and tear

I will say that having the help of the personal consultant to figure out how to fix my problem, and the ability to try a new product.. really helped me like the nail wraps more. Even if i don't do a full mani with them, I love the idea of the accent wrap.

Head over to her sales page and check them out for yourself.

A Crocheted Half-shell, Turtle Power

I saw this cute little store on Facebook when I was perusing one day, and I approached the owner about wanting to post her cute creations on my blog. She was glad that I reached out to her.. and promptly asked me a few questions about my needs before starting the custom product..
ALL of her hats are custom only.

Which intrigued me at first, but then again, makes sense. Wouldn't it be nicer to have the product customized and still receive it quickly, rather than to purchase something ready made, get it in the same amount of time, and HOPE it works out for you?

My oldest daughter is a TMNT fan, and her favorite color is blue. So she created this beautiful hat for my 8 year old.. and as you can see.. she LOVED it. :) (the blur in the left photo is from her jumping up and down, repeatedly).

 Jazmine and her favorite, Leonardo

I, myself, have been crocheting for years.. So I did a thorough inspection of the product. This was VERY well done. The stitching is all even, there are no string that were untucked, the ear flaps were attached so well I could barely tell there was a seam.

The only thing my daughter told me she didn't like (which has also happened with other crocheted hats in our household before) is that it was sort of itchy. I brought this up to Amanda (Sweet Dreams by AJ), and she recommended..
"You could always try hand washing in the sink and using conditioner on it. It helps to soften the yarn a bit"

I will be trying this! Thank you, Amanda, for the suggestion!

I would recommend her store not only for the beautifully made product, but also for the customer service, based on how I was treated. Respectful, talented, and great communication.
Head over to her Facebook page Sweet Dreams by AJ to view many other fantastically made items, and let her know CC sent you. :)

Literally.. pic heavy

I've been drewling over this store's products for quite some time now, so when there was a chance to win a giveaway, I was all over it! AND GUESS WHAT?! :D
I was only supposed to win 3, but since I was going to blog about it, she was so awesome and included a 4th. :)
(One thing I love about "homemade" stores.. the shop owners are so warm and giving.)
What an awesome variety of work. :)

A Midsummer Nights Dream:

This polish was created to evoke the starry midnight sky as seen through the eyes of a fairy. Deep shimmery blue, with small gold squares, black hexes, and holographic gold hexes, this polish shimmers and glows on the nail, drawing you into its dream world.

The depth of this polish is pretty awesome. :) Even just used as a top coat on the light blue and dark blue middle fingers, this really makes me feel like laying on my back at night and staring at the sky. Creamy application.. the larger hexes threw me off just a bit, actually. They looked like they might "taco" (curl up at the edges) but it was just the light reflecting on them. :) Very dimensional. 

pointer and thumb: 2 layers
pinky: 1 layer
middle and ring: 1 layer each over light blue and royal


Annabel Lee:
Annabel Lee is a grey creme-jelly packed with holographic and iridescent microglitter and opalescent flakies. It's best at three coats or worn over a creme base. It's inspired by the poem of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe.

I've never had a jelly polish, so this was different for me. I really liked the consistency, i love the gray base, i'm a sucker for neutrals with sparkle. :) And using it as a topper over the brighter colors actually worked out well! It actually helped mute the stark white and the bright orange, so if you have some fluorescent polishes that you want to wear without them being so bright, this would be great to layer over it!

pointer and thumb: 2 layers

pinky: 1 layer

middle and ring: 1 layer each over white and orange

Mina: 

Mina is true, sweet and noble, the absolute model of Victorian domestic propriety. It takes 4 men to save her from the clutches of Count Dracula. Mina never does manage to break out of that mold, sadly, her virtue remains unsullied until the end.

Mina nail lacquer is a blackened violet packed with violet shimmer and glitter, it truly comes alive in the sun with a stunning deep purple flash.

I was almost second guessing this one.. I wasn't sure if I would like it just by seeing it in the bottle. But there was something intriguing about it. I can see what it was now. This shows an amazing depth and an awesome flash of purple.. and I love that the blackened base color isn't super out there, it's a good muted color, but not boring. This also almost had a jelly feel to it, but not as thick. 

pointer and thumb: 2 coats

pinky: 1 coat

middle and ring: 1 coat each over purple and black

More Like Fire than Light:

More Like Fire Than Light is a juicy orange linear holographic polish. Full coverage in 2 coats. In my experience, topcoat does not dull the holographic effect.

This is such a beautiful holo. I love fall colors, and this is just awesome. It's really an all year round color! The only thing that was "weird" to me was that after 2 coats, I could still slightly see my nail tips through it. But sometimes I have a tendency to apply thin layers, so it could just be me. :) Makes me think of a sunset, sunrise, sun in the sky.. just all around, a great sunny color without it being really bright. (And I had fun using it as a base with some little roller coasters and KI for Kinds Island.. going on family vacation in two days!)

3 layers on ring finger
2 layers on the rest



I highly recommend these polishes, and I recommend this shop for the quality of the product, the great customer service, and the fact that you can support a great WAHM instead of spending money at a chain store. So many more beautiful colors from this lady..
visit the fan page on Facebook, and shop their Etsy store.

Sowing the Seed Beads

The name of this store intrigues me. :) I reached out to the owner to tell her about what I do here on my blog to help with publicity. I was told that a pair of earrings would be sent out. I was not prepared for the package that came to me! WOW!

"I specialize in making beaded jewelry. I make earrings (stud, ear pins, and dangle), bracelets (I add charms if requested), and necklaces. I charge $5-10 for earrings, $10 for bracelets, and $15 for necklaces. Shipping is always $3 and can be combined."
So PRICED well, GREAT customer service, from what I experienced.. and look at these products. :)

How cute! I love the variety of the beads that were on the items i received. I love long earrings.. so I was glad they were all dangles. But the are shorter dangles.. making them more versatile, and I think, easier for more customers. The only thing I prefer is having a back on my earrings, but i just go to Joanne Fabrics and buy a cheap pack of the rubber ends. :) No big deal.

I would give this store a 4-star rating, just from what I see.. only because I always know there is room for improvement. :)
Head on over to the Facebook fan page and say "hi!" :)
Don't forget to spend a minute perusing.. and enjoy the products you purchase! I know I do. :)

a different kind of WAHM: the blogger

now before you run away from this post.. a blogger writing about a blogger.. how is that a homemade product? how is that income?
i wanna tell you something..

the thing she makes.. is a blog (she's using her talent for writing) about beauty (she's using her passion for, well, beauty).
and the reason she does it?
i didn't ask her.. because i already know.
after doing some thinking of my own.. why would an unpaid beauty blogger want to remain an unpaid beauty blogger?
(yes UNPAID! we'll get to that soon)

because her love and passion for all things beauty related (makeup, skin care, nail polish, etc) is what motivates her.
to show us the wonderful products that are out there and tell us her opinion.. this is the only way we can get a good summary of products. from people writing their opinions.
retail companies constantly ask people, through emails and surveys, their opinions on products before they roll em out.

and she's doing this, unpaid, because she WANTS to.
she doesn't care about the income because guess what? it's payment enough for her to help people.. to share her knowledge with us is all she wants. :)

...
*whew.. so.. ON to the reason i picked a beauty blogger.. I WON A GIVEAWAY! :) lol
yes.. nail polish.. WOOP! so me ;)
Over the Top Coat is a blog i like to follow.. and she had a giveaway.

got them in the mail- check
swatched them in my wheel- check
decided to use at least one in my new mani- check.. what i DIDN'T realize was this was a textured polish.. so i got a little bonus treat on my nails :D

she had EXCELLENT customer service, an outgoing personality, and i always love her photos and how she writes. :)

if you're looking or thinking about following a beauty blog to see someone's honest opinion about new products AND have some fun.. please follow Over the Top Coat (and like the Facebook page while you're at it!)
tell her CC sent you ;)

horses and pigtails

I was looking for someone to help me get a special horse dress for my middle daughters' birthday. This lady found me in a WAHM group and said she could work with me! So we decided to trade! She was very easy to work with, she even ordered special material for it. :)

Through messaging, and photos, and patience, and shipping.. I have come to respect this lady, tell that she takes pride in her work, and appreciate hard working moms even more.

The adorable dresses posted on her Facebook page lead me to love her product without even having it yet. Well-made, conservative little girls clothing, with a price tag that's affordable and competitive.

I am very happy with the quality of materials, the workmanship.. the care that I can tell she puts into all her pieces.

I love that the top of this dress is a soft white cotton, and it's a good thickness (can't see through it, like quite a few white stretch knits do). I love that the straps and binding around the top are a soft, stretch elastic (I believe it's FOE- fold over elastic). I love the length of the ribbon on the back.. I can tie a nice bow and it'll still have a good tail on it. And the length of the skirt is also important to me, since with having girls, I don't like to see little panties flashed. This is a great addition to our wardrobe.. and I highly recommend this mama's store to anyone else!

As you can see, my daughter loves it too. ;)

Head over to her page, check out some already made items, previous customs, and fabrics she has available. :)