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. :)

Dipped In Diamonds

Yes, that's the name of this polish.
And by the look of it in the bottle.. it seems to truly be that!! Mini flecks of diamonds to coat your nails.

And upon a closer look.. I was happy to find out it's holographic. :) And it's also 5 free! (meaning it is made excluding dibutyl phthalate (DBP), toluene, and formaldehyde, formaldehyde resin and camphor.)

Now i never used to know anything about holographic nail polish, or indie polish.. but i've come to love them equally.. and just love how it shows such a rainbow of color and a great variety!

Dipped in Diamonds, by Savoie, is no exception.
Perfectly unique.. I decided to see how this would do on a multitude of colored backgrounds.. each of my fingers got painted a different color. :)
I do happen to like some more then others, but the two i was really interested to see were the brown thumb on my left hand, and the green chrome pinky on my right.

The texture of this is fantastic.. not very thick, a great consistency. It doesn't put too much on.. and it's super easy to take off! It doesn't leave a texture, it's a very smooth finish. And you can easily ad more layers for a deeper holographic delight.

(it was tricky getting photos of my right hand.. kinda' fun and scary holding the camera backwards with my left!)

It's nice to know that I can use this by itself over a french manicure, or as a great topping to any color!
Head over to Savoie and tell her i sent you.. and make sure you peruse the store. :)
(i purchased this polish myself.. i was not paid to write this review)

lucky leprechaun- La Bella Vernice (warning, pic heavy!)

Just to put this out there.. i have quite the privilege, being able to write this blog. Seeing all the wonderful handmade things that i do.. there are so many talented people out there.. putting their talents to work!!

That said.. I have blogged about this mama's work once before, La Bella Vernice, when i received three of her polishes as a birthday gift. :) 

This glitter is no exception.. I won this in a giveaway. :) 

I am not paid to tell you what I think.. this is my honest opinion (as is every time i write!). 

I have to say.. at first I was a tad worried about this glitter. By seeing it in the bottle, I could tell it was pretty dense, and hoped it wouldn't be TOO dense.. I personally don't like a LOT of glitter on my nails, generally. 

This surprised me. 

It IS a dense glitter.. but i found that, for a couple reason, I enjoy it! 

1. It ads a gemstone-like "bling" to your manicure.. i love gemstones. :) 

2. It's thick enough to wear; it's not a "drippy" polish. I hate when the glitters don't stay on the brush long enough to make it to your nail! They drop off back into the bottle.. annoying. Not these!

3. It's not so dense that you can't see the undies.. i picked 3 complimenting colors to try this over, and even with the green under it, you can still SEE the green.. it helps create a great depth!

The undies I chose

4. It didn't overwhelm me.. and lot of times, if glitter is TOO "glittery", I won't want to wear it (i have 2 Sally Hansen Gem Crush polishes.. that i really only wear like once a year.. because they're just.. too much). And this gave me that same "gem" look, without going crazy. 

I love that there are different sizes to the glitters.. the large hex's were fun to fish out and place where I wanted them. :) A couple of them surprised me, 'cause they were hiding in the middle of the small ones!

Outdoor Lighting

Outdoor Lighting

The glitter.. isn't ONLY GREEN! As you can see from the photos, they actually exude different elements of the rainbow! So just like it's name "Lucky Leprechaun", it shows a bit of the rainbow! SO FUN! I love that there are actually small yellow hex's throughout.. it really gives it more dimension. 

I doubled up the glitter on my pinkies just to ad some more pizzazz.. and i still love it!

hmm.. putting it over red for a fun Christmasy delight.. i like that idea too! or over yellows and oranges for a springy/summery feel! SEE.. so many possibilities!
Check out her work on Facebook and also see her website for more!

CC Bums- wipes

i've used baby wet wipes for ever- for more than just what they're intended for. ;) 

Great for baby bums, of course, but what about those little sticky faces? fingers? a quick wipe down of the fridge? a mess on the floor? is it soft enough to use on a window?

guess what.. yes they are!! :) 

beCAUSE.. cloth baby wipes can be used for ANYTHING. :) 

flannel, cottons, velours, even sherpa and micro fleece.. are GREAT options for reusable wipes.. and we carry them all. :) lots of prints, lots of solid colors.. either purchase them straight from the online store, or custom order them to your liking. 

they are 5x7, $1.50 each.. so great size, rounded edges, and won't break the bank. :) 

and especially great option if you're shopping for a baby shower! can be used for washcloths, too!

a great versatile product.. 

take em in the car, leave em in the kitchen.. 

many ready to ship, and of COURSE many fabric options for those who prefer to choose their own fabric.

check them out here (clearance), and visit our fan page for more info/options.

CC Bums- breast pads

I would like to tell you today about CC Bums breast pads.

When i was pregnant/breastfeeding, before I even though of opening this business, it was hard for me to find disposable breast pads that i really liked.
Either they were the wrong shape, or they weren't the right size, or the sticky on the back was a pain in the butt, or they were not waterproof.. nothing seemed to work just right.

So once i got the opportunity (through opening my business) to work with some other fabrics, i created this pattern out of that necessity!

I at first only made 4" and 5".. because i didn't know there was a need for any larger.. but then one day i had a special custom order to make a 6" pair.
MAKES SENSE!

Not every woman is the same size up top, and not every breastfeeding mother creates the same amount of milk.
And not every mom decides to breast feed! These can be used just for leakage during your pregnancy!

So I decided to keep all three sizes IN the store, ready to sell, and to use different types of fabrics!
Cottons, velour, sherpa, hemp, bamboo and stay dry materials.
Two things always remain the same.. there is always an absorbent core, so leakage is never a problem.
AND there is always fleece on the back.. that doesn't slide around, and allows for waterproofing.

So why do i recommend my breast pads above others?
Because of the wide variety of materials.. either ready to ship, or availability for customization.. and for the personal touch you get from my customer service. I know the quality of materials that goes into making these, I use a professional serger so I know the threads are always top notch, and I know that from doing my homework myself, I have made the best pair of breast pads I know how.

Please feel free to peruse my store..
and don't forget.. every new mom deserves to be comfortable.. her body, and her wallet.