Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Winners & Coming Soon

Last week ended our Blog Combo Package - grab me button, siggy, & comment numbers done by Kim from My Crafty Mom who gave me my bloglift! I'm gotten a ton of compliments. Thanks again Kim!

Winner #11! ruthhill74 said... 11 What a wonderful layout! It's great!
I like My Crafty Mom on Facebook

Her blog is www.mydevotionalthoughts.blogspot.com - check it out - Kim did another amazing job and it looks fantastic!

Last night ended two more great giveaways. I am sad to see them both go but they must end sometime right?

Amazon $5 Gift Card
Winner #31 Teaching Mommy said... 31 follow you on twitter as @frankandkatieEtsy's The

Fresh Stitch - Crayon Roll
Winner #86 CathyB said... 86 I follow The Fresh Stitch on Twitter.
Winner #63 annaleighmcclelland said... 63 I FB'd about your giveaway ;-)  Congrats Ladies!

Homemade Features/Giveaways Coming Soon!

 
Inspired by Finn - Baltic Amber Necklace

3 Etsy shops - snack bags, crinkle toy, goat's milk soap



And more...I hope you are excited as I am! :)

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Connie with Lost River Naturals

I am thrilled to get to do a feature on Lost River Naturals! I was first introduced to Connie a few months ago and I'm not only happy to have made a new friend but I'm ecstatic that I get to find such awesome earthy homemade products locally.



What does Connie make? Natural and Organic Bath & Body Care Essentials along with Organic Herbal Teas. Scrubs, Herbal Salves, Body Oils, Bath Salts, Dream Pillows, Syrups, Tooth Polish, Perfumes are just a few of the products Connie whips up. She uses pure, certified organic essential oils and herbs to scent and color her products.  You won't find any harmful chemicals inside.

Her Lip Balms made from a base of organic butters, natural beeswax and organic vegan oils, was the first product I ever purchased. In Lavender Mint flavor. It is soooo yummy. But do you know what even sounds yummier? White Chocolate. Yep, that is a lip balm flavor. Maybe you like a little color on your lips? Get her Perfect Pink Lip Tint.

Next came the Sugar Scrub. Once you try this, you'll never buy a cleanser from the store again. Use on the entire body ~ even on delicate facial skin. The sugar serves as a gentle exfoliator that whisks away the dead skin cells making way for the nourishing oils to do their job.  Finally, the gentle castile soap lathers and cleans your skin beautifully. I have to share all the different kinds with you. 

Peppermint Lime ( with peppermint, bergamot and lime)
Honey Chai (with ginger, citrus, clove, nutmeg and honey) 
Patchouli (with oils of patchouli, lavender and frankincense)
Chocolate Almond (with cocoa ~ a natural skin softener)
Lemon Poppyseed (with lemony fresh oils and poppy seeds)
Blemish Scrub (with tea tree, lemongrass, lavender and patchouli)
Grits and Coffee ~ (with finely ground grits, coffee and almond oil)

Her best selling product? Deodorant! If you're like me, finding a good natural one that works is a challenge. Look no more! Connie's Freedom Deodorant Cream is made with NO harmful parabens, refined aluminum or other toxic chemicals. Try it and you'll be covered for 24 hours!  It's easy to apply with a silky texture ~ just rub a pea sized amount under each arm.  Also try it on the soles of your feet to inhibit odor causing bacteria. Isn't that cool? Her newest scent ~ Vanilla/Chamomile.

I could go on forever but one more thing I want to cover - Herbal Syrup - which is basically a super concentrated tea to aid in the healing of common colds, coughs and other mild ailments such as chicken pox, eczema, allergies, and to help boost immunity.  This was a great find for me because in our house we don't use pharmacy/over the counter drugs unless absolutely necessary so finding a herbal based remedy to help with our symptoms was much needed! And it TASTES good :)

Now we have to ask Connie ~ Are you a crunchy mama? (But I think we already know the answer to that don't we :)

I suppose that overall I am a crunchy mama, but not 100%. I never really got the hang of the sling thing and gave cloth diapering a good college try but it didn't last. Gentle discipline is definitely important to me, we do not spank and ~try~ not to yell, but, hey, I'm not perfect. We are a simple, Christian family and I do homeschool my kiddos and cherish every moment we spend together.

I most definitely question many conventional medical practices and believe that prescriptions drugs and vaccines are money, not health driven. In our family we use whole foods as medicine and include supplements such as Cod Liver Oil, and various herbs to remain healthy and stay away from the doctor's office. We also use homeopathic remedies, chiropractic care and massage as "medicine".

I will be experiencing my second home birth in February with my 3rd child and whole heartily believe that women are meant to birth naturally with little to no medical intervention. Having had both a hospital birth and a home birth, I cannot imagine setting foot into another hospital to give birth. Long story short ~ at home I felt empowered, relaxed, comforted, loved, nurtured, respected... in the hospital I felt hurried, worried, scared, defeated, belittled. 

I wish that instead of just reading about these products and looking at a few pictures, that I could reach out and let you take a sample. You would love love love them!! But guess what? One lucky reader IS going to get to sample them! Connie is giving away a sample basket. It contains:

Chocolate Almond Sugar Scrub
Tea Tree/Bergamot Deodorant
Elderberry Bliss and Twilight Teas

Mandatory Entry - Visit Lost River Naturals - I can't wait for you to do this! - and tell me which products you would like to try AND you must be a beachbum follower of my blog.

Extra Entries
Like Lost River Naturals on Facebook - tell her Crunchy Beach Mama sent you! :) - 1 entry
Follow Crunchy Beach Mama on Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feeds, Email Subscription (links above) - 1 entry each
Tweet or FB status about the giveaway - 1 entry each daily
Grab my button - 3 entries
Make a purchase from Lost River Naturals (send me email confirmation) - 5 entries

This giveaway will end on Sept. 10, 2010 at 11:59 ET. Winner will be drawn via random.org. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and they will have 48 hours to reply before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only who are 18 years of age or older.


Friday, August 27, 2010

Heather with Flames & Wicks

Everyone loves candles right? I have some hand poured soy candles to share with you. Heather started Flames & Wicks Candle Company that she runs out of her home and online. I cannot wait to share with you the niche that she has made for herself to stand out!

First some facts about Heather's soy wax candles:

-Poured when you order! There’s a huge difference between a fresh poured candle and one that has been sitting on a warehouse shelf waiting to be bought. You’ll smell the difference the second you open the box!

-They burn slower, last longer and smell better

- Pure soy wax is environmentally friendly because it will not increase the carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. It is not made from petroleum, unlike paraffin candles

-90% Less Soot than regular beeswax or paraffin candles and better for the environment.

-Clean up with just use warm soapy water. No scraping required, and decorative candle jars are easy and safe to clean out and re-use for virtually anything!

-Price wise, let’s just say we “Blow Out” the competition!
 
What makes Heather unique:
Customer Loyal Program - for those who burn candles all the time but don’t always have the money to buy them. By enrolling in this program you receive $1.00 for every $6 spent towards your next purchase
 
Throw a Candle Party - she will send you (6) 1 oz. sample jar candles, books and order forms. Simply take the candles and order form with you for your friends to browse through. One sniff of the sample jars does it all! As her way of thanking you for spreading the word about her hand-poured specialty candles, you earn a percentage of the sales from your party to purchase your own candles and she will comp the shipping of your entire parties candles when she sends them directly to you so there are no shipping fees! AWESOME or what?? 
 
Design Your Own - take your favorite scent and combine it with a color that will
compliment your decor! She has 54 scents & 24 colors!
 
Her Prices are UNBELIEVABLE! - I'm going to list a few so you can see!
4 tarts - $1
4 votives - $3
9oz jar candle - $6
22oz interlude jar - $9
 
Heather was nice enough to send me her sample package. The boys and I opened up the box and went hhhmmm because it was so smelly good. We all have our favorites - O'Bear likes the Sweet Pea (that is pink. Isn't that cute?), C'Man loves the Sweet Cinnamon Kisses, and I can't stop lighting the Apple Pie. We love them! Hubby has them on display at his office and as soon as you walk in the door you can smell them. He didn't even have to light them because the scents are so fantastic just by themselves.
 
Let's hear from Heather:
 
Tell me about you and your family

I am the mother of four children. Shawn 20, Mercedes 16, Jordan 13 and Jeremiah 10. Have a daughter in law Meghan and brand new baby Grandson (7/29/10) Keegan. I have been married to Jason for 15 years (in October). We lived in Missouri all our lives and moved to Oklahoma in 2008 for better jobs and schools. Our youngest, Jeremiah, was diagnosed with Autism in 2006 (he first started showing signs when he was 2 years old... just after his immunizations) and we needed to get to bigger schools with more resources for him. Most people would think that a small town would be great to get individual attention and that isn't true. Here...our whole family has grown and prospered well. (Shawn stayed in Missouri and didn't move with us) And on that note it leads me into how I got started.

How did you get started?
I was spending a fortune in candles... I am an avid candle burner, always have one going in at least 2-3 rooms. In 2000 my husband asked me..."Isn't there a way you can make your own?" So after doing some research and getting a few starting supplies, I made my first candles. After awhile people started asking for them, for presents, fund raisers, or just for themselves... but it wasn't until recently that things have really took off. I have spent the last 10 years getting just the right scents, the right jars, the right colors, etc. It has also allowed me to be at home with my youngest. He has certain eccentricities that have to be dealt with on a daily basis. Even though he is in school now I still find it hard to have a regular 9-5 job.

How long does it take to make a candle?
It usually takes between 48 to 72 hours to make a candle. Depending on the size. They have to have time to set and cure, or you will end up with a liquid mess. :) Meaning that the candle will turn back into liquid within a few hours of burning and be in poor quality with very little scent throw.

Are you a crunchy mama?
I am a crunchy mama. I prefer herbal medicine to regular meds... but will still use antibiotics if it is needed. We recycle as much as we can, our local recycling place will only take certain items, which is very frustrating. We are not totally 'hippie". We still eat meat and lots of veggies! And I didn't use cloth diapers... just couldn't bring myself to do that. I consider our family a work in progress.
____________________________
 
Guess what? Heather is giving away TWO for one person. Aren't you a lucky duck? You get to pick what scent you want. So Mandatory Entry - visit Flames & Wicks and tell me which of the 54 scents you would choose and if you have the time look around a bit and tell me what else you like. Must be a Follower of my blog too! Thank you :)
 
Extra Entries
-Like Flames & Wicks on Facebook 1 entry - tell her Crunchy Beach Mama sent you!
-Follow Flames & Wicks on Twitter 1 entry
-Follow Crunchy Beach Mama - Facebook, Twitter, RSS Feeds, Email (links above) 1 entry each for new or old followers
- Tweet or FB status about this giveaway! - 1 entry per day - and much appreciated!!
-Grab my button - 3 entries
-Make a purchase from Flames & Wicks -there is always has a special! 5 entries (send me confirmation email)
-Throw a Candle Party - 5 entries (Heather will confirm for me you signed up!) - this is super easy, super fun, & a great way to get FREE candles!!

This giveaway will end on Sept. 10, 2010 at 11:59 ET. Winner will be drawn via random.org. Once a winner is drawn I will contact them and they will have 48 hours to reply before I draw a new winner. Giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only who are 18 years of age or older.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Baby Food Jar Ideas

What do you do with your baby food jars? We are boring at our house. We only do one of two things with ours. Mostly, we recycle. Or the baby food we do make goes into these jars for storage. I was on a baby forum the other day where this question came up. It made me think and I began compiling lots of neat ideas and I want to share with them you!

Storage Ideas
Cheerios for the diaper bag
Salad Dressing to take to work
Spices or Herbs
Beads, Screws, Hair Clips
Small toys - My Little Pony brushes, Barbie shoes, GI Joe guns
Paints
Toothpick Holder

Fun Easy Projects for Kids
Make Butter - add a couple of Tablespoons of heavy whipping cream, shake up good, spread on some yummy cinnamon bread.
Add water with a bit of food coloring and confetti - shake
Firefly or Bug jar - poke holes in lid and catch your bugs!

Gifts (decorate lids with fabric and ribbons)
Hot Chocolate in a jar
Potpourri
Pour your own candles
Paperweights - colored marbles or artificial flowers are a couple of examples to put inside.
Tea light candle holders - decorate jar with tissue, paint the jar, or use craft glue the jar to add sparkles, rhinestones or any other decoration.

Crafty Ideas (use your imagination for TONS of ideas!) a couple of my favorites with links on how to accomplish them.
Gel Air Fresheners
Sewing Kits
Snow Globes - easier one here or a bit more work here
Reindeer Food or Winter Rabbit Food if you don't celebrate Christmas
Christmas Tree - look at this!

My Beach Favorites
Colored sand art
Fill with small shells or pebbles
Ocean scene - water with blue/green food coloring, a little glitter added, a small rubber fish attached to the jar lid with fishing string.

Or sell them on Ebay and make a little cash! :)

Friday, August 20, 2010

$5 Amazon GC Giveaway!

I want to end our week of fun giveaways with giving you a $5 giftcard from Amazon!

I obtained this $5 from the Swagstore. And have earned $30 towards Amazon in a short period of time. Not know what the Swagstore is? Then read my post on Swagbucks here.

While we're talking deals I want to see if you use Ebates? You earn cash back for your online purchases. And they hand out ipads and fun prizes.
Read more about Ebates here.

Both companies have great referral programs! Help a mama out if interested and then spread the word for yourself... :) 

To enter the $5 giveaway...
Google Friend me
AND either
1) Sign up for Swagbucks under my link or 2) tell me what you've bought from the swagstore with your account

Extra entry each for liking me on Facebook, Twitter, or Feeds (links above)

Giveaway ends on Aug. 30th at 11:59pm EST. Open to US only & 18 years of age