Etsy Spotlight - Aurora Jewelry: Handmade jewelry for under $20

It's been a little while since I did an Etsy Spotlight and I am excited to be making a comeback with Aurora Jewelry.  What drew me into this shop initially were the LOST inspired rings and bracelets. Even though the show has been done for a while, I am still a huge fan and watch it over and over. The rings and bracelets featured the "cursed numbers". Only true LOST fans would understand or appreciate your jewelry! That's what I loved about it. The makers of these great products is a mother and daughter team ( Janet and Jennie). I got to talk with the daughter and you couldn't deal with a sweeter gal! We had several things in common like loving LOST and Twilight. Yes... I said it. I like Twilight too and yes... I am well aware that makes me a Twi-Mom. Moving on... She makes all of her jewelry from recycled aluminum. These pieces are simple but stylish and practical as well. From what I hear, making these are a great project to do with the kids because it is affordable, easy and fun. Below are the two bracelets she made me *big smiles*

Hopefully you can see them alright, but if you can't the left one is the bracelet with the LOST cursed numbers and the right is a custom "Inspired" Langley bracelet to represent my blog! I love the simplicity of the message because I can use it to mean that I am inspired through my faith, through creativity or just representing my blog.

I received an Inspired ring as well to go with the bracelet. This is probably my favorite piece. It fits my thumb and is a great comfortable ring!

See? 

You can squeeze it tighter if you want, but I don't see the need. I love it the way it is. My doggies were also spoiled. We got custom dog tags for Eko and Cali and they each had a paw print on them. Eko was a good sport. He sat right there for a picture. Cali was being fidgety and not sitting still enough for a good picture to come out. I will try to add one of her in. But here is Eko sporting his. He may not look impressed but he really is :) The circle shows a close up of the tag itself.

A little history on the shop:

The whole shebang got started because Mom found a great vintage lamp at a yardsale for $5. It had hundreds of crystal prisms. They started to make earrings and sold them at home parties and shops by consignment and it just took off from there! 

Not only is everything handmade with recycled materials and under $25 but most of the profits go to PAWS Chicago Animal Rescue. Aurora has teamed up with a dear friend to help this cause after he suffered a sudden and tragic loss of his wife. With many events lined up, the memory of his wife would live on by continuing the rescuing efforts. You can help too by either donating directly to the PAWS Chicago Animal Rescue or buy some really cute custom jewelry from Aurora!

Final Thoughts:
These make great gifts for labeling your kids bags or jackets for school with custom tags, a new twist on friendship bracelets or rings (school age children would love those!), promise rings, fan jewelry or valentines day gifts. The possibilities are endless. Among the custom jewelry you can also find unique handmade treasures crafted from upcycled finds. Aurora is definitely worth checking out with the prices they offer!

I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Our giraffe is a blast! :) Sweet Whirl review

He he he. How cute is that? I am a sucker for home made things and a huge fan of toys that are NOT battery operated. So, I hit the jackpot when I discovered Stephanie's shop on Etsy with the name of Sweet Whirl. They offer a fantastic game in the form of an eco-friendly wooden giraffe ring toss.

Who doesn't like giraffes? I mean ... really? They are very kid friendly and a universal animal. They would make a perfect baby shower gift for an unknown gender baby or would just be perfect as a unique present for any little one. All the giraffe's are painted with non-toxic soy paint and are safe for kids and pets. You know, in case you have a chewer like my dog and it happens to get a move on the critter when you aren't looking. 

The toy comes with 4 multi-color plastic rings, the easy to set up giraffe, and the drawstring bag when it's time to put it away or for travel. I personally leave ours out because it is so darn cute and adds to the kids room. It doesn't take that much space. You get the giraffe in 3 parts. You just simply take the body and slide it into the slots on the front and back leg pieces. Super simple and sturdy too. 

She has several designs available and you can purchase them for $36.00 by clicking on the images below. Make sure to like Sweet Whirl on Facebook. They have just launched a brand new page and would love to see you there! In fact, on good faith that you may do just that, they want to offer you a 20% discount code. Just add the code inspire at checkout. This toy has been kid tested (at the bus stop of all places) and passes with flying colors. Which giraffe do you like best? My son definitely loves his!

I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

It's a New Year Amazon Cash Giveaway Hop!

Welcome to our “It's a New Year Amazon Cash Giveaway”!! We are excited to share the new 2012 year with all of you !!!! We want you to know how much we appreciate you!!! As a thank you to all our loyal fans Emilys Frugal Tips, Inspire, Asha Butterflys and Tracers Coupon Affair has teamed up with a great group of bloggers to kick off your New Year with a Amazon Giftcard Giveaway!!!

Prize:
$50.00 Amazon Giftcard

How to Enter:
To make this giveaway a huge success enter on the Rafflecopter form below and share this giveaway with your friends and families! You can do this super easy but just clicking the share button on your facebook when we announce our giveaways!

This Giveaway will run from January 16 at midnight EST and end at midnight EST on January 20th . This giveaway is open to all U.S. residents 18 or older. . Entries are only valid through Rafflecopter form and all entries will be verified.The winner will be emailed once we verify they are a fan and have 48 hours to respond before another winner is chosen.

We couldn’t do these giveaways without teaming up with other great pages who help contribute to the prize so please take the time to stop by all the wonderful pages who teamed up for this wonderful Givaway. Once again thank you all for being our loyal fans. Goodluck!

Yummy Boy Mummy

SEMO Savings

Rockin Deals

Frugal Experiments

The Beauty of It All

Giveaway Promote

Mom N' Daughter Savings

Dazzling Daily Deals

Heavenly Savings

Coupon Queen of Texas

Emily's Frugal Tips

Inspire

Asha Butterflys

Tracer's Coupon Affair

Etsy Spotlight: Mean Kitty Wear - Style With Attitude

Among many of my nicknames, Granola used to be one that was used quite often. I have always had an interest in anything that was hippie, grunge or whimsical. I did go through a dark face for a while but I have always been an earthy, tye dye girl at heart. I would love it if flower head bands and barefoot sandals could be found everywhere. However, they aren't available everywhere so when I come across a shop that features this comfortably elegant style, I feel the need to showcase!

Today's showcase is from a lovely Etsy shop by the name of Mean Kitty Wear. The shop is owned by two ladies Jani and Sherry. They create and sew belly dance wear and tribal fusion dance wear. They not only want the dancer to be stunning, but also free of restrictive clothing. They are always on the search for fun and unique fabric that will move with and enhance the body. Today I would like to show you their arm bands and gauntlets. 


These are what drew me into their shop in the first place. I love fingerless gloves and arm / leg warmers. The colors and styles of the ones offered at Mean Kitty Wear are definitely unique and are also made with the scraps of their other projects. This is a great way to not waste that beautiful fabric you see throughout their shop.

I was lucky enough to review a set of arm warmers. I chose the ones above because the colors kept drawing me in. I also have a lot of earthy colors in my wardrobe so these would go great with that or any black I have... and yes... I have quite a bit of that color. I knew I would like them before I got them but I really love them now that they are here :) These were done with black lace, a dark brown and a copper velour or velvet kind of fabric. One huge pro to these armbands is that they do not keep falling down all the time. I have had many things that I love such as arm cuffs and off the shoulder shirts that just don't stay in place. The fabric I think helps these stay. I think I maybe adjusted these twice the whole time I was out. These arm warmers were priced $16.50 but she offers others that are as low as $13.20. Here are a few samples of others that they have.

I just love that gauntlet. I'll take these 'scraps' of fabric any day! If you like what you see or know someone that would love to have a pair of these, just use the widget below to be directed to the item you like in their shop. They will be on my Etsy page as well. Check out the other items at Mean Kitty Wear such as their pants, corset belts, hair fascinators and more. Please remember to heart this shop if you love their products as much as I do. Even if you don't purchase anything, crafters love to know if their products are liked. So spread the love!

Thanks Sherry for allowing me to review your lovely arm warmers. They will be an accessory I will wear as often as I can :)







I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Staceyface (13) Designs

Today's Etsy spotlight belongs to Staceyface(13) Designs, a wonderful shop that offers "fabulous fabric creations". That is exactly what drew me in. The fabrics and those great hippie bags! hehe Stacey has an eye for coordinating fabrics and has a knack for designing with practicality in mind.

Not only did she sponsor a great Ipad pouch for the Trick or Treat event that ended last night, but she also sent me one of her great wrislet wallets to review. And I would just like to say... I have definitely been reviewing it! I swapped everything over from my other one when I got hers in the mail and have been using it ever since. There are several things I love about this wallet and only one complaint... Let me get to the things I love first...

First off, as I said before, Stacey has an eye for what is practical. She thought of everything that was necessary but kept it simple and cute as well. There are so many different fabrics to choose from. The one I got is so cute and fun and perfect for spring or summer. There is the main zipper pouch to hold your keys, phone, makeup or what have you. This is a great size. As you can see in the picture above, I have a couple things of make up, some personal items, a hair clip and under eye cream and still have room for more. 

Then the front of the wallet opens up and the flap is a card organizer with 4 card slots that can hold multiple cards. I have everything nice and separated so no more looking. I have it organized as slot 1 - loyalty cards, slot 2 - insurance/ medical, slot 3 - identifications and slot 4- credit / debit cards. It works out great. Then there is yet another pocket in the front. It closes with a magnetic snap.

Then for an added bonus the long strap can be taken off by the clips on the ends to become a clutch type purse or wallet. Since this is made from cotton fabrics, it is completely washable. Which I have already thrown it in the washer once. I set it down in my car and my hubs (all dirty from working) didn't move it before plopping in. Oh... keep it away from pets though! My dogs shed quite a bit and boy does the wristlet love to collect hair. But what doesn't right?

Check out the wallets up for grabs below and keep your eye on her shop since there will be lots of new ones popping up.

Now, onto the one complaint..... that I don't have one in every fabric! I'm going to need some that go with the seasons! lol

Check out her shop Staceyface(13) Designs by clicking on the widget below and please, take the time to leave a comment here or heart her shop if you like her work. She would surely appreciate it!

I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours. Thank you Stacey for the beautiful wallet and allowing me to work with you :)

Bloomingdeals - a review of great quality totes and bags!

    Lana at Bloomingdeals was one of my wonderful sponsors for the Back To School Event giveaway that I participated in a short time ago and since then, we have been working together more and I have been learning some great things for becoming more green. Looking at all the bags and totes that are at Bloomingdeals, you can see that they are of good quality and the styles and embroidery is great. She sent me out 2 of her all purpose totes with an 'Inspired Langley' logo and 2 Stow N Go bags in corresponding colors.

   She couldn't have pegged me any better.  Here is a close up of the logos she made in my two favorite colors :)

   I put an idea together and sent it to her and told her what colors I liked and I was ecstatic with what she came up with! I love everything about them. I have swapped out my usual bags (backpack for the boys with extra clothes, my purses and other reusable shopping bags) for her all purpose totes. Aren't they great??

  Inside the tote on the front side is a small organizer (see above picture). At first I thought it should be in the back. But, once I thought about it again, it makes a lot more sense to have it in the front because when it's draped over your shoulder and you reach down, it's easier to reach in the front to grab your pens or cards. On the side, in the above below, you can see there is a pocket on one side that can fit a good sized water bottle.

  So far I have taken them on every outing, shopping, playgrounds, the apple farm and visiting family. I have showed them off proudly and get great responses. Honestly, it has gotten to the point that I can't imagine not having these. I keep them right handy so when I am walking out I can just grab them and go. With the Stow N Go bags all clipped together and stashed in the totes, I always have them when I need them. They are quite durable as well! In the picture, the purple Stow N Go bag has a full peck of apples, a gallon of milk, coffee creamer and mayo; and it still had more room.

   I'm just super happy I found Bloomingdeals. Along with the great totes and Stow N Go bags, she offers multiple sized sandwich and / or snack bags, personalized lunch bags, cinch bags, cloth napkins and more. Also she offers value packs and great promotions occasionally. Keep watch on her Facebook page or her under her Etsy banner. I am definitely planning on getting some family members some personalized totes because there is no way they won't find a use for them and love them at the same time. If you have an idea in mind, just shoot Lana a message on Etsy through her shop and I am sure she will meet your expectations and more.

   Use the great little widget below to be directed right to Bloomingdeals and get your orders in before she gets really busy in the upcoming months for the holidays. It is the perfect time to buy these totes right now with Thanksgiving approaching and lots of shopping to do. Plus, she just added a great Halloween tote. You can use this to carry extra gloves or accessories or even use it for the candy. As I said before, I'm very lucky to have come across Bloomingdeals and the fantastic products Lana produces! Thank you Lana! :D





I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Etsy Spotlight - Just For The Art Of It

   Every once in a while I do my searches out there gathering inspiration for when I make my rooms in my home the way I see them in my head. I have ideas for each one, but we aren't quite ready to tear things apart yet. The dream for my kitchen is to walk into a coffee shop. While I was doing my rounds of finding unique coffee themed items, I stumbled across a unique shop in Etsy. I know.. Etsy is full of them.. that is why I love it so much. This unique shop is called Just For The Art Of It and the artist behind these fantastic creations is Steve.
   Steve has always had a love for art and even though it went to the back burner here and there, he found the time to share his art with others. What I love about his shop is that he doesn't confine himself to one art form. He was generous enough to send me out my favorite item in his shop and that was the metal coffee grinder with steaming cups wall decoration. I loved that he had the grinder too.

   Its simple design and the fact that it was metal is perfect for a focal piece in my coffee themed kitchen. I absolutely love it. It is made from strips of steel that are welded together and then painted black. They are very light weight and easy to hang up. I just used picture nails that came in a picture hanging kit and hid them in the corners. So now it looks like they are hanging by nothing. I've already got several compliments on them. The other thing that is great about his shop is that even though you know some time has gone into them, he has great prices on his work.

   Check out this set of martini glasses. Can't you see them in a personal bar. I went to a cousins house that I never see and she has her own theater room in the basement. Her room was insane, but what put it all together was the detail of the metal reel to reel and movie tickets on her wall. I love metal art especially when the theme is great. He doesn't only have drinks though.

   He has a recycled hubcap clock that chimes, paintings that are beautiful (acrylic on canvas) and can make you a custom metal sign with words. Imagine that conversation piece :)

   If you want some unique gift ideas that are affordable, Just For The Art Of It is a great place to check out. You can get one of his metal decorations for as little $6.50, I mean come on! That is a great deal for great art :)





I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

Enigma Art - a review

Enigma Art is a perfect example of why Etsy is one of my favorite places online. A showcase of talent from around the world that gives you an opportunity to own something unique and beautiful. Enigma Art is an Etsy shop owned by Ewa Zalejska . When reading the description about her, I can understand what she means with her art being pieces of her. I used to be asked quite a bit to do a picture for people, and I would sometimes as gifts. I did realistic pencil sketches of people. However, you bond with your art and it is hard to give it up. Her talent is is obvious and I am very honored that she allowed me to review her coffee jar. Along with her jar, she surprised me with a little extra gift of a beautifully done coaster. Let me get right into showing you her work and talk about the process she uses.

   Ewa has a passion for art and takes in every detail of nature and shows this in her art. She takes ordinary household wares and makes them super stylish by hand painting / decorating them. This coffee jar is painted and then has napkins or stencils chosen and applied. She then coats on some crackling glaze if the antique look is desired. With a mixture of pattern choosing, layers and an over all eye of detail, this is the amazing result. Everything is then secured with a nice coat of varnish. The added bonus of real coffee beans in the lid is just over the top and it actually makes the jar smell of coffee too. Click here for a more detailed description on the decoupage technique.

  I will get a picture of the coaster up asap. I momentarily misplaced my memory card. I will get that up shortly though! I definitely want to share that with you also. There are 2 more coffee jars left, but because she hand paints them and gets inspired by different things, they are all unique. If you wanted one of these amazing jars, I wouldn't wait to long. They are only $28! Her shop has great feedback. One customer loved her unique clocks so much that she bought all four of them. She's great at getting it right out to you too. The jar was very safely packaged and came very quickly. Here is a picture of the coffee jar she still has with the coffee beans in the lid.

  Not into coffee jars? What about a trinket box or a stool? Look at the colors on this wooden box! The word talented just seems to fall short.

This would be a great bottle to use for a diffuser.

You can tell she puts a lot into her work and you can hear it in her Etsy shop description. I hope you check her shop Enigma Art out and please, show her some appreciation and heart her shop! I always love to showcase an Etsy shop especially a great one like hers!

Click on a product below to be brought to her shop to buy it.

I received this product for the purpose of review. The opinions in this post are 100% my own and may differ from yours.

*~*Great New Etsy shop...Willow Branch Boutique*~*

     Do you have a little girl? Do you love to do her hair in clips and bows? I have a great site for you to check out. It is called Willow Branch Boutique and the creator,"KiKi", makes the cutest bows. She has all sorts of colors and styles and does holiday lines as well. I love her snow ones. Here are a few of her examples and links that you can follow to go see her etsy shop and maybe grab some. They are super cute, affordable, and she also combines shipping. Click on the pictures of the bows to see where you can buy them.

     There are lots more to choose from on her etsy site. If you like what you see, please show some love and heart her etsy shop! Keep an eye out because this is just the beginning for her she is working on expanding. Thanks for reading :)

All reviews are my own opinions. I was not paid by any of the sponsors.