March's Lust-worthy Etsy Finds

I tend to mostly stick to Etsy when shopping online these days. I like supporting artists - it gives me the warm fuzzies don't yah know. :) I noticed a trend with my previous "lust-worthy" features...most of the items were...from Etsy lol. So - I'm changing things up a bit. All of the items that I post each month from now on will strictly be from Etsy. (Capiche?) So now you can do your shopping all on one site. ;) I'm such the enabler. Here's what I have been drooling over lately...

Vintage photo (That happens to look just like my Harley)

$3.00 from VintagePhotoGallery

Mr. Fox handbag

$85.28 (what a strange price) from Pigeons

Feather Industrial Charm

$6 from SubtleDistinctions

Labradorite & Moonstone Chevron Bridal Set

$400 from TheFlyingFoxArts

Texas Tea Metaluxe Vegan Lipstick

$6.99 from ImpulseCo

Vintage Blue Hipster Sweater

$20 from mynameiskorrine

What did you think of this months picks? I went ahead and purchased the industrial charm. When it arrives in the mail I will make sure to post a photo of it on my industrial bar. I'm pretty excited - I've been looking for a dangly feather earring for forever. I hope everybody has a fantastic hump day. (Camel be damned)

New Blogging Space!

This little area may currently be my favorite little nook in the entire house. How adorable is it? :) I thought it would be fun to give a little e-tour of my new blogging space.

1. This gold vintage chair belonged to my great-grandmother, "NaNa." She passed away many years ago - but we just got our hands on this a couple of weeks ago. It was in a storage shed thats contents were going to be thrown away. Good thing we saved it!

2. LOL This is my "Patron Saint of Smiling" art. It is one of my favorite pieces in the house. Matt and I found it on a trip to Orlando. (Pure gold!) I have mad love for Will Ferrell...many of my friends don't...so they don't find it as amusing as I do. ;) If it doesn't make you laugh, it's your loss.

3. This is a painting that my grandfather affectionately calls "Mammie." The artist was a family friend that sadly passed away a couple of years ago. We have another painting that goes with it that is displayed on the opposite wall in the dining room. I don't think the other one has a name? It's an old man sitting on a basket with the same cotton field in the back. I can remember these hanging in my grandparent's house during my childhood...so they are both very special. :)

4. How cute is this desk? We bought it from our friend Erin just last week. It didn't look anything like this though! (See before and after photo) It was her dad's desk that he owned during the 60s. I think it turned out quite nicely! All it needed was a couple coats of paint, polycrylic, and new hardware. Brand new!

5. Awww - it's Silas' hands and footprints. He was 20 months old when he made this for me. I think it was a mother's day present? I adore it. 

6. Lastly, my Daher tins. Matt loves to give me lots of grief over them. He is constantly making fun of the name. Whatever! If you want me to love you forever...give me a Daher tin. You can find them scattered about antique and thrift stores. Make sure it has this stamp though! (Below) There are many fakes roaming around out there! One of my best friends (Ruthie) got me into collecting them. She has like...a million. They were used as decorations for her wedding reception. It was beautiful. 

Designed By Daher

Long Island NY

Container Made

In England

How was your day? :) Tomorrow is hump day! Does anybody else hate that damn camel as much as I do? I hear his voice in my head every Wednesday when I crawl out of bed. Ugh.

October's Lust-worthy Items

:Sigh: October...it's my favorite month out of the entire year. It was actually cool outside today! Hey! Maybe I will get to wear a scarf tomorrow and drink a Pumpkin Spice Latte!? It's the little things folks...

 

Custom Tree Bark Ring

$68 on Etsy

Retro Hair Tie

$6 on Etsy

Mumford & Sons Painting :)

$20 on Etsy

 

Walk The Line Necklace

$15.95 on Etsy

Let Them Eat Cake Ring

$104 on Etsy

Additional $74 for the plain band ----> Here <----

Martha Stewart 9 Cube Organizer

$44.98 at Home Depot

You may get to the last item and be all "say what?" We have several of these neat "cubes" in a piece of furniture in our old room. (Furniture from IKEA) It's a giant closet-thing that won't fit in our new room. So - we need to move our cubes into our bedroom and this thing seems like it will be pretty low profile and flat to the wall. (The new room is considerably smaller) I'm going to purchase it ASAP. I'm tired of running to the kid's room every time I need something out of one of my precious cubes! (Panties, socks, etc.) Plus - I can sit cute decor on the top of it! How was your Monday? I'm going to be honest - mine was pretty darn foul!

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Review | Balm Chicky Balm Balm's Huge Cucumber

See what I did there? lol

Balm Chicky Balm Balm

In the flavor "Huge Cucumber"

$12 at balmchicky.com ♥

Guys - this lip balm company is pure genius. Everything about it impresses/makes me giggle...right down to the very box it was packaged in. All of their balms are 100% natural and they feature a unique patented "friend end." How many times have you been minding your own business while applying your lip balm - when your girlfriend comes out of nowhere like Batman and is all like "oooh - can I borrow your lip balm?" -_- Too many times right? The "friend end" is a separate chamber of product for your friends to enjoy that is located on the opposite end of the tube. (So they can share their crusty lip germs amongst themselves and not with you) Yum. The flavor that I chose is "Huge Cucumber." It seemed to be the most scandalously named out of the bunch, so naturally I went with it. I might have also picked it because the man on the tube reminds me of Paul Rudd (in Anchorman)...he's so fine. Here is a list of the flavors that they currently have for sale in their shop.

Juicy Melons

Sweet Baby Ginger

Huge Cucumber

Wild Mountain Honey

and Hot Chocolate Love

Huge Cucumber (how many times can I say it in one post?) smells pretty fantastic. It seems heavier on the hemp seed than cucumber scent. That doesn't bother me one bit though - I love all things hemp. It reminds me of a balm that I used to buy at the Whole Foods Market in Winter Park, FL. It has a slight shimmer to it which I was a little disappointed about. Maybe it's because I'm becoming an old lady and I can't handle glittery things? (Ahh, my eyes) Maybe I should embrace more glitter in my life? Anyways - it's not really that noticeable...but it's there. Simply put, it doesn't look like a disco on your lips. I usually apply it every night before I hit the sack. I always wake up the next morning with baby soft lips. Here is a list of the ingredients!

Organic: extra virgin olive oil, palm oil, hemp seed oil, beeswax, rosemary, vitamin E, fresh mint, and cucumber. 

I plan on picking up the "Hot Chocolate Love" next. Do yourself a favor and check out their stuff. I really admire a company with this sense of humor, and I'm sure you will too. ;)

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AND...Silas says the letter of the day is A! (He did it all by himself)

Lee County Fair

It's going to be a short and sweet post tonight. :) I am one super tired mama! We took the kids to the fair this fine evening and I have a few cute photos that I want to share with you guys. 

The nice "carnival man" was kind enough to let Silas post for a picture on the mechanical bull. Believe it or not - this is the first one of these bulls I have ever seen. Shocking right? I mean I live in Alabama...come on. ;)

I love this one of my dad and Miri. She loves her PaPa Buzz. :)

I hope everybody has a spectacular Saturday! I'm going to try to do two more posts this weekend!

Review | Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadow

$7.98 at select Walmart's

Available in 12 fabulous shades!

Oh my lanta. I have been dying to get my hands on one of the products from Drew Barrymore's (I LOVE HER) new cosmetic line for about a year now. When I first heard about it - I was under the impression that it would be available at every Walmart. My assumptions were incorrect my friends! The closest Walmart that carries Flower Beauty is in Montgomery. (The Chantilly location to be exact) I've been in the store several times this year. I'm still not sure why it didn't occur to me sooner to look for it. Whatever, darn Mama-brain. 

All of the products were arranged very strangely on an end cap and the display was half covered by this wire rack? It was ridiculous. Matt basically picked up the entire display and moved it so I could have a good look at everything. There were several other ones that were set up the same way. (Shame on you Wally World) I ended up picking up this "Flower Color Play Creme Eyeshadow." Initially - I thought it was going to be too similar to the Maybelline Color Tattoo shadows. Thankfully - I was wrong again! :) Not that I don't love my "bad to the bronze" shadow...I have been wearing it pretty much everyday. 

This creme is incredibly smooth, and yet totally build-able. I have worn it to work 3 days in a row this week. It gets crazy hot at the printshop, and this stuff stays right where I put it. The only tiny bit of creasing that I have noticed shows up towards the very end of the night. It is convenient that I can apply it with a fluffy shadow brush. You have to use your finger with the Maybelline shadow. (Ugh, messy hand towels) In my opinion, "Flirty Floret" is much more pigmented than "bad to the bronze." This shade is very versatile and reminds me of hot cocoa. It creates a loverly smokey look.  The packaging is gorgeous too. My only complaint is that the sticker left gross residue on the cap...and kinda spoiled it for me. (Sigh) I would have provided some example shots of me sporting the product...but I am terribly terribly sick right now. I caught Silas and Miri's cold. -_- (Boo hiss boo) I do believe after I get this post up and running I am going to head towards the bed. I need some good sleep desperately! 

Happy almost Friday to you!

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Review | Downy Unstopables in-wash Laundry Scent Booster

Downy Unstopables Laundry Scent Booster (13.2 oz)

$6.99 at Target 

(We got ours on sale for $5.99 on 8/27)

I was perusing through the Target dollar spot the other day when I happened across a sample of this new product by Downy. (See product line here) It was a little sachet ($1) that contained enough for two loads of clothes. I was so pleased with the smelly-good-ness of my laundry that I ran back to Target the following day and bought a full size bottle. 

I'm not sure why - but I've never been very happy with the scent of my clothes when they are fresh out of the dryer. Maybe detergent/softener commercials have made my expectations too high? There is no snuggly bear when I remove my clothes! Flowers are not shooting through the air! I am not dancing in a field next to a clothes line with happy children running around! I disapprove of the lack of these things. -_-

These little scent booster beads by Downy have finally done the trick. (They don't create hallucinations - they just smell nice) I can leave the laundry room door open and our entire house smells like amazing things. (I believe this particular scent is Glow?) The sample I tried before I bought the full size was the purple kind - aka Lush? 

Somehow this product has made it pleasant for me to wash my family's clothes. This is a small miracle my friends. I find Downy Unstopables Laundry in-wash Scent Booster to be a very enjoyable product. Way to go Downy!

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FYI | Orajel Baby

I thought today I would do a FYI post on a product that has me pretty shocked. I wanted to make all the other parents out there in the blogosphere aware. :)

(Sleeping beauty right before she got her shots.)

We just started using a new pediatrician that is located in Opelika. (Our old doctor was in Montgomery - about an hour away.) There are several doctors in this group at the Pediatric Clinic LLC, on the 4th we saw Dr. Fuller. This would be the third time that we have taken Miri to this pediatrician thinking that she had an ear infection. She was up screaming bloody-murder on Wednesday night. (We were up till about 2 o'clock in the morning.) Nothing would console her, she just cried and cried. Dr. Fuller decided that it was probably (ears were clear) just her mouth giving her pain. She currently has two bottom teeth and several teeth cutting in on the top. For weeks now we have literally been coating Miri's pacifier (popping it in and then spinning it) with the nighttime formula of Baby Orajel. We thought it was a safe way to provide her with some relief, and hey...the nighttime formula was like extra-strength right?

The possibility that this stuff might not be safe for our kids never even crossed our minds. It seemed to significantly help Miri's discomfort, so that was enough for us. Plus - look at that peaceful baby on the box! (#1 teething brand too!) You can find teething gels pretty much everywhere, so we thought nothing of it. Thankfully - when the subject of teething eventually came up Dr. Fuller decided to inform us about the possible danger associated with Orajel. 

He told us about something called methemoglobinemia. (met-HEEM-oh glo-bin-EE-mee-a) It can occur after just one use of benzocaine (Orajel) or several applications. (Just minutes or up to 2 hours after use.) Dr. Fuller had a child actually suffer from this condition because of benzocaine teething gel, she turned blue right in front of him! 

Symptoms include: headache, tired feeling, confusion, fast heart rate, and feeling light-headed or short of breath, with a pale, blue, or gray appearance of your skin, lips, or fingernails.

(In infants I believe you mainly look for change in color of appearance.) Methemoglobinemia is a life-threatening condition in which the amount of oxygen in your blood stream becomes dangerously low, how terrifying is that folks? I just wanted to put it out there and make everybody aware. :) Dr. Fuller recommends freezing a teething toy to help with the discomfort. Miri really enjoys chewing on her Nuby Teether. (Photo below) They are $4.12 on diapers.com, and they come in three colors.

Thankfully - there is a cure for Methemoglobinemia! The treatment consists of supplemental oxygen and methylene blue administered intravenously slowly over five minutes by IV. 

---------->Today<----------

I took Miri back to the doctor today for her 4 month shots. (We are a little off schedule) She is no Silas-man, so I see lots of rocking in the near future. (Silas has a very high pain tolerance) We are having a big pity party at the Cherry house tonight. She had to get two shots in each leg and she also had an oral vaccine. :( Poor baby!

I had a person comment that my blog appeared to be overlapping when viewed though Internet Explorer, anybody else having this issue?

Review | June's BarkBox

Nowadays there are all kinds of beauty boxes you can subscribe to, but did you know there is a subscription service for your canine friends too? If Harley could type I would let him write this review lol. ;) As soon as this package arrived he started dancing around in excitement, I guess he smelled the goodies before I even opened it! He had surgery a couple of weeks ago - so I was happy to see him in good spirits. BarkBox is a monthly box of goodies for your dog! 

BarkBox ♥

$29/month

1 Month

$24/month

3 Months

$19/month

6 Months

The subscription is based on the size of your dog, so our box was the medium option. (Harley is a beagle mix) If you subscribe - every month you will receive a box in the mail with four or more carefully selected goodies. Ranging from toys, bones and all natural-treats to hygiene products and innovative new gadgets. 

Harley was sent June's box, it was a puppy picnic basket, complete with food, drink, and even supplements to soothe firework-induced anxiety! 

Inside this month's BarkBox

Heartland Premium bone (We were sent a different brand - Butcher's Block Bones "The Champ")

Bowser Beer (A beef-based canine friendly beverage)

Puppy Cake/Puptato Chips (Low fat sweet potato chips)

Whole Life/tail mix (Grilled sirloin burgers)

Dale Edgar/CALM K9 NUTRI-WAFERS (Wafers to soothe frightened nerves)

Harley and I highly recommend BarkBox. :) It is a little pricey, but I do believe that opening this box was the highlight of his doggy-month! It's a really neat concept and a portion of the proceeds from each box will go to help dogs-in-need. It definitely made Harley (aka Mr. Bahrrells) feel very loved. 

Interested in a box for your dog?

BarkBox's Facebook Page

Birchbox Un-boxing | June 2013

Gasp you should folks. This year just seems to be flying by.

If you would like to subscribe to Birchbox, you can do so (HERE.)

Sorry for the dark photo, what was I thinking? Oh well...

I'm not going to lie - this month's box made me a little sad. Maybe it's because it included another curly hair product. I used to have curly hair, so I should probably shuffle on over to the Birchbox site and edit my profile. So maybe that's my fault? Moving right along...

Birchbox + Color Club | Wanderlust Collection  

Full-size, $8

Miss Jessie's | Original Jelly Soft Curls

Full-size, $14

Oscar de la Renta | Something Blue

Full-size, $85-$115

SW Basics | Lip Balm

Full-size, $15

Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics | Hi-Definition Hydrating Mineral Perfecting Powder

Full-size, $36

Lifestyle Extra

Tweezerman | Matchbox Itty Bitty Nail Files 

Full-size, $5

I was probably most excited about the mineral powder. It claims to be this magical shine-zapping stuff that keeps your oil levels in check. My face has been very oily lately and I don't think this product has improved it at all. Maybe it will work for one of you guys? Do you have any shine control product suggestions for me? I'm willing to try anything! I want to be shine free for the entire day if possible.

Don't forget to go enter my giveaway! 

Guest Blogger | COOLA Sunscreen Review

I had the honor of getting to be a guest blogger on NotPasty.com for a second time. Please visit the links below. :)

(Look at this silly Miri reaching for an empty bottle lol.) ------> COOLA Review <------ NotPasty.com Follow NotPasty on Twitter
Click here if you would like to know what "NotPasty" is all about. It's a super fabulous site!

Feature | Eve's Addiction Blog

I recently had the honor of being asked to chat with the friendly folks over at Eve's Addiction. You may have seen their jewelry on NBC's Today Show, and on the Wendy Williams Show! They specialize in exquisite sterling silver jewelry. Seriously, you need to go check them out right now! 

You can read my "Q&A summer series interview about Southern summer fashion" on the Eve's Addiction Blog.

Blog News

The kids are spending this weekend with their grandmother (Honey.) So, I've decided to use some of my spare time to work on some new additions to the blog. (Fancy!) You may have noticed the buttons just underneath the header. (Nope, they weren't there before!) All of them are up and running now. So please check them out and let me know your thoughts! I hope everybody is having a nice Friday evening. :)

Such a big girl! Miri 4 months.

Review | Natural Deodorants

I know that there is a lot of conflicting information out there about aluminum being linked to Alzheimer's. I have a family history of the disease, so I rather be on the safe side. Do you know what really sucks? It's in almost every deodorant that you pick up. (Not to mention other nasty chemicals) Over the years I have tried several brands from various health food stores, and most have left me disappointed. Today I want to talk about two products that I have tested recently.

Naturally Fresh Deodorant Crystal 

$2.97 at Wal-mart

and 

Puur Extra Strength Deodorant 

$7.00 at PuurBody on Etsy

I picked up the "Naturally Fresh" brand first, it was conveniently located at Wal-mart. I will go ahead and say that I cannot recommend it. I found that I had to re-apply it several times throughout the day. It may just be me, but I felt like it made me sweat more? (Gross) That could just be due to the liquid nature of the product. If you want to save money, you can try this one...maybe you will have better luck?

On to my favorite. :) Years ago I found my first natural deodorant on Etsy, it was called "Stinky Hippie." (How very appropriate lol) To my dismay, the seller stopped making it. I was really upset because it worked wonders for my husband. (Sigh) So, I went searching for another brand...and I found PuurBody! If vegan soap, natural deodorant, and shea butter lip balm is what your looking for...look no further! To my knowledge, she has the best prices on Etsy. I paid $7.00 for my deodorant (The Mayor of Stinky Town) lol...and $2.15 for shipping. This tube has a very tea tree oil scent to it. I noticed that the smell gets pretty strong a couple of minutes after you apply it but then it fades a bit. I'm really impressed with it. I think next time I may purchase the "Nag Champa" scent. If you want to get rid of some excess chemicals in your life go visit PuurBody. Here are the ingredients listed on the back of the stick. (I love how fabulously short the list is.)

Ingredients: Caster oil, Candellila wax, Soy wax, Shea butter, hemp seed butter, kaolin clay, Arrowroot   powder, fragrance and/or essential oils. 

Also - look at my adorable niece (and Silas)! My brother and his fiance purchased an Old English Bulldog puppy this past weekend. Her name is Cricket and I already adore her. 

From Oranges To Apples | Not Pasty

Get ready for a link-apalooza folks! Ready?! Please do me a favor and go check out the site Not Pasty. You won't be sorry, it's a super fabulous website that is all about sun-safety. I was very excited to have my story featured on their site. :) You can read that particular story (HERE) You can find their facebook page (HERE) Their twitter account is located right over (HERE) Oh, and for good measure...you can "Like" my facebook page (HERE) I hope everybody is having a lovely Friday.