Thursday, November 29, 2007

Pixie Dust


Pixie Dust is a children’s decor and accessories place that I know you will love! Inspired by classic children’s nursery books, vintage French textiles and 1960’s collectibles, Pixie Dust prints and products are both whimsical & unique.

All of their textiles are designed by founder Stacy McCallum and printed on 100% pre-shrunk cotton poplin making them soft and easy to care for. Textiles are available by the yard and come in the most charming style you will find.

I was able to sample their bib and cloth set recently (see photo). I almost didn’t want to unwrap it. The presentation was beautiful and the products were extremely soft and very durable.

Consider Pixie Dust for your next baby shower gift or for yourself!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Dessert without the Calories

I know you are thinking how is that possible – but with the Bath Desserts collection it is!

Bath Desserts is a fun, hip and imaginative company that makes hemp seed oil infused bath and body products and age-defying beauty treatments for the entire body. Hemp seed oil, the key ingredient that makes Bath Desserts unique, contains the perfect ratio of poly-unsaturated essential fatty acids, known for their excellent moisturizing and healing properties.

Their bath collection includes Hemp Seed Oil Sorbet Sugar Scrubs, Fizz Balls, Body Butters, Body SoufflĂ© Lotions, Body Melt Truffles, Lip Butters and Bath Sprinkles – and I will give you the scoop on several of them :)

The first product I used was the Hemp Seed Butter Infused Harvest Sorbet Sugar Scrub. I used it on my legs a few weeks ago and the scrub exfoliated them perfectly. My skin felt very smooth, looked healthy and smelled great.

After the Sugar Scrub, I was ready for the tub products the next night. I filled up my oversized garden tub and tossed in the Hemp Seed Oil Infused Plumeria Fizz Ball. It bubbled away as my daughter and I watched it disappear. As I stepped in and relaxed in the tub, it definitely felt like a pampering session for me. The oil from the ball moisturized my skin and had that great Plumeria fragrance. Another night, I tried the Hemp Seed Oil Infused Plumeria Bath Sprinkles. It also had that great Plumeria fragrance and my body felt like it was rejuvenated.

Each time I had my spa-like bath, I used the Hemp Seed Butter Infused Vanilla Body Butter. It was very rich and a little went a long way. My skin looked healthy, moisturized and refreshed!

My favorite from the collection were the Hemp Seed Butter Infused Mango Body Melt Truffles. They looked exactly like white chocolate truffles (see above), but were loaded with hemp seed butter and mango butter. After my shower, the truffle melted and left my skin deeply moisturized and rehydrated. Each time I used Bath Dessert my entire bathroom smelled amazing and so did I!

All Bath Desserts products are handmade in the United States, are eco-friendly, contain no animal-derived ingredients and are not tested on animals. They are available in spas, medi-spas and on the Bath Desserts website.

While visiting the site, checkout their NEW children’s line called Bath Desserts Hemp Kidz - which includes the Orange Sherbet and Pink Bubblegum collections.

Stylish Factor: You will enjoy a total pampering and beauty treatment with Bath Desserts products – have fun!

Price: Varies

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Baby Star's 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway



In the spirit of the season and to celebrate babies, Baby Star is giving away 12 amazing gifts throughout the holiday season!

Entering is very simple - just click here and enter your email, along with two email addresses of friends that you think would love to also win.



Good Luck!

Apronique



With the Christmas holidays around the corner, there will be plenty of opportunities for hosting family gatherings, cooking and entertaining. If you are searching for that stylish accessory to your wardrobe, you must check out Apronique. It is a unique collection of contemporary aprons that reflect today’s fashion trends.


Apronique’s newest apron line is my favorite because it features reversible 2-in-1 aprons constructed from stain repellent fabric in a variety of hip & trendy designs. I recently used my Royal Bouquet apron as I prepared for a dinner party at my home and it remained stain-free. It was very comfortable to wear and draped nicely against my clothes. My girlfriends immediately asked where I found it and raved about how chic my apron looked. The best part is I can reverse my apron and have a new look at my next dinner party :)

Pick out your chic apron today!

Stylish Factor: Each apron is made with high performance fabrics with impressive designs!

Price: Starts at $34.99 and gift certificates are available.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Enjoy your Holiday!

Monday, November 19, 2007

skeeda - Reusable bags with Style


On my recent trip to Whole Foods Market, I had the opportunity to use a skeeda reusable grocery bag. It was very lightweight and had plenty of room for my fruits, veggies and frozen foods. The canvas bag was comfortable on my shoulder as I walked to my car and easy to store when not in use.

It actually felt good to be "environment friendly" by using skeeda's bag because I was one of the ones asking for plastic at the checkout a few weeks ago. As I was doing my research, I was amazed to learn that 96% of all plastic bags end up in our landfills and that the US consumes 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually requiring approximately 12 million barrels of oil. These are alarming statistics and its important for us all to start saving energy and helping our environment.

So, if you haven't started using reusable bags, start today!

Stylish Factor: The bags come in fashionable designs and can be used as a purse or everyday tote.

Price: $15

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Unsafe Toys on Shelves

This list of top 10 unsafe toys on shelves is provided by Don Keenan, founder of Keenan’s Kids Foundation, who is a local child advocate and attorney.



Magnetix 75 Piece Assortment Collector’s Tin $19.99 by Mega Brands Ages 6+ Purchased at Toys R Us HAZARD: Potential for choking injuries. Magnets that are swallowed can connect in the intestines, resulting in tissue damage, infection, and death.

Rocket Pocket Miniature Electric Motorcycle $183.22 by Razor USA, LLC Ages 12+ years Purchased at Wal-Mart HAZARD: Potential for severe bodily injuries or death

Heelys $29.99 - $79.99 by Heeling Sports LTD Ages 5+ Purchased at Kids Foot Locker HAZARD: Potential for severe head injuries and injuries to others

Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker $19.99 by Flying Colors Ages 8+ years Purchased at Toys R Us HAZARD: Potential for electric shock and burn injuries.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Sensor Sword with Magic Ring $17.99 by Zizzle Ages 5+ Purchased at Target HAZARD: Potential for eye and other bodily injuries.

Disney Princess Small Dolls - Favorite Moments $19.99 by Toys R Us Ages 3+ Purchased at Toys R Us HAZARD: Potential for choking. Small Pieces.

Lil’ Snoopy $7.99 by Fisher Price Age 1+ Purchased at Toys R Us HAZARD: Potential for Strangulation

Elmo’s World: Talking Cell Phone $9.99 by Fisher-Price Ages 18+ months Purchased at Toys R Us HAZARD: Potentially dangerous levels of noise.

Yo-Yo Squeeze Toy $1.29 by Ja-Ru, Inc. Ages 4+ Purchased at KB Toys HAZARD: Potential for strangulation injuries.

Hello Kitty Flavored Lip Balms and Nail Polishes $7.99 by Sanrio & Townley Cosmetics Age 5+ Purchased at Toys R Us HAZARD: Contains the potentially toxic chemical Phthalate. Children can ingest toxins put on lips and fingernails

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Prevent the Flu


Here are some quick facts about Flu Shots for kids:

1 - Kids between 6 months and 5 years old need a flu shot every year.

2- Parents, close contacts (anyone who lives with them) and out of home caregivers of children under age 5 should also have a flu shot. This is especially important for those who care for kids under 6 months old.

3 - Children six months to 9 years who are receiving the flu shot for the first time need to receive two doses. The first dose introduces the virus and the second dose provides immunity. The doses must be given one month apart. The vaccine becomes effective two weeks after the second dose is given.

Other Kids That Need Flu Shots:

Any child age 6 months to 18 years with chronic health problems, including:

-Asthma or other lung problems
-Weak immune systems
-Chronic kidney disease or problems
-Heart disease
-HIV/AIDS
-Diabetes
-Sickle cell anemia or other blood disorders
-Long-term aspirin therapy
-Any condition that makes breathing difficult

What else do you need to know?

1 - Kids age 2-5 years are more likely to be taken to the doctor or emergency room because of the flu.

2 - Kids are the biggest spreaders of the flu.

3 - Because they don’t typically practice good hand hygiene and are exposed to many other people, children share the flu germs very easily. Vaccination helps reduce the chances of a flu epidemic.
Just because it is getting late into the season, doesn’t mean it is too late to get a flu shot.

4 - The best way to protect children under 6 months old from the flu is for all members of the household and all caregivers to get a flu shot.
Don’t forget the unborn children! Pregnant women are considered high risk for complications from the flu and should have a flu shot if they will be pregnant during the flu season.

Courtesy of About.com

Monday, November 5, 2007

Pick up your 2008 Hot Mama Calendar



A few weeks ago, I received the 2008 Hot Mama Calendar in the mail! It definitely grabbed my attention because the cover was pink and appeared to be like no other calendar I had seen. I flipped through each calendar month and saw portraits of 11 beautiful mothers with their children. Each month included the mom’s personal quote of advice.

My favorite quote was from Kathy (December Hot Mama) - "Raise your babies with the most priceless gift, the gift of confidence. Confident babies, grow into confident adults; they will always love you and appreciate that you did so."



The Hot Mama calendar came packed with extra goodies, too. It features large squares to track your daily events, long notes section for each month , fun sticker pages with 378 reminder stickers, 16 tear-off grocery & to do lists, 2008 event reminder page, 4 pages of emergency contacts & phone numbers, large babysitting notes section and one month of space to insert your own photo of your favorite Hot Mama!

So what does it mean to be a Hot Mama – smart, stylish and strong – and that is definitely you!

Stylish Factor: A portion of the calendar proceeds will be donated to Donors Choose which is a charity that provides students in need with resources that public schools often lack. It is also a fun calendar that is perfect for busy moms.

Price: $19.99