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Shopping for Christmas Ornaments in April (and a Review)

April 10, 2011 Leave a Comment
I know it’s April, and a lot of people don’t even want to think about Christmas, but if you were back in December you know that I LOVE Christmas ornaments, especially my mouse ornaments. And I simply couldn’t pass up the opporunity to do a review for Christmas Ornmanents.com.
Actually spring and summertime is ideal Christmas Gift Shopping Time.  You can often get things on sale. And you can get all your shopping done online without the crowds and the stress.

 My mom and I both love to give ornaments as gifts, and this Christmasornaments.com has ornament gifts that would be ideal for any time of year. For example, they have wedding ornaments and  baby ornaments. These would really make for some great keepsake shower gifts!

And the site also has University and College Ornaments, which by the way, I was happy to find one for our team, The University of Alabama!

And I also was happy to find some cute teacher ornaments and graduation ornaments which would be really cute to give as gifts this May.

But as I said before, I love mice ornaments.  So I picked out the little cutie (below) to review!  He’s made of metal, which is perfect because I can’t have glass ornaments on my tree, due to my kitty cats (who are our resident tree eaters and occasional interior decorators—but not in a good way). 
I also love the vibrant colors in this ornament and just the cuteness of it. What mouse collector wouldn’t love a mouse sitting on a Christmas ball?  And I also like his size, which is just over 5 inches long and perfect for our tree.  He will definitely make a great addition to my collection.

If like to shop for ornaments year round like I do, check out Christmasornaments.com!

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Disclosure: I was given a free ornament for writing this review. I was not otherwise compensated. The opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Christmas, product review, shopping

Spotlight on Petite Rouge Shop

April 4, 2011 1 Comment
I’m excited to share my newest sponsor with you.  It is a cute etsy shop called Petite Rouge which specializes in adorably sweet hairbows.  Are you looking for the perfect finishing touch? Petite Rouge has it. Simple, elegant blossoms to brighten up any outfit. Dainty enough for your smallest princess. Sophisticated enough for your growing girls.

Petite Rouge is owned by Rachel, a stay at hom mom.  Here’s a little information about Rachel in her own words:
“I am a stay-at home mom of four — three boys and a girl (although at three, she thinks she’s one of the boys and is can hold her own in a nerf battle). Having four kids keeps me pretty occupied and doesn’t leave much time for other things. So my hobbies have become multi-purpose: searching the internet for new recipes, cooking, collecting fabulously illustrated childrens books, creating scary halloween decorations (random, but again I do have three boys).
And I love fabric! I love to shop for fabric the way some women shop for shoes . . . but I’m not the best at sewing. When I found a way to use fabric in a non-sewing way, I was so excited! My husband has informed me several times that our daughter has enough hair clips to last her for two lifetimes. So in order to justify buying more fabric, I opened up an etsy site.”
I instantly fell in love with Rachel’s  unique bows.  Her blossoms are so fun and unique!  And I love the variety of bright colors and fabrics.  I also love that girls can wear the clips alone or add them to a headband.  And although the blossoms dominate the shop, I equally love Rachel’s flower clips and corker clips.  Any of these bows would be the perfect accessory to finish off any outfit with style and flair!

If you’re shopping this spring for children’s fashions, please check out Petite Rouge for the perfect finishing touch to your child’s outfits!

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Filed Under: fashion, shopping, Sponsors

Executive Gift Shoppe Review & Giveaway

March 30, 2011 13 Comments

My husband has been saying that he wants a business card holder to carry in his pocket.  But we’ve looked around at all the local stores and had no luck finding one.  So I was really excited to find Excecutive Gift Shoppe.  They are an online retailer that specializes in gifts for men. 
It’s a great place to find birthday and Father’s Day gifts, and they also have several lines that would be perfect for work related gifts or groomsmen gifts.  Product lines include hip flasks, barware, clocks, sports gifts, and golf gifts, and desk accessories.

I had the opportunity to select some items for review from Executive Gift Shoppe, and I chose 2 different business card holders
I chose The Frame Collection Stainless Steel Business Card Holder and the Stainless Steel Business Card Holder with 6 Internal Compartments.   Upon their arrival in the mail, before I even had a chance to see the card holders, I was already impressed by the appearance of the gift boxes they came in.  With packaging of this quality, I knew the item inside would be very nice.  And I was right!
The card holders are very shiny and sleek with clean lines. And each card holder comes custom engraved.  For mine, I had our last name engraved on them, and it came out looking great.  They’re also very professional looking and appear to be very sturdy. 
The one from the Frame Collection is my favorite.  I just love its style and the look of the lines on it.  The style looks very professional.  And it easily flips open and holds 15 cards. 

The second one is a little more plain looking than the first but is also silver toned and looks just as professional. It also flips open with the push of a button, and it actually holds 25 cards.  Another marked difference between these two card holders is that when this one opens, it has 6 compartments on the inside.  I actually chose this card holder for this very feature.  I thought it could be convenient not only for carrying your own cards but also taking cards from other people.

I really like both business card holders that I received, and based on these two products, I have to say that the Exectutive Gift Shoppe  lives up to its name.  And looking over the wide range of items on their website, I think you’ll be impressed with them as well.  I definitely recommend them to you for spring and summer gift giving!

Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home reader will win a $25 gift certificate to Executive Gift Shoppe.

Mandatory Entry: To enter, you must “like” Executive Gift Shoppe on Facebook   (and leave a comment letting them know you came from Simply Sweet Home) OR follow @GiftShoppe on Twitter.  Then leave a comment on my blog telling me that you followed. 

Deadline to enter: April 15   Open to the USA and Canada only.

Additional Enties: Leave a comment for each.
-1 if you follow my blog.
-1 if you follow @SimplySweetHome on Twitter.
-1 if  you subscribe to Simply Sweet Home via email.
-1 if you like Simply Sweet Home on facebook.
-1 for subscribing to my RSS feeds through Feedburner.
-1 for sharing this giveaway on Twitter or Facebook.
(Sample Tweet:  I want to win a $25 gift certificate to Executive Gift Shoppe http://bit.ly/fBfNRr  @SimplySweetHome @GiftShoppe)  (Limit one tweet entry per day.)

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For hosting this giveaway, I got to choose $50 worth of items from select lines at Executive Gift Shoppe. I was not otherwise compensated.  The opinions are my own.

Filed Under: Giveaways, product review, shopping

Spotlight on Birdsong Bows

March 29, 2011 1 Comment

I’m always excited to introduce you to companies that specialize in teaching you how to make something.  And this week I have the pleasure of welcoming Birdsong Bows to my blog.  They are a company that sells patterns and tutorials for hairbows and accessories.
This shop is owned by Deanna McCool.  Deanna grew up with a love for crafting, drawing, and painting.  Over the years she’s taken up a number of  disciplines from pottery and writing to fiber arts.  In 2006 Deanna discovered hair bow design and grew Birdsong Bows with a love for the art and craft of creating beautiful accessories for little girls. As the business expanded, she discovered the joy in teaching others how to make bows and other items, and began writing tutorials to share her knowledge.

Included in Deanna’s shop are patterns not just for hairbows, but also felt flower clips, barrettes and tutus.  She offers professional looking tutorials in PDF format with elaborate, easy to follow instructions and even video tutorials.  These are for beginner and avid bow makers alike. And as you can see, these aren’t your average bows; they are quite unique, fancy, and beautiful.
Deanna also offers discounts when you purchase the tutorials in bundles.  And if you decide you’d like to set up your own bow shop, she’s also got a book of online sales strategies!

Where to Buy: 
BirdsongBows.com
On Etsy
Ways to Connect:
Birdsong Bow’s Blog
Birdsong Bow’s on Facebook

If you’ve got a little girl and you love to craft, there’s no reason not try your hand at making your own bows, and Birdsong Bows is the perfect place to help you get started.  Please check out Deanna’s website today!

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Disclosure: Birdsong Bows is a paid sponsor on Simply Sweet Home.  The opinions in this post are my own.  If you’d like to advertise here, please see my PR Page.

Filed Under: fashion, shopping, Sponsors

Spotlight on Spring Swimwear at Express

March 22, 2011 Leave a Comment

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.


The weather’s been perfect around our house for the last few weeks, and I’m so happy that spring time is finally here!  With the warm weather here to stay (for a while), you can’t help but think about spring and summer fashions, the tank tops, shorts, flip flops, and of course, swimsuits!  You can dive into the season’s sexiest women’s swimwear at Express.
Express carries bikinis in a number of styles including the string bikini, strapless bikini, and the halter bikini.  They also have monokinis if your shopping for something sexy, yet modest.  And they have many beautiful colors and patterns available.  Apart from the cute styles and designs they offer, I love all the different embellishments they have, from the flirty ruffles and ties to the glam beads.


My favorite swim suit is this graphic bikini (pictured above).  Usually when I shop for swimsuits, I end up with something in purple, blue, or pink, so the colors of this suit are right up my alley.  I just love how they’ve splashed the bright pink graphics onto this deep purple, and I love how they used what I call the “fade effect” where the colors gradually fade in to one another.  And looking at a larger, close-up photo of the suit, you can see that they also added tiny bead embellishments to the flowers, for a little extra-added style and glam!  I would love to wear this to the beach this summer!

Express also carries a line of cute sunglasses, totes, accessories, and some fabulous clothing, so go check them out!
Sweepstakes! Sign up for Express e-mail, and you could win one of ten $200 Express Gift Cards!  The contest is open through April 21.  For more, details check out the sweepstakes rules.

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Filed Under: fashion, shopping, Sponsors

Shopping at Spencers

March 14, 2011 1 Comment

Have you ever shopped at Spencers? If you’ve ever had one located in your area, I don’t see how you could not at least go in and have a look at all the flashing lights inside.
When I think of Spencer’s I immediately think of lava lamps and black lights. In my not too distant youth my friends and I loved going to Spencers to look at the lava lamps, disco balls, and other fun lights.  There was also a lot of other fun room decor like celebrity posters, beaded curtains, and even inflatable furniture!  And yes,  Mrs. Simply Sweet Home actually had some of these items in her room as a teenager. I have to admit I was a bit of “nerd” back then (and I still am), but with the help of the great stuff at Spencer’s, at least I had a cool room!
The second thing I always associate it with Spencer’s is gag gifts.  If you like to find fun and humorous gift exchange ideas for the holidays, you are bound to find something at Spencers.  And it’s also a great place to find gifts for women under $50, from Twilight posters to jewelry, and also more risque gifts for bachelorette parties and so forth.
If you’ve never had a Spencers in your area, you can check out this video to see what they have to offer and shop with them online for your all your hip decor and fun novelty needs.

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Disclosure:  This is a paid post.  The opinions expressed here are my own. Some of the content on the sponsor site may not be suitable for children. Discression is advised.

Filed Under: shopping

Spotlight on Julian & Co

March 4, 2011 3 Comments

I’m excited to introduce you to my newest blog sponsor Julian & Co.  This unique shop is owned by wife and mom Tania, and it offers an array of lovely, heirloom quality jewelry for moms, dads, and children.
These lovely pieces can be personalized with your child’s name, birthdate and time, weight, and length.  And for those who love birthstones, you’ll be excited to know that Julian & Co will soon bring on birthstone charms for this lovely line of jewelry.
When I first ran across Julian & Co, I instantly fell in love with their personalized jewelry, and I was even more excited to feature them on my blog after I read the story behind the company.  After wearing many hats in her career, Tania and her husband Tony decided to start a family.  Their son Julian was born 11 weeks early and weighed only 3lbs 4oz.  Tania’s husband purchased a personalized baby bracelet for Julian, but it was too big for his tiny wrist. So Tania set out to design her own sterling silver id bracelet for Julian.  This was the first of many pieces in the Julian & Co line.

The  Signature line of Julian & Co  is the baby hand and feet jewelry.  So overjoyed to have Julian home, Tania handcrafted sterling silver disc pendants adorned with Julian’s own hand and feet prints, as well as his name and birth date, for her and her husband to wear. As soon as her family and friends saw Tania’s lovely creations, orders came rolling in, and the business grew from there. 
For me, Julian & Co. combines two things that I absolutely love: silver jewelry and personalized jewelry.  Ever since I can remember I’ve loved silver. It’s so simple, yet very elegant, and it goes so well with any outfit, from jeans to dresses.  And the personlized touches to Tania’s designs take these pieces from being just another piece of jewelry to being a keepsake that you will cherish forever.
The entire Julian & Co. line is durable and heirloom quality, and most pieces have a high shine mirror finish and are thick enough to be personalized on both sides. 

Connect with Julian & Co:
Follow @JULIANandCo on Twitter.
Follow Julian & Co on Facebook.
 Subscribe to receive updates & latest promotions.
Follow the Julian & Co blog.

Please visit Julian & Co to see more of these beautiful pieces and help support this amazing mom and her shop!

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Disclosure:  Julian & Co is a paid sponsor on Simply Sweet Home.  The opinions in this post are my own.  If you’d like to advertise on this blog, please see my PR Page for details.

Filed Under: shopping, Sponsors

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with these Fun Finds

February 23, 2011 1 Comment
Photo Credit – Hudsons Holiday

I just love looking around on etsy and have recently started creating my own treasuries.  I created a really fun treasury last week called Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It’s filled with adorable items that will help you celebrate the holiday:  cupcake toppers, cookies, banners, and fun decor!
Today I’m sharing just a few of the items from this treasury.
St. Patrick’s Day Wreath

St. Patrick’s Day Banner

Exquisite Fun St. Patrick’s Day Cookies

Happy St. Patrick’s Day Shamrock Gift Tags

Looking for more? Check out the rest of the items in this treasury.

I’m linking up to these parties.

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Disclosure:  None of the shops featured in this post are paid sponsors. I hand selected all the items for this treasury on Etsy based on my own opinions. Photos are owned by the shop owners they are linked to.

Filed Under: decorating, Misc Holidays, party ideas, shopping

Nursery and Kids Decor at Gypsy Lane Designs

February 18, 2011 3 Comments

I’m really happy to welcome back Gypsy Lane Designs as a sponsor to my blog.  If you’re new to my blog and aren’t familiar with this shop, let me tell you all about it.  It is owned by Rachel who is an artist and art teacher.

Gypsy Lane Designs features fresh, bright & beautiful artwork for Baby & Home.  If you’re looking for adorable, unique, and personalized items for your child’s room, you should definitely check out Gypsy Lane.  They have custom artwork, name paintings, and name blocks, which also make great birthday and shower gifts.
Gypsy Lane also specializes in custom paintings of pets. (We can’t forget to celebrate the furry little ones in our lives!)

I was intrigued by how Rachel came to develop her fabulous line of children’s artwork:

Gypsy Lane Designs began when I thought I would finally try my hand at creating paintings for the masses. My shop first housed mostly travel watercolors and custom pet portraits. As countless numbers of my friends have recently had babies, I began getting some requests for custom nursery work. My shop has organically grown into a haven of hand-painted and original designs for baby.

I have been having a blast creating personalized nursery designs for my Etsy customers. I love making my children’s designs beautiful, completely unique, whimsical and delicate. I find inspiration every day in my art classroom as I watch my student’s active imaginations. I absolutely love doing custom work and strive to make my custom artwork interactions as easy, fun and painless for you as possible.

From cars, planes, and  animals, to flowers, butterflies, and princesses, Gypsy Lane Designs can make the perfect custom wall art for your child’s room that creates an atmosphere of whimsy and wonder every time your child walks in!

Connect with Gypsy Lane Designs
Rachel’s Blog: Gypsy Lane Designs

Please join me in support of this lovely artist and fabulous etsy shop  and check out Gypsy Lane Designs today.

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Disclosure: Gypsy Lane Designs is a paid sponsor on my blog.  If you have a business and you’d like for me to advertise for you, please check out my PR page for details.

Filed Under: Baby, decorating, shopping, Sponsors

Shabby Apple Giveaway

February 14, 2011 245 Comments
I’m really excited to tell you about Shabby Apple, an online vintage dress boutique.
Shabby Apple offers lovely dresses for women and teens as well as little girl’s dresses and.maternity dresses.  They also have a lovely collection of jewelry, shoes, and accessories.
I was very impressed by the variety of dresses I found at Shabby Apple.  They offer dresses for any occasion, and they have something for every body type and style.  It should be easy for you to find something you like.
For today’s post, I decided to share just a few dresses that I really liked.  I could definitely see myself wearing these!  Aren’t they lovely?  Wouldn’t they be great to wear this spring and summer?

And this post just barely scratches the surface! There is so much more!

Buy it!  Shop online at Shabby Apple for these lovely dresses and more!

Reader Discount:  Right now you can get 10% off your order at Shabby Apple just for being a reader of my blog.  Just use the coupon code: simplysweethome10off

Win it!  One Simply Sweet Home reader will win this lovely Cider dress (pictured above).
Giveaway Closed. Congrats to Courtney!

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Disclosure:  The prize from this giveaway is being provided by Shabby Apple.  I am a member of the Shabby Apple affiliate program but was not otherwise compensated for this post.  The opinions are my own.

Filed Under: fashion, Giveaways, shopping Tagged With: ,
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