Fare Thee Well

Today is the last day of June, and as such, it is time to say farewell to my lovely sponsors this month.
If you haven't yet, please click on the pictures to go to their respective shops.

Isabel Feeding Herself!!!

Isabel can finally feed herself! Last night's dinner was a casserole, and I thought it would be good to see how well she did with feeding herself with a spoon.

And here it is:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/101424887070663293792/posts

Update: I guess you have to have my husband, Jeff, in your "circle" in order to see it. that sucks.

It is posted on Google+, and I couldn't find a way to link it like the ones I can link from youtube, so a link is all I have.

I love that smile that she makes when she is pleased with herself - it's the smile at the very end of the video: all teeth and a scrunched up nose. Alexander had reverted back to his old way of speaking (not using his pronouns), so you'll hear that in the background too.

I was perusing on my mom's videos a while back, and here is one of Isabel, just learning to walk. She was 9 months old.

And here is a fun one from a little over a year ago. Alexander is sitting on my dad's lap, eating a peanut butter jam sandwich, and dipping it into his soup. yuck. But Alexander loved it!

What to Do When Inspiration has Left the Building.

Here's what I do:

{source}

Take a relaxing bath.

With candles.

And soft music.

And my face done up perfectly.

Bliss.

{source}

Get a pedicure.

Beautiful feet = inspiration!

{source}

Get a massage.

Obviously, this is just a list of things I like to do to relax. And being relaxed means I can think clearly, and inspiration comes to me in waves when I'm relaxed.

Think about it. When you're stressed and have too much on your mind, that's when your brain gets clogged with all the information in it, and it doesn't let inspiration come in. So when you relax (via the ideas above), your brain gets unclogged and allows the inspiration to flow freely.

It works for me!

What I Made :: Link-up 21

<br /> <a border="0" href="http://treeshides.blogspot.com/search/label/what%20I%20made%20link%20up" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd402/ShirleyFAO/WhatIMadebutton.jpg"/></a><br />

Hmm... What did I do this past week that was phenomenal? Well, I listed my 100th listing in my shop with this journal:

The criss-crosses are so fun to bind, and I think it looks so great! Another journal in my "extra chunky" collection.

Last week's most viewed link was this Orange Blossom Soap by Delicate by Nature:

I've got a couple of K's soaps, and they are great! Even my husband, who is a complete "I-have-to-use-liquid-soap-because-it-lathers-better" man, loves K's soaps! If you haven't tried them yet, get a bar! I would suggest the "Funk Be Gone" bar - it is her most popular.

Here are the other soaps on my list:

{..1..2..3..}

Now it's your turn to show me what you've made.

This link-up will be open until Saturday night.

Please let your friends know about this link-up - share the goodness!

And don't forget to click on your favourites!

1. Garden Whimsies by Mary	2. Double Halo	3. Bates Mercantile Co.	4. Clone Hardware	5. WakeUp TheAngel	6. GreenStreetMosaics
7. Fort Remington	8. Funk Be Gone Soap	9. Daisy Lane Design	10. Vintage Inspired Cuff	11. Centerpiece Footed Bowl	12. Drab-to-fab garage sale lamp
13. bstudio	14. Baby Lace Bonnet	15. MullaneInk	16. FiddledeeDeeCraft	17. Crochet Cat	18. Isobel Morrell
19. The Accessories Nook	20. UniQ Creations	21. Shane Bergdahl	22. An Astrid Endeavor	23. Rose

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

Sponsor Feature :: One Red Button

Etsy Shop | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

There is so much that I love about One Red Button. Sparrow's creations just makes me want to sit down and sew! and I don't even know how to! lol  You will know what I mean when you see these yummies:

Reusable Gift Tags!

The sweetest little pincushion.

I want these for my craft space!!!

And if you already know how to sew, you can get the pattern!

There's this and so much more over at One Red Button.

Etsy Shop | Facebook | Twitter | Blog

This Has Turned Into a Search for Heads

Retro Jumping Shoes! Wouldn't these be so much fun?

Hand-printed fabric.

I can definitely see these being made into some awesome pillows.

Rustic Bench.

I want one! Who wouldn't?

Sculpted Face Necklace.

So awesome. But sort of creepy?

Ceramic Head Sculpture.

To hang on your wall. In the entrance. As a sort of "welcome and beware".

Sprouting Seed Faces.

For some reason, my search has taken on a "head". lol

Hand-Carved Bird House.

I guess this guy hasn't had three square meals today? har. har. har.

Product Review :: Ug Chug by Nelson Studio

Etsy Shop | Facebook | Website

I just LOOOOVE Ug-Chugs! There are so many that I enjoy so much, that I have chosen a few extra images to look at than I usually do. I'm sure you will agree with me.

These stacking mugs are so adorable! Just look at their faces, and those dorky smiles.

This goblet looks a little tipsy to me.

Men. Do they ever stop talking? lol

If you want to separate your eggs, this guy is who you want.

If you want a more sophisticated tea mug, this chap is for you!

Just about to tip over, eh?

As you can see, there is so much fun to be found here at Nelson Studio,

where you can find the entire Ug-Chug family.

Etsy Shop | Facebook | Website

~~~~~

Product Review :: "Kristo the Trickster" Ug-Chug

My son, Alexander, picked Kristo out from a whole slew of mugs to give to Jeff for Father's Day.

Alexander loved Kristo's expression, and his little tooth reminds him of Larry the Cucumber (which is why I think Alexander picked him out in the first place).

And Jeff really enjoys drinking from Kristo. The size of the mug is perfect for a "Jeff-sized" tea, while giving everyone who sees him something to smile about. Jeff has brought him to church, and he has received many compliments on how awesome his mug is.

The handle is super convenient too, since Jeff's hands aren't exactly small. The extra wide handle gives him plenty of finger space, as opposed to our other mugs, where he can only fit one finger through the handles.

The shipping was super quick, and since this was the first time ordering something breakable on Etsy, I was a tad bit worried about if it would come to me all in one piece. But Kristo was packaged very snugly inside his own little room in the shipping box, surrounded by paper and bubble wrap. I was very pleased with the care that Chad & Meghan took to ship him to us.

Chad & Meghan are also a super cute couple who are totally friendly, easy to work with, and complete professionals at what they do: being awesome and creating awesome stuff!

Overall opinion: 

Isabel, The Bearded Baby

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