Best Handmade Cloth Pantyliners

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I'm a huge fan of menstrual cups and recommend them to anyone. They're the only menstrual product that hasn't been linked to health problems because they aren't absorbent and therefore don't interfere with your body's natural cleaning fluids. They're also great for busy lifestyles because they usually only need to be dealt with once or twice a day. The reusable ones are also eco friendly, but if you prefer disposables they are also available with all the same health benefits.

Usually my menstrual cup is all I need, but if I'm really busy on a heavy day I prefer to have some backup. In all honesty, it has yet to actually be necessary, but it makes me more comfortable. So I've been trying out a few different brands/styles of cloth pantyliners. I wanted to get away from the disposable ones to save money and the environment... plus they're just uncomfortable.

It took me a while, but I've finally stumbled on Caroline's Creations, home of the most comfortable pantyliners I've tried. They're so comfortable that I completely forget they're there! They cost less than $10 for 3 pantyliners, shipping is only $1 and there are quantity discounts available. Plus you can get them custom made in whatever fun fabrics catch your eye. They're made out of cotton and soft flannel and are easy to clean - I just throw them in to the washing machine with my underwear - though pre-soaking is recommended if you do get blood on them.

I ordered a custom set of 3 just to try them out, and I ordered more the day they arrived. I haven't tried any of Caroline's other products, but I'm sure her other products (menstrual pads, nursing pads, facial scrubbies, flannel wipes) are just as comfortable and well made as her pantyliners.

Luxury Handmade Solid Lotion with Beeswax

This solid lotion from Forget Me Not Soap Shop is great for on the go. Just keep it in your purse, gym bag, school bag or anywhere else you might need it. One bar lasts a surprisingly long time, and you don't have to worry about it leaking all over your bag like regular lotions might.

It's the only lotion I've found that instantly stops my feet from itching when they're dry. I used to scratch my feet raw, they were so itchy, but now I just put some of this lotion on whenever they start bothering me again. I'll definitely be buying more once I finish the bar I have now.

The solution for dry, cracking, peeling feet... Foot Goo!

Time for a couple of long overdue product reviews (sorry it took so long).

First up is BAKidagain's Foot Goo. This stuff is amazing! My feet have been dry, cracking, peeling, bleeding, itching, ect for about 7 years and nothing I've tried worked. I tried pretty much everything the drug store had to offer, a couple prescriptions, samples of various things that I had to order from foreign companies, different kinds of socks, shoes, insoles... you name it, I've probably tried it. Most things worked a bit, definitely better than not using them, but in the end it just wasn't worth the cost.

This Foot Goo has healed my feet faster and better than anything I ever tried before. I used it every night until I ran out (just put it on my feet and put socks on before going to bed) as well as using a pumice stone on my feet when I showered (which I've been doing for years), and by the time I ran out my feet looked almost normal!

After ordering samples, I made the mistake of not ordering more soon enough, and now my feet have reverted to their original condition, but I just got my order in the mail on Monday and my feet are already feeling SO much better! Definitely won't be making that mistake twice.

BAKidagain's Foot Goo is currently available in Electric Lime and Lavender. I have to admit, I thought lime scented foot lotion sounded weird, and I'm a lavender girl through and through, but the lime (which is the only sample scent available) is such a refreshing scent that I ordered it again instead of ordering the lavender. Everyone needs something a little different sometimes.

I might order the lavender if I succeed in going camping this summer, though. There's logic behind my lavender obsession! I don't like bugs and I don't like chemicals (like bug spray). Bugs don't like lavender. So whenever I get out into the great outdoors, I make sure to bring all natural, bio degradable lavender scented soaps, body sprays and lotions. I've even been known to soak all my clothing and (if I have time) my tent in it before I leave. It works! Just make sure you line dry, it's not nearly as effective after a trip through the drier.

Another great product from BAKidagain is her Intense Hand Cream. It's made with nurses in mind, so it's completely unscented but it moisturizes like no other hand cream I've found. It's great for anyone who constantly washes their hands (whether for your job or just out of obsessiveness like me, lol) and because it's unscented you don't have to worry about allergies (your own or anyone else's).

Wearable Wire Scupltures

For my favorite product this week (really going to try and get these weekly columns going), I couldn't choose just one. I tried, I really did - but when looking at a shop as amazing as HonkusGrogana's, it just can't be done!

Normally I write a lot more in these posts... but I think I should just let this wire wrapping artisan's work speak for itself in this case.

CRAYONS! (Handmade, of course)

So I read somewhere recently that somewhere in the U.S. one of the baby milestones is something like "Does he hold a crayon and scribble with it?" around 12 months. My little guy is 16 months, and I think if I had given him a crayon any earlier he would have only been interested in eating it. But I saw this crayon by LilDoodlers on ArtFire. The title said "Perfect for Toddlers" so I thought we'd give it a shot.

It came today, and he's loving it! He doesn't have much of an attention span, so he only sat with it for a few minutes, but I left it out where he can see it and he keeps coming back and making a few scribbles before getting distracted again.

The same seller mentioned that she has an easter egg mold so after this trial run I'm hoping to maybe pick up some of those for Easter.

I want a BoomCase!

This has to be the awesomest thing I've found it weeks. I mean, look at it!

It's a bright red vintage suitcase with 200 watt speakers built in. All you need to do is plug in your ipod and you've got portable sound! It's battery powered and comes with a charger built in, and there's an optional $15 upgrade to also make it an ipod charger.

If this particular BoomCase is too bold for your tastes, don't worry, Mr.Simo makes them in all shapes and sizes.

My Alpaca Obsession

Just made my first collection on ArtFire. All sorts of alpaca goodies. I've got a bit of an obsession with alpacas, lol. They're cute - plus they make the most amazingly soft fiber for all sorts of projects. I've been trying to find some locally to make some baby toys or something - might end up buying from an AF artisan again.

Alpacas!

  Curated By: EccentricOcean

ArtFire.com

Vintage Fashion

Treasury Feature #1

I was featured in my first treasury today. I was so excited - it was minutes after I posted the item, too! There are lots of other awesome items in it too, check it out!

'Harvest Time' by bstrung

Autumn brings rich colors like these.

Pepper Jelly Collection bovinebubbles $18	COUNTRY PUMPKIN PIE Soap wit... BubblesUpByBet... $5
A fire to warm your hands - ... Raceytay $27	Group of six wheel thrown bo... blueroompotter... $243
2 Year Anniversary Sale-Free... prettypanda $15	Chicken Vinyl Wall Decal circlelinestud... $10
Autumn Leaves 8x10 Fine art ... sunshineartdes... $15	fall harvest- fuzzy felted b... thefuzzymonkey $17
Swarovski Chili Pepper Red C... GlitzGlitter $31	Wreath - Repurposed Book EccentricOcean $46
6 Natural Acorns with Orange... woolicious $12	Little Pod for Ipod EightSeasons $22
Crochet Pear Coasters - pick... MonikaDesign $25	Handmade SHIBORI bubble scar... JujaCrafts $44.99
Berry and Branch Pillow in W... dedeetsyshop $29	Summer Sizzler - Oversized H... BagsByHeatherR... $48.25

Generated using Treasury HTML code generator by Whale Shark Websites.

Best Business Card Printer Ever!

Seriously, I have tried many business card printers and have never, ever been as happy with any of them as I am with Moo. They have an amazing user interface, unique designs, quality printing and amazing customer service - not to mention the fact that my cards always get here earlier than predicted (I just got my latest order today, and they had predicted September 20th!).

They offer two kinds of cards - mini (half-sized) and regular (as well as tons of other neat products). I use the mini cards as product labels and I hand out the regular ones as you normally would.

What is so awesome about Moo's designs? You can pick up to 50 different images, words and/or colors to put on the back of your cards. Have you ever gone to a show and gotten a handful of business cards and then been unable to remember which one had that one item you really liked? Moo gets rid of that problem. Just print different product images on the backs of your cards, and then hand customers a card with an image of the product they're interested in. Then they'll remember. Alternatively, you can put up to 50 different phrases with colored/patterned backgrounds on your cards - or look thought their library of pre-made designs (or upload your own, of course).

But it gets even better. You can upload images directly from Etsy! So all the lovely product photos that you've already uploaded into your shop can easily be transfered to Moo and printed on the backs of your cards! Does it get any better?

(Actually, it does... they print on recycled paper or paper made from sustainable forests... and it's all at amazingly good prices.)

Have I convinced you yet? I have a few discount codes that I've gotten with some of my purchases. If you want to try out Moo, follow my blog, check out their website and leave a comment telling me what you plan on buying first (so I can give you a code that will be useful to you) and I'll send you an e-mail with a code. Do it now, though, I have a limited supply! (Note: these codes are only good for first-time users. If you've used Moo before, you'll just have to wait for one of their many sales.)

Beautiful and Practical Gifts

In my mind, the best gifts are both beautiful and practical. So here is a list of beautiful and practical items that have been building up in my favorites on Etsy (on multiple accounts).

I was in a chat room yesterday when I found the maker of this lovely bouquet. Unfortunately this is the only one she has up at the moment - but wouldn't it make a lovely housewarming or wedding shower gift? The butterflies are magnets, the flower is a scrubbie and the base is made up of 3 dish cloths and a measuring cup. Everything (except the measuring cup, obviously) is lovingly crocheted by strwberri1.

This sling is absolutely gorgeous. I'll probably be fairly upset if it sells before I can afford it - but I guess I could always request one if someone does snatch it up. BabyEtte's shop is full of all sorts of slings - any of which would make a perfect baby shower gift. Sling are awesome because they can be used for years, unlike most of the gifts people get at baby showers. Even other carriers are usually only good for the first year or so (our little guy barely fits in his at 11 months), but slings can be used for as long as you're willing to lug them around - and they double as breast feeding covers.

If you have long hair, you know that you can never have enough hair ties. I just found these ones today and they have to be some of the nicest I've come across. I requested a set in reds, yellows and oranges because those are usually what my wardrobe centers around. Each button is covered in leather and painted with enamel paints - and the elastics are easily interchangeable/replaceable. An easy way to jazz up the simple pony tail that many people wear. If you love leather, it's worth your while to check out the rest of the items in Scotatto's shop. What originally led me to her shop was a gorgeous and original tote that I would have snatched up in an instant if I'd had the money.

Looking for a modern, original way to display your fruit? Fruit bowls seem to be a thing of the past, and this display will definitely get your guests talking. You can arrange the 8 pieces however you want, and they look just as beautiful on their own as they do with fruit sitting on top. Amischeiviousmarriage makes this display and a few others in many different types of wood including walnut (pictured), mahogany, cherry, oak and maple.

This travel alarm clock sold before I found it - but if you're lucky, you'll find a similar one (they get snatched up quickly, in my experience). I love the color of this one, and who doesn't need an alarm clock? I know I'm completely lost without one. Krzy4Btns sells tons of beautiful vintage items including (as the name suggests) tons of vintage buttons and some beautiful, colorful accessories - her daughter jokingly refers to her as "the flower lady" because of the wide assortment of brightly painted enamel flower brooches she collects and sells.

Paintingfromtheheart makes beautifully painted business card holders (as well as some stunning jewelery, home decor and trinket boxes). They are shaped like tiny briefcases and painted with various patterns and images. Each one holds about 12 business cards and comes with a calculator fitted in - you can also remove the calculator to double the number of cards. If you don't have a use for business cards but find a design you like, you could always use it for SD cards, flash drives, credit cards, ID... whatever you can think of.

This apron is gorgeous. Some people I've shown it to think it's insanely over the top - but I would buy it and wear it whether I was baking or not if I could. I absolutely love the colors, and I've never seen an apron in quite this style before. All of Phormas' aprons have a certain original, artistic flare that I wish I saw more often. One day I will somehow be rich and be able to buy my entire wardrobe on Etsy, until then, I will fave and stare longingly at all the wonderful designs.

Paper Wreaths

My latest creation - paper wreaths made from books the library was going to throw out (because they were damaged or out dated). I had asked them for a bunch to do a series of cutouts I've been working on and ended up with way too many. So I sketched out some ideas for using the rest and came up with paper wreaths. Not as complex as some other ideas I had, but sometimes simple is better.

Check it out! I'm going to be making a ton more for the holiday season.

This one is available on Etsy (just click the image) for $40 + shipping. If you find me at a craft sale, they'll be $60-ish, though. Why? Because these things are huge (about 24" in diameter and 11" from back to front) and cost around $50 in shipping (and that's just for my fellow Canadians) - so I gave my online customers a bit of a break.

This one was left kind of neutral because although it's full of fall colors it could easily be used as a year-round decoration. The holiday ones I'll be making will have some extra decoration - maybe poinsettias or something, I'm not sure yet.

If you're looking for a holiday wreath, I'm currently taking orders. You can post here and I'll e-mail you back or you can click "contact" on the Etsy listing. I can only take so many orders, and people are already showing interest, so be sure to contact me soon if you'd like one.

UncommonGoods.com

If you're like me and like practical, original, eye-catching, conversation-starting products, you need to check out this site. If I had the money, I'd probably buy 90% of the products they sell. I was originally just going to pick a few to write about, but I couldn't choose, so you'll just have to see for yourself.

My Paper Towel Obsession

I love paper towels. I use them for everything. However, I hate to think of the impact my paper towel obsession (averaging a roll a week for our little family) has on the environment. I've been slowly trying to turn our family towards more eco-friendly options in all areas of our lives (besides helping the environment, it usually helps our wallets with very little extra work), so I was glad to stumble on this paper towel alternative today.

Introducing SKOY cloth - a biodegradable, eco-friendly alternative to paper towels and wet wipes. It can absorb up to 15x its own weight (way better than any paper towel) and it is machine washable (it can even be washed in the dish washer!) and therefore can be reused. The FAQs on their website says it might last over a year.

My problem with reusable cleaning products (cloths, sponges, ect) is that they tend to stink after a while. Even reusable ones tend to get thrown out in my kitchen because I can't stand the thought of using it again. SKOY cloths can be microwaved in order to kill bacteria, keeping them clean and stink-free.

I think this is one of the best products I've found in a long time, and I'm definitely going to buy a package or two.