Your Mom wants a card.

To go with your insightful and considerate gift, you'll need a Mother's Day card. Might I suggest?

You'll find this card in the shop now!

Yo' Mama.

Wondering what to get Mom for Mother’s Day? I know I’m always stumped- how to find something unique and personal, fitting for such an important occasion.

This year, I’m all about hand stamped jewellery. This bracelet, courtesy of Etsy seller The Vintage Pearl, sells AMAZING hand stamped jewellery perfect for Mom. Guaranteed to bring tears to her eyes, especially if she’s a still-hormonal first-time Momma like myself!

I just happened to have received a bracelet just like this with my son’s name stamped on it. Hubs can’t wait more than 24 hours after purchasing a gift to give it, hence my early-April Mother’s Day! Little does he know the real gift is that I’m not getting out of bed that day till noon, come hell or high water! Ha!

Also check out Etsy seller sTuck in the Coop for fabulous hand stamped jewellery.

For the new Momma or Momma-to-be, how about a wrap? Essential in those early days when having two free hands is a distant memory, wraps and slings allow Mom to get things done as well as enjoy snuggles with the wee babe. And if you have a colicky little darling? Let me tell you, a wrap is a must-have – my precarious sanity was saved in those first 3 months by my wrap. It was literally the ONLY thing that would shut my son up, and there is something to be said for precious silence, am I right Moms?

This wrap is courtesy of Etsy seller Snuggy Baby, who I’ve heard great things about. Also check out Lovey Duds on Etsy for wraps and slings.

Um, how cute is THIS? Its a tea bag cozy! Holding up to 4 tea bags at a time, you can throw it in your purse, diaper bag, whatever and go! And in a snazzy Amy Butler fabric to boot. This one is courtesy of Etsy seller Rubys Playground.

When you’re just not sure what to get for Mom and you want to go with an old standby, you can’t go wrong with bath products. That is, assuming she actually takes baths/likes bath products. Don’t give your Mom this stuff if she’s a quick shower kinda gal. Just don’t. Its a shame to let it go to waste.

Soaps and other goodies from You Stink are on my list for a Mother’s Day gift to myself. Uber popular with my friends, You Stink has delicious looking/smelling/sounding products in all kinds of smells and forms. Try this Watermelon Whipped Soap for a special treat. How Yummy is that!? Image courtesy of You Stink.

Where Your Money Goes - Kiva.

Since we're all about giving 'round here, each month I donate a portion of profits to a worthy cause. Since this money is really yours, I thought you might like to know where it went and what it does. So every once in awhile, I'm going to pop in here and highlight a charity or cause that you and your money is now helping to support.

This month, actually the past few months, I've been giving to Kiva. If you've never heard of it, get your buns on over to their website and check it out. You'd be hard-pressed to find a more worthy cause. I get all excited just thinking about the amazing work they do!

Kiva is all about facilitating microfinance between people like you and me and entrepreneurs in the developing world, thereby creating a global lending community. The gist is this: you go on Kiva's website and find an entrepreneur you'd like to support. You donate some money,the money is distributed by Kiva's field partners, and as they build their business they pay you back. You can then reinvest the money in another entrepreneur. Pretty cool huh? The process promotes dignity, accountability and transparency, and allows someone in the developing world to change their life. And, almost 83% of loans have been distributed to female entrepreneurs. Go ladies!

I hope you're inspired to give more to Kiva. Its a sustainable, sensible way to help and your heart can feel happy knowing that you've helped someone help themselves.

*All images courtesy of Kiva.org

A New Direction.

(image courtesy of socialearth.org)

If you read my last post, you saw that I am in the process of re-thinking this blog; its content and its purpose. In doing so, I sat down and thought about my Etsy shop and what its really about. Art and design? Sure, my cards feature my original artwork and I love design. Entrepreneurship? Definitely. Its my little foray into the world of owning one's own business. But neither of these subjects really captures what my shop is about. And while worthy topics for a blog both, neither made me feel passionate about writing.

(image courtesy of arimoore)

Giving. That's the purpose of my shop. That lights a fire in me. That makes me want to write. Taking the time to pick out a handcrafted card for someone, to fill its blank space with your own words and thoughts and well-wishes, and delivering it to that person with the purpose of brightening their day. That's why I make my cards. That's why I think, in this age of electronic impersonal communication, you should take the time to send a hand-written note. You should buy handmade. You should put real thought into the gifts you give and the notes you write. You should think about those around you, how you can help them, what you can do in your own little way to make a difference. You should think of the earth and how to play a part in saving it. You should consider those less fortunate and try to have an impact in a place far from your own comfortable spot in the world. We should all do these things. But its not always easy, is it? We often need a reminder, sometimes a point in the right direction, a kick in the seat of the pants. (Butt seemed a little too harsh, I'm trying to be eloquent here)

Which brings me to the new face of this blog. No longer will I bore you with mundane details about the daily goings on of my little business. Well, sometimes I will. But I'll talk about other stuff too:) So, I'm going to help you and me give a little bit. Little giving and big giving. To our neighbors and to those far away. On special occasions or for no reason. I'm so excited about this new direction that I feel like writing a billion posts right now. Instead I should probably brush my teeth and get my life together before the Chubblers wakes from his nap.

So I'll leave you with this, some insight into what you'll be seeing in the new blog. I can't wait:)

• Good Deed of the Day - I'm going to do one good deed a day and I'm going to make you do them too.
• Gift Guides - wondering what to get your Mom for mother's day? Or the quilter/golfer/sports nut etc in your life? Or the nurse that delivered your baby? I'm going to help you do that.
• Where Your Money Goes - I'm big on giving back and every month I give a portion of proceeds from my Etsy shop to a worthy charity. Each month I'll feature which charity I've selected for that month and explain how you can give too.
• Cause of The Week - I'll tell you where to focus your attention and your giving. And I'll ask you to give me ideas about this too!
• Etsy Finds - Etsy is all about quality, handmade, local goods and you can't go wrong shopping there for your thoughtful gifts. I'll help you find the best thats out there.

Stay tuned! I hope you're excited too.

My Blog IS Boring...

Whilst perusing Etsy the other day I came across this article, which outlines some of the biggest mistakes made by bloggers and why most blogs are boring. Uhhh....guilty! (shamefully raises hand) Sadly, I've made most of the mistakes listed in the article and I admit, I find it tough to keep up with blogging because I wonder, what am I really blogging about? Who am I blogging to? It feels directionless and sort of random.

So changes are in the air, friends. I'm forming a more cohesive theme for this blog as we speak, one that will be more appealing and interesting to you folks. If there are any of you out there, that is!

Stay tuned!

New In Shop

End of the Week Reflections

Anticipation.

My first Etsy sale really has me excited for what's to come. There's a lot of hard work ahead, and one sale does not a successful business make, but there's certainly hope! There's much anticipation in our household this week - our upcoming mini vacay in Ottawa for March Break, signing the papers for our new home, and as always waiting to see what new things The Chubblers learns to do each and every day.

This week has me hugging my loved ones a little tighter. Hearing about the tragic death of an OPP officer and the agonizing decision two young parents had to make in the life of their tiny son gives me shivers and makes me feel very lucky.

Inspiration comes from unlikely places. In my travels through an online mommy forum, I heard about this blog and came across the most lovely and tear-jerking birth story you could imagine. Beautiful. And now I'm obsessed with the blog and read it daily. If you're looking for beautiful photography and words, this is the place to get it. She's going to be on CNN next week too - her story has really caught on.

Nothing too deep this week, just some thoughts from the past few days. Likely won't be posting much until late next week as we're off to explore Ottawa for a few days. Don't forget to change your clocks this weekend folks!