Pixies Pretties Boutique

Pixie's Pretties Boutique sent us this beautiful necklace to review!

I was instantly amazed at how stunning it was when I pulled it out of the package. I love how the beads are large and are each different. The necklace has a large clear gem at the bottom and consists of 4 dark gray beads, 4 pearl colored beads, 2 velvet feeling rose beads, 2 large crystal beads and 2 smaller crystal beads. This necklace is a perfect addition to any outfit! Perfect especially for those upcoming Christmas Parties!

Love this Chocolate Roses Necklace!

This necklace would be perfect for the upcoming holidays!

Their newborn headbands are absolutely adorable!

I love how cute these necklaces are for little girls!

Pixie's Pretties Boutique has the perfect gift for any little girl or lady on your christmas list!

Check Them Out On Facebook! Be sure to tell them We Sent You!

https://www.facebook.com/PixiesPrettiesBoutique

Liane Fried Studio

Not too long ago we stumbled across Liane Fried Studio, a unique website with fun creations for the home, children and more! Just once glance at their site and you'll immediately be drawn in by their unique products! Liane Fried Studio sent us this fun Christmas Magnet Set to review.

I was so excited to open the shiny silver tin that had arrived from Liane Fried Studio.  Nestled inside were five beautiful, handcrafted magnets.  These Christmas magnets are shiny and strong, each able to hold more than one piece of paper.  I can't wait till the holidays to display them on my refrigerator!!

If you are looking for the perfect gift, Liane Fried Studios can help! 

I LOVE these Family Name Coasters! They are so neat and are great to help personalize your home!

Completely custom coasters! Place your hot or cold drinks on your own work of art.
Entertain in style. Express your distinct style by customizing and personalizing a set of coasters. Provide me with a last name and the names of your family members (or whoever you are designing these for). Even add your pets' names!
Original designs are hand-printed onto ceramic tiles. They are festive pieces of functional art that anyone would love to show off. Perfect accessory for the home or as a one-of-a-kind gift. 

Make sure you head on over and check out their website!

http://www.lianefriedstudio.com/index.php

In Love with Liane Fried Studios? Well todays your lucky day! Enter to win a $25 Gift Certificate!

Cloud 9 Product Review

Emilee from Cloud 9 sent us a great product to review.

This was my first time learning about Cloud 9. Cloud 9 is a new romance direct sales company that offers all kinds of products from bath and body to lingerie. 

Emilee sent us an an awesome Shimmering Bubble Bath to try out.

This shimmery gel can be used as a body wash or bubble bath. 

Just a small amount will leave you smelling yummy, looking sparkly and squeeky clean!

Cloud 9 has some pretty awesome products that I'd love to try! 

"Playing Footsies" 

A yummy foot cream in Strawberry Mint flavor!

They even have an awesome jewelry line! They've got something for everyone!

This beautiful necklace with a heart shaped pendant has a silver frame and includes 3 wrapped chains.

This gorgeous set also includes earrings!

Cloud 9 has the perfect gifts! Be sure to look for them in our upcoming holiday gift guide!

Like them on facebook

http://www.facebook.com/cloud9partiesbyemilee

Shop online at Emilee's website!

http://cloud9byemilee.com

Ready, Set, Clean!

Cleaning is one of those things that just has to be done, yet hardly anyone enjoys it!

I despise cleaning. Honestly, its the last thing I want to do when I get home in the evenings after a long day at work. Aside from not having much desire to want to do it, I'm just not good at it!

When I start trying to clean, my ADD always tends to kick in! I cannot seem to focus on one room. I seem to bounce from one thing to the next and before you know it, I've ended up with a bigger mess then when I started! 

Lists have always helped me stay on track. Even when I was little, I struggled with cleaning my room. My mom would make me a checklist to help me clean. My chart would look something like this:

__  Pick up all toys & put them away

__  Put all dirty clothes in the laundry basket

__  Pick up and fold clean laundry & put them away

__  Pick up all trash and throw it away

There was more to the list but you get the point ;)

I needed direct directions to get something accomplished! It always worked! 

Well, cleaning a whole house is a LOT different then my little bedroom back at home. 

So with the help of good 'ol pinterest, I found a few charts to help me get started!

The great thing about a list is you can customize it to fit your home.

The list above shows cleaning your whole house at one time.

Knowing my time span....thats not going to happen at this residence :)

I need more of a daily list.

Everyone's list will probably be different depending on your schedule or routine. 

For example, my cleaning will need to be done in the evening since I leave early in the morning for work and dont get home until around 6:00.

Every Evening

Wash Dishes, Dry & Put Away

Do Laundry (If Needed)

Monday

Vacuum Main Floors 

(I decided to do what took the least amount of time on Mondays since we have several shows we like to watch on this night)

Tuesday

Bathrooms

Wednesday

Surfaces

(clean, dust or mop any surfaces)

Thursday

Organize/Clean Out Something

(Your car, a closet, your makeup drawer, etc.)

Friday

Swing Day!

Swing Day is the day that is dedicated to those odd jobs that need to be done every once in a while. They may include cleaning windows, wiping down cabinets, scrubbing your appliances, etc.

Camera Coats Product Review

Whether your a photographer or one who just loves to take pictures for fun, its no fun toting a huge and bulky camera bag at your hip. When I came across Camera Coats, I was SO excited!

Several things caught my eye....the design, the fun & funky patterns and the amazing prices!

So you may be thinking...what in the world are camera coats?

Camera Coats are waterproof* and padded "coats" that cover and protect your camera when your out & about.  

I received a Camera Coat to review in the fun and whimsical Shabby Urban Garden Print (Waterproof Style)

The outside of this adorable "coat" is made of 100% Designer Cotton Laminate. 

I love that this little bag is waterproof! Its the last thing you need to worry about when your caught out in the rain! I also love that I don't have to worry about it getting dirty! I can just wipe it off with a wet cloth! The inside is made of 100% brown cotton. It is also padded to help protect your pride and joy :)

The Camera Coat also has a velcro closure.

I also love the little buckle! You can use this to strap in your camera strap but It also works great to hook your keys when your on the go!

The Camera Coat comes in several different sizes to fit any variety of SLR Cameras. 

Theres are tons of fun patterns to choose from including some that are perfect for those male photographers! 

Here are just a few of my favorites :)

Gray Chevron Cotton Coat

Matt's Mr. Law Navy Cord 

Shabby Yellow Flowers

NEW! Green Burlap

Now you can get your own Camera Coat!

Get 15% off your purchase with the code TMLB15  Expires 11/15/12  Not good with any other deals or offers

Enter in our giveaway below to win a $20 Gift Certificate!

Countrytrail Soy Candles ~ Product Review

Countrytrail Soy Candles sent us a box full of goodies to review for them. As soon as I opened the box, this amazing aroma of cookies & other yummy things filled the house! The next thing I knew, my hubby was right there digging through the box! 

We were immediately in love with these yummy & unique scents! 

We received two candles to review- Craig's Sugar Cookie & Spiced Cranberry. The sugar cookie smells so good I believe I could almost eat it! 

It also burns very nicely! Some candles smell great before you burn them but when they are lit, there isn't much fragrance at all! My whole room now smells like sugar cookies!!! I really like the Spiced Cranberry as well. The smell of the cranberries is very refreshing and a little hint of spice makes it perfect for the upcoming fall season!

 We also received a pack of soy melts in "Amish Bread". I expected a fresh baked bread smell and thats exactly what you smell when you open up the pack! 

They also sent us a variety of sample scents in Rosemary, Candied Chestnuts, Orange Clove, Blueberry Muffin (heavenly!), Victorian Spice, Holiday Spirit- and my 2 favorites- Monkey Fart & Mrs. Claus's Crib! I love how unique the names are as well as how amazing these smell! Your probably wondering what "monkey fart" smells like! When I open it up, the first thing I smell is the sweet aroma of bananas (of course!). 

One of my favorite items I received was the room spray. 
The scent "Mango Madness" smelled SO yummy! Its a concentrated spray so you only need to spray it once or twice. The fruity scent will quickly fill any size room and make it smell heavenly!

Countrytrail Soy Candles has such a fun and unique variety of scents to choose from in all their products. We instantly fell in love with their yummy products and we know you will too!

You can check out their shop and grab your own Candles, soy melts and more!
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How to Host a Holiday Cookie Swap

Last year was my first year of hearing about a Cookie Swap. 

I wanted so bad to have one last Christmas but being so late in the season, I just didn't have the time to prepare but I promised myself that this year, I'd be having one. 

I was at first a little unsure at how to host a cookie swap party but thanks to some great online sources, I found all the information I needed! Thinking about hosting your own cookie swap? Well you've come to the right place!!

Step 1

Invite Guests

Thanks to social media and email, inviting your friends can be cheap and easy!

Send out your invites through email or even facebook!

You can also find some adorable Cookie Swap invitations on Pinterest.

Invite double the guests you can accommodate. Being the holidays, many people may not be able to make it and you want to be sure to have enough guests. 

Ask each person to bake 6-12 dozen cookies. That may sound like a lot of cookies but most typical recipes will make at least 2 dozen. Each guest will return home with the same amount of cookies they brought :)

Be sure to mention to guests that they bring cookies and bars that may travel well or don't need refrigeration. 

Step 2

Bake Cookies

Prepare a tried and true favorite recipe. 

I'm sure you've got some recipe that you can create perfectly and is sure to be a favorite!

Make them pretty!

Don't be afraid to show off your mad icing skills!

Store your cookies in an air tight container to preserve their freshness.

Step 3

Prepare to Host

Plan a Door Prize

Have each guest bring a cookie cutter. Place each cookie cutter in a large bag. Draw names and the winner gets all the cookie cutters!

Provide tea, coffee, and hot cookie or cider.

Set up a packaging station where guests can wrap up their cookies to take home or you can encourage guests to bring extra tins.

Step 4

Time to Swap!

Prepare a tasting tray and allow guests to sample cookies while they enjoy a beverage.

For the swap- 

have all the guests gather around the cookies. start by everyone taking a dozen each. Continue until all the cookies are gone! Each guest should take home as many cookies as they brought.