Hepburn and Houndstooth » etsy

Baby product lust!

Rhonda Gail — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In my first pregnancy, I was a suddenly single mom-to-be with no job. I had very little baby stuff and found that very little is actually needed! I was relieved to discover this, since not only was budget tight, so was space. In my second pregnancy, Dustin and I were at first comfortable financially, but life happened and it got tight. I knew from pregnancy #1 that we could make it work and we did. Now here we are in my third and last pregnancy. I know what I need and what I don’t, but we have more income and MUCH more space than ever. I still tend to stay to the frugal and minimal side of things, but knowing I’ll never have another child has me wanting to buy more “stuff.” And sometimes, there are pricey items I need out of absolute necessity.

mamaRoo - Serving as sort of a combo swing/bouncy seat, this is one neat machine! I read all sorts of reviews, trying to decide if it’s worth the cost. It gets mixed reviews, so I’m still not sure. Megan posted about it here, complete with a video of it in action. I love the modern appearance and the idea of it. I’m just not sure how much use it would get since I’ve never had a child who cared much about a swing. They have both lived for the simplest of bouncy seats though.

Cloth diapers – I wouldn’t classify cloth diapers in general as something I’m lusting over. For us, it’s a necessity and something we’re slowly stocking up on. However, I am definitely lusting over some WAHM (work at home mom) diapers. I will probably get a few but my whole stash can’t be handmade! As for what we will be using, I’m mostly going with Sunbabies and Flips and a few other brands thrown in to try out. I have a long list of stuff I want to try! But how I would love to have a bunch of funky diapers like this Batman one from Etsy seller xixicama!

Moby – Once again, we pretty much are falling into the category of need here, but there are many types brands of infant carriers, wraps, and slings. After much research, I decided I want to do stretchy wraps in the beginning and Moby is my chosen brand. I have registered for one and a friend is generously giving me hers!

Radian – This is one item that is super costly (to us) but 100% required in our situation. In fact, we need two of them! If you only have a kid or two, you may not even know what this is. I know I didn’t until recently. It’s a carseat by Sunshine Kids. What’s so special about it that I have to have two of them? They are the narrowest seats on the market, which is essential to fit three seats in the backseat of our Focus. The cheapest place I’ve found it is Walmart.com for $183. Wow. As expensive as it is, it’s cheaper than going out and buying a minivan. We need one for Harper and for Quentin.

So there you have the things I can’t get off my mind for little Q! We have to slowly start buying baby stuff now so that we aren’t stuck dropping $1000 in October!

*I was in no way compensated for this post. I am not, however, above reviewing items for these companies. *

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Hump Day Dump Day

Rhonda Gail — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 14:00:00 +0000

Have you been watching The Glee Project? What a fun show! I caught up on my DVR last night and I already have male and female favorites…. Cameron and Marissa. I was so beyond glad to see Ellis go.

We are really in need of extra cash these days, so we can prepare for the baby and pay some medical bills. I’m trying to get my Etsy shop stocked again. It never brought me in a ton, because I like to sell my stuff as cheap as possible. But every bit helps! $6 buys a Sunbaby diaper!

Speaking of diapers, we have made the decision to go with cloth with Quentin. I could not be more excited about this! In fact, some may say I’ve becoming obsessed. For anyone who balks at the idea of cloth diapering, please do your research! This ain’t your grandma’s flats, pins, and plastic pants! The ones I’ve chosen to try will work much like a disposable, except I’ll save loads of money, help the environment a little, not put chemicals next to my baby’s bum…and damnit, they’re cute! I considered cloth diapering my first 2 kids as well, but didn’t because of random and ever-changing living situations.

Talking about cloth diapers brings me to another thing I’m obsessed with lately… BabyCenter. In fact, it’s a huge reason I’ve not blogged much lately! It’s a great community. I adore the message boards and the Cloth Diapering board has become a huge resource and support for me. I spend way more time on these boards than is healthy!

Going back to the part about making extra cash, I’ve been trying to decide for months whether we have enough stuff to get rid of to justify having a yard sale. I plan to spend the next weekend going through what is supposed to be the nursery (and is still storage) and organizing all the stuff we’re purging. I’m hoping that will give me a better picture of how much we have to sell.

The school where I work has been undergoing renovation in preparation for adding a cosmetology program. The smells in here today are absolutely horrid. It’s some tile glue and I keep having to go outside to clear out my lungs.

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Brain Dump

Rhonda Gail — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 20:51:29 +0000

So much built up in my head, I feel like it’s going to explode (or maybe that’s just my allergies).

I have decided to change focus with Shop Houndstooth. I will soon be carrying one-of-a-kind wall art and much, much less jewelry. To clean out and make room for new supplies, I will soon be selling some jewelry supplies in the shop, as well as existing inventory for C.H.E.A.P. I’ll let you all know when my clearance sale begins.

May is going to be a busy month in my house and I’m already feeling a bit anxious about it. We’ll round out April with Easter weekend, then May brings a high school graduation, registering Nick for kindergarten, Harper’s Memorial Day weekend birthday, and all sorts of projects for the house.

The big magnolia tree in my front yard is blooming! This makes for one happy mama (who is now motivated to clean house and make room for some cut blooms in vases)!

I truly have the best friends on earth. One of my lifelong BFFs mailed a card to me that raves about how proud she is of me and where I’m headed in my life. This means so much coming from her and I’m now more motivated than ever to tackle my big goals.

Fabric samples from homereserve.com came in my mailbox today! I can’t wait to get home and see them so we can make a choice and start designing our new sectional!

I am in the market for pink clip-in hair extensions to wear on the weekends, since I can’t have it colored that way for work. Any suggestions? I’d like human hair, but would consider a high-quality synthetic.

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Marketplace Monday at Finding Fabulous

Rhonda Gail — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:57:33 +0000

Finding Fabulous is a blog about creating a beautiful home while saving money, doing things yourself, and being original. It really is one of my favorite blogs to click around on, bookmarking projects to tackle or ooh-ing and ahh-ing over things I wish I had the time to create!

I just joined in on her Marketplace Monday, where business owners can link up their shops and projects. I have just gotten into the whole linky party phenomenon and I’m in love with it. I’ve only linked up to maybe 3, and already my traffic has increased! If you have an Etsy shop or online boutique, you’ll want to head over to Marketplace Monday and get ya some free advertising! It only takes a second, which is my life is super important!

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Letting go

Rhonda Gail — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 22:07:10 +0000

Three years ago, I started a wedding blog (Life. Love. Lipstick.) and it took off very quickly and became pretty popular. Once I started a personal blog and then had my second child, my blogging activity on Life. Love. Lipstick. took a nosedive. I still adore all things weddings, but my interests lean more toward crafting, working on my Etsy shop, and other things. My life is really hectic right now, but I still want to care for Baby Lipstick. I put a lot of work into her once upon a time and it’s really hard to let go. I have “retired” from wedding blogging before. In fact, I’m the Brett Favre of wedding bloggers. My wedding blogging life pretty much goes like this: Blog frequently. Blog not so much. See a totally inspiring wedding on a photography blog. Rebrand blog and begin posting frequently. Get a round of great blog comments. Repeat.

I. hate. this. about myself. I frequently overload myself with hobbies and projects, and while I’m a fantastic multi-tasker, at some point everything begins to suffer. Currently, I have all of this going on:

Life. Love. Lipstick. wedding blog

Hepburn and Houndstooth

Shop Houndstooth on Etsy

Shop Hepburn on OpenSky

Looking for a day job

Couponing/meal planning (which takes a lot of work for me)

Uh, my family

Something is going to have to go, and as hard as it is for me to do, I think it’s going to be Life. Love. Lipstick. I will leave it up for archives, because some of the posts still get tons of hits every single day. I have an anniversary giveaway planned for next week, five giveaways actually! I had originally planned that to be a chance to relaunch Life. Love. Lipstick. with a new look and new content. However, I think it’s going to be my farewell. I hope you will all go enter the giveaways and send it out with a bang!

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Dollar Tree Crafting: Unfinished Curio Into Jewelry Organizer

Rhonda Gail — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:00:03 +0000

There’s a whole site dedicated to crafts made only with supplies purchased at the dollar store (Dollar Store Crafts) and I’m always absolutely amazed at the things people come up with on such a tiny budget! On a recent trip to Dollar Tree, I found this wooden curio shelf and immediately knew what I would do with it.

I have the one on top with a couple of larger compartments. I really wish I had bought more of these, because now I can’t find any more.

I borrowed the perfect green from my mom (Plaid Apple Barrel 20587 Spring Green) and painted inside all the compartments and the sides. I left the back unpainted since it won’t be seen.

It was cute enough, but to protect jewelry, I decided to hot glue in some felt…. in my signature print, of course (houndstooth felt from Hobby Lobby).

Gorgeous and perfect for organizing my etsy shop rings, since it ties in with my branding. One thing I didn’t realize until I was done is that the houndstooth pattern is running in different directions! It doesn’t really matter, since this is just going in my bedroom, but in the future, I would turn it all the same way and probably cut it straighter too!

Total project cost: $1.25, with felt left over!

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Tuesday Ten [8.10.2010]

Rhonda Gail — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 17:36:08 +0000

I will now be presenting my Tuesday Ten with a few photos.

1. I don’t like matching coffee cup sets. I like each cup to be unique. I just got a new one from Dollar Tree.

2. I just shipped my first Etsy orders that weren’t purchased locally. I am so excited to sell to people I don’t know! Packaging is fun! Who knew?

3. I have finally buckled down to lose weight. You know what really pushed me over the edge? Sadly, it was new reality show Bachelor Pad. I wish I was kidding. But have you seen these girls’ bodies in swimsuits?!

4. I just picked up Eat, Pray, Love from the library and I really hope it’s good. I’m a bit of a snob about reading books that are made into movies. Have to read the book first. Read #6 here. Yeah, that’s me.

5. I truly have the best husband. He does anything he can to help with my business, including making my post office runs. He. is. the. best. hands. down.

6. My dad just killed a mama spider, with a bunch of babies under her that was hiding sort of in our ceiling fan. I know. *shudder*

7. I am a complete General Hospital addict and have been my entire life. There aren’t words for how happy I am that Brenda Barrett returns tomorrow. Also, I’m shamelessly enjoying the Brenda Barrett’s Men marathon today.

8. I can hardly wait for what’s to come in my life. Good things are just around the corner, I can feel it!

9. I have decided that I do way better with a paper planner than electronic. I have tried using various apps for my phone, as well as iCal and nothing works as well for me as an old-fashioned planner. I would like a momAgenda. I think it’s worth the splurge for me.

10. I am ready for college football. I can’t wait to take my family to their first Southern Miss game! SMTTT!

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Quality Business Cards = LOVE

Rhonda Gail — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 17:04:51 +0000

I’m in love, y’all. With my business cards. I recently rebranded my teeny handmade goods business and along with that came my first business cards. I assumed I would use Vistaprint since they are so cheap and I have used them in the past to order calling cards for my dad. At my photographer friend Nicole‘s suggestion, I checked out overnightprints.com, searched for coupon codes (retailmenot.com is the ultimate for all coupon codes!), and BAM! New cards! I loved all the options at ONP. I still was skeptical, wondering if the extra I paid would be worth it. Well, my cards came in today and I’m here to tell you… WORTH EVERY PENNY.

Admittedly, I was a little freaked when I saw how they were packaged. I’m used to business cards coming in a cardboard box, all neat in a row. I was relieved to pull them out and see that they were in flawless condition. Yay for quality! Not a bend on them. It probably helped that I ordered rounded corners, but I think it’s mostly because of the heavy duty paper.

I got my new logo (designed by yours truly!) printed on the front, with glossy finish.

The back is matte finish, with my shop address and email. I chose matte for the back so that I can write a little personal note when I put a card in with shop orders. Also, if someone asks about my rings (I wear them a lot), I can hand them a card and write the name of the particular ring in question on it.

Can’t say it enough… use overnightprints.com and retailmenot.com! Oh, and order something from Shop HOUNDSTOOTH so I can send you a business card with your order.

I was not paid or otherwise compensated for this post, I just really love the businesses mentioned!

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May I Direct Your Attention….

Rhonda Gail — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:20:13 +0000

To the left side of the screen? I have two new sponsors! These “sponsors” happen to be hand-picked by me and I couldn’t be prouder to tell you about them! I love them so much, I’ve provided ads to them at no cost.

Pretty Fun is an Etsy shop by cool-gal Sara. She creates jewelry and purses that are to die for and there truly is something for everyone! Check her out here and here.

The Gifting Spot features personalized gifts for everyone in the family and should certainly be your first stop for any monogramming. The prices are good and the prints available on the products are right on trend. Check it out here.

Be sure to stay tuned and add us to your Google Reader. Mid-August is bringing a week of fabulous giveaways, including The Gifting Spot and Pretty Fun!

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Hepburn and Houndstooth » etsy

Baby product lust!

Hump Day Dump Day

Brain Dump

More Linky Love

Marketplace Monday at Finding Fabulous

Letting go

Dollar Tree Crafting: Unfinished Curio Into Jewelry Organizer

Tuesday Ten [8.10.2010]

Quality Business Cards = LOVE

May I Direct Your Attention….