Gifts That Give Back PLUS A Giveaway

There is nothing better than a gift that does double-duty. You can gift something to your loved one and know that there is a gift that will be given to someone in need as well. Pretty sure you can't go wrong! A little hope goes a long way and generosity multiplies so why not give a gift that gives this holiday season. 

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Stop Losing Your Stuff!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pixie. All opinions are 100% my own.
Alki is a beautiful stretch of beach with a long paved sidewalk perfect for viewing the beautiful skyline of Seattle while taking in the bay and on one sunny day a friend told me that she took a group of older kids {OK, maybe you aren't considered a kid in your 20's...whatever} to rent bikes and enjoy the afternoon. One of the out-of-town kids drove up in a car that was borrowed from a host family and several kids hopped on a double Surrey to enjoy the ride and the beautiful summer day we were having. Everyone enjoyed the day together until the girl with the borrowed car realized that she had lost the car keys. The group fanned out to search and couples walked frantically trying to retrace their steps to find the lost keys to no avail. It's one thing to lose something that is yours, but quite another to lose something of someone else's. The rest of the day's plans took a turn and the group separated once again, this time sending a few people on an hour's drive to get the spare set of keys while the others stayed back to watch the car just in case the key finder thought they won the car lottery that day! 
I tell you this story, because we've all been there. We've all misplaced something or tossed things aside frantically searching for something we knew we just had moments ago. I just read a study that said that Americans spend 2.5 days a year looking for lost items. But what if I told you you could get some of that time back? 

photo credit Wheel Fun Rentals

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Mother's Day gifts (to wear, for the home, personalized jewelry) to give round up

They say the best gifts to give are the ones that you would want to get yourself.  So I've compiled a list of gifts to give to your mom on Mother's Day, or ones that you can add to your list for your kids to get for you.  Every single item are things that I would love to get {hint hint sweet husband and kids of mine!}
I've broken it up into some easy to find gifts {to wear, for the home, personalized jewelry} and provided the links directly to the products for easy shopping.

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Make up tips for your teen daughter and natural beauty for yourself

My daughter will be 13 next month. She will be entering into her teen years which had me starting to think about how I feel about make up.  Isabella started experimenting with mascara earlier this year. I guess I had my head buried in the sand because it hadn't even occurred to me that someone who is as beautiful as she is would even think about wanting to wear make up.  I remembered being younger than her though when I started sneaking my mom's make up from her bathroom. I thought that instead of sneaking make up from my drawer that we would have an open discussion about it.  But first I had to question her to see why she wanted to start wearing make up in the first place.  At this age, some of it is just to fit in with your peers.  Your friends are doing it, you want to do it too.  And while that's not a great argument for most things, this time, with something as innocuous as make up, I let it fly.   I've spent a lot of time in my kids schools.  I've seen middle school girls who I can tell sneak into the bathroom before school and put on a mask of make up. I also see high school girls who wear far too much make up and really could use a few tips. I don't want to prohibit my daughter from something that is quite harmless and I want to encourage her to wear make up in the way that it was intended...to enhance your natural beauty.

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Picattoo-make tattoos from your favorite instagram photos

Picattoo is a really cool new product by the fun and creative team at INK361. They are personalized temporary tattoos, made from your own Instagram photos. Picattoo comes in a pack of 12 tattoos for only $14.99. They are printed on high quality tattoo transfer paper and last about a week. I love that they ship FREE worldwide!

Simply log into your Instagram while you are on picattoo.com, select the 12 photos you would like to use, submit your order, and the tattoos will be at your doorstep in approximately a week.

Since they are made from your own photos, the options are endless. I made mine from photos I took on safari in Africa over the summer.

The ability to be creative in making your set of tattoos makes Picattoo perfect for people of all ages, and both boys and girls.  It's a great stocking stuffer or they make the perfect gift.

Picattoo is great for kids to show off things that they love and are proud of. For example, their favorite toys, their pets, or even themselves or their siblings and family members! Another great idea for Picattoo is typography. Kids love being able to wear their own name in a creative way. Picattoo is very popular with pet lovers of all ages, because it is a cute, safe, and temporary way to show off their beloved furry friends.

 Another cool use of Picattoo that you wouldn't normally think of is decoration. Picattoo is perfect for children's theme parties. Decorate cups and plates, or make it a fun activity for the kids. You can also use Picattoo to decorate things such as your nails, mason jars, Christmas baubles, and notebooks.

You can be really creative in your use of Picattoo. Get yours here!

disclaimer: This is a sponsored post but all opinions are 100% my own.  I wouldn't share something if I didn't love it.

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Repair your nicks, gouges and scratches in your floors, cabinets and furniture

I have a lot of wood in my house.

We have wood floors, wood tables, wood cabinets...

And now I feel a little like Forrest Gump!

Over time, that wood starts to show it's age.

Nicks, gouges and scratches happen and are all part of living in your home,

but that doesn't mean you have to live with the imperfections!

One product that I love is this ReStor-it furniture touch up kit.

The furniture touch-up kit restores furniture, floors and cabinets by concealing minor scratches, blemishes, worn edges and imperfections.

Popular marker colors match natural, light oak, dark oak, cherry, walnut and mahogany wood finishes so you are sure to find a color that matches your wood.

This past summer, I dropped a bowl on my hardwood floors.

The bowl broke and left two huge gouges where it bounced.

The marks were driving me nuts because they were big enough to make my floor look constantly dirty.

I started by taking a filler stick to fill in the deep gouges created by my broken bowl.

Then I applied the marker over the filler and wiped off the excess.

I promise this is the same spot on my floor.

You can't even see where the gouge was!

I loved the outcome so much that I was so excited to tackle every nick and scratch in my house!

This drawer in my kitchen is right next to a corner cabinet and when it comes out, the screw on the back of the knob ends up scraping the drawer.

It's left this scratch from years of daily use.

I used my filler stick to fill the scratch in...

and finished it off with the marker on top.

Isn't it a 100 times better?!

See?   There really is no reason to live with furniture, floors or cabinets that are filled with imperfections. Fix them with ReStore-it furniture touch up.

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Origami Owl lockets + giveaway!

Just in time for Mother's Day last week, I got this cute little box in the mail.

It came with a cute little handwritten note, packaged and inspected with care.

Love that!

This is what was inside that sweet blue box.

Once I put everything together, this is the necklace I had made and lovingly selected just a few weeks prior.

I filled this locket with a "love life" plate and put a few of my favorite things inside.

I adore the beach, warm breezes and sand between my toes, and everything in this locket reminds me of that.  It's like a warm day at the beach condensed down into a locket full of goodness.

I love it!

One of the things I want my readers to come away with from my blog is to be inspired.

I also only share products that I love with my readers, 

and I am in love with Origami Owl!

Put those two things together, and you have this awesome custom necklace in our giveaway prize pack.

I'm sure you could find 100 different things to wear this necklace with!

The locket includes:

• Large Silver with Crystals Locket
• 32" Silver Link Chain
• Three Dangles: "Open my heart" dangle, pink pearl and vintage crystal
• Large Gold "Inspire" Plate
• Five Charms: Large Rosegold Gear, Silver Crystal Heart, Vintage Flower, Black Cameo, and Fleur de lis

Want to win?

I know you do!

And you will love your new Origami Owl locket as much as I love mine!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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