Small Shop Spotlight: ISLA & LILY + A Giveaway

One of life's biggest myths is that it isn't any fun to dress a boy.  I was certainly under that impression in 2012 when I was pregnant with my first boy.  And honestly, I think that was part of the reason I wanted a girl so badly!  Fast forward five years and I know better! 😉  I love dressing my boys and get almost as much pleasure out of buying their clothes as I do my own.  Sadly, Brantley's to the age of forming his own opinions about clothing (and wants all athletic apparel) but lucky for me, I have two more to dress!

I recently had the opportunity to work with Jessica from Isla & Lily on a custom order for Rhett.  I'm not exactly sure how I found Jessica and her small shop, but I've been following her on Instagram for some time now and I basically drool over everything she posts!  Isla & Lily is known for their adorable bows, but Jessica also makes a number of modern outfits for babies and tots - girls AND BOYS, including this super cute romper of Rhett's!

One of my favorite things about this romper is the fabric.  It's incredibly soft and stretchy and the best part - no snaps!  You may think that would make diaper changes more difficult, but because the fabric is so stretchy, it just slips right off!  Jessica was super accommodating to work with and very prompt in her responses to my {million} inquiries.  If only my budget would allow, I would have Jessica make Rhett a romper like this in every fabric and color!

I thought it would be fun to interview Jessica, in addition to showing off some of her creations.  And did I mention, there's a giveaway at the end of this post, so stay tuned!



An Interview with Jessica of Isla & Lily


How long have you been in business with your small shop, Isla & Lily?
We are actually celebrating our 4 year anniversary this month! We opened just two weeks after my oldest daughter, Isla, was born. We started off selling very different items than we do now so it's fun to see how we have evolved since then!

How did Isla & Lily get its name?
We started off as Isla Rose Boutique after my daughter but I never really loved the name. Being that I had a career in marketing prior to being a stay-at-home mom turned Etsy shop owner, I wanted something a little more catchy. Our dog who is my first baby is Lily and we just put their names together and it stuck! 

How did you learn to sew and what sparked your interest?
Being a stay at home mom I've had to learn to be very thrifty. I had a mild obsession with baby bows and clothing so I knew I just wanted to figure out how to make my daughter headbands. I learned how to hand sew a classic bow just by observing how the ones we liked were made. Then I developed my own process and sizing. As for clothing my mom taught me a basic stitch, then I started reading up how to sew with knit fabric and buying patterns. From there I became enamored with learning how to make new and fun items for them and for my customers! 


What do you enjoy most about owning a small shop?  Has anything surprised you?
Owning a small shop has been an amazing creative outlet for me and a way for my to contribute, on my own time, to my family. I would say what has surprised me most is how many amazing people I have connected with along the way and how many super loyal customers I have. It just makes me feel so grateful and blessed! 


How do most of your customers find you?
Instagram for sure! And a lot of the time through referrals.


What sets you apart from other small shops with similar items?
This is a tough one! I think there's room for everyone in this space and we all bring our own flare to the baby and child apparel and accessory arena. One thing I really try to do is connect with my customers. I've become "Insta friends" with so many and I know if we all lived close we would be real life friends. I don't just want to be a business I want to get to know my people. And it has shown, because when my husband was out of work for 6 months they all went out of their way to express their support and I had the most sales in 2 months than I usually had in 6 months! I was blown away and still get teary eyed about it because without their help we would have really struggled.

What has been your favorite item to make?
I LOVE making hoodies! We won't be wearing too many now that we live in Arizona but theres so many fun ways to put them together and they're my favorite to photograph or see my customers in! 

Where are you located?
We recently relocated from Olathe, Kansas (KC area) to Chandler, Arizona. I miss home so much so I'm really excited to be doing this collaboration with Sarah who we randomly found out we used to live in the same neighborhood a few years back! 

...

I scoured Isla & Lily's Instagram account and picked out fix of my favorite things.  How cute are these?!

And as promised, if you made it this far, there's a giveaway!  Enter via the Rafflecopter widget below!  And be sure to check out Isla & Lily on all of her social media outlets!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends Sunday, August 6th at 11:59 PM CST.  Winner will be selected by Rafflecopter and be notified by email. Winner will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is selected. I will contact the sponsor (Isla & Lily) regarding your prize. My opinions are my own and were not influenced by any form of compensation.  Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Bloglovin' are in no way associated with this giveaway.

Summer Ready with JORD

I just love this time of year.  Longer days.  Lots of sunshine.  The smell of charcoal mixed with sunscreen.  And most obviously summer break!  I have said it a million times and I'll say it a million more, I love getting to be a SAHM to my boys during the summers.  It's not something I wish for 12 months of the year, but 3 months?  Heck. yes.  So while I'm patiently impatiently counting the days until school is out (five after today!), I'm also making a mental to do list of all the things we want to do this summer because staying busy is key for me.  (And precisely why I couldn't be a SAHM in the wintertime...there is nothing to do!)

Lucky for me, JORD offered to send me one of their wood watches!  Remember when Craig got one a few months back?  Well, now it was my turn!  And perfect timing, because it's going to be a huge help in guaranteeing we transition from one activity to another on time this summer!  Because #threekidsainteasy

I chose the Dark Sandlewood and Slate wood watch from JORD's Frankie 35 series.  The watch was pretty online, but it's even more gorgeous in person!  My favorite part is the simple gray face with rose gold(ish) accents - both very trendy colors right now!  And like Craig's watch, mine is surprisingly lightweight because the band is made of all wood, which is even better for wearing around this summer!

 I had my watch pre-sized, though I made sure to order it loose enough to be comfortable while I'm sweating buckets in Kansas' summer heat.  It's the perfect addition to my "summer uniform" of shorts, tank tops, sandals, and sunglasses--just dainty enough to make a statement while still being ultra feminine.

Like they did in February, JORD is giving away $100 to one lucky reader but everyone who enters will win a $50 credit to use towards any watch once the contest ends!  To enter, follow this link and complete the very simple form.

The contest will close on May 21 at 11:59pm so you only have a few days!!

Both the $100 and the $50 codes will expire on 07/31/2017.

Best of luck, blog friends!

To browse JORD's men's watches, click here.

To browse JORD's women's watches, click here.

 

This post was sponsored by JORD, but all opinions are my own.

Luxury Wooden Watch

A JORD Wood Watch for my Valentine (with a Giveaway!)

It seems like Christmas was just yesterday, but alas January has nearly come and gone and the next holiday is already upon us - Valentine's Day.  Craig and I don't typically celebrate the hallmark holiday, but when JORD reached out to me and asked if I'd like to gift my husband a men's watch to be featured on my blog, I couldn't say no!  Besides, he works so hard every day to be able to provide for our family (yes I work full time, as well, but his salary > teacher salary) and I am very proud of him in his {not so new anymore} role as a manager, so it was nice to be able to use my blog to reward him!

As fun as it would have been to surprise him with a watch, I also wanted him to love it so I let him choose his favorite.  He chose the Dover Series Black & Koa watch.  The black is very classy, yet the natural koa gives it a casual look allowing him to wear it to work, to church, or while working in the garage on the weekends.  Additionally, the visible gears through the sapphire crystal glass makes this unique watch extra manly (aren't all guys curious about how things work?) and gives it a super cool look.  And because the watch is made of wood, it's surprisingly lightweight!

Using JORD's wrist sizer, I ordered the watch pre-sized to perfectly fit Craig's wrist.  Though I didn't customize the watch beyond its size, you can do so by engraving either the watch itself or adding a personalized engraved message to the cedar box the watch is packaged in.

So if you have a special Valentine in your life, check out JORD's line of men's watches here...or if, by chance, you are in the market for a new watch for yourself, you can find their women's watches here.  I'm eyeing one or two for myself. 😉

And now for the fun part!  JORD is giving away $100 to one lucky reader!  One person will win but everyone will receive a consolation code worth $25.00!  Entering this giveaway will take all of one minute (I promise) and let's be honest, I don't have that many followers so your chance of winning is 👌😉.  Enter by following this link HERE.
The contest will close on February 5 at 11:59pm. 
Both the $100 and the $25 codes will expire on 4/30/2017.

Luxury Wooden Watch

This post was sponsored by JORD, but all opinions--and my hunk of a model--are my own.  

P.S. Craig, happy early Valentine's Day!  I know we don't do gifts regularly, nor did I pay for this watch, but if I had, you deserve every bit of this gift and then some.  You are an amazing husband, father, friend, and employee.  Your co-workers are lucky to have you, as are the four of us at home.  Life gets crazy and I may not tell you often, but I appreciate you more than you know and I am lucky to have found my best friend to live life with.  Love you, honey!

Rodan + Fields Review

One of my college friends, Jenna, just recently became a consultant for Rodan + Fields.  Normally, I try to ignore the hype surrounding all of these direct sales companies, but when she offered me the chance to review one of their products, I couldn't turn her down!  Because I've noticed an increase in wrinkles around my eyes (girls in your 20s: say no to tanning beds!), I chose to try the R+F Redefine Multi-Function Eye Cream.  But before I get to the results, let me share a few things I learned from Jenna...

Rodan and Fields is an award winning line of skincare products created by the two dermatologists that created Proactiv Solution, Drs. Katie Rodan and Kathy Fields. In 2002, the doctors had a vision to bring dermatology grade skin care products to the masses. They originally launched these products in high-end retail and there they did really well. But the doctors knew they could reach more. Despite being the number one clinical brand in Nordstrom, they decided to pull out of retail, knowing the the majority of people were buying based on referrals from friends. In 2008 they launched into direct sales and sold more in that channel in one month than they did in one year on all of the Nordstrom floors!  R+F is currently the #1 premium skincare line for anti-aging AND acne and #2 overall behind Estée Lauder!

 Okay, now for the eye cream.  First of all, it was light and easy to apply.  It worked nicely under make-up, but because it's summer, I often wore just this, sunscreen, and mascara.  The 0.5 ounce container is meant to last about two months, but I think I can stretch mine out a little longer.  Retail price is $80, but preferred customer price (more on that later) is $54.  (Note: The Clinique eye cream I was using prior to this cost me $53.)

  I've been using it twice per day for about three weeks now.  I was pretty religious about applying it the first week and a half, but I got a little lazy as time went on (mainly during our baby scare).  Still, I'd say I applied it, as recommended, twice per day at least 80% of the time.  Here are my results.  Before pictures on the left, after pictures on the right.  Other than a tiny bit of mascara, I have absolutely no make-up on in any of these pictures.

I'm not sure if it's super noticeable in these photos (unless you zoom in significanty, but that might be scary so beware!), but I feel like the skin around my eyes just appears stronger and brighter.  There are still wrinkles, but in my opinion, the wrinkles don't seem quite as deep as they were three weeks ago.  I imagine with further use, it will only get better, and I've already mentioned to Jenna that I want to purchase some of this as soon as I run out!

I also asked Jenna for her top five R+F recommendations.  Here's what she said (in no particular order)!

Jenna's Top 5 Rodan + Fields Recommendations:

#1 \\ Soothe Regimen Step #2: This sensitive skin treatment uses patented technology RFp3 to protect against triggers that cause inflammation, breakout, and aging. This received an award for new technology!  It instantly gets rid of redness!

#2 \\ Redefine Overnight Restorative Cream: This cream works while you sleep!  Sericin silk peptides stimulate collagen production and 12-hour time released antioxidants a, c, and e.

#3 \\ Redefine AMP MD Roller: This "best minute in skincare" patent technology is a noninvasive treatment that takes one minute to "roll" onto face, neck, and lips.  It contains 200 micro-fine stainless steel needles to promote skin firming.

#4 \\ Redefine Multi Function Eye Cream: This cream includes peptides that minimize crows feet and calm and reduce the appearance of puffiness. It's gentle as water and the contents help to diminish dark circles, while the optical filters visibly brighten the eye area.  **This is what I used!

#5 \\ Reverse Regimen Exfoliating Wash: This facewash includes intensive brightening toner, dual active brightening complex, and broad spectrum SPF 50 sunscreen.  It's awesome for dullness, dark spots, and sun damage.

Bonus \\ Foaming Sunless Tanner: This tanner is not streaky, smells good, and results in a real glow!

Because I love to help a friend out, and because Jenna loves R+F, she is offering free preferred customer enrollment (originally $19.95) to anyone who becomes a preferred customer in the month of July!  PC perks include 10% off products, free shipping on all orders over $80, and management of your account making it super easy on YOU!  If you are interested in learning more, or if you have any questions, you can check out Jenna's R+F website or email her at jackson6486@gmail.com. 

Have you used an R+F products?  What are your faves? 

Disclaimer: I was gifted a 0.5 ounce container of R+F Redefine Multifunction Eye Cream in exchange for an honest review.  I also happily agreed to help Jenna promote her small business.  However, all opinions are my own! 

HyVee Dish Freezer Meals

Hey local peeps--have you ever dreamt that someone would do your meal planning, your grocery shopping, and your post-meal-prep clean up?  If so, good news!  Such a dream can soon become your reality and it's likely just down the road at your nearest HyVee grocery store!

HyVee is an employee-owned, Midwestern grocery store chain and many of their locations offer DISH (Dinner Is Served at HyVee) meal prep workshops.  I started attending these monthly workshops nearly a year ago and though I don't get there every month, I do my best to go as often as possible so that I can restock my freezer on a regular basis.

Here's how it works:

1. You can either organize your own private group and choose a time to sign up, or sign up for an Open DISH Workshop as scheduled by HyVee.

2. Workshops are usually done in HyVee's "Club Room".  Show up with something to transport your meals home in (a large bag, a cooler, a laundry basket, etc.) and expect the session to last about an hour. 

3. Once there, choose a station.  Ingredients will be laid out for you and some of the prep work may already be done.  Follow the directions at that station to prepare the meal.  (You will be making multiple of the same meal - one for each and every person attending.)

4. Before leaving, make your rounds and grab one of each meal.  Generally, all of the supplies will be placed in a gallon-sized baggie, but sometimes there will be an extra can or package of something to grab.

5. Once home, throw your meals in the freezer.  When ready to use, thaw in the refrigerator and follow the instructions per HyVee.

(A few tips: double bag your meals at home.  It never fails that my freezer meals--HyVee and otherwise--leak and make a mess of my refrigerator.  Also, freeze the meals flat!!!  It will speed up the thawing process and keep your freezer more organized!)

Things I love about this program:

// Like I said, HyVee does the shopping, some of the prep work, and all of the clean-up!   Win, win, win!

// It is very cost efficient!  The grocery bill is split amongst all of the participants and that's all you pay!  There is no additional "convenience fee" for attending.  (Sessions generally cost between $80 and $120 for eight meals that feed 4 to 6 people.)

// The "Club Room" is very spacious and meal-prep is very simple.  Instructions are spelled out very clearly.

// There is a nice variety of meals - both protein-wise and preparation-wise (slow cooker, on the grill, etc.).

// HyVee shares their recipes, so if there's something you really love, you can re-create it at home!

// It's fun!  I always go with friends, so not only does it make for a productive night, but a nice social outing, as well!  (Bonus if your HyVee has a bar you can visit afterwards!  Double bonus if it's half-price happy hour!)

I attend workshops at the Olathe HyVee on 151st street.  If you're interested in attending at that location, info regarding their Open DISH Workshops can be found on their Facebook page or their website.  To schedule a private group, please email Nicole at 1463clubmgr@hy-vee.com or Lisa at lbartels@hy-vee.com for the dietitian's healthier version!

Disclaimer: HyVee provided me a session of free-of-charge freezer meals in exchange for this blog post.  However, opinions--and my absolute love of this program--are all my own!

New Specs with Firmoo

After my annual eye appointment in January, I decided I was ready for some new eye glasses. Though I rarely wear them, my old pair was a good five years old and a little outdated.

Enter the company Firmoo.

Firmoo is one of the most popular online stores for both eyeglasses and sunglasses.  They offer a wide variety of high quality eyewear at extremely affordable prices.  We're talking frames as low as $19!  How is that even possible, you ask?  Firmoo is an online store only, so they are able to escape the overhead and expenses incurred in a traditional brick and mortal store.

Online only??  Then, how in the world does one choose a pair of glasses?  Easy, with Firmoo, you have the option to virtually "try on" any pair you want!  You can either upload a photo of your face or snap a photo using a webcam.  I, of course, did both to ensure I approved of both views.  

There are so many frames to choose from - a huge selection of both styles and colors!  

It took awhile, but eventually I narrowed down my selection to about four or five pairs.  I snapped a photo of each pair and made a college to compare.  #nerdthings  Once I chose a winner, I uploaded my prescription, which was as easy as pie.  The only thing I struggled with was my PD (pupillary distance).  PD is basically the distance, in millimeters, from the center of one pupil to the center of the other.  I tried getting this measurement from my eye doctor, but apparently it's dependent upon the frames you choose??  (I'm not sure why this matter, but whatever.)  So I measured this distance myself, to the best of my ability, using a mirror and a ruler.  As suggested by Firmoo, I took the measurement three times and calculated and used the average value.

The glasses arrived in my mailbox about a week and a half later.  I was going for rounder, bigger specs, but they ended up being even rounder and bigger in person than they appeared in my virtual fitting.  I was a little unsure at first...

But I've come around and have grown to like them.  Turns out, bigger glasses are so much easier to see out of because there's a larger area to look through!  (This is the problem with my old ones.  They're narrow and I literally had to turn my head to look at whatever I wanted to look at.)

And now for the extra fun part!  Anyone out there also in the market for a new pair of specs?  Choose a pair of frames here and use the voucher code seeingallblog2 for a free pair!!  You will be required to pay shipping costs, but otherwise, the glasses will be completely free!  The voucher code is only available for the first ten people and it expires on April 18, 2016, so get on it quickly if you really want that free pair of glasses!

Disclaimer: I was gifted this pair of glasses in exchange for an honest review of the company.  All opinions are my own!

Freshly Picked The Next Step Shoe Review

 My poor, poor second child.  Rarely does he ever get anything new, as all of his clothes, shoes--even his nursery--have been hand-me-downs from his older brother.  I feel bad, but then again, I am thrilled to get to re-use all of the cute things I purchased for Brantley!  (Is it sad that one of the reasons I want a third boy is to make use of the clothes for a third time??)  Anyway, when I got the opportunity to review a new line of hard sole shoes by Freshly Picked, I didn't even question which child would be the lucky recipient.  I was excited to choose a brand new pair of shoes for none other than my second born, Holden.  And I'm so glad I did.  Because he absolutely adores his new shoes and I must say, he rocks them way better than Brantley ever could have! ;)

Though we have never owned any of the ever-popular FP moccasins, these Next Step shoes are as cute as the original moccs--if not cuter!  They are, however, a much better option for active, on-the-go kiddos--Holden, for instance!  He's almost two and these are a perfect shoe for him!

 

 They are made from 100% genuine leather and include elastic no-tie laces. The shoes are really easy to slip on, but perhaps my favorite thing about them?  Holden's inability to get them off!  Does anyone else get so angry about having to put shoes and socks on after every two-minute car ride?!  #TheNextStepsforthewin

We sized up a bit.  Holden isn't quite in a size 7, but that's what I ordered mainly so that he'd have room to grow!  Even though they are a tad large, he ran around in them all weekend and never once seemed bothered (i.e. didn't trip any more than usual).   Freshly Picked recommends sizing up, as these tend to run a 1/2 size small.  They are available in children sizes 7 through 13.

 

I choose the Beehive State color since they go with about anything, but there are about nine additional color/design options to choose from.  Minus the few that are ultra girly (blush, gold, and leopard print), I now think we need one of each thanks!! ;)

 

And did I mention how proud Holden is of his new shoes?

 

*Disclaimer: I was gifted this pair of shoes in exchange for an honest blog review.  However, all opinions--and the cute kid--are my own.