Hello welcome to La Dolce Vita. I am a busy WAHM of a three year old who really keeps me on my toes. I blog about my Sweet Life (that is what Dolce Vita) means. I share many of my custom hand stamped jewelry pieces, as they are inspired by my every day life. I hope you enjoy fashion as I talk a lot about fashion and I am a total Product Junkie. Step into my world and please come back again soon. If I am not around I am off making some keepsake mommy jewelry for my customers.
Several weeks ago I met Meaghan on Twitter and am so glad I did. I am now a proud Spirit Jumper!! You ask what is a Spirit Jumper? Spirit Jump is a program that directly connects a gift giver with a person battling cancer. It was founded in November, 2008 by two young women who have both battled cancer.
Meaghan is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with end stage cancer with a 20% chance of survival in February of 2007. Like many cancer patients she experienced the horrors of chemotherapy, radiation and numerous surgeries. Today Meaghan is CANCER FREE and is thankful for all of the support of her family and friends who stood by her side through her cancer fight.
Stacy is currently fighting Stage IV Melanoma. Diagnosed, October, 2007, Stacy is still undergoing treatment and fighting this horrible battle.
So how can you jump?
It is really very simple you can send a gift or even a card to lift the spirits of a person in need. All you do is email Spirit Jump at spiritjumper@spiritjump.com and you will be connected with a person in need of some real spirit jumping. Since I joined I have jumped three people and I have to tell you it feels so good to know that something so small may just lift someone elses spirits!
I encourage you to join me! Will you jump with me? Please visit the Spirit Jump site HERE. and also follow them on Twitter @spiritjump
The winner is Throughthehaze, Congratulations! Please contact me with your contact information.
As a self proclaimed product junkie, I am always looking for products that are good for my skin and not loaded with chemicals. I was pleased to discover Skin Free products and was delighted to try their Extra Moisturizing Soap and After Shower Moisture Spritz. Both products are packed with only natural ingredients and are vegan and cruel free, they leave your skin feeling just as they claim, and when using you can tell they are packed with only the best ingredients.
Here are some product details:
Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar: Awarded the National Eczema Association Seal of Acceptance August, 2008
Loaded with extra virgin olive oil, which contains natural anti-inflammatory agents, anti-oxidants, and natural vitamins that aid in healing and soothing your skin. Naturally moisturizing shea and cocoa butters are added to reduce the tight, dry feeling normally experienced when using typical commercial soaps. The lack of chemical preservatives, fragrance, or colorants in this soap makes it ideal for individuals of any age, especially the very old and the very young, those with allergies, dermatitis, sensitive, or very dry skin.
After Shower Moisturizer Spritz:
This is an innovative use for an ancient product. Skinfree have taken their delectable bath oil and placed it in an easy to use spritz bottle. This gives you the perfect moisturizing solution for people who always take showers. The fine mist spray bottle allows you to reach all areas of your body, even the middle of your back. This Spritz is loaded with Olive Seed Oil, Sweet Almond Oil and Vitamin E all just wonderful for your skin.
Skin Free offers a full skincare product line be sure to visit their site for other fabulous products HERE.
Skin Free Products are now available at Walgreen and also at their site HERE.
Would you like to win some fabulous Skin Free Products?
Skin Free has graciously offered the following:
Extra Moisturizing Soap and Shampoo Bar
After Shower Moisture Spritz
Super Moisture Butter Cream
How to enter:
Visit Skin Free and tell me what product you would like to try.
Extra Entries: (Leave a separate comment for each extra entry)
Twitter about this giveaway
Follow my blog
Grab my blog button and post it at your site (found upper left)
Grab my shop button and post it at your site (found upper left)
Share a link of this post with your Facebook friends
Contest closes on June 6th 11:59PM. Open to US residents only.
There is something simple and classic with the good old red, white and blue. With just coming off of a long holiday weekend I thought it was only fitting to showcase a few classic items inspired by the red, white and blue.
Which one is your favorite?
You can view the entire article at TwitterMoms where I am a weekly featured contributor. Click HERE.
The "Wise, Strong, Kind, Fair" key chain has been featured for the 3rd time in the Etsy Gift guide! Thank you Etsy!
This key chain can be personalized with Papa in the center or personalized with kiddos names around the outer edge, it also comes in a hammered version. You can view my entire collection for him HERE.
Can you believe Father's Day is just 3 weeks away??
Don't even ask how pricey this cute little set of furniture was at Pottery Barn Kids, and no we did not get it even though Will wanted it.
Will did get a $3 completely organic double chocolate cookie and he didn't even know it was packed with all natural ingredients!
I love to get a latte and window shop, sometimes I find things sometimes I leave empty hande, I find it relaxing. What do you like to do for fun these days?
Please be sure to enter for a chance to win one of two $25 gift certificates to Sugarhouse Ink enter HERE.
Will at the Henry Ford Estate. Hubby and I have a very similar picture in front of this same gate from our wedding day so this picture is a really special one. My little guy looks so grown up here!
Finding that perfect announcement for that very special occasion is very important! So when seeking that perfect announcement you have to check out Sugarhouse Ink. I had the pleasure of receiving a sample pack of several of Sugarhouse Ink's products and they are exceptional. What I love about them is that they are simple yet elegant. I remember scouring the Internet looking for that perfect announcement after the birth of my son and Sugarhouse Ink makes creating that perfect announcement effortless.
They provide announcements for the following occasions:
Brith announcements Graduation Birthday invitations Seasonal greetings Holiday cards Valentines Wedding invitations Bridal shower invitations Baby Shower invitations Save the dates Engagement aprty invitations Milestone invitations Thank you notes
Sugarhouse Ink offers professionally designed announcements for all of life's most important occasions. They offer only the highest quality papers and printing techniques. They work with each design until it is something that they would love to send out.
Giveaway details: So here is the best part Sugarhouse Ink is offering two gift certificates valued at $25 each, yes you read that right two gift certificates.
For your first entry please tell me if you won what would you use the gift certificate for?
Extra entries:
Twitter about this giveaway
Follow my blog
Grab my blog button and post it at your site (found upper left)
Grab my shop button and post it at your site (found upper left)
Share a link of this post with your Facebook friends
Contest closes June 2nd at 11:59PM. Contest open to US and Canada only. Good Luck!
Happy Tuesday friends! I hope everyone had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend. We stayed home and had great plans to accomplish so much around the house but I spent much of the weekend playing catch up on orders. We did attend a really fun B-Day party for Will's friends, good food, good friends and good conversation!
I am very excited to introduce you to the lovely Miranda of A Duck In Her Pond, Miranda is not only beautiful but she is also very funny and a wonderful writer. Miranda has published work, Twelve Tales Of Christmas and two upcoming pieces Miss Pickles and Twirl. Visit here for updates, how fab is that? Now please grab a cup of joe and get to know my friend Miranda.
Name:
In the real world, I go by Miranda.In the blog world, I am the whimsical storyteller known as the Blond Duck of A Duck In Her Pond.
Family:
I ‘m married to my college sweetheart, Ben and we have two Chihuahuas, Bitty and Bear.They’re littermates and the light of our lives!
How did you start blogging?
After I graduated from college, Ben and I moved to San Antonio for his new job.I had spent senior year reading blogs and had always wanted to write one.Since I had just finished my first novel, I thought a blog would be a good way to get my name into the writing world.Eventually, it turned into what it is
now.
What is your blogging philosophy?
My blogging philosophy is to keep things positive and light.In the Pond, there are no tragedies.There are no bad days.There is just pie and whimsical stories and mystical creatures.There’s plenty of other blogs that will give you grit and reality and thought provoking posts.My goal is to make you smile and make your day a little bit brighter.
You will never find me without......
A notepad to jot down ideas!
Day job:
During the day, I work for a large metropolitan daily newspaper owned by a national publishing company.At night, I strive to bring my books to the masses.My goal is to publish short novels that women can easily read in one sitting—I call them bathtub books, because you could read them as quick as a bathtub soak.My stories have adventure, romance, fantasy and fun.I’m going to release a new one in about a month and hope to get more out soon.To see my style, readers can check out the Never Ending Stories tab on my blog.There, you can read three stories that are featured on my blog every week in a serial format.
Favorite Stuff:
Music: Country.Come on, I’m a good ol’ Texas girl!
Food: First and foremost, pie!Dutch crumb apple pie, peanut butter pie, pecan pie and pumpkin pie.Then we’ve got fried chicke,mac and cheese, bacon cheeseburgers and French Fries slathered in ketchup, chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes, waffles, pancakes and biscuits….
Just park me at a road side diner somewhere and come back a couple hours later.You may need the jaws of life to get me out.
Reading:Anything but Madeline L’Engle, several of the books by Bruce Coville and the BFG by Raold Dahl.Elizabeth Peters is fabulous and I adore Shannon Hale!I tend to read a lot of children’s and young adult books…I haven’t found many “adult” authors I like.
If you had to wear a T-shirt with your favorite saying on it what would it be?
“Be a happy duckie!”or “Will work for burgers and pie.”
Favorite stores to shop at:
New York and Company, Ann Taylor Loft and Ann Taylor, Express and Francesca’s.
If you could trade with a blogger for the day who would it be and please provide the link.
Marie from a Year from Oak Cottage. (http://www.ayearfromoakcottage.com/)She’s just so sweet and was my first real blog friend.She inspires me every day.
While right now most of my stories can be seen on my blog, I'm looking forward to having several pieces published soon. It is my goal to bring whimsical written adventures to both children and women. I want my stories to excite and move you, to inspire and electrify. I also hope to open a animal shelter for abandoned dogs and farm animals in the future. After living in a city where so many dogs are killed or abandoned every day, I hope to be able to give each dog a home and love in their lives.
I hope you all come to the Pond to learn more about me! You can visit A Duck In Her Pond
Please be sure to leave Miranda some comment love. We all love comments!!!!
If you would like to be a featured reader please send me a link to your blog to klacustomcreations@comcast.net, my lovely featured readers have a chance to win a custom piece from my shop!
There is something magical about bubbles. Will and I love to blow bubbles and it kinda makes me feel like a kid again. Go ahead and have some bubble fun today and enjoy the poem Blowing Bubbles by Ericka Northrop.
Blowing Bubbles - Poem by Ericka Northrop
Come with me; forget your troubles. We'll take some soap and make some bubbles! We can make them big or small; It isn't very hard at all. I can't be angry, sad or blue When blowing bubbles-now, can you? Just blow your blues into each one. We'll watch them sparkle in the sun. We'll send them out into the sky. There go your troubles! Poof! Bye-bye.
What do you do when you want to feel like a kid again?
This stuff is like liquid gold if you ask me. I get really nervous when I am running low on my Tigi Work It hairspray. I usually purchase two bottles at a time. The Tigi Work It hairspray is a workable hairspray, which means you can spray then comb and spray some more. I have tried many hairsprays through the years and always come back to my old faithful Work It. I will warn you to only purchase it at a licensed hair salon. I picked some up at a drug store and it wasn't the same. I actually emailed Tigi to see if they changed the formula and they didn't but did tell me to only purchase from a licensed salon. Often with products you find at drug stores they are old inventory, which doesn't always mean they aren't effective but I find with the Tigi hairspray it needs to be fresh. To locate a licensed salon near you visit the Tigi site HERE.
I don't know what it is about ruffles, I love how girly and feminine they make you feel. You can find ruffles just about everywhere and you can keep it really simple or you can select something that billows with an abundance of ruffles. One rule of thumb though is less is more, so when in doubt leave it out!
So tell me do you love ruffles?
You can read my entire featured article at TwitterMoms HERE.
Well besides my kiddo, and my new iPod, I heart my backyard. It is so refreshing to be able to be outdoors. We had such a hard winter here in Michigan so the sunshine lately is rejuvenating! We have worked hard over the years to try and bring some inside comfort outdoors, as you can see Will really enjoys playing on our outdoor couch also. The one problem is that we never want to come in.
What is better than being outdoors, sipping a iced lemonade and enjoying some of your favorite music?
Show Dad this Father's Day how you feel about him with the "Wise, Strong, Kind, Fair" hammered sterling silver key chain. This key chain has been hand stamped and hand hammered and can also be personalized. Available for $32.90 HERE
For the avid golfer a golf ball marker in copper that is personalized with Dad's initials or maybe just for the golfer that would like to golf in style. The copper disc has been hand stamped and hand hammered. Available for $15 HERE.
This picture was taken at The Henry Ford Estate. They have more Lilacs than you can imagine and in this picture Will is following behind my Dad down the path of Lilacs. The aroma was amazing!
Happy Birthday Dad/Papa! Even though you like caramel cakes Will insists that you must have Chocolate Bumpy cake (since it is his favorite!)
Love her stuff. I'd pick the "Scalloped Hearts" thank you cards.
pamelashockley(AT)netscape(DOT)net
With summer weather just around the corner, why not throw a stylish, summer luncheon? Jenna Lowe, Lifestyle Expert for the Karen Neuburger brand has great tips for pulling off a beautiful party in your backyard or home with friends.
Drinks:
What better way to enjoy a warm summer day than with lemonade? Serve it in a beautiful glass lemonade stand and jar ($18-$70), www.surlatable.com) and slice lemons to give extra color. Refreshing and totally chic – your guests will certainly go back for more!”
Food:
"Finger sandwiches are an easy, affordable, and adorable solution for food at parties. Simple recipes include cucumber and ham and cheese sandwiches. Pair them with fruit and veggies platters and my favorite Shrimp Dip", says Jenna (find the recipe below).
Jenna’s Shrimp Dip Recipe
Ingredients:
2 8 oz. packages of cream cheese (full strength, not light!)
¼ cup of milk (1% is fine)
2 tbs Miracle Whip salad dressing (not mayo!)
1 cup of Parmesan cheese
2 tps of crushed garlic
2 4 oz. cans deveined shrimp
¼ tsp of paprika
Sprig of parsley
Directions:
Put cream cheese, milk and Miracle Whip in a mixing bowl
Mix with electric beater on medium until soft, creamy and totally blended.
Add the Parmesan cheese and crushed garlic, blend
Drain shrimp keeping a little juice for flavor
Fold shrimp and juice into mixture
Taste again and then garnish with paprika and parsley
Chill for 1 hour
Serve with your favorite dipping crackers
Music:
Before the party, create a fun mix of songs to keep the energy up at the party. Pick songs that really center around your party’s theme and don’t be afraid to mix genres or eras of music,” Jenna explains. Here are some of Jenna’s favorite picks for the perfect summer playlist:
The Beach Boys ''California Girls''
Red Hot Chili Peppers' “Dani California”
Lynyrd Skynyrd “Sweet Home Alabama”
Yellowcard "Ocean Avenue"
Sheryl Crow "Soak Up the Sun"
Violent Femmes"Blister in the Sun"
The Beatles "A Hard Day's Night"
Sublime "Summertime"
The Wallflowers "One Headlight"
The Monkees "Daydream Believer"
After a fantastic party what is better than crawling into some fabulous, crisp, clean sheets??? Karen Neuburger sheets are made with bamboo or 100% cotton.
