Vintage Ooak Designs {Review and Giveaway} #LLRGiftGuide2015

Oh. My Heck. Do you see how gorgeous those earrings are? Seriously, people, I mean WOW! I adore the flower design. I adore the little bling center {just enough to make them pop}. I LOVE the fact that they are made with vintage paper taken from an old book. {The book-obsessed reader in me is freaking out about that fact!} so again, WOW! Just wow.

Take one look into the Etsy shop Vintage Ooak Designs and you will find the shop filled with

    delicious jewelry creations. {I'm partial to the rosette statement       necklaces.} I could spend hours looking at the products in             Maria's store! Every single item is handcrafted with such care and    precision. Each piece is unique. I want it all.

{About Maria}

 I am a stay at home mommy of three awesome boys and a wife to a incredible husband! In my "spare time" I love to craft and am constantly coming up with new ideas to make my shop exciting & fun to browse.

Items in my shop are HANDcrafted by ME...Maria! Much thought is put into making original & unique pieces. My jewelry designs have traveled around the world to far away places I could only dream of going! 

Maria will create custom designs for anyone wanting something special for themselves. I can only imagine how stunning Maria's designs would look on a bridal party.

Maria sent me the earrings in the first photo, a pair of cute button earrings, and {my favorite} a statement necklace. The jewelry is even more beautiful in person. Truly.

Connect

Connect with Maria on Etsy and Facebook.

Gift It

Treat yourself or someone special to a one-of-a-kind gorgeous piece of jewelry from Vintage Ooak Designs.

Win It

I'm super excited to announce that Maria has created a necklace and earring set for one of my lucky readers.  {Isn't it pretty?}

Disclosure: 
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

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ArtsyKRAFTY {Review} #LLRGiftGuide2015

I have a serious love affair with all things paper.  If you are a follower of the blog, this fact is not new information for you. I simply can't help it.  Pretty paper speaks to my inner craft goddess.

When I happened upon the Etsy store, ArtsyKRAFTY, I must admit, the name of the shop is what initially drew me in. :) I took some time to poke around at what the store had to offer and was impressed. Not only are there commercial products such as pocket scrapbook cards, stickers, and chipboard do dads, but the store is filled with beautiful handmade creations as well. As a planner girl, I love the assortment of planner dividers, dashboards, page clips, and page markers.

 After chatting it up a bit, Rhena, the owner of the shop, offered to send me a set of planner dividers and a dashboard to review on the blog. Needless to say, this made me very happy!

When the package arrived, it was wrapped beautifully, but it was the contents of the wrapped
package that really caught my attention.

Rhena chose to send me a dashboard and dividers created with the most beautiful paper.  The contrast of the black backgrounds with the warm, vibrant flowers is simply stunning.

One of my pet peeves, okay, TWO of my pet peeves regarding dividers and dashboards are 1) single-sided dividers, and 2) slippy trimming of the laminate.  There was neither of those with the ArtsyKRAFTY products. {Score!}

Rhena included three laminated cards which match the dividers {which I plan to hole punch and use in my planner} and one beautiful page clip. I love the holly and Christmas-y ribbons. :) There are so many ribbon page clips on Etsy. The addition of the holly element makes ArtsyKRAFTY's clip stand out.

I definitely plan on being a repeat customer!

Connect
Connect with Rhena at ArtsyKRAFTY on Etsy.

Gift It
Crafters, scrapbookers, planner decorators, and traveler's notebook artists simply must check out ArtsyKRAFTY .  You will not be disappointed!

Disclosure: 
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.

Valkin Threads Stormy Slippers {Review and Giveaway} #LLRGiftGuide2015

We don't allow our kids to wear shoes in our house.  Likewise, we don't wear any either. Growing up, my parents had the same rule.  When I visit there now, I still need to take off my shoes.  Really, it's no big deal- except for the fact that my feet are always cold. Sometimes I wear socks, but when I'm visiting anyone with hardwood or laminate floors, socks can be dangerous for this clumsy girl.

I have thought in the past of carrying a pair of slippers with me, but let's get real here. Who wants to carry a bulky pair of slippers with them when visiting family and friends?  Not me. No way.  My purse is full enough!

When I came across Valkin Threads on Etsy, I was immediately drawn to the slippers Sara makes and sells.  Not only are they absolutely adorable, they're also practical.  We agreed to review of a pair of slippers, and Sara sent me the cutest pair I have ever owned.  They are grape and gray in color and have a crochet strap in matching yarn that is attached across the top of the slippers and fastened with a large silver button. The bottoms of the slippers have a grippy material to keep clumsy people such as myself from slipping on slick floors.

Aside from how cute they are, I love that these slippers are portable.  I keep them in my purse so I have them anytime I need them for keeping my tootsies warm and comfortable.  Rolled up, they take up hardly any space at all in my bag.

Sara, owner of Valkin Threads and creator of all the amazing items in the shop, got her start accidentally. One night she was playing around with a crochet design and by morning, had a pair of arm warmers which became the initial item in her Etsy shop. They sold like crazy, and eventually, Sara added other items to the store.  I must say, I am happy for the accident that created Valkin Threads! I intend to be a repeat customer!

If you are in need of a gift for your daughter, mom, best friend, or actually ANY female, Valkin Threads is a must buy! You will fall in love with many of the items in her Etsy shop.

Connect
Connect with Valkin Threads on Etsy, Facebook, and Twitter.

Gift It
Valkin Threads offers a variety of reasonably priced trendy styles like boot socks, fingerless gloves, headbands, leg warmers, slippers, and so many other cute unique items. Go holiday shopping to get a gift she is sure to love.

Win a Pair of Valkin Threads Stormy Slippers
Valkin Threads is generously offering one lucky reader a pair of the Stormy Weather Slippers.

1. Leave a comment  on this post.
2. Enter in the giveaway widget below. This giveaway is open to residents of the US , 18+. 
3. You MUST visit and "Like" Valkin Threads on Facebook .  Once you do that, come back her and let us know. 4. Earn extra entries for sharing this giveaway on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest. Be sure to use #lifelifereviewsholidaygiftguide2015.  Then, come back here and leave us a post so we know you shared. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway Good luck!

Disclosure:
The product(s) provided for the review were sent to me free of charge from the company or the PR agency. The product(s) offered for the giveaway are free of charge, no purchase necessary. My opinions are my own and not by any means influenced by any other part.