Iceblues- Camera Necklace {Review} #LLRGiftGuide2015

I love presents! {Who doesn't?} There's just something about the packaging that makes what's inside even more exciting for me. See that picture up there? That is the package the contained the most darling necklace from the Etsy shop Iceblues. I have to admit, I kept that brown ribbon and the sweet little box.

The necklace inside was a real treat- even better than the pretty packaging! Nestled in soft batting was the most beautiful leather camera necklace. It reminded me so much of a vintage camera- {You know, the ones we used to have that actually had film inside that had to be developed?} The necklace is perfect for me.

I am a {very} novice photographer. By novice I mean I take pictures of my family {constantly}, our pets, and on vacations. I am never without my camera {Who knows when that moment will arise that I simply must record?}. I'm also one who loves unique items. The camera necklace represents my love of photography in such a beautiful, unique way.

For the photographer, or anyone who loves taking photos, this whimsical camera charm necklace is

the perfect accessory. Featuring a rhinestone lens, the necklace is also adorned with an ornate brass leaf and an adorable Czech flower. Suspended from an antique brass chain, this necklace is both stylish and trendy.

If you love photography or have a friend or relative who does, then this necklace is the perfect gift!

{About Iceblues}

Iceblues was created from an absolute passion to create beautiful things. I've been creating since I was a child and I just don't want to do anything else. I totally adore creating jewelry just for you. 

I spend much time sourcing high quality materials so that I can produce elegant and feminine jewelry designs that are keepsakes. How lovely to think that these creations could be passed to other generations or kept as special mementos. My first responsibility is to you, my customers, and for that reason, I ensure that the craftsmanship is top notch. 

All of my jewelry creations make wonderful gifts and for that reason, all my creations will come to you in a beautiful Kraft gift box ready for giving. This gift wrap is free of charge, my gift to you. 

You'll find something for everyone and any occasion. I do try to think of everything but if you needed something I don't yet have, please do ask me, I love doing custom work. I have many hand stamped pieces so that you can create something entirely unique for you or a loved one. 

Connect
Connect with Iceblues on Etsy, Facebook, and Twitter.

Gift It
Iceblues has the perfect gift for your loved one. Check our the shop for whimsical personalized initial & Kawaii jewelry.

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. 

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.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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.

PaperOnly Etsy Shop {Review} #LLRGiftGuide2105

I have a friend {who shall remain anonymous for soon-to-be-obvious reasons} who is next to impossible to shop for. When she sees something she likes and wants, she buys it. This makes gift-giving quite difficult, as you can imagine. What do you give a person like her? Gift cards are a no-go; they're too impersonal.

I was browsing Etsy {LOVE Etsy!}, and I happened upon the shop PaperOnly. What caught my eye and made me take a second look are the monogrammed wallets she offer for sale. Now THIS is a gift that I could get on board with. It's pretty, functional, and personalized. {Win!}

I got in touch with the absolutely sweet owner of the shop, Ayse Nur. We discussed what I was looking for, and she was helpful in answering all of the questions I asked. When the monogrammed wallet arrived {super fast- especially considering it shipped from Turkey to the US}, I knew I made the right decision. 

The wallet is such a beautiful color, and the perfectly sized monogram is placed in the front corner. What really impresses me are the pockets.  There's so much room in the wallet for cards, chance, cash, coupons, receipts- and so much more! Even so, it is not bulky at all.  I really like that!

I am so happy I found this shop. I intend to purchase many more gifts from PaperOnly.

Connect
Connect with Ayse at PaperOnly on Etsy.

Gift It
Whether you are looking for a woman's wallet or a men's wallet, you will find a beautiful selection at PaperOnly. Additionally, Ayse offers engraved compasses and pocket watches as well. You simply must check out PaperOnly for all of your personalized gift needs.  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.

Noble Character Crafts- Boot Cuffs with Interchangeable Flowers {Review and Giveaway} #LLRGiftGuide2015

Boot socks and boot cuffs are really "in" right now. They are a fun accessory paired with boots.  I can't seem to own enough now that I figured out how to wear them. {You might remember from an earlier post that I was a little clueless when I received my first pair.  Well it didn't take long for me to become addicted to this fashion trend!} I have them in many different colors and patterns.  One of my absolute favorites though are from Noble Character Crafts.

Amy, the owner of the Etsy shop, sent me an ivory pair of crocheted boot cuffs with three sets of interchangeable flowers.  I chose ivory, wine and tan fleck flowers. Oh my heck. I'm telling you, they are seriously adorable! I love being able to switch the flowers. They simply slip onto the silver button that is sewn on the boot cuff.

Amy makes these boot cuffs with elastic at the top to prevent slipping and stretching.  I wish all boot cuffs had elastic! They are available in size small through plus size, and they measure 6" in height. The flowers measure approximately 3.25" in diameter.

These boot cuffs are so much fun to wear! I love adding a pop of color with the flowers.  I also like that they can be worn without the flower and still look great!

Connect
Connect with Noble Character Crafts on Etsy and Twitter.

Gift It
Noble Character Crafts offers a variety of reasonably priced, stylish crocheted items, such as boot cuffs, hats, cowls, fingerless gloves and so much more.

Win It
Amy has generously offered one lucky reader a chance to win a pair of ivory boot cuffs with three interchangeable flowers. {Yay!}

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.

Red Leaf Leather Men's Custom Leather Wallet {Review} #LLRGiftGuide2015

My oldest son is 18 years old.  When he left for college, we gave him his insurance card and told him to keep it in his wallet with his driver's license, school ID, and MAC card.  He pulled out a pathetic-looking small black wallet that was actually falling apart.  It would have to do.

Fast forward six weeks, and due to medical circumstances, our son took a leave from college and moved back home.  It wasn't what any of us wanted for him, but it couldn't be helped.  {We are hoping things will be okay and he can return in the fall.}

I started to notice that he was becoming withdrawn.  He was also depressed.  Life was changing for him, and he had no control over it.  He no longer felt as if he had direction in his life. He lost faith in himself.

Somewhere around that time, I connected with Kelsey Roberts, owner of Red Leaf Leather on Etsy. We talked about doing a product review and I told Kelsey to create whatever she wanted.  Little did I know then how important this wallet was going to become.

The wallet arrived a short time later, and I took one look at it and got goosebumps.  Truly.  The mahogany leather was gorgeous and excellent quality. Kelsey chose to  stamp the following on the cover of the wallet: everything you want is on the other side of fear.  Originally intending to give the wallet to my husband, at that moment I knew the wallet had to go to my son {besides, he needed a new wallet}.

That evening I handed my son the package.  When he opened it, he read the quote several times.  Then he cried as he hugged me.  He said that he needed that message; he needed it more than any of us could ever know.

I could never thank Kelsey enough.  What began as a product review, became a life-changing inspiration to my son.

The Product
I simply cannot stress enough how beautiful the wallet is. Kelsey creates custom leather products that are handmade an d crafted to ensure you are purchasing a special, personalized gift  for anyone on your gift list.

Connect
Connect with Kelsey at Red Leaf Leather on Etsy and on Facebook.

Gift It
You simply must check out Read Leaf Leather on Etsy for all of your personalized gift needs.  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.

GrindleHillFineGoods Infinity Scarf and Boot Cuffs {Review} #LLRGiftGuide

Living in Pennsylvania, we tend to get some very cold days. Our weather is fickle.  One day it is warm enough to wear a sweatshirt and the next day we need hats, scarves and mittens.  I love wearing infinity scarves and cowls on those frigid days because not only do they keep me warm, but they are super fashionable too!

Another fashion I have fallen prey to is leggings. {I promise I wear them with shirts long enough to cover my bottom!} I like to wear my leggings with tall boots, and until recently, I was satisfied with that look.  


I was fortunate to be sent an infinity scarf and boot cuffs {check out the adorable buttons!} from GrindleHillFineGoods to review for the gift guide, and I wasn't so sure what exactly I was supposed to do with the boot cuffs. {Yes, I realize now that it should have been obvious.} Once I figured it out, it was like the lights suddenly turned on. One look in the mirror and I realized what was missing with my leggings and tall boots get-up. Now I never wear tall boots without boot socks or boot cuffs.

Amanda Rogers is the owner of and artisan for GrindleHillsFineGoods.  She is located in Michigan. Her shop is filled with coordinating boot cuffs, hats, gloves, and scarves that are sure to keep you warm and on trend this fall and winter. 

I have worn my boot cuffs and infinity scarf numerous times, and every single time I do, I receive compliments on them. They are extremely well-made and are so fashionable!

Connect
Connect with Amanda at GrindleHillFineGoods on Etsy and Facebook

Gift It
All items are READY TO SHIP!  New Coupon! Use 5OFF50 to get $5 off your purchase of $50 or more in crochet items! Perfect for creating a matching set or purchasing multiple gifts. 


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.

Feature Friday: Paws.Plan.Create December Days Edition Christmas Planner 2015 TN Printable and Christmas Countdown/Planner Reminder Stickers PDF {Review and Discount Code} #LLRGiftGuide2015

I like to think I am organized.  At least I try.  Sometimes. It's funny when I think about it.  At the beginning of the school year, my classroom is always decorated {In owls, of course} and everything has its place.  More importantly, everything is in its place. Within six weeks, my classroom looks like a tornado hit. Papers are stacked everywhere. Art supplies are scattered throughout the room.  You get the picture.

With Christmas fast approaching, I NEED to be better organized than I was last year.  Oh my.  What chaos that was! We shopped, hid presents throughout the house, and forgot what we bought, how

much we spent, and where we hid everything.  {We were still fining presents months later!}

I promised myself that wouldn't happen this year.  Thanks to the Christmas Countdown planner that Hailey from Paws.Plan.Create. sent me to review, I'm feeling much better about this year.

This planner is seriously the bomb dot com. It has everything you need to be sure you have a great holiday {Well, minus the gifts and eggnog}.  For those who have an Elf on a Shelf, you will be able to track what you want to do with that pesky elf each day.  There's a countdown calendar- That page scares me, actually. I can see in black and white how quickly my days to shop keep slipping away.

In this planner, you have a weekly calendar and a grid page next to it- perfect for keeping track of your to-dos for the week and jotting important reminders to yourself {like where you hide the gifts!} The two parts of this planner I love the most is the online shopping tracker and the budget tracker.  {Hubby likes those pages even more than I do, because he lives for creating budgets!}

I would be remiss if I didn't mention how adorable the drawings are in the planner- so cute! Hailey truly paid attention to detail when she created this planner! If you want more decoration, purchase the countdown stickers well.  I like adding some washi tape to mine too.

This planner for your Midori notebook or faux dori notebook and the stickers are printable which makes them amazingly affordable! This was my first time attempting to print planner inserts on my own.  It was tricky at first, but Hailey was extremely patient with me and helped me to figure it out.  I wish I would have printed them on a heavier weight paper, but I am still thrilled with how they turned out!

Connect
Connect with Paws.Plan.Create. on Etsy and Facebook

Buy It
Paws.Plan.Create. is generously offering my readers a 10% discount on a minimum purchase of $14. Use the code LIVELIFEREVIEW10 at checkout.

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.

HomeCraftTreasures~ Lacy Shawl {Review and Giveaway} #LLRGiftGuide2015

Are you the type of person who is always cold? Like, need-a-sweater-all-the-time-cold? I admit I have a hard time relating to you because I am just the opposite. (Probably has something to do with menopause. Ugh)

Anyway, my cousin Judy is definitely an always cold person. She carries a sweater with her everywhere. She bundles up big time when she's at my house since I keep the furnace a wee bit low. :) Recently we went to breakfast together and she remarked about the inconvenience of having to carry that bulky sweater with her all the time. I mentioned that she needed a lightweight option, and I was certain I had just the thing for her.

When we got to my house, I gave her a gorgeous, soft lacy shawl that I received in the mail from HomeCraftTreasures. She loved it immediately. Not only is the shawl beautiful, but is also lightweight and still managed to keep her warm. Score!

The delicate shawl doubles as a scarf and is made with Department 71 Dainty Lace mohair yarn. It is bordered with 15 crocheted flowers and edged with Solomon's Knot rows that are tipped with cluster stitches. The combination of chain, single, double, double treble, long double crochet and cluster stitches give this shawl and airy, elegant look.

Maureen and Suzanne, the ladies who own and operate HomeCraftTreasures on Etsy, remarked that their love of knitting and crocheting is what has kept their friendship strong for over 29 years.

If you are looking or a unique gift for any female on your list- especially for the always-cold girls, you are certain to find something special at HomeCraftTreasures.  I know some friends of mine who would love a gift of a scarf made by Maureen or Suzanne. Also, their christening gowns and childrens clothing are simply stunning.  I wish I had a pregnant friend or one with a new baby because the blankets by Home Craft Treasures look so soft!  Personally, I have my eye on this gold glitter shawl. {Hint. Hint.} It looks so luxuriously soft; doesn't it?

Connect
Connect with HomeCraftTreasures on Etsy and Facebook

Gift It
HomeCraftTreasures offers a variety of reasonably priced knitted and crocheted items, such as scarves, shawls, blankets, childrens clothing and so much more.

Win It
HomeCraftTreasures have generously offered one lucky reader a chance to with the gold glitter shawl.  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.