I need your help...

Hey ladies! I never heard back from my Friday's Feature today, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants! I am looking for some feedback on a couple of upcoming posts I am working on. PLEASE email me your ideas & pictures, or a link to your post, for the following so I can feature you & your idea & send some bloggy traffic your way!
1. Handmade Father's Day Gift Ideas
2. Unique Gifts for Dad
3. Baby Shower Ideas
4. I have 2 spots left for my Baby Shower giveaway coming up in June. If you want to offer a baby product to give away, at least a $30 value, please let me know asap.
5. Kid's Rooms, or nursery decorating ideas.

So, please email me your pics, links, and ideas so I can promote you! Have a great weekend!!
heatherldt @ bellsouth dot net

P.S. Interested in a link exchange? I'm looking for some blogging buddies to swap my "Baby Shower Giveaway" button with till it ends June 12. I'll put your button on my main page for this link exchange, whereas I normally put them on my "Links" page. Let me know! :)

One Lovely Blog Award

Wow! I got an award! Comments have been few & far between lately (unless I'm giving something away of course), so it's nice to know someone out there is still reading! Danetta, over at Things That Make You go YAY!, gave me this award. Thanks Danetta!!!

So here are the rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.


And here are the awesome bloggers that I am passing this wonderful award on to:
1. Pleated Poppy
2. Thirty Hand Made Days
3. Tip Junkie
4. A Blog of Goodies
5. Katy Did and Kid
6. Inspiring Ideas
7. Give Away Today
8. Peanut Butter & Pickle Reviews
9. Barter Boutique
10. Really, Are You Serious?
11. Fabulous Fun Finds
12. Celebrating Home
13. Sweet Cheeky Designs
14. This That and Your Blog
15. So Bella Creations

Grab this button:
<center><a href="http://www.thegiftcloset.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd328/giftlady64/giftclosetbutton.gif" /></a></center>

Win It Wednesday

Welcome to Win It Wednesday! The winner for the Dandelion Ring from last week is #33 Kathy . Congrats!

This week I am giving away 2 sets of bags from Brown Bag Em! 2 winners will get to choose a set of bags. :)

BrownBag'em provides creative, fun and inspirational "messaging on a bag." All of their messages promote a positive attitude to encourage and nurture your child's self esteem, talents and intellectual growth.

Gwenn's Inspiration:

"BrownBag'em, was created in 2007, after an endless search to find inspirational and educational messages on brown paper lunch bags. As parents, we know that loving words are critical for cultivating a happy and fulfilling life for our children, however, with our busy lives juggling careers, kids, and carpools we often forget to stop and let them know just how important they are to us.

The bags were created by chance. At the time, my daughter was experiencing separation anxiety, so I would write her encouraging notes and put them in her lunch bag. One day however, I could not find a piece of paper, so I quickly scratched a note with a cute picture on her brown lunch/snack bag. When she took the bag out at school, some of the children started asking her if they could have it. She came home that day and asked me if I could make the other students one, and that is when I got the idea for BrownBagem. We love what we do and we hope you like it too! We are always creating new designs, so stop by & see!"

Want it? Click here to shop.

Win It! Enter to win....1 set of bags for 2 winners!

1. Leave a comment & be sure you leave a valid email address if it is not on your profile.

2. Contest ends Tuesday 6/2/09 @ midnight.

Did you know you can email this post to a friend by clicking on the small white envelope at the bottom?

The Bachelorette

Any Bachelorette fans here? Well, the 1st time I ever watched it, or was it The Bachelor, I thought, how dumb! A couple of seasons ago I watched The Bachelor because Deanna was on it, and she's from my hometown of Newnan, GA. And sure enough, I was hooked! Then she became the Bachelorette the next season, and I had to watch that as well! How did this happen to me?? LOL......

So last week I watched the Season Premiere of the new Bachelorette w/ Jillian Harris. In the "intro" scene where they were introducing her they had her washing a car...in yellow high heels...and hootchie mama shorts. Seriously, what was that? Do they not realize it's mostly females watching & we really aren't into that? Weird.



So what show are you "accidentally" hooked on?

Shop with Mom-preneurs on my "Your Gift Closet" page by clicking here!

Pregnant?

Are you preggers or do you know someone who is? Well, I'm about 10 weeks along with my 3rd child now & wanted to share some great websites for expecting Moms!

Maternity Style.com
Baby Center.com
Baby Zone.com
PregnancyWeekly.com
What To Expect.com
BabyNameCenter.com
AskDrSears.com


Would you like to be a sponsor of my next Win It Wednesday post? You can have your graphic or button at the bottom of the post...email me for info. Heatherldt @ bellsouth dot net

P.S. Have a safe & fun Memorial Day!

Friday's Feature

My feature today is one of my sponsors, and someone I have enjoyed working with, Tiffany, from Wear The Earth.

Wear The Earth offers Fashion Forward, Eco Friendly Clothing, Handbags, & much more!

I asked Tiffany what inspired her to start Wear The Earth & here is what she had to say:

"My inspiration was the birth of my daughter in 2004. My husband and I had always tried to be eco-conscious, we recycled, brought our own bags to the grocery store, updated old appliances with Energy rated appliances when needed, donated old furniture/clothing etc. Something clicked for me when my daughter was born that made me more aware of what I was going to leave behind and what would be left for her. I left the work force to stay home with her and that was a huge decision I never thought I would be “a stay-home-mom”. It was not in the cards for me. After the first year I needed something for myself and so I started toying with ideas and business opportunities that would allow me to be home with her and still have something for myself. So, 4 years later I decided to form Wear The Earth. For me the website is more than just an ecommerce site. Through our email community we send monthly Eco-tips and a newsletter. In my local community I offer educational seminars on the advantages of sustainable clothing and Organic farming. I guarantee that the clothing you find on our site is Sweatshop free and manufactured with the least impact possible on the environment that is my commitment to my customers."

Want it? Click here to shop. Use the code GIFT10 to receive 10% off your order through June 30!

Would you like to advertise on my Right sidebar & get your product in front of thousands of readers? Please email me at heatherldt @ bellsouth dot net for more info.

Have a great weekend!

Thoughts for Thursday-Summer Fun!

With only 6 days of school left & my daughter's Kindergarten graduation last night, I am already thinking of ways to keep the kids entertained this summer.

Here are 10 things we do in the summer:

1. The pool! They love it, need I say more?
2. The free movies. In our town there is a movie theater that offers free movies each week. Love it!
3. Indoor playgrounds with all the inflatable equipment. Just be careful if you are acting like a kid again on the jump thingies that you don't jam your thumb like I did last year...ouch!
4. The park on a cool morning.
5. Playdates galore.
6. Our local library offers lots of fun programs during the summer. Check out your local library!
7. I plan to go to a Bible Study on Wednesday mornings where the kids can enjoy playing with their friends while I get spiritually fed.
8. Playdates & lunch @ McDonald's, Burger King, Chick-Fil-A...wherever there is an air-conditioned indoor playground! ;)
9.Vacation Bible School. Here in the Bible Belt we have a church every week that does VBS! We won't be doing them all, but there certainly is a lot to choose from!
10. Go to the local zoo, aquarium, or kid's museum.

So, got any big plans this summer?

P.S. Click here to enter to win a gorgeous ring from The Dandelion!

Win It Wednesday

Welcome to Win It Wednesday! The winner of the Oilcloth Apron from Lillybella Boutique is #36 Melissa Barnes. Congrats!

This week I am giving away this ring from Carrie @ The Dandelion.


Carrie makes rings, pendants, necklaces, & more! I won a ring of hers on another blog & it was so cute!

Carrie's inspiration:

"The inspiration to start my business grew out of a love of creative and crafty ventures and a need to pay my bills. :) I love to dream and create, and I stumbled upon Etsy when a friend sent me a link to her shop. It struck me that if she could do it, I could do it too! So, I found an item (glass tile pendants), learned how to create them, learned how to take good photos, and opened up for business. I love it!

I have two shops now. I sell my accessories at http://TheDandelion.etsy.com and I have a shop for my photography at http://OakTreeStudio.etsy.com."



Want it? Click here to shop @ The Dandelion.

Win It!
How to Enter:
1. Leave a comment here, include your email address if it is not on your profile, and be willing to post about your winnings if you are the winner & you have a blog! ;)
2. Contest ends Tuesday 5/26/09 @ midnight.

Tuesday's Tip-Graduation Party !

Thinking of throwing a party for the graduate? I found some great tips over at Parenting Teens. Here are a few:

• Make invitations into little diplomas. Use a calligraphy pen to script the invitation, roll the paper up and tie with a colored ribbon.
• Give each guest a white t-shirt and set out permanent markers so that they can sign each other's shirts. They may not want to have the shirts on when signing if the markers bleed through the shirt on to their clothes.
• Make a time capsule. Have each person bring something that has to do with their years in high school. Place this in a box and give to someone for safe keeping until their ten year reunion.
• Play pin the mustache on the teacher. Blow up a picture from the year book of one of the teachers, your teen will give you an idea of which one.
• Make mustaches out of cut out black construction paper. Place tape on the back of each mustache. Then the game proceeds just like pin the tail on the donkey.
• If it's hot outside, a water balloon toss is always fun, (played just like and egg toss but not as messy). Choose the balloon colors to match the school colors.
• Place the name of a teacher on a sticky label. When a guest comes in, stick it on their back. They have to ask other guests yes or no questions about the teacher and guess who it is by the end of the night.
• Have a memory note station. Set up "note boxes" for each guest, and paper and pens to write notes to each other. The teens can write their memories of the other person down and stick it in their friend's box.
• Food, food, food!!
• Video tape the party! Place the video camera on a tripod and just let it roll.
• Don't try to have too many activities. Teens love to just get together, talk and listen to music.

A big thank you and big {{hugs}} to all my Gift Closet readers! Without you I wouldn't have anyone to write for! Have a great week! :)

Graduation Gift Ideas

I can't believe my daughter has 9 days of school left! Where does the time go? In a couple of weeks I know there will be lots of High School Graduations. My cousin graduated from Texas A&M this past weekend....yay Abby! So, in the spirit of graduation, I wanted to share a few Graduate Gift Ideas! Please feel free to share your own via email to me or comments! :)

I thought this was an unique, inexpensive, hand-made, cute idea! A Mousepad Makeover! Click here to visit The Long Thread for the complete tutorial.



Magnetic Board from Paisley & Co...This would be great for a dorm room...or any room in your home even! I stumbled across this site months ago & have had this site bookmarked. I actually go to it sometimes just to hear the song they have playing on their site! tee-hee-hee


Or why not make some of these yummy Oreo Balls & tie them up in a pretty package for the lucky grad? Yumo! I found the recipe at Bellaziza's Favorite Things.

Click here to enter to win an Oilcloth Apron from Lillybella Boutique!

Friday's Feature

Today's feature is Leslie from Celebrating Home. Celebrating Home offers Home fragrance products, Home Decor, Gourmet Food Mixes, & much more! I asked Leslie what inspired her to start her business and here is what she had to say:

"I became a designer with Celebrating Home just a little less than a year ago. I was looking for a fun way to supplement my income. I love the products and it all just fit for me. It is always a nice excuse to have a girls night and make money at the same time. It is a Christian based company and they really care about their designers and customers. I am blessed to be with this company, and I hope I can devote more time to it soon. Which that is the best thing too, it is on my time, and when I can. No obligation to meet a certain quota or anything. I really like working for Celebrating Home.

There are great specials and promotions for hostesses, and online/catalog parties are available with the same benefits of an in-house party. If anyone is interested in hosting they can visit my blog and comment on any post to request more info. http://ch-leslie.blogspot.com, also to view products and shop they can use the following link: http://www.celebratinghome.com/sites/leslieg/PWPHome.ashx"

Want It? Click here to shop.The first person who e-mails Leslie to place an order will receive $15 off, and the 2nd person will receive $10 off. You can e-mail her at mattles22@ yahoo dot com.

Would you like to be a Friday's Feature on The Gift Closet? Please email me at heatherldt @ bellsouth dot net!

P.S. I will be featuring end-of-year teacher gift & graduation gift ideas this month. Please email me your ideas so I can feature them! Thanks so much ladies! :)

End of Year Teacher Gifts

It's that time of year again! I always forget what a busy month May is w/ Mother's Day, Graduations, End-of Year parties, etc. What a fun month! My daughter has 2 1/2 weeks of school left...can't believe it! So, I've started thinking about what little goodies to get for End-of-Year Teacher Gifts! Here are a few ideas.....

I got this set of 3 trivets from Southern Living, grabbed some cute beverage napkins, will tie it up w/ a pretty ribbon, and here I have 3 teacher gifts...done!



Gift Certificates from the class! You can get in touch w/ the Room Mom, have a letter or email sent out to the parents asking for $5 (if they want to participate), or how much ever they want to donate, and all go in and get a Gift Card to a teacher supply store, Starbucks, Target, a restaurant, etc. Teachers love these!!


If you are looking for an inexpensive, handmade gift, I make these Scrabble Pendants....
It is only $6 for a Pendant, and the necklaces are $6 as well.
Click here to shop or see more of the styles I offer. Email me if you have any questions. The 1st 5 orders will get FREE shipping!! :)

What are you giving your child's Teacher this year?

P.S. Interested in hosting a giveaway on The Gift Closet? Please email me at heatherldt @ bellsouth dot net

Win It Wednesday - Oilcloth Apron from Lillybella Boutique

Welcome to Win It Wednesday! The winner of the bow tie from Gusty's Bow Ties is #5 mverno . Congrats!

Today I am giving away an Oilcloth Apron from Lillybella Boutique!

This Lilybella exclusive Oilcloth Apron is such a cute and practical apron. Oilcloth is a durable vinyl, waterproof and stain proof fabric. It wipes clean with just a damp sponge! It has two oilcloth pockets sewn onto a bleached cotton apron. This apron has endless possibilities for uses!

Planning a garage sale? This apron is perfect for keeping your money close at hand so you will have the freedom to walk around and help all of your customers. It has two large pockets that are perfect for holding all of those extra price tags and markers you need for those last minute items.

Planting a garden? Put all of your seeds, plant markers, or hand tools in either of the two handy pockets.

Know a budding artist? Help keep them organized and let their creativity flow while keeping their art supplies close at hand. The two large pockets are perfect for their pencils, pens, and crayons.

Sewing projects? This crafty apron is just what you need for those scissors, measuring tapes, ribbons, and rulers you are always reaching for.

There are just endless possibilities for this adorable apron. You can choose two coordinating fabrics for the pockets. (Please refer to the Fabric Swatch Category)

A monogram initial is included with this apron.

Karen, from Lillybella, has been a blogging buddy of mine since I started The Gift Closet last year. Here is what inspired her to start Lillybella:

"My name is Karen, the owner and co-designer of Lilybella Boutique. My daughter, Allison and I created Lilybella in 2007, and I have worked with her behind the scenes in the roles of product design and sew contractor. My passion has always been sewing. My mother taught me to sew when I was a young girl and I, in turn, taught my daughter. Our mutual passion is what enabled Lilybella to come about. We have had so much fun designing products that we love, for ourselves, and products for her children, i.e. my precious grandchildren. We have had a never ending source of inspiration from each of them. Unfortunately, my two adorable older grandsons, age 13 and 18, do not create quite as much inspiration for this particular line of products, but I love them just the same!

Allison and I have enjoyed working together and it has been a rewarding experience for both of us. Unfortunately, with three young children, it has become more and more difficult for her to continue on in a full time capacity. Therefore, I have decided to "take the reins" and continue on, as I cannot bring myself to give up this fun and rewarding business. Allison continues on in the role of administrator of the web site. (not my favorite part of the business)

I hope that you will find Lilybella products creative and fun, and that you will enjoy purchasing our products for yourself, your children, grandchildren, and friends."

Want it? Click here to shop @ Lillybella Boutique.

Win It! How to enter to win an Oilcloth Apron from LillyBella Boutique:

1. Simply leave a comment here & be sure to include your email address if it is not in your profile. The winner will be much appreciated for posting my "I Won @ the Gift Closet" button on your blog, if you have one. ~wink~
2. You can earn 5 extra entries for making a purchase from LillyBella Boutique. Come back here and leave an additional comment after placing your order letting me know you did so.
2. Contest ends Tuesday 5/19/09 @ midnight & is open to US residents only.

See you tomorrow for Thoughts for Thursday!


P.S. Check out a great Blog Birthday Party going on over @ MomDot by clicking here...tons of giveaways! :)

Tuesday's Tip - Chore Chart

If you have kids, chances are, at some point, you have used a chore chart. I used to hand-write one for my daughter, and put stickers for the chores she accomplished. I not only put chores, but things such as, "I shared with my brother today." I didn't lose a ticket at school today."

I recently started looking for a dry-erase chore chart I could change the chores at my discretion. I didn't find one I wanted, but I did come across this site: Goal For It.

It is basically a site where you can pick & choose the chores you want on the chart, add your own, then print it out! Love it, had to share!

Stay tuned, I've got a lot of exciting things going on here @ The Gift Closet this month! Lots of fun posts, tips, & giveaways coming your way! :)

Check me out on Facebook by clicking here.....

Sue Berk Designs

I am so excited to introduce you to Sue Berk from Sue Berk Designs today! She contacted me a while back and upon looking at her site I immediately wanted to know where I could buy her products! Well, lucky me, she sent me 2 beautiful things to review and I want to share them with you.

She sent me this blanket & hand-painted cross from her line:



The receiving blanket is made of minky dot and satin fabric. It has the scripture, "Angels watching over me" Psalm 91:11. The blanket measures
approximately 28 inches by 33 inches, and is tied with a pretty white organza ribbon.Blankets are machine washable and dryable.
The White hand-painted ceramic cross is so pretty! It says, "I am wonderfully made.Psalm 139:14", & has a satin ribbon tied on top.

What I like about Sue Berk Designs:
1. I LOVE her prod cuts & the fact that they are faith-based. The Bible verses are so sweet!
2. High-quality and hand-painted...need I say more?
3. The blanket is SO soft!
4. Her products come in a wide variety of colors to suit any nursery.

What I don't like about Sue Berk Designs:
1. It would be nice to be able to purchase her products online, but she has many stores throughout the US that carry her products. You can find a list of stores on her website.
UPDATE: You can buy her products through online stores...visit her site to view those links! :) YAY!

I HIGHLY recommend her products...they make beautiful, precious, sentimental gifts!

Want it? Click here to find out where you can buy Sue Berk Designs!

Follow me on Twitter by clicking here.....

Happy Mother's Day!

Wishing a Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms out there!

Bunny Slippers

I don't know about you, but I don't like cold feet. In the Winter time especially, you will find me running around the house in my slippers. That is why I was excited for the opportunity to review these adorable Bunny Slippers!


BunnySlippers.com offers all things bunny slipper related! In addition to their selection of bunny slippers, they offer a variety of animal slippers, novelty slippers, stuffed animals and other unique gifts.

What I like about my Bunny Slippers:
1. So soft!
2. Super cute & fun. My kids have enjoyed trying to "flop" around in them too!
3. High quality & overstuffed.
4. Non-slip soles.

More cute slippers they offer.....

What I didn't like about my Bunny Slippers:
1. I have very narrow feet, so I had a hard time keeping them on.
2. The price may be out of your budget, but they really are good quality, over-stuffed slippers.


Love these grizzly bear claws!


Want it? Click here to shop @ Bunny Slippers!

What's your favorite slipper?

Snappables

I am proud to introduce you to my newest sponsor, Sheila Rich, from Snappables!

Here you can shop for clothing, headbands, lunch bags, and tote bags with interchangeable snaplets. "Snaplets" are handmade decorated felt pieces with snaps on the back of them, making them one of a kind and letting you mix and match with the rest of your outfit.

The interchangeable snaps are made of 100% wool felt, which lasts longer and is more durable than the regular felt you find in stores.
They're fun too! Kids have as much fun snapping and clicking Snappables on and off as they do wearing them. They also make great gifts.

Onesies, tee-shirts, headbands, tote bags, and lunch bags all come with 2 snaplets. You can purchase them individually as well.

What a unique & fun idea!

Click here to shop at Snappables!

Thoughts for Thursday - Sacrifices of a Mom

Well Happy Mother's Day to me...I'm pregnant! This will be my 3rd (unplanned might I add) child! As I was laying in bed last week (sick & tired), I started thinking about all the sacrifices you make the instant you become a Mom.

The moment you find out you are pregnant, the sacrifices start. If you have ever been sick while pregnant, with a cold or allergies, or any other illness, you learn very quickly you will sacrifice being able to take any and all meds to get you better. I suffered from allergies really bad last week & think this is the longest it has ever taken me to get over it. Simply because I could only take meds that were suitable for a child! LOL.....

And I also was recently informed that I can no longer eat Mexican Cheese Dip while pregnant because it is unpastuerized. Add that to the list of no hot dogs, nitrate filled deli lunch meats, no excess tuna fish, etc. Can't color your hair if it touches the roots, clothes too tight, but not quite ready for maternity clothes, you know the drill! And if you're there right now, I'm with ya! You are not alone! :)

But, as we Moms know, it is all worth it.
When I was pregnant with my 2nd child, I kept going into premature labor. At 20 weeks I was ordered to go on complete bedrest, was on & off meds & shots, and in & out of the hospital, until the little one arrived at 36 weeks, only 1 month early.
When they first put me on bedrest, I had a 3 yr old daughter, and you can imagine how life-changing, and attitude-changing, that was. At the time, I was so upset. So upset that my 3 yr old daughter, who had never been to day care, or away from me hardly at all....was being watched by a different friend almost every day. Don't get me wrong, I am SO thankful & eternally grateful for all the people who cooked for me & helped me with Gracie, and cleaned my house while I was on bedrest for 3 months. But, that was so hard to watch my baby girl walk out the door every day with someone else, while I sat, helpless, on the couch. I think she & I both became a little resentful to this little person growing inside of me, whom we had never even met or laid eyes on. Looking back on those feelings now, I still wouldn't trade this little guy for the world!!!

So, in thinking about all the personal sacrifices we make as Moms, of lack of sleep, eating cold food after everyone else is fed, schedules mandated by little people's needs, and basically putting another person's life above your own in almost every instance, it sure does make me want to call my Mom up and tell her, "Thank You!" And thank you just isn't enough, is it?

As I was laying in bed (sick & tired as I mentioned in the beginning), wrapping up these thoughts, (wishing I could just lay in the bed all day) my 3 yr old son(the one I was on bedrest with), came into the room.

Hayden: "What are you doing?" (I'm not one to just lay around during the day.)
Me: "I don't feel very good right now."
Hayden: (Sad look on face)"Mommy, I thought you were going to take me to McDonald's today."
Me: "I will. Mommy was just resting for a minute."

We have been cooped up in the house for the past couple of days as Mommy tries to function as a sick, tired, preggers Mom, and mommy guilt was setting in. So, I told him I would take him to McDonald's.

So, instead of laying in the bed, like I would love to do, I crawl out and get ready to take this sweet little miracle, and gift from God.....to a day of play @ McDonald's. And so the sacrifices go on....none of which I would trade for the world!

So I just want to wish a Happy Mother's Day, a big thank you, & big {{Hugs}} for all you Moms out there, who sacrifice yourselves each and every day!

Free Photo at Walgreens Today!

On WEDNESDAY, MAY 6^th ONLY: Order the free 8×10 of your choice at Walgreens and it is absolutely free only on that day - Wednesday, May 6 when you order in-store or online.

You can either:

Order your free 8×10 at Photo.Walgreens.com using the code MOTHER at checkout. You can pick-up your photos any day once it is ready, but you have to order it on Wednesday. When you place your order, you will enter the code, then the payment screen will come up (be sure to select “Pay In-Store”). Next you will see that the coupon code deducts the $2.99 to make your total in-store pickup order $0.00. Free is my favorite price! Or, go to Walgreens with your photo on digital media and upload it in the store. You can get your own coupon for a FREE 8 x 10 print online at Walgreens.com. It is also found in this week’s weekly Walgreen’s ad. This is great gift for Mother’s Day or even Father’s Day!

In addition, you can order 25 4×6 prints and get 25 more for FREE. Just use BRIGHT25 as your coupon code when you check out now through Saturday, May 9^th!

Shop with Mom-preneurs by clicking here!

Win It Wednesday

Welcome to the original Win It Wednesday! The winner of the "This Life I Live" Dvd is #42 Gianna . Congrats!

Today I will be giving away an adorable Bow Tie from Gusty's Boutique and Attic!

Aletha makes these little bow ties herself and sent me one to review. So, here it goes!

What I like about Aletha's Bowties:
1. They are super soft!
2. Come in a wide variety of fabrics & colors.
3. The bow ties are adjustable and fits neck sizes up to 20 inches.
4. The one she sent me was 100% silk, very nice!
5. Reasonably priced.

What I didn't like about Aletha's Bow Ties:
1. Honestly, nothing!

What inspired Aletha to start making bow ties?

"I was inspired to make bow ties some years ago when my hubby was fussing about "being strangled" by his long ties. I created an adjustable, pretied (no muss or fuss) bow tie, and he really liked its comfort, and found it easy to put on. Then I got carried away, and started making bow ties for him out of every fabric imaginable: cotton, silk, wool, polyester, blends. I started making them for special occasions (dollars for April 15 tax day), 4th of July, Christmas, Easter, Halloween, St. Urho's Day, St. Patrick's Day, etc. Now I make about 350 styles in classic, novelty, designer, music, ethnic, sports teams, seasonal designs. I list 50 bow ties at any given time in my Etsy Shop including polka dotted, striped, plaids, seasonal, and others. I even make a duct tape bow tie for guys like my hubby for whom duct tape and WD-40 solve all of life's problems. All the bow ties are handmade by me with attention to style and detail. Most styles can be converted to boy's sizes too. Some of my favorites are my lobster, rainbow (for De Colores), dollar bills, chili peppers, and abstract designs. The consistent best sellers seem to be the polka-dotted, plaids, rainbow, and American flag. Neck sizes adjust to 20 inches. Most of my bow ties sell for $11.00 which includes postage paid to US and Canadian addresses. Some folks ask about my shop name: Gustys. It stands for "hot air" as I was a lecturer in a major university for 25 years."

Want it? Click here to shop.

Win it! The lucky winner will receive one bow tie of winner's choice from her Etsy shop, postage paid (US or Canada).

How to Enter:

1. Click here to go to Aletha's etsy shop, come back here, and tell me your favorite bow tie.
2. Be sure you include your email address in your comment if it is not on your profile.
3. Contest ends Tuesday 5/12/09 @ midnight.

Interested in a link exchange? Please email me at heatherldt @ bellsouth dot net!

Tuesday's Tip

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Just wanted to share some great coupon code sites:

currentcodes.com

retailmenot.com

couponheaven.com


Grab this button:
<center><a href="http://www.thegiftcloset.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i528.photobucket.com/albums/dd328/giftlady64/giftclosetbutton.gif" /></a></center>

Celebrating Mother's Day

Happy Monday! Mother's Day is less than 1 week away now & I wanted to share 10 Memorable Ways you can celebrate Mother's Day this year:

1. Create a memory jar. Fill a jar with handwritten memories or pictures that you and Mom can sit and go through together.

2. Interview the children in your family (both young and old) on what special things they love most about their mother. Record the sentiments on video & present to her on Mother's Day.

3. Give her a Mother's Book. A special book where she can record her memories & life history. What a wonderful keepsake that will make for you some day! I gave one to my Dad and he had written very little in it before he passed away. It is now very special to me.

4. Clean house or run errands for your Mom.

5. Take Mom out to lunch, or cook her favorite meal at home, and place fresh flowers on the table.

6. If you have siblings, get together and each of you make handmade cards writing your favoite memories of her in them.

7. Send flowers.

8. Get a picture frame, all her kids can write messages on the frame, and put a favorite picture in it.

9. Simply spend time reflecting on family photo albums & videos with Mom.

10. Don't let Mother's Day go by without telling your Mom how much you love her!

My Mom, my kids, and I a few years ago....
Please share any Mother's Day ideas or traditions you may have!

P.S. If you are here looking for Mamalicious Monday, I will not be doing it anymore. I ran out of sponsors for the giveaways. I also felt bad for the sponsors cuz there were only 11 entries or so each week. So, thanks to all of you who participated & have a blessed day! :)

Did you know you can email this post by clicking on the small white envelope at the bottom of this post?

Friday's Features

If you aren't on board yet w/ Twitter, I recommend it. It still am no pro at it, but have met some great Mom-preneurs already through it!

One of those being Kimberly, with Amelia Bee! Kimberly makes baby blankets in a wide variety of fabrics. She was sweet enough to send one to me to review, so here we go!

What I like about Amelia Bee's Blankets:
1. Soft, fun, colorful fabrics to choose from.
2. You can choose the size blanket you want.
3. My blanket had pink polka dot flannel on one side, and the soft "curly" white faux fur on the other...very soft!
4. Comes in a bag with a nice card about the product inserted in the bag.

What I did not like about Amelia Bee's blankets:
1. The "faux fur" seems like it might tickle a baby, so not sure about sleeping with it, but I can definitely see it as a snuggly! Then again, I could be completely wrong about that one!
2. It seemed to be "shedding" a little, but I think if you wash it before you use it it will be just fine.

Overall, the blankets are handmade by a Mom-prenuer & are just as good of quality as one you would buy in a store! Lots of options to choose from....I would definitely recommend Amelia Bee! :)

I asked Kimberly what inspired her to start Amelia Bee & here is what she had to say:

" I started my business when I decided to be a stay at home mom. I made one blanket for my daughter, Keira, and another for my nephew. When I would bring Keira out in public with her "car seat" blanket people would ask where I got it. I first started by getting business cards and followed that up with a web site. I have always wanted to start my own business and have an outlet for creativity other than being a teacher.
What I enjoy most is when I hear how happy people are with their blankets, or how much joy it has brought a young one.
I have made two blankets for two different babies that are in the hospital for complication during their birth. I think that they needed to have something special that mom picked out just for them. (I like to use my profits for occasions like this as I really am not making much money...I do it because I enjoy it!)
I have also made blankets to bring to showers for older siblings. It seems as though they need a little extra love during the change from being an only child to an older sibling!
One final reason I started the business was because I couldn't find the perfect cozy blanket that didn't have a truck, sports theme, cartoon character, or other silly decoration on it. I wanted just a beautiful, original blanket to give as gifts. I wanted moms, aunties, grandmas, etc to be able to personalize the blanket and make it a one-of-a-kind!

If I don't have what someone is looking for I want them to ask for it. Most likely I can fulfill the order. I am just not able to keep copious amounts of fabric in our house. (my husband would lose his mind!) so I just stuck to about 20 fabrics and put those on the web page. I LOVE doing "special orders". It is a fun challenge for me."

Want it? Click here to shop at Amelia Bee!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I would also like you to meet Jenni, from Pnk Geeni. Jenni creates her own handmade stationary. I've always wanted to do that, it looks like so much fun!

Here is what inspired Jenni to start Pnk Geeni:

"I got addicted to scrap booking, but then we decided to emigrate to New Zealand. So all my scrapping stuff had to get packed up and stored in a container. I kept a small amount of stash to make some cards. And it has grown from there."

Want it? Click here to shop @ Pnk Geeni. As a Gift Closet reader you can enjoy Buy One Get One Free on EVERYTHING with the code, "GIFTONE". YAY!

Shop with other Mom-preneurs on my "Your Gift Closet" page by clicking here!