Welcome, Kansas City Live Viewers!

Good morning and welcome to DirectorJewels.com! If you're visiting for the first time after hearing about us on Kansas City Live this morning, we're so happy you decided to stop by.

If you missed the live spot this morning, you can view it online here!

I hope you'll take a peek around while you're here - we do a lot of fun toddler crafts and some of our favorites are the Pipe Cleaner Sea Anemones, Paper Plate Fish Aquariums, and DIY Bird Feeders. Sharing birthday party ideas is one of my favorite things, too - a few popular ones are from our Octonauts party, Owl first birthday party, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party! I'm also particularly proud of our Super Mario Bros nursery!

Today on KC Live, I was able to feature some lovely Baby Shower Gift ideas that are a little outside the box. Yes, every mom wants a wardrobe of adorable newborn attire for her bundle of joy, but when she's awake at 3am with a teething or crying baby, she'll be grateful you went another route with your gift.

Here are the ideas we talked about this morning, plus a few extras!

Crane Animal Humidifier - there's nothing worse than trying to comfort a child with a stuffy nose in the middle of the night. These adorable designs may bring a smile to a sleepy, achy little one's face.

Mommy’s Bliss - the Sweet Slumber Family is a 3 step system designed to relax little ones for a good night sleep. With a Baby Wash, Massage Cream, and relaxing Sweet Slumber Mist, both mom and baby are much more likely to get the rest they need. Also try new Mommy’s Bliss Baby Probiotic Drops to soothe and regulate the infant’s digestive system with natural probiotic bacteria cultures!

Kid's Relief Homeopathic Products. I always turn to natural and homeopathic methods before resorting to medication for my kids, so I think these options are great. They offer options for allergies, teething, and colic!

Xlear Baby Banana Brush & Kids Spry Tooth Gel is what we use in our house faithfully, since we have dealt with early childhood tooth decay. Both the tooth gel and nasal spray from Xlear feature Xylitol, a natural sweetener that is great for oral health.

Most of the products listed above use some combination of essential oils. We are just discovering Young Living essential oils in our home, and so far we love the results. Feel free to reach out if you want more information on how our family uses these oils for more peaceful sleep, focus issues, and more - or you can check out all that Young Living offers here.

I really love including something handmade with each of my baby shower gifts, as well. I try to make things myself most of the time - and I keep my Etsy shop stocked with the extra items I create!

Thanks again for stopping by my little corner of the blog world! To keep up with me and my family, you can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, or subscribe to my email newsletter. Have a lovely day!

$25 Adelaide's Attic Etsy Shop Gift Card Giveaway - 2 Winners! {Handmade from the Heart}

Just over a year ago, I launched my Etsy shop, Adelaide's Attic by Director Jewels. The past year has been a crazy (awesome) whirlwind and I'm so blessed to have had the opportunity to share my creativity with so many wonderful people. Thank you all for the support! Please keep reading for a chance to win a shop gift card.

In addition to this giveaway, if you want a chance to win some products from my shop, check out the following blogs - they're all hosting Adelaide's Attic gift card giveaways, too!

Moments That Take My Breath Away | A Modern Day Fairytale | Casual Claire 

Mommy's Favorite Things | Mama's Baby Cupcakes | Lemons & Laughs | Words of a SAHM

Happy Valentine’s Day Eve and welcome to the [3rd annual] Handmade from the Heart Giveaway Hop, hosted by Lindsey Blogs and Viva Veltoro!

This Hop has been such a success in the past that we brought it back for round 3 because it seems everyone loves beautiful handmade items! Each blogger in this Event has a handmade giveaway worth at least $25, so be sure to hop around and celebrate Handmade from the Heart! And you definitely do not want to miss the fantastic handmade goodness of the Grand Prize… a $200 Etsy Gift Card!

If you're new to my blog and my shop, you can expect to find a variety of handmade items. The shop has been recently stocked with new designs, and I'll have some Easter items arriving soon, so stay tuned to my shop Facebook page for details on that!

For now, here are some sneak peeks of the things you'll find over at Adelaide's Attic!

Purchase this bow here.

Not currently available in the shop - message me for a custom order!

Purchase this set here.

Purchase this bow here.

Purchase this bow here.

Purchase this bow here.

Not currently available in the shop - message me for a custom order!

Not currently available in the shop - message me for a custom order!

See something you love? Use coupon code HANDMADEHOP2015 for 10% off your purchase now through March 15!

What's one item you would love to see featured in my shop?

Giveaway

Two Director Jewels readers will each win a $25 Gift Card to my shop, Adelaide's Attic. This giveaway will end on February 27 at 11:59pm CST.  This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well.  All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once you finished entering my giveaway, hop on over and enter to win the Grand Prize - a $200 Etsy Gift Card!

Chances are, if you like my shop, you'll love all of the giveaway prizes in this hop - because everything is handmade!





Disclosure: So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro, the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Handmade from the Heart participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

I'm Kind Of Over It

*steps up to the microphone* Is this thing on? 

Newsflash. If your kids ever come up to you and say "mom...I think when I'm grown up, I want to be a multi-tasker!" take the opportunity to sit them down and warn them about exhaustion. Chances are, they won't listen, because they'll be too busy planning their next adventure. But that's beside the point. Make them take a nap while they still can.

I don't even know where the last five days (or two weeks? Was Christmas almost two weeks ago?) have gone. I have been up to my eyeballs in Etsy listings and Twitter parties and planning spring drama classes and wiping snot off of little faces and asking my mom to babysit and staying up until 2am to use Shutterfly rewards that I forgot about until the last.possible.second. Suffice it to say: it's been crazy, and I'm over it.

Right now, being over it only means that I might (maybe) give up and go to bed before midnight one night this week. Or I might just watch a movie with the kids tomorrow, instead of frantically working while they are being mindlessly entertained. Or, imagine this, I might ask my mom to babysit just so I can take a nap. I'm pretty sure I'm functioning on like 20% brain capacity right now and that's more than a little frightening.

Also, I hate whiny blog posts where bloggers sob about "me me me" and "I I I" - which is exactly what I'm doing, so let's just cut it out right now. Everyone has better things to do than read nonsense from me. I have real, actual, engaging content in the works for you. I had planned to write a Christmas recap and figure out what my word for 2015 will be and write a post on that, and oh yeah...I still haven't blogged Addie's birthday party that was two months ago. So, I'm going to give myself some grace, admit that it's okay that this is the first time I've accessed the back end of my blog in over a week and take a few days to get some more loose ends tied up before I come crashing back here. You guys will still be here waiting for me...even if it's another week, right?

So, let's make this NOT about me. What's going on in your life? How's 2015 treating you so far?

PS: Trader Joe's brownie mix is THE BOMB OF AWESOMESAUCE. Even when you're not supposed to be eating sugar OR grains because you're trying to cure tooth decay. No excuse. No regret (at least not much). Pass the brownies.

Adelaide's Attic Hair Accessory Giveaway + Cyber Monday Sale

January 5 will be my one year Etsy shop anniversary! It has been so much fun (and a big learning experience) having my trendy baby headbands and plush toys and other children's items for sale on the internet.

With Christmas coming up VERY soon, I have quite a few holiday designs in the shop! If you have a baby, toddler, or girly girl on your shopping list, please feel free to give the shop a peek! You may find the perfect stocking stuffer. I'm highlighting just a few of my favorite holiday-themed pieces below!

AND, if you shop today, you can save 25% off your entire purchase with code BLACKCYBER2014. It expires tonight (December 1), so hurry and start shopping!

Visit Adelaide's Attic online for more designs and styles! You can also follow along with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram - I'm holding flash giveaways and sales often this holiday season!

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win an Adelaide's Attic hair accessory (and you can pick which one you want, up to $15)! This giveaway will end on December 17 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only. Winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or prize will be forfeited.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: I am sponsoring this prize! For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Currently // October 20, 2014

Doing //
...all the things. Seriously. SO. MANY. THINGS. I have lists coming out of my ears and I'm losing my mind just a little bit. Thankfully, over the weekend I had a couple of kid-free hours and my kitchen table no longer looks quite as bad as that photo above.

...some backyard therapy in an attempt for everyone to play happily while Mom gets some work done. It's been...reasonably successful so far.

...a lot of Etsy shop marketing. I think it may be working - I had four sales last week!


Planning //
...Addie's second birthday party. I've only started the initial planning stages for this, but since it's barely a month away, it seems likely that I should get busy.

Holiday Gift Guide arrivals! Oh, to be a blogger's child.

...the Holiday Gift Guide for the blog! I haven't done a gift guide since 2011, when I was a full-time coupon blogger. So this is fun (and a little overwhelming, since it's been three years)! If you own a business or an Etsy shop or anything like that, read more about how to be included in my guide!

...a mini vacation next month. We loved Silver Dollar City last Christmas and had so much fun exploring Branson as a family this summer that we just can't pass up the opportunity to go again.


Remembering // 
...to use my real camera sometimes. All the photos in this post are blurry because they were taken with my phone. I want to get back to keeping a daily Project Life scrapbook and I know that I will prefer "real" photos for that. I still think phone cameras are great. But expensive cameras are nice, too.

...that having a meal plan is helpful. I've done slightly better this past week at having some sort of intentions as far as dinner and even that has made life a little easier. If I actually cooked every night, wouldn't it be fantastic? Cooking is not my strong suit. There are so many other things I would rather be doing. I can't be the only one who feels like this, right?


Wishing //
...that I were planning a trip to Disney World. Hey, I can dream.

...for more hours in the day. I sort of feel like this is going to be a lifelong desire.

Loving //
...the way Lincoln and Addie actually play together sometimes. It was more than a little crazy having two kids under age two, but they are really starting to be able to entertain themselves and each other with imaginative games and giggling races. Now - just because they can entertain themselves does not mean that they always choose to do so. A lot of time is still spent fussing and whining in our home. Sigh. 

What are you up to this week? Hope you're having a happy Monday! Linking up with Hannah for Currently.

$25 Adelaide's Attic Gift Card Giveaway = Treat Yourself Hop

My Etsy shop of trendy infant headbands and other baby and child boutique items has been open since January of this year, and it's been a lot of fun - and a lot of work - so far! It's been quite awhile since I hosted a shop giveaway here on the blog, so I think it's definitely about time.

And, what's more fun than one giveaway? FIVE GIVEAWAYS. Yeah. Several of the stops in this giveaway hop feature Adelaide's Attic, so don't miss the opportunities to win at Mama Pure, Momma Without A Clue, Wife Mummy Nurse, and Words of a SAHM! Seriously. Go show them some love, okay?

Welcome to the Treat Yourself Giveaway Hop, hosted by the Blogging Mamas Network! In this Hop, you’ll find lots of special treats - for yourself and others in your family - to keep you entering giveaways until it’s time to go out and gather your own! Be sure to hop around to all the giveaways in the Hop Linky below and don’t miss the AMAZING Grand Prize Giveaway - from Step2!

I'm sharing a few photos of the latest items in my shop. Crafting is just ingrained in me... I can't imagine not having a pile of fabric in just about every corner of my house. 

Available in the shop now.

Available in the shop now.

Available in the shop now.

Available in the shop now.

Available in the shop now.

Available in the shop now.

Available in the shop now.

A few of these items have been in the shop for awhile...but some of them are brand new. And there is a whole stack of new products sitting on my kitchen table, just waiting to be added - so please keep checking back over the course of the giveaway as there will be new shop listings to see! I also welcome custom orders, so if have a crafty idea, but need a crafter, send me a message. I'd love to help you out.

If you'd like to make a purchase, please use the coupon code DJBLOGREADER for 10% off - just because I think you're awesome!

Giveaway

One Director Jewels reader will win a $25 Gift Card to my Etsy shop, Adelaide's Attic! This giveaway will end on October 31 at 11:59pm CST. This giveaway is open to US readers only.

To enter the giveaway, follow the instructions in the Rafflecopter form below (you may need Javascript enabled to see the form and it may take a moment to load)! Once you complete the first entry, the other options will open up so that you can complete them as well. All of the "extra entries" are optional - you can do just one, or as many as you want! Winners will be contacted by email and have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Once you have finished entering my giveaway, hop on over and enter the grand prize and all of the other fantastic giveaways, too!

So Easy Being Green, Viva Veltoro the Blogging Mamas Network, and the Treat Yourself participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations. All opinions expressed are my own. For more information, you can read my Giveaway Policy and my Disclosure Policy.

Currently // October 12, 2014

 Thinking // 

 ....that I say yes far too often, and seek out more responsibilities than I ought. It's hard, having an entrepreneurial spirit while also being a stay-at-home mama. I dream of great achievements, but keep trying to remind myself that caring for the hearts of my children is by far the most important thing on my ever-growing to-do list.

...about Christmas and birthdays, both right around the corner. I hate the "stuff" mentality that seems to come along with these events and want to address that this year. I don't want my kids to expect a boat load of gifts. They already have far more things than they need.

Making //

....lists and lists about my upcoming Holiday Gift Guide. More info about that here.

...poor use of my time. The past few nights, I have not gotten much sleep, and it is so difficult for my to focus when I feel like I am in a haze.

 ...new shabby headbands for the Etsy shop (preview here). Hopefully will be listing this in the next few days! 

...progress (slowly) on the disaster state of my house. I'm tired of feeling overwhelmed by all the clutter, and I would never invite anyone over to see this mess, so it needs to be a higher priority, I guess.

Wearing //

...nothing fashionable, aside from my amazing Charlotte's Web tee. Sorry to disappoint. There is not really money in the budget for purchasing new clothing right now, but I am reaching the point of desperately needing new jeans because every pair I have is too big - I wear them once and they are stretched to the point of falling off. This sounds like a good problem to have, but I'm a jeans snob so I don't know when I'll be getting new ones.

...thankfully, I am not wearing snot all over my body and clothing. After about a month of illness, I think we are all finally relatively healthy with no more hacking coughs or atrocious sneezes. 

Anticipating //

...Addie's birthday party, just over a month from now. Putting aside the nonsense that she's turning TWO YEARS OLD, it's going to be so much fun. I'm starting to think about party crafts and DIYs and birthday outfits and balloons and I love every bit of party planning, so I'm excited.

...a possible trip to Branson in November. We went to Silver Dollar City's Old Time Christmas festival last year and really hoped to make it a yearly family tradition. I'm not sure if we can make it work this year or not, but I really hope that we can.

 Thankful for //

...small mercies and God's promises. This year...let's just say it's held few unexpected things for us, and a lot of days lately are moment to moment around here. I'm grateful for children who are quick to forgive a frustrated mommy. I'm thankful for grandparents who are willing to take energetic little people off my hands for a few hours at a time.

...this blog and other freelance work. Maintaining it requires a lot of dedication and self-discipline (not something I'm great at, but I am trying), but I have reached a place where writing is actually helping our family's income substantially. That's a good feeling.

...all of you. Because, without you, none of the paragraph above this would be true.

Linking up with Hannah this week for Currently.

Currently // October 6, 2014

Happy Monday, friends! I'm trying to have an intentional/productive day over here, but I woke up to a child jumping on my face and then headbutting me...so I didn't get off to the best start. I'd probably feel a little more motivated if the cold/cough/ick I've had for three straight weeks now would just clear up and die, too.

However, I'm also trying to minimize whining and complaining because they are not exactly preferred or attractive tendencies in anyone - so let's get on with the day, shall we?

 Thinking //

...that I need a much better daily routine. Or, a routine at all. I just don't know how to establish this when my kids are up five times a night. Being exhausted all the time does not bode well for productivity, and just the thought of getting up even earlier makes my head hurt.

...that I'd love to be a vendor at a craft show, but I can barely get my Etsy shop stocked with new items more often than a few times a year. Putting together enough stuff for a show sounds like crazy talk.

...that I need to purge some STUFF. My.house.is.a.mess. And by mess I mean complete-and-utter-ridiculous-disaster-of-things-piled-everywhere. I'm past the point of "I can't deal with it anymore" to "I don't want to deal with it anymore," which means now I might actually do something about it. Great logic, right?

Listening //


...to Lincoln eating crunchy cereal while watching the new Octonauts movie I found at the library. Yep - my kids watch TV so I can blog. Addie is still asleep, after having been up several times in the night.

...to the beautiful sound of my dryer running in the basement. It's fixed after about three weeks of downtime. Hallelujah! And it only cost $32 for a part, vs. buying an entire new dryer.

Doing //

...a LOT of blog work today, I hope. I have a full week of posts lined up, plus need to do some prep for kid craft ideas floating around in my head, and start working on my Holiday Gift Guide (email  me if you want to be featured - directorjewelsATgmailDOTcom).

...preschool this week, after an unexpected couple of weeks off. Between living at my parents' house for three days due to curb reconstruction and all of us being sick and the mega piles of laundry in every crevice, I have not been motivated to make school happen. Going to get back on track this week.

...massive housework and organization. Somewhere in my head, I'm believing that it has to look worse before it can look better, but this is what a good room in my house looks like right now:

Thankful for //

...my now-working dryer and husband who spent all of his free time for the last week dealing with it. The poor contraption is going to run literally all day today.

...crisp, fall air and thunderstorms. I'm way beyond tired of heat and mugginess.

What's up with you? What are your goals for the week? Linking up at Hannah's Joyful Life.