Meet Nathan! (+ a Giveaway too!)

So, if you haven't ":met" him yet, I'd like to introduce you to Nathan from Life & Everything Else In Between! Yeah, you heard that right. We're talking male lifestyle blogger here, you thought they (men) only blogged about finance and computers, didn't you? Well, Nathan talks about his wife and their baby girl very frequently! I don't know about you, but to me, that's a lot more fun than finance (not that there's anything wrong with that). (Oh, and I realize that last statement just sounded super sexist, but contrary to your current opinion, I don't live under a rock and I realize not only men work in/enjoy finance; I just like to have a little fun, OK? OK.) Now that we have that settled...

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Hi everyone, my name is Nathan and I blog over at Life & Everything Else In Between  I'm honored and very excited to have the opportunity to share some things about me, my blog, and an awesome giveaway with you today. Life & Everything Else In Between or leeib is a place where I'm able to share my life and all of the thoughts that I have in between. When I first started leeib in 2011, it was just simply a story. Late last year, I decided that I wanted to make it more than just that. As a person, I've always been the type to help others and my community. In fact, the name Nathan is derived from the Hebrew verb נתן meaning "to give". The meaning of the name in Jewish culture can be rendered "he has given" or "he will give" and how fitting that is because it totally fits my style of life. As my blog grew I decided that I wanted to incorporate helping others and the community directly into it. I created the In The Community  program where I work to raise money for charitable organizations and give back to the community. So far, the ITC program has been quite successful and I couldn't be happier!

Outside my corner of the internet, I'm married to my best friend, Erin and we have an eight month old daughter, Lily and a Labrador retriever, Chloe. We live our lives to the fullest and do our best to help others. We both work in higher education and love our jobs! In fact, we're lucky enough to work for the same institution! Our daughter is a sweet heart, she brings a great deal of joy and happiness to our lives and when you add in our yellow lab there's nothing more rewarding. Our family is what matters most!

Feel free to stop by http://leeib.com and follow along! If you're interested in the leeib ITC program go to http://leeibcommunity.com

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I told you there was a giveaway, didn't I? Right, I did. Take a look at that fantastic prizes Nathan is giving away:

+$25 Amazon Gift Card

+a leeib prize pack,which includes magnets, a pen, and a leeib coffee mug ($35 value)

+3 months of ad space (200x125) at leeib.com ($12 value) 

+total giveaway value is $72

open to US/CAN

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I'm at Wifessionals today!

I'm not here today! : ) I'm at Wifessionals talking about natural alternatives for *gasp* cooking! Don't worry, don't worry...even though I'm a terrible cook, I still know what I'm talking about when it comes to eliminating chemicals and other terribleness from your food. Just trust me! Go check it out here!

And don't shed too many tears. I'll be back soon enough with a post just for YOU (oh, and I still haven't found my camera charger--all of a sudden I'm a wannabee photographer over here, just because I couldn't take a picture if I wanted to, and now I do, obviously). I guess you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone (cue that song)

K BYE, G2G, TTYL, LYL, LOL, ROFL... 

Oh wait, we're not on AIM chat and it's not 6th grade? Woops, my B. 

Guest Post: Carly's DIY Cosmetics

So today we're going to learn how to make some DIY cosmetics. Are you excited? Because I am.  I kind of very much like to do that. Like the time I made my own salt scrub. 

Here's Carly with three awesome DIY cosmetic tutorials. 

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DIY Cosmetics You Will Never Buy Again

Here's a fun fact for all you fashionistas out there: the average woman will spend over $13,000 on makeup in her lifetime. That's over $180 each year - and isn't that money better spent on something useful, like shoes?

Fortunately, you can make many beauty products at home using only items you have in your kitchen. Add a couple of specialty products you can easily snag at a natural foods store or online, and you'll be whipping up your own beauty remedies for far less money in no time. Here are a few easy recipes you can make today:

1. Easy DIY Makeup Removal Wipes. Have you seen how expensive makeup remover is? On the other hand, have you ever tried to take off waterproof mascara without it? They're a necessary evil, like Spanx. Make your own simply and easily by grabbing a plastic container, a roll of paper towels, a pair of scissors and some common kitchen ingredients. First, cut the roll of paper towels in half (you want to wind up with a short-looking roll of paper towels, not a tall, skinny horseshoe shape). Pop them in the plastic container, then dump 4 cups of distilled water, 2 tsp. of coconut oil and a squirt of two of your favorite face wash on top. Seal the container and use when you want to go au naturale.

2. Oil for Everything. Wondering how to improve your beauty regimen quickly and easily? Chances are, there's an oil for that! Vegetable oil and coconut oil make amazing - and simple - hair conditioners. Simply apply some to the ends of your hair after your shower and go! For a leave-in conditioner, apply your oil of choice to your scalp and massage. Comb through your locks and let it sit for a couple hours (just enough time for a mini-marathon of your favorite TV show!), then rinse.

Another excellent oil is tea tree oil - in fact, no beauty routine should be complete without it! Use a drop or two in your usual shampoo to clarify your hair and get rid of dandruff. Rub a drop onto any skin blemishes and watch them disappear like magic!

3. Fresh-Faced Scrub. Yogurt and honey are two amazing foods that you can use on your skin to feel fresh and look great. If you're battling a breakout, try crushing up a few uncoated aspirin, then add 2 tablespoons each of honey and yogurt. Apply to your skin, let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse off. Combat dry skin by mixing a couple of tab\lespoons of cooked oatmeal with a tablespoon each of yogurt and honey. Let it cool a bit, though applying it to your face warm is heavenly.

Making beauty products at home is incredibly simple and can save you tons of money. Why not use things you already have around the home to create your own unique beauty blends? You can customize your favorite recipes to make something personalized for your particular needs - what big beauty company can promise that?

About the Author

Carly Lance is a blog coordinator for Personal Bankruptcy Canada, a company that helps “good people with bad debt. Frugal may be her middle name, but Carly does it with class – which is why she loves to write about saving money, to help others learn from her cheap (but classy!) ways.

Felt Flower Tutorial + GIVEAWAY!! (3 WINNERS!)

So guys, I NEED to introduce you to this lovely lady, Jodi. She owns a shop called Mia and Mackie in the Mirror. She makes lovely hair clips and flower headbands perfect for newborns and little girls! She also has ADORABLE Baby Cakes Gift Baskets  for new little boys too! She also raises money for the Danny Did Foundation by selling these precious bottle cap necklaces made by her daughters and nieces. Read more about it here. 

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Hi, my name is Jodi and I am a wife to a handsome and hard working husband Matthew, a mother to two very intelligent little girls, both with very strong personalities, Mia (6) and Makenna (3) and an artist. I create unique, one-of-a-kind hair candy for all ages, hand painted furniture,  and a lot of other fun personalized gifts.

While growing up I was always drawn to arts and crafts. I was surrounded by artists, from my mother, to my grandfather, brothers and cousins, everyone had their own niche in the art world.  To this day my cousins are still heavy involved in the art community, my mother is still a brilliant painter and poet, and my grandfather's sculptures carry his legacy.

After I had my first little girl Mia, in December of 2005,  I found that all the headbands I put on her head would leave indentations on her fragile skin and all the clips were too heavy for her fine hair. I started by dissecting store bought bows and attaching them to soft cotton headbands, and soon after I bought my own ribbon and fabric and got to work.  And thus, my company was born but still unnamed, until one day I was brainstorming with my mom, and baby Mia crawled over to her mirror and started to kiss herself as she so often did, it was a no brainer, Mia in the Mirror it was!.

Shortly before Mia was eight months old, I met with a hip baby boutique in one of the trendiest areas of Chicago, and was pleasantly surprised when they placed an order and put my products up for sale in their store.  And it didn't stop there, I went to a few boutiques around the North Suburbs where I'm from and they too took orders and put my products in their store as well. Since then I have done dozens of art shows, charity events and had my products selling in boutique's and hair salons across the Chicagoland area.

In 2009 baby Makenna graced us with her presence and of course she needed to be added to the name of my company, Mia and Mackie in the Mirror. I love having two girls to dress up, and for the time being, they love it too.

My company is not just a business, it is a passion. I put great effort into each piece I create, it takes time to make things just right. My motto is that every princess deserves to be the fairest of all, therefore every piece I create should be fit for a princess.

Materials Needed

*Felt

*Scissors

*Something Circular to trace (cup, vase, or in this case the cardboard used to protect the icing in a cinnamon roll package...yumm!)

*glue gun/ glue stick

*around 4.5 inches of 3/8 inch grosgrain ribbon

*alligator clip (any beauty supply store will have them and if you buy a big box you will save yourself $)

STEP ONE: Start by folding your felt so that you can fit your circle three times across. You want six circles when you are done cutting. **Trick, if you press down hard enough with your circle you will get an indentation that you can easily trace your scissors with, no need to draw on your felt! 

STEP TWO : Cut your circles, you will need five for your petals and one to use as a base.  

STEP THREE: Take one circle and fold it in half 

STEP FOUR:  Fold the circle in half again, but before you do put a dab of glue down

It should turn out something like this, I think it looks like a fortune cookie...yumm! 

STEP FIVE: Do this with five of your cut out circles, remembering to leave one just the way it is.

STEP SIX: Put a dab of glue in the middle of your "left alone" circle and place one of your fortune cookies down like so

STEP SEVEN: Continue to do it with three more fortune cookies. It should look something like this.

STEP EIGHT: Put one more dab of glue in the middle and place your last fortune cookie on top.

And Voila -- you are done with your flower!

Now to line that alligator clip!

Cut your ribbon around 4.5 inches, it should be good, I am going to let you all in on a little secret --- I never measure anything, Yep that's right, I craft without measuring!

I always slide my ribbon in place before I glue, like so. Once it is all lined up place a small line of glue on the ribbon that is in between the prongs of the clip.

Bring up the ribbon around the glue and press for a few seconds.

Finish gluing the ribbon down along the rest of the clip

Add a little glue the  top portion of the clip, place your flower down and you have yourself an easy DIY felt flower hair pretty!

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It's time to give this beautiful headband/clip set away along with two other prizes: a $15 shop credit and a 50% off voucher for any (one) item!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Guest Post: Lisa from Artistic Homeowner

Hey friends. So today I have a little treat for you. A guest post from Lisa at Artistic Homeowner. Her website has awesome wall murals that I seriously can't stop looking at.

I'm so into this mosaic wallpaper:

There are also tons of wall murals that would look fab in a nursery. Not to mention a little more unique and fun than a simple color scheme. You might as well make a kid's room fun while you can, right?? No, I am right. We have murals up in C-Man's room. Maybe I'll post some pictures one day, if it's aight with him.

Also, in honor of Shark Week, I'd like to point this one out.

Alright enough from me already, here's some more info from Lisa!

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Nursery Room Murals 

Expectant parents are always looking for new and exciting ways to decorate the nursery. Nursery room murals provide a simple all in one solution to creating a great look for baby's room.

Murals can soothe your littlest family member by creating a relaxing and familiar atmosphere in a place that they will spend a lot of time in.

Knowing if you're going to be having a little boy or a little girl before their arrival can make decorating the nursery a little easier by going with classic boy or girl colors. And some parents even name their little ones before they're even born.

Using classic pink or blue with a focal point around baby's name in a beautiful font is a great way to incorporate a nursery room mural. A little girl can be welcomed into her layette with a fabulous pink fairy princess mural customized with her name. Or the new little boy have the same with a blue race car or zoo themed print.

Going for less traditional colors is also popular with new parents today and opens up the design possibles of using a mural as well.

A neutral room can get a nice pop of color with the reds, blacks and white patterns that are so appealing and stimulating to a newborn baby, for example.

Or if the room is green, picture a tropical rainforest mural to make the little one feel that he is nestled in a lush green forest complete with animal friends.

And the murals don't have to be limited to the four walls of the nursery. Remember that babies spend a lot of time sleeping safely on their backs, and this is often how they wake up. Transform the ceiling into a starry night scene
or a bright sunny sky. This is sure to relax and intrigue the curious little baby who spends so much time looking up!

Finding just the right image for the nursery is your number one concern. And if you have a good camera and a steady hand you can even take the picture yourself. Give your baby the gift of a completely customized wall art piece by
creating a custom mural from one of your own digital photos.

For best results, always use the largest uncompressed photo file you have. You can email your image to the printing company using regular email. If the photo file is too large for regular email, no worries! Simply use a free online service like YouSendit or Sendthisfile.

You want everything about your newborn's nursery to be picture perfect. With a nursery room mural, baby is happy and Mommy and Daddy get to show off their great taste too!

Shop online today for nursery room wall murals at ArtisticHomeowner.com.

Lisa Herbik is the author of this guest blog post and thanks Amy for letting her share about her passion for decorating kids rooms with wall murals!

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You diggin' those murals yet? I totally am. I am super in love with the idea of creating one from your own photo. Ummm....COOL. Couldn't you picture a really beautiful photo on one bathroom wall? 

Well I'll see y'all tomorrow. (p.s. I never, ever say y'all. I live in New England, that's just wrong). 

Guest Post: Ellen from This Hive

Hey Guys! Today I have a super awesome treat for you. Ellen from This Hive is gracing us with a guest post! She is one of my fave blogger ladies. She's hilarious and seems to always be doing something more fun than me. And for all you dog lovers, she has a puggle puppy. Enough said.

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hi new friends!

my name is Ellen and i have a little blog over at This Hive. i dont blog about anything of real importance - no cute babies to coo over, and no domestic tips of any kind. my blog is about the small, wonderful things that make my life happier... like my puggle puppy named Sunny or my boyfriend Brian. come on over to my corner of the blog world and check out all the fun we are having! 

even though im not a momma, i was immediately drawn to amy's blog because of how genuine, real, & hilarious she is! i love reading blogs about all you moms and your adorable babies because stay at home moms are kind of my favorite people on the planet. wanna know why? you guys freakin' kick butt, THAT'S WHY. especially in the grocery store. you ladies know where everything is in that damn store. its truly a privilege to watch you briskly and efficiently move your grocery cart through the aisles while soothing a crying infant with one hand, and preventing another child from adding a few more unnecessary items to your already filled-to-the-brim collection of food. it's an even BIGGER privilege to be behind one of you ladies at checkout. your credit card, ID, and coupons are already in hand and the moment the last item is bagged, you guys are OUT the door as if you weren't even there. 

you know who it suuuuucks to share your grocery shopping time with?! people my age. the college students/post grads. anyone my age who walks through the doors of a grocery store act as if they are in some kind of fog (aka hungover/still drunk/functioning on no sleep). no one is in a hurry and no one has a clue what they are doing. they fill the aisles at my local trader joes, staring into oblivion at the chip selection, completely oblivious to my "..oh um, hi, excuse me..." or "can i just squeeze by ya...." pleads of mercy. even though they are only in there to buy like 3 items, it still takes fooooorever at checkout. everyone has to dig around to find their wallet and try and remember which card still has some money left on it to use. everyone also has to argue with the checker-outter..."im 21, I swear! I just lost my wallet so my ID is in the mail." yeah yeah yeah hurry along buddy....

you SAHM's are expert grocery shoppers, & also happen to be raising actual human lives, so, way to go. im proud of you. and will also be calling you when the time comes for you to pass along the SAHM torch to myself (not for a VERY VERY VERY long time). all these poop stories are EXCELLENT birth control. :)

XOXOXO

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Hope you guys enjoyed getting to know her! And if you haven't already, GO CHECK HER OUT. 

Make sure to come back tomorrow because I'm joining in on Friday's Letters! Woo! 

Guest Post: Amanda from Flightless Bird Design

Hi friends! I'd love to introduce you to Amanda, the owner of  Flightless Bird Design on Etsy.

I am in love with so many items from her shop. Here are just a few of them:

I seriously love this print and Amanda was sweet enough to send it to me! I can't wait to find the perfect place for it!

Don't worry, I won't make you wait to hear from her any longer. Friends, meet Amanda:

I feel like I’ve never been that artsy or creative in my life, but all of a sudden I wanted to be that person terribly. So one day, I found myself sitting at my kitchen table starting to draw. Mind you, the first dozen drawings were not exactly what I wanted and eventually got better in time. After I got the creative juices flowing a bit, I started to expand my mind into other creative outlets. I have found that I do like to work with my hands and produce things that make me happy but will also bring happiness and joy to others. I first started making things because I found it to be quite enjoyable and relaxing. But then I found myself with an abundance of items that I had no idea what to do with! Then ta-da! I found Etsy, and that is how my shop was created. 

My shop is really just a collection of little things that I like. In each piece I make, I like to think that it reflects different parts of my personality. Some of my favorite things in my shop are my drawings. I truly love the prints that I make available to everyone. Each one tells its own story to the person looking at it. It may mean one thing to one person, but could mean something completely different to another. It gives people a chance to kind of make it their own in a way. I have always been a fan of drawings or music that could have multiple meanings to mass amounts of people. It just makes it all the more powerful. 

I really do think that everyone is capable of being that person they always aspire to be. It is hard work and sometimes not that easy to get to, but is completely worth it in the end. 

I once read this quote, and sometimes can’t remember it at times that I truly need it, but every time I do see it, it is inspiring all over again. It reads, “Don’t dream your life, Live your dreams”. 

Go check out her shop, it's lovely! And follow her on Twitter!

Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday. We had an interesting day yesterday. Stay tuned.