Cool Finds: EmergentGlassworks

Disclaimer: I have not purchased anything from this shop yet. I know I will as soon as I get the extra cash.

I just found this Etsy store and I was so excited I had to share it with you.

Check out this awesome set of glass hairsticks:

They're little Venus Flytraps!

I thought these were adorable- ladybugs!

These glass hairsticks are just so gorgeous! I can't believe how detailed they are. If you get a chance, check out Emergentglassworks on Etsy.

Getting Used to the Haircut/ Cool Find: Non-slip hair ties

You know, it's funny. I started to have difficulty making nautilus buns when my hair was classic. No matter how tightly I wound my hair, it still drooped and looked sloppy. I never realized my hair could get too long for certain updos.

Since I cut my hair back, the nautilus looks like it should. That's kind of exciting. I still miss my old hair, but I know I made the right decision.

I was browsing my local CVS for hair accessories for my girls and I came across Scunci's "No Slip Grip" hair ties. They feel like those black plastic bracelets that were popular in the mid nineties, only they come in better colors.

In fact, they remind me of a much larger version of those teeny silicone hair ties.

Anyhoo, since Sofie just started cheerleading and needs to have her hair in a pony tail, I thought I'd give them a try.

I really do like these. I never wear my hair in a pony tail because the tie would cause breakage and droop halfway through the day. These hair ties work great. Since it's been so warm, I've been wearing my hair up most of the time. My go-to hairstyle these days is a braided pony tail since I can use these ties without breakage and slipping. They really grip without tearing! Plus, they keep my daughter's crazy hair up and out of her way while she's rah, rah, rahing. Of all the "no slip" hair ties I've tried,
 these are the best by far.

Because there are so many "non-slip" products out there, these are the ones I'm talking about:

Cool Find: Squiggly Hair Stick

Kimi over at Grahtoe brought these to my attention and I am completely intrigued.

It's called the "Squiggly" and it's made by an Etsy shop called Lark's Creations.

According to the maker of these interesting hair sticks, these were created out of a need for something to hold up the nautilus bun.

Here's a picture of the Squiggly in action:

Just in case there was any doubt, these are her pictures and are not of my hair.

Doesn't the Squiggly look awesome? I'll bet they hold really well, too.

At $25 it's one of the more affordable wooden hair accessories out there. If I hadn't just paid for two new custom Timberstone Turnings hair stick, I would be purchasing one of these bad boys PRONTO! If nothing else, I'll be bookmarking her shop for next month!

Cool Find: Timberstone Turnings Travel Roll

What a neat idea! If you've ever worried about how to travel safely with your hairsticks, Timberstone Turnings came up with a great idea.

I've seen pouches like that for crayons, but never anything big enough for hairsticks. I might need one of these.

Cool Find: Swashbuckler Hair Swords by Grahtoe

Grahtoe does a lot of "hair swords," but I've never seen any like this!

The amount of time and energy that went into these must have been incredible. These would be awesome for the pirate enthusiast (and I know a few of those.)

Cool Find: Skeleton Cameo Fork by Grahtoe

Check out this AWESOME skeleton cameo fork from Grahtoe Studios:

With Halloween rapidly approaching, this cameo fork is sure to be popular!

I think it's such a cool twist on an old favorite. You'd have to look a little closely to even realize that it is a skeleton. With the beautiful hair style the skeleton sports, I absolutely adore the cameo!

Grab it fast, because this on is sure to fly off the shelves!

Cool Find: Buddha Bunz Dryer Balls

I do a lot of laundry with five people in my house (including one in cloth diapers!) Anything that cuts down on my laundry time is awesome to me.

One thing that drives me nuts about laundry is that the wash is done in half an hour, but the dryer is still going. Drying things slows me down on laundry day. I'm not allowed to line dry clothing here due to housing rules, otherwise I'd be doing that quite a bit.

I've been using Buddha Bunz wool dryer balls for a few months now. It's kind of like adding super yummy smelling tennis balls to your dryer. The wool balls bounce around and help the heat circulate, cutting down on dryer time.

Buddha Balls sells wool balls in myriad different colors and even has balls with pictures on them!

Aren't those cute?

You can have them scented in your choice of fragrance. They have a large range of scents from Monkey Farts (pineapple, orange, banana, apple, rum and coconut) to Lemon Drop, Cupcake and Christmas Splendor ("fresh cut pine boughs of balsam, pine and fir with cinnamon sticks, ground clove and a base note of dried holiday fruits and oak moss.") 


You can also choose to buy the fragrance oils and scent the balls yourself. At a mere $1.25 for a bottle of fragrance, you can drench the balls yourself as much as you care to.

I initially bought three purple dryer balls scented in Pumpkin Spice. The fragrance is amazing and months later, I can still smell the scent on my dryer balls.  The seller did a great job of drenching the balls in the scent and, while I was worried that the fragrance oil might harm my clothes, I've had no issues with that.

Buddha Balls has a "color of the month" feature that allows you to purchase a preselected color for a discounted cost of $7 per ball (unscented- add a dollar for scented). You can also select your own color for $11 for the scented version and $10 for the unscented. You can also opt for undyed balls for $5 for unscented or $6 for scented. This month, the color is a vibrant emerald green.

This time, I purchased two more balls in the color of the month and bought fragrance oils in Pumpkin Spice (smells amazing) and Christmas Splendor. (It's August, I know, but I've been known to melt my Laughing Out Loud tarts in Christmas Tree scent in June.)

If you're looking to eliminate fabric softener but still want to scent your laundry while cutting down on drying time at the same time, check out Buddha Bunz.

Cool Find: Natural Cleaning Products (with Promotion)

I have a confession to make; I'm addicted to Clorox cleaning wipes. They're just so convenient, all pre-moistened and you just yank them right out of the canister. I also really like paper towels, although I'm really trying to quit those.

Anyway, I've recently found an Etsy shop that sells items that may make cleaning wipe and paper towel withdrawal a little easier.

Picnicbasketcrafts sells these neat plastic containers with lemony fresh goodness.  You place the cleaning solution (included) into the container with your washcloths or reusable cleaning towels. Voila! You have cleaning wipes easily at your disposal! The cleaning solution cleans really well, too. It easily tackled my post-dinner clean-up.

The solution consists of lemon juice, soap, alcohol, tea tree oil and lemon essential oil.

Two packs of cleaning solution for all-purpose cleaning (mopping, countertops, etc) and glass surface are sold for $6. They're meant to be diluted in water and put into a spray bottle (reuse!) or the wipe container. I've had success with putting a dab on a cloth, getting the cloth wet, then using it. That's when I'm being lazy, of course.

I also bought some luscious organic reusable "paper" towels. They're so soft and the texture easily takes on counter top crud. They come in packs of six for $9.50 for unbleached organic (shown below) and $7 for the "Fun Mix" (shown in the wipe container.)

I think the nicest thing about this Etsy shop is that a portion of every sale goes to Heart of the Mountains Hospice in Granby, CO. To find out more about Heart of the Mountain, check out their website here.

Anyway, Picnicbasketcrafts is offering a promotion to readers of this blog. If you place an order, you have your selection of free lip balm or a trial size of her new zinc oxide baby balm. Just specify in the "Notes to Seller" what your choice is and that I sent you.

**I wanted to clarify something here, as well. I'm not paid and I don't get a kickback from the stores I "pimp" out. These are items I personally purchase with my money. If they work well or happen to be something I really believe in as a product, I like to share them with you guys. I always ask permission to blog about them first, and they often offer specials for you guys. How cool is that?!**

As a side note, I went shopping today with my reusable produce bags and the baggers were really impressed with them. The checkout clerk and baggers kept asking me where I got the bags from and thought they were totally neat. So, they're grocery store approved!

Cool Find: Reusable Produce Bags

***WHOOPS! I am so sorry. AMKdesigns is **NOT**closed. I put the wrong link and have now corrected it. My apologies!**

I know, I know. TWO posts in one day? The first one was unplanned, so this is the *real* post.

I know this has nothing to do with hair or photography and it's not really a random musing, but I thought it was so cool, I had to share.

Most people I know are doing at least something green. And not everyone I know is "crunchy." Even my conservative, Republican father is eating only organic food.

We try to recycle as much as we can (my husband breaks down the boxes toys come in down to peeling the plastic off the cardboard.) We try to remember to bring our reusable grocery bags. It's not just to be green, those bags hold a lot more than the plastic ones and we get $.05 off. Yeah, I know, big whoop, $.05. It's the little things here, people! We also cloth diaper our youngest because we felt guilty throwing away diapers that just sit in the landfill for hundreds of years. My husband swears it's cheaper, too, but at $20 a diaper, I strongly doubt it.

Anyway, I'm not sanctimonious about it. I understand why people use disposable diapers. I'm not judging those who chose not to recycle or use reusable bags.

A friend of mine uses a phrase that I really like: "conveniently green". Basically, if you use just one cloth diaper once, that's one less diaper in the landfill. Doing little things that don't make life that much harder for you can make a difference. We try to live conveniently green.

Moving along...I loathe those flimsy plastic produce bags with a fiery passion. They're difficult to open and they don't hold large things like bunches of bananas. Try putting leeks in one- I'll bet you can't close that bad boy.

I found a seller on Etsy that makes these mesh reusable produce bags. They're awesome! They come with their own carrying bag. The carrying bag comes in a bunch of different patterns and the mesh bags close with a drawstring ribbon that matches the carrying bag. The bag also has a connector to attach it to your reusable grocery bags or the inside of your purse or your belt loop. Convenient!

 ***Just in!! If you make a purchase from AKMDesigns on Etsy between now and June 30th, mention "Jessica sent me" in the notes and Andrea will send some extra items in your order!!*** 

Open:

Closed:

They close tightly and you don't have to fumble with trying to tie that flimsy plastic. The package comes with six reusable bags and all of them, believe it or not, fold up very small to fit in the carrying bag.

I bought an extra three XL bags for larger items. Those things are so big, I could fit TWO bunches of bananas in them. If you're like me and buy a lot of fresh fruit and vegetables, you'll find these things awesome!

If you want to buy your own awesome set, you can find them at http://www.etsy.com/shop/amkdesigns . Mine came super fast and are very well made.

 ***Just in!! If you make a purchase from AKMDesigns on Etsy between now and June 30th, mention "Jessica sent me" in the notes and Andrea will send some extra items in your order!!***