Nourish Organics Feature, Review + Giveaway! {CLOSED}

I'm beyond thrilled to start off the week by introducing you to Nourish Organics. Their products are for anybody looking for gentle skincare for themselves or little ones.

Where are you located + are you from there originally? 

We are located in Franklin, TN. Raechel grew up in Michigan and Olivia grew up in Illinois.

How did you come up with your shop name? 

Our shop was actually started by our friend Melissa when her first son Bishop was born. He had terrible eczema and food allergies and nothing she tried was working for him. With a background as an esthetician and a passion for her little guy, Melissa started learning everything she could about what might help him. And as she worked to Nourish her baby, Nourish Organics was born. 

We were actually talking with one of our Whole Foods buyers this week (who also happens to be a huge fan of the coconut wash) and she said, "You know any skin care line created by a mother for her children is going to be amazing! No one is pickier that a mama."

How long have you had your shop? 

We've been the Nourish Mamas for about a month now, (November 13th is our 1-month anniversary!) but Nourish has been around for almost three years. When we heard that Nourish's creator was closing up shop in favor of a slower pace, we knew we didn't want to see it disappear! We adopted Nourish in October and are absolutely loving it!

{photo: claire wise photography}

What inspires you?

 We love hearing from customers when something we're making is really helping them. A lot of people come to us because they or their kids suffer from dry skin or really bad eczema. Our Organic Coconut Balm is made from infusing calming and healing herbs with coconut oil. It's free from even essential oils so that it can be safe for the most sensitive skin. It is so exciting to get emails from people thanking us for making something gentle and effective enough to really make a difference. We got an email last week from a customer asking us if we could make her an 8oz tub because she was cruising so quickly through her little 2oz jar. :)

What is your favorite item in your shop? 

Raechel: I am a self-admitted lavender oil junkie. I use in my & my kids' baths every time (and did for over a year before Nourish was ever even a twinkle in my business-y eye!). I even use the oil in place of lotion after a shower and for shaving. Divine stuff!

Olivia: I honestly am head over heels for the entire line. I cannot leave the house without putting balm on my extremely dry hands or I go crazy. And the washes... so delicious. If I had to choose an absolute favorite, the Bath Teas combined with a capful of Lavender Oil would win hands down. There is no better way to wind down after a long day or run than a bath filled with soothing, therapeutic, organic products.

Do you have any other jobs or hobbies? 

Raechel: I'm a full-time mama to Oliver (5) and Hazel (20 mos.) and I also keep pretty busy creating sewing tutorials and sharing bits of my family life on my blog (Finding My Feet), and as a brand ambassador for Brother International. I also do a bit of photography on the side, mostly just for fun.

Olivia: I have a teaching degree and am currently working as a teacher's aid at a local elementary school by day. By night I nourish the world and then snuggles up to my Weimaraner Kona and husband Zac. 

We're both avid runners, too! We are running the St. Jude 1/2 marathon in December (less than three weeks away!) with team Team Finding My Feet and, in case anyone is wondering, Olivia is definitely the faster one! 

Share an interesting fact about yourself. 

Raechel: I can't go to bed at night without first eating 3 red Twizzlers and drinking a big glass of crushed ice water. I know it's quirky, and my husband thinks I'll eventually outgrow it. But, I've been doing it for about twelve years now, so I'm going to go ahead and call it an old habit. :)

Olivia: I can do the so-called "impossible" and lick my elbow. Not sure I am proud of this, but it always provides my interesting fact. I am now curious to know how many of you just tried it... :)

What do you hope your future holds? 

Raechel: A whole lot of glory to the Father, tons of sweet time with my littles, and a bright future for this company we are pouring our hearts into!

Olivia: As a kinda-sorta newlywed, I am excited to start a family and raise them in a Godly home, teach our future generation, and continue to have a flourishing company!

______ __ ______ ______ __ ______ ________ __ ______ 

Shandell's Review

A couple of weeks ago the mama's of Nourish sent over a jar of the Organic Coconut Balm. I was so excited to finally try one of their products and it did not disappoint. Unlike other "balms" I've tried it is soft and smooth. It comes out of the jar easily and doesn't feel greasy, but gets the job done. The best part is it's heavenly coconut scent. Even my husband (who isn't a fan of coconut) thinks it smells nice. I've found myself using it just for the fresh smell.

I used it on my hands and elbows. My hands are VERY dry from constantly washing + sanitizing them while caring for a toddler and a newborn, and it got worse when they had colds! The coconut balm took the sting out of my dry and cracking skin and made my hands smooth again.

It is also gentle enough to use on my sweet newborn baby Desmond. He had some ashy skin on his little feet that was smooth and soft again after just one use! A little goes a long way.

{sweet feet}

A little more about the coconut balm: This handcrafted Organic Coconut Balm is so incredibly effective in moisturizing and soothing irritated skin. Organic plantain leaves & chickweed are infused with organic virgin cold pressed coconut oil and added to organic beeswax and organic shea butter. A touch of GMO-free vitamin e is also added to naturally preserve and moisturize. Coconut oil serves as a protective layer, helping to retain the skin's moisture. Plantain leaves help to stop the itching of eczema, allergic rashes and even poison ivy. Chickweed is an herb that is incredibly healing by reducing inflammation and aiding in tissue repair. This is our gentlest balm. It doesn't contain any essential oil, so it is safe enough to use on a newborn baby, yet effective enough to sooth the most uncomfortable eczema.

______ __ ______ ______ __ ______ ________ __ ______ 

GIVEAWAY!

Raechel and Olivia are offering one reader of Breaking New Ground their very own jar of Nourish Coconut or Lavender Balm. 

Mandatory Entry:

Visit Nourish Organics, then come back here and leave a comment telling me what product other than the balms you'd choose to try.

Additional Entries:

~ Follow Nourish Organics on twitter. Leave your twitter ID in your comment.

~Tweet about this giveaway with a link to this specific page. Leave a link to your tweet in your comment.

~Like Nourish Organics on Facebook. Leave your Facebook name in your comment.


That's four chances to win!

Giveaway ends at 11pm PST on Thursday November 17th, 2011. Winner will be announced here on Friday November 18th, 2011. 















Winner will be selected at random via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond in order to claim the prize or it will be awarded to an alternate. Please leave an email address in your comment if it is not attached to your blogger profile. If I cannot contact you, an alternate will be chosen. 

Open to U.S. residents only. All comments will be verified. Comments subject to removal without notification based on their relevance to contest. All entries will be verified. So, please be sure to follow instructions carefully. 

Questions? As always click on the "email me" button to send me a message. Please do not leave a comment here that isn't intended to be an entry into the giveaway. 

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. All opinions are my own. Click for additional disclosures and PR policies.

sing-song

Over the past week or so Malakai has developed my most favorite habit of his, singing. He takes on a sing song tone and just goes through words he knows and some that we aren't sure about quite yet. Sometimes it's to the tune of Old MacDonald or the alphabet, sometimes it's a tune all his own.

Here he is at lunch today, singing his version of the alphabet as he points at the letters on his plate. I love this stage...

Hot Mama Handbags Feature, Review, + Giveaway! {CLOSED}

It has been a while since I've featured a shop around here. I purposefully took a break to slow things down around here and around home for a bit. I've got some fun giveaways coming up just in time for the holidays. If you'd like me to feature your goods contact me!

I have adored Maranda's creations for quite a while now. She makes fashionable + functional purses, totes, clutches + more that are offered in her shop Hot Mama Handbags. She knows just how important multiple pockets are for mama's to keep sippy cups separate from pocket books. Her bags are beautiful and aren't just for mama's looking for a great diaper bag. I've been searching for that perfect bag where size + practicality meet style. It's harder than you'd think. 

If I could get any bag it would be the Medium Morning Glory Bag. Gorgeous! Here is a little bit more about Maranda, her family and Hot Mama Handbags.

Where are you located + are you from there originally?  A Montana native by way of California, I share a quiet rural setting with my high school sweetheart hubby, our two boys and our menagerie of horses, dogs and cats.

How did you come up with your shop name? I originally started making car organizers, nursing covers, burp clothes which led me to my official shop name of Baby Ever After. Your baby becomes your own little fairy tale. Hot Mama Handbags is my unofficial shop name and the name of my line of bags and accessories. Every women, mommy or not, should love the bag she's carrying. It should be fun and express her own personality. I was bored with the boring black diaper bags and started stitching up my own and well, here I am now!  Every woman is a hot mama!

How long have you had your shop? I've had my Etsy shop for about 1 1/2 years but have been creating items for mommy and baby for over 2 years.

What inspires you? I'm inspired by gorgeous, colorful, fun fabrics.  It's my pure bliss to create something that other women can use and love!

What is your favorite item in your shop? It's hard to decide which item is my favorite. It depends on the season, what I'm doing that day, my mood, is it sunny or snowing outside?  My all time favorites are the Emma Bags, the Keychain Fob-never drop your keys again, and the Large Clutch with detachable strap.

Do you have any other jobs or hobbies? When I'm not actually creating,I'm usually thinking about it. When not in my studio,  I'm home with my boys, baking, dancing, and singing (usually all at the same time and of course with 2 little helpers). We live in beautiful Montana and love to hike, ski and otherwise explore our natural surrounding.

Share an interesting fact about yourself. I once (that's right only once) ran a marathon. That's 26.2 miles!

What do you hope your future holds? I love to live in the moment of each day tucking away those precious moments with my kids, take mental snapshots of their antics and simply pray they will grow to be kind, loving, successful men. I hope to one day to watch them with their own children and am forever thankful for the opportunity given to me now to create something that another woman can enjoy. And it would be really fun to one day go skydiving! :)

~~~~~~~~~

Shandell's Review

Maranda graciously sent me this clutch with a matching keychain for review. I always do a review with my features to be sure I'm sharing quality products with you. When I received the set in the mail, even my husband was impressed with how well made it was. I was showing it off to my mom and she was surprised it was handmade...her work is THAT good!

I received the clutch about a month ago and have been using it almost daily ever since. I put it to use right away.

I took it to dinner with my wallet, cell phone, keys (adorned with the matching keychain of course), + lip gloss.

I take it to church every Sunday with my journal, wallet, cell phone, lip gloss + pen. I just grab it out of our diaper bag that stays with Malakai in the nursery and I've got everything I need for service.

I've also taken it on a run to the grocery store with Malakai in tow. I packed it full with my wallet (which is the fairly large), a diaper, plastic wipes case, my cell, keys + of course my shopping list + coupons. If I didn't carry such a large wallet, I could have fit another diaper.

{morning in church, run to the grocery store, zipped + empty}

At risk of stating the obvious, I love this clutch + keychain set. If you don't prefer to carry a clutch it would make a great gift, so be sure to check out Maranda's shop and pick up a set. 

Giveaway!

Maranda is giving away the same clutch + keychain set to one lucky reader of Breaking New Ground! 

For your chance to win, leave a comment on this post relevant to the following entry requirements. Be sure that your email address is easily accessible in your blogger profile or leave it at the end of each entry comment. example: shanleann1 at gmail dot com (to avoid spam + such). Be sure to leave one comment for each entry. 

Mandatory entry: 

Head on over to Hot Mama Handbags, and tell me what you'd put on your holiday wish list or what you'd buy for a friend. 

Extra entries:

(you must complete the mandatory entry before the extras)

~ Tweet the following: "@ShanLeAnn has a new #giveaway! Head over to Breaking New Ground for the goods http://bit.ly/bOqJdO {ends 11.22.10}" 

(following me on twitter isn't part of this entry but it might be fun!)

or

Facebook the following: "New Giveaway at Breaking New Ground! http://bit.ly/bOqJdO Click to enter {ends 11.22.10}

(only one entry, even if you share on both twitter + facebook)

~ Like Hot Mama Handbags on Facebook.

~ Publicly follow Breaking New Ground through Google Friend Connect. 

This giveaway will end November 22nd, 2010 at 11:00 pm PST. Winner will be announced + notified on November 23rd, 2010. Winner will be selected at random via random.org and will have 48 hours to respond in order to claim the prize or it will be awarded to an alternate. 

Open to U.S. residents only. All comments will be verified. Comments subject to removal without notification based on their relevance to contest. All comments will be verified. So, please be sure to follow instructions carefully. 

Questions? As always click on the "email me" button to send me a message. Please do not leave a comment here that isn't intended to be an entry into the giveaway. However, feel free to include additional comments within your entry if you want to leave some love for Hot Mama Handbags.

Disclosure: I received no compensation for this review. All opinions are my own. Click for additional disclosures and PR policies.

Best of luck!

my favorite reads part II

Last week's list of recommendations was not long enough to include everything I read. Even with a second part to the post, there are still many others I haven't included. I may {or may not} do a third installment. For now, please click all these lovely links and enjoy the reads.

Dooce
This is a recommendation for the very few of you who may be oblivious to the existence of Heather Armstrong. I stumbled across her blog over a year ago when I was pregnant with Malakai and she was also expecting her youngest daughter, who is just a month older. At first I was turned off by her sometimes foul language and her crass humor, but I stuck around for the sarcasm, wit, and overall weirdness.

Today's Letters
I did a little review that featured today's letters here pretty recently. This blog makes me smile on a daily basis, and has really inspired Ben + I to find more time for each other. I wish the Loerke's lived closer, I have a feeling we'd be good friends. I also have a feeling a lot of people feel that way about them, hence the immense popularity of her sweet little blog.

The Heir to Blair
This is another blog I discovered through The Bump message boards. I've followed "Blair's" (just her pen-name) story for almost 2 years now. Her family has been through a lot and her ability to be honest about it all is staggering.

Gussy
Maggie {aka Gussy} has been sewing adorable creations with ruffles on them for a relatively short time and is already doing what she loves from home full time. Her story is awesome, her blog is really fun to look at and her shop is irresistible.

The Anderson Crew
Emily's family is absolutely adorable. I can't remember how I came across her little piece of the internet, but I'm glad I did. She always has great pictures of her kids and I just love that half the time they're running around in just their underpants. They're also working on adopting a little girl from Ethiopia, which would make 5 kids under the age of 6!

You're welcome.
Happy Friday!

these are a few of my favorite reads

You may have noticed that I don't have a "blog roll" on my page. I do have some buttons for those who have created some on the lower right, some are giveaway sites, some are Etsy shops, and others are blogs that I read. I don't want to overcrowd my main page, so I thought I'd post about the blogs I read on a regular basis. This isn't an exhaustive list and it's not in any order of importance, just highlighting some talented bloggers.

Most of the blogs I read I've discovered through other bloggers featuring them or just casually mentioning them, so I thought I'd share the love with you in case you haven't heard of any of these gems. I consider all of these a MUST read!

Breaking Through
Lyryn has a beautiful testimony of forgiveness + God's grace. She also recently become a mama of two- her boys are incredibly adorable.

Finding My Feet
Raechel is incredibly creative. She makes cute little outfits + things. She also chronicles the day to day with her sweet little ones, Oliver + Hazel.

Party Perfect
Sarah features all sorts of party ideas. I first discovered her blog when I began the planning process for Malakai's Pirate-themed 1st birthday party. I found a lot of inspiration and love looking through all the ideas and lovely photos on her website.

Pacing the Panic Room
Most people in the blogging world know about Ryan Marshall and his wonderful family over at PTPR. He recently launched a kid's album called Do Fun Stuff to benefit SMS research, a genetic disorder that his step-son was diagnosed with fairly recently. I first discovered this blog like most who currently read there, through the Maternity series he did of his wife Cole when she was pregnant with their daughter Tessa, who is just a month older than my Malakai.

The Outdoor Wife
I've linked to Nish here before. She was the inspiration behind Thankful on a Thursday, which I participate in every week. She's a fellow Oregon girl and I love seeing my home state through here eyes. She's a great writer and is also mama to a sweet little guy.

The Mommy Makeover
I first "met" Marge through The Bump message boards. We were "labor buddies" which meant we were on watch for when the other went into labor to notify the rest of the ladies on the boards. We've stayed connected through emails, blogs, + facebook. We've been sending each other's sons birthday gifts and are hopeful to meet in person some day soon. She started this blog back in March with nearly daily updates on her mission to improve her lifestyle. It's authentic + motivational.

Happy reading,

special delivery

Last week when I "smashed" that spider in my kitchen, and I happened to have a camera in my hand. Well I was actually taking photos of a lovely package I had just pulled out of the mailbox.

I love getting mail, and it's especially exciting when I go out to our box and there's a little key sitting in it...for those without keyed boxes this means that I have a package awaiting me that was too large for the regular box.

The package I received was from a giveaway I won through one of my favorite blogs, Today's Letters. Emily has been doing special giveaways each month in celebration of her blogs "birthday". The items she gives away are very unique and personalized. 

My favorite things about Emily's blog are her funny sayings, nicknames for people + things and the adorable terms of endearment she has for her husband. She's also the only other person I know besides my mom that uses the term "doll-hairs" for dollars...makes me smile every time. 

 I was so excited to find out that I won 2 pounds of coffee from her twin sister Sarah, aka "twinner" who took the personal touches even further with the card included in my box of fresh roasted goodness. It felt more like I was receiving a care package from a dear friend, than a giveaway item from someone I've never met. 

{Each morning I've been enjoying the freshest coffee I've ever tasted}

 If you don't follow Today's Letters, scoot on over to Emily's blog to see what you're missing. 

3 fist pumps + a leg shimmy for a great blog and free coffee!