Entries by Amy
Straight Ahead Hair Styling
I love my new haircut, but I don't love blow-drying and flat-ironing my wavy hair straight. It really is not that big of a problem, except on the days that I wake up late. But the good news is that I found a line of styling products that really do help me style my hair faster - John Frieda's Frizz-Ease Straight Ahead Style-Activating Shampoo (and conditioner).
I probably would not have normally tried this shampoo because I don't consider my hair frizzy at all, but these products really help by reducing the time I have to spend flat ironing my hair.
Not only that but I notice significantly less fly-away strands of hair, my hair is shiny and soft and has a pleasant scent. I highly recommend for those with slightly wavy hair like mine.
Posted by Amy on July 10, 2008
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Ginger Souffle - A Soothing Treat by Origins
With my dry skin getting even worse in the cold winter months, I am always on the lookout for something soothing to help. Because my hands tend to crack when dry, this pretty much eliminates being able to use anything with any fragrance in it because that usually just ends up irritating my hands and turning them bright red.
However, I happened upon a sample of Origins Ginger Souffle Whipped Body Cream. I expected it to burn and turn my hands red but I tried the little sample anyway. Well not only did it not burn, but my hands felt so silky smooth after using it that I logged right into Origins.com and ordered some. Plus, I love having something scented and the mix of ginger, lemon, line and bergamot (which I don't usually like) really perks me up.
Origins.com is currently offering free shipping on all orders of $75.00 or more. So while you are picking up some of the Ginger Souffle, can I also suggest some Salt Sud's Foaming body wash? It has a fresh minty scent perks me up on those mornings when I just can't seem to get going.
Posted by Amy on January 29, 2008
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Scentology scents make you smell AND feel good!
I love natural scents, especially scents that are not too floral. I have just added all three Scentology fragrances to my Christmas list because not only do the scents sound great, but they have a dual purpose:
- The orange scented Bliss Booster increases happiness and feelings of well-being.
- The peppermint scented Endurance Enhancer helps increase physical energy and performance.
- The vanilla scented Crave Control curbs cravings for carbs.
They come in cute slim bottles that fit easily into your pocket or purse and can be sprayed on like a perfume or into the environment. I originally saw them in a Target catalog (my local target doesn't carry them) but they are all available at target.com!
Posted by Amy on December 16, 2007
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As seen on HGTV: Garden In A Bag
I was watching HGTV during the Thanksgiving holiday and they had a show about the 2007 Gift Show featuring all kinds on interesting and unique gifts. My favorite is the Garden-In-A-Bag by Potting Shed Creations.
Available in a great selection of herbs,
flowers, fruits & veggies, and beautiful greens - these kits can be grown
indoors, right in the leak-proof bag. And the best part is that they
are so fun and easy to grow! All you need to do is mix in the enclosed
packet of seed and add water.
The Compactness of the packaging makes these a great gift idea for your college students' bland dorm or off campus apartment. Best of all? They are very affordable (only $7.50 each). I wouldn't mind some of these myself!
Posted by Amy on December 19, 2007
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Got an Avid Gardener or Chef on your Holiday Gift Giving List?
You might want to consider The Culinary Garden Maker Collection. 
With this kit they can create their very own windowsill or kitchen
garden. The kit contains seeds for ten different herbs, a detailed
booklet with growing instructions as well as recipe ideas as well, and
a Herb Chart reference guide. Everything tastes better with fresh
herbs!
Posted by Amy on December 12, 2007
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Letter to Santa from a Dooney bag fiend
Dear Santa,
I know it has been awhile since I wrote you but I think I have been extremely good this year! I would love a new Dooney. Preferably the cute new slim shoulder bag in Patched Plaid. It is my very favorite of the newer bags and I really want one. I know it is a little bit costly, but I would be totally fine if that were my only gift this year, because I love it that much. I know these might be in demand this year so if you run out of the patched plaid I also wouldn't mind the Crossword medium seckio in melon or seafoam. Either would be nice. And maybe...if you think I have been really really good you could throw in a the Dooney Hearts keychain and/or the DB Notebook in red or blue I would be the most excited girl in the 'hood!
Love,
Amy
Posted by Amy on December 14, 2007
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Personalized M&M's and Dove - oh what fun!
Who doesn't love M&M's? I know I do! This holiday season you can give the gift of personalized M&M's with any message you want (that will fit on an M&M anyway)! Plus you can find new and unique packaging methods for your customer M&M gift including an Old Fashion Dispenser, a holiday stocking and my favorite- the desk top candy jar. Put a little M&M joy in someone you love's life this holiday season.
Also new this season of the ability to customize the message inside Dove chocolate wrappers. This personalization in available for both Milk and Dark varieties and allows you to create up to 4 unique messages per pack. Another fun and delicious way to spread holiday joy!
Posted by Amy on December 5, 2007
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Perfect Gift: Design a Custom Starbucks Card for your Coffee Lover!
Here is the perfect gift for that Starbucks lover you know - design a personalized Starbucks gift card. The process is simple. You start out by picking the basic look of the card from three basic looks (soon to be four). You then can customize the card to the specific person you are giving it to. I love this idea. I have already ordered a couple. You must order the custom cards online- however you can purchase a voucher in-store if you would rather let the recipient to personalize their own card.
To extend the magic of the season year-round you could make your new personalized card a "magic" Starbucks card by setting it up with an auto-reload! I got a card for my birthday that is set to auto-reload on the 14th of every month by my friend. It is the yummy gift that keeps on giving all year!!
Posted by Amy on December 10, 2007
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Gorgeous hand-dyed yarn for the knitter in your family
I love craft supplies. And while I personally don't knit (I don't have the coordination for it) I do crochet and have a hardcore yarn fetish! On the top of my Christmas list this year? Some Perfect Day Yarn. Each skein is hand dyed and is only available in small runs. I think her colors are so vibrant and gorgeous...and I think it is awesome many of her colorways are inspired by poems. My favorite by far is the Time of Fire Free Verse Sock yarn as well as the tiger eye stitch markers that she makes by hand as well. I also love that this little online shop is a small home-based startup company!! Perfect Day Yarn would be a great gift for the knitter (or crocheter) you love.
Posted by Amy on December 15, 2007
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Give the Gift of Sustainability
My
This all changes one day when Beatrice and her mom travel to a drop off point for a relief organization (Heifer International) who gives the family a pregnant goat. One single goat changes the entire financial outlook for the family. The book details how the gift of one goat helps the family not only financially but educationally too. 
This got me looking into Heifer.org. Through their gift catalog you can give the gift of a goat (or even just a part of a goat if you can't afford a whole goat), pig, or even a flock of chicks or a hive of bees. These would make excellent Christmas gifts for the person who has everything....they have card inserts that you can print out telling your recipient about the gift you gave in their honor...and what that gift will mean to the actual recipient. Or if your prefer you can send an official Heifer.org ecard announcing your gift. This literally, is the gift that keeps on giving.
Posted by Amy on November 28, 2007
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Scentsational manly gifts form LUSH!
My brother can be hard to shop for. Like me, if he sees something he wants, he usually buys it for himself. Plus he is into hobbies that I don't even begin to understand (gun restoration is his newest).
He's a manly outdoorsy type of guy, so I have been at a loss as to what to get him for Christmas. That was until I saw Stocking Fella over at . I was shopping for a friend's long overdue birthday present when I saw this little lovely already wrapped gift box. This gift set includes
Ambrosia Shaving Creams
(which will be perfect because he has sensitive skin),
Happy Hippy Shower Gel
(which has a nice fresh grapefruit scent infused with frankincense and bergamont that I know he will love) and a
Bohemian Natural Soap
which has a nice fresh lemony scent (just perfect for him).
The scents of each are masculine without being perfumy or feminine. I know my brother will love this, because even he likes to indulge in a little bit of luxury in the bathroom and all LUSH products that I have used are luxurious.
Posted by Amy on December 17, 2007
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Ladies Start Your Engines (NASCAR clothes...for girls!!!)
It is no secret that nearly half (I believe current figures are somewhere around 40% or so) of all NASCAR fans are female - so chances are you have a female NASCAR fan somewhere on your list! Unfortunately most NASCAR gear found at your local stores are - let's face it - manly. Well have I found the site for you!! Track Couture is the brain child of Lisa Heros- who were disappointed at the selection of NASCAR apparel available to women. She started by making shirts for her friend and thus a clothing line was born.
Being a NASCAR fan myself I LOVE the Track Couture clothing lines. I can support my favorite drive (Tony Stewart) in clothing that is made for a woman (girly and pretty). The feature driver specific clothing (for instance Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards) as well as general race inspired designs. There is also clothing for young girls and infants (I will soon be picking up the I Am Tired onesie and matching bib for my nephew due in March).
They have lots more items available for that girly-girl NASCAR lover in your family (um family- that would be me!).
Posted by Amy on November 27, 2007
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Hard Rockin' to Stop Breast Cancer For Life
Anyone who knows me knows I am a rocker chick at heart...give me some fast guitars and long haired boys and I am all over it. In planning a trip to Los Angeles, I wanted to see if anything cool was going on at The Hard Rock Cafe this month and was happy to find that the Hard Rock Cafe is joining the fight to stop breast cancer with Rocktober: Think Pink To Find a Cure. If you stop in at your local Hard Rock you can have a drink from the Think Pink drink collection (there is even a non-alcoholic one- for the designated driver of the group) and a portion of the proceeds go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
However- the coolest thing about Rocktober's Think Pink To Find A Cure? Is the limited edition Hard Rock Breast Cancer Awareness Pin. The Hard Rock is famous for their pins...and this one is perfect! Not only is it cute (a pink guitar? I am all over that!) but 100% of the net profits go to the Breast Cancer Research Fund. That is right...100%- you can't go wrong there. I am picking up one of these today online today before they run out!
Posted by Amy on October 13, 2007
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Soothing Dry Hands for The Cure
I was cursed with my father's dry skin. The colder the weather gets
the worse my hands get...and being a germophobe who washes my hands a
gazillion times a day doesn't help either. About a year ago I was
introduced to Aveda's Hand Relief. It works wonders on my poor dry hands and I love the scent. I was thrilled when I logged onto get a new tube to find that Aveda has a special Pink Ribbon Edition of their Hand Relief- with $4.00 of every purchase going to the Breast Cancer Research Fund. Now I can help a great cause while moisturizing my hands and so can you!
Posted by Amy on October 14, 2007
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Digital Prints Worth Paying For
I love to take pictures. I usually carry my digital camera in my purse with me at all times so I am ready to snap pictures at a moment's notice. Last year I decided to enter some of my pictures in the county fair. I did pretty good (got an honorable mention) but I was displeased with the service I used to print my pictures.
This year when fair time came around again- I used a difference service: Mpix.com and let me tell you what a difference! First of all, Mpix.com offers many different finishes and photo touches for your digital prints. They aren't over priced (about the same for the other service I used). Your order is shipped promptly and well packaged. The "other" service I used? Sent the photos in an envelope and by the time they had made the journey to my mailbox- they were fairly mangled. Mpix ships their photos in sturdy, strong boxes. They also offer neat products like pressbooks, statuettes and puzzles made out of your photos- all of which would make great gifts for family during the upcoming holiday season!!
Posted by Amy on October 17, 2007
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True Lime; Truly Helpful
This weekend, on the spur of the moment, I decided to throw together a freezer pie as a last minute dessert because of an impromptu family gathering.
I am partially through the recipe when I notice that it called for lime juice. I didn't have anymore lime juice and I didn't feel like going back to the grocery store. Then I remembered that I had some True Lime that I had purchased to add flavor to my water - I had read on the box it can be used as a lime juice substitute. I was leery, but I used the True Lime and let me tell you no one could tell the difference. I was saved by a little packet. Also available are True Lemon and True Orange.
Want to try it? Get a free sample of True Lemon, Lime and Orange. Now, you can't purchase direct from their website, but check out their handy list of online retailers. Bonus! They even give you special offer codes. Check it out!
Posted by Amy on September 27, 2007
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ClippyKit - a hand bag that is uniquely you
I enjoy making things. I especially love to crochet and make homemade cards, but really I enjoy anything that allows me to express myself creatively. However, time doesn't alway allow me to indulge in the crafts. Then I was introduced to ClippyKits!
What is a ClippyKit you ask? Well simply put, it's a clear vinyl bag equipped with clear pockets where you can put just about anything you want - your imagination's the limit. One side of mine holds some of my favorite pictures. The other side holds souvenirs such as concert tickets and movie stubs.
Putting together my first bag took no time at all, and I'm already to make another with a different color fabric liner. I may even thinking of making one for my pregnant sister-in-law with ultrasound pictures and pictures of my niece/nephew after the baby is born. Really, the possibilities with the ClippyKit are endless...and evolving. You could change your bag to go with the season or just on whimsy! I already have a couple of ideas for mine.
Posted by Amy on September 25, 2007
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Give your office some style with Modern Office Revisited
I am a sucker for office products...especially sticky-notes. The people at my work know this and often shower me with sticky-notes from their travels. I have flip-flop shaped stickies and hibiscus shaped stickies. I have stickies in the shapes of stars and hearts and flowers. I have sticky notes with jelly beans on them and sticky notes with photos of yarn on them. I even have some with my initial on them.
With this amount of sticky notes in my office, you'd think it would be very easy for me to resist buying myself some new sticky notes. That was until I found Anne Taintor's Modern Office Revisited notepads (including the Sticky Notes collection). I am particularly fond of my sticky notes that say "someone called....about something" that are in a lovely shade of pink. Because I couldn't resist I also bought the pack that says "she was comforted by the knowledge that they were helpless without her" which I found out to be oh so true when I got back from my recent week-long vacation. As well as the very apropos notepad stating "I dreamed my whole desk was clean."
I will be the first to admit that these notepads and sticky notes are the teensiest bit on the expensive side...but they make me smile so much that it is totally worth the extra dollar or two. Not to mention the fact that they could make great gifts. My next order from them will be the Fancy File Folders because who can hate filing in these folders? Not me.
Posted by Amy on September 14, 2007
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Discover your inner artist as you Wreck This Book!
There is nothing I like more than going to my P.O. Box and finding a surprise in it. The other day I visited my box even thought I wasn't expecting anything and there was a box from Amazon.Com waiting for me. I was excited. A friend gifted me with the most amazing and unique gift. It was something called WRECK THIS JOURNAL by Keri Smith. I expected it to be just a book on interesting things to do with your journal...but it was so much more. This is no mere book...this is an experience. The book itself is a journal- so you don't really need a journal even to utilize it. Each page is an exercise in doing something to "destroy" the journal. You will use all kinds of odd materials and stick things on pages, makes lists, use stamps...etc to create a work of art. It is really fun. I am enjoying the book immensely and I have only had it for about 3 hours.
The journal is an adventure and a process. It makes me feel so liberated and free and artistic. If you asked me if I considered myself artisit before getting WRECK THIS JOURNAL I would have looked at you and scoffed and said something like "Shyeah...if you consider crude stick figures artistic." I recommend this journal to the artisit who will love it and the non-artistic who will probably be resistant at first but then fall in love with it! Be warned though- this journal is more of a process than something you read...and you will be doing things to this little journal that might make you cringe- like throw things at it, poke holes in it and (gulp) tear pages out! 
Posted by Amy on September 10, 2007
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Smell good enough to drink with Dementer Fragrances!
I am not a flowery perfume girl. As a matter of fact I am not much for wearing perfume at all. Most perfume counters give me a roaring headache so I avoid them (and those spritzer girls at the major department stores) like the plague.
However, like most any girl, I do like to smell pretty. It has taken me some time (and several partially used bottles of perfume!) but I have finally found some of the yummiest scents that don't induce a headache at DemeterFragrance.com.
My favorite collection happens to be their cocktail-inspired Happy Hour Collection. "Who wants to smell like a drunk person?", you say? Don't be silly! They smell like the drink without the overbearing alcohol smell. I am most fond of Sex on the Beach and it's counterpart Sex on The Beach South Beach! They both smell good enough to drink. And it is always fun smelling slightly different and unique. If only they would make a traditionally margarita scented one...I would be all over that!
DemeterFragrance.com has lots of different sizes available in a HUGE variety of scents as well as shower gels, lotions and room sprays. They even have great gift sets to give as gifts (or buy for yourself like I do)! They have a liberal return policy for an online fragrance retailer. The scents, besides being awesome, are reasonably prices and often they have great deals going on; like right now you can get a free gift of Angel Food Bath & Shower Gel free with any purchase of $25.00 or more.
Posted by Amy on August 21, 2007
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A Super Soothing Find on Vacation
While I had a great time on my recent vacation, I had a little run-in with the sun. I thought I was good- before we left the hotel I put a liberal coat of my favorite SPF 50 sunblock on and proceeded to spend a good portion of my morning and early afternoon at Disneyland in the hot summer sun.
No, I didn't reapply (shame on me!), and yes- despite my SPF 50, I was suffering from moderate overexposure to the sun. Later after leaving the park that afternoon, we happened into a mall with a Sephora! While perusing my favorite makeup products and trying to resist the urge to buy even more make-up I came upon Super Soothing After-Sun Gel
.
I immediately tried the tester on my still-stinging arms and immediately fell in love with the fresh scent and instant sooth. I couldn't beat the price (only $8.00) so I left Sephora.comwith soothed skin and a soothed wallet. This product will definitely be in my beauty bag on any vacation or day trip! You never know when you too will be overexposed. I highly recommend!
Also- don't forget: Get free shipping on ANY Sephora purchase with coupon code WELCOME2
Posted by Amy on August 15, 2007
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