Spring on a playmat

Spring is here! I know this, because my allergies make me sneeze 3 to 10 times in a row while walking to work. But seeing bright, colorful images is a wonderful part of spring. Stacey Sharman (also known as PeppermintPinwheels on Etsy) creates handmade quilts and homemade accessories; the items that my eyes really love going back to are the baby mats and blankets.

Of all her padded baby mats, Stacey's "Padded Baby Play Mat with Rabbits and a Squirrel" is my favorite, probably because of bright mix of colors (green being my favorite). There's something about the combination of green, pink, white, rabbits, a deer, and a squirrel that shouts "SPRING" at my eyes; the best part is that my eyes don't get puffy and watery and my nose doesn't run when I see this image. Spring without the allergies? Yes, please!

Handmade using canvas-weight cotton on one side, and a soft heavy brown cotton on the other wise, the comfortability of these play mats is safe enough for your baby or toddlers to crawl around on and have fun with. The quilting is done in a diamond pattern with a lime green thread and the edges have been double stitched for added stability, so these bundles of love will last through constant play time and laundry days!

At approximately 24" by 38", this is the perfect item to take to the park, beach, or any outing to let your little one play on; here's yet another item to keep in mind for new moms! Many of Stacey's items are also customizable, so your baby can grow up with a personalized play mat with big, bold letters.

To top off this cute play mat, 5% of proceeds from Stacey's shop are donated to Kiva, an organization that provides small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries. To find out more, visit: www.kiva.org.

Check out PeppermintPinwheels's listing on Etsy now: Padded Baby Play Mat with Rabbits and a Squirrel!

Tune in next week for the Wednesday Item Feature!

Love & donuts,
Mayene

Have A Groovy Wednesday!

After suffering from skin allergies for 20-something years, I've grown fond of shopping for soap. And as a nerd for color theory, asliceofdelight on Etsy takes care of both my interest in soap and colors. Based in Berkeley, Hilary's handmade soaps feature awesome color combinations and delightful designs.

Handmade soaps are big on my radar since I suffer from eczema, and generic soaps or brands you typically find at your local drugstore or grocery contain chemicals that really are just unnecessary — my skin usually doesn't agree with these "extra" ingredients. This is where handmade soaps come in: asliceofdelight offers ways to be happy in the shower or bath with natural ingredients and fantastic colors. Feeling groovy? Then Hilary's "Have A Groovy Day Soap" will definitely tickle your senses with its fragrance blend of orange, apple, grapefruit, peach, strawberry and loganberry. Sounds delicious, right? Yes.

The soap has ruffles on it, which makes me imagine this would be pretty amazing in the shower or tub, giving it an edge for a "massaging" effect while the ruffles last. I am all for that. You'd be caressing your skin with the following ingredients: coconut oil, palm oil, safflower oil, glycerin, purified water, sodium hydroxide, sorbitol, sorbitan oleate, soy bean protein, titanium dioxide, fragrance oil, colorant, and a little bit of cosmetic glitter. For those of you who also suffer from eczema or just dry skin in general, coconut oil is a fantastic ingredient to help moisturize (and soothe the dry or rough patches affected by eczema on your body).

Having purchased masses of natural soap and skincare products before, I can say that asliceofdelight is reasonable and very affordable. Hilary has other tasty sounding treats whipped up, like Orange Mocha Soap and Mintylicious soap, but if you want to have a groovy time in the shower, give her "Have A Groovy Day Soap" a try!

Spring is here and Easter is coming up — a piece of soap from asliceofdelight would be a perfect thing to have in the bathroom for the joyous season or give as spring-colored gift!

Check out asliceofdelight's listing on Etsy now: Have A Groovy Day Soap

Tune in next week for the Wednesday Item Feature!

Love & donuts,
Mayene