True story: (Yes, this is something my husband actually DID....It's too odd to be made up!) My husband is a car guy. For a long time, he worked as an auto mechanic. He still works in the automotive industry, but his days of turning wrenches are long gone. Anyway, for the longest time, his choice of friends left a lot to be desired, as they refused to move out of their parents' homes or find gainful employment. But, as a bachelor, Dan wasn't too picky about who his friends were. He just went wherever the party was at. One of these friends had a Ford Pinto that had problems with its oil pan. Of course, being the deadbeat that he is, he could not afford to get his vehicle properly repaired. (Okay....If you haven't figured it out yet, I do not like this person. He's actually in my Top 5 Least Favorite People list!) So my husband, in a moment of absolute genius...or was it absolute insanity.... decided to create an entire replacement oil pan COMPLETELY out of duct tape. Two and a half rolls, to be exact! And you know what? It worked. It lasted a good 6-8 months until the car blew up and stopped working, for reasons completely unrelated to his duct-tape creation. So I knew that duct tape had many, many uses, some of them quite unconventional, like wart removal. But what I DIDN'T know was that duct tape could be used to make things that are both fashionable and functional. I never thought of duct tape as something attractive....Until I came across Ace Of Tape on Etsy. Mike, the owner and artist at Ace Of Tape, creates trendy, affordable, and incredibly unique fashion accessories totally out of duct tape! Ace of Tape creations come in many different colors and designs, from stripes, zebra and leopard print, and even a special Pittsburgh Steelers wallet for those football fans out there! I was a little disappointed that there was no love to be had for the Chicago Bears, but what could I expect,lol....They beat the Packers to win the NFC North Championship title, just to be creamed by Green Bay,(who subsequently made it to the Play-offs as the Wild Card team) during a VERY important game that determined who would go to the Super Bowl. Anyway, I am not here to complain about Da Bears right now. I'm here to talk about TAPE! Mike uses these different colors and patterns in creating awesome fashion accessories like wallets, purses, and even hair-bows! I am highly contemplating ordering a cute little purple bow for my Sophie monster. She'd be the first kid on the block rocking an Ace Of Tape original creation! I received a very cute wallet for review. As soon as Mike's package arrived, my 11 year immediately called dibs on it! He absolutely loved the unique and fun appearance of this piece. While it is definitely eye-catching, I was very impressed with the craftsmanship and quality of this wallet. It is very slim, durable, and has plenty of pockets for your driver's license and other important cards. The main compartment of the wallet where you'd stick your loot is deep and keeps all those hundred dollar bills secure. (Hey....This is MY post. If I want to pretend that I have wads of cash just sitting around, so be it!) The wallet is also very strong. I tugged at it some to see how it would hold up, and it remained beautifully intact. Take a look at the detail of this awesome wallet! Isn't that too neat? Look how proud my son looks to have his own wallet from Ace Of Tape!
Overall, I think that Ace Of Tape creations are the perfect gift for that person who loves unique and different styles. It's also perfect for teens, tweens, and anyone who loves staying on top of the latest trends! BUY IT: You can find all of Mike's wonderful items at the Ace Of Tape etsy shop. Mike is so sure you'll love his pieces, he is offering all of my readers a 15% discount on any of his items! Just use the code CRUNCHYTAPE15 upon checkout for these wonderful savings! WIN IT: But....ONE lucky follower will win a wallet of their own from Ace Of Tape! That's right! Mike has generously offered one of my readers a wallet of their own! Please complete the mandatory entry first, and leave a valid e-mail address in each comment. I have had to re-draw winners twice lately due to lack of an e-mail address! Also, leave a separate comment for each entry. If an entry is worth +2, leave 2 comments. Thanks, and good luck! MANDATORY ENTRY: You MUST be a PUBLIC GFC follower of this blog. Visit Ace Of Tape on etsy and let me know what your favorite item is. EXTRA ENTRIES:
***Disclosure: I received a complimentary sample to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided. My opinion is 100% honest and was not influenced in any way.***
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I am usually a body wash girl, mainly because most bar soaps I have found have been incredibly harsh on my skin, and have left me feeling dry or itchy. You know what I mean...You step out of the bath or shower thinking you're clean, and the next thing you know, your skin has an "icky" feel to it, and sometimes there's even a nasty residue. This has happened to me more times I can count, especially during hotel stays for some reason. So some years ago, I just quit buying soap altogether. I switched to liquid body wash and never looked back. I had never really reconsidered my stance on soap until Heritage Soaps contacted me asking me to review their handmade soaps. I have to admit, I was definitely intrigued. I had never tried handmade soaps, and I was curious as to how a handmade soap was different than a commercially produced bar of soap. So eager to find out, I agreed to give their soaps a shot. I am not going to give my review here, since that will have to wait until the giveaway post later this month, but I will tell you some things that I learned about Heritage Soaps, and why you should give them a try...even if you're a body wash gal like I was... Heritage Soaps is a family owned business in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. What a gorgeous place to live, by the way! I am an Ohio native, so naturally I have been to the Amish country in Lancaster County several times, and the area is stunning. There are many farm communities, and the area is rich with history and culture. (And there is also one of the best Amish-run buffets there with some of the most delicious food I have ever eaten!) Lancaster County is an area that thrives on the forgotten art of handcrafted goods. There is no better home for a handmade soap company, and some of this local flavor definitely shows in their attractive and delicious smelling soaps! Heritage Soaps makes all of their soaps in small batches to ensure the quality of each batch. All soaps are made by hand using only the finest ingredients. Their oils are chosen for their qualities to moisturize, for hardness and luxurious lather. Their soap is made by the cold process method, which retains all the naturally occurring glycerin of the saponification process. The oils used are all food grade which ensures you are receiving the best quality ingredients that are available. They also hand cut and hand wrap every bar...They even make their own wrappers. Each bar is given a long cure period so that when it reaches you it is mild and ready to use. If you are unsure of your own allergies or reactions, skin testing is recommended. Apply a small amount to the skin of your inner arm. Do not use is redness or irritation occur. As with all soap, do not let it sit in water or it will become soft. Allow the soap to dry between usage and you will have a longer lasting harder bar. The Dirty Truth About Soap: Conventional Soap Most soaps that you can buy in stores today are not really soaps but rather they are detergents. Detergents are petroleum distillates, other synthetics and chemicals rather than natural fats and oils. Commercially made soaps tend to be less eco-friendly. While commercially manufactured soap usually costs less, the impact on your skin and the environment is less than desirable. Commercially made soaps have most, if not all, glycerin removed. This is why is leaves your skin feeling dry, itchy and tight. Handmade Soap People are beginning to discover the benefits of using handmade, chemical free soaps. Handmade soap is often an antidote for those who suffer from psoriasis and eczema as well as people who have sensitive skin or allergies. They often find immediate relief by switching to handmade soap. Compared to a conventional bar of soap, handmade soap is very mild. One of the biggest differences between commercial soaps and handmade soap is glycerin. Glycerin is a clear liquid that absorbs water from the air and is a key factor in keeping your skin soft and healthy. Many commercial soap manufacturers extract the glycerin from their soap and sell it as a by-product to be used in higher priced beauty products like lotions and skin creams. Who knew that soap wasn't a 4-letter word? Or at least by switching to handmade soap full of natural oils and glycerin, it doesn't have to be anymore! Not to mention, Heritage Soaps come in a wide variety of very decadent scents like:
And just look at how cute these soaps are! They are definitely made with love, and it shows! I am so excited to tell you that Heritage Soaps will be offering one very lucky mama the chance to try their soaps during my Mad About Mama event! But not yet....We still have a few weeks to go!
As always, for those of you who want that early advantage, I have extra, early entries available to you. Please leave your extra entry comment here, as there will be instructions on how to redeem them later. I will keep it simple! EARLY ENTRIES: Please like Heritage Soaps on Facebook and thank them for sponsoring the Mad About Mama event here at Newly Crunchy Mama Of 3. Please leave your Facebook name as well as the permalink to your wall post, so I can make note and verify the date you left it. That's it! This is good for 10 EXTRA ENTRIES!! So this coming Tuesday, April 5th, it will be my 3rd wedding anniversary. I am excited! We've made it 3 wonderful years, mainly consisting of pregnancies, without killing each other! Not that we'd want to kill each other, we're actually very happy. But I'm sure my husband is very, very glad I am no longer pregnant and he finally has his wife back! No more late night Taco Bell runs or helping me roll out of bed, and no more crazy hormones to turn me into a weeping, moody mess! So now, here we are taking care of 2 babies and a preteen, and we get very little couple time. I can't even tell you the last time we had a date night. Dating seems like a foreign concept when you have 2 babies well under the age of 2. Our life is pretty much consumed with dirty diapers, feedings, baby-snuggling, and the newly discovered temper-tantrums from my little diva who loves to get her way. Add taking care of my oldest and maintaining the house to the mix, and we really don't get much time to ourselves, unless it's to collapse into each others' arms at the end of a long day....And in that case, we usually end up passing out. So I am trying to find something to do with my husband on our anniversary that can be done surrounded by babies...Not at all an easy task! Yes, I can make a killer dinner for him. But I love to cook, and he gets home-cooked meals on a daily basis, so I don't know how special that will be. Of course going out is more than likely not going to happen. We don't have a sitter that's very close by, and I am NOT taking a 16 month old and a 3 month old out for what should be a nice, romantic dinner. I don't think the other patrons would appreciate that too much,lol. And I don't want to watch a movie on TV. I spend enough time watching him zone out to the television, and I truly believe that the TV is the Jack Kevorkian of romance. So I am at a loss as to how to make it special. He actually has the day off, which will be nice. I will at least get to spend the day with him, even if we can't really do anything super-special. Do any of you have babies very close in age? How do you celebrate anniversaries with babies in the house? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! |
PR Friendly Mama!
I'm Brandy, a happily married, proud Mom of 3 amazing kids. If you're interested in building a working relationship, please feel free to e-mail me at: NewlyCrunchyMamaOf3@gmail.com Links We Love :Archives
June 2023
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