Personalized Photo Necklace WINNER!

Congratulations to DesignHerMomma! She won the Little Fish Design custom Wearable! Enjoy!

No further entires will be accepted for the giveaway. Thanks everyone! I'll do another giveaway again soon.

#9: Top Ten Gifts That Give

Now, here is a gift with some heart and sole!

What if buying a pair of shoes could change a village? Provide health care? Educate a community? Protect against terrorism? Save a child’s life?

Introducing Preemptive Love's Buy Shoes. Save Lives. project. First they invest tens of thousands of dollars into Iraqi mountain villages in the purchase of these hand-dyed, hand-spun, and hand-knit Klash shoes by Kurdish families @ 40 hours/pair.



Watch this amazing video on how they're made...



Then they invest all the profits into heart surgeries for poor Arab and Kurdish kids that are dying from lack of government interest in their well-being. Outstanding!!

Their blog is moving. The joys and pains shared there are incredible. These aren't statistics. They're little boys and little girls. Like yours. Like ours. With names. Needs. Smiles. Fears. And, broken hearts that need mending.

from Monday, October 30th entry on Shanaw and Kale...
"...On Monday both girls had their final echocardiogram, revealing beautifully strong beating hearts. Shanaw and Kale have been fully released from the doctor’s care and are now on their way back to homes and families in Iraq with new hearts. Besides the presence of scars on their chests, you’d never know that these energetic, expressive girls were once dying from heart problems. How incredible that we get to be part of saving these kids lives!..."

At $100 a piece, the shoes aren't cheap. And, the style might not be for everyone. But, the energies behind the scenes are of the most admirable in the footwear business.

Here is a nice little interview from Relevant Magaizine with the founders of Buy Shoes. Save Lives.

#10: Top Ten Gifts That Give

The first of our Gifts that Give this year is one of our favorites. It's extremely practical. It's done via a fantastic organization in Oxfam. And, while very serious, it's just very funny to us.

A goat!

You can gift the gift of a goat for only $50 through Oxfam's Unwrapped gift-giving program!

Check out this video...



If the video player is too large for your screen, just click on this link to view it: http://blip.tv/file/1443221/

"No kid-ding here—this gift is an invaluable resource for rural communities. A hardy goat is the gift of sustainability, which means fertilizer and food for families—especially those living in areas that cannot support less durable critters."

Boatboy's first cereal

Talk about night and day. If you remember how LA "liked" his first cereal, this is that much better. Because the Boatboy absolutely loved it!



"What just happened?"



"Hey! This is pretty tasty!"



"THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE!"

What boys have learned...

We're not really the forwarding type of people here. But, the content in this forward was pretty funny. Enjoy...

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.

2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3.) A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.

4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.

6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.

7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words 'uh oh', it's already too late.

8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.

9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.

10.) Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old Boy.

11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.

12.) Super glue is forever.

13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.

14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.

15.) VCR's do not eject 'PB & J' sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.

16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.

17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.

18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.

20.) The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.

21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.

22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.

23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.

24.) 80% of Women will share this information with most all of their friends, with or without kids
25.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid

Personalized Photo Necklace GIVEAWAY!

I am so excited to share this incredible company with you. You can actually wear your kids in a very fashionable, funky, creative way! Amy Baas, a freelance graphic designer and full time SAHM is constantly finding new ways to show off her kids, make gifts for friends and family and having fun while doing it!

Little Fish Designs "Wearables" jewelry was born January of 2008 while creating gifts for Amy's grandpa's 90th bday celebration - her first trial run necklaces and key chains were for her 7 aunts and uncles with photos of her grandparents - and from there she has done over 65 custom orders. Necklaces come in 3 different lengths and can be made horizontal or vertically, charms come in 2 sizes and can be purchased alone or can be paired with a necklace. Each design is sandwiched between microscope glass and hand soldered using lead-free solder. Necklaces come complete with 18" - 20" of ball chain to give it that dog tag feel.

I have so many favorite designs.

I of course have my favorite posted below! A wearables necklace is such an incredible unique gift. And let me tell you...a Nana and/or Grandma goes absolutely crazy over these wearables! It is such a treasured piece to have or giveaway. Not only are the prices great, but Amy is so incredible to work with!




FREE CHARM OFFER:
Any order placed (custom or pre-made) will receive a FREE SMALL CHARM from now until Dec 15th by putting "blondespoopmascara" in the subject line. You can purchase pre-made necklaces from the Etsy store at littlefishdesigns.etsy.com


THE GIVEAWAY GOODS:
Your very own custom 1" x 2" necklace with small charm.

TO ENTER:
All you have to do is head to Little Fish Designs, take a look around and...

A) Leave a comment telling me one thing you just LOVE and...

B) Let me know who will be featured in your small charm if you win.

I will pick a winner November 14th. Be sure to leave your email address. You will be notified via email and I will post your first name in a victor post here on my blog. Subscribe to my blog and you can earn an extra entry! Thanks for stopping by!