Handmade Custom Wooden Print || Giveaway

Hello!  Hope you all had a great weekend.  I'm so excited to share these handmade wooden prints with you!  Lauren from Designbylulu creates handmade wooden prints from your very own photographs.  Using a process of transferring ink from a photograph into grains of wood, a rustic piece is created. Each and every piece is unique and has perfect imperfections.  I was given a print of one of my favorite pictures from our wedding and it turned out amazing!

Here are some more of my favorites...

These pictures would make the perfect addition to your home and would be a perfect gift to give, as well! Each picture ranges from $25-$30 and can be made using 4 x 6 or 5 x 7 photographs.   Be sure to check out Designbylulu here on Facebook and follow on Instagram: @designbyluluprints.  For custom inquiries, feel free to email at designbylulu@gmail.com.  Lauren has generously offered to giveaway one custom print to one lucky reader! Giveaway will end Wednesday, January 21 at midnight.  Winner will be announced on Thursday.  Good luck!
*Giveaway is open to US residents only. 

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Shop Feature || BYOImagination Review & Giveaway

I am so excited to share today's shop feature with you!  BYOImagination is an Etsy shop featuring wooden toys.  These pieces are seriously amazing! They are so life-like you'll do a double take.  The attention to detail is just amazing.  I tend to give Olivia wooden toys, as opposed to plastic when I can, so I was so excited when I found this shop.  The materials used to create the toys include beeswax, olive oil, non toxic sealant, non toxic paint and wood, making it perfect for worry free playtime with little one's who like to sample their toys ;)  I asked Megan to provide some background into her shop...read along to find out more!

BYOImagination, LLC officially started in March of 2013.  During the holiday season of 2012, my fiancé was away for the military (he is a US Marine)  and I had limited funds to dedicate to Christmas for our two children after having to temporarily lower my hours at my hospital job.  So, I ended up making all of their gifts that year.  The items I created had gained a lot of attention from friends and family, so I decided to share select items with others; thus, open BYOImagination, LLC!  To be honest, I love food and playing kitchen/restaurant with my little ones, so I have just decided to run with the play food creations at this time.  As far as the name, BYOImagination, I am continuously telling my children to use their imagination when it comes to everything.  I believe that it is important to "bring your own imagination" into every situation as long as life will allow it!  I know I am a child at heart and I love it. All of my creations are made in a pet and smoke free home.  The items are all made out of wood, non toxic paints, and mediums.  They are made as close to "real food" size as possible.  The shop currently offers items ranging from $5.00 - $42.00

Seriously, how amazing right?!  I was sent the waffle and fruit set and I cannot express how impressed I am by the attention to detail and how "real" it is!  Olivia is getting a kitchen from Santa and I cannot wait to see her play with this set in her kitchen!  Everything from the packaging (truly packed with care) to the little seeds on the strawberries...I can't say enough about this shop! To check it out yourself, BYOImagination can be found at the following:

Instagram: @byoimagination
Website:  www.etsy.com/shop/BYOImagination
Facebook: BYOImagination, LLC
Twitter: BYOImagination @ByoMegan

Now, here comes the exciting part!  Megan has generously offered to give one of you lucky readers a pancake and waffle set of your own!!

So exciting, right?!  I can't wait for you to see these products for yourself!  The giveaway will end Monday, December 8 at 11:59PM.  Winner will be chosen and announced Tuesday morning.  Winner will have 24 hours to respond, if no response, another winner will be chosen.  Best of luck to you all!!
*Note: All entries will be checked for authenticity*

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*Disclaimer:  BYOImagination is currently on a holiday break.  Please check their Etsy shop for details as to when shop will reopen for new orders.  Chosen winner will need to provide an address for waffle and pancake set to be shipped directly*

Shop Spotlight || Re-Play Tableware Review & Giveaway

I am so excited to share Re-Play with you!  It is truly one of our favorite products that we use for Olivia.  We love it for so many reasons.  Each product is made from recycled milk jugs, how cool is that?!  Here is a little background into the company...

Re-Play Products are made from recycled milk jugs! It's a better alternative for parents looking to make the planet a better place for their children as well as future generations.

Re-Play uses curbside collected HDPE plastic. The recycled plastic is sanitized using a patented, proprietary process that cleans the plastic and removes anything that was absorbed by the plastic. Our recycled plastic is FDA approved food grade material.
Our packaging is also made from recycled paperboard. The minimal package design does not use plastic blisters, twist ties or any other extra restraints that can create more waste.

Re-Play products reduce greenhouse gases and save energy!*
One pound of recycled plastic saves enough energy to:
• power a 60W lightbulb for 6 days
• charge a smartphone for 31 weeks
• power a 32" LCD TV for 3 days
• charge an electric car for 6 hours

Both the products and packaging are recyclable.

The background behind this product is just amazing.  What a great way to make the earth a better place and provide great tableware for kids!

Making meal time fun is something I really enjoy doing for Olivia.  I always try to make her food look appealing and fun, if possible.  Trust me, there are days where its just Cheerios and a banana, but on the days that I have time I really enjoy creating fun meals.  With the holiday season upon us I wanted to make something really festive for her so here are some fun, festive meals I'd like to share with you!

{Festive holiday kids table}

{Christmas kid's table, complete with a letter to Santa}

{Breakfast of snowman & Christmas tree pancakes, sliced grapes & blackberries, greek yogurt with holiday sprinkles, and snowy pine trees}

{Snowy pine trees - tutorial coming soon}

{Fried egg bites, avocado, and greek yogurt with pomegranate seeds}

{North Pole lunch, anyone?}

{Reindeer sandwich, grinch grapes & greek yogurt}

I had so much fun creating these festive meals!  The Re-Play plates are perfect for toddlers, with deep sections to hold a variety of foods.  The utensils are very sturdy and great for little hands.  I can't say enough about Re-Play products.  If you have little ones, you need to invest in some of these products!  They are so afforable, as well.  Re-Play products can be purchased through their website here.  I purchased additional plates, bowls, and utensils at Walmart.  Re-Play has generously offered to give away a green feeding set to one of you lucky winners!!!  Giveaway ends Monday, Dec. 1 at 11:59pm.  Winner will be announced Tuesday morning and will have 24 hrs to claim their prize.  Good luck!!!

*I'm so sorry if some of you are experiencing difficulty viewing the Rafflecopter giveaway - please try viewing on a mobile device, as there is not a problem there.  Working hard to get this fixed asap!*

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The winner is...

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Congratulations to Jamie! Please keep an eye out for an email from The Birds Nest! Thank you all so much for entering!  Be sure to check out new Shop Features coming soon!

*Winner must claim prize within 24 hours*

Shop Feature || Stamps and Charms

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to share our featured shop with you.  Stamps and Charms is an Etsy shop featuring hand stamped jewelry, which you can completely customize and personalize to make a truly special gift.  The shop owner, Emiko, is so sweet and provides great customer service!  Shipping is very fast as well, for those of you looking for holiday gifts;)  Emiko made me a beautiful cuff bracelet, with a very special message about being a mom.  One thing I absolutely love about it was that it can be sized to your wrist.  I have very small wrists and I always find that bracelets fall off because they are so big, and this cuff was perfect!  I also love how delicate and stylish it looks, hand stamped jewelry is so sweet.

Stamps and Charms has a huge variety of jewelry to choose from.  From necklaces, bracelets, and keychains to Christmas ornaments, there's something for everyone.

How adorable are those keychains?  What a cute gift for newlyweds, right?

With the holidays around the corner, these are so cute for a baby's first Christmas or if you give an ornament each year.  Everything is completely customizable!

Another type of jewelry that you really don't see too often are stylish medical bracelets.  This is so cute for a little one (or adult) who has an allergy or medical condition...what a great way to allow others to know in case of an emergency, while being stylish, right?!  

Lastly, if you're like me and give your pets a Christmas stocking, these would be a great little gift under the tree!

Be sure to check out Stamps and Charms here on Etsy to see more!  Emiko was so generous and offered to give one lucky winner a $15 shop credit to her shop!  Perfect to shop for gifts or a little something for yourself!  Winner will be chosen and announced Thursday morning.  The lucky recipient will have 24 hours to respond and claim their shop credit.  Good luck!!

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The Winner Is...

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Congratulations to Madison!  So excited for you! Please check for an email from me shortly.  If prize is not claimed within 24 hours another winner will be chosen. Thank you so much to all who entered! A very special thank you to Keri from GuguBerry for this giveaway!  Be sure to check out GuguBerry for new holiday items being added!

The Winner Is...

So excited to announce the winner of the Bows for Logan giveaway!

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Congratulations, Astrid!  Will email you shortly with details!  Thank you so much for everyone who entered.  Check back on Friday for another Shop Feature & Giveaway, featuring GuguBerry!!

Shop Feature Friday || Bows for Logan Giveaway

Happy Friday!  I'm so excited to share the Etsy shop Bows for Logan with you!  I "met" Taylor on Instagram and she's just the sweetest!  She has a little girl named Logan and the cutest Etsy shop.  I'll let her introduce herself to you a little more...

Hi!  My name is Taylor Epley and I am from Indiana.  I am engaged to my best friend, Ryan, and we have our amazing daughter together named Logan.  I am currently a stay at home mom and part time student at Indiana University of South Bend, studying nursing.  I was a certified nursing assistant for two years before I had my daughter and loved what I did.  Being a CNA has so much wear and tear on your body and I knew I did not want to do that for the long run.  Once I had my daughter Logan, I knew what I was passionate about - being a labor and delivery nurse.  I loved my labor and delivery nurse because she was so happy and you could tell she loved what she did.  I mean, who wouldn't want to deliver precious babies all day?  My number one dream though, was always to own my new boutique.  I absolutely love what I do and am incredibly happy to be able to have come this far.

Fall Bows

I love supporting small business!  Here is some more background into her shop:

My shop opened August 7, 2014 and it has been the best journey since.  When my daughter was born, I realized I loved baby fashion, loved all of the Etsy shops and Instagram shops and thought to myself, "why can't I do this?"  That is where it all began!  My daughter is my number one inspiration.  I am so happy to be able to support my family with something that I love to do.  Even though my daughter comes first, my shop is right up there too.  I take a lot of pride in everything I make and would never ship out anything I wasn't proud of.  

My shop vision is to sell handmade, quality items to moms.  I am expanding with gender neutral items and items moms can use also.  I want to eventually have as many boy items as girls.  My favorite item varies on a day to day basis! Right now, I would have to say it is my new nursing/teething necklace just listed in the shop.  

Nursing/Teething Necklace

Taylor has such a great variety of bows, flower crowns, blankets, teething necklaces and more!

Teether

Flower Crown

Personalized Onesie

Holiday Headband Set

Baby Tie Blanket

Olivia is a big fan of Bows for Logan!  She chose to wear this adorable polka dot bow to go shopping the other day.  The bows are amazing quality and made with sturdy fabric. Our bows were made on a clip and that feature is great for toddlers who have thinner hair or love to pull those headbands off;)

Gold Polka Dot Bow - on sale!

Taylor generously offered to give away a shop credit to one of you lucky readers!! Be sure to check out her shop here on Etsy and on Instagram @bows_for_logan!  

A few hints...

*Welcome to new readers!  You do not have to have a Google account to join this site and become a follower.  For example, when joining with an Optimum email (after clicking "join this site" on right sidebar) click on the Google logo and sign in with your Optimum email.* 

*If you are viewing on a mobile device, simply switch to the web version (option at bottom of your screen) to find the "Join this site" button*

*If you are a current follower, leave your email in a comment below after entering through the last option*

Winner will be chosen and announced on Tuesday, October 28. The lucky winner will have 24 hours to respond to claim their shop credit.  Good luck!!

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