Computer Giveaway LIVE!

SWEET! I'm so geeked about this great giveaway! Here's hoping I win - Gypsy Jewels could really use a new computer!!!

http://www.hp.com


Hosted by http://www.jollymom.com/

Good Luck!

Gypsy Jewels is MOVING!

That's right, folks. Thanks to Amy - the past owner of gypsyjewels.blogspot.com who came across me and my blog on one of the fabulous blogs that hosted a Nursing Clips giveaway. She contacted me and asked if I was interested in taking that URL over and of coarse I said yes! So, we are in the throws of creating a whole new vibe and environment for ad even more fantastic experience. Cassie and I are officially teaming up and coming up with fantastic ideas to blog about - like a "that's what she said" of the day and recipies and products of the week!

Should be fun! Make sure to subscribe!! :)

www.gypsyjewels.blogspot.com

Sweet Giveaway coming up!

Win an HP TouchSmart 600 Computer on Jolly Mom next week!

http://www.jollymom.com

I could REALLY use a new computer.....

cross you fingers!

Buddy Blankets and the Best Model EVER.

Aren't I a lucky mommy to have made such a cute model? I'm having so much fun taking pictures of the little Z man with our stuff - and I'm also having fun making it!

Cassie and I have a goal this weekend to get as many Buddy Blankets as we can made and ready to be put on Etsy. I'm personally extremely excited about the Buddy Blankets because I think that they are so damn cute and because Z genuinely seems to love his. I can picture him carrying around his Buddy Blanket everywhere and it possibly one day being a hard thing to let go of. I think it's good for kids to have a security item and the idea of making something that can be that meaningful to another child's life is truly touching. I'm eager to make them and perfect my approach to marketing them along with the Nursing Clips. It's a fun journey though, and the journey is the best part. :)

We went to an event called "The Breast Sublime" last night and it was a fun experience. The nursing clips didn't sell but I got my name out there. My theory is that this sort of event, which featured art, photography, dance and even cake inspired by breasts and breastfeeding attracted the more feminist type of women who are proud strong breastfeeders. I don't think many of them were interested in the idea of covering up. As a matter of fact one woman read an essay all about not covering up which made me kind of uncomfortable for being there trying to sell stuff specifically designed to cover up. Honestly, I didn't make Nursing Clips so that other people would be comfortable - I made them so that even modest moms could have something to make them comfortable enough to feed thier babies wherever they needed to. I know women who have quit nursing early because they were not comfortable enough to nurse when needed. I feel like there is no reason a woman should have to cover up - but there is also no reason that she can't choose to use a cover. The point is, she's breastfeeding. I don't care what she's got to do to be comfortable enough to do that. Honestly, I hardly ever use mine because I rarely feel like I need to cover up. But I did see a need and I'm proud to be making them.

I heard that some of the ladies there recognized the clips from Hop Scotch - a local children's store. I thought that was encouraging! I should stop in there and see how they are doing. Maybe bring in a couple of Buddy Blankets to show her too...

I'm a winner. Things are gonna change I can feel it.

That's right! Ever since I started entering blog giveaways - which was about 3 weeks ago - I have actually been winning! This is a miracle of sorts because I simply don't win anything. Seriously.

Check it out...

www.simple-momreviews.com
LL Bean Raincoat (143.00 value <- and that's the SALE price!)

www.supermomreviews.com
Organic Baby Shampoo & Wash, Organic Baby Bubble Bath and Organic Baby Lotion ($24.00 value)

www.Fabulousfunfinds.blogspot.com
Pettiskirt ($75.00)

www.ithodeyouso.com
Happy Baby Foods (no idea how much it is worth - but a lot I'm sure...espeically with the cans of formula!)

www.minnesotamamasmusthaves.com
Pop A Tot ($50.00 value)

Cute Baby Shoes ($30.00 Value)

Bravado Body Silk Nursing Bra ($50.00 value)

That's $372 worth of stuff - not even counting the baby food!

Hopefully this is the signal on my life path that my luck is changing!!! :)

It's official. I'm addicted.

When I started making the Nursing Clips and posting them on my Etsy site, a woman contacted me and asked me if I might be willing to send her a clip for her to try out and then write about it in her blog. I thought, "what a great idea!" and was drawn in right off the bat. So, I began actively looking around for blogs written by mothers who were breastfeeding. On my search I found many - and a LOT of them did these reviews and giveaways. Once I started contacting them I also got drawn into entering these fabulous giveaways and it quickly evolved into it's own addiction.

You see, I'm broke. No, really...Shawn and I may appear like we have money, but the truth is we are both serious bargain people. The nice Intrepid I drive around that is all pimped out and on super sweet rims? Shawn bought it totaled for $700.00 and fixed it up for around $500. The nice clothes that we wear are all found by my super thrifty skills. The furniture and decor of my house almost all came from garage sales and goodwill - and I have some REALLY sweet stuff. I almost never buy anything full price. So, finding out that there are places on line where I can enter giveaways and win free stuff is flippin' sweet.

Then I won something. I won a nice L.L. Bean raincoat from www.simple-momreviews.com. This only fed my interest and so I have been entering them like a mad women ever since. This was probably around 2 or 3 weeks ago and thus far I've won the raincoat, a complete organic skincare set (for baby) and a whole bunch of coupons for free organic meals for Zander (which also came with a sweet packet of recipes!).

Through this "addiction" though, I actually have found many blogs and contacted many women who are willing to do reviews on my Nursing Clips. I've sent off about 15 of them so far to various ladies and am looking forward to see if it helps my sales at all. I know the clips are pretty sweet, I think people just need to become aware of them....at least that is what I'm hoping for. I've invested pretty much everything I have in them in the past few months and I need to see some kind of pay off. I'm not worried about it though, I really believe in the clips and believe once people know about them they will sell themselves. Us women are smart and we LOVE a practical buy. ;)

Here are links to two of the blogs that have already done review/giveaways on the Nursing Clips:

http://cavanjenleah.blogspot.com/

http://www.breastfeedingmomsunite.com/

Zander Patrick is a super hero.

Zander is what we named our son. The name is taken from Alexander, which means defender of the people. I wanted something strong, something that gave me hope for our future. It needed to be different, but not too different. It is very hard to name a boy, I think. You can't go too crazy, but you don't want him to be a Jim, John or Joe either (no offense). When I saw the name Zander, 3 days before he was born, I instantly knew that was his name. After about 6 months of seriously searching and feeling almost helpless in finding a name that struck either of us.

So, here he is. Zander Patrick. He was born September 7th. The delivery was insanely fast - from the time on my phone that I had called the midwife to tell her we were on our way to the time he was actually born was 40 minutes. I had been in labor all day, but was sent home from the hospital because no one was sure that it was real labor, so in a sense it was never treated like it was. In hindsight that is the only thing that bums me out. I know it may sound crazy, but I really wanted to enjoy the experience. To really put to use all the things I have learned in my Doula training. Instead it ended up going down in record time. I still essentially did it my way. No drugs and I ended up having him on all fours. It was a pretty great labor, and things couldn't have turned out better. My 8#13oz. boy was healthy and beautiful. He latched on right away (before they weighed him or anything) and has been a dream as far as breastfeeding goes. I've had little to no discomfort this time around.

All in all, I am a very happy woman. I am blessed with a beautiful family and I am also feeling my mojo coming back around. I've been more motivated and inspired than I have been in a very long time. I am starting on exciting new adventures and hoping to expand my business and begin working as a Doula as well. Things are fantastic!!

Nursing Clips - Discreet Nursing Anywhere With Anything

Introducing Nursing Clips!! These great little tools can be used with anything to create a nursing cover. Wonderful to keep in the diaper bag or your purse for those on the go feedings, but not nearly as bulky or expensive as conventional nursing covers. Plus, since they can be used with anything, such as receiving blankets, towels, napkins, etc. you don't have to wait for it to go through the wash.

Gypsy Jewels is giving away a Nursing Clip in a drawing on October 29. To enter, leave a comment on this blog and include your name and e mail address. For extra entries you can Tweet, My Space, Facebook, etc about the drawing. If you chose to do this, leave a link for the place you promoted Gypsy Jewels' Nursing Clips and once verified your name will be entered however many places you have promoted it (so, if you promote it in all 3 places -or more- your name will be entered 3 times). Winners will be announced and contacted by October 30.

Good luck and happy nursing!!!

www.willowmoonspirit.etsy.com

Oh, Baby!!

Well, it's been quite some time since I have been on here to blog about what's going on with Gypsy Jewels - part of that is because not much has been going on with Gypsy Jewels. When I found out I was pregnant back in December for some reason I lost a lot of interest in my creativity and began focusing on my journey to becoming a Doula as well as becoming a new mother for what almost feels like the first time.

My son is 12 and daughter, 7...and she was supposed to be my last - so I got rid of everything. Now, not only am I used to my older children, I am also starting over as far as all the "stuff" that goes with it. And, I'm doing everything differently this time. We're truly trying to leave as small of a footprint as possible with this child and I'm a little intimidated about learning all the new things and routines I'm going to have to face. Cloth diapering is a completely foreign thing to me, but I'm more than determined to do it. My other son was circumcised because I was 17 and honestly never even thought about it - I like many other pe

ople out there just thought that was simply what you did. Now that I'm a little more evolved (well, let's face it - I've evolved plenty since I was 17) I've chosen that cutting my little guys penis up for cosmetic purposes isn't necessary - but that doesn't mean I yet know the first thing about taking care of an uncircumcised penis. But, I'll learn. This is among many things that I'm doing differently this time around, but I'm eager to as I have looked back on my previous experiences with my children with regrets. This is not only a learning experience but an opportunity for redemption.

I've done pretty well so far, not only can green be better, it can be CHEAPER! I know I can not afford "green" furniture for my baby, so my compromise is to be pretty strict about buying used. This way the items have already off-gassed for the most part - plus it is recycling in it's finest form - REUSING! I've found that Craigslist is an EXCELLENT resource for this, as well as garage sales, resale shops and hand me downs from friends and family. I found a great car seat/stroller travel system for $60.00, a very cute changing table for $25.00, a IKEA crib for $60.00 (that I'm happy to be picking up today), a full set of Dr. Brown's bottles for $18.00 from Craigslist. My girlfriend called me from a garage sale and found me an amazing Peg Perrigo high chair that completely folds up (and retails for $200) for $30.00 and a Eddie Bauer baby swing at Once Upon A Child (resale shop) for $30.00. So, I'm up to what, like $220ish?? People spend that on ONE thing easily...and I know, I've shopped

and compared prices everywhere. I have also saved a LOT of money on NOT buying maternity clothes. I've found that other than a few key pieces I haven't needed to at all as long as I buy shirts that are long enough and wear lots of skirts and pants with elastic or flexible bands. With the prices of new maternity clothes, I don't know how anyone can allow - or even afford - to buy them. Luckily I have quite a bohemian flare about me and even had a lot of flowing clothes that worked better than fine.

So, I'm pretty proud of myself thus far - and the stuff is all top quality so there is no compromise on standards. The only things I am buying new is an organic mattress (which will be $190. - one of the most expensive pieces to this puzzle) and his pack and play which is $120 - BUT, I've been saving a $100.00 gift credit card for over a year n

ow and plan on using toward that purchase @ Babies R Us - where I will also get 10% off of it because it was left on my registry. So, I'll actually only pay about $10 for it out of pocket. Not bad, eh?

Though I seem to have it pretty together and well on my way, I still definitely have a list to tackle. I need those last two items as well as some other cloth diapering necessities which will end up being about $50. On top of that we HAVE to replace the window in the baby's room and still need to re-wallpaper and paint - though at first he's going to stay in our room with us, winter will be here before we know it and it's got to be done before then. It seems like I realize that the time is ticking away way more than daddy does. He works so much that he really doesn't want to hear about it or feel under pressure about it. So, it's a bit frustrating and worrisome. I just hope that we can pull it together before winter does

actually rear it's ugly head. To help cover the costs of these upcoming needs, I've decided to get creative and sell everything in my shop at ridiculously low prices. Hopefully this will help us come up with the rest of what we need for this little guy (who still has no name).

The Doula training has been going well, though it's in limbo for now until I deliver. I went to the doula training weekend and have attended my first official birth that will count towards my certification. I have one more lined up and then I am going to utilize my midwife's office in order to doula for some complete strangers. As of now, the first birth was for my best friend and the second will also be for a good friend. I think it would do me good to try it from scratch as well. I'm eager to get it all rolling, but have to take a s

tep back for a while to have this baby. I have picked a name for my business though and have started a website for it, too. www.crowninglotus.com

Eventually I hope to open a natural birthing and parenting resource center in Grand Rapids. I'm working with some local companies and resources to help me find my way. My dream is to combine all of it in the long run. The jewelry, the photography, the doula business and even a green party planning/living service. I've got lots of ideas and a ton of motivation, but I know that I need to take baby steps for now or I will surely get overwhelmed. So, for now, my focus is within. On this life that is going to be added to our

family sooner than I can even comprehend. I've done everything that I ever wanted to do in pregnancy this time around, like getting my belly henna'd, doing a belly cast, pregnant modeling, etc. so I'm feeling quite ready. We even had an amazing "green" baby shower where there was VERY little waste involved. I was very proud. I'm a pretty lucky girl when it all comes down to it. Great friends, beautiful children, creativity and the ability to stretch a dollar as far as it will go. Makes me feel like I'll be just fine, which is refreshing and fills my heart with hope.

Shop Gypsy Jewels For a Good Cause.

I finally know what I want to be when I grow up. I have decided to become a Certified Doula and help women fulfill their potential as birthing and new mothers. I can always remember being drawn toward pregnancy and babies, and each time I have helped in a delivery or helped a new mother I have felt a strong natural assurance that I was not only doing something that came very naturally to me, but that I was good at it. I have said on more than one account that I could definitely see myself becoming a Midwife or Doula, but until now have taken no actions toward my dream. To me, becoming a Certified Doula is a great step towards my career in working with women and their labors and babies and I am more than ready.

It's going to cost me around $1,000.00 to become a Certified Doula, and I need to come up with about $800.00 of that in the next two months. I need to complete certain requirements before attending births, so if I can do this before June I should be able to count my best friends labor and delivery (you must attend 3 births before becoming DONA Certified). Not to mention I need to get as much accomplished before my own baby is due in September.

I do not have parents and this is not the kind of thing that is eligible for student loans, and we certainly don't have the money laying around so I realize that in order to do this I am going to have to rely on myself and my abilities to make beautiful things for beautiful people who enjoy supporting the goals and positive outcomes of another - and the great karma (and jewelry) that comes along with it. So, if you feel compelled, please buy something from Gypsy Jewels for yourself or someone you love and ask your friends to do the same. I promise you wont be disappointed and wouldn't be able to thank you enough. I know times are hard for a lot of us, but I believe that if we help eachother in any way we can, we can still see dreams come true and goals become reality.

Thanks.

Juliea

GypsyJewels

I'm So Crafty I Make People.

So, I've been pretty MIA lately. Though I have only been feet away from my computer, I have simply been unable to get my ass up and do anything. And, I mean ANYTHING. For weeks now I have been puking my guts out, tired and hormonal from my latest creation - a human! I type this on the day I turn 9 weeks, and feel slightly OK. OK enough to catch up a bit with my readers and let everyone know why I've been gone, anyways. I'm truly hoping that I can get the ball rolling again soon before I go completely broke - but for now, my greatest creation gets all the energy....

The hunt is over!

While on my trip to Florida and South Carolina, I visted as many bead shops as I could find. I used to live in Gainesville, Florida so I already knew of Gifts Of Avalon. I love their selection of pendants and gemstones. Just like in all bead shops, if you look for the right beads, you will definetly find affordable, beautiful things to add to a peice of jewelry to truly make it special.

After gathering beads in Gainesville we then went to visit my best friend Tessa near Hilton Head South Carolina. I helped her set up her own shop on Etsy and Artfire while I was there. You can see her things at www.bellacreation.etsy.com

Tessa and I went to a bead shop (I can't remember the name now) and found lots of goodies to add to my collection from Gainesville. Then we spent a lot of our time beading. It was a really nice visit as well as productive. Gotta love that!!

So, now I have some beautiful new jewelry to add to my site - but not until I take some more fabulous pictures of Cassie wearing them!! I love having a model and think she's truly a beautiful reflection of what Gypsy Jewels represents.

I hope you all had a fabulous holiday - however/whatever you celebrate.

`j.