MumsTheWurdUnique finds for hip parents and cool kids

Need a little something for YOU, mama??  Then pamper yourself with Bella il Fiore.  It’s an awesome, boutique-driven line of cosmetics, bath & body, and boudoir.  Jennifer Maloy is the creator of this lovely little line of products (not to mention, she’s married to a rockstar and songwriter!).  Bella’s got something for everyone, whether you do yourself up every day, or throw on a little mascara and gloss.  Need to chill?  Relax with some yummy bath products, and slip into a pretty nightie.

Bella’s received a TON of attention-people love this stuff-including the Mums!  The Private Eye Mascara & Kiss Me Now Gloss are some of our favorites!  Wanna know what Jennifer’s faves are in her collection?  Listen to our conversation with her on MumsCast!  Jennifer’s super cool-we love her & we love Bella il Fiore!

Want a little Bella for yourself?

WIN IT!

Bella il Fiore Beauty Favorites

Click HERE to enter and tell us what is your “can’t live without it” makeup product. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified via email on October 15th, 2008. Good Luck!!

Don’t forget to listen to our MumsCast & check out our Contests Page for a list of ALL of our contests!

Once again, we’re taking you back in time and re-introducing an old friend of MumsTheWurd!  Handpicked Pumpkin is one of our favorite custom baby clothiers.  Cozy, comfortable, and always fashionable, Allison’s clothes are sure to make your little guy or gal one happy explorer.  

I summed up Handpicked Pumpkin last year, and had this to say:

Fashionable clothes do not always equate to comfortable clothes, especially for the littler guys. They are exploring on the floor, and learning to walk, and while we want them to look cute, they also need to have the ability to move around without limitations that I often find with pants and jeans. That is why I am so glad to have discovered Hand Picked Pumpkin! Allison put together her love for unique style hand in hand with this concept, and this amazing children’s clothing line was born!

Here, Noel is sporting his Grady Overall Shorts. This is a perfect summer outfit! It’s comfortable, lightweight, and absolutely adorable. This is one of Allison’s ready-made creations, but you can also custom design ANYTHING in hershop! Whether you’re looking for a signature outfit, comfy bottoms, a gift set for a friend, you’re bound to find something perfect! There are great patterns and colors to choose from, especially if your heart belongs in the 50s and 60s! Polka dots and stripes are the name of the game at Hand Picked Pumpkin, where you’ll find many satisfied customers!

Allison also proudly donates 5% of her end of year profits to several fine charities-if you have one that’s close to your heart, you can email her to nominate your organization!

First of all, when was Noel ever that small???  You better believe I saved those adorable Grady overalls, and I’m already itching for Lennon to fit into them!  Handpicked Pumpkin has also ventured into the realm of toddler clothing too!  Ahhh…now the toddlers can look adorable and be comfy too! 

Allison joined us last night for our weekly MumsCast, and was informing us that not only has she kept all of her manufacturing in the USA, but she’s also kept it local-all Handpicked Pumpkin items are made right in the Chicago area!  

Allison and Handpicked Pumpkin are both awesome!  Be sure to head over and get some duds!

Bitsy Bear is a cool little on-line boutique that offers up several fun goodies for your pleasure.  Chelise, the creator of Bitsy Bear, and mom of baby girl Drew, came up with the idea for Bitsy Bear when she noticed that everything she found for her baby was pink.  There’s nothing wrong with a little pink, but like all of us, babies need a little variety in their wardrobe!

Bitsy Bear offers these great Rockin’ Onesies, with nursery rhymes, printed on the most colorful and soft organic onesies I’ve ever seen!  Lennon looks great in his Itsy Bitsy.

Chelise also makes the adorable Bitsy Bears, which have been a huge hit with The Boy That Puts Anything In His Mouth.  Anything with tags like this are so great for babies.  They will suck on them ALL DAY!

The most unique item Bitsy Bear offers is the Swaddle Wrap.  Chelise says that this is the only swaddle that her little gal could not tear herself out of…and the fabric rocks.   This wrap is in the awesome Alexander Henry Blue Zoo print.  My Miracle Blankets have been great, but they sure aren’t as cool as these.  How cute would your baby look in this?  If you have a newborn, make them look fancy fresh while they sleep!

Bitsy Bear also has it’s very own little Book Shop!  Perhaps you have a little one with a love of reading?  Chelise has many wonderful selections to choose from.  It’s great to see an on-line boutique promote reading with your child.  Go Bitsy Bear!

If you don’t see anything for your baby that tickles your fancy, perhaps you need something for yourself…like one of these super rad APRONS!?!  Chelise handcrafts these herself, and they are lovely!  Just seeing mine, makes me want to step into the kitchen and make meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  Do you want one?

WIN IT!

An apron of your choice!  FYI, Chelise has not yet added her newest apron in brown zebra print!  Doesn’t that sound fab???

Email us to enter: mumsthewurd[at]gmail[dot]com and tell us which apron you’d want!  Contest will end September 2, 2008, at 10 PM CST.  Winner will be chosen randomly.  Good Luck!

Chelise is also generously offering Mums readers 10% off with the coupon code ‘mumsreader’.  Go pick up something great at Bitsy Bear!

In 2005, when I was pregnant with my daughter, I didn’t know about fabulous maternity products. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time, just so I could focus on pampering myself.

Maternitique (Materni - tique) is a specialty boutique focused on wellness of women, pre-pregnancy and beyond. They back their products 100% and take the time to research what they offer. Basically, they do the work for you, so you can sit back and enjoy your pregnancy.

Before Maternitique was born, boutique owner Tara Bloom worked closely with Midwives and OBGYN’s. Her focus revolved around maternity and women’s wellness. Tara is passionate about women taking the best care of themselves.

“Maternitique’s mission is to help women look their best, feel their best and do their best throughout pregnancy, birth and motherhood. Our goal is to help inspire happier mothers, easier births, healthier babies and a safer world—and to do it with uncompromising style.”

At Maternitique’s online store, you will find many collections, including but not limited to beauty, wellness, baby, postpartum recovery and relief from pregnancy symptoms. If you’re looking for a unique shower or new mother gift to give, I recommend the following gift sets:

PREGNANCY CONGRATULATIONS and PREPARATION:

Mommy Care Pack

by Mi Amore Skincare

• Oh Baby! Belly Butter
• Natural Glow Face Complex
• Moisture Me After Shower Body Oil

MSRP: $75

You can purchase the Mommy Care Pack HERE.

MORNING SICKNESS COMFORT:

Morning Wellness Bucket

by Earth Mama Angel Baby

• organic Morning Wellness herbal tea
• “Morning Sickness Relief” guided relaxation CD
• Happy Mama Aromatherapy Spray
• White (not black, as pictured) Heavenly Teapot with built-in strainer

MSRP: $68 | You can purchase the Morning Wellness Bucket HERE.

BABY/MAMA SHOWER:

Birth Blessing

by Two Plums Paper

• Photo locket necklace for the mom-to-be
• Pomegranate-fragranced candle
• Luxurious footsoak
• Guide for the hostess to bring the celebration all together
• 8 stylishly designed Birth Blessing cards on which friends can write personal messages to the mom-to-be
• 8 Birth Bracelets for the mom and guests to wear until baby is born

MSRP: $68 | You can purchase the Birth Blessing Kit HERE.

BIRTH OF BABY:

A Little Something for the New Mama

by Earth Mama Angel Baby

• Jar of Postpartum Recovery Tea
• Bottle of Happy Mama Aromatherapy Spray
• Jar of Natural Nipple Butter

MSRP: $20

You can purchase A Little Something for the New Mama HERE.

BRAND NEW MAMA:

Postpartum Recovery Kit

by Earth Mama Angel Baby

• Postpartum Recovery Tea
• Postpartum Recovery Bath Herbs
• New Mama Bottom Spray
• Happy Mama Aromatherapy Spray
• Earth Mama Bottom Balm

MSRP: $44 | You can purchase the Postpartum Recovery Kit HERE.

Of course, if you browse around Maternitique, you could create your own personal gift pack.

WIN IT!

Did you hear that Brad and Angelina gave birth to the twins last night? During her pregnancy, Brad gave Angelina the Belli Pregnancy Gift Box! We are giving away JUST THAT to one lucky MTW reader (MSRP: $42).

Included in the Belli Pregnancy Gift Box are the following items:

• Elasticity Belly Oil, 2 oz
• Pampered Pregnancy Body Wash, 4 oz
• All Day Moisture Body Lotion, 4 oz
• Skin Smoothing Body Exfoliator, 2 oz
• Foot Relief Cream, 2 oz

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment on this post and let us know - if you win, is this gift box for you or a pregnant friend/relative. Deadline to enter is Friday, July 18th at midnight PST. A winner will be chosen randomly (not based on comment) and notified via email.

Good luck!

*BONUS: Get $5 off your entire order of $40 or more by signing up for Maternitique’s newsletter and entering “Sign me up from MumstheWurd“. Before placing your order, click HERE and fill out the contact form to sign up. A discount code will be emailed to you.

Jaymi, better known as The Flip Flop Mamma, rules. She’s a stay-at-home mom that spends several hours a day in her kitchen, concocting handmade lotions (seriously great smelling), body butters, (for babies and adults alike!), and glycerin soaps. She’s also got the best chai in the world, and lots of other great things! Check out her Etsy Store; Flip Flop Mamma’s Place.

Her customers love her products:

“This is the first cream/butter that has EVER worked on my son’s skin. He’s healing, and you have no idea what a big deal that is! His back has been a huge rash and bloody (from uncontrollable itching) for literally about 7-8 months.” - Arianne

“I have to say that your Chai Tea is absolutely by far the best I have ever had! I did not have time to make it this morning, as I have been every morning since I received it, so I stopped by Starbucks to pick one up. It didn’t even come close to yours. Normally I would drink mine hot, but since you mentioned you liked your iced that’s how I’ve been making mine. It is delicious! I will definitely be buying more of it… so please, keep it around.” -Season

“no lie - the best chai I have ever had”-Beck

“Sooooo delicious! We love it so much, will defently be back for more soon!”-Raimbow Tree

Read more about Jaymi here, and be sure to check out her personal blog! We’ll be talking more with Jaymi on our BlogTalkRadio show on Sunday, June 29th, at 10 PM CST! Come on and join us!

*Update: Congratulations to Melissa! She is our Nest Baby Sling winner and has been notified via email.

As we’ve talked about many times here on MTW, we think babywearing is pretty darn cool. I’ve been wearing Lennon since he was born, and he & I both love it. I even got my husband on board and got him is very own black sling to go with his black t & jeans uniform :). Through her blogs and twitter, we’ve gotten a chance to get to know a rad babywearer and sling maker extraordinaire, Ashlee Allen. Her sling store is Nest, and her designs are sure to please. E$ and I both dig our Nest slings! Here’s mine. It’s beautiful! Elliott’s, we will speak about soon…

Ashlee wants you to have one of her gorgeous slings for yourself.

WIN IT!

Email us at mumsthewurd [at] gmail [dot] com and tell us the name of Ashlee’s preemie project, which you can learn more about HERE.

This contest ends on Friday, June 20th. Winner will be chosen randomly, notified via email and announced here on Saturday.

We’ll tell you more about Ashlee and her boutique, “Nest” soon, but for now, enter the contest for one of Ashlee’s awesome slings! I totally love mine!

Click below to listen to our first BlogTalkRadio show with Katja from Skimbaco! My mom called in at the very end of the show, isn’t she sweet?

We will have a short follow-up Q&A with Katja posted here soon, featuring some of the products from her store. In the meantime, you can check out our review of Skimbaco from last June.