GCDSpa Stuff

Mary Janes for a Baby Shower

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Are you doing what you need, or what you want?

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 03:18:00 +0000

One of the new things I'm trying this year is exercising on a regular (read: daily) basis. This is not as much about weight loss and appearance as it is about endurance and stress management. Let's be honest and just call it sanity maintenance: I'm less of a basket case when I run and stretch. And when I'm not a basket case, I actually get a lot accomplished.

Of course exercise was something new I was trying last year, and I tried it repeatedly (sometimes successfully) the year before that. My favorite things in the world involve sitting (writing or working on my computer), standing (making lip balm), even reclining (reading a good book, eating chocolate). But running, stretching, lifting...these have never made my list of favorite things. Every day they compete with my favorite things and every day I drag my feet.

Tonight I put dinner in the oven and stood in the kitchen stalling instead of heading down to the treadmill. I went through my usual list of excuses, reasoning that it was the weekend and I'd earned a day off. And then I realized that as much as I didn't want it, I really needed it. So I did it anyway.

The longer I walked, the better I felt. My normal 20 minutes turned into 30, then another 30 of stretches and weights. As tempting as it was to just sit, clearly moving was what I needed to do tonight. I'm going to try to remember how that felt. How often do I do what I need instead of what I want? Not often enough. How about you?

"One-half of life is luck; the other half is discipline, and that's the important half, for without discipline you wouldn't know what to do with luck." - Carl Zuckmeyer

"When you have a number of disagreeable duties to perform, always do the most disagreeable first." - Josiah Quincy

"One who wants to do something, will find a way;
One who doesn't, will find an excuse." -Confucius

(graphic from facebook.com/benefitsofgiving)

Chocolate Truffle Pedicure

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 04:15:00 +0000

Chocolate Truffle Valentine Gift Set

"Happiness in a Pretty Box": Flopagrams

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:30:00 +0000

Last year I "met" entrepreneur Tomma Botelho, who was starting a new gift business with her father, Thomas Botelho. Tomma was researching products to include in her new gift baskets, and I was delighted to be considered. I'm even more delighted to share that Tomma has launched her new business, flopagrams. She agreed to share the details of her fun new product, and I hope you'll enjoy learning more about flopagrams!

Who works with you and where are you located?
We are a father-daughter team who loves flip flops. We are native Rhode Islanders and have lived in RI all our lives.

What made you decide to start Flopagrams?
Being from the Ocean State, we love the beach, the water and the warm summer months. Our summers are short and our winters are long, so we wanted to create something that would make it feel like summer all year long.

Oftentimes, people just don't know what to do for that special woman in their life or what to send to them. The more we talked to people, the more we found that people are tired of sending the same old gift baskets, flowers, cookies and fruit arrangements.

What's different about flopagrams?
A flopagram is a different way to celebrate. We deliver happiness in a pretty box. This is not your traditional gift basket. This is the gift that will leave a lasting impression and a memory footprint on her heart. With our vibrant colors and fun products (including pedicure set, tote bag, Coconut Twist lotion from GCDSpa, and more), every woman will want one.

Our uniquely designed flopagrams keepsake box can be used to store photos, jewelry, books, etc. Our eye-catching flopagrams gift box is made of the highest quality materials and has a magnetic flap for closing.

There is a smile in every box. Our flopagram contains products that every woman of the world uses, including our signature style flopagrams flip flops. And what woman doesn't love flip flops?

What options are available?
For the woman who loves to shine, you can unleash her inner diva and be-dazzle her with our sparkling Swarovski rhinestone flopagrams flip flops. If she loves style, this beautiful mix of crystal and fuchsia colored Swarovski rhinestones will give her flops a little more sassiness to their step.

Where can we find you?
Our website is flopagrams.com, and we offer free ground shipping on all orders! We invite you to visit us on Facebook, too!

While we are months away from sandals weather here in New England, Tomma reminds me that "flip flops can be worn all year long even if they are worn while lounging around in the comfort of your own home." So true! The next time you need to pamper someone, "think inside the box" and check out flopagrams!

Logo and all photos copyright © 2012 flopagrams and used by permission.

Valentine Favors

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000

Valentine's Day Gifts and Favors

National Compliment Day

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:30:00 +0000

I love your blouse. That color looks great with your eyes. Have you done something new to your hair? "You look marvelous."

Bet you didn't know that it's National Compliment Day! This unofficial holiday was dreamed up by Debby Hoffman and Kathy Chamberlin, who believed that "compliments provide a quick and easy way to connect positively with those you come in contact with." While SNL's Lorenzo reminded us that "it is better to look good than to feel good," telling someone that they look good makes them feel good, too.

What's the nicest compliment you've ever received? Do you pay compliments frequently?

There's lots to like about the people closest to us, so make sure you share a compliment today!

"Do what is right."

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:58:00 +0000

"The time is always right to do what is right."
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

5 Reasons To Take a Snow Day

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Yesterday's weather forecast said "snow changing to sleet and freezing rain" so of course my kids had a snow day. This happens at least 3 or 4 times every winter, but yesterday was different. Yesterday I took a snow day with them. I think everyone should join me, and here's why.

1. Snow days are great exercise. A good day for me would include 20 to 30 minutes on the treadmill. A great day would also include another 20 or 30 minutes of stretches and core work. Most days are just good exercise days, but yesterday I walked for about an hour, including hills. Then I shoveled for more than an hour. I got more exercise than I've gotten in months. Who knew that sledding and shoveling could be such a great workout? My kids weren't focused on this part, because they know that...

2. Snow days are fun. You may tell me this isn't important. You may say, "Ooh, must be nice to take an afternoon off at a moment's notice." My kids are watching me run my small business, and I don't want them to only see the long hours and working weekends (my choice, and enjoyable, but constant). They need to know that it's not only okay to have fun, it's important and necessary to their health. It's also important to their work lives because:

3. Snow days are about taking a break. For kids, they're about sleeping in and spending the day in your pjs...or getting dressed in eight layers of clothes and barreling down a hill on a sled. They're about drinking hot cocoa and eating cookie dough and giggling until your stomach hurts—instead of learning about fractions. Then tomorrow when you go back to school, you'll be ready for the fractions. Grown-ups need a break, too (as well as cookie dough) because grown-ups have a lot more than fractions to worry about. And even if it comes at the least opportune time, right in the middle of the work week, it's important to take those breaks because...

4. Snow days teach us to seize the day. This is the first substantial snow we've had here in Maine this winter. The forecast threatened rain, which meant we had a little window to enjoy it. It would have been so easy to work all day instead of just the morning, but I would have missed these smiles, those laughs, the exercise, the fresh air, the cookie dough, the memories. I have learned that there is always time to work. I can always make up that time. But this time with my kids, these days that offer little opportunities for a few hours of happy? They are gifts. Take them with gratitude.

5. Snow days are a chance to show, not just tell. I feel like I talk a lot about telling people how you feel about them. I have designed hundreds of tags that say, "I love you," or "Thank you," or "I wish you the best." It's so important to tell people how you feel, and so easy to forget to show them, too. You have a lot to offer your friends and family, but the one thing you have that no one else can give them is your time. Your time. Your kids need it, and so does your spouse or partner, your family and friends. Make sure you are as generous with your time as you can be, on snow days and every day.

Are you ready for a snow day?

Matchmaking: Pantone's Spring 2012 Palette

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 08:30:00 +0000

Occasionally I talk about color trends, usually referencing Pantone's Color of the Year if not the entire palette in their Fashion Color Report. This year I thought I'd compare their colors to ours, so if you're using their swatches in your planning, here's how you might make a match.

Pantone's Color of the Year is Tangerine Tango, a very red orange (or orange red) that leans more toward melon in some of their fashion examples. According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®, "Consumers look to spring for renewed energy, optimism and the promise of a brighter day." If brighter hues make for brighter days, look for Spring 2012 to be sunny, indeed.

Joining Tangerine Tango are an additional nine hues, including a bright gold-yellow called Solar Power (good morning, sunshine), an iris-purple called Bellflower, a bright (there's that word again) pink called Cabaret, nautical blue called Sodalite Blue, the muted green Margarita, a blooming pale pink-purple called Sweet Lilac, another bright, this one a blue-green Cockatoo, and two neutrals, a warm gray called Driftwood and a dark sand called Starfish.

How do these compare to our colors? While we can match just about any color, we tend to group our choices around our tulle ribbon hues. This is our way of making sure that your decorated favors have the best color matching between their labels, tags, and bows. And with a palette of nearly 4 dozen tulle colors, we can match or complement just about any of your color choices.

Here are the nine colors we've matched to Pantone's Spring 2012 choices; please note that each monitor renders color differently, so the actual tulle color may not match your screen perfectly:

Solar Power = Goldenrod
Bellflower = Lavender
Cabaret = Hot Pink
Sodalite Blue = Navy
Margarita = Sage
Sweet Lilac = Wisteria
Driftwood = Steel Gray
Cockatoo = Tiffany
Starfish = Chocolate (on the dark side...our Sand is a paler version)

We found Tangerine Tango more challenging to match. In the past few years we've seen a rise in the popularity of both coral and persimmon as wedding colors, so this bold choice for Color of the Year really fits the trend. However, I have yet to find a real, true Persimmon tulle color. I wrote about Coral last February, and even offered some ideas for persimmon and coral theme weddings. While we do carry a Coral tulle, it's a bit pinker than Tangerine Tango. Our red is a little redder, orange a little oranger...well, you get the idea. Here are our options for colors all around Tangerine Tango:

I always wonder which of the colors will become the next big wedding hue...or if the next big thing is something completely different! Hot pink and Lavender have already been popular for the past year, and Tiffany also is a favorite (certainly one of my own favorites, too).

What do you see as the next big colors for fashion and weddings? Which of these swatches is your favorite?

Custom Wedding Cake Gift Set

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:43:00 +0000

Have your cake and your candles, too

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:30:00 +0000

When my kids were little they really liked blowing out birthday candles. I know they weren't alone because we'd have birthday parties and all of the little guests would lean in close to the flames as we sang the birthday song! I learned to put a candle in each cupcake so everyone could participate (and the birthday kid had a chance to blow out at least a few of her own candles). I had "help" on my own birthday for years, which is probably why all of my wishes have come true. But while my own kids have long learned not to blow out other people's candles, some kids never outgrow it.

You probably know the "kids" I'm talking about: whenever you're really excited about a new idea or venture, or proud of an accomplishment and just dying to share, there they are. And with a big PUFF, there goes your flame.

I've often wondered why some people are like this. I figure some of them don't have their own candles. Maybe someone blew out their candles and they're just afraid to light new ones. Maybe you have more candles than they do, or bigger ones, or yours burn brighter. Maybe they just think it's what they're supposed to do. Whatever the reason, blowing out your candles is just as wrong now as it was when they were your party guests. What's a person to do with these candle-blowers?

• Don't invite them. You can't always recognize them ahead of time, but after a few parties you'll know who's there for the cake and who extinguishes your candles every chance they get. That second kind doesn't belong on your guest list. If you find them crashing every party anyway...

• Don't be in a hurry to share. Even a flicker of an idea feels like a blaze when you're excited about it. But sometimes things need to smolder, to be tended and protected while they grow. Keep the most important things close until you're burning with them and then no one can blow them out. When you feel secure about what you have...

• Light their candles, too. While it's tempting to keep them all to yourself forever, sometimes sharing a little spark will help someone start their own flame. When everyone has their own candles, they are less inclined to blow out yours.

Just like the candles on your cake, your ideas and passions are yours. You should be the one to decide to let them kindle or to blow them out. Don't let anyone take that away from you.

What do you think?

Simple

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

In January of 2010 I came up with three words that would guide me through the year. In 2011 I chose one word that represented three things I wanted to remember for the year. This year there is only one word and one idea: simple.

I have this bad habit of making things harder and more complicated than they need to be. A line of three products quickly becomes six or 26 or 206. One blog becomes three, and things that can be said in a sentence or two become full-blown essays. A quick walk on the treadmill becomes a half hour uphill slog that leaves me breathless. And on and on. While enthusiasm is great, I simply need to be more practical. So this year I'll be reminding myself to keep it simple.

I know that working all night on a rush job might help one person, but it compromises my health as well as pushing back every other job for the rest of my week. That's not sensible, so this year I'll be simplifying my product line so I can keep more items in stock for those last-minute events. Watch for some flavors and fragrances to be discontinued or offered only seasonally, while the favorites and some new ones take their place and can be ordered for immediate shipment.

I love to write and I enjoy coming up with projects to share here on my blog. But the simple truth is that I also have a great husband and kids. Often it takes a vacation (like this last week) to remind me how much I enjoy spending time with them. I'll be making more time for them in 2012. Of course the time I spend with them inspires new ideas, too, so expect to see better posts here even if they are fewer and a little farther apart.

In 2011 I did a lot more "networking" than I ever have. I met so many interesting people and learned about their businesses and work. While I will continue making new business friends in 2012, I need to remember that my own direction and work is where my focus needs to be. Inspiration can quickly turn to distraction with the sheer volume of ideas and goals that other business owners have. I also find that comparisons can be deadly and at the very least they complicate how I feel about my work and my own goals. I'm just not doing that this year.

When it comes to health and fitness, there is no secret. I know just what I have to do and it isn't complicated at all: I need to eat fewer sweets and junk foods, and I need to exercise regularly. I feel better when I do both of these things. They are very simple, but that doesn't mean they are easy. The same could be said of everything else I'm changing. Almost every time I felt overwhelmed in 2011, it was because I chose to complicate something that could have stayed very simple. It was easier for me to stick with my bad habits than to choose simpler and more sensible options. I'm hoping to change that in 2012.

I'm still working out what all of this will mean for the people I work for and with, but this is my hope: fewer distractions will allow me to focus on your projects with new energy and enthusiasm. I may be alone in admitting that in 2012 I'm not going to do more. I do hope to do everything better.

What about you? What are your hopes for 2012?

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 04:04:00 +0000

Ready or not, here comes 2012!

I hope you enjoyed a restful, happy holiday with your family and friends! I've taken a much-needed break for some of this week (but also spent part of the time upgrading my antiquated computer system). I'm really looking forward to starting fresh on Monday morning, but before that (of course) we'll be having a big New Year celebration.

Well, maybe not. Our holiday "party" is a quiet evening with friends, eating fondue and watching movies. We aren't even really big drinkers, but if I was making a cocktail for our party, this would be the one. If you'd like to share champagne at your New Year's Eve celebration, try this:

Happy New Year

1/4 oz brandy

3/4 oz ruby port

3/4 oz orange juice

4 oz Champagne

Combine brandy, port, and orange juice in a shaker with ice cubes, and shake well. Strain into a champagne flute, add champagne, and share.

Do you have any New Year's Eve traditions? What will you be doing to ring in 2012?

Find this and other champagne cocktails at Drinksmixer.com.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Dog Bones

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 23:00:00 +0000

My kids were home today for the first day of their vacation and we needed a project. Lots of our friends have dogs, so we decided these furry family members needed some goodies, too. I've made dog bones and shared the recipe here before, but this time I used a different recipe. We also used different cutters: I couldn't find my favorite little dog bone cutter, so we made medium and large bones and festive little star treats.

If you need a last-minute gift for your canine friends, combine 2 cups whole wheat flour with a cup of oats and 1/3 cup of peanut butter, then stir in 1 1/4 cups of hot water. Knead the dough on wax paper, using extra flour to prevent the dough from sticking. Roll to 1/4 inch and cut out into shapes, then arrange on cookie sheets about 1/2" apart. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes, then turn off the heat and leave cookies in the oven for several hours until they are completely dry. Cool before wrapping.

We wrapped our dog cookies in cello bags with ribbons and added them to the gift bags to the pups' "people." As you can see, they aren't the prettiest cookies, but they smelled pretty yummy in the oven!

Do you make or buy gifts for the pets in your family? What are your favorites?

Holiday Package Printable Labels

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 +0000

I'm just starting to wrap packages. It may seem late, but some years I have done all of it on Christmas Eve, so I'm feeling pretty organized! Well, maybe not TOO organized...I realized that I'm all out of to/from labels for the packages. I made some with holiday graphics, and if you need them, too, I'm sharing! (For your personal use only, please).

Download this PDF and then print the file on standard address labels (the ones that come 30 per sheet, 1" x 2 5/8" in size). You could also print them on cardstock and cut them out, then punch a hole in each to use as a hang tag.

If you need larger holiday gift tags for other packages, we have a printable for that, too. I have a whole page of printables and projects, if you're interested. I also have a special mailing list if you'd like to be notified of updates to our projects.

Are you finished with your shopping and wrapping? Please tell me I'm not the only one still putting it all together!

Holiday Cookies

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 23:08:00 +0000

Hats off to the hatters

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 21:00:00 +0000

My daughter recently learned how to knit. She's had fun making some gifts this month. Here she is in a hat she made for a friend.

Hats are so much fun. They do so much more than keep your head warm: they can make a fashion statement, or voice support for a sports team. They can make you look sophisticated or silly. At their best they are hugely entertaining. I thought I'd share some of my favorites from Etsy.

I love this slouchy hat from SWAKCouture.

And this giraffe hat from CellarDoorImages/AtticHats.

If you're looking for patterns to make your own hat, how about this sock monkey from SweetKiwiCrochet?

Or this octopus pattern from LadyLilliput Creations?

Baby hats can be precious. This pom pom beanie from Chloe's Crochet Closet is adorable.

Hats for kids are pretty cute, too. Here's a great way to say, "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay."

(lumberjack bearded hat by Baby Your Love)

Of course, if the big man in your life feels left out, you can tell him he's okay, too.

(Beard hat in dark purple by RKMDesigns.)

If you run out of heads, you can always dress the cat. This reindeer cat hat is by scooterKnits.

Dogs also really enjoy being dressed up. This one is a corn on the cob hat, by anywear.

But my absolute favorite for the season is this Christmas Holiday Elfkin Hat by hatz4brats. I really love the poms.

How about you? Do you love hats? What's your favorite? Do your pets have hats, too?

Last minute Stocking Stuffers

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 21:30:00 +0000

Are you looking for some last minute gifts? We have tubes and jars of lip balm at 50% off! (We even have some holiday flavors like Gingerbread and Sugar cookie!) Order by Monday at noon EST and they'll ship the same day!

We have some tubes and jars, too. Happy Holidays!

The Holiday Giveaway Winner is...

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 03:46:00 +0000

I'm so excited to announce that the winner of our Holiday 2011 Giveaway is #8 (out of 40 entries), Jena!

Thank you so much for participating! I enjoyed reading all of your gingerbread stories, and I'm looking forward to the next giveaway!

Happy Holidays!

Last day to order

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:46:00 +0000

Just a little update...

We had planned to take holiday orders through Saturday, but so many items are sold out or running low that we've decided to finish up today, Friday.

If you are still interested in ordering, please place your order today! Contact me with any questions. Our last shipments will go out on Monday, December 19, and we will not be offering rush or Express shipping services next week.

Thank you for helping to make this season so much fun! We appreciate your interest and enthusiasm, and wish you and your family a very happy holiday!

Gingerdead (er, bread) Men

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Nothing says, "Happy Holidays...or else," quite like Gingerdead Men.

I'll admit, I have a weird sense of humor. I try to tone it down a bit here, but I have an obsession with sci fi movies. I like vampires and werewolves and aliens. As a kid I read Ray Bradbury and H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King. When I saw this cookie cutter/stamp, it spoke to me. So here we are.

When we make gingerbread cookies, we always use my Aunt Anne's recipe. Of course you don't need to use the Gingerdead Man cutter/stamp, you can use all those boring cutters like bells and stars and snowflakes. (Which I used, too, because it would be hard explaining to the in-laws why I'm sending them cookies with skeletons. "I eat dead people." Yeah, easier to send snowflakes.)

Anyway, here's the recipe for yummy gingerbread cookies that you can make in all kinds of shapes and decorate with your favorite icing.

Aunt Anne's Gingerbread Men
3/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup shortening (I used butter)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
3 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger (or more...I go a little crazy with the ginger)
1 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp baking powder

This dough will be really stiff and you may need to help kids mix and roll it out. I creamed the butter and added the molasses, sugar, egg, and spices. Then in a separate bowl I combined the salt, baking powder,and flour, then added this mixture a cup at a time to the butter mixture. By the end it is much easier to work the dough by hand until you can form it into a ball. I refrigerated mine until I was ready to roll it out; it will need a few minutes at room temperature before you can roll it out.

Roll dough to about 1/4 inch thickness onto wax paper, then cut out desired shapes and transfer to lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheet, leaving at least an inch between cutouts. (At this point you'd use your cookie stamp to make the skeleton imprints on your gingerboys. If you had my supercool cutter/stamp, that is. You can also leave those skeletons in the closet and stick with the snowmen and stars.)

Bake at 350° for about 10 minutes or until cookie edges have browned slightly. Cookies will harden as they cool, and can be decorated with icing of choice. I'll leave this up to you...as you can see from my photo, we chose a butter frosting that tastes yummy but didn't make nice smooth bones like the ones on the cutter box. They recommend royal icing, but I didn't have pasteurized egg whites, so I improvised. I'll bet your skeletons will look much better than mine. Which sounds bizarre, I realize.

Happy Holidays...or else.

Holiday Lip Balm Set

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Holiday Lip Balm Set

Smiles with Wags and Wiggles

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:30:00 +0000

Those of us with "furry family members" know that they enjoy the holiday season almost as much as their taller, balder siblings. Our cat loves the Christmas tree, the extra visits from family and (furry) friends, and the special treats he can sneak when people aren't looking. But his most favorite part of the holiday seems to be his stocking. He understands that those goodies in the crinkly paper are his, and he helps my kids to open them on Christmas morning. This year he'll have an extra special surprise because I discovered Wags and Wiggles.

The catnip eggplant was the first cat toy that caught my eye, but designer Shawna Ziemer of Sebastopol, California makes so many other fun pet toys that it was difficult to choose. Shawna is the mom of four kids and three dog-kids who has combined her love of fabric and design to create delightful and sturdy chew-and-throw-and-carry-and-play things for cats and dogs. From mushrooms to stockings and birds of many kinds to my favorite colorful veggie toys, Wags and Wiggles offers many styles of pet toys made of high quality decorator fabrics. Cat toys contain organic catnip, while dog toys are triple stitched for durability (squeaker optional). Shawna also offers a selection of felt leash bags and totes in several sizes and a variety of pet motifs.

I'm so glad that Shawna is joining us today for our last small business feature, and I hope you enjoy learning more about Wags and Wiggles and Shawna's creative pet toys and accessories!

1. Santa (or Martha Stewart, if you prefer!) is looking for unique gifts to share with the special pups on his (her) list. Which Wags and Wiggles product would you recommend?
I think Knotty Santa would be a great addition to Santa's pet gift giving list. Probably would have to say the Lobster for Martha. :)

2. Puppy kisses or kitten snuggles?
Puppy Kisses!

3. To get in the holiday spirit, I like to...
Watch Christmas movies with my kids.

4. My favorite (new, most popular) gift idea at Wags and Wiggles this season is:
My most popular gift idea by far has been my Catnip Stockings, I have had to replenish my stock 3 times already.

5. And most importantly: Naughty or nice?
Is there a nice naughty option?

To see Shawna's work, make sure to visit her Etsy shop. Check out her Facebook page so you can keep up with any new designs. You can also follow Shawna on Twitter and the Wags and Wiggles blog.

As I mentioned, I really loved this catnip eggplant, so I got one for Nardo. I had to hide it, though, because the catnip was so fragrant I knew he'd unwrap it early. "Good luck holding off on the catnip toy until Christmas," Shawna told me. "I can tell you how many times my packages have been hijacked by cats as soon as the mail is delivered. :0)" I know Nardo will just love it.

Which Wags and Wiggles toy is your favorite?

7 Stocking Stuffers you can mail for $5

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 15:30:00 +0000

I'm sure you've noticed how expensive it can be to ship packages, and this time of year it really adds up. I'd love to be able to offer free shipping, but the costs are just too high for a very small (read: micro) business like mine.

Luckily, there are ways to keep shipping costs down. Meet my friend, Small Flat Rate Box. At $5, the Small Flat Rate Box is the fastest, least expensive way to ship. But when they called these "small," they really meant it: they measure about 8.5" x 5.25" x 1.5". You're probably thinking, "What the heck would fit in there?" I decided to show you.

Here are 7 stocking stuffer ideas you can mail for $5:

1 Moisturizers Gift Set

OR...

1 Cosmetic Bag Gift Set

OR...

2 Cosmetic Bag Essentials Sets

OR...

2 Facial Moisturizers, Facial Cleansers, or 1 of each

OR...

4 Holiday Travel Packs

OR...

10 holiday party favors

OR...

20 lip balm tubes—or jars—or a combination of the two

OR...

a combination of the above that fits. If you're wondering whether your order will fit, contact me to find out. If your items can fit in the Small Flat Rate Box and ship safely, we'll choose it for you automatically and refund the difference in shipping price. (If you order larger items, we'll choose the larger flat rate boxes if it will save you money, too.)

Check out our other stocking stuffer ideas, and let me know if you have any questions at all! I'm happy to help!

A week left to order

noreply@blogger.com (Emily Caswell) — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 04:30:00 +0000

We'll be taking orders through December 17 for shipment by the 19th or 20th. Please order soon if you'd like to receive your items before Christmas! After the 17th, unless you are ordering items that are in stock, we won't be able to guarantee delivery before Christmas.

Talk with me if you have any questions at all about ordering! Thank you!