Friday, November 25, 2011

Friday Favorites ~ Lips and Cameras

I will never, ever understand the phenomenon of Black Friday. You could not pay me enough to go shopping today. Well, OK, I probably would do it for a very large sum of money. But I would not enjoy it. I'd rather shop online any day...and so on this epic shopping day I'll at least give you two quick leads on great products that would make excellent Christmas gifts.

Hurraw! Lip Balm
Love, love, love this stuff. Given that I'm putting it on my mouth, I like using something with all-natural ingredients! It's also silky-smooth and not sticky, and the scents/flavors are totally yummy. I can personally vouch for lime, coffee, and coconut--but there are several more I want to try!

Camera Strap Covers on Etsy
I used some birthday money earlier this year to buy something I'd had my eye on for quite a while--a camera strap cover. Besides being totally cute, the covers make wearing your camera a little more comfortable. And most importantly, they give me a place to stash my lens cap, which I am forever misplacing! I ended up ordering two because I couldn't decide on fabric--the black and white damask/bright minky I originally thought I wanted, and this pink and brown floral one I fell in love with at the last minute.

There are a bazillion Etsy stores selling these. Pickleberry Lane had great prices and great service, though the cover was a bit wider than I imagined and it's fairly short--it only just covers the wide part of my strap. Other stores offer narrower and/or longer straps (if you want to cover the entire strap) and custom add-ons like ruffles, if you're willing to spend more. A few favorites that made my decision difficult:

SewTamz offers endless options; I really like the pink and black damask with ruffles
HappySnapz has low prices on lots of fun, bright fabrics, like this pink and brown Michael Miller
A Diva and 3 Dudes Design also has excellent prices and cute fabrics--I would have ordered from her if I hadn't waited too long to get the striped fabric I liked (it was sold out).

I just noticed while composing this that Pickleberry Lane is also having a 20% off sale for Black Friday/Cyber Monday--other stores might be doing the same, so check it out!

4 comments:

Danielle said...

I agree with your first paragraph. No thank you!

I'll have to try out the lip balm. I kind of have a fetish for lip products. I currently love Melaleuca's Sun Shades Lib Balm in Vanilla Bean.

BTW, I saw in one of your thankful lists that you guys have a bean maze. Which one do you have and do you recommend it?

Amy said...

a bean maze? I can't think what I've mentioned that you're referring to...

we do have a bean table - it's just something Steve made, and we filled it with about 15 lbs of dried beans. endless hours of entertainment for children of all ages :)

Danielle said...

Um, I meant marble maze. Not sure why I wrote bean!

Amy said...

ahh, right :) we don't actually have one - my in-laws do - so I couldn't tell you what it is. it's brightly colored plastic curved pieces (red, yellow, green, blue), but I don't know the brand or anything. sorry!