I have a thing for woman-owned shops. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, maybe it’s because I like to shop and women-owned boutiques are more my taste, or maybe it’s because I saw my sister’s husband leave her; a single-mom who had to raise four boys under the age of ten on her own. Then, maybe I watched as she scraped and struggled through that life-changing event all her way to a successful business. Maybe.

KyKy’s Treasures is a mother and daughter team who began by making simple, beaded bracelets and selling them at their yearly garage sale. They loved doing it so much that they decided to sell them online too. Not only are they woman-owned, they are woman-and-daughter-owned. That’s a bonus woman, right there…

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I have a thing for woman-owned shops. Maybe it’s because I’m a woman, maybe it’s because I like to shop and women-owned boutiques are more my taste, or maybe it’s because I saw my sister’s husband leave her; a single-mom who had to raise four boys under the age of ten on her own. Then, maybe I watched as she scraped and struggled through that life-changing event all her way to a successful business. Maybe.

KyKy’s Treasures is a mother and daughter team who began by making simple, beaded bracelets and selling them at their yearly garage sale. They loved doing it so much that they decided to sell them online too. Not only are they woman-owned, they are woman-and-daughter-owned. That’s a bonus woman, right there.

KyKy’s Treasures isn’t just a job for them; they love doing it and they especially enjoy creating custom items. All you have to do is ask and they will work closely with you to design the perfect piece! They sell their designs on Etsy and Luulla, but you can also like their Facebook page and follow them on Twitter for shop info, promotional sales. and occasional coupon codes.

And, because this mother/daughter team is so awesome, they have decided to celebrate motherhood with one of you! A lucky reader will win this Mother’s Birthstone Necklace from their Mother’s Collection.  It is 18″ long and features three 6mm sterling silver satin birthstone beads with Swarovski crystals.  They are strung on a sterling silver, diamond cut, oval link chain which closes with a lobster claw clasp.

1. Leave a comment on this post and tell me which birthstone is your favorite.

2. For an additional entry, follow KyKy’s Treasures on Twitter, then leave a comment on this post with a link to your Twitter post (click on the timestamp in the tweet and it will show your tweet on a page of its own, with a unique URL).

3. For an additional entry, share this post on Facebook, then leave a comment on this post with a link to your Facebook post (click on the timestamp in the Facebook post and it will show your update with a unique URL.)

Entries are open to U.S. residents until April 17, 2013 at 10:00pm ET. Good luck and happy shopping!

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One of my new work duties is hosting Twitter chats every couple of weeks. Mom, Twitter is where you talk back and forth to other people in 140 characters or less. Next week’s lesson will be on hashtags.

Yesterday’s #BlogHerTalks chat was about hair. We talked about natural hair, colored hair, over-treated hair, shrimp gumbo, shrimp scampi, and cocktail shrimp. Wait…

Although I’m a woman, and I have hair, I didn’t have much to offer style-wise to the conversation, because my hair mostly looks like this:

Don’t be jealous.

The fact is, I have very fine, thin hair, so I don’t like to over-treat it. Plus, I work from home so I don’t have a need to impress people with my locks. Thank goodness.

But, occasionally I like to put some effort into it. With summer coming, I know my hair will be in a pony-tail more than ever. Can you say hot-flashes? So I searched for a way to make my plain-Jane-pony a little less boring and I found this.

I followed the advice and styled my hair in about three minutes (see aforementioned fine, thin description…I can practically fit all of my tresses in a curling iron at one time).

What do you think? I mean, besides the fact that I need a dye job.

Other bloggers are choosing their favorite hairstyle tutorial videos and asking for your opinions on which you love most. Each week, BlogHer is giving away prizes to 3 lucky winners: one grand prize viewer will receive a $250 Visa gift card and two more folks will each receive a $100 Visa gift card! Visit the Prizes and Promotions page on BlogHer.com for more info!

Hair Sweepstakes Official Rules.

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A few days ago, my son got up early in the morning and climbed into our bed. I hugged him and asked him if he slept okay while he poked his index finger at the freckles on my arm. After he had “counted” every one of them, he took his hand and ran it down my forearm. Surprised, he said, “Look mom! When I rub my hand on your arm, your skin moves so much it looks like a wave!”

Awkward.

Look, I know I don’t have the firm…well, anything…of a 20-something anymore and my years of sun-loving have left my skin a bit wrinkled and loose, but a wave? It’s not quite that bad. Yet.

Still, it was enough to traumatize me a bit, so I took to a new product that Dove sent me. I’ve been a big fan of their body wash for a while now, so their VisibleCare toning crème body wash with NutriumMoisture was a logical step in the right direction.

This product is designed to help promote skin’s elasticity and strength and, clearly, I needed some of that. The toning crème is scented with ylang ylang (which is just plain fun to say) and delicate wood fragrance, so it smells especially fresh. It’s not sweet or too masculine smelling; it’s subtle and clean. It also has a thick lather and is gentle on my sun-loved skin.

Not to mention that it also has the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture (with added vitamin E) of any of Dove’s body washes. Combined with a daily regimen of sunscreen and moisturizer, I feel like I’m giving my skin the TLC it deserves. After just a few days, my skin feels softer and smoother. With continued use, I hope to turn my waves into mere ripples!

I know it isn’t possible to completely fight off aging, but I can give it my best shot and Dove is one of my weapons of choice. Sure, it comes in a green bottle and smells like delightful essential oils, but that’s just a bonus; what I really like is that it packs a mean punch.

Speaking of essential oils; have you ever had a Swedish massage? See below for info on how to enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

Visit Dove^® VisibleCare^® to get a coupon for $1 off!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age

18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 – 8/22/2012

Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

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