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I adore handmade things. If I could afford to buy solely artisan-made things and fill my life with them I would. But I'm mostly a thrift store, consignment shop kind of girl. I only splurge every once in a while, and usually on other people. When I do, I almost always go for the fun artisan type things. Wooden boxes, handmade clay objects, things like that. They are so beautiful.
This shoulder bag that I just got struck me as particularly stunning. It's a green bag made from a beautifully textured cotton fabric. It's not a large bag, but it's got so many features that are fantastic and intricate. So let me go over some with you.
First of all, the fabric and design itself is wonderful. The textures of it all, from the bare fabric to the embroidery and the cross stitching, it's beautiful. I love how the white embroidered snakes rise up from the bag.
Then you have the decorative button on the front, which to my surprise is in fact a functioning button. A fabric loop wraps around it to keep the bag closed. The button is designed to be a coconut flower and is accented with burns in the wood.
The shoulder straps are cinched together and wrapped with a golden cord, each end having 3 wooden beads. The beads are lighter than what's in the stock photo on Amazon, these ones are very pale in comparison. The cinched straps give yet another wonderful texture to look at and looks lovely. I can't wit to see how my sister likes it when she sees it on Christmas.
What do you look for in a bag? To learn more, check out Novica on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google +, or on their website at Novica.com.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
I am not a super organized person. I'm not. I often notice that I am at a drive through getting drinks and yet I still have all cup holders full from earlier. Or I will be bringing the cart full of groceries to the van just to remember that I never did unload the trunk from our beach trip the week before. The beach trip where I brought a bunch of floaties with no way to carry them all down to the sand except by armload. I'm awful. I never think about where things will go or how I will juggle it all.
So big thanks to Dot & Dot for the awesome help in that area. No longer will I have to try to juggle my drink, Boog's drink, my camera, and other such things when we go to the beach or walk around town. Check out my new Dot & Dot stroller organizer!
What makes this so cool is how versatile it is. It fits pretty much any stroller! It fits my jogging stroller and my umbrella stroller and I know it will fit the double stroller because it comes with this extra double ended extender belt. The belt not only can be used to create a loop for stroller handles, but can also be used to create a loop that can be used on a head rest in a vehicle.
But my absolute favorite part is the hooks. I think they're meant to help hold other things like for example, my water bottle there, or a camera bag, etc. But I used them to lower the whole unit so that the brake cable on the stroller wasn't interfering in the items in the organizer. It was an awesome thing to have, that's for sure.
It has two bottle holders and a rectangle pocket with a magnet closure on top as well as a rectangle zipper pocket and a smaller open pocket in the front. Another cool feature is that the inside of bottle containers is kind of puffy, so it holds the drinks tight. I'm definitely super happy to have this, it's going to help a LOT whenever we go anywhere. I recommend it for sure!
What's your favorite way to keep things organized on the go? To learn more, check out Dot & Dot on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest, Amazon, and on their website at DotDotTravel.com.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
Not too long ago, My mother-in-law got a new bag. It was a book bag with the most awesome pocket ever. It was a pocket designed to hold wipes so that you could retrieve them without having to even open the bag. WHAT!?!? I thought that was the most awesome bag EVER! Fellow parents, you've got to know the struggle. A million things a day requiring wipes and having to dig in your bag and find the package each and every time. Ugh! I honestly just let my kids go messy because it was such an irritation.
Well, I'm proud to say that I am now an owner of such a bag. My new bag is the Bag Nation Diaper Bag Backpack with 12 pockets. It's not only a diaper bag, but a stroller organizer too. It's got these cool little loop type buckles that attach it to the handle of the stroller. Isn't that cool!?
So here's the wipe pocket, isn't it awesome! In the spirit of brutal critique, it'd be perfect if the pocket would round out a little in the middle to accommodate these type wipes. because the wipes sometimes pop open when the tab part catches on the edge of the pocket. The hole is a smidge too small. but... I can get wipes. Without searching, fiddling, digging, or returning. Just open and grab. It's pretty stinking handy. I couldn't count the number of times I have used it already and been thankful for it.
The inside of the bag is a gorgeous and vibrant blue. It's the perfect complimentary color to the black. It's a polyester type material. The outer material seems very durable, water-resistant, and stain resistant. It's really nice.
The pockets on this bag seem to come in every style, shape, and size. There's one large compartment with little pockets inside the lining. There's a semi circle pocket in the top of the front, a zippered pocket below that's about the right size to hold a glasses case, and there's a Velcro pocket below that that is medium sized. Then on each side, there is a long pocket that would be perfect for holding either a small umbrella or a sports bottle. Then there is the wipe pocket and on the other side there is a bottle pocket with a temperature control liner.
The bag also comes with a changing pad that's considerably squishy, more so than the ones that come with most baby bags. It also comes with a sundry bag, essentially a bag for the toiletries of baby days... things like ointment, clippers, lotion, etc. I use it as a wet bag for diapers that I don't want to leave somewhere else. Like when you're at a birthday party or something and you don;t want to leave a stinky diaper in your host's garbage can... that kind of situation.
So anyway, as you can see, the bag rocks. By the way, the padding on the back, where it rests on your back side, is SOOOOO soft and squishy. I whole-heartedly recommend this baby bag to any parent or parent-to-be. What's your favorite feature in a baby bag?
To learn more, check out Bag Nation on Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, or on their website at MyBagNation.com.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
As a family with a lot of kids, we've gone through our share of baby bags. We've had cutesy character ones, classy ones, backpack style, purse style... really, it was just a purse, and even a handmade one (Thanks, Hil!). But you know what we've never had? A Dad Bag. A bag my husband can use. Now granted, my husband has changed a whole 10 diapers in as many years, and he doesn't often have the kids without also having me around... but if he did, he sure as heck wouldn't want to tote around a purse!
But I can see him maybe carrying this around. It's a camo tote bag, also can be used as a man's baby bag.
It has one large main pocket like a tote bag. It's inside is a peachy tan and the material is the kind that turns white when creased. I actually was a bit worried it might crack, but it's held strong for weeks. I love it's durability!
It also has a small, hanging, zippered pocket inside the main area. It's great for things like binkies, teethers, or small play things.
The back of the bag has a wide pocket with a Velcro closure in the middle. I find this pocket perfect for a changing pad, but there's lots of possibilities for it.
The handles are sturdy and comfortable. The outside is water-resistant material, so things inside are going to stay dry. Unless you drop it fully into a lake and submerge it. Please don't do that and expect it all to stay dry. That's silly. But your normal walk-to-the-car-in-the-rain stuff, it'll handle that. Overall, I think this bag is excellent. I've been using it every day for my older kids' stuff, it fits everything. Things like their water bottles and their hats and stuff. I would recommend it for sure.
Are you a camo print fan? To learn more, check out Bayfield on Amazon.
Except for the product(s) given to me for the purpose of reviewing, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.
