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    Friday, May 18, 2012

    I'm a featured crafter on HeartHandmade!



    I just got the loveliest email telling me that I am a featured crafter on HeartHandmade! HeartHandmade is a fabulous blog that showcases artists of a wide variety of handcrafted products. Please stop by and read my interview there!

    Saturday, May 12, 2012

    Essentially Natural National Natural Hair Meetup Day

    Our products are going to be a part of the Essentially Natural National Natural Hair Meetup Day in Atlanta, Georgia this coming Saturday, May 19th! We are very excited to be a part of this event and have provided them with tons of samples, a special coupon for those attending the event, and product sheets for our soap and bath salt lines. If you're going to be attending this event, please look for Bunnies & Buggies Soaps and Bath Salts, and if you live in the area and are thinking about checking it out, you can click the above link for more information about purchasing admission.

    The event coordinators have provided me with the following information to share with you all:

    The Essentially Natural Event is a salon grand opening in conjunction with the Atlanta National Natural Hair Meetup Day! We will have special topics discussions in Hair, Skincare, Makeup, Nutrition and Massage Therapy!

    We have FREE massages, FREE one-on-one hair consultations with Ma'Mocha Naturals, FREE GIVEAWAYS throughout the day from companies such as Darcy's Botanicals, Coco Curls, Curly Kinks, and Amazing Botanicals! FREE parking and only $5 EARLY BIRD tickets!

    Friday, May 11, 2012

    Birthday Sale!

    Birthday Sale!!

    My 31st birthday is this weekend (gasp! the horror!) - on May 13th, specifically, so it also coincides with Mother's Day this year.

    And what did I ask for this year, for my birthday/Mother's Day? More soap supplies, of course! And then MORE soap supplies..... and still more soap supplies!

    What I'd REALLY like for my birthday though? To be able to share more of our products with the world. So, we're offering a special birthday coupon code for this weekend, starting 12:01 AM EST Friday, May 11th through 11:59 PM EST Sunday, May 13th.

    Just use coupon code BIRTHDAY2012 and you'll save a whopping 20% off ANY order in our Etsy shop! We'll still be adding new products all weekend long, so there will be something new to check out every single day. We appreciate all our loyal customers and thank you for your continued support and love for Bunnies & Buggies Boutique!

    Oh, and even if you're not up for shopping, please visit our Facebook page and say hi!

    Tuesday, May 8, 2012

    We've got handmade bath salts!

    Yay! Bath Salts!

    I'm so excited to finally say that we have a full, huge line of bath salts in stock in our shop!  It was a longer wait than I wanted to get an entire new product line, but we did it! Our bath salts are a blend of three different dead sea salts, epsom salt, and an extra-fine sea salt - and we have over 20 fragrances to choose from, with more arriving every day! One of my personal favorites is Sweet Mint, pictured above. It really helps me clear my head after a long day, and it's not too strong or too sweet. 

    All of our bath salts come in a big 5 ounce jar, which is enough for 4-8 baths (depending on your taste and strength of fragrance preference, you could actually get up to 12 baths from it) and comes in a resealable sturdy plastic jar. Come by and check them out!

    Friday, May 4, 2012

    Mint Mojito Soaps are now in stock!

    Mint Mojito Soaps are now in stock in our shop!
     
    They were a little slow to arrive, but Mint Mojito is the newest scent in our lineup in our Etsy shop. It's a blend of sweet mint (peppermint and spearmint blend) and tangy-sweet lime (the green swirls). This is a great, refreshing summer scent and we know you'll just love it!

    Saturday, April 28, 2012

    I got to test new Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo and Conditioner - and I am in love with my hair now!






    So, I had the pleasure of trying out Garnier Fructis' new shampoo and conditioner from their Triple Nutrition line - for free! - through BzzAgent. I'm usually skeptical of new hair products, even shampoos and conditioners, because I have an awful combination of super sensitive skin (I'm allergic to everything!) and really fine, thin hair - so many shampoos, and especially conditioners, either give me a bad reaction, or make my fine hair look flat! I'm so thrilled to say that these products have totally blown me away with how awesome they make my hair look.

    These are some of the benefits that Triple Nutrition offers:
    • Work best on dry or damaged hair
    • Nourish hair to the core so it shines from within
    • Formulated with Fortified Fruit Science – three weightless nutritive fruit oils (olive, avocado and shea)
    • Packed with ultra-rich and nourishing conditioners that rinse clean — we dare you to find something that treats your dry damaged hair better
    • Part of a larger Triple Nutrition line that includes Nutrient Spray and 3-Minute Undo Dryness Reversal Treatment
    • Have a suggested retail price of $3.99 (13 oz.) and $6.99 (25.4 oz.)
    • Available at grocery stores, drug stores and mass retailers like Target and Wal-Mart
    Again, I was really, REALLY skeptical. My hair is extremely dry and damaged, plus the aforementioned potential reactions and flat hair. The shampoo has a great lather, and really left my hair feeling clean AND sleek, and not at all tangled. The conditioner was very rich and thick - a little goes a VERY long way, unlike most rinse-out conditioners, and gave my hair a pretty glossy shine when dry. And, I had no bad reactions! They also smell AMAZING - a lot like apricot with some other fruity notes.

    Those of you who have read my reviews before know I won't say something is great just because I got to try it for free! This is my completely honest review. I'm never changing back to my old shampoo and conditioner again, and I think everyone should give them a try!

    Thursday, April 26, 2012

    Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes!

    So, I had promised all my employees (at my outside the house day job) a reward of lunch, snacks, etc of their choice if we exceeded certain company goals on any given week by at least 10%, something which is no small feat. I'm already known for my baking, as I bring in a lot of cookies and muffins when I make them at home anyway, and I told them they could literally choose anything they could think of. Well, last week they did it, and you know what they come up with? Boston Cream cupcakes.

    WHO COMES UP WITH THAT????

    Thankfully, they are not extremely difficult to make, although time consuming, but they came out so awesome and delicious I figured I'd share them here.

    Our fancy pants finished cupcake!

    I'm actually going to post the EASY version here. You could easily go full from-scratch, but then I'd be posting multiple recipes, and I'd like it to seem easy enough that you can do it yourself! The most complicated part of this will be timing and temperatures - if you don't prep everything at the right times, these can take way longer to assemble than necessary. You're going to need:

    1 box yellow cake mix (NOT a "pudding in the mix" one, it has to be regular) and all the ingredients to prepare the mix. I used Betty Crocker Classic Yellow, which required 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup of water, and 3 eggs.

    1 box instant vanilla pudding/pie filling (plus the milk to prepare it) I actually used the Walmart generic one this time, which is quite delicious actually, and requires 2 1/2 cups of milk. 

    1 can of Classic Chocolate frosting (I used Betty Crocker again) - NOT the "whipped" kind or it isn't going to finish up right and will taste funny.

    You can substitute any of the above with from-scratch yellow cake, vanilla pudding, or a chocolate ganache (all of which I will post the recipes I normally use on another day) and yes, they do taste better but take quite a bit longer and are more ingredient-intensive. You can make these cupcakes for about $6. The from scratch ones will run you more like $18, assuming you won't have ALL the ingredients in your pantry on an average day.

    First thing you need to do is make your cupcakes like normal according to the recipe. Be very mindful NOT to overfill the cups (2/3 full is plenty!) because they're going to fluff up quite a bit and you need to leave room for the filling! Using a whisk to mix your cupcake batter will help aerate it and get the nice little nooks and crannies in there that will fill with pudding later on. Also, get your cupcakes OUT of the oven as soon as they are springy to the touch, making sure not to overcook them, or they will be rubbery (or dry) and will not cooperate well when you go to add the filling!

    As soon as you get your cupcakes in the oven, prep your vanilla pudding according to the "for pie filling" recipe on the box. I used a family size pudding box and that required 2.5 cups of milk and I had pudding left over. Again, whisk your pudding mix and milk together, preferably in a wide bowl - this will create a shallow layer that will be easier to work with later. Get that in the fridge right away! 

    Ok, at this point, you can take a short break. :) Your cupcakes should take 20-28 minutes to bake. As soon as they're done, you need to cool them to room temperature, but don't put them in the fridge - get them out of the pan (to stop the cooking process) and on a plate or cooling rack. It takes about 35 minutes to get them down to room temp this way. Which is perfect because by then...... your pudding will be ready!

    So, before you start the end process, you'll need the following:
    A cupcake corer - I have this one, which is $3.99 at Bed Bath and Beyond - one of the best Christmas gifts I ever got! Or a paring knife
    Your can of frosting, and a small spatula or butter knife
    A 1 tsp size measuring spoon
    Some space and an empty plate in your refridgerator!

    Using your corer, take out the center of your cupcake but DO NOT DISCARD IT! (You can also cut out a cone shape, using a paring knife) Fill up the center of your cupcake with the pudding, using the measuring spoon as a scoop - this will give you just the right amount! Pull off the excess cake from the bottom of your cupcake center that you removed earlier, and use the "top" to cap off the pudding center. Fill ALL of your cupcakes with the pudding before moving on to the next step.

    Microwave the chocolate frosting for about 30 seconds on HIGH, then stir it well. It will be thin and liquidy, like chocolate syrup. You need to work quickly here. Scoop up some frosting on your butter knife or spatula, and plop it on the top center of your cupcake. Rotate your wrist in a circle, and the chocolate should spread around the top of the cupcake fairly evenly - it doesn't need to be perfect! As soon as you do that, get it on the cold plate in the fridge - this will allow the frosting to set and will give it that nice glossy shine like a true ganache would have! Repeat with the rest of the cupcakes. You can remove cupcakes from the fridge as they start to set - usually after about 3 minutes you can move them out of the way to make room as you go.

    And... you're all set! Your finished cupcakes should look something like this:

    Very important! Due to the pudding filling, these cupcakes NEED to be refridgerated if they are not being served immediately, or the pudding will separate and get all sorts of nasty. Be food safe!


    Monday, April 23, 2012

    Lemon Meringue Pie soap is here!

    I am so ridiculously excited to add this soap to our Etsy store that I had to share! This soap is the perfect sweet summer soap. It's got tart lemon, a tangy spun-sugar meringue fragrance, and a rich, buttery graham-cracker-like fragrance all blended together. The family was much disappointed that I wasn't actually baking a pie the day I tested this scent! On top of that, the bottom layer is a bright, glossy yellow, like the pudding filling, with a white "meringue" top - and it's a pretty weighty 5 ounces.



    We're not the only shop offering a Lemon Meringue Pie soap (but we are one of only a handful), but I think the value and size for the price is the best around! We also offer this bar in a sample size if you'd like to try it first - but I'm pretty sure you're going to love it.

    Boo Boo Bunnies from Jul's Sew Crazy

    I love, love, love getting packages in the mail - and we were super excited today to receive our package from Jul's Sew Crazy! We had ordered some Boo Boo Bunnies, to be part of a gift for an expectant mommy in the family, and I have to share them because these are the best-quality bunnies I've ever come across. Boo Boo Bunnies are cloth, usually terrycloth, shaped into a bunny with an opening to tuck an ice cube into, which you can then hold on an ouchie. The cloth absorbs any drips from the ice as it melts, and it's cute and cuddly and emotionally soothing for little ones.

    First off, HOW CUTE ARE THESE?!?! We ordered one each in pink and purple. They are very generously sized and shaped, so even though they are perfect for small hands, they're also a good size for an adult - and you know you wish you had a boo boo bunny when you step on a LEGO in the middle of the night. I love that these are bigger than the bunnies you get at retail stores typically. And, as you can see, the faces are completely embroidered and very nicely done - my pictures are awful but they have little mouths and whiskers under there! And the best part?
    LITTLE EMBROIDERED TAILS!!!!

    A rubber band holds the shape in place, which is covered by the ribbon. My only wish would be that it was sewn/tacked in place instead, something I'll probably do before mailing off as a gift. There was also a cute card enclosed with a little poem about the Boo Boo Bunny, which was a sweet touch.
    Jul's Sew Crazy has a bunch of Boo Boo Bunnies and other gorgeous embroidered items in her shop on Etsy. Boo Boo Bunnies sell for $5.00 each and come in a variety of colors - a great price for the little one in your life!

    Sunday, April 22, 2012

    We're having a SALE!

    We're having a Spring Clearance Sale from today, through May 15th at Bunnies & Buggies Boutique on Etsy. Don't worry, we're not closing! We've marked down several vintage items as well as several soap fragrances that we've either temporarily discontinued, or were just made from our older style bar shape - we're trying to get a more consistent look in our soaps, so we're clearing out those that are in the old style! Some items on sale include our Island Coconut soap, Peppermint Kissed soap, Sugar Plum Fairy soap, vintage dish and glassware and more!

    Items have been marked down up to 75% off the original prices, so please stop by and check out our sale section today!

    Wednesday, April 18, 2012

    We've added something totally NEW in our Etsy shop!

    Part of being away for a year included finding some limited time to really explore more hobbies, crafts, interests, etc. Although I had done soapmaking in the past, it was always something that was too time AND space consuming when we lived in our much smaller place in New York, and honestly it's a bit pricey to start up with. Last year though, I decided to get back into it, and we (me, my husband, and Bug) have all really taken it and RAN! Now we're at the point where we are adding 3-5 new fragrances to our shop every single week. Crazy, right?

    Well, we went beyond that this week, and introduced a totally new product. It's a bath puff soap on a rope, and it looks like this:

    Bath Puffy Soap on a Rope!

    I tried one, on a whim, and as soon as it was ready, I ran around the house quite literally screaming, "OH MY GOD IT'S JUST AS AWESOME AS I IMAGINED!". Hubby treated me like I lost my mind a bit, but oh well.


    I had considered trying to do a classic soap on a rope, but that left me thinking, "Well, what the heck is someone going to want a leftover rope for? There's got to be something better than this." I was able to find nylon bath puffs for a good price, and it all sort of clicked.

    There is an ENTIRE bath "pouf", "puffy", "scrubby" - whatever you might call it - completely embedded and submerged in a solid soap bar. I left the top rope piece out, because really, you should hang or shelve a soap to dry after using it. (It will help the soap last longer.)

    I've been testing one for the past month, and really, I know I made them but they're just THAT GREAT! They're awesome for kids because everything is contained - it's a combo soap and washcloth in one, and it doesn't get easily lost in the tub. They're HUGE - at just a hair under 10 ounces - double the size of our regular soap bars, and triple the size of a normal retail soap bar - and can last for over a month (depending on frequency of use of course).

    We're introducing these in the shop in Fresh Picked Blueberry, Strawberry Soda Pop, and Good Morning, Sunshine scents, but we can actually make them in custom fragrances as well if requested. And, here's a secret - stop by our Etsy store, and if you want to purchase one, send me a message that you saw it on our blog first, and we'll give you $1 off as well!

    Mom Reviews: PokePark 2 for Nintendo Wii

    It's been a while since I posted a product review, so I'm going to lead off with one that I had already prepared for PokePark 2 for the Nintendo Wii. This review was originally featured here at Epinions as well, click for the full version! The version below is edited for the sake of brevity, if you really need more details please stop and read the full 500+ word version above!

    Parents of little ones who are into Pokemon have probably heard such requests as, “I wish I could really have a pet Pikachu” or “Hey, Mom, can we go to the Pokemon theme park in Japan?” As a mom of such a child, I can say that the new PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond game for the Nintendo Wii makes a valiant attempt at filling the void between traditional Pokemon video games and a child’s desire to interact more with the adorable little creatures. For the basis of this review, I have to assume that you have some familiarity with Pokemon in general, lest you wouldn’t likely be reading this. I’m also going to assume based on personal experience, that you have a child at home clamoring for this game.

    The premise is fairly simple: you get to play as either Pikachu, Snivy, Oshawatt, or Tepig - a pleasant change from the original PokePark which allowed you to only play as Pikachu. As a Pokemon, you will need to befriend other Pokemon in the world, approximately 100 of them, by winning short battles, race events, or completing simple quests for them. There are also “Attractions”, playing off of the amusement park theme, which include simple games such as Pokemon trivia, Whack-A-Mole style carnival fun, and hide-and-seek. As you complete these games, you also unlock them in multiplayer mode, which will allow friends, or mom and dad, to jump in for a few minutes in games designed for two to four players. Overall, the game is a collection of minigames, wrapped in a pretty Pokemon-world called Wish Park.

    Your character is given a “Pokepark Pad”, or diary of sorts, to keep track of who you’re helping and where you need to go next. The more of these missions you complete, the more Pokemon you will unlock upon your journey.

    Thankfully, the controls are simple, as the game only requires the basic Wii remote, and most functions are completed with only the “A” button, which allows even the youngest of players or those not so gaming-inclined, to join in the fun. A relatively basic reading ability is required to play, as you will need to follow some directions that guide you on your journey. However, if your child is already reading well enough to play other games from the Pokemon franchise, it should pose no challenges.

    The graphics are well done, with bright, colorful, engaging worlds and accurate rendering of the Pokemon that your kids know and love. And, thankfully, the music and sound effects are mild and pleasant - unlike many other children’s games where I just want to hit the mute button after about ten minutes.

    Now for the down side: This game is only going to appeal to the very youngest of Pokemon fans. The game rides the line constantly of being almost too easy and is overall very short, as you can complete the bulk of the game in under 8 hours. As a parent of a 7 year old, it’s at just the right speed, with certain minigames requiring a little practice to win, but never getting so frustratingly difficult to turn him off from the game entirely. However, if you’re an adult Poke-addict or the parent of an older Pokemon fan, you’ll likely be disappointed. From a parent point of view, this game is probably best left to the 10-and-under crowd. A bit more entertainment can be drawn from the game with the feature of taking pictures along your adventure - something my son greatly enjoyed, as it allowed him to catch quick snapshots that he could show me and his friends later.

    Simplicity aside, I still maintain that this is a winning purchase for the younger set. It is one of the only games that allows you to take on the role of an actual Pokemon, which based on my experience is what many kids enjoy the most. And for the older kids and parents, the game allows you to jump in for a few minutes of playing together through the use of the multiplayer minigames, so that you can still get some “gaming together” time.

    Overall, this may be considered a pricy buy at $50, but the amount of enjoyment my son gets out of it, and the fact that he continues to return to it although he’s already finished the core game, makes it worthwhile. I would definitely recommend a rental first, or borrow it from a friend, if you have children on the older side as mentioned above. But in the end, this is definitely a worthy journey at a different perspective through the world of Pokemon.


    I am a horrible, horrible blogger.

    I didn't mean to be, it just sort of happened, a series of events that began last year and would snowball, accumulate speed, and then finally crash into something vaguely peaceful.

    I was embarrassed for a bit coming back here, logging into blogger a few times this month and staring at the last post date, which glared at me in the same way my cat does when he thinks I'm holding out on sharing some tuna fish with him. It sat there, in big black letters - February 11, 2011. I hadn't logged in for over a year. I was doing so very well with my regular posting and writing once upon a time. I felt guilty for giving it up.

    Then I started to reflect on all the events of the past year leading up to it:
    • Changing jobs (twice) including taking on and then later giving up an 85-miles-one-way commute to and from work; 
    • our decision to take Bug out of school and homeschool instead; 
    • going through a cancer scare with my husband, and then surgery with him later (something we're just beginning to get over); 
    • ending my Ebay business, but opening two other websites; 
    • doing all of this while trying to be a good wife, a good mom, and work two jobs. 
    Maybe I should spend less time feeling guilty, and more time just getting back to writing already. It's going to be a good year.