Thursday, September 22, 2011

Happy Birthday Mommy!

My favorite picture ^.^


My parent's birthdays' are about a month apart, hence my last happy birthday message, but instead of my dad, this time it's my mommy's day to shine xD

She has requested we go up and spend the weekend (or at least a day) with my sister at college, so we've been researching things to do when we go up-And of course I get to see the campus, so I'm pretty excited!

Happy, happy birthday to my wonderful mommy :)

I love you!







Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Self Employment Happiness-Baby Chichi Boutique


Welcome Cynthia of Baby Chichi Boutique on Etsy!



Cynthia hails from Raleigh, North Carolina where she happily devotes her days to her full time job: her Etsy shop!

"I spent 9 years in the corporate world, and never stopped dreaming of the day I would be my own boss," she explained to me in our interview. When the time finally came in 2007, she took those first steps to self employment freedom and started doing her own research on business.

Somewhere in between there, she stumbled on the embroidery market.

"I have always been very crafty and love designing and creating, but I wasn't familiar with embroidery at all."

Something must have captured her attention about the craft because she spent the next 2 years learning everything she could about the market and products, and in 2009, she made "the big move" and purchased a commercial embroidery machine. "I spent the next 1.5 years learning and perfecting my craft and in 2011 launched my custom baby boutique. I have never been happier!"

Since opening her shop front in August of this year, Cynthia has made quite a name for herself with over 60 items sold already and 100% positive feedback!

When Cynthia is not devoting her time to her appliques and embroidery, she likes to also take part in other creative outlets, two of which are jewelry design and painting. Regardless of the creative method, though, what really drives her is pushing herself to 'think outside the box'-"I love to come up with a design that is beautiful and unique and not something you're going to see every other child wearing!"

Advice from Cynthia: "Perfect your craft! Be a perfectionist, it will pay off in the end. Accept that some days will be good, while others won't be, but never, ever, ever give up what you love doing."

Things to keep in mind about Cynthia and her products:

*Custom orders are always available! Just message her with the details and she'll be happy to work with you :)

*Make sure to like her Facebook Fanpage for the latest happenings, discounts, and promotions!

*For payment, shipping, and other information of the like, check out her Shop Policies Page.

A big thanks to Cynthia for allowing me the pleasure of this interview and feature! Do you have a little one in your life that could benefit from some handmade love? Check out Baby Chichi Boutique and see what you can find-or go ahead and just have something custom made ;)


Items in Post:

Custom Monogrammed Lily Flower Applique Onesie

Custom Monogrammed Number with Fish Birthday Boy Shirt

Nautical Ship and Anchor Applique Baby Boy Gift Set





Tuesday Blog Hops


So, I'm hoping on the linky-love train and joining in on the fabulous memes I've seen circulating around the blogosphere lately...

Follow Me Back Tuesday!

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Thanks goes to our hostesses for putting on such a lovely meme::

Survey Junkie
Little Yaya's
Boobies, Babies and a Blog



To-the-TOP Tuesday Blog Hop!


Give it up to the hostesses with the mostesses::

One Little Mister
Frugal Plus



Blog It Forward Tuesday!






Give a round of applause for these Blog Hop hostesses:

Sweep Tight
Just Married With Coupons



Follow Me Chickadee Tuesdays!



Sippy Cup Mom

Last but certainly not least, this hop is hosted by::

The Life of a Sippy Cup Mom!
Stash Mama
Lilac City Momma
Dandy Giveaway
One+One=Four


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New to The Eclectic Element?

Pop a squat, grab some refreshments or nosh a little {I'd offer you a wide variety of somethin-somethins, but I'm not sure where ya'll live}, and say Hi xD

I'll be sure to visit and follow you as well!





Inspirational Tuesday(9/20)





"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree."

--Emily Bronte



Fall is almost here!
Just two more days ^.^








Monday, September 19, 2011

Crazy Stupid Love *Movie Review*



Movie Synopsis:

Cal (Steve Carell) thought everything in his life was going good-good job, great kids, a wonderful wife, Emily (Julianne Moore). That is until after dinner one night at a local restaurant, Emily unexpectedly admits she wants a divorce over dessert.

Broken-hearted and alone, Cal hits up the local bar where he meets sharply dressed, smooth talker, Jacob (Ryan Gosling). Jacob takes Cal under his wing and teaches him everything he knows about woman; how to look, what to do and what to say to get one to go home with you.

Amidst that learning curve (that takes awhile to stick I might add), we take a peak into the love lives of Cal's son Robbie (Jonah Bobo), the kids' babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), and even Jacob's budding romance with 'the life changer' girl he just met, Hannah (Emma Stone).

Things start to get out of hand when each love story overlaps and lines are crossed in this romantic comedy that leaves no heart untouched by that little trickster cupid.


My Thoughts:

Separate lives intertwine in this modern love story and age is nothing but a number where cupid is concerned.

My wonderful boyfriend took me to see this because he know I had been wanting to see it since it came out, and I must say it was quite a fun 'date night' movie for the both of us! Afterword, he admitted that he really DID like the movie a lot. Hehe.

I personally did, too, but it wasn't WOW worthy like I had initially thought by the trailer-I hate it when all the good parts are included in the trailer O.o

Anyway, regardless, it was a really good movie, if not a little slow going. It was quite funny in a dry humor sort of way-I found myself laughing so hard at some of the parts that my stomach hurt! The actors included in this movie are some pretty well known one's, too-I really enjoy Emma Stone as an actress and Ryan Gosling....whew ;)

Truth be told, I think that was my favorite storyline.

Girls, grab your guys and make them watch this with you!! It's really cute and you'll both enjoy it :)




**This is an opinion solely based on my thoughts and opinions of the movie in question and no one elses. I was not influenced one way or another to write the subject matter in this review, so if you don't like it or don't agree with it, that is your choice and I fully respect it so please extend me the same courtesy**




Music Moves Me Monday(9/19)


Welcome to Music Moves Me Monday!

This meme is hosted by a group of seriously great people-Dolly of XmasDolly, Lorie of The Shewbridges of Central Florida, Larrie of CakeBlast, and last but certainly not least, Callie of JAmericanSpice!

Here are the rules if you wanted to participate::

First step: Run over to You Tube, (or wherever), and lock & load! Get your pick for the theme of the week.

Second Step: Grab our "Monday's Music Moves Me" button::



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Third step: SIGN THE LINKY - Dance (follow) your host/hostesses, and grab their buttons.

Final step: Start lookin' for a partner and boogie on down to her blog, and say hello, and tag (follow) her/him, and leave a nice comment. If you've been tagged (followed) be hip, and get on over there, and tag (follow) her back and leave a comment.


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I really like today's theme-pick a song from the year you were born!
In my case, that's good ol' 1989-Let's see what I can find :)

Enjoy!


Guns N' Roses--Welcome to the Jungle




Have a musical week everyone!





Mailbox Monday(9/19)



Mailbox Monday divulges into the inner workings of my mailbox throughout the week. From books to jewelry to free samples to random magazines and letters-You never know what will be in the mail this week...



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 I cashed in my points on Toluna.com and got me a $20 check, which (after patiently waiting a week or so) came this week :)

It's much needed, too!
 
 
 
 
 
 
What did you get in the mail this week?
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, September 16, 2011

Say WHAT!?


As my regular readers know (or may not know depending on how long you've been gone or how many posts you have missed), I am taking 2 online courses through my local community college.

Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Business.

While reading about global markets and different kinds of cultural differences in my intro. to business textbook the other day, I came across a little blurp at the bottom of one page about big-name companies taking their business global and a few cultural language oopsies that have occured-I must say, I was doubled over laughing at all of these!

So, of course, I HAD to share :)

  • PepsiCo attempted a Chinese translation of "Come Alive, You're in the Pepsi Generation" that read to Chinese customers as "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Dead."
  • Coors Brewing Company put its slogan "Turn It Loose" into Spanish and found it translated as "Suffer from Diarrhea."
  • KFC's patented slogan "Finger-Lickin' Good" was understood in Japanese as "Bite Your Fingers Off."
And my personal favorite...
  • Perdue Chicken used the slogan "It Takes a Strong Man to Make a Chicken Tender," which was interpreted in Spanish as "It takes an Aroused Man to Make a Chicken Affectionate."
{Text courtesy of Understanding Business 9th Edition by Nickels, McHugh, and McHugh}


Can you imagine being one of those citizens and translating these advertisements!? Oh man...I'm torn between whether I would be too creeped out to attempt to buy the products, or whether I just think it's so funny that I would HAVE to have bought the products!

Hope these made you laugh as much as they did me xD







Aloha Friday #44


From Kailani of An Island Life:

"In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day that we take it easy and look forward to the weekend. So I thought that on Fridays I would take it easy on posting, too. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer."

I'm going to follow her lead, kick back, relax and see what you all have to say on this lovely Friday!

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Today's question is:


What camera do you use and do you like it? If not, what camera would you like to get?


Since my Sony Cybershot camera died, I'm completely lost! No self respecting internet businesswoman/blogger should EVER be without a camera O.o

My wonderful mother has told me that she'll buy me a new camera as an early birthday gift! How great is that!? 

So any advice is much appreciated :)

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!








Featured Blogger Friday(9/16)

Recently, I was contacted by a very sweet guy named Andrew wondering if I would feature him in one of my Featured Blogger Friday segment-"Well, of COURSE," I thought!

It's been awhile since I've done a FBF post and I was quite thrilled to be given the opportunity again, especially with a relatively new blogger (to me at least).

So, everyone, meet Andrew of Something Undone!




Q. What’s your name and blog? What other information would you like to share?

My blog is named "Something Undone."

Q. Why did you choose that name for your blog?

I'm a single Father of four, and think that in general the
stuff I have to do on a day to day basis might be a bit routine, but there's hardly anything routine about raising kids on your own... as a guy I had to learn a lot of stuff I hadn't planned on needing to know.

Q. Why did you start blogging?


I first started writing as a creative outlet, I had stories in my head and I wanted them out.  I found that
as I was taking more and more of the role of primary care provider for the children that I just wanted to share some of what I experienced with other people who were less dependent on me for their diapers and daily care.

Q. What kind of stuff do you cover with your blog? Is there a specific genre you write about or is the sky the limit?

I write a lot about my life, it's a creative outlet for my philosophies and lectures that I often share with the children... but in general the sky is the limit, some days I'll write stories, others I'll post health advice and diet plans (I'm big into working out and being healthy) and others I'll simply post pics of the last big birthday party.

Q. What is one must read post that you have written {Include Link}?


I wrote a post once about a job interview I was preparing for, it seems to get a lot of hits, probably because it also talks about how to prepare to fight a dragon. http://www.somethingundone.com/2009/04/how-to-slay-a-dragon-a-knights-perspective/

Q. Name one thing you love about your blogging job.


I love to share my perspective; I think that so many people see the world 'as it is' and often it's nice to share the world ... just how I see it.

Q. Name one thing you’re not quite fond of about your blogging job.


I don't love it when I miss the mark, it's not often, but sometimes there's something that's written so specifically in my own private perspective that people miss the point entirely.  I've gotten better at that over time.

Q. What’s one random fact about you?


I love to see people become more than they are.  I like to leave people better than I found them... if I have to leave at all.

Q. Inspiration comes in many forms for different people. What inspires you?


The voices in my head inspire me ;) lol my daily experiences, my children, people I talk to, I get a lot of inspiration from dreams.  I have extremely good dream recall.

Q. Where else can we find you(Personal Website, Etsy Shop, Twitter, Facebook, Etc.)?

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Liquidicus




Thursday, September 15, 2011

Voda Swim Bathing Suit *Review*


I know, I know, it's late into September and I'm reviewing bathing suites?! "Seriously, what is she thinking," you might ask yourself, or 'doesn't she know it's nearly Fall?" To answer your clearly personal thought of thoughts, yes I DO know Fall is around the corner and I will tell you what I'm thinking: I had won a bathing suit courtesy of one of my favorite people, Jana a.k.a Boobies over at Boobies, Babies, and Blog for my choice of bathing suit from Voda Swim, and had such a wonderful experience with the company, that I wanted to do a review!

Unfortunately, circumstances have gotten in the way of this darn review and I just haven't been able to get it done O.o For that, I would like to apologize to Voda Swim and the ever-patient Kelly and Nicole for making you wait!

Now, onto the good stuff!

A little about Voda Swim and their products directly from their site:

"The Envy Push Up line by Voda Swim, the first swim suit line designed especially to flatter small-breasted women or to shape breasts by providing lift and support, has the kind of cutting edge style that satisfies the most demanding fashionista. Beyond their good looks, Voda Swim suits are designed to take on any beachside activity from sunbathing to surfing to volleyball."



What is an Envy push up? As demonstrated in the picture above, the Envy push up bikini top is made to maximize what the good Lord gave you! It works with a woman's natural shape no matter what her  size to create a natural looking cleavage-No padding or underwire necessary :)

With several different styles, colors, and designs to choose from, their Shop by Style Guide will point you in the right direction of the ultimate bathing suit experience. If your more of an 'In-Store' kinda person, though, definitely head over to their Retail Location Page and see if there is a store near you!

My Thoughts:

At the time, I had been trying to win one of these bathing suits for over a year! I cannot tell you how happy I was when I was actually informed that I WON :D

After a couple hour of deciding on which one I wanted, I finally settled on the simple and elegant  Midnight Envy Push Up Turquoise Stone Bikini (pictured to the left).

Absolutely stunning, no?!

I waited ever so patiently for my lovely suit to arrive once I submitted my information, and after a week, it did! Eeeeeeek! You KNOW within minutes of opening that package, I was in that suit and struttin' my stuff :)

Thankfully I did try it on right away because I noticed a small snafoo-while the Envy push up bikini is made for less 'endowed' woman, we'll  just say I am not one of those woman; the medium bottoms fit like a glove, but the large top that I had ordered, was too SMALL (I think that would be my only complaint with Voda Swim and their bikinis-Not many of the designs come in extra larges).

I wasn't exactly sure what to do because I HAD won it and I didn't really know the return and exchange policy, but I worried for no good reason! I was immediately put in contact with someone who helped me with the return process and who also helped me choose a new bikini...

Say hello to the Lavender Envy Push Up String Bikini (pictured to the right)! When this suit arrived, I tried it on to make sure everything was good, and it fit perfectly-Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a better swimsuit if I went to the store and tried on one! Which, ironically I can never do because they all never fit right. Go figure.

I would like to apologize again, this time for the lack of picture-As you may or may not know, my camera died before I could take a picture of myself in my new bikini :(

Regardless, all in all, the product and the customer service were beyond what I could have imagined, and would definitely recommend Voda Swim to any woman who is in need of a new suit!

Speaking of, it's not too late! Well, if you're going on vacation to a tropical island that is ;)

You can still be bikini ready for next year with 10% off your next purchase using the code: ECLECTIC!!

Thanks again goes to Voda Swim for such a wonderful experience!




**Disclaimer: The bathing suit that was reviewed was won in a blog giveaway on Boobies, Babies, and a Blog. I was in no other way compensated for this review. All thoughts, opinions, and words contained and expressed in the above blog post are mine and mine alone unless otherwise stated** 




Health Update Thursday(9/15)




Yes, it is coming up to be that time yet again, and yet again, I find myself unable to walk and in bed due to the impending visitation of one TOM.

Why do I have to be a woman?

Ugh.

That's pretty much all I've got for you guys today-I have to get started on my homework now, so hopefully everyone has a better Thursday then me!!







Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Alas, I'm Pictureless...


I write these words with a tear in my eye and a heavy heart-my beloved digital camera took it's last picture and is no more...

*hangs head in grief*

Granted, it did have an unfortunate face-to-face meeting with the wooden back deck when I was taking pictures of my jewelry the other day, but aside from that, I sensed it was on it's last leg awhile ago.

My parents got me my wonderful silver colored point-and-shoot Sony Cybershot DSC-W50 right before I turned 17 years old (my golden birthday to be exact)-It was my FIRST digital camera, and I remember it like it was yesterday! That being my golden birthday and all, I had a big party planned and the night before my parents took me aside and said that they figured I could use my present early for the party the next day.

I was so excited!

This camera has lasted me through quite a lot of experiences in the past 4 years (seriously, 4 years is like 100 in technology speak!). It had a good, long life and as a tribute, I would like to share some of the pictures it took along the way.





The mourning process can't last forever-Any advice or recommendations for a new camera!?






R.I.P Sony Cybershot DSC-W50

November 2007-September 2011








Win It Wednesday(9/14)


~*!*~Win It Wednesday~*!*~




Win a ReadyU Care Package filled with P&G Goodies!!


Ends September 24, 2011









Win a Copy of Modern Family Season Two on DVD!!


Ends September 26, 2011












Win your choice of rub from Mohawk Rugs!!


Ends October 1, 2011








Have giveaways you want to advertise?

Link them below!!






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