Keepin' the Kiddos Calm...

I'm sure I've mentioned before that we are a Military Family.  And as we all know: Military Families are always on the go.  MOST families are always on the go, actually, but we move so much it's hard to keep up with all our stuff.  This is actually one of the reasons I started buying Thirty-One to begin with.  They have so many products for keeping up with your things and organizing that I couldn't NOT spend my money on their quality products.  I started out with a Thermal Tote that I used to carry water bottles to the park, and just last week I placed an order for things to organize my son's bedroom.  I'll share pictures of that when my order comes in!

One of the products that I learned about this Spring was the Fold n' Go organizer.  I thought I could use it for organizing a few every day things I needed for my jewelry business.  I kept business cards in one pouch, the note pad that came with it in the middle and some brochures on the side with the stretch pouch.  It worked out perfectly!  But I didn't realize how many uses that puppy actually HAS until I needed a solution for another problem I had...

My kids love to carry things with them.  My oldest loves to read and draw, my middle girl loves to color and use stickers, and then my son just does whatever the girls are doing at the moment because he's 4 and it's easier to copy than come up with something on his own.  They were using the pouches on the back of my car seats and they left crayons in there (and of course, they melted) because they couldn't get their fingers in all the way to pull them back out.  BIG PROBLEM.  I looked at all the stuff they kept bringing in and out of the car and I thought "I think I have something that might help..." and I dumped out my Fold n' Go organizer and badabing!  It all fits, including my son's Leap Pad!  I wish I had pictures of how "we" use ours, but we only have ONE.  The rest are coming soon!  Until then, I'll let you feast your eyes on the way another customer has decided to use hers!  Fantastic!

I already love this product!!  

Information and what-not...

Hey y'all!  I just wanted to take a moment to say: this page isn't intended to sell Thirty-One's products.  I'm not stating any affiliation whatsoever with Thirty-One products, nor am I intentionally providing you with inside information that would benefit the company or any consultant.  This blog is for informational purposes only.  It is intended to show you how much I love the product, how you can use the product, and just generally have a good time with a product line that I believe in and support based on my own personal experiences and beliefs.  I've been buying Thirty-One for two years now, and I'm hooked.

You can clearly see from the photos that these are MY items.  I own them, I've customized them, and I'm showing you how I use them.  If you decide to purchase your items based on how I use mine, that's completely up to you!  I hope you do; I hope you see how wonderful the products are and that you want them in your home.

You can find all the information that I share here on their website or through any search engine you'd like.  It is open, public knowledge that they provide themselves to help you make your decisions!  I'm sure that since you found this blog, you are already interested in the product...I'm just here to show you what you can do with it.  Who you purchase it from is entirely up to you.  Keep in mind: if you already know someone who sells Thirty-One, you can search for your consultant through their website.  Also, public knowledge.

Thirty-One is a Christian-based company, from what I've seen and read, and I can get with a product line that shares my morals.  I'd rather buy my products from them than someplace else like a big-box store that provides terrible customer service and even lower quality products.

I have several online blogs where I blog about other topics.  I have one for hand-crafted jewelry, and I have one for religious topics.  You're more than welcome to check out those blogs as well.  Have a Thirty-One-derful day, everyone!

Summer Camps and Sleep Overs!

Wow!  It's finally Summer!  Summer is one my favorite times of year.  It's gorgeous (and hot) outside, and there's so much to do.  The days are longer, the food is sweeter and the mosquitos are bigger!  Maybe it's just an Alabama-thing...

When I was a kid, Summer was all about camp and sleep-overs.  Instead of sleep-away camp, we mostly went to day-camps for daycare while our parents worked.  But it was still amazing!  We still brought our back packs and lunch boxes and I can't even tell you how many times I lost mine, traded mine for something better (a three layered skirt---THREE LAYERS and HOT PINK...a Milli Vanilli tape single...those were the days...) and got in trouble.  I hated my stuff.  It was totally lame.  I begged for cute stuff, but nope.  Mom couldn't afford it. But now, I have a solution: Thirty-One!  Affordable, sometimes FREE but ALWAYS adorable!  If I could be my 10 year old self again, here's what I'd pick:

Cinch Sac: Best Buds

Thermal Tote; Best Buds

Icon Coin Purse; Turtle

Look how stinkin' cute these things are?  And of course we do have these in other patterns; this one just happens to be *my* favorite!  Mom could have gotten me these and she could have gotten herself a Large Utility Tote for $10 if this was the June special way back then... 

I bet your kids would love to carry some of Thirty-One's amazing products.  All of them are so useful!  My daughters all have one of the pieces I shared above; my DOG even has a Cinch Sac!  My son has a them as well, along with zipper pouches to sort his necessities (he's still small and needs a diaper bag type thing).  That's another great idea for another blog!

All of them together...fantastic look for your daughter!

Hey, who's walkin' who??

Charlie Girl is my best friend.  She's the prettiest blonde I know; and the smartest, too!  She keeps all my secrets, she doesn't steal my food, and she plays a mean game of fetch.  Yep, she's my good girl.  My pretty little Golden Retriever/Lab mix.  Did you think I was talking about my "human" best friend?  Nahhh, she's a red-head with freckles, but she's all the things I mentioned above (well...I dunno about the fetchin'...I think Charlie's a little better at it than she is!) but she doesn't steal my food!

We walk almost every day. And she's not a very big dog, but she's a tugger, so I needed a new leash.  She tugged the clasp right off of her old one.  I found one in the craziest place: my Thirty-One catalog!  I bet you didn't know they sold them.  I didn't, either.  They have four different patterns, and they're adorable.  I'm so glad I got one for her.  It's bright and colorful so you can see us coming and it's long an sturdy, too.  It's perfect for us!

She's a girl; girls need *things*.  I have my makeup bag, and Charlie has her Cinch Sac.  Yes, I bought my dog a Cinch Sac!  She needs a collapsible water bowl, a bottle of water, her poop bags, an extra leash and some benadryl.  And of course, an extra bottle of water for me!

So, my spoiled pooch walks in style.  She's got her adorable Pink Cross Pop Cinch Sac, her Perfect Pet Leash in Island Damask, and a mommy who loves her dog and her product SO MUCH that she couldn't imagine leaving her house without it!  All four patterns are below:

The Perfect Pet Leash.  It's 70 inches long (Almost 2 feet) and about an inch thick.  And I mean this thing is THICK.  Your dog won't break it.  It even has "Thirty-One" engraved into the ring!  It's adorable!  You can't go wrong with any pattern!

Running, exercise and other dirty words...

I know a lot of people only run when they're being chased or they've found a great sale; I've seen all the cute little Facebook graphics!  And that's ok!  But I run.  I run to things, from things, into furniture and into doors.  I run diagonally and sideways and alongside things.  I run backwards, forwards and in circles.  I love to run.  And when I run, I usually have to drive away from my home to get to the nature trail that I love or to a decent track in a safe place.  Sometimes you'll even catch me at the *gulp* gym.  I hate the gym.  Anyone else hate lunks?  You know, those women who have no business being there other than to remind us that if we skip brownies for the rest of our lives we *still* won't look like that?  Yeah...

 Anyway, I need a few things when I exercise.  Usually, I like to have my little sweat rag, my arm band, my ear phones, a bottle of water, my cell phone and of course, my knee braces (yes, I'm getting old!).  I used to throw them in the passenger seat of the car and it would all get tossed around when I drive (Yes, I drive like a maniac).  I got tired of scooping my things out of the crack in the door, the floorboards in the front and back seats and everyplace else my random goodies have rolled to.  I realized that Thirty-One carries this awesome bag: Cinch Sac.  It's light-weight, you can wipe it down when it gets wet, it's easy to carry and it's super cute.  I think what sold me is the last part: SUPER CUTE!  It comes in a variety of patterns, and it's only $20!  You can't beat that.  Here's my entire Thirty-One joggin' set:

What you see here is: Cinch Sac in Punch Bowl 

Timeless Wristlet  

*Bring-A-Bottle 

Hey...what's that "asterisk" there for?  Well, truth be told:  The Bring-A-Bottle right now is back-ordered with no estimated fill date from what I've been told.  But it's a product worth waiting for!  You can fit your water bottle inside and it'll keep it cool the entire time you're out exercising.  I leave mine in the car, and it's nice and frosty when I'm finished with my workout.  "What's that cute little wristlet thingy?"  It's the Timeless Wristlet.  It comes in several patterns.   It comes with the little leather wrist strap and it's great for holding cash, credit cards, identification cards, and pictures.  There's a slot in the back for a cell phone (unless you're like me and you have a Galaxy Note...) or whatever else you'd like to place in it, and a zipper pouch to hold your cards inside.  I love mine.  I use it for quick trips out when I don't feel like grabbing my wallet.  You could toss it in your Cinch Sac, or you could toss it in an Organizing Utility Tote used as a diaper bag!  A lot of people do...

My Favorite Pattern...and other biased opinions!

Oh...my...goodness!  I got my latest order in today and I can't even tell you how excited I am!  Thirty-One has three new patterns this summer: Fun Flops, Pink Pop Medallion and Best Buds.  I love flip flops, so that was a great pattern for me!  Who doesn't love black and pink together, So Pink Pop Medallion was another winner.  But Best Buds...was like...it.  It's my ultimate favorite Thirty-One pattern of ALL TIME.  Yes, ALL TIME!  Here's what I've got in this amazingly awesome pattern:

                                        

On a related note:  I think it's time for an intervention...

Lemme tell you 'bout my best frend...

Cute pattern alerrt!!!

This one right here is in the pattern "Fun Flops".  I have fought the urge to buy EVERYTHING in this pattern.  So far, I've won that battle...but it's a tough one!!

But I do have it in a few items: Large Utility Tote, Cinch Sac and the Thermal Tote.

I use my Large Utility Tote for: hampers for my kids, in my trunk to hold all the things I might need, in my pantry to hold and organize my food, to carry in the groceries and keep them from sliding around in my car, for toy boxes in my kids' rooms, for carrying other fantastic Thirty-One products, for my husband's tools and other junk in his truck...*gasping for air* for towels in my linen closet, for carrying my jewelry (I'm also a jewelry designer) and products for craft fairs, holy cow, the list goes on!!!  So you can see two things clearly: I'm obsessed and you need this product!

Here's my "Fun Flops" collection:

Ok, so I have a LOT of the line, but there's something I'm missing and I'm NOT gonna buy it...  today.  :)

I've got spirit; yes I do! Thirty-One has spirit...do you?

It's (almost) football season!  More specifically: NCAA College football season!  I have my favorites, but I'll keep them to myself.  I'm going to share pics of my husband's favorite team (try not to hold it against me!) to show you Thirty-One's amazing Collegiate product line.

Below is the Cinch Sac (with collegiate embroidery) in different ways! These teams aren't endorsed by me, personally (Ok, *one* of them is, but I'm not saying which); these were just the ones I had either in my home or pictures I've picked up along the way.  They look pretty great, right?

Did I spark some interest with my picture-getting skills?  Fantastic!  I've got some better information below for you to see exactly which schools Thirty-One currently has to offer and what expressions are allowed.  Unfortunately, you can't make your bag say just anything you'd like; the colleges gave Thirty-One rights to only certain mottos and sayings that can be put on each bag.  Check out their website for full information.

Unfortunately, it won't let me cut and paste each individual team's embroidery here.  If you click the link, it takes you to the main collegiate page.  You click your "patch" and it pulls up all the information, the entire product line that is customizable, and the pricing information and options.  I've got spirit, yes I do!  Thirty-One has spirit, and now you do, too!  

ENJOY!  And FYI...

WAR EAGLE BABY!

Grocery day!

Howdy, everyone!  I hope you're having a fantastic weekend.  For us: it was grocery day!  We head out to get our groceries.  Since we live in a small town in Alabama, we usually have to drive about 20 miles each way to a "local store" to buy our groceries.  That's a long trip and it's not exactly cold outside...how in the world do my frozen goods stay frozen?  Funny you should ask...

The Fresh Market Thermal is a gal's best friend!  I love this thing.  It's new from Thirty-One's Summer 2013 product line.  The product itself is new and so is the pattern--Pink Pop Medallion!  This thermal comes in three different colors (Pink Pop Medallion above in my trunk):

So, this thermal (the one in my trunk) made it all the way from Columbus, GA to my home in Fort Mitchell, Alabama (about 30 miles) with stops at Lowe's and to get gas on the way home. In other words: It made it over an hour in this thermal with NO MELTING.  The boxes to my pizza and waffles were still firm, and everything was perfectly cool when we got here.  Just imagine how much this thermal can hold, too!  Wanna see?  Sure you do!  

Ok, this isn't *my* picture, but I've crammed that much and MORE on the top of this thermal.  I promise you, this isn't something you'll regret buying later.  I enjoy ALL of the thermal totes Thirty-One has to offer.  You really can't go wrong with any of them.

Summer 2013 is HERE!

I am SO excited about the new summer patterns from Thirty-One!  These are part of the new catalog that's available right now for Summer 2013!  I know I've already got *my* favorite...what's yours?  

Anyone else excited to buy?  I've already placed 2 orders so far since May 1!  I can't get enough!