Although I would love to think that the only place to get a fabulous gift is from Spoiled Rotten Baby, I realize that not everyone specifically needs a baby gift every single time. (Side thought: Wouldn't it be great for me if they did though?)

Anyway, knowing that I cannot possibly meet every gift giving need in the world, I thought I might share with you a company that pretty much can - Urbanabox.
Urbanabox provides very cool, unique corporate gifts that are customized for each client. They even have the rare ability to ship wine and champagne which most companies are not allowed to do. (Always a bonus in my book!) In addition to the typical employee and client gift, Urbanabox can also design and provide:

Product Launches & Press Kits
Promotional Products and Packaging
Thank You & Referral Gifts
Meeting & Convention Gifts

As an added bonus, one of the owners, Denise Marinnaci (pictured above with yours truly)is a great gal to work with and honestly believes that customer service is a top priority in her company. In fact, we had a very interesting conversation about that very topic at the last event we attended. Denise shared with me several examples of what she has done for her customers and left me thinking that we could all learn a lot from her above Nordstrom quality service.

Check them out at urbanabox.com and if you talk to Denise, tell her I said hi!


Shelly

So, occasionally at one of my fun events (the Megumi Japanese Preschool Bazaar this time around) I come across an exceptional product or person. At this particular event, I was lucky enough to come across a combination of the two with Maiden America. Tristan Benz is not only the mastermind behind the patent pending non-slip barrette, but a dedicated philanthropist and mother. I have to admit it was very entertaining watching her take the tiniest piece of her own hair (really, really tiny!), place one of her very pretty barrettes on it and ask people to try to pull the barrette out of her hair. People who pulled, tugged, and twisted to no avail were completely amazed, and then bought half a dozen sets. Not only was I impressed at the dedication that this mother/entrepreneur had, but I was impressed at how happy and excited her customers were to have finally found a barrette that would actually stay in their daughters/nieces/granddaughters/neighbors hair.

Admittedly, I have a boy so whenever his hair bugs me I shave it all off (!) but darn it - if I had a girl, I would have every cute as a button variation of the Maiden America barrettes.

Mostly, I just love knowing that every single time someone supports Maiden America they are doing something for the 'greater good.' Check out Tristan's 'About Us' page if you think I am full of it!

Happy accessorizing!

Shelly

What do you CRAVE?? I finally attended my first Crave party today. I had been meaning to, and truthfully, it was really just their Spring Sample Sale (a bit smaller than normal) but it was fun nonetheless. My little (newly prego!) sister, Heather was my faithful sidekick and we worked every booth like the 'professionals' we are. Although I was a little disappointed today at the size of the venue, it won't deter me from attending another Crave event in the future. Everything was around 50% off and the luxury of a discount afforded me a few bars of Yummy Sweet Petula Soap and a super-hot vegan handbag from Persnickity Design. Yea! In addition to the shopping, Heather and I met Darnell Sue and Samantha Lawton from Girl Power Hour while they were hosting the 'Connection Cafe' section of the event. Girl Power Hour is (also) something I have been meaning to attend and I will definitely make it a priority now for sure. The next event is June 19th at the Canal and is sure to be an extremely fun event. I promise to tell you all about the fun and hope that if you make it, you'll introduce yourself and later share your comments with me on the blog. After Crave, Heatho (as I call her) and I made our way to the Issaquah Brew House for a yummy round of Bullfrog Ale and water with lemon (did I mention she's prego???) All in all, a great day - shopping, networking, sisters and brew.

Anyway, I hope this weekend you found something you CRAVE and had a great weekend to boot.

Shelly

Just over a week ago, I had the privilege of showcasing Spoiled Rotten Baby at the Megumi Japanese Preschool Bazaar in Bellevue, Washington. It was a fun day, complete with activities and games, a rummage sale of Japanese books, cds, and videos, yummy authentic Japanese food, and a few of us vendors. Along with Spoiled Rotten Baby, other vendors included: Jennifer Porter from Satsuma Designs, Carol Schiller from Baby Chaleco Performance Wear (my last post for more on Baby Chaleco), Tristen Benz from Maiden America, and a few others.

Megumi Japanese Preschool is a Japanese immersion school, which I personally think is very cool. Coming from a widely mixed background of Swedish, French, German, and Native American, it is hard for me to truly imagine being able to connect with my culture like the kids at Megumi do. If you are lucky enough to live near Bellevue, and have a Japanese background, check Megumi out. If you are even luckier, you'll get on their list!

- Yoi ichinichi oh!
(Loosly translated: Have a nice day!)

Shelly

I don't know about your kids, but my son was a drooler. Not just while teething and not just while eating, but ALL THE TIME. In fact, as I review pictures of him until about age 4, there is the lovely addition of glimmering spit in pretty much every picture. Not only that, but his shirts were accessorized with a large wet spot of varying sizes. I realize that putting a bib on him would have helped, but to me bibs were so unfashionable and always ruined an outfit. Needless to say I did a ton of laundry. If only I had been as smart as Carol Schiller (pictured with me above) and thought of Baby Chaleco Performance Wear!

Baby Chaleco features an exceptionally fashionable array of baby garments that not only keep your little one looking good, but also totally dry. They are not bibs, but cool, fun tops that perform better than a bib would. You can wear them over a shirt or alone, so they are super versatile.

Each garment is lined with a water resistant nylon that is thin, pliable, and baby-safe. The outside is also made of baby-safe, absorbent materials like 100% cotton terry velour.

On top of it all, they are reasonably priced at around $38.50. It would cost you that in laundry detergent for all those bib washings alone!

You can find Baby Chaleco performance wear at a variety of stores (including Whole Foods!) or online at www.BabyChaleco.com.

Happy Shopping!

Shelly

I recently had the opportunity to sit down for a cup of coffee with the CEO of Brambleberry Soap Making Supplies (brambleberry.com), Anne-Marie Faiola (aka 'The Soap Queen'). To be honest, I had only purchased a few items here and there while formulating my up and coming skincare line. I always liked the products that Brambleberry offered, but had not formed any exclusive loyalty to the store as of yet. This all changed last week when I met Anne-Marie. This very busy, very successful entrepreneur took several hours out of her extremely busy day to chat with me for a bit about what she does at Brambleberry and give me tips for Spoiled Rotten Baby. I was also fortunate to learn more about her blog that was written about last year in the Wall Street Journal. Anne-Marie takes the time to blog every single day to:

". . . talk about soap, toiletries and all manner of recipes and experiments around making your own goodies. (She)also muses about being self-employed, women in business, good design and cupcakes. It's a bit of a potluck . . ."

I love Anne-Marie for being a strong, smart woman, love Brambleberry for offering amazing soap-making supplies, and love the Soap Queen's blog for being both educational and entertaining.

Check it out, and if you talk to Anne-Marie, tell her Shelly sent ya!

Shelly

With Mother's Day fast approaching, we at Spoiled Rotten Baby would like to take the opportunity to thank and show appreciation for all of the Mothers and Mothers-to-be in the world. There are simply not enough words to describe the depth of a mother's love and not enough time in a day to show her how much she means to you. Whether she is your wife, your best friend, or a neighbor, she deserves to be recognized.

To help you honor a new Mom or one that is expecting, we are pleased to offer an amazing 40% off any set on our Spoiled Rotten Mama Collection. Just enter discount code: Mother at checkout.

We hope that in addition to one of our beautiful sets, you also take a moment to write her a note or letter describing how much she means to you. She will cherish it forever.

Happy Mother's Day,

Shelly
(pictured above with my spoiled rotten 8-year old, Nate)