My Designer's Corner

HC Spotlight ~ Whiffy Bean Bags

I have been wanting to jump in and spotlight HC stores again, but life had taken over and spending time with the kids outdoors and gardening really took a precedence over blogging.  But I am excited to be blogging about a certain store that has been around HC for a while now!

I remember when Whiffy Bean Bags made an appearance on HC, oh it as been a few years now!  Leah started making Whiffys in her own backyard, with dried herbs from her garden and some fabric.  But wait, what ARE Whiffy Bean Bags??  They are little sachets of fabric filled with white pine shavings, a cellulose fiber fixative and 1 bean :) .  She adds essential oils and organic dried herbs to the mix as well.  What are they used for?  To tell you the truth I was amazed at how many uses a Whiffy had, here is a list;

They can be used as toys for children (playing catch, etc), as well as bring a fragrant smell anywhere you put them.  You can stuff them in drawers, in the diaper bag, in your purse, in smelly shoes...the possibilities are endless.

Leah and her family also make all kinds of Whiffys, from the classic Bean Bag that started it all, to the Whiffy See-Its, Keychains, Ice Packs, Party Favors and the most wonderful of them all in my opinion, the Whiffy Smoo, a wonderful minkee blanket including 3 bean bags filled with relaxing herbs.  Also, for WAHMs she also offers Whiffy WAHM samples, I am going to have to get me a few of these!

She also offers over 50 different scents and an impressive fabric selection.  What is better than having an item made at home from a WAHM, customized to your little heart's content?

I love seeing originality on Hyenacart, Leah brings a great product to HC for moms and dads alike, you should grab a few Whiffys next time you pop in her regular online store!  I'm sure to make a few purchases soon!

HC Spotlight ~ Elemental Muse

If you are a work at home mom like me (or dad) you know there are a million things you need to figure out and set up before opening up an online store.  It's never easy, and most go about it through trial and error.  Some are lucky to have online communities who can help, with forums and specific topics concerning opening up shop, but I've come across a work at home business that goes above and beyond!

Michelle at Elemental Muse just blows me away with what she has to offer for the budding WAHM and experienced business mama.  Just look at what she has to offer!  Her main focus is her hosting and design business.  I've experienced first hand some of Michelle's great customer service when I purchased a domain name with her help, and she set it up for me in less than a day :) .  I'm not computer savvy and it was sooo nice to have her set it up for me!

Michelle also chats and writes in her inspirational blog , here you'll find great ideas and lots of help for setting up and running your own business.  What's better than learning from a mom who's been there already?  Need more specific help?  Check this out, Michelle offers so much info and products here from setting up your own Hyenacart to managing your business newsletter (I'm so getting this one when I get the chance!).

What I love most is that she also blogs about Hyenacart, my personal favorite forum online :) .  Here she spotlights great work at home moms and gives helpful tips about our HC home.

Finally, this particular website calls to me and I cannot wait to read more.  Cleaning your home naturally can sometimes be tough, especially when we are surrounded by harsh chemical products lining up shelves after shelves in the supermarket.  We never really know which to choose (and most of the time we have this nagging feeling in the back of our mind warning us that maybe it's not such a good idea introducing another chemical into our home).  Yet we don't really know about the alternatives.  This website has it all!  Want to clean up rust stains?  Use baking soda and half a lemon.  Need to spruce up your dingy looking sink?  Just mix up ½ cup baking soda, ½ cup coarsely ground sage leaves, and ¼ cup ground rosemary leaves!  Seriously, how how can it be, just use what you have at home in your cupboards!

I'm personally thankful that Michelle is an active member on the HC boards as I can learn some pretty cool tips and tricks from her, and she's always there to help if ever we have a problem with our carts and whatnot.  I'm off to read more from her blog!

HC Highlight ~ The Felted Sheep

Wow, talk about some awesome woolies!!  I'm partial to wool, as we use it for covers over our fitted diapers, and since I started knitting I am always on the lookout for yarn & accessories.

Check out The Felted Sheep, doesn't she make wonderful items??  I love her felted purses, as well as her felted brooches.  Kelsey lives in Alaska, and loves working at home while taking care of her son, even if she used to to work as an Architectural Drafter.  She now spins and dyes her own yarn.

  Look at this yarn!!

Kelsey also sells on Etsy and blogs here.  This mama's got talent, anyone who can spin their own yarn and make such wonderful art get my vote :) .

Welcome 2008!

To start off the new year, a wonderful group of WAHMs (work at home moms) and I have put together a list of stores from Hyenacart, and we will be featuring 1-2 stores per week in our blogs.  This gives us a chance to feature amazing products and the moms/dads behind them!  There is so much talent on Hyenacart, I cannot wait to start sharing the artisans with you! 

This week, I'm happy to share a few items with you from Teri at www.hyenacart.com/TheEnchantedNursery!  Teri started her business in the year 2002, and she has customers all over the world, including Canada, Australia and the UK.  I just love what she offers, one being cloth diapers of all kinds (this one is my fave of hers instock)

...As well as organic herbs for teas and baths, mama cloth, and a new product of hers ~ Night Owls wool nighttime diapers.  Love her choice of colors!

Teri sells her wares on her own HC (link above) as well as at www.yinia.com, www.necessitae.com and a few boutiques.  I encourage you to check out her store, I for one will be buying some organic lavender buds from her soon, I have been looking everywhere for some and am so glad to see Teri is offering these on her HC!