I didn’t used to host giveaways on this blog.

I simply ran ads from a major blog ad company and called it a day. That was the extent of my “business” blogging and was as far as I chose to go.

But then I developed an Etsy addiction. A serious Etsy addiction.

I already love handmade items and am passionate about supporting home businesses. The more I found shops I adored, the more I wanted to introduce you to some of my favorites. But I wasn’t allowed to do so with the ads I’d been running for several years. (Additionally, the ads were often for products, services and events I wouldn’t typically support.)

So I ditched the ads.

And quickly emailed all my fave crafty people.

(Hence, celebratory Raindrops on Roses Giveaway Week.)

I’m not eager to have my blog be overrun by ads and giveaways and business, business, business.

But I am eager to show you the sparkly happy pretties I find around the internet. I am eager to help and feature small businesses about which I’m over the moon. I am thrilled to support handmade shops and ethical, eco-friendly practices.

And you can always, always be assured that any product or company featured here at Heart and Home will be one I truly love and only because I’m completely smitten.

SO.

Today, allow me to introduce you to the sheer sunshine that is Mimi’s Babies:

Do you SEE that headband on my precious little niece? The big white one, crocheted and clipped to a super soft blue headband?

I die.

(I think Shiloh has a career in modeling, don’t you? I wuvs her, I do.)

Truly.

I fell in love with Mimi’s Babies when I was browsing Etsy for birthday gifts a few months ago. Clicking through page after page of lovelies, I fell head over heels for everything my eyes found.

Mimi’s Babies has a wide selection of handmade goodies… appliqued t-shirts for boys and girls, laptop covers and wallets, absolutely adorable hats (I want one for ME) and especially their headbands and hair clips.

(All the crocheted flowers for the headbands are attached with a sturdy clip, which means the flowers can be used later in bigger girls’ hair, on little dresses or bags, or even, ahem, in the mommy’s hair.)

And look at what Mimi’s Babies sent for my two year old:

He would wear this shirt every day if I let him.

I kid not.

He calls it his “super car shirt.”

Of course, everything is “super” these days.

Super shoes, super cape, super hair, super jeans, super goggles, super car, super hat…

But I agree… this shirt is pretty super.

And the best part for you?

Mimi’s Babies is giving away $25 shop credit!

People, that is enough for both of the items pictured above, or at least three headbands, or a zillion hair posies, or a laptop cover and posy clip, or an uber-cute wallet, or these to die for kimono shoes and a matching headband, or, or, or…

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me whether or not you wear pretties in your hair, or if they’re not your style, or if you think it’s completely ridiculous and juvenile.

(It’s okay if you think pretties are juvenile. I can handle it. I’ll just put more flowers and bows and ribbons in my tresses to make me feel better.)

For additional entries:

• Tweet it, saying: I’d love to win @heartandhome’s giveaway for $25 from @mimisbabiesetsy! http://bit.ly/bbgl6D
• Facebook it
• Blog it
• Follow @mimisbabiesetsy on Twitter
• Add Mimi’s Babies to your Etsy favorites
• “Like” Mimi’s Babies on Facebook

Separate comments must be left for each additional entry for entries to be counted.

Giveaway will end Thursday night, August 12th. Winner will be announced and emailed the next day.

Disclosure: I was sent Mimi’s Babies product for review, but, as expressed above, all opinions were my own, even before I held the wonderful adorableness in my hands!

Today was grey and still.

Only the slightest breeze blowing through an open window, gently rustling the curtain as it swept in without a sound.

The drops began falling early, with vengeance, then paused, weary from such a fury. They rested, only putting forth energy enough to drizzle, save for two more brief moments of passionately flooding our grass.

It was the perfect day to call for rest, ourselves. Shimmery capes were donned by tiny shoulders, wooden swords belted to waists only twelve inches high. Tents were built and sandwiches nibbled inside their cotton sheet walls.

And this mama, raising coffee to her lips, remained in light, soft house clothes and curled up near the open, dewy window, book in hand, listening to the mingling of giggles and drip drops from the eaves.

A misty day, laced with magic.

{I’d like to bottle up a few drops for when harsh, bright light returns, bringing with it a touch of the crazy. Likely, tomorrow.}

~*~

Whether your July day is sixty degrees and drippy or one hundred degrees and sweltering, here are a few gems, found in the midst of our foggy summer storm.

• This post by my heart-sister Sara Sophia makes me giddy-happy, because not only it features a little bit of moi, but because everything she says about buying handmade, and choosing ethical practices and voting with your dollar makes me want to stand on a chair and toss (recycled) confetti into the air.

• The boys and I were passing a newsstand a few days ago and the non-glossy paper of Boho magazine caught my eye on the shelf. I reached for and it was love at first touch. I’m on my third read-through, simply because this magazine is perfect. It’s a new-ish publication and I adore it and can’t stop telling everyone I know (well, those with a bit of hippie blood in them) to pick up a copy.

• “Eternal soul connects to eternal Creator and this skin prison is not enough.  Cannot contain. So you dance.  You weep.  You face-down love Him.”    ~from Skin Prison, by my beloved Arianne. She speaks my heart’s current state. This skin is not enough.

• My beautiful, wonderful mama has been posting a bit more often, and it makes my heart leap. Words can’t express my love for her.

• How To Green Your Laundry: From Lifetime Television’s parenting site, written by Arianne and featuring Sara Sophia, HopeSuds (my favorite!) and yours truly.

• I’ve been listening to Keith Green on repeat for days and days. I know every word by heart, yet hadn’t listened in years because there was a bit of residual background pain associated with the hearing. But this week, these words are the only ones fitting my heart. The depth… oh, the depth. A few days from now will be the 28/28/28 anniversary of Keith’s tragic death, and I plan to watch the live web stream of the memorial event. Join us?

• Have you ever seen a sweeter or easier to make little girlie’s dress? I’m pulling out my sewing machine this week and a few white-shirts-turned-dresses will be the first items out from under the needle.

• A commenter on this post decided to sponsor a child through Compassion as a result, which really, truly, caused my eyes to well up. If you don’t already, would you consider saving a life, both physical and eternal?

As ever, I’d love if you would leave me with a little treasure you’ve found this week. The rain and drizzle is said to have extended its stay with us for a few more days and I’d love to visit your diamonds and amethysts.

And as Pooh asks his reflection during the blustery night, “Is it raining out there? It’s raining in here, too.”

When I arrived home from Germany, there were several packages waiting for me in my overwhelming very, very large pile of mail.

One of them bore the name of an old blog aquaintance…

…and it was filled with airy, fluffy goodness.

Rachael of Softly Sweetly had graciously sent me a sampling of her delectable homemade marshmallows.

Look at these:

No, I will not divulge just how quickly the boys and I downed these chocolate cherry marshmallows.

Here’s the thing:

I’m not typically a huge marshmallow fan. I don’t eat Peeps at Easter. I don’t eat plain marshmallows that haven’t been burnt crisp and melty over a smouldering campfire.

But I’d been hearing people rave about Rachael’s marshmallows so much that I knew I needed to give them a try.

And as the shop says, until you’ve tried a homemade marshmallow, you have no idea what a marshmallow really is.

Just look at the Rocky Road variety:

I tried the Chocolate Cherry, the Toasted Coconut and the Vanilla. They were all ridiculously scrumptious~although my fav was the Chocolate Cherry, by far.

(I may have even hidden the last one so my little people would stop asking for it. Maybe.)

Since I lovelovelove supporting mom-owned home businesses, I asked Rachael if she’d be willing to be featured here.

SO. She is offering one dozen marshmallows, your choice of variety to one soon-to-be-licking-their-lips commenter!

To enter, visit Softly Sweetly and leave a comment here telling me which variety looks most scrumptious to you. Also, because I’m always nosy, tell me if you’ve had s’mores yet this summer.

(I haven’t. But I will eat ‘em up when I go camping in a couple weeks.)

Additional entries (please leave a separate comment for each entry):

• Tweet it, saying: I’m hoping to win one dozen scrumptious homemade marshmallows from @heartandhome’s giveaway! http://bit.ly/9EZ1DV
• Facebook it
• Blog it
• Follow Softly Sweetly on Twitter
  
• “Like” Softly Sweetly on Facebook
• Add Softly Sweetly to your Etsy favorites

Giveaway will end Monday, July 19th. Thank you to Rachael for providing the wonderful marshmallows to enjoy and review! All opinions stated are my own and are sincere.

It wasn’t the venue. Though Opryland is vast and beautiful.

It wasn’t the sessions. Though the information was thought-provoking.

It wasn’t the sponsors. Though the swag was and is ah-may-zing.

It wasn’t the food. Though lunch at the Volare was palate enlightening.

It wasn’t the parties. Though the (in)Courage party left me without words–it was that beautiful.

It was the people.

The people were the magic of Blissdom.

Clockwise, beginning top left: with Hillary, who makes me laugh–with Annie, who let me crash on her couch(es) and for whom there are no words to describe–sweet, beautiful Lisa, with whom my heart is knit–with Lora Lynn and Aubrey, my other two Annie’s House roomies, who crack me up and who I wish I could be with rightthissecond–crazy picture with Christine, whom I met on the pre-conference plane to Nashville–Kimba and Lisa, preparing for their session, which they totally nailed–posing pretty with Emily, because, well, maybe we wanted it to look like a blue-speckled-background studio shot? Center: the masses watching Harry perform.

These are the only pictures I took with my own camera. I was too intent on talking with these women to remember to document the event.

There are at least thirty other people I wish I had caught on camera. There are hundreds of quick connections and a handful of depth-of-heart conversations I long to keep in forever record. There are moments and emotions I yearn to bottle and preserve.

Their stories, their laughter, their quietness. Their hearts aligning, face to face, with the powerful person I’ve known (or will know) through their written word.

A person is so much more than what fills the page when they press “publish.”

Truly, it wasn’t about the conference, unspeakably amazing though it was.

It was the people who took my breath away.

Have you ever met someone in a face to face encounter when you’d only ever known them through their written words? Was it what you expected it to be?

Call me crazy.

It suits me fine.

Five days ago I was driving across the country on what has been the largest-scale move we’ve made yet—and that’s with moving five times in five and a half years of marriage.

I was in Colorado for two whirlwind days. We unloaded the moving truck. (When I say “we,” I mean “they,” because I had nothing more to do with it than to smile and nod and say “Thank you, thank you so much, you wonderful, beautiful people .”) We unpacked a box or two. We froze our batooties off in the single digit and negative temps. We dug around and found the snow boots. We dug around and never found the one box that says OPEN FIRST.

And now? I’m in Nashville. At the Blissdom conference.

I. Know.

My three guys have sent me off for a weekend filled with people who speak my language without batting an eye and give hugs like they’re free candy, while the three of them are back at home—new home, that is—making snow angels with the cousins and eating Grandma’s warm comfort food.

It’s all a bit surreal—I hopped on a plane in Denver and ran into two other Blissdom ladies on my flight. We had no problems chatting it up for the next couple hours, all while drooling over Rebecca’s baby. I’m staying with sweet and hilarious Annie, whom I saw for the first time on her doorstep but could almost swear we’ve met in another (pretend) life. I’m meeting up with older friends, newer friends, bloggie buddies and soon-to-be buddies, and a whole lotta people I recognize and try to get up the nerve to meet. (Oh, blog-ebrity, how thou amusest me!) I’m going out of my comfort zone as a blog conference newbie and slipping back into it when I see people I know.

Call me crazy. Because this is crazy awesome.