Fine Featherheads

Today the sun is shining, the temperatures are rising and my children and I are done with school for the year! Summer is right around the corner!

With summer comes loosening up a bit, having some fun and letting go...and one way my daughters and I are welcoming the warmth this year is with feather hair extensions. While my girls are rocking turquoise, emerald, pink and purple, I opted for neutral tones of browns and khakis that are similar to my hair color (after all, I will be 36 next month).

There are quite a few brands out there, but I'm going to sing my praises for Fine Featherheads! Their colors are amazing and their patented technique of bonding the feathers together before installation ensures your feathers stay in longer...I'm talking months, ladies!

Feather hair extensions can be washed, dried and styled just like your regular hair without the risk of them falling out or being damaged. They're applied to your hair using a silicone-lined bead that is crimped with a needle-nose pliers. To remove them you simply crimp the bead in the other direction. The feathers can then be repositioned and reused.

Visit finefeatherheads.com to locate a salon near you who provides these fun, quirky and stylish hair extensions...but be prepared to get stopped repeadedly by people wanting to know where they can get the look!

Goody Spin Pins

I have been so busy...very excitedly busy! I've seen Oprah Winfrey once and Martha Stewart twice! Can you even believe it?! You do all remember my daughter's name is Martha, don't you? It's been amazing! I'll write more about it later...but for now, like Oprah, I want to tell you about one of my new Favorite Things! Goody Spin Pins!

As I sat with the rest of the Oprah crowd, I watched a women pull two Spin Pins out of her purse and put up a no-fuss bun in 2 seconds flat! I was amazed! As a woman with very long hair who loves to try different styles (and spends way too much time doing so), I had to find out what they were...so I asked. The gracious women who flew across the country to be in the Oprah studio audience was amazingly kind and gave me a lesson. The next day I picked up a pair.

They do take some practice and time getting used to, but I've now tried many different styles with them and have even used them in Martha's hair...all with great success. Right now I have three small messy buns at the nape of my neck...something that took about 30 bobby pins and 20 minutes before now only took me 2 minutes and 3 Spin Pins! I'm in LOVE! As Martha Stewart would say, "They're a good thing!"

Available at drug stores and on amazon.com.

liliputians NYC

Great Gift for Girls!

After waiting and waiting for my daughter's hair to grow, I appreciate cute hair clips when I see them. I was thrilled to find liliputians NYC clips online (the Little Red Riding Hood clips shown here are my favorite).

There are many different styles and colors and all really stay put in my daughter's hair...even through the rigmarole of her winter hat which I unfortunately recently learned now that freezing temperatures have settled into Wisconsin.

There are cute little birthday hair clips for a special party and different holiday clips sure to complete any outfit! Hair clips start at $10.00 and are sold in sets of two.

Visit liliputians-nyc.com to see all available styles...but be prepared to stay a while as there are a lot to look at!

Dumpling Dynasty Kits

I just found these great little kits from Dumpling Dynasty and thought you'd want to see them too! In each little tin you get everything you need for the designated activity. Here are a few examples:

The Pigtail Kit shown here includes ribbons, barrettes, bows, a comb and a mirror...any little girl's dream!

The Explorer Kit includes a torch, compass, rope, magnifying glass and a young explorer's notebook...perfect for your young Indian Jone's enthusiast!

There is also a Baking Kit, Shoe Shine Kit, First Aid Tin, and Sewing Kit. I think these would make great little birthday party gifts to keep on hand or something to have tucked away for raining days.

Available at strawberryfool.co.uk for $29.75.

Bitty Braille

Bitty Braille is a company driven by Julie Dutt, a woman married to an Army man and a working mother of three home-schooled children...and I think I'm tired at the end of the day!

Julie creates each shirt at her home studio in New York. She hand-sews the embroidered name and applies the Braille onto American Apparel shirts. You can choose between a list of pre-selected words such as happy, cutie, smile, buddy and silly or you can request a personalized shirt with your child's name or even a special nickname or word that describes them.

In addition to the shirts, there are Braille hair clips, pendents and these great little letter tiles shown here. The prices on the site are really reasonable (shirts start at $24 and the tiles are $26 for the set) and the best part is knowing that a portion of each sale is donated to the American Foundation for the Blind (afb.org).

Visit bittybraille.com to view the full collection of products!

No Slippy Hair Clippy

I just received some No Slippy Hair Clippy clips in the mail for my daughter yesterday. And I noticed a few unique things about them that differentiates them from other hair clips:

They stay put...no falling out or sliding down. ..these will remain in even the softest of baby hair. The clips themselves are soft...they're lined with velvet. There is a magnet in them to really make them stay in place...I don't know of another hair clip company that has used magnets...but they should, it really works. And they are handmade in the United States.

Oh, and they're really adorable! Many different styles, colors and designs to choose from.

Visit hairclippy.com to order some for that special little girl in your life. Most are $8.00 each.

Giddy Giddy Hair Clips

Hair is important to me. I have l-o-n-g hair down to my lower back and having a daughter with little to no hair is difficult! She is now 21 months old and I can finally sneak a clip into her hair. Style is also important to me. So I have been on a quest to find the cutest hair clips on the market. And here they are! Giddy Giddy Hair Clips!

These are made by a craftaholic mother of two who first started producing these for her little girl...and of course, others wanted them! Including me!

Designs include flowers, food and animals. I'm in love with the cow, monkey and duck as well as the popsicle and strawberry designs! These are made with a felt backing which enables these cuties to stay put!

They are available for purchase from chloeinstyle.com for $9.